#it's just one of those things where i get where morrigan's coming from

[crossdressingdeath]

The Dark Ritual just hits different if you're playing Surana or Amell and he's the one to do it. Because like... Circle mages routinely have their children stolen from them. That's common practice. And this isn't exactly the same, but at the same time... imagine what it would be like to finally get out of the Circle and have a chance to build a home and a life and a family, and then this child is dangled in front of you, and you never even considered that possibility, and you can even justify it to get the whispers of the Chantry's teachings out of your head, and then you're told that you will never know your child. Part of the deal is you won't know them and you won't try to and the Warden accepts that but it must still sting. I wish there was an additional dialogue option for Surana/Amell when Morrigan makes it clear that he doesn't get a part in his kid's life to say "That was all I was ever going to get anyway". At least this way he knows his child is free and reasonably safe, which is more than he would ever have had if he'd had a child in the Circle.

Anyway my headcanon will always be that a high approval unromanced (and romanced, basically just even if he doesn't follow her through the eluvian and meet Kieran in Witch Hunt) Morrigan who did the ritual with the Warden eventually cracks and introduces Kieran to his father, because the Warden is a good man and quite possibly her best friend and he and Kieran deserve to decide for themselves if they want any sort of relationship.

[mxtantrights]

where you go, I go

a/n: okay so while I'm writing this whole series for azriel just know that I had this other recurring dream about a plot like this. I couldn't really make it a fully fleshed out story with a happy ending so I decided to type it all out and make it a one-shot with angst and not a lot of comfort (this is your warning, this doesn't end happily) anyways with all of that said, if you decide to read this please enjoy and tell me what you think! <333 also happy valentines day <333

azriel x assassin!fem!reader

5.1k words

The day court was home to many things. Vibrant colors, warm waters, ancient books and of course the very ancient and magical day blade. It's your job to know where that this is at all times.

You can't possibly understand why the shadow singer would try to steal it. Try being the operative word here. While you did sense him enter your court and break into the room where the blade was, it wouldn't have mattered.

Seeing as it is your job to protect the blade at all costs, it never leaves your sight. But that didn't mean you couldn't have fun with those who wanted so badly to get it.

In your pocket you feel a piece of paper appearing suddenly. You reach inside and unfold it. It's Helion. He's requesting your presence. You smile to yourself, this would be fun.

You leave your hiding place, the palace had many hidden rooms and hallways, and walk over to Helion's day room. As you approach from the hallway you can hear multiple conversations being had.

The door is closed so you open it slightly.

"There she is! Come in and greet my guests!" he says happily.

You make sure you face is kept neutral. You had an image to upkeep in this court.

The people respect you and fear you in the same breath. You don't go around killing people but you do often get justice in ways that aren't in the parameters of the law. Whether that be stringing up robbers and looters from their pants, or burning down the houses of dirty criminals.

You keep your eyes straight, not looking any of his guests in the eye. You walk until you are standing behind Helion who sits in his usual seat.

"I was just telling Feyre that I enjoy the new company. This is the inner circle." he says to you.

You nod once.

"She doesn't talk?" Nesta asks.

You know all of them. It's your duty to know The Who's who of the courts. The inner circle of the night court. High Lord Rhysand and High Lady Feyre-Curse breaker. Her sisters Elaine and Nesta. Rhysand's brothers Cassian and Azriel. Morrigan, past fiancee of Eris Vanserra. Amren, a mythical creature of serious power.

Helion laughs at Nesta's question. He knows you talk. He knows you very well, seeing as he practically raised you. But that information isn't public knowledge.

"She does, but not when theres something wrong." Helion answers.

You look at all of them now. How the girl closest to the shadow singer, Elaine, looks worried. And it's quick, you almost don't catch it, but you're so good at your job at this point.

"Trouble in the day court?" Rhysand says.

You lean over and whisper into Helion's ear about the blade. How the shadow singer came here to steal it, on a mission from his high lord. How he thinks he got away with it.

The room goes quiet as you pull back and Helion sits back in his chair. He loves the dramatics you pull off every single time someone tries to take the blade. The last person you caught was really delighted to be drowned in glitter, confetti and manure.

"Is there something you're forgetting?" Helion asks.

Rhysand looks at his inner circle with an incredulous smile. Then he looks to you, no doubt trying to read your mind. You can't imagine this will go over well either.

You can't feel it. The daemati powers that certain fae have don't work on you. You're not really sure why. Might have something to do with your unknown lineage. Or your overall hardheadedness-so Helion says.

Rhysand cocks his head to the side at your unmoving posture. He's still looking at you. You however are taking in the shadow singer. He's sitting there, not bothering to look at anyone. He must really think he got the blade.

"What would that be?" Feyre asks this time.

"Well, when you want something that another has you usually ask." Helion says.

At that everyone at the table grows grim. Caught red handed is what it seems like. You still manage to hide you smile though.

"Helion..." Rhysand starts.

"If you were anyone else I would have you locked up already. But lucky for me my security system is top notch." Helion smiles and grabs his glass for another sip of what could only be wine.

At his words the shadow singer now looks at the high lord. Your high lord. His face bares no emotion, like he can't afford to give a way a secret or smile.

You've heard about his reputation. But at this point that's all it is. He couldn't even steal from you correctly. This has to be the most interesting thing that's happened this year. You don't get around to much outsider business, you tend to stay out of it.

"I don't think it is." the shadow singer says.

Helion stifles a laugh. But you can hear it. And you know if you can hear it they all can. The room is big but not big enough that guests at a table can't hear things.

"Care to relieve them of their misery?" he looks up to you and asks.

You didn't really want to. But then again you'd have to play nice with them. Helion seems to like this group. Or most likely, his son is friends with this group and he wants to be friends with his son.

You sigh, "Take out the blade."

You watch in amusement as everyone at the table looks at each other. As if they all don't know what they really came here for. The shadow singer though, he's different. He's looking right at you.

His shadows materialize the blade right on the table for everyone to see. Cassian, gives him a look. But Azriel doesn't seem to see it or care.

"That's not the blade." Helion quips.

You call the blade to you with your powers. Being gifted with the ability to control sun made objects is fun most of the time. Most living things are sun made in a sense. So really you could control all things, to a certain extent.

The blade comes flying into your hand. As soon as it makes contact with your skin it transforms. The metal of the blade turns into a vibrant green stem. And the helm turns into the face of a sunflower.

Azriel seems to go through a range of emotions. First confusion. Then understanding. And then the last one, well you can't actually pin down the last one. You've gotten good at reading people but he's harder than others.

"The blade is safe in the day court, where it will remain until you ask for it." Helion says.

Rhysand lets of a breath, "I am sorry about lying, but we're short on time."

"And I thought our alliance was stronger than that. I am sorry too." Helion replies.

Helion stands from his seat, causing the others to match his actions. The sound of chairs on marble floors reaches your ears. You take a step back and cross your hands behind your back.

"We need the blade for a mission." Feyre speaks.

"It could be a simple mission or the end of the world. The fact that you have no respect to ask me tells me everything I need to know." Helion says casually.

You know that he is hurt by their lying. It's not deep, but it's there. He thought he could trust them. He thought because they had good relations with him before that they were better than the actions they are displaying right now.

Of course you know of the good bond between them. Which is why you don't understand why they didn't just ask. Unless there is a well justified reason. Why not ask the high lord for the blade unless he was implicated somehow.

How could Helion be implicated in a mission from the night court. He doesn't know anything, or he would have offered them the blade himself. No this is something he's not at the center of. But it still concerns him.

Lucien. You look at the guests around the room. He is no where to be found. True he's not part of the inner circle. He's an emissary. But if it was something the inner circle could simply ask Helion for, why not butter him up with his son?

Lucien may or may not know what going on.

"Where's Lucien?" you ask.

At you question all of the heads move to you. Right, you hadn't spoken to them this whole time. Well you weren't going to give them a smile and greet them kindly.

"What business do you have with him?" Nesta asks.

"He's in Spring. Managing relations." Rhysand answers.

You nod your head. Spring. If that answer can even be trusted. Let's say you do trust it for the moment.

The inner circle needs the day blade. They didn't want to ask for it. They didn't let Lucien come.

"Were you planning on returning it?" you ask again.

Nesta, rolls her eyes at your question. You can't help the giddiness you feel of getting under her skin. You hardly did anything to warrant it. But it felt kind of good.

"As soon as we were done." Azriel answers this time.

You don't ignore the stress he puts not he word soon. You also don't ignore the way his eyes seem to never leave yours.

"That blade is our most powerful weapon. We don't just give it out to anyone." Helion chimes in.

He maneuvers around his chair and stands behind you. When he grips both of your shoulders with his hands, you can tell he's smiling even if you can't see him.

"But I will let you use it," Helion continues, "on one condition."

"Go ahead." Rhysand says.

"Wherever the blade goes, she goes." Helion says.

"That won't be necessary." Nesta says.

At the same time Cassian says, "That's odd."

Helion shrugs his shoulders and lets go of you. He leans into your ear to whisper his next words very carefully. When you understand him and what he wants, you nod your head only once.

He grabs the sunflower from your hands as you uncross them from behind you. Helion stands next to you now. You watch as Helion brings the flower up to his nose and gives it a sniff.

"We agree to those terms." Azriel speaks up.

"Woah hold on-" Rhysand tries to cut in.

"Great. I think this will be beneficial to both courts." your high lord agrees.

You turn to face him now, your back towards the guests. Helion was looking at you with a very faint smile. You heard every word he whispered to you. And you understand the reason why: Family.

What you don't get it is why he won't just speak to Lucien himself. Why play nice with a high lord that knows his son when he can just reach out to him? Invite him to the day court or send him a letter.

Everyone in this room knows Lucien is Helion's son, except Lucien. And now your mission is to tell him so that he might finally have a true place to call home.

Helion wouldn't so easily agree to lending out the blade like this if it weren't for Lucien. And the night court wouldn't try to steal it if Lucien did know, because he could just ask on their behalf.

Your shoulders sag at the thought. You had no interactions with Lucien. You only ever heard of him from Helion and he only started referring to him as his son a couple of months ago.

It'll be you. You'll be the one to see him, come eye to eye to him, and tell him the truth.

You can see it in his eyes. The sadness. You'd do anything for him. He's a father figure to you. And you'll see this through, for his sake and Lucien's too.

"Promise me you'll smile a little bit during your trip." Helion says.

"The Sun Wraith doesn't smile." you answer.

"You're the Sun Wraith?" Cassian's voice asks.

You turn around and face the general. It's all over his face. The look of shock. It wasn't hard to become something of a legend in this court and the ones surrounding it.

"Even people in the night court are scared of you." Nesta says.

On her face seems to be another emotion. Not fear. Not shock. Something lighter amongst the surface. Admiration maybe? You aren't too sure.

"I'll grab my things." you say to no one in particular.

"And the blade." Azriel's voice sounds.

"I never go anywhere without it." you say, reaching behind you.

Grabbing the flaps of your yellow vest you flip it over and your hand wraps around the hilt of the blade. You pull it out for all of them to see.

"Best security in all of the courts." Helion jokes.

-

THREE WEEKS LATER

The mission has barely begun and you hate it here. You hate it in the night court. The days are shorter and you feel pale without even looking into a mirror most days. Nothing beats the sun of the day court on your skin.

Amren had told you it would get better. After your first meeting she had taken a liking to you. You were told by several members in the inner court that it was no easy feat. She talked to you the most out of everyone.

Second to her, came Nesta who was just curious about the things you allegedly did or did not do. You held off on telling her anything too juicy. It was funny toying with her with the details. She also likes your fighting style. Morrigan too.

Azriel talks to you. Sometimes. He's friendly to a point. Cassian is more friendlier than him but you're starting to understand it's just in his nature. Feyre and Rhysand are cordial. Elaine is, well you've been told that she's nice but you haven't really seen it. She greets you but that's it.

The inner circle didn't get on your nerves. But you also had your own mission. Deliver the news to Lucien that Beron isn't his father, Helion is.

Which is why though this whirlwind of a mission you're laying down on path of grass outside of the House of Wind. Weird. What was even weirder was the fact that Velaris, a secret city inside of the night court, has existed for so long with no one none the wiser.

You squeeze your eyes shut. Trying to turn your brain off. It wasn't working. The sun wasn't the same, it does't feel the same. You can't call off this mission either.

"Is this what you do in the day court?"

You'd know that voice anywhere. Which is weird to say as you've known the male for a couple of weeks now. But it's true. Azriel's voice was distinguishable from others. A bit low, but still soft. Clear.

"Yes." you answer.

"Is that all the explanation you can give me?"

"Yes."

You think he'll go away. He plays nice because you have the blade. He needs the blade, which means he needs you. Once he no loner needs the blade he won't need you.

When you hear the sound of him getting closer you want so badly to open your eyes. But you don't. You keep them closed. As much as you want to open them and see what he's doing.

The sound of him laying down beside you on the grass is one you weren't expecting. Also the feeling of soft cold tendrils nipping at your arm.

"It feels...nice. A bit cold." he speaks.

Of course he'd complain about he cold. Nesta had told you that Illyrians were whiny babies. You'd seen it personally when Cassian couldn't get a certain dish because there were no more potatoes for the day.

And now here his brother is. Complaining.

You hold up your left hand, the one close to him.

"Give me your hand." you command.

You half expect him to decline. To maybe even get up and leave. Or maybe say that he doesn't mind the cold. The other half of you expects him to just listen you-to see where it goes.

He takes your hand. You focus on letting the additional warmth you normally feel from the sun flow from your hand and into his.

Out of all the things you half expect and do expect, his laugh is something you don't plan for. It's deep. It comes from his core. It's gentle too. Which you wouldn't get just from looking at him.

"It's warm." he says.

"That's how the sun feels in the day court." you answer.

"I think you just spoke more than three words to me."

You scoff, "Don't get used to it."

"That was four words."

"Shut up."

"Two. We're regressing."

"Azriel."

"I'll be quiet now."

This is how you spend your time. If you are not training with Morrigan, Amren and Nesta. Or not eating with Cassian in the kitchen. You are laying out on the grass with Azriel in the sun.

It happens more times than you care to admit as the mission goes on.

-

ONE MONTH LATER

This place, Velaris, was starting to grow on you. You didn't want to admit that out loud, or in your letters to Helion. Or how well you were gettign on with Azriel. The trips into the city, the lingering glances and words with hidden layers.

You letters should only have on subject, Lucien.

He has been back from the spring court for two weeks now. You've taken that time to get to know him. You couldn't fathom unleashing the truth on him as a stranger. You don't need to be his friend. But he needs to at least trust the words coming out of your mouth when you say them.

Family dinner they called it. Even though only three of them were related to each other. But you guess that what makes their family unique. They choose each other, every day.

This meal was special. Seeing as you had finished the mission that Helion sent you on to protect the blade. There was a fae that needed to be tracked down and would only come out of hiding if he could see the sun blade.

Of course you didn't let him, but you did convince him that the fake blade you passed onto him was the real thing. When he found it wasn't after he revealed his intentions with it he got angry.

Angry enough to rain hellfire down on both you and Azriel. If it weren't for your fast thinking and powers you both wouldn't have made it out in one piece.

Now you're sat with the inner circle to celebrate your feat.

Someone clears their throat. This drags your gaze from the redheaded male to the dark haired one. The both of them were sitting in front of you.

How the mother is cruel and precious at the same time. One male is your mission which you planned for. The other male you didn't plan for, and yet...

"Az was asking if you miss home." Morrigan says from your side.

"Dearly. But its not bad here." You speak, not quite realizing what you just did.

You watch as Azriel's smile grows and grows on is lips. It hits you then.

"Wipe that smile off your face before I take it back." you say to him.

"No I don't think I will." he jokes.

You shake your head with a light laugh. You can pick up on his laugh too from across the table.

"Well if it means anything, you fit in well here." Amren speaks up.

Everyone at the table quiets down at that. You look over at her, peering around Morrigan. You nod once at the sentiment.

"You need to tell him." Elaine says suddenly.

You look to her sharply. She's gotten better about speaking to you. More than a greeting but still less than a conversation. It does weird you out some times but you let it go for the most part.

"Oh?" you ask rhetorically.

"Elaine I don't think we should discuss this here." Feyre starts.

"He needs to know." Elaine says again.

It upsets you. She is his mate. She is the one connected to him. She has known this secret longer than you. But you'll be the one to tell him? She doesn't want to get her hands dirty. None of them do.

"What do I need to know?" Lucien asks all of a sudden.

You look to him. Hoping nothin is being given away by your face. When no one answers him he scoffs lightly to himself and looks around at the table.

This is happening now.

"It's obviously about me, none of you can look me in the eye except for her." Lucien continues.

"I can tell you, in private." you offer.

He nods his head and gets up from his seat. You follow his lead and get up too. The two of you walk out of the dining room and onto the balcony. You pull the door close behind you.

"Before you say anything, do they all know about this?" he asks.

He can't be asking about Elaine. She's the whole reason you're having this conversation right now. No, he's talking about Feyre. His friend. Or who he thought was his friend.

What can be left of a friendship after a lie like this?

"Yes." you answer simply.

Lucien shakes his head, "Okay, you can tell me now."

You take him in. The tense shoulders. The bowed head. His hair is perfectly combed behind his back. In this light, he looks like Helion. Not too much, but just enough.

How do you up end someone's life?

"Lucien do you ever think about what it felt like growing up with Beron as your father?" you ask.

Lucien looks at you sharply, "It was unspeakable. I wouldn't wish that life on anyone."

"And it shouldn't have been yours either." you reply.

His brows furrow. Right in the middle like they want to meet so badly. You wonder if he's felt like an outsider before. If he's ever felt it amongst his brothers. The black sheep.

"When my mission is over here, do you think you could come back with me to the day court?" you ask softly.

His face goes from confusion to somewhat understanding. But you haven't told him enough for him to completely get what you're saying, what you're asking of him.

"A couple of times Eris tried to make me visit the day court." Lucien admits.

You nod your head at that. Of course. Ever the perfect actor. You knew him for a little slice of time in your life. A period in which you won't ever forget. He was your first kiss. You were young and kids, trying to figure out your own way in life.

Kissing Eris, the treacherous fox of the autumn court, was every bit exciting at your age. You gossiped, and word got around. But he didn't deny it. For all the lies and manipulation he pulled you thought he might say you were delusional, that you had made it all up. But he backed you claim.

Eris knew Lucien wasn't Beron's son. Eris probably protected him as best he could. In his own, Eris way. Whatever that means.

"You can invite him too." you say.

Lucien looks past you. No doubt at the inner circle lingering inside. If you were in his position you wouldn't even go back in there. You'd never talk to any of them again.

"I'll take my leave now, but thank you. For being honest." he says.

You give him a small smile, "To be clear I was to tell you the news in a gentle manner. What just happened was out of my hands."

"I get it. I'll see you around." he says.

You bid him goodbye. Then he's walking past you. You hear the door open and how voices inside seem to call his name. You don't hear him respond to any of them. You hear the front door slam.

With a breath you turn around and head back inside too. When you do everyone is looking right at you. It unnerves you. You hate it.

"I've done your dirty work now. I think I'll call it a night." you speak.

"He didn't deserve to find out like that." Feyre says.

"You're right, he deserved honesty from his friends." you retort.

"You were sent here to tell him the truth. Am I wrong?" Rhysand asks.

You turn to face him clearly. You can't believe he just said that. You cannot believe he formed the words with his mouth to say that to you.

Without saying another word you walk right out of the dinning room. You ignore Nesta and Amren calling out to you. And you ignore the shadow that walks with you right out of the room and into he hallway.

As soon as you get inside of your guest room the shadow disappears.

SUNRISE, THE NEXT DAY

You're skip training and packing for home instead. You wish you could pack faster but that isn’t possible. You don’t want to be here for another second. Not in this court, not among the inner circle.

When you throw in your last few shirts into the luggage a knock raps on the door. You don’t know who it is, but if it is Rhysand or Elaine you won’t open the door.

“Who is it?” You ask.

“It's me, can you open up?”

You go over to the door and open it. Standing there on the threshold is Azriel.

“I’ll be leaving soon.” You say.

His eyes seem to widen at that. You watch as he peers over you and takes in the bareness of the room, and the packed luggage. He straightens himself out.

“Why so soon? It feels like you just got here.” He replies. 

Based on his words alone he doesn’t want you to leave. You can feel it too. How it’s only been a month or so but the two of you are comfortable around each other. 

You sigh, “The mission is over.”

“And we’re back to this? Four word sentences?” He asks.

“Azriel.”

He looks down both sides of the hallway. His head turning left then right. Then he’s turning back to you. He looks nervous. Antsy. He doesn’t normally look that way. He’s usually so composed. 

He takes you by surprise. He side steps into the room and closes the door behind him. At that you know your eyes go wide. He holds up his hands in defense.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry for that but I just—are you mad at me?” He asks.

You scoff, “Yes I am.”

“Okay I knew that, but I was also confused because on that mission you saved my life.”

“Hardly.” You answer simply.

He groans at your one word answer, “You made sure those arrows didn’t plant themselves in my wings. You made sure I was safe.”

“It was nothing.” 

“No it was something.” 

You’re catching on now to how tense he is. Tense or nervous you can’t tell. His eyes are frantic. His breathing is also uneven. And his shadows are fully out on display now.

You do the one thing you can think of. You reach out for his hand. He doesn’t even seem to notice it. When you make contact he looks you in the eye. “Please calm down.” You whisper.

He bows his head, his hair covering his face now. All of a sudden he sinks to his knees. The action catches you completely off guard. 

“I’m sorry.” He says again.

You focus on sending him warmth from your hand. In a second you can see his shoulders begin to shake. From this angle you can’t tell just yet if it’s what you think it is. 

So you bring your free hand to the side of his face. You feel it. In the palm of your hand you feel his wet cheek. He’s crying. Azriel the shadow singer is crying, on his knees in front of you.

“I could have died and for the first time in a very long time I felt this deep regret in the bottom of my belly.” He chokes out.

What would he have to regret? 

Slowly you drag you hand down his cheek. You place your pointer finger under his chin. Titling his head up, you meet his eyes. From this close you hadn’t realize how many shades of brown they hold.

“Azriel, you’re okay. I promise you you’re okay.” You whisper.

He shuts his eyes, more tears flowing down his face now. 

“I don’t think I will be.” He admits.

“Why?” You ask.

He opens his eyes again. 

“Because you hate us now, you’ll never come back here.” He answers.

In a sense he was right. Not totally. You didn’t hate the inner circle. You just couldn’t stand what they did last night. How they acted, how none of them would fess up. Even though some of them had known Lucien for a long time.

But you didn’t hate them. You didn’t hate him.

“I don’t hate you.” You reply.

“I could see it on your face last night. And now, you’re leaving so quickly. You want nothing to do with us.” He adds on.

There’s silence between the two of you. The emotions Azriel is feeling right now feel heavy. Way too heavy for someone he’s only spent about two months with. 

You had heard many rumors about him. But him being like this, wearing his heart on his sleeve like this? You don’t think you could have ever imagined it.

Remembering that he’s waiting for you to answer, you remember to speak.

“Yes I’m upset and I want to go home. But that doesn’t mean I never want to see you again. Azriel I really enjoyed my time with you.” You speak.

You don’t realize it but your hand is stroking his now. 

He gives you a look you can’t figure out, “Why does it feel like that time is over already? Like I’ll never see you again?” 

He reaches up and places your hand on his cheek again. You don’t emit the warmth from there but he nuzzles into your hand like you are. His thumb rubs back and forth on the back of your hand there.

“You talk like everything is set in stone. Like there is only one path.” You say.

“I can just, sense it.” He explains barely.

You shake you head, “Azriel I was always going to leave.”

“Not like this. Last night changed everything.” He says, but it comes out more like a whisper.

“Get up.” 

He looks at you, a bit of shock. You watch as he follows your command and gets back on his feet. He keeps your hand pressed to his face the whole time. Your other hand falls to your side.

“You can come visit me.” You say.

He’s silent. Silent but he nods his head at your words. You’re not sure if he believes you fully. But it’s enough. He wipes the tears from his face. His wings perk up, off the floor now.

You wrap your arms around his body before you can think against it. Instantly you feel his arms around you. Pulling you closer. He rests his head on top of yours. It feels right. It feels natural. No, it feels like something else too.

It feels the exact same way the sunlight in the day court feels on your skin. Like it is meant to be.

part two here!

[achaotichuman]

Recently I delved into the depths of my docs to find the first fanfiction I wrote for ACOTAR that never saw the light of day.

Obviously it's horrible writing, but I like the premise and since I am addicted to piling more projects on top of my scheldule I rewrote the first chapter and redid the plot for it.

Originally these events take place a year or two after the war with Hybern, and everything is the exact same EXCEPT for somethin Tamlin is doing.

I changed it so that this is a fic of what would have happened if Tamlin didn't give over that drop of power to bring Rhysand back.

Anyway, here's there rewritten chapter. Tell me if you guys like it!

“Be happy Feyre.”

The words nearly tumbled out of his mouth. The carefully loving words that wrapped like ivy around his throat, choking him, those last cords of love that had twisted into something else. That had made him soft for her. He had offered his heart like ripe fruit on a silver platter for her to take and now look at where he stood. 

Bloodied, gore and guts clinging to his armour like a second layer of skin, mud caked on his legs and arms. Hair a mess, dirty and disgusting. His people, his armies, whom he had gone to his knees to earn the trust of them back, after she twisted their minds, undid their memories, stared in every personal thought to create a new story for all of them. One that fit her narrative. 

The damage she had caused, the things she had taken. What she had done, what she had cost not just them but all of Pryhtian. Destroying the Courts she had saved not even a year ago. 

Now, on her knees, holding the man who had assaulted her night after night after night whilst she vomited, cried and danced and laughed, and been drugged. She screamed his name whilst she cling to his lifeless form. 

The good for nothing bastard Lord was finally dead. Tamlin should have breathed a sigh of relief. 

Instead every High Lord stood around awkwardly, as one after the other they had willingly handed over their magic despite what this man had done to them. Despite how much they all hated him. They did it for his grief-stricken mate who screamed for them to help. To bring him back the same way she had come back. 

But he was dead for what he had done. Giving over power to remake the Cauldron, the mother had taken his very soul with the magic, the price paid to put the world back together. 

Truly, who were they to defy her?

Tamlin stood up straight, when Feyre stared up at him, eyes filled with tears as she saw his stone-cold face. 

“Please,” She screamed, “Please I’ll do anything!”

Green eyes cut from her to the other Lords. None made eye-contact with him. All looking elsewhere, anywhere, the grey-red clouds above, the torn battlefield layered with bodies on decaying bodies, the rivers running red with blood. Some of them, no doubt reminded of Amarantha’s reign of terror by the bloodshed, looked to the muddy ground. 

But none dared look in his eye, all knew what she had done to him. Her reasons for doing so. They also all knew what he had done to her. 

But staring down at her now, thinking back on all of it. 

Thinking back on the slander of Court, the destruction of his people. The lying, the scheming, the pure hatred. 

Then there was one final thought that struck true. 

What would they have all done if it had been him dead on the floor and not Rhysand?

The image of his bloodied mother, his dead brothers, even as cruel as they were, flashed before his eyes. 

“No.” He said. Standing tall and true, “I will not hand over my magic.”

“You fucking monster!” A girl with gold streaked blonde hair lunged at him from out of nowhere. Morrigan. 

She didn’t get far, from where she was knees deep in the mud. A flash of gold and a short-sudden scream from her. She was pinned to the floor with golden threads. Not painful, but certainly startling, and no doubt humiliating. 

Tamlin couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

Feyre stared up at him. Her wet blue eyes boring into his own with a deep-cut grief that would have broken him just a few weeks ago. 

Now. 

Now all he felt was mild pity, and a distant sadness, for the girl who had been killed under the mountain and never brought back. 

“Who's to say the real Rhysand would even return?” Tamlin said, voice mockingly kind, “When the first time we brought a human back, she was not the same at all?”

Feyre’s saddened eyes turned wrathful, her beautiful face twisting into a deadly scowl. All that hatred, focused solely on him. 

“You were what led me to my death! And now you refuse to even help him!” She screamed, the pain and grief tearing through her, along with the emptiness of where her mating bond used to be no doubt fueling her rage. 

“You led yourself to your death as did he.” Tamlin said, perfectly calm and stoic. She wouldn’t get a rise out of him. Not anymore. 

Tamlin looked to the others, “Think about all that male has done to us. Think of what his mate has brought down upon our lands. And maybe rethink tossing your magic carelessly at whatever dead corpse lays before you.”

“He is not a corpse!” Feyre shrieked. Her cries and screams becoming distant. Vague. As weariness bore heavy on him. For the mortal, the living, unfortunately exhaustion was a natural occurrence. 

Tamlin’s eyes went down to Rhysand. Least he’ll never be exhausted again. 

The thought was cruel, and maybe he was a horrible man for feeling relief. Staring into that lifeless face, knowing he was dead forever. Gone. Bound to never bring him misfortune again. 

“You are a heartless male.” A seething voice said somewhere near him. Tamlin looked towards where a limping Illyrian with blue siphons hissed, looking like he wanted to tear the High Lord to shreds but his own limitations and injuries prevented it. 

A cold, humourless smile broke out on his face. The Spring Lord looked down upon Feyre. 

“Give him your own magic.” He said, tilting his head, “Why don’t you hand over those drops of power you claim to make yourself so, so powerful?”

She was silent, as tears continued to stream down her face, he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Oh right, you can’t.”

He would leave after this and never see her face again, he hoped, but he didn’t bite his tongue to prevent the final blow, “Our magic is the only thing holding you together. You claim yourself so powerful. Above the rest of us entirely. The self-proclaimed High Lady of the Night Court, equal to the most powerful in all the Earth. But you really aren’t. You need our magic to survive.”

Tamlin looked back at Rhysand, and didn’t hide the relief on his face, “You can’t bring him back without us.”

The Nightmare was gone. Now all that was left was the cleanup. 

Feyre screamed, whether it was an insult, her hatred or simply incoherent, he didn’t know. He winnowed away. Back to Spring. 

It was time for a cleanup. 

And he had plans to make things right in his Court. In Prythian in its entirety. 

***

I probably will not continue this fic since I have so much I need to write already, but I think its fun to go back and reflect on my old ideas and rewrite to compare to how my form was before and how it is now.

[kindasleepywriter]

MASTERLIST

I accept requests, but I can't promise I'll write each one, I'm sometimes busy with my doctorate!

A few things to clarify first:

I try my best to be race-inclusive in xReader fics. If something slips by, don't hesitate to comment on it!

I write fem!reader only

No use of Y/N

If your blog looks like a bot (no pfp, nothing in bio, etc) you run the risk of getting blocked! Just put anything to show you're human pls i beg

AZRIEL (ACOTAR)

Bird of Prey (Angst, Fluff) - Ongoing

Summary: Azriel meets what he thinks to be a sweet but naïve Peregryn in the autumn court only to see her again centuries later, about to coldly slice a man’s throat on Night court territory. Azriel struggles to reconcile his memory of the girl and what he witnesses, and is determined to find out who she is. Act I : Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 Act II : TBA.

BoP oneshot - Public Displays of Attention (Fluff)

Summary: Cassian comments on Reader and Az's affectionate gestures during Winter Solstice.

RHYSAND (ACOTAR)

Before you leave me (Angst, no happy ending)

Summary: After centuries spent by your side, Rhysand withdraws from you. (Songfic)

NESTA (ACOTAR)

Loving Comfort (Fluff, smut)

Summary: A fae's cycle is a rare event, but it comes with a long list of discomforts. Luckily for you, your mate is by your side to make things better.

CAL KESTIS (STAR WARS JEDI SERIES)

An Unexpected Visit (Pre-relationship)

Summary: You find a little metal friend in your lonely workshop on Koboh and you have no idea where he came from. The answer to that question brings you more hope than you thought it would.

(Request) The Way to a Droid's Heart (Pre-relationship)

Summary: Cal demonstrates what happens to those who mess with you.

WORKS IN PROGRESS-

Currently writing:

Azriel x Reader - Bird of Prey (ongoing) Elain x reader (Oneshot)

Currently planning:

Cyberpunk / DBH crossover (possible series) Amren x reader (oneshot) Morrigan x reader (oneshot)

[ysmtttty]

Red Ferrari

Chapter 10

Summary: Azris AU, where Azriel is a mechanic and has his own service station. One day, Eris comes there because something is wrong with his car

AO3 link Chapter 9 Chapter 11

Flipping through the emails in his phone, Eris waited for Azriel to return with their ordered coffee, which the courier should have brought, judging by his GPS in the delivery app.

Surprisingly, Morrigan still hadn't contacted him, maybe she was still searching for a new lawyer. Eris wasn't sure, but he suspected that most people were now cautious about becoming her attorney, since dealing with her had proven to be a doomed endeavor, and many had come to realize this even more.

Now that he and Azriel had seemingly cleared everything up and he had earned forgiveness, the realization of the problem with Keir hit him hard. According to the terms, Eris had to ensure that his father would agree to support whatever conditions were part of their deal, the details of which he hadn't been allowed to fully grasp over the years.

There were many problems with this, but the main one was that he really didn’t want to deal with Beron, especially over someone like Keir with his threats. Eris would have loved to tell both of them to go to hell and leave the country. Maybe start over somewhere where they wouldn't find him. But his loved ones were still here, and Beron definitely wouldn’t hesitate to threaten him through his mother. Keir, even more so.

And yet, he would have to call his father, maybe even persuade him. Eris hated such situations, always trying to avoid them entirely. A couple of times, Beron had been threatened through him, and it had turned out very badly for those daring idiots. However, something told Eris that this time it wouldn’t be so simple.

Why the hell did Beron even agree to this wedding scheme, which hardly promised him much profit?

Eris stared at the phone screen for a long time, his finger hovering over the call button. He didn’t want to hear that voice, didn’t want to let Beron know he needed his help—even if calling it help was a stretch considering that without dear old dad, Eris wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place—and he absolutely didn’t want Beron to know that Keir had threatened his life. Again—nothing good could come from that other than a bloody mess.

Still, he treated this conversation like ripping off a band-aid—the faster, the better.

One ring, two, five. Maybe he shouldn’t have called in the morning. Who knows, the old bastard might’ve decided to sleep in, after all, given his age…

"Eris?" came a gruff voice. Eris just gripped the phone tighter, reminding himself that his father was hundreds of kilometers away.

"Father," he greeted as politely as possible. "I'm calling about business."

Beron might have been disappointed in him if he had called just to ask how things were going.

"Speak," Beron said, getting straight to the point.

"Keir wants to be sure that you will uphold your end of the deal after my divorce from Morrigan," Eris explained bluntly, lacking the strength or desire to play mind games or figure out how to word it more softly or advantageously. This was also the first time he had confidently informed his father that he would definitely be getting a divorce. The divorce was now a fact.

"And what am I supposed to do with the information about his desires?"

Eris rolled his eyes. Of course, why make life easier with a simple “okay, son, I got it,” when he could continue acting like a self-proclaimed jerk.

"Confirm that you’re in."

"And why do you think I’m in?" A pause, during which Eris reminded himself that he had bought this phone two weeks ago and throwing it against the wall now would be stupid. Especially considering what happened the last time he went a whole day without a phone. "What did Keir do?"

"He kindly delivered that message," Eris replied sarcastically.

"Eris," Beron’s voice carried a warning. Eris thanked all the gods that this man wasn’t in the same room with him right now, because otherwise, this would have been unbearable. "I’ll get in touch with him."

And he hung up.

Eris still didn’t know if he felt relief or irritation, but at least it was something. At least now he didn’t have to worry about getting killed somewhere in an alley or, again, in his own parking lot.

He wondered where Azriel was with the coffee. Reluctantly, he got up from the bed, put on some lounge pants, and went to look for his mechanic.

"Finally!" a voice greeted him, belonging to someone who wasn’t Azriel at all. "You really do look terrible."

Eris glanced at Lucien, who was lounging on his couch with a cup of coffee that suspiciously resembled the one they had ordered from the nearby café.

"What are you doing here?" Eris asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You didn’t know he was coming?" Azriel asked, leaning against the wall. Eris looked at him and raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw that Azriel was wearing his robe. Not that he minded. "I grabbed the first thing I saw when he came in," Azriel nodded toward Lucien.

"I wish I could unsee that," Eris’s younger brother shook his head.

"A question for both of you," Eris looked at his brother, "what the hell are you doing here?" then at Azriel, "and why did you open the door without putting anything on?"

Azriel shrugged. "I was going to throw on a robe, but I didn’t have time before he opened the door—he had keys."

"It doesn’t matter," Lucien interrupted. "I wanted to say that you’re coming with me and Jurian to your house in the countryside. And I suspect it’s a brotherly bond that made me feel so strongly that you’d been beaten up here."

"I’m fine, thanks for the concern. Why do you have my coffee, and why are you making decisions about my country house?"

"Because I conveniently ran into your courier, who asked me to unlock the elevator for him, and when I found out the floor, I said I’d deliver it myself," Lucien shamelessly drank one of the coffees. Azriel held out the other to Eris in silence, who gratefully took it, took a few sips, and handed it back. "Nice that you two made up, very happy for you. But this wasn’t how I wanted to find out about it."

"Knock next time," Azriel advised.

"Put on some pants next time," Lucien retorted.

"The house, Lucien," Eris reminded him of his earlier question.

"You clearly needed to relax. I thought I’d turn this into a bachelor party to cheer you up and distract you from... well, now it doesn’t matter," he glanced at Azriel, who was watching all of this with barely concealed amusement. "But now I can tell Jurian that he can bring Vassa, and I’ll bring Elain, because, Azriel, wouldn’t you like to join us for a weekend in the countryside? Alcohol and food on my generous brother."

"Go to hell," said Eris.

"How convenient that I have no weekend plans," Azriel smiled. Eris shot him a withering look.

"Great," Lucien clapped his hands and stood up. "I’d stay and ask you about this," he circled his finger around Eris’s face, "but I won’t linger here any longer."

"Disappear before I demand the keys back," Eris shook his head.

"I’ll send the details later!" Lucien shouted as he quickly exited the apartment.

As soon as the door closed, Azriel burst out laughing. Eris groaned, clearly not thrilled with his younger brother’s sudden visit.

"You have a house in the countryside?" Azriel asked.

"Yeah, and at least five apartments around the city that I don’t use," Eris waved it off, heading to the kitchen to brew some tea. Damn, he forgot to buy coffee beans for the machine a few days ago. "Didn’t think you were a nature fan."

"I was kindly invited," Azriel smiled, approaching him from behind and hugging his waist, his nose buried in Eris’s neck as Eris tried to make tea. "Besides, your younger brother is funny. But how did you end up in his circle of friends? You seem like you’re from different age groups."

"Mutual acquaintances," Eris sighed, enjoying the small kisses Azriel left on his skin. "Jurian was initially my client, back when I was just starting out, and few people trusted me with their business. He trusted me. He hired me as his lawyer for several years, and very often, so we somehow became friends. And he is dating Vassa, Lucien’s friend and his girlfriend’s."

He turned around and kissed Azriel on the lips, who ran his hands over Eris’s chest with the same almost irritating caution as yesterday. Eris couldn’t get upset because normal people don’t usually get mad at their partner for caring about them.

"I forgot to ask yesterday, are we dating?" Eris asked.

"Yes, we’re dating," Azriel nodded and kissed him again.

Azriel left closer to noon after Eris received the fifth message in the tenants' chat about the concern over a smashed Volvo being left in their parking lot.

The rest of the day Eris spent working, wanting to finish everything in advance so he wouldn’t be distracted tomorrow, since they were apparently going with Lucien and his squad of friends. It was strange. But not the strangest thing happening in his life right now, so he could turn a blind eye and think, "shit happens."

A couple of document filings, a trip to the office to sign some papers, and waving off questions about the bruises. Eris expertly lied, saying he had taken up boxing in his spare time to relieve stress. No one suspected a lie since many people in his position did the same.

After what happened yesterday, Eris was twice as cautious in his movements. He constantly looked around, but the feeling of being watched had vanished. Eris now trusted his intuition twice as much, but since no danger was felt—or possibly it seemed like it because of his overwhelming exhaustion from all this chaos—he decided to allow himself to relax a little.

It might have been ideal to spend some time away from the city. It wouldn't provide a miracle of salvation, but it would allow him to mentally exhale and regain strength. Far from the bustle, stress, and divorce.

His lawyer wrote to him saying he had sent Morrigan another copy of the property division agreement. Eris replied that she wasn't in a position to represent herself at the moment and asked him to focus on more pressing matters, not wanting to waste one of his firm's best employees on this nightmare.

By the evening, Lucien sent him a picture from the store with a full cart of food, drinks, bags of charcoal, and more, with the price for all this luxury added below. He also mentioned that he and his friends had chipped in, and Eris just needed to pay for his share.

Knowing these idiots, Eris didn’t need to be a genius to realize they probably hadn’t even paid for half of it. Nonetheless, he sent the money. Better now for them than later regretting it being spent on Morrigan’s designer clothes if she takes what she wanted.

His father hadn’t reached out again. It both scared and relieved him at the same time. Eris wasn’t sure yet whether he wanted to hear "you can rest easy, Keir won’t bother you" because, on the one hand, he wanted it to be true, but on the other, it might mean Keir was lying in a ditch somewhere.

Late in the evening, Eris returned to his empty apartment, loosened his tie, and sighed heavily. These had been crazy days, and his body still ached from all the bruises, while fatigue continued to weigh him down. He only had enough energy to drink some coffee—thankfully, he had finally found the time to buy it at the store—and pass out because caffeine had somehow stopped keeping him awake. The problem might have been the non-stop hours of work, but Eris refused to believe that. It hadn't been such a big issue before, so why should it be now?

The next morning, his younger brother and friends, along with Azriel, burst into his apartment. Why the hell they all gathered this early and at his place was unclear. Eris seriously considered taking Lucien's keys because he preferred to start his morning with coffee, not a meeting with a bunch of students and Jurian. He had no complaints about Azriel’s presence.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Jurian said, and despite Eris’s protests, gave him a tight hug. Eris wrinkled his nose, pretending not to enjoy the moment at all, while Azriel silently laughed at him from the hallway.

They were all dressed similarly today—sweatpants, hoodies, and jackets. Azriel in a leather jacket was a sight for sore eyes, and Eris wished they were alone so he could say that out loud.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Eris awkwardly patted Jurian’s back, and only then did he let go, smiling cheerfully.

“Lucien said you got into a fight. Didn’t think you could even do that. Back in the day, you should’ve at least hired people to take revenge,” Jurian noted, eyeing his bruises as if he had studied medicine enough to make any conclusions. Jurian had dropped out of medical school after the first year, so his medical knowledge was about the same as the average person’s—close to zero. Eris just waved him off, along with the very valid comment about hiring people.

“No questions about my face,” Eris shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Clearly,” Vassa remarked sarcastically. Eris just rolled his eyes and ignored her.

He and Vassa were on friendly terms. Every time Jurian invited him out for a drink, it ended with him calling her to pick Jurian up. In the early years, they were all still very young—Eris had just graduated, and Jurian had three citizenships and two restraining orders, which later required legal services. In celebration, he’d always bring out Cuban cigars—genuinely brought from Cuba—and order expensive drinks, back when Eris didn’t know he’d be the one paying at the end of the night.

In short, they had a wild youth, which Vassa didn’t like. Of course, over time she got used to Eris and realized that since he and Jurian were such good friends, she’d have to put up with him. A couple of years ago, Eris didn’t make that task easier for her, continuing to be an arrogant bastard and treating everyone outside his close circle like dirt—or so it seemed to most. Eris himself thought he didn’t treat people that way, and never had—he simply didn’t care enough to treat anyone poorly. Vassa strongly disagreed.

“Get out of the apartment,” Eris gestured, waving them towards the door. Lucien rolled his eyes and muttered about how Eris wasn’t a morning person, but he took his girlfriend by the arm and led her into the hallway. Jurian slowly followed with Vassa.

Azriel stayed behind, closing the door after them and smirking.

“Nice jacket,” Eris noted, running his hand up Azriel’s arm to his shoulder.

“You look good too. Sometimes I forget you own anything besides your suffocating suits and dozens of ties,” Azriel remarked sarcastically.

“It’s called style, but I doubt someone who wears dirty overalls and tank tops could understand.”

For that comment, he earned a quiet laugh and an eye roll.

“Are you still sure you want to go?” Eris asked, looking at him with exaggerated exhaustion. “We can still ditch them and stay here together.”

“Jurian and Lucien have been bragging the whole time about how great they are at grilling meat, and forgive me, but I’d sell my soul for good meat,” Azriel smiled so simply that it made Eris want to scream. Why did someone like him have to fall into his life?

“I can order the best restaurant steak if it’ll make you ditch these idiots and stay here with me,” Eris said, stepping closer. Azriel kissed him quickly, still smiling.

“And they also mentioned you have dogs, and I’d love to see them too.”

“Did they tell you that Jurian will be telling pirate-style stories? Or that those two lovebirds will be playing guitars and singing serenades? Or about the swarms of mosquitoes? Those are serious oversights,” Eris shook his head, but Azriel just laughed.

“I have experience enduring serenades, trust me,” he replied, kissing Eris again. Eris returned the kiss, burying his hand in Azriel’s hair and pulling him closer. “The rest is tolerable. Let’s go. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this group in a few minutes, it’s that they’re impatient.”

Eris groaned internally but quickly grabbed what he needed and followed Azriel. They opened the door just as Jurian raised his fist, ready to bang on it. Giving him a judgmental look, Eris led them to the parking lot.

As it turned out, Azriel had come in his car, and since they couldn’t all fit into one, Eris and he drove together while the other four rode in Vassa’s car. It was quite a long drive, as it was an isolated spot far from the city.

“I still think they won’t be offended if we turn around without warning,” Eris muttered, watching Vassa’s car overtake them, speeding ahead over the bumps.

“I don’t think you’re that against it,” Azriel laughed. “You’re just being dramatic. Besides, your younger brother is right—you need to unwind. As do I.”

The rest of the way, they drove with the radio on and didn’t talk much. Azriel hummed along to the songs, while Eris, like the lovesick idiot he was, listened intently, pretending not to pay attention, though he very much did.

When they arrived, Azriel’s eyes widened in disbelief. They were greeted by a huge three-story house with a tall fence and grounds at least three times the size of any other house around.

“You know, when I heard ‘country house,’ I was expecting, well, you know, a little cottage, something between a house and a shack. But definitely not this.”

Eris just laughed as he got out of the car to open the massive gates and let Azriel drive in and park. Loud barking, Jurian’s swearing, and female laughter immediately reached them.

As soon as Azriel got out of the car and heard it, he frowned a little and followed Eris. When they reached the source of the sound, they saw Jurian surrounded by six dogs, barking actively at him. But the moment they sensed Eris and heard his whistle, their attention shifted, and the whole pack ran toward him.

The aggressive barking turned into a happy one as several dogs stood on their hind legs, jumping on him and wagging their tails. Azriel watched all this with fascination and pleasant surprise because seeing Eris like this was rare. Sure, he made him laugh sometimes, definitely made him smile, but this joy on his face was something special. Different and utterly unique.

One of the dogs did eventually notice Azriel, and he saw how Lucien tensed up, already taking a few steps toward him, clearly intending to intervene if the dog turned aggressive toward the stranger. However, the dog simply leaned its front paws on Azriel’s torso and gave a happy bark. Azriel stroked the furry head and smirked as he looked up at the shocked faces of everyone around. Even Eris seemed surprised.

"Unbelievable!" Jurian exclaimed indignantly. "I’ve been coming here for years, bringing them the best food, and they still hate me. But he shows up, and they’re practically kissing him—" At that moment, the dog licked Azriel’s face, causing him to grimace and laugh. "Yep, even kissing him! This is just absurd!"

Jurian continued ranting about the unfairness of the world, while Azriel petted the friendly, large dog. Soon, other furry friends joined him.

“I’m starting to feel a bit jealous,” Eris quietly remarked, so only Azriel could hear.

“Of whom exactly?” Azriel asked with a grin, looking up at Eris while the dogs happily swarmed him. “Me or them?”

“Take a guess,” Eris grumbled. “Astra, come here,” he called one of the dogs, and although she seemed reluctant to leave Azriel’s side, she eventually went to him. Eris petted her, scratching behind her ear, which made her tail wag even more energetically. “My most unfriendly hound,” he said. “Once bit Jurian so badly he had to go to the hospital for stitches. I’ve never seen her be this nice to a stranger.”

Azriel realized Astra was the first dog that had taken an interest in him. Eris’s words puzzled him a bit, but also filled him with a sense of pride and satisfaction.

“Good girl,” Eris praised Astra as she followed one of his commands. He whistled, and the other dogs also left Azriel alone, giving him some peace.

“Who takes care of them while you’re in the city?” Azriel asked as they walked toward the kennel, with the dogs obediently following Eris.

“I have people for that,” Eris shrugged. “They’ve been looking after my dogs since I was a kid, so I pay them to keep doing it now. I don’t get to come here often, so they live in the guest house on the property. Of course, we always let them know if we’re coming, and they usually leave for that time.”

“Isn’t it sad to leave them for so long?”

“It’s not like I’m crying without them,” Eris scoffed, though when he turned to look at his loyal companions, something soft flickered in his gaze. “But I used to be here more often. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll quit and move here for good.”

Azriel couldn’t help but imagine it. He and Eris in this country house—Azriel tinkering with his motorcycle in the garage for the thousandth time, while Eris wandered around the property grumbling about the dogs trampling the flowerbeds, only to later pretend he didn’t enjoy playing with them.

Damn. That was too far, too reckless to imagine their future like that. If they weren’t already outside, Azriel would’ve needed to step out for some fresh air.

“You okay?” Eris asked, apparently noticing the change in his expression. “I hope you’re not allergic to dogs to the point where you’ll die, because the hospital’s far, and I’d rather not have to bury a body in the backyard.”

“How sweet of you to think of me,” Azriel replied sarcastically. “How often do you bury bodies back there?”

“More often than I’d like,” Eris smirked, playing along.

Astra barked happily again, nuzzling her nose into Azriel’s palm.

“Someone’s being extra affectionate today,” Eris noted.

“You really are jealous,” Azriel teased. Eris only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

While they were playing with the dogs, the others moved the groceries from the car into the house. Elain and Vassa busied themselves in the kitchen, preparing salads and snacks, while Lucien and Jurian rummaged through the garage, looking for the grill and dragging it outside.

Azriel, in the meantime, tried to remember the names of the hounds and learn to tell them apart.

“I swear, these three are identical,” he muttered. While some of the dogs were distinguishable by unique spots on their fur or ear shapes, three hounds looked absolutely identical.

“You’ll learn to tell them apart by their behavior,” Eris calmly responded, petting one of the identical hounds.

“How did you choose their names?” Azriel asked out of curiosity, tossing a ball he found on the property for the dogs to chase. “Astra, Ember, Lyra, those make sense. But Stormbringer?”

“I was fourteen,” Eris shrugged. “He’s the oldest of them all—I named the others when I was a bit older. But back then, I wanted a dramatic, cool name. And look at this rascal,” a soft smile touched his lips as he scratched behind the ear of the coal-black hound. “He’s totally a Stormbringer.”

Azriel chuckled, reaching out to scratch Stormbringer’s ears as well. The dog leaned into his touch, eyes closing in contentment. “I guess he does look like a Stormbringer,” Azriel admitted, watching the hound’s calm demeanor.

Eris gave a soft laugh, almost nostalgic. “He was a bit of a terror when he was younger. Used to chew up anything he could find—furniture, shoes, you name it. But he’s mellowed out a lot. Still, the name stuck.”

“Was he your first dog?”

“No, there were others,” Eris replied quietly. “I’ve had dogs for as long as I can remember. Originally, they belonged to my mother, but once she noticed how much I loved them, we somehow convinced my father to keep them all. Growing up with them… it was hard to lose them.”

Azriel placed a hand on his shoulder, then moved it to his cheek. Eris leaned into the touch.

“Sorry, this was supposed to be a lighthearted conversation, no depressing stuff,” Eris muttered, closing his eyes as if mentally scolding himself for the somber turn.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Azriel said softly.

“At some point, the hounds were the only ones around,” Eris glanced at the dogs playing on the lawn, chasing the ball and trying to steal it from one another. “So it hit harder when they were gone.”

Azriel didn’t press further, and Eris didn’t continue, instead grabbing Azriel’s hand and kissing his knuckles.

Later, they helped Elain and Vassa carry the food outside, setting the table in one of the three gazebos scattered around the yard. Lucien and Jurian were still standing by the grill, now handling the meat and arguing about whether to add more coals or leave them as they were, in fear of burning everything.

Eris’s hounds ran around Jurian, barking at him, and Azriel suspected they just enjoyed scaring him. They seemed to do it with some kind of amusement, and Eris watched with the same amusement, making no move to call them off, allowing the dogs to torment Jurian to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

“They’re going to bite him,” Vassa shook her head. Elain watched the dogs curiously—Eris’s hounds never seemed to bother her either. But Eris had simply remarked that Elain was like a Disney princess, with a magical connection to animals, which is why they left her alone. Lucien had long complained that dogs hadn’t accepted even him right away but once they saw Elain, they all suddenly became so cuddly and soft.

“Only if he deserves it,” Eris replied, turning away from Jurian to glance at his phone. A few emails still awaited his response.

“You know they don’t need a reason,” Vassa continued.

“They need a reason. So, if Jurian wants to keep his limbs intact, he’ll just avoid teasing them like last time,” Eris grinned sarcastically. Azriel suppressed a laugh.

He watched the exchange with a faint smile on his face, noting how the dynamic between them all seemed so easy and natural. It was a rare sight to see Eris so relaxed, even playful, as he teased Vassa and kept a watchful eye on his dogs. The whole scene felt almost like a family gathering, where everyone had their roles to play, even if some involved scaring poor Jurian half to death.

"Eris, please," Vassa said with a playful reproach, though a hint of concern crept into her voice. Meanwhile Elain arranged vegetables on plates, occasionally glancing toward the guys as if to make sure the dogs weren’t bothering Lucien.

“It’s fine,” Eris said, not looking up from his phone, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s weird for him to be scared of dogs at his age. He’s a big boy; he’ll manage. Until there’s another fire, I’m not calling the dogs off.”

“Another fire?” Azriel asked with curiosity and amusement. Elain giggled in response.

“It’s almost a yearly tradition,” she explained. “Don’t tell them, but we keep track of how often it’s Lucien’s fault versus Jurian’s.”

“Don’t forget, you’re part of that competition too,” Vassa smirked, handing a plate of snacks to Azriel, who eagerly took it and, for some reason, served both himself and Eris, who wasn’t paying attention while typing something on his phone.

Azriel raised an eyebrow at Vassa’s words. Elain shrugged lightly. “There was that one time the oven malfunctioned, and the brownies caught fire. Hardly a real fire.”

The four of them turned again toward Jurian’s outraged shouts as he cursed Eris for not calming down his monsters. Eris pretended not to hear, while Vassa shook her head, Elain giggled quietly behind her hand, and Azriel and Lucien watched with open amusement as Jurian flailed his arms, trying to defend himself.

“They’re just playing,” Lucien said through laughter, but Jurian flipped him off, told him to fuck off, and continued to ward off the fluffy beasts.

The dogs eventually tired of their game with Jurian and settled down near the table, clearly content to be around their human companions. Azriel bent down and petted one of the hounds, who responded to the affection by nuzzling her nose into his hand, as if asking for more.

“Why don’t you scold Azriel for spoiling your dogs?” Vassa teased with a smirk.

Eris glanced from Azriel to the dogs, then to her, shrugging. Elain whispered something to Vassa about double standards as she knelt down to scratch one of the dogs behind the ear.

“I don’t understand why I trust my ass to you,” Jurian grumbled as he returned to the table, sitting next to Vassa while Lucien stayed by the grill. “You can’t even save me when I need it most.”

“Funny, I thought you knew I save asses for money,” Eris replied with a smirk.

As Jurian continued to curse at him and the hounds barked from their spots, clearly unhappy with the insults directed at their master, Azriel stood up and walked over to Lucien, intending to help him now that Jurian had left.

Not that keeping an eye on the meat was a monumental task, but it always felt right when more than one person was in charge of it. Lucien chuckled as he watched Jurian try not to hide behind Vassa whenever Eris’s dogs barked at him, and he looked at his girlfriend with a special tenderness as she shooed the dogs away from Jurian, even though she was laughing the whole time.

“Thanks for coming,” Lucien suddenly said, surprising Azriel as he turned to face him. “Eris hasn’t gone anywhere with us for a long time, and lately, he’s been more of a bastard-lawyer than himself.”

“Are you implying this cliché that I bring out the best in him?” Azriel asked with a teasing smile.

“Oh no, he’s still a bastard, even with you around,” Lucien laughed. “But… as cliché as it sounds, he’s happier now. Even if it’s not immediately obvious through all the sarcasm and snark. There’s a subtle difference you have to know to notice.”

“I’m glad,” Azriel said quietly, his smile softening as he glanced over at Eris. “Really glad.”

“I’d love to play the protective sibling and say something like ‘don’t hurt my brother,’ but I doubt I could ever top the speech Nesta gave me when she found out I was dating her middle sister,” Lucien shook his head, and Azriel chuckled.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of food, drinks, and stories about everything under the sun, especially since Azriel was the new face in the group, and Jurian and Lucien were particularly eager to tell him as much as possible in one night.

As morning approached, the group started to trickle back into the house, leaving Azriel and Eris as the last ones outside. Eris had fallen asleep, resting his head on Azriel’s shoulder, and Azriel remained because he was trapped—two hounds lay at his feet, snoring peacefully, while another lay on the bench beside him, with her head resting on his lap. And then there was Eris, who had dozed off against him.

The task of extracting himself without waking anyone turned into a bit of a challenge, taking Azriel longer than expected to figure out how to manage it. Eris eventually stirred, mumbling something incoherent. But it was impossible to take his drunken, sleepy grumbling seriously, so Azriel just smiled and helped him inside.

“Left door to the right,” Eris muttered.

“I don’t think that’s useful information,” Azriel remarked, realizing there couldn’t possibly be a left door on the right.

“Smartass.”

Laughing quietly, Azriel found an empty bedroom and decided to stay there as well. Not that he was keen on wandering around the dark house in search of another room. Plus, the prospect of staying with Eris was far more appealing. So, after undressing and settling under the blanket, Azriel comfortably wrapped his arms around Eris from behind, pressing his nose into the crook of his neck and inhaling the scent of alcohol, charcoal, and that now-familiar cologne.

tag list: @sizzlingstarlightsky @isnotwhatyourethinking @molcat07 @chairofchaos @lilah-asteria

[subastian-swallows]

HLC ROMANCE — WHAT WE DESERVED

Ominis Gaunt — Head Empty, Thoughts

This has been requested by the lovely @tinaexe and obviously NEEDED! Like the Sebastian one, I feel like as a fellow BioWare fanatic — romance is my forte, in games! Ominis is a little harder as most will be based on what if’s, as unlike Seb, we don’t fully get a developed relationship with him in the game. (We kind of are friends at the end?) So because of this, we only truly see him expanded through Seb’s quest line.

So, let us begin at the beginning:

If you decide to be in Slytherin, you meet Ominis in the Common Room. I actually really love this interaction! I think it’s a nice way to set him up as a character, but would have loved more dialogue options — a big thing the game failed on. I understand it wasn’t their aim, but more dialogue, more choice, would make relationships develop more and make your own character feel more real. I think the only bad thing about this interaction, is that he is too sweet straight away (HERE ME OUT LOL) Ominis comes off as someone who is very picky with his friends, I would have loved to have him more indifferent here — just for a lovely enemies to lovers type thing. Think Morrigan from DAO but more tame…way more tame lmao. (This is just me, tbh it fits his character that he’s kind. I also like the idea that he’s extra kind because of how he grew up — but easily snaps if upset) If you aren’t meeting him here, it would also be DADA! I like the idea that he would make fun of Sebastian losing here, perfect opportunity for romance points — the curiosity of you beating Sebastian would win points with him for sure. Flirty-ish dialogue could be added here!

Now, I’ll do gifts first this time — mainly because we don’t really spend any time with Ominis lmao, so from here, apart from some quests like the scriptorium etc will be my interpretation! With gifts for Ominis! I like the idea of him being a sweet tooth, so the idea of being able to buy sweets from Honeydukes would have been so neat for this. (This would the small relationship point add on.) for bigger gifts, I like the idea of him being into more refined artefacts! Like interesting things you find on your journeys. Think:

Sculptures/art type stuff: x20 romance points

Flowers: x10 romance points

just for fun lmao — dark magic artefacts: -30x romance points

Unlike Seb, Ominis should be harder to romance! I stand by the idea, that he is hesitant and feels more complicated when it comes to love. Considering his upbringing, bringing down the walls is the first step! This is where more dialogue plays into part, remembering things that are brought up later — a big bonus to romance points!

Now interesting idea, re-meeting Ominis in Hogsmeade! I think with an Ominis romance for it to work alongside the plot — it would be mostly through Sebastian. (Drama for all those that love both — me everyday battling my inner demon of wishing to romance anyone else, but Alistair in DAO!) I like the idea of him interrupting your visit with Sebastian and perhaps helping alongside you and Sebastian with the troll! Would have been really neat to see more action from him. Flirty dialogue could be added, but it would be met with a flustered/confused Ominis.

This is where we linger from the quest line a bit, because well let’s be honest, Sebastian would never let Ominis know he’s taking you to the restricted section. So, this is where I kind of make it up. I think a small quest would work here with Ominis OR simply another one on one conversation. This could be where you learn a little more about him, if you picked the right dialogue OR you could upset him. I think a big part of this game would have benefited with a main character that had more choice. Even in Mass Effect you get two options, sometimes three — same with Dragon Age Inquisition, but the main character still feels more real, simply because of the choices! A quest for Ominis here, could be anything really, maybe he’s in the library and needs help with something or you find him in the DADA tower needing help etc.

Undercroft, baby! Here is the thing, I love the idea of Sebastian still taking you here — but like Sebastian’s one, Ominis should have caught you in the act! I would have loved to have him pissed off and you have to work your way out, but actually getting the chance, rather than him automatically not believing you or giving a shit. This would be the first instance of where romance points matter, if you have enough he apologises and takes it out on Sebastian, if you don’t, he takes it out on the both of you and is grumpy.

Scriptorium. This is the quest. I would feel like this is the major quest to determine whether you are locked into a romance arc with Ominis and I could even agree that this would be where you’d lock in either of the boys! I’d like to think that this quest should have had more chances to side with either boy, depending on who you wanted and what you believed. It needed more banter, comforting dialogue where you could commend Ominis for helping you both and it would have been perfect for flirty dialogue — making him all flushed and shy. This would also be where he starts to see you as something more, if you pick the right dialogue. Perfect opportunity for Ominis to take care of you when Sebastian crucio’s your ass.

Relic moment. OKAY! Here would have been so perfect to show that your romance points mattered. Imagine that depending on how you’ve interacted so far, it would determine if he would trust you or not. He was too trusting at this point, TBH. He knows how Sebastian is, not you and so this felt a little strange to me. So the idea, that at this point your romance points mattered, to determine if you had to curse him would be HUGE. Because if you had to curse him, I’d love to see it be a huge factor that he can’t be end goal. By this point, I think you also have to be completely against dark magic and Sebastian using it. This would be big points for Ominis’ romance.

Conversation about Sebastian it’s Ominis! Worried! You express what is going on, the mine situation etc. This would be where Ominis is more shy and clear with his feelings without actually telling you, if your romance points are high enough. A gift from him? A ROSE?

Solomon quest, rip. Ominis would need you to be fully on his side here. You would need to have the opportunity to support him in this and with dialogue omg I hate it. Still agree with being able to stop Sebastian, having enough romance points with Sebastian, to the point of stopping him before he does anything — would tie into if you could complete Ominis’ romance. I like the idea that they tie in together here and you had to have thought about both throughout. Ominis and Sebastian are practically brothers, so it makes sense.

THE ENDING: You could only get a good ending IF you save Sebastian, I just think it’s very fitting. If you can stop Sebastian, I feel like Ominis can really open up. If you don’t I think he would be toooo heartbroken for a romance. If you succeed, you get the kiss and hug scene and he shows his appreciation for you — thanking you for being there for him RIPP

Bonus: Winter Ball like Sebastian — only agreeing to go with you if romance points are high enough. ALSO, I like the idea of a moment to stick up for him or he sticks up for you. BECAUSE CUTE.

I might have missed stuff and more definitely could be added, but this is the basic romance plot line — that could have worked. We just needed more dialogue, more options and more quests for him!

[sapphim]

this is gonna be a long rambly one, and probably repeating a lot of things that have already been said, sorry

I think the failure of the friendship/rivalry system in DA2 is so interesting and like. obviously it was an experiment, they hadn't tried it before, and it was implemented on a game with a very short development, so they obviously didn't have time to really think through the implications and refine it. and I think it's not unfair to label it a failure, since they obviously returned to Origins-style approval for Inquisition. but I think because it was so experimental and unrefined it's interesting to examine like. I think part of the problem was that they had a pretty clear idea of what friendship entails, since that carried over from Origins, and the big failure is with rivalry simultaneously meaning a lot of different things to a lot of different characters (even in how you gain rivalry with a single character, those rivalr bumps will come from vastly different sources, even sometimes *things that you would gain friendship for if you were on the friendship path*) but like broadly, despite this, still having to mean "your characters will be closer/understand each other better and remain together in the climax" and that's even BEFORE throwing rivalmance into the mix.

and like I think, there's potential there, in that in some cases it works just fine! like take Isabela, and consider how it reinforces what they were presenting as her main character flaw at the start of DA2, being that... well! she freed a bunch of people once who were about to be sold into slavery, and that went sideways for her, landed her deep in debt, and she feared for her life, and things snowballed, and somehow this all lead to the qunari kirkwall invasion. and so she's sworn off that and it's every woman for herself now because that's so much less complicated than the hell her life has been for the past several years! and you have the chance to agree with her that, yes girl, personal freedom and liberty is paramount, so do what you want girl. or you can push back and say, hey, if you believe in personal liberty so much, isn't it sometimes necessary to sacrifice for the freedom of others? didn't you do that? wasn't that worth it? wouldn't you do it again? and it's great! it's fine! it gets heated and contentious but not abusive, and it's not dragging her out of her own ideals, it's pushing her further into examining what they really entail. and it's not really better or worse than the friendship path, it's just a different path to where she ends up as a person by act 3.

and then you look at how merrill's rivalry is like going. yeah. I think you're a small infant baby who can't make her own decisions, and that everything anyone ever did to prove you wrong was right and you are wrong and also, marethari was right to force you out of the clan and then continue to meddle in your life long after you left just to continue to prove to you how wrong you are, you wrong infant baby who is wrong and also a child. and also ruining the lives of everyone you touch! like a wrong demon baby who is evil and wrong. like! rubbish lmao.

and like I think that a DA2-style friendship-rivalry path with morrigan would be great! because with Origins-style friendship you shove gifts at her to make her forgive you for not committing crimes against humanity for the lolz, and getting into a rivalry to confront her head-on about, "girl, I know you were raised in a swamp by the abusive mother of the century, but we need to talk about the sociopathy" could be cool and interesting! and, like, there's kind of already the idea there with softening/hardening alistair and leliana as well, and I'm sure that could be expanded upon? but there are other characters I shan't name whose hypothetical rivalry paths haunt me to even briefly consider.

and I'm thinking, could this be solved by adding another axis? like turn it into an "agree" "disagree" axis ("coddle vs confront"? not in those exact terms but yk) and then still have that "I would die for you" vs "I would sell you to satan for a corn chip" axis for the things that would actively push them away? but that's overcomplicating things! by a lot! and you'd still be mapping some very different ideas onto an oversimplified system. so maybe that's way too much overcomplication for not enough benefit, and the return to a simple yes-no axis is right. I just think rivalry as a game system it was interesting and messy and worth thinking about

[felondese]

here are my guesses for how they're doing this:

morrigan has been taken over by mythal to the point where her personal development and history pre-mythal don't matter all that much, so no references to her potential child or partner. we're going to see mythal in morrigan shape which I'm okay with for elgar'nan-whooping-purposes

we're just going to pretend that well of sorrows thing didn't happen shhh. i think they'd rather just sweep that one under the rug considering there wasn't even real solas reaction dialogue with him in your party (he mildly disagrees with you drinking but he also doesn't want morrigan to), just his seemingly random ass outrage back at skyhold after the fact. they really fumbled this one already, i think, so probably for the best to just ignore it, even if that's a shame because it's so chewy. plus the well is essentially morrigan's now anyway whether she drank or not

the inquisition is a handful of people at this point regardless of disbandment or not, and we won't really hear from anyone we know that's still working with them. they can't really reference any of the advisors or companions other than varric and harding. as little as our previous choices matter, i have a hard time imagining a significant difference in game states based on, for example, having forces and resources to contribute

the inquisitor is going to make an appearance but get kidnapped/hurt/go MIA for most of the game early on so their presence in the story is the only thing that's significant, not any personal details, anything that might showcase personality or reference their choices in inquisition. probably gonna die to tie up loose ends

solas will be a lil extra sad if lavellan romanced him but I'm not expecting much in terms of solavellan nods. i am betting the difference will be minimal, like friendly vs romanced in trespasser. best case scenario a kiss and he'll throw in a vhenan at the end maybe when he breaks her heart again. definitely not banking on murals or anything significant.

that said, i am thinking the only one of the three choices that will actually have much of an impact is if you romanced solas. i highly doubt any of the other dai romances will get mentioned since past char choices related to them aren't and there are too many variables

whether your inky wanted to redeem or stop solas won't really matter. we need his help either way and with the gods released the veil is probably coming down whether he does it or not

the rest of the world is on fucking fire early enough in the game that it doesn't matter who's on what thrones. it's all irrelevant when the evanuris bust out. no chantry, no kingdoms left standing, just chaos and death

the chars i was really looking forward to seeing again and kind of expected based on location/factions (dorian, isabela, zevran, sten, fenris) might get a passing reference in text but i hear it's a real pain in the ass to get the voice actors and art departments involved for cameos, plus all the possible contingencies, so I'm dropping those hopes. should count my blessings that they aren't horrifically killed on screen because that would be the only other option i guess

basically i'm going to bring my expectations back down to earth and then a little lower for safety. can't be disappointed if i don't expect much going in.

still looking forward to the game? absolutely.

[flowerflamestars]

EFFLORESCE THOUGHTS (Round One: The last Cassian pov section)

When I first read through my brain did the over-excited-skip-words thing and I thought that Feyre just unilaterally declared that Nesta would be speaking at the high lords' summit instead of saying that she would ask and honestly it'd be so in character that she'd already be back to making decisions that effect her sisters without asking that I didn't even question the mis-read beyond "*heavy sigh* Really Feyre? Really?" (Have the other High Lords even agreed to the meeting yet or are you about to go try to demand Nesta speak at a meeting you don't even know is happening yet? (You wanna know what Nesta would say? She would say YOUR BOYFRIEND IS A SHITHEAD.))

And, like, Rhysand just, like, ignoring everything Azriel is trying to tell him. Like, dude, his job is to give you information. You literally (well, theoretically anyway) pay him to give you information. Why are you ignoring it?!

(The Az losing his shit train wreck is picking up speed.)

Cassian just seems like he's dissociating, like, soooo hard at the end there. "Oh? You're giving the literal child large amounts of (theoretical) political power and authority? Neat. Great. Whatever. Where's Nesta? I'm going back to Nesta." ('Titled nonsense' was something Feyre said in an earlier chapter. Does that opinion change when it's her being offered a super-special title by her boyfriend because she's super-special? Girl, you can't even grasp the responsibilities your sisters have for the people of their one patch of land. How are you possibly going to comprehend the responsibilities of an entire court?! (Rhys doesn't even really mange to))

300+ people are displaced or dead (Feyre's sister's included) and Rhys, Feyre, and Mor seem... mildly inconvenienced at best. (I had more flailing thoughts to add to this point somewhere but I seem to have lost them for now.)

(Have they even realized that Nesta, Elain, and Lucien have fucked off and left the house yet?)

Anyway,

<3

DELIGHTFUL

It's fully both things. The High Lords meeting has NOT coalesced into any real plan aside from something Rhysand has mentioned to Feyre. She has taken that and run to a plan that is emotionally satisfying to her, while he is, naturally, turning it a romantic gesture that means both trouble, and nothing. (Feyre's sisters aren't speaking to her)

(the stupid romance always works on her, too. She is very into Rhysand presenting power as devotion, specifically raising her, where Tamlin made it a responsibility and she fucking hated it)

Feyre also genuinely thinks they're going to come around. Hybern killed everyone, surely thats a reason to fight Hybern! That they'd be, in turn, fighting for Rhysand is a nonissue to her.

Rhys is way, way too deep in digging the grave of what could have been via protracted plans to get Feyre's sisters to just bend, to repay them playing him, to have control of the situation. And probably also some weird Feyre-based protective hostility. He does want them humiliated, but he's pissed at Azriel for just saying it.

Cassian is on the BRINK. Flying into Velaris? Panic. Carrying Morrigan? Different, horrified panic. Knowing his own feelings will be counted as betrayal, also knowing Rhys might skim for them? HE IS ILL WITH IT.

And he hasn't seen Nesta in five days. A very long time, considering he thought she was going to die last time they were in the same room. He has spent those five days doing things he, a member of the night court, absolutely should not be doing. (IS he an Archeron? Or is he a member of this court that he's loved and bled for and hated in equal measure so many long years? what matters more, the time of the vow?) He has not spent those five days thinking on a loop Nesta Archeron is my nation now, almost entirely because he thinks he does not deserve to.

Elain, Lucien, and Nesta have been going back and forth. Which is doing interesting things to the city wards, watched over by Amren.

[tasha-writes]

ACOTAR college AU bc I can. I originally wrote this while avoiding a math quiz and I just found it in my drafts.

Riceand

Political Science fashion design double major, you can pry this hc from my cold dead hands.

Comes from a long line of successful politicians, but fashion's the passion. Especially formal wear. Could've gone Ivy league bc of Daddy's money and influence bs, but decided to go to where Cassian and Azriel committed instead

Cassian

Probably Sports Medicine major and plans to become a certified personal trainer after college. He's on the fencing team, and in multiple martial arts clubs.

Somehow he got stuck with Eris as a roommate so he usually crashes in Azriel and Rhysands room.

Azriel

Computer science major with a focus in Cyber Security. He interns with Rhys's dad over the summers. As good as Azriel is at building firewalls, he's better at breaking them down

Feyre

Miss maam doesn't go to college. She had a Fiona Gallagher moment and dropped out of school to support her family. Eventually she starts dating Tamlin, who is like, this successful business owner in some sort of plant/gardening thing. He encourages her to get her GED. At some point she ends up with Rhysand and he encourages her to go to college and she gets a degree in Art and opens a successful gallery with art lessons.

Elaine

This bitch is an Ag major. She wants to open one of those super fancy bouquet shops after graduation. It's giving Lily Bloom

Nesta

Miss maam is a double major in political science and dance. Her mother made her choose poli sci as a major so she would prepared to be a senator's wife.

Once she and Rhys get over their little (huge) pissing contest they bond over their asshole controlling parents

She and Elaine met the bat boys when Feyre invited them over for a Christmas party. She doesn't go to the same school as they do, but an all-girls one about a 30-45 min drive away depending on traffic.

She eventually becomes a personal trainer.

Morrigan

She didn't go to college because her parents suck and tried to marry her off instead. She ends up being a polygraph operator ;)

Amren

She went to college. No body knows where or what her major was.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Your blog is a good way for me to better understand some of the myth that Megaten seems to glance about, so I wanted to request one that confused me during personal research , Morrígan. I was hoping you could better understand this myth than I could.

Morrigan - Day 93 (Request)

Race: Flight

Arcana: Justice

Alignment: Neutral-Law

August 14th, 2024

God, I've put this one off long enough. Sorry, Kaiwan. Of the many faucets of celtic mythology- the cycles, the canons, the deities- the Tuatha Dé Danann are a rather prevalent and recurring factor. As famous heroes and the go-to gods of the Irish canon, their recurrence is of no surprise to most, and they are rather well known deities even outside of circles of the Celtic occult. Of course, that is rather relative, given how most people only know of Cú Chulainn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, but in terms of obscurity, the Tuatha Dé Danann are far from the bottom of the barrel. In this group, though, it's nowhere near as simple as most pantheons are (which is saying a lot, given how complicated almost every pantheon is,) and a prime example of this has to be today's Demon of the Day, Mórrígan, a goddess infamous for her strange existence.

Mórrígan, also called 'the Mórrígan,' is a deity who presides over war and death both. However, if you're familiar with some other demons throughout the series, that'll sound odd, right? After all, Badb Catha is the celtic god of war, at least according to the compendium entries. This is where the first major curveball regarding Mórrígan comes in, though- she's not just one being, rather, being a composite of several. The Mórrígan is less of a name of a single being and more of a title given to a trio of beings, generally agreed to be Badb Catha, Macha, and... Mórrígan, who may actually be named Anand. You can see why this is confusing, right?

I think the best way to describe this would be as follows: Mórrígan is a shared name between two things, being both a title for the three halves that make up the triple goddess the Morrígna, while one of those three halves is a goddess simply named Mórrígan. It's still very vague and hard to understand, though, as the concept of a triple goddess may also indicate a composite form, being all three beings being one at once while also being separate beings, but for the sake of this analysis (and my sanity) I'll be using the aforementioned explanation because it also lets me cover Badb Catha later on instead of having to cover it here.

Mórrígan herself is a goddess who resides over fate, death, and battle, and is one of the three aspects of the Morrígna. Differing sources portray her differently, though her general role as one who watches over and keeps track of the fates of those in battle is one that seems to be a common consensus. A lot about Mórrígan is highly rooted in ancient Celtic culture, which makes it a bit of a bitch to get into, as it's highly connected to concepts that are needed to understand her role as more than just a bloodthirsty war goddess. In a way, she seems to be more comparable to Athena, being a wise and powerful fate-spinner who nonetheless may have bloodlust when times turn to war. Of course, there are differences, as Morrigan takes a commonly far more antagonistic role in stories, though- one of those stories being none other than the Ulster Cycle.

Yep, we're bringing everyone's favorite Guard Dog into this mess. In the Ulster Cycle, Mórrígan appears as a fate spinner herself, and in the famous final battle of Cú Chulainn and Queen Meb, it was only when she arrived, in the form of a crow, and perched on his shoulder, that it was known that Cú had finally died. It's poetic, honestly, as her role as a goddess of fate and death came to a head in the end of the bloodiest battle of the cycle. Mórrígan is highly tied to concepts of fate, death, and battle, and it makes for a very fascinating deity. With all of this, though, one question remains- how is she portrayed in SMT?

Well, as an early-on design, it's pretty decent, but I struggle to find much correlation between Morrigan's Valkyrie-esque design and her generally darker, more sinister, mage-like design seen depicted frequently. However, this isn't to say I dislike it, as it does tie into her role as a war goddess, and the wings and bird tail adjacent back guard connect to the crow that is so often used to symbolize her. While a bit more archaic than most later-on Demon designs, I still do quite enjoy this one.

[crossdressingdeath]

Alaris: How did you find out about this place? Morrigan: My travels have led me to many strange destinations, Inquisitor. Once they led me here. It offered sanctuary.

That's a funny way to say "I stole a book on how the eluvians work from the Dalish and decided that made me smarter than them". Really, if Bioware wanted to position Morrigan as this mega-expert on the eluvian network in a setting where Briala, Merrill and Solas are all around and Briala and Solas at least are established as using the network they really should've established her as... y'know... having more than one source of knowledge and more importantly a source that the Dalish don't fucking have. As it is she just sounds incredibly full of herself. Solas could've told us everything Morrigan tells us and then some if he wasn't so busy being Secretive and Briala could probably get us most of the way there and I doubt either of them would've been so obnoxious about their knowledge (okay Morrigan's fine in this conversation but I know what's coming). The only thing Morrigan provides that no other character currently in-game could is probably the eluvian itself, and Merrill has one of those too and would be much less of an ass about what she knows (and also didn't get her information by stealing it and then claiming she was smarter than the people she stole it from).

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1206: Uncle & Auntie Datin' Time (SSBU X Darkstalkers)

1:45 p.m. at the Local Smash Park.......

Morrigan: (Sighs Happily as She Sits Next Dedede on the Bench Together, Watching the Smash Kids Play Among Themselves in the Distance) Such a nice, glorious day to be out in about. (Lays the Side of her Head Next to her Boyfriend) Just you, me, and those adorable babies of yours running around and about~

Dedede: Yeah, they're a cute bunch alright. 'Specially when they don't try and prank me 24/7.

Morrigan: (Starts Snuggling Up on De's Arm) Awww~ Has my poor, darling king been a victim of those pranking shenanigans of theirs as of late?~

Dedede: ('Sigh') Yeah, but it's been longer than that unfortunately. Years long.

Morrigan: Oh my~

Dedede: Right!? And like, I don't even get it! They're a bunch of other people living in the mansion they can prank, yet for SOME reason, they always end up choosing me as the target. Ain't that some shit?

Morrigan: (Nodded in Agreement) I know and understand your pain completely, my dear. (Rolls her Eyes a Bit) I cannot begin to describe all the times times Lilith would try and prank me growing up. I will give you a hint, however. There's two more 0's ends next to the number 10.

Dedede: (Eyes Widened a Bit Once He Figured Out the Math) Damn. She really pranked you that many times?

Morrigan: ('Sigh') With no hint of predictability what so ever. But we are both much older women now. So I hope my dear sister has the same level of sense and maturity as I do and- (Turns and Glares Towards a Bush in the Mid Distance) NOT try to prank in broad DAYLIGHT!!

Lilith let's out cute sounding 'Eep!' before quickly high-tailing herself out of the bush she was hiding in.

Dedede: (Chuckles Lightly) You ain't gotta worry about a thing, baby girl. (Wrap his Arm Around his Girlfriend) I'll keep ya safe from all the prakin' going on here.

Morrigan: (Heart Begins to Melt Before Happily Hugging Up on Dedede Once More) My hero!~ Such a wonderful king and uncle you are~

Dedede: ('Sighs Relaxingly') I do my best with what I do, mostly on the uncle side. My folks are never gonna believe it if they were here to see me now.

Morrigan: What were your folks were like growing up?

Dedede: Proper, strict, uppity, never had time and patience for BS and foolishness-

Morrigan: (Forms a Teasing Smirk) Kinda like you you?~(Playfully Boops on Dedede's Beak)

Dedede: (Chuckles Ticklishly) Hey, I can let loose every once and a while! Those two had always been uptight and bitter, up until the very end of their lifespan.

Morrigan: The same applies to my parents as well. (Sighs While Rolling her Eyes) There's never been time or day where they haven't been overbearing and bossy towards my sister and I or at the worst, judgemental....

Dedede: (Raises an Eyebrow) Judgemental on what exactly?

Morrigan: Our life choices. They were so hellbent on preparing the both of us to rise in becoming the Queens of the Night that they deem any regular professions and hobbies we any interest in, as worthless and time wasting.

Dedede: (Scoffs While Thinking Back to his Childhood Memories) I can relate to that too! My folks been pestering me on and on in how to be more proper prince going into king-hood and blending into snobby, pompus lifestyle so much that I decided to rebel a lot!....(Grabs his Chin) Which, now that I said it out loud, might possibly been one of the reasons how I ended up a villain in the first place, before coming here.

Morrigan: (Places her Hand into her Cheek) I can't imagine how my life would be like if I didn't have a single ounce of rebellious side within me. I'd probably be the most boring succubus alive.....(Went Back to Hugging Up Dedede Yet Again While Giving Him Puppy Dog Eyes) And I wouldn't have met you either!~

Dedede: (Gives Morrigan a Reassuring Smile) Nah, I'm sure we would've bump into one another in the different lifetime. (Frowning a Bit) Possibly hating each other's guts, while we're both more conniving and evil than we've ever been- You know, on second thought, maybe it's best we have changed for the better.

Morrigan: (Smiles Lovingly at Dedede) I couldn't agree more, my fare darling king~

Dedede looks deep into Morrigan's sincere, love-filled eyes as he smiles back as the two then leans in for the kiss-

'A-Hem'

.......Only for them to stop and turn their heads towards the Smash Kids staring at the both of them. Some of which are smirking.

Morrigan: (Happily Waves at the Kids) Hello, darlings!~ is something the matter?~

Dedede: Yeah, y'all bored or somethin'?

Ness: No, we're having a blast out here so far.

Toon: We're just here to make sure you two are well acquainted with one another.

Jr: And to make sure nothing stupid happens amd that you don't mess anything up down the line

Kids: (Simply Nodded in Agreement) Mmmhmm.

Dedede: (Stares at the Kids For a Brief Second Before Glaring at Them) The hell do you nosy little brats think you are, our chaperones!?

Morrigan: (Lightly Slaps Dedede's Arm While Playfully Pouting at Him) Dedede! Do not be mean to your precious nieces and nephews!~

Popo: Yeah, what Auntie Morrigan said!

Morrigan: Exactl- ('GASPS') (Happily Clasps her Hands Together) You all see as an Auntie!?~

Nana: (Happily Nodded) Yeah. You seemed like pretty nice lady so far.

Ness: And you seemed to treat our Uncle well enough.

Jr: (Rolls his Eyes) Still don't know what you see in him though.

Sage: (Pouts at Junior Beside Her as She Gently Squeezes his Hand) Junior, be nice. (Turns Back Dedede and Morrigan with a Soft Smile) We're very happy to see you two enjoying each other's company.

Ashley: All we ask is that you continue to love and care for our uncle going forward.

Lucas: He's very important to us. (Gives Morrigan a Darkened Looking Glare on his Face) Don't hurt him.

Morrigan: (Genuinely Surprised by Lucas' Glare Along with Dedede) Oh my.

Lucas: (Immediately Turns Back into his Shy, Timid Self) I-I'm sorry! That glare wasn't too harsh, was it?

Ashley: (Gives her Boyfriend a Reassuring Smile While Gently Patting the Top of hus Head, Helping him Feel Better) That was a wonderful glare, dear. There's no need to be sorry~

Dedede: ('Psh') I mean. That is something worth apologize fo-

Ashley: (Immediately Gives Dedede Her Signature Death Glare)

Dedede: I-I-I mean! (Quickltly Gives Lucas a Reassuring and Terrified Smile) It's fine, Lucas. Really. I-I just....didn't think you had it in ya to glare like that is all. It's very impressive looking

Lucas: (Starts Smiling) Thank you!~ Ashley's been teaching me a thing or two to be more assertive and Intimidating as of late.

Ashley: (Smiles Proudly) I believe he's making progress thus far.

Dedede: (Rolls his Eyes a Bit While Scoffibg and Whispering into Morrigan's Ear) Yeah, too much progress if you ask-

Ashley and Lucas both gives Dedede Death Glares, shutting him up completely as he gulps.

Morrigan: (Smiles Softly) There's no need forbyou to worry, children. (Hugs Dedede's Arm) I promise give your uncle the love and respect he most certainly deserves~

Dedede: (Smiles Softly at his Girlfriend) Yeah and I'll do the same for her as well. Now will you leave us be now?

Ness: We will. But first......(Forms a More Mischievous Grin on his Face as He and the Others Pulls Out Cans of Party Streamers In Their Hands)

Dedede: (Eyes Widened in Fear) Oh no-

Dedede and Morrigan immediately gets sprayed with krazy strings in multiple different colors.

Dedede: (Starts Growling With Anger) DAMN, KIDS!

Toon: He's fuming! Scatter!

The kids giggles as quickly made their escape with some running away and Ashley and Sage teleporting their two respective boys away with them.

Dedede: (Groans in Annoyance Before Turning Back Morrigan) You see what I had time deal with everyday?

Morrigan: (Gives Dedede Ankther Reassuring Smile) Don't be too harsh on them, dear. They're only having harmless fun- Ah! (Suddenly Gets Pelted with Three Water Balloons to the Face, Causing her Hair and Clothes to Get Wet)

'Splash' 'Splash' 'Splash'

Morrigan: What in the- (Turns to See her Younger Sister Hiding Behind a Tree Before Turning Back to Dedede) Excuse me, dear, would you excuse me for a minute? (Glares Menacingly at her Sister Hiding) I have a brat of a sister to punish.

Lilith: EEP! (Starts Running Away From the Wrath of her Older Sister, Dropping Off a Bunch of Other Ballons in the Ground) Abort! ABORT!!!

Morrigan: (Starts Chasing her Little Sister to Kingdom Come) LILITH AENSLAND, IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR FAT ARSE BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT- (Continues Screaming Her Lungs Out)

Dedede: (Let's Out a Wholehearted Laugh as He Watches his Girlfriend Go) You get 'er, girl.

@ma-lemons

@bestpony666

@albion-93

@caleb13frede

@decibelcoatl

@theweebmaster31

@tampire

[vigilskeep]

so interested to hear your thoughts bc i love your supreme ability to take a haphazardly-written bioware arc and turn it into a thematically-coherent masterpiece. how does one do this with sera??

i could never get into her personally (found the way they wrote her voice a little contrived/“haha funney swearing and crude jokes”) and i struggled to figure out her core motivations somehow simultaneously being the red jenny “sticking up for little guy” stuff but also a complete alienation from elves and the actual people she wants to protect?

also found it weird how you can just 😭 kick her out any time when you can’t do that with anyone else afaik. i mean i didnt like her but ?? that was a Choice bioware

ah the big sera question

first of all, upfront, i adore sera. this is just a matter of personal taste that people are going to have or not have, and that’s completely fine! (although people have said before that my talking about certain characters has made them give those characters a second glance, and i hope i can do the same for sera for people who maybe haven’t given her a full shot !!) i am just personally delighted by her. i love the fun of her design and i love her combat style and i love the way she talks, how you have to think through what she’s saying to follow where exactly the line of thought went, and you don’t always get everything but that’s okay bc hurry up we’re already onto the next thing! as someone who uh doesn’t always find it the easiest to communicate verbally, i find it very relatable and freeing and charming that she talks as she pleases and dares anyone to challenge it and expects them to catch up. i love the side she brings out in people in banter and i’ve never regretted bringing her along in the party. i think she’s very pretty. i’m getting distracted we could be here a long time

one thing that really helped me figure out how i could play a seramance was bouncing between potential inquisitors until i got one that could use the way the inquisitor and sera’s interactions are written. a big flaw of the writing is that it pushes your character into a box. partly because of the style of comic relief it’s attempting, it forces you to play the “normal” one who can only be fondly bemused by sera at best and can never be unconditionally supportive, even the nicest options available sometimes coming across critical or condescending. the way i’m personally making that make sense to me is playing an inquisitor who has lived a fairly secluded life and is bewildered and stilted and awkward as she tries to navigate a kind of relationship she’s not accustomed to with a kind of person she’s not accustomed to. but she really is earnestly trying. and sera seems not to always get her either, so there’s this process of trying to figure each other’s language out that i’m personally finding very endearing!

obviously that isn’t for everybody. your inquisitor is whoever you want them to be! that’s just one way i’ve personally responded to the question of how you can take the admittedly flawed writing and work with it, and i’ll have to adapt something different with another inquisitor with a different background.

there’s a lot of specifics i don’t know about her backstory and where her story is going—as i say, i know a majority of spoilers, but i don’t have all the details—so i can’t completely elaborate on my thoughts on how she was written until i have all the information. i’ll have some more coherent comments on my actual opinion of sera’s writing as a whole then! but i will say as a final note i honestly find it a little startling how saying completely insensitive things abt elves rarely stops human characters from being continual fandom favourites—and that isn’t, like, a condemnation, i’m thinking of major characters like leliana and morrigan and anders and dorian who i love as well, that’s the nature of the setting and genre of dragon age and the questions it explores—but meanwhile sera, who is an elf and suffers from internalised prejudice that’s against herself as well, seems to be the one who gets so much of the heat? i’m just putting that out there as food for thought.

wait one more thing sorry. when she talks about the little people and the friends of red jenny and it’s confusing who she’s standing up for, i have to say in her defence i think it’s more than a little unfair to expect her to be remotely comparable in clarity of direction/ideology/purpose as the other inquisition companions and advisors, a sweeping majority of whom are major political figures or otherwise trained professionals in their 30s and 40s, when sera is literally just a random person in her very early 20s with a hell of a lot of initiative and talent. of course she hasn’t figured things out she’s too busy cutting her own bangs. you know?

[ladynestaarcheron]

Who by Water - Part Two

masterpost - ao3

everybody say thank you @that-golden-lyre for softly bullying me till i finished this.

---

Since the first time she died, Nesta’s done some reading up on hell, and death in general. Over the centuries, for humanity, words had lingered where faith had not, and she had heard of what supposedly lies below her feet and what is suspended above the clouds, but not much beyond. In her research, she has learned of purgatory, or limbo: a spot where nothing happens, where people wait. This is where Nesta finds herself after she dies on the beach.

Or so she thinks, before she realizes it’s just a white room.

Feyre’s been decorating her new home, she knows, but she probably hasn’t gotten around to this one yet. The finished ones all bare some of her paintings upon the walls, and this one doesn’t even have curtains yet.

She kicks the blankets away. No ties bind her, but gauze is wrapped around her legs, and--she touches her midriff through her nightdress--her abdomen. You broke my ribs, she remembers saying.

They had found her. It comes back to her now; it always takes a while after she...wakes up.

She had fallen off the cliff--fallen, yes?--and then...to that state.

Waking up is always painful. Her body doesn’t heal while she is dead; only after she returns. The revival feels much like whatever caused her to go in the first place, and adds a pounding headache to boot. Nesta rubs her temples, trying to ease the pain. She spots a mug of tea, lightly steaming on a night stand, as she moves her neck from side to side.

Verbena. Elain’s doing probably, she knows Nesta likes it. Ugh. They had not been there, her sisters, on the beach. After she had vomited up water and collapsed back, she had seen him first. Cassian. Her head, she recalls, was cradled in his lap, his hands upon her face. Amren was there. And Rhysand, Morrigan, and Azriel. Her own personal hell.

Of course, Nesta has died enough times by now to know she wasn’t truly in an afterlife. That was reality, and knowing those incessant gossip mongers, it’ll now be her only one. They’ll have told her sisters, and now she’ll be forced to talk about it at length. It’ll be everybody’s business.

Or worse, everybody’s problem. What will Rhysand and Amren do when they learn of the magic that’s inserted itself into her bones, that won’t leave?

Control it. She doesn’t need a moment to debate. Either by harnessing it themselves, taking it out of her body...or controlling her.

Nesta shudders. She doesn't think Amren or Rhysand will harm her--though she certainly can’t assume they don’t want to--but when it comes to magic, there’s no way she’s escaping unscathed.

She’ll have to think of something to ensure they all stay away from her. But what? She can’t master her magic, so that’s out of the question. They won’t let her isolate herself so easily now...something more drastic needs to happen...

A soft knock jolts Nesta out of her thoughts. The door creaks open, and Elain’s face appears through a sliver before her gaze lands on Nesta’s, then she pushes in.

“Nesta,” she says, voice wobbly. “I’m happy you’re awake. How is your tea?”

Nesta glances down at her mug. “Fine.”

“Would you like me to get you some more?”

“No. Thank you.”

Elain sits on the bed. “You had quite a scary afternoon,” she says, voice pinched. She has been instructed, Nesta guesses, to keep herself level. “A healer’s bandaged you. She’d like to see how you’re doing now.”

“What time is it?”

“A little after nine. In the morning.”

Less than a day since she had died. Not so bad, all things considered. Nesta wonders, if her neck hadn’t snapped as she hit the water, and she had drowned instead, would she still be out? If Cassian hadn’t interrupted her revival by, well, reviving her?

“All right,” Nesta says, realizing Elain is still waiting for an answer. “She can come in.”

Elain leaves for a moment, then brings the healer in. It’s not the usual one, Madja. She introduces herself as Autry.

Elain turns to give Nesta privacy as she slips the nightgown off herself to let Autry see her bandages. Her eyes bore into her sister’s head; half of Velaris has seen her bare by now, what does it matter who else does?

But the healer’s eyes don’t linger in the spots she’s used to. Her quick fingers press alongside her ribs, and she clucks her tongue once as she feels for Nesta’s pulse at her wrist. “I’d like to do some tests, if that’s all right,” she says, motioning for Nesta to cover herself.

“What tests?”

“Blood. To ascertain your levels. We’ll begin there.”

Begin there. Then they might slice open her brain. But what choice does she have?

Elain grips her palm tightly as the healer draws from Nesta’s veins, as though the prodding hurts her, but she doesn’t say anything until Autry leaves. “I’ll draw you a bath now, Nesta.”

“Don’t bother,” Nesta says, sick at the thought of submerging herself. “I’ll do it.” She only remembers to ask when she stands. “Where are we?”

“Velaris,” Elain replies, surprised. “Feyre and Rhys’ house. The new one.”

Nesta raises an eyebrow. This is plain for a royal guest room. Had they stripped it for her?

“Feyre would like to see you, actually,” Elain says. “When you’re feeling better. We just want to know you’re all right, Nesta.”

Nesta pushes herself out of bed, not facing Elain as she walks into the bathroom. “I’m fine,” she says, shutting the door behind her.

There will be questioning, of course. Nesta isn’t fooled by this display of gentleness, restraint. But she’ll take advantage of it as long as she can.

It’s a few hours later when there’s another knock on the bedroom door.

“Nesta?” Feyre calls.

She groans internally. Of course they wouldn’t give her until tomorrow. 

“Are you asleep?”

Not even close. “No.”

Feyre opens the door, hair swaying as she peers in. “Oh,” she says, seeing Nesta sitting upright in bed. “How are you feeling? Hungry?”

Never. “No.”

“You only had tea, right? You’ve had...a rough time. You should eat.”

“Fine.”

Feyre frowns at this, probably expecting her to argue more. “The healer says your bloodwork is...weak. You need to take better care of your health, Nesta.”

Would that were true.

“And...I want to talk to you.” Feyre settles on the bed. “We all want to talk to you, Nesta. We’re...worried about you.”

Nesta keeps her face blank. 

“I know you’re not really close with anyone right now, but I hope you’ll still believe me when I tell you we just want to help you. Will you please come sit and talk to us?”

“Who is ‘us’?”

“Me,” Feyre says unnecessarily. “And Elain. And Amren and Cassian. And Rhys.”

Nesta only huffs in response, barely amused, and not surprised.

“We really do care about you, Nesta.”

Right. Sure.

Best get this over with.

“Fine,” Nesta says, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

“Not so fast, don’t strain yourself.” Feyre’s eyes widen in alarm, and her voice is higher than normal.

Sliding her feet into slippers, Nesta shrugs off Feyre’s extended arms and pulls a fine white dressing gown around herself. Taking a few moments in front of the vanity to pin up the braid she had made after her pitiful bath, she turns to her sister. “Where are they sitting?”

Feyre leads the way slowly, conscious of Nesta’s hindering injury. Or so she believes.

They reach one of the living rooms, with seats arranged in a circle. Two are free, one on the couch beside Rhysand, and one armchair. Nesta doesn’t wonder which one is meant for her, but she does narrow her eyes at the papers everyone holds in their hands. When Feyre sits down next to Rhysand, he passes one to her.

“All right, Nesta,” Feyre says, clearing her throat. “We...as I told you, we all want to talk to you because we care about you.”

Elain already has unshed tears in her eyes. Cassian is staring at the ground. Amren is staring at her, clenching her folded paper.

“And we’re worried, Nesta. So...we’ve spoken to Autry, your healer--”

What? When did Autry become her healer, and what does she have to do with any of this?

“--and we’ve decided that in order for you to heal properly, first it’s important to give you a reason. To show you how much we care about you.”

What does this have to do with her magic? Nesta doesn’t realize she’s supposed to say anything before Feyre nods encouragingly.

“What does that mean?” 

“Well, we’ve all written letters...to you. And we’re going to read them now. Elain, would you...?”

Elain, at Nesta’s immediate left, takes a shaky breath. “Dear Nesta,” she begins before unfolding her paper--letter. “Dear Nesta,” she starts again when she does. “I remember...I remember the very first--the very first time that I ever realized not everyone has an older sister.” A tear drops from her ducked head, hitting the letter, but Elain only clutches it tighter and continues. “I realized that you didn’t have one, and I knew that--that was only because you were strong enough, and I would never be able to function that way.”

Nesta’s jaw nearly drops. She looks around the room, expecting other incredulous looks, or perhaps mocking or amused ones, but Amren is still staring at her, emotionless, Cassian, hands fisted, is glaring at the floor, and Rhysand has dropped his head into the crook of Feyre’s shoulder, rubbing her arm as she covers her face with her palm.

“I have never imagined a world without you before--”

“What?”

Elain inhales sharply, startled with Nesta’s leap upwards, but she pays this no mind.

“What are you talking--what is this!”

Elain looks to Feyre, who wipes her eyes before saying, “We told you, Nesta. We need to tell you how much we care about you...”

“Stop,” she says, pulse quickening. “Stop it. This isn’t--I’m not suicidal. I did not try to kill myself.”

“The hell you’re not,” Cassian mumbles, but if anyone else hears him, no one comments.

“Nesta,” Feyre says, “you’re--”

“And I can prove it,” she blurts out.

Yesterday, she would have said there would be nothing worse than the lot of them finding the truth about her magic. There is, apparently, this. This is unequivocally worse.

She’s not surprised when Rhysand answers her first. “How?” he asks. He suspects.

Nesta breathes deeply before responding. This is her last moment of peace.

“Because it’s happened before.”

She does not know if she expects an outburst, but she is taken aback by the limp silence, defined more by the lack than its own existence. 

Amren speaks for the first time. “What’s happened before?” Her flat tone tells Nesta she already knows.

Nesta swallows, fisting her hands in her robe for a moment before defiantly crossing her arms. “Dying,” she says. “And coming back.”

“What are you talking about?” Feyre demands at the same time as Amren asks, “How many times?”

Nesta only answers the latter. “Twenty-three.”

“Twenty-three--”

“It happened by accident,” Nesta interrupts Cassian.

“Bullshit,” he snarls.

Well. At first.

Elain brushes a hand against Nesta’s arm, making her jump. She hadn’t even realized her sister had stood. “Nesta,” she says, voice shaking. “You’re saying you--that you--you tried--”

“It was an accident the first time,” Nesta says aloud. And it was. She was drunk and alone. She tripped and hit her head. She went to bed. She didn’t get up. And then...she did.

She hadn’t realized anything was amiss at first; had figured the throbbing headache was just her hangover. It had taken another accident to realize even among the Fae, she was supremely unnatural. “And the second. And then I could...feel the magic.”

Feyre says, furious, “So you tested it on your own?”

“It wasn’t a test,” she says, haughty. “I could feel it. I knew what would happen.”

“Then why?”

Nesta draws herself up, shoulders back. She puts as much venom into her voice as she can: “Because it’s mine.”

Cassian doesn’t miss a beat. “Bullshit.”

“And what did you learn, girl?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Feyre says. “Nesta...that’s done. You’re done. And quite frankly...you’re moving out of your apartment and into this house with us. We obviously can’t leave you alone.”

“Finally,” Cassian says.

“Feyre,” Rhysand starts, but she cuts in.

“I don’t want to hear it, Rhys. She’s staying.”

“Of course, darling, I know, I only meant--”

“I’m not staying here.”

“We can move into the townhouse together,” Elain says, desperately. “It’ll be quiet. Just the two of us. We’ll have a lovely time.”

“That’s unnecessary,” Nesta says, not willing to accept defeat. She doesn’t need Elain stifling her, following her every move. Besides, this still isn’t how it’s supposed to go. This isn’t about her personal well-being, it’s about--

“So you control death, then. Is that it?”

Nesta meets Amren’s eyes. There it is. It stings, somewhat, coming from her instead of Rhysand, whom she doesn’t care doesn’t care about her, but Amren...no matter. This is better than the alternative.

“I don’t know,” she answers. “I only know that I keep coming back.”

“How have you tried it?”

“Amren, enough!”

“You’re not expirementing with this!”

“I haven’t burned,” Nesta says. “I haven’t decapitated. I haven’t drowned...I suppose.”

“So poisons, mostly?”

“I hit my head the first time,” she says. “I think it was a concussion. Then I...choked.”

Humiliating, that one. Choking to death alone in her apartment. Pathetic. Sometimes she wonders if some stupid sense of loneliness is what first drove her to bringing a male home for the first time.

“This is sick,” Cassian says, momentarily frightening her into thinking he can read her thoughts. “How can you be considering this?”

“No one’s considering anything,” Feyre says forcefully.

“Feyre--”

“No, Rhys.”

“We can’t just ignore what we have before us beacuse you want to handle your sister with child’s gloves,” Amren snaps. “This is power the other Courts--the other countries--will kill to have.

“You can’t leave this house,” Amren continues, nodding at Nesta.

“What?” That’s not how this was supposed to happen.

“We can’t risk someone finding out and then selling you off. Come on, Rhys, you know I’m right. I didn’t say we have to lock her up, just keep her safe. Until we figure out what to do with her.”

“We’re not doing anything with her, Amren,” Cassian says. “She’s a person.”

“Who belongs to this Court.”

“You’re supposed to be her friend. You said you were concerned about her!”

“Should we let her magic ran rampage? Should we let her continue to explore it on her own?”

“She’s not a tool.”

“For the Night Court, you’re all tools.” Amren looks to Feyre and Rhysand pointedly. “You two should know that.”

“Enough of this,” Feyre says, sudden and angry. Nesta’s heart sinks--Rhysand didn’t suggest it because he didn’t want to be the one to upset her sister, and he knew Amren would demand it anyway. To study her, to use her. Now he has everyone where he wants them. A scream coils inside her, and then, as usual, fades into nothing.

“Nesta...you can stay here with us or in the townhouse with Elain. Or if you both want to stay in that horrible apartment...fine. But you have to stay with one of us, Nesta. And Amren, enough.”

“How long are you going to let this go on, Rhys?” she asks.

“I’m not going to force anyone into your hands, Amren,” Rhys says, shrugging. Liar. “If you want to explore Nesta’s magic with her, you’ll have to convince her yourself.”

Is that supposed to be a threat?

“No,” Feyre says firmly. “Don’t even--just, let’s go. Nesta, Elain, we’re going to get you set up in the townhouse.”

And so it begins. The shepherding, the chaperoning, the surveillance. But as Nesta catches an exchanged glance between Amren and Rhysand, and feels Cassian’s gaze upon her back all the way up the stairs, and following her on the way to the townhouse, she knows it isn’t the end.

[super-smash-bracket]

ROUND ONE

V1

Pit: Lady Palutena, this robot's vibes are... Seriously off. Palutena: Pit, be careful! That's a Supreme Machine! It's a weapon of war that was built before the New Peace made it obsolete. Viridi: A war machine... Those monkeys just don't know when to quit! I bet it wasn't long before they just went back to fighting each other. Palutena: Where V1 comes from, all humans went extinct. Pit: No...! Viridi: Ha! Score one for n- Palutena: Because the Supreme Machines are fueled by blood, the machines then went to war with the Underworld, where they executed a mass-killing for more blood. Viridi: ...Okay, so mayyyybe humans have a niche. Pit: As blood banks?! Palutena: V1 is likely going to be the most dangerous thing on the stage, Pit. It's fast, strong, and if it hits that coin its flipping at you, you're in for a world of hurt. I'd suggest busting out the Orbitars if you're far enough away.

Morrigan Aensland

Pit: One, two, three... She has FOUR wings! Viridi: Oh? Wing envy isn't like you, Pit. Palutena: Wings are a sign of power. It's why mine are bigger than Pit's. Although, you shouldn't be jealous of Morrigan, Pit, seeing as she's the leader of Makai. Pit: The leader of Makai? Like Hades? Palutena: Close. Think of Makai as... A separate dimension, only populated by supernatural beings like sasquatches and strangely attractive fish-men. There's three demon lords that rule over Makai, and Morrigan's the only one left. Viridi: She has an incredible amount of power, too... Pit, you shouldn't take her lightly. Pit: I won't! Palutena: Look out for her Soul Fist attack! It has slow and fast variants, and can even be angled up and down! Watch carefully, and don't get distracted!