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purpleswans1 · 3 years

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The Sun Hashira

I published this on AO3 a while ago, but just now am getting around to adding it here. Oh well. A while back, this concept drilled its way into my head and didn't stop until I wrote it down, so here we are.

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He only thought about his old battle-brother again after nearly a decade due to Kyojuro. The boy had gotten it into his head to succeed his father as the Flame Hashira, despite his own lack of talent and Shinjuro’s despair. Kyojuro stole the flame breathing books of his ancestors and was still training in secret. This led to a loud argument that only ended when Senjuro - timid, quiet little Senjuro who usually hid in a corner - jumped on Shinjuro’s back to try and pull him away from his brother.

Once Shinjuro had settled down and made it to the bottom of a sake bottle, he realized that it wasn't his son’s fault that he was so impertinent. Tanjuro had retired when Kyojuro was still a baby, so he couldn’t remember what true greatness was. Most of the Demon slayers from that time were dead now. Of those who had fought beside the Sun Hashira, only Urokodaki, Old man Kuwajima, and Shinjuro himself remained in the land of the living. Even the late Ubuyashiki head had finally succumbed to his curse and left matters in the hands of young Kagaya.

It had been so long. Over a decade at this point; they were in the Taisho Era now. It was past time for Shinjuro to visit his battle-brother and possibly forgive him for leaving.

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“Excuse me, but do you know Tanjuro Kamado?”

“Hm?” The shopkeeper in the small village town tilted her head. “Oh, why yes! Kamado-san makes the best charcoal in the prefecture. And his family is so kind! I wish my little Kanime would take after Tanjiro, you rarely see such a well-behaved boy these days.”

So, he does have a family. “I’m an old acquaintance of his and haven’t visited in a while,” Shinjuro carefully explained. “Would you mind giving me directions to his house?”

“Of course!” The lady clapped her hands together. “Just follow the mountain pass over there, past Saburo-san’s house, for about half a day. Actually, Tanjiro-kun just left here, so if you run you may catch up to him.

Unlikely, especially if he’s from that man’s bloodline.

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“You look well, Rengoku.”

Shinjuro couldn’t bring himself to reply with the same greeting. When he’d last seen Tanjuro, the only sign of his debilitating illness had been a frequent cough. Now, the man’s face was hollow, all his muscle tone was gone, and those eyes that once burned with the sun had all but lost their light. According to Kie, her husband couldn’t even walk more than a few steps outside without assistance.

An angry part of Shinjuro wished that he hadn’t come, so he could only remember his battle-brother in his prime.

“...It’s been too long.” Shinjuro finally said, sitting down on the porch next to Tanjuro.

“How is your family? Are Ruka and Kyojuro doing well?”

“...Ruka passed away several years ago. She did give me another son, Senjuro.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Still, I have no doubt that your sons’ are a credit to her memory.”

“Everything that’s good about them came from her.”

Tanjuro sighed. “You’ve always been so hard on yourself, old friend. You may be the eldest son, but you shouldn’t try to carry the world on your shoulders. We are all only human.”

“Some of us are,” Shinjuro muttered.

“Please, not this old argument again.” No matter how many times Tanjuro tried to assure him that there was nothing inherently superior about the breath of the Sun users, Shinjuro refused to hear it.

A young, miniature Tanjuro ran up to the two men. “Father, will you be okay with Hanko and your friend while I help Nezuko and Takeo with the wood?”

Tanjuro smiled at his son. “We will Tanjiro. But before you go, would you mind showing me your Hinokami Kagura? I want to make sure you’re practicing.”

Shinjuro gasped and turned to his friend.

Tanjiro, for his part, looked unsure and cast a glance in Shinjuro’s direction.

“It’s fine,” Tanjuro assured his boy. “Shinjuro is an old friend, he’s seen me do that dance many times.”

This was apparently enough for the boy, who nodded, ran off to the edge of the clearing, and picked up a stick to serve as a substitute for the blade.

“So, at least the legacy of Sun breathing will continue on.” Shinjuro muttered.

Tanjuro only grunted.

Tanjiro moved through the set styles hesitantly, with shaking arms and unsteady feet. Still, Shinjuro could already tell that the boy would master it eventually. He may not be at the level of his father, but that boy would surpass anything Kyojuro could accomplish in no time.He was surely blessed by the Kami.

“That boy will be a great demon slayer someday.”

“No.”

The response was so sudden and unusually fierce that Shinjuro originally didn’t realize that it was Tanjuro speaking. “What do you mean?”

“Tanjiro won’t be a demon slayer. I want him to live a peaceful life, unconcerned with those tragedies. I want all my children to live long, simple lives.”

“You can’t be that naive!” Shinjuro shouted. “That boy has the mark!”

“You’re wrong. That scar on Tanjiro’s forehead is from when he saved his younger brother. Besides, I doubt that even I have the mark you are looking for. If what the records say is true, those around me should have achieved the mark as well, and none of you did. I for one, am glad for that. You’ve passed the age of 25 already, and I’d hate for you to not see your sons grow up.” At the end of his speech, Tanjuro’s voice broke into coughs.

Tanjiro noticed his father’s state and ran up to them. “Father! Don’t exert yourself!”

Shinjuro stood up. He looked down at his old friend, his battle-brother, the man he admired most, and was disgusted. The Sun Hashira was reduced to an invalid, and his chosen successor had the temperament of a nursemaid instead of a warrior. It was pathetic.

“Coming here was a mistake.” Shinjuro said. “I’ll take my leave now.”

He would eventually regret that those were the last words he said to his old friend

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Unknown to Shinjuro, his visit did have an effect on Tanjuro Kamado. That night, he pulled his eldest son aside and showed him a Nichirin blade.

Tanjiro’s eyes sparkled in wonder at the blade. “Father, are we from a family of Samurai?”

Tanjuro chuckled. “No, nothing like that. You may see this as a family heirloom, but it was only forged in my generation. We are a family of charcoal-sellers, after all.”

Tanjiro nodded. He looked a little disappointed, but he was a child of the new Era and didn’t need to worry about legacies from the Edo period.

“Tanjiro, as you are the oldest son you will probably inherit this house once your mother and I have passed on. You will have a new family to care for, and will continue our traditions. However, if the day should ever come when you or your descendants need to leave this place and face great danger, I ask that you please take this sword with you. It is strong and sharp, and you can protect yourself and others with it.”

Tanjiro would remember these words before he left for Mt. Sagiri with his sister, and would carry it to Urokodaki’s house though it never occurred to him to unsheath the blade.

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Several years later, Kyojuro came home and announced that he was the new Flame Hashira. Like that was any great accomplishment. Shijuro became frustrated with his sons, downed another bottle of sake, and decided to do the stupid thing and visit Tanjuro again.

This time, he remembered the way and didn’t need to stop by the village. If he had, he might have noticed how sad they were at the mention of Kamado and might have learned the truth earlier.

Instead, he made it all the way to that little house on the mountain before he saw the graves.

All he could do was pay his respects. Someone had already cleaned the house, but based on the broken door and family history Shinjuro could easily guess how they’d died.

The whole time he stood there, one question ran through his mind: What could I have done to prevent this?

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“Kyojuro said you wanted to speak with me?”

Shinjuro turned to look at the young man in his presence. The current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, was not an intimidating man. His skills were certainly a testament to Urokodaki’s tutelage, and he may have somewhat surpassed his old master, but he was like water. Calm and unemotional, but ready to flow through the path of least resistance.

He certainly did not have the skills to combat someone even a Sun breath user couldn’t defeat.

“I have an old friend who lives in your domain…” Shinjuro described the path of the Kamado household, or at least what was left of it. “...I recently went to visit him, but I found only an empty house and buried graves. I suspect they were killed by a demon. Did you ever run into any demons in that area?”

Tomioka stood there silently for about a minute. Shinjuro got frustrated and started to get up and leave. If the man didn’t know who he was talking about, then there was no point in talking to Tomioka any more.

“...Kamado. That is your friend’s name, isn’t it?”

Shinjuro froze in a half-kneeling position. “Yes.”

“I remember them. It was a little over a year ago now. I received a notice that there was a strong demon in the area, but by the time I got there everyone in the house was already dead. I’m sorry. If I had made it there half a day earlier, I might have been able to save them.”

Shinjuro leaned back again. He couldn’t bear to think that the legacy of Sun breathing was truely dead. He certainly couldn’t bear to think of Tanjuro’s children being brutally massacred. Still, he couldn’t blame the Water Hashira for this.

Tanjuro’s words rang in his head. We're all only human.

“You’re only human. It can’t be helped.”

“...You should know that one of them escaped unharmed. The oldest son was staying in another house that night and wasn’t attacked.”

Shinjuro sat up at that. “The eldest is alive? Tanjiro, right?”

Tomioka nodded. “He had a strong will and showed great battle instincts, so I sent him to my old master Urokodaki to be trained. I suspect my master wouldn’t send him to Final Selection this early, so he’s likely still there if you want to learn more about what happened to your friend.

“... I guess I’ll have to visit Mt. Sagiri.” Somehow, he doubted Urokodaki would know who he was working with, even if he’d been acquaintances with Tanjuro.

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The hike to Mt. Sagiri was hell on Shinjuro’s gout-ridden joints. He was getting too old for all this traveling. Still, he owed it to Tanjuro to check on his son’s progress, and he wouldn’t be able to rest until he was sure Sun breathing was being used again.

When he finally reached that little house at the base of the mountain, the only one waiting for him was Urokodaki.

“Giyu sent a letter after you spoke with him, Rengoku. I suspected you’d come eventually.”

Shinjuro snorted at that and sat down on the floor. “Have you got anything to drink?”

“No, unless you’re referring to tea. Why are you concerned with Tanjiro Kamado?”

“You may be an idiot, but your not that blind or dumb. His name is Kamado.” Shinjuro sighed. “He’s the son of our Tanjuro.”

“And what does the identity of that boy’s father have to do with anything?”

Shinjuro balked. There were no words for how stupid Urokodaki was acting, so he just glared.

Urokodaki sighed. “You know, when I finally realized where I’d seen those hanafuda earrings before I was tempted to send for you. You were Tanjuro’s best friend and should have been the one to guide his son. Now, I’m glad I didn’t. Kuwajima at least took a moment to mourn our old friend before asking if I thought Tanjiro would survive final selection.”

This infuriated Shinjuro. “Who do you think -- “

“Urokodaki-san!” a young voice called out from beyond the doorway. “It’s getting dark. Is dinner…” He froze when he caught sight of Shinjuro.

“Tanjiro-kun, this is an old friend of mine, Shinjuro Rengoku.” Urokodaki said. “Please forgive his intrusion.”

“You… I remember you.” Tanjiro said. “You came to visit father years ago. How do you… how do you know both my father and Urokodaki-san?”

“Hm.” Shinjuro grunted. “I heard about what happened to your family. You have my sympathies.”

“Ah, thank you.” Tanjiro finally entered the hut and sat down.

Shinjuro scrutinized the boy critically. He had grown a great deal in the last few years, and had finally developed some muscle tone. It seems Urokodaki’s training was good for something at least. Tanjiro had also lost his child-like innocence. There was steel in his soul, and he had the eyes of a warrior. Just like Tanjuro used to.

“Tell me boy, do you remember your father’s Sun Breathing?”

Urokodaki sighed in exasperation.

“Sun… breathing?” Tanjiro looked at the other two men in confusion.

“Come on, I saw you do it when I last visited your father.” Shinjuro waved his hand. “He said his usual nonsense about it being a prayer to the gods again…”

“Are you talking about the Hinokami Kagura?” Tanjiro asked. “Are you saying… that it’s actually a sword style?”

Both Urokodaki and Shinjuro stared at the boy in shock.

Shinjuro recovered first. “Yes exactly.”

“But… father never mentioned…”

“Tanjuro retired from the demon slayer corps before you or your siblings were born.” Urokodaki said. “I imagine he didn’t want to pressure you to follow a path he knew was fraught with danger and would lead to an early grave.”

Shinjuro rolled his eyes. “Fat lot of good that did him.”

“Don’t talk about my father like that!”

Even Urokodaki was surprised by Tanjiro’s outburst.

“All my life, Father had a frail body. By the end, he couldn’t walk on his own and could barely get out of bed. Still, he took care of us the best he could. And every new year without fail he’d dance from sunset to sunrise nonstop! So don’t disrespect him!”

Shinjuro was shocked to notice that Tanjiro was starting to cry.

“Father… father had passed away several months before the attack. I wasn’t there, I was peacefully sleeping in another house while my family was being brutally murdered. Still, despite my own regrets, I know that the only person responsible for their death is Muzan Kibutsuji! That’s why I decided byself to become a demon slayer! For their sake!”

Tanjiro was standing up by the end, breathing heavily.

All three occupants stared at one another for a long while, before Urokodaki finally broke the tension. “Rengoku, it’s dark out so I’ll let you stay the night, but you should leave tomorrow morning.”

Shinjuro scowled. “Yeah. I can see that I’m not wanted.”

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That night, while Shinjuro slept in a spare room and didn’t wonder about the closed door nearby, Tanjiro spoke to Urokodaki about his father. For the first time in his life, he learned about how great of a swordsman Tanjuro Kamado had been. How he had risen to the rank of Hashira and killed hundreds of demons in his short tenure with the corps. How he was the man both Urokodaki and Shinjuro admired most.

When Tanjiro finally remembered his father’s sword, he asked for permission to train with it. Urokodaki granted it without a second thought, though he knew the requirements for breath of water sword was slightly different from breath of sun.

“Urokodaki-san, did my father ever battle Muzan directly?”

“No. None of the demon slayers have even seen him in centuries. But, if there was anyone who had a chance, it would have been your father. He slayed 4 different lower moons over the course of his career, and even battled against Upper Moon 3 and survived until they fled with the sunrise.”

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Right after that night, Tanjiro started training to use the Hinokami Kagura beside his breath of water. It was difficult, especially since the spirits of dead children could only help with the breath of water, but he was able to split the largest boulder within a month, half a year earlier than he needed to qualify for the next Final selection.

Tanjiro would feel guilty about getting a new Nichirin blade after final selection when his father’s was perfectly adequate, but when Haganezuka-san was so excited to see how the blade would change color Tanjiro decided to use it for a while. At least, until it broke at Mt. Natagumo and he felt better just asking one of the swordsmiths to sharpen the older blade.

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“Come Father! Come meet my three new tsugukos!”

Kyojuro was as loud as ever. Subtlety was never the boy’s strong suite, and bursting his eardrums years ago hadn’t helped matters. At this point, talking with his son was exhausting for Shinjuro.

“What makes you think you have anything to teach these tsugukos? I heard about your last mission. You’re now blind in one eye!” Shinjuro grumbled.

Two new voices rang through the Fire estate.

“WHAAA---”

“Oi! What are you saying about Rengacho? I’ll fight you!”

The most striking interruption though was a streak of red that rammed into the back of his head.

“Don’t belittle Rengoku-san!”

Shinjuro rolled off the porch and into the garden, finally landing on his back. The blinding high-noon sun didn’t help his hangover and budding concussion. It was almost a relief when a figure blocked the light, until he realized who that red hair and dangling earrings belonged to.

“Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku is a magnificent swordsman! He protected five train cars by himself when we were fighting the Lower Moon One! When that was done, he immediately fought with Upper Moon Three and survived! Sure he lost one eye in the battle, but that hasn’t diminished his fighting spirit!” shouted Tanjiro Kamado.

Shinjuro couldn’t do much more than blink. “... Kamado? Is that you?”

Tanjiro turned away and bowed towards Kyojuro. “Kyojuro-san, please forgive me for being so disrespectful to your father. However, I couldn’t stand by and let this man who claims to admire my father speak so ill of you.”

“Ha! That is no problem, it’s about time someone gave him a good head-but.” Kyojuro laughed. “I only hope your head isn’t hurt too bad as a result.”

“Nope! I have a very thick skull!”

“Ha ha! Oh, you mentioned your father, Tanjiro-kun. Is that who you learned Sun-breathing from?”

Tanjiro nodded. “Yes. I always knew it as the Hinokami Kagura, but after I started training with Urokodaki-san this man came by and mentioned that my father used sun breathing, and I started to incorporate it into my sword style as well.”

“I see. My father frequently mentioned his old friend who practiced sun breathing, but I never had the pleasure to meet him. Still, this is wonderful! Perhaps your ancestry is responsible for your sister’s unique condition.”

“That’s what Urokodaki said as well!”

As Tanjiro and Kyojuro laughed and talked, Shinjuro couldn’t do much more than sit up and look at them. Ignoring the blonde and boar-head in the background, the sight before him was like a blast from the past. Kyojuro and Tanjiro, they were just like Shinjuro and Tanjuro, only better and more at ease.

Kamado, old friend, it seems our sons have surpassed us both.

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Taisho Secret: Giyu took so long to respond to Shinjuro when they were talking about the Kamado family because he wasn’t sure if he should mention Nezuko. In the end, he decided to keep quiet and leave it to Tanjiro to decide. Between this and Rengoku stubbornness, Shinjuro didn’t find out about her until after that last scene.

Note: I‘m not quite sure what butterfly effect would have led to Kyojuro surviving in this AU. Either Tanjiro handled the upper moon one easier and was still in shape to help with the fight or Akaza took one look at Tanjiro, had flashbacks to fighting his father, and ran the hell out of there as fast as he could. It was probably a combination of both.

#kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #rengoku shinjuro #rengoku kyoujurou #kamado tanjuro #kamado tanjirou #kamado tanjirō #myfanfic #my fic #demon slayer fanfic

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mangekyuou · 4 years

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NOVEMBER FOURTH ━ﾞ

⁺◟ PROMPT . . . “i know i can’t make you run away with me...”

⁺◟ CHARACTERS . . . roronoa zoro fem!reader mentions of the strawhats

⁺◟ GENRE . . . smut fluff oneshot

⁺◟ SYNOPSIS . . . princess ( y/n ) has bigger dreams than becoming a queen and trophy wife to a man who she doesn’t love. she doesn’t believe those dreams can come true until she meets an unfamiliar swordsman, who offers her an escape.

⁺◟ CONTENT WARNINGS . . . unprotected sex ‘ light choking ‘ oral ( female receiving ) ‘ dirty talk ‘ a bit of over-stimulation ‘ etc.

⁺◟ WORD COUNT . . . 3.2k.

⁺◟ COMMENTARY . . . ( k/n ) = kingdom’s name

a shallow swallow, followed by a silent gasp filled the dimly lit chamber, decorated with the finest silvers, golds, and platinums, all of which one could adore. the only light had come from the balcony on one side of the room. white silk curtains, made with the utmost care and finest silk in all of the lands, in front of the balcony had flown in with the nightly, cool wind allowing the moonlight to seep in, bathing the face of a young maiden dressed in a long sleeveless lilac satin nightgown, that touched the cold hard floor beneath her feet.

the straps of her satin gown were slipping off of her smooth shoulders. she draped her arm across her clothed breasts, chills going down her spine. she shivered in the nightly, sinful wind, as her head rested on the shoulder of a tall, well-built, green-haired gentlemen standing behind her.

he wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, pressing her smaller frame against his larger one. the green-haired man’s free hand had grazed the soft skin on the woman’s neck.

his touches were the opposite of his hands and how he usually was. usually, they were brutal, deadly, and could easily kill. with her in his arms, they were gentle, sweet, and full of love and admiration. even if the man was a little rough with her sometimes.

if only anyone had seen the roronoa zoro, pirate hunter and swordsman, had such a tender side to him.

if only anyone had seen who the woman entrapped in his arms was.

princess ( y/n ), the future queen of ( k/n ). she was a noble, one who hated her title since she was a weak child. the young princess was not interested in dresses, makeup, marriage and other formalities women around her age worried themselves with. she cared more for traveling, fighting, and fulfilling her own selfish desires and dreams, not those of the kingdom. it wasn’t much of a mystery as to why the dear princess was not married yet.

well, the fair maiden was engaged to be married. her wedding was all planned out and set to happen in only a few weeks' time. she would marry her a marine captain from the marine base on the island and her childhood friend who had loved her since he could remember.

a man whom she could barely stay in the same room with anymore without the looming guilt of indifferent feelings toward him.

no matter how many times those three words spewed out of her mouth...i love you...she never meant them. no matter how many times she would give the marine a kiss on the cheek to send him off for his duties or hugged him before the two had said their goodnights and sweet dreams to one another, she never felt the same way.

she did not wish to marry a man she did not love. she did not want to marry at all.

on one of her escapes from the castle, she had ridden through town, hiding her identity. her ( e/c ) eyes drifted to the long wall of wanted posters full of criminals. seeing the posters had always fascinated her, seeing the many crooks from all of the grand line. her favorites were the pirates.

oh, how she wished to be one, and run away from being stuck in a castle, in a dress. it was her biggest dream. being a pirate would help her achieve her dream of traveling across the world and learn about different islands and their past.

a historian is what you could say she wanted to be. but she could never do it under the roof of strict nobility parents and the man she was going to marry soon.

that day, her eyes had landed on two new posters that were added to the very end of the long wall.

monkey d. luffy

roronoa zoro

their bounties were impressive. she had wondered what the two could have possibly done to receive such high amounts.

and that was when the unthinkable happened. out of the corner of her eye, she saw a green-haired man with three katanas attached at the hip, traveling lonesome, looking around the town as if he were lost.

and he was lost.

when he had approached her for directions, she clung tightly to the wanted poster in her hands. zoro saw the poster in her hands, mumbling curses to himself.

“are you this man?”

“and if i am?”

as he sized her up, she had done the same. even as he threatened to unsheathed one of his katanas, she did not budge, rather challenging him to start a battle. before he could, an orange-haired girl complaining about him getting lost had dragged him away.

that, of course, was not the last time the pair had crossed paths. they had only continued to bump into one another, as the straw hats waited for their log pose to log the island so they could go to another one.

( y/n )’s feet carried her to the docks where she saw it, their ship. she kept her distance, unsure of what to think of her acquaintance's nakama, though they shared no ill-will toward her. the captain who was pretty accepting, even pulled her onto the ship with...stretchable...arms, which worried her. pretty quickly, she had learned of devil fruits and their powers, especially when the little reindeer began speaking to her.

the rest of them seemed nice and lovely. of course, it was only lovely, until his nakama began referring to ( y/n ) as zoro’s little girlfriend. except sanji, who was still set on referring to her as princess.

when his nakama had settled down, leaving the two of them. he had apologized for their behavior, to which she said it wasn’t a big deal. a short silence sounded the two of them before she had opened up to him. a man who would probably never understand what she was going through. a man who lived his days as a pirate swordsman with a bounty so high, her mother would probably drop dead seeing the two of them even near each other.

and he listened. he clung to every word like no one had done before. every word she spoke, was a melody to his ears. she did not expect him to say all the right things, and he didn’t. but he did make her think.

“why don’t you run away with us? don’t think we have a historian on the crew yet. do you want to fill that position? our captain does like you.”

the idea had run through her mind since he said it. it was on a night just like tonight, the moonlight beaming down, bathing them.

she just hadn’t expected to fall so deeply in love with the swordsman.

he allowed his wandering hand to gently grab her neck, his thumb and index finger lightly applying pressure to the sides of her neck, making her gasp once more, this one a bit louder than the last.

he slowly guided her head to look at him. her dark, lust-filled eyes had looked into his, breathlessly. he loosened the pressure, “i know i can’t make you run away with me, but i damn sure won’t let you marry some marine.”

“you’re doing a pretty good job at convincing me to run away with you, i must say,” she teased, with a playful smirk. zoro removed his hand, making the maiden pout a bit. with his strong arms, he spun her around in his hold, grabbing the soft plush of her clothed thighs through her satin dress.

“up,” he said lowly. she jumps, wrapping her legs around his torso, exposing her legs to him, leaving her satin gown to bunch up at her waist. she wrapped an arm around him, pulling his head in for a passionate kiss. he secured her legs around his waist, walking backward to ( y/n )’s large bed, stumbling a bit. as the back of his legs hit the mattress, he sunk onto it. he pulled away from the kiss, a trail of spit from their tongues breaking.

he pulled the straps of the satin gown down, the bodice following in suit, exposing her breasts to him. he wasted absolutely no time, alternating between rough kisses, biting, and suction. she kept a hand on the back of his neck, as she threw her head back in pleasure and a bit of pain. she knew she would be left with hickeys and bruises all across her breasts in the next few days.

“let that marine bastard see these the next time he tries something,” he muttered against her chest between wet kisses, making her giggle through a moan.

“so, that’s what this is? you marking me out of jealousy?”

“i’ll do more than just mark you,” he warned, pulling her out of his lap and onto the mattress, quickly climbing on top of her.

his eyes had darkened, filling with sweet lust as they raked over her naked torso. zoro shifted down, prying her legs open, occupying the space between them, his favorite place to be. he pushed up her bunched up satin dress to reveal her damp panties.

he took a finger, allowing it to slide up and down her clothed slit, staring deep into her eyes with a shit-eating grin. a string of impatient soft whimpers and sighs surpassed the woman’s lips, as she stared down at her lover between her thighs, just the place she had wanted him the most. but he wouldn’t give it to her that easily. she knew him better than that.

he had yet to plaster his favorite part of her in hickeys. her inner thighs. the green-haired swordsman could go on and on about his obsession with her inner thighs, though he preferred being smothered between them.

“zoro, come on,” she whined, allowing her impatient hands to roam his clothed strong chest.

“impatient, are we?” he raised an eyebrow.

“shut up and fucking do something, please,” she begged.

a low chuckle left his lips, “such a vulgar princess.” he pulled away from her, standing on his knees. the swordsman. he grabbed the sides of his white shirt, pulling it over his head, throwing it somewhere off into the darkness of the room. next, he untied his black bandana from his left bicep, as he climbed over ( y/n ). he took her wrists into one hand, tying them together tightly to one of the many rails of the bed frame above her head.

“zoro―”

the swordsman took her chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing her to look into his eyes, “impatient and vulgar princesses don’t get to touch. think of it as punishment. you’ll be a good girl for me, won’t you ( y/n )?”

the maiden nodded, as she gulped. she felt a wave of chills crawl down his spine as she squirmed beneath him, her legs threatening to close. “you like when i call you that, huh? you just want to be my little good girl, don’t you? i want words this time.”

“y-y-yes...zoro. i want to be y-your good g-girl,” she stuttered out.

he released her chin, leaving a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses down her body, stopping at the satin gown that still resided at her hips. his large hands gripped the sides of the gown, sliding them carefully down her legs, dropping it near the side of the queen-sized bed.

he opened her legs once more, leaving a trail of kisses, each kiss becoming rougher than the one before it. as he disconnected, she could hear a loud pop. he whispered, “you are so perfect,” between every kiss desperately as if he were never going to be able to tell her those four words again.

accompanying her deep sighs of pleasure and light pain, was a dark blush of embarrassment on his lover’s face. she could never get used to the swordsman saying such compliments while face deep in her thighs, near her delicate center.

body worship was his favorite thing, both receiving and giving, though he preferred giving. he gave one last rough kiss, before turning his attention to her now soaked panties. he slid the fabric to the side, revealing her glistening folds. “fuck,” he whispered, “i did this to you?’

“s-shut up,” ( y/n ), stuttered out, “don’t get all fucking cocky.”

he shook his head at her, allowing his fingers to spread open her glistening folds, before shoving two of his digits into her hot, wet hole. “nghh...oh fuck,” she breathed out, jolting forward against the restraints.

“what happened to being my good girl? you were doing so well,” he teased, scissoring her folds roughly. he watched with a smirk, watching her begin to lose her mind, her head tossed back in pleasure, as she tried to fuck herself onto his digits trying to match his pace. a tent formed in his pants, being restrained by the fabric of his trousers. when did his pants become so fucking tight? had they always been this way?

“you’re so fucking pretty like this. so. fucking. pretty. i hope you don’t mind me having a taste,” he muttered as he inched forward, licking a long stride up her folds, making her shiver. a loud sigh left her lips, as she pulled against the restraint, only making it tighter on her wrists. zoro chuckled against her heat, the vibrations going through her body.

he pulled away slightly, making her whimper. the swordsman spit between her folds in a way to claim her and her core as his and his alone. she could feel his spit running down her slit. it was always a sign that he would not stop until he was satisfied.

zoro grips onto her thighs, tight enough to bruise as he buried his rough tongue between her folds, drinking in her essence before his lips gently suckle on her clit. ( y/n ) gripped the rails just above her head in pleasure. the swordsman’s ears drunk up every moan, every whimper, and every cry that spilled out of his lover’s lips. he slid two fingers, curling them as his tongue circles her clit.

“zoro, fuck. i’m...ah...i’m so close,” she warned between mewls and pants. he did not stop his ministrations, rather, he continued listening to her sinful voice rising in octaves. his black, lust-filled eyes fixated on the way her face displayed the pleasure she was experiencing. her back arched slightly as her thighs tried to clamp shut, though his hands on her thighs were stronger, keeping her in place as he growled against her center.

“be still.”

her toes curl as a cry that was a bit too loud passed her lips and filled the air. her body squirmed underneath him, reaching that sweet peak. the first of tonight. he placed a kiss on her hip bone before pressing the pads of his three fingertips against her clit, rubbing rapidly. the room filled with overstimulated whimpering echoes of his name. “i know you can cum again,” he spoke, the friction of his calloused fingertips against her bud, ruthless. it didn’t take long for the band to stretch again.

“oh...fuck!”

the second peak. her body wrenched, eyes squeezed shut as she squeezed onto her the rails, the whites of her knuckles beginning to show. faded, white dots danced along the darkness of her closed eyelids, chest heaving in desperation for air intake.

zoro rose from in between her thighs, retracting his fingers, earning a small gasp. ( y/n ) laid there, her chest rising and falling, looking at the swordsman above her. his tongue wrapped around them, his black eyes never leaving his lover’s as he licked them clean, “you are as tasty as you look.”

he reached down, grabbing the hem of his trousers, “if it were any other time, i wouldn’t mind filling that pretty mouth of yours. but i’m aching to be inside of you.”

“finally,” she rolled her eyes playfully. he shook his head, “bratty until the very end, huh princess?”

“you fucking love it, roronoa.”

he smirked, “you bet i fucking do.” he pulled his trousers all the way down to his ankles, allowing his hardened cock to spring free. he pulled his trousers all the way off, flinging them onto the ground.

zoro aligned his head up with her core, rubbing the tip in her arousal to lubricate his cock before slowly singing into her tightness. a light grunt fell past his lips in satisfaction. he buried himself into her ever so deeply, making sure she felt every inch.

“fuuuck...” she mewled, head thrown back in pleasure. he slowly rolled out, only leaving the tip inside of her before snapping his hips forward in a hard thrust. he reached down, grabbing her chin, and planted an open rough kiss to her lips. as he pulled away, a string of saliva had connected their mouths.

each thrust hit the edge of her g-spot, sending shivers down her spine. he knew her body so well. a mix of profanities, moans, and skin slapping against each other filled the room. zoro felt every clench of her walls tightening around his cock, reaching down to rub at her clit. his thumb rubbed messy, rapid circles that had his lover folding in on herself with pleasure.

her eyes screwed shut, focused on the inner fire within her and the sound of the swordsman’s filthy words in her ear.

“if only you could see how you look. the future queen of ( k/n ), losing her mind, getting...fucked by a lowly pirate swordsman under the same roof her parents and fiancé,” he taunted lowly in her ear as he continued to thrust into her, “you’re mine, you understand that? you are my woman. no one else’s. no other royal, no other pirate, not even that damn marine, you belong to me. say it, say you’re my woman.”

“i’m...i’m your woman, zoro! i belong to you!” she cried out, feeling a burning, no, an aching in the lower pit of her stomach. zoro felt her clench around him, tighter than before, almost sending him over the edge. “zoro...i’m going to cum.”

his thrusts turned sloppy. he was just as close to that sweet release as she was. her orgasm hit like a hundred waves, a string of curses left her lips. the swordsman pulled away, pulling out of her just in the nick of time. he took his cock into his hands, jerking himself. white liquid spilled from his tip onto her lower stomach.

the room had gone silent for a second, as the two tried to catch their breath.

“my wrists are feeling a little numb now, can i be untied?”

“oh shit, i forgot. sorry, ( y/n ).”

zoro untied her wrist, retying his bandana on his bicep. he took her wrists into his hands, rubbing them as gently as ( y/n ) sat up. she watched him closely tend to her now-bruising wrists, seeing the admiration and love in his eyes. only near minutes ago, he manhandled her. now he was as sweet as could be.

“zoro...” she trailed off, making him look up at her. she continued, “when will you and your nakama leave?”

his face somewhat fell, “we leave in the morning. but maybe i can get nami to―”

“i want to run away with you.”

⁺◟ BACK TO NAVIGATION . . .

#one piece #roronoa zoro #zoro #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #zoro x you #zoro scenarios #zoro imagines #one piece scenarios #one piece imagines #fyn #night rather than day ── 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰. 𓂃 ★☆

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toloveawarlord · 3 years

Text

Event: Edgar Birthday Countdown

Pairing: Iris x Edgar

A/N: plumpblueberry requested this from the Touches Event that is still open! I thought it worked well for a sweet fic for Edgar! Yes, I know his birthday has long passed but I’m finishing these fics dammit.

“Everyone, please keep moving inward! Down to the designated disaster rooms!”

Central Quarter had spiraled into chaos as the worst storm Cradle had witnessed in years barreled into the plaza. Both armies were surprised by the severity. The storm whisked in from the sea, giving little time for preparation to safely get citizens inside. Violent winds howled through the streets, its battle cry a prelude to its tantrum, thrashing all that was in its path.

Iris used her entire body to hold one door open against the brutal wind. “Edgar, that’s enough. Get inside, both of you!” Her call fell on deaf ears. The Jack struggled with the elderly vendor to secure his stall closed in hopes of protecting the precious contents. Blue irises surveyed the near empty plaza. Only a few soldiers remained, shuffling the last of the citizens indoors.

“Ma’am! There are some unsatisfied with our orders to remain inside instead of patrolling for stragglers.” One of her own approached, a little meek but his gaze shifted to the huddle of Black Army soldiers eyeing her with irritation. The same group she’d reprimanded not so long ago for questioning her orders.

“No. I’ve already dismissed that misguided action. What good will you be to Cradle if you end up injured along with them? Shelter in place until the storm has lessened, that way we can be of use to those who are injured or trapped.” Her words echoed across the lobby with force. The unforgiving storm would make a wannabe hero into a victim. “Instead of standing around like a bunch of gossiping socialites, get those people into the designated shelter rooms.”

With a disgusted expression, the young soldier said, “All due respect, Ten of Hearts,” her title dripping with derision from his tongue, “The personal with the spare keys for the second sub-floor rooms never arrived. They’re locked.” As if that fact made him the superior in the situation.

“Break the damn thing open? Or do you need me to teach you how to do that as well?”

The soldier beside her snickered at the Black Army’s soldiers' crumpled expressions. “I’ll see it done, ma’am.” He saluted, lips still pulling into an amused grin. He’d been assigned to her unit not long ago but had found it to be to his liking.

Her attention returned to her superior. The wind whipped through his brown locks. Edgar tugged the rope hard, fighting the flapping doors closed and securing them with expertise. Only a few drops hit the pavement before sheets of rain poured from the dark clouds. It’s roar joining that of the wind. But she caught a broken cry.

Iris thought she may have imagined it, but she couldn’t go in without a quick survey of the area.

Vision was incredibly low as she ignored her own orders in search of what she thought to be a lost child. They must be close if she could hear it over the storm. Her surroundings lit up with a streak of crystal lightning, and the thunder that followed shook the ground beneath her feet. The storm showed its strength, challenging the earth to stand against it.

Iris rounded the corner of the civic center, uniform utterly soaked. Blue irises squinted, lashes dripping with the water, hazing her vision. “Is anyone-”

Another rattling boom brought a shriek with it. The woman crouched down, peering into a patch of bushes by the side of the building. Deep within, she found a boy no older than five cowering within, clutching a plush toy as his lifeline. “You can come out now. I’ll get you inside.” She offered her hand, chilled rain pelting against her skin.

Pop. Pop.

“Mama says I’m not supposed to go with strangers.”

“That’s very good advice, but I’m sure your mama also told you that you can trust army soldiers, isn’t that right?” She tugged at her soaked white uniform. “I’m Iris, the Ten of Hearts. So come on out-”

His little head shook, nose crinkling. “The Red Army doesn’t allow women to join them. You’re a liar.”

Iris began to remember why she had a dislike for children. They were mouthy, and fickle. They didn’t listen, even when in imminent danger. Her knees sank into the muddy grass as she leaned forward to attempt to grab him. “That’s an old rule. King Lancelot made some recent changes. We have to get inside, come out from there!”

Her fingers grazed his tiny arm, almost reaching him.

“Iris!”

CRACK.

A body tackled against hers with enough force to knock the wind out of her. It was a blur. The world disappeared for a moment, leaving her disoriented. Blinking slowly, she found herself pressed against the ground, leaves of the now uprooted tree tickling against her cheek. The large branch that the smaller one nearly broke off rested against the back of her superior, who’d shielded her from being hit.

“Edgar?” She struggled to move any part of her body, pinned beneath his body. Even though the brunt had been borne by the Jack of Hearts, she could feel herself aching already.

Edgar groaned, shifting his weight to allow her space to slip out. “Thank goodness I made it.” He coughed, blood droplets splattering onto the muddy ground. He peeled himself up, staggering but able to stand. He tested his limbs, nothing seemed to be broken. They were lucky to have only been impacted by that one branch.

She resisted every urge within to check his wounds. Turning back to the bushes, also missed by the uprooted tree, Iris sighed with relief. “Will you come inside with us now?”

The boy had no issue trusting her after the fright he’d been given. The two returned the boy to his grateful mother before going to the infirmary on the main floor at Iris’s request. A locked door gave them absolute privacy. Nothing quite so nefarious or naughty as Edgar might have usually teased. Their uniforms unwearable, lest they wish to catch a cold.

“Sit down, and stop staring at me,” Iris chastised, clad in only her wet undergarments. She scanned the shelves for what she'd need to treat him. Perhaps it would be advantageous to learn a little more first aid.

"I'm positive I can wait until the storm passes." Edgar leaned against the arm of the couch.

Iris signed, hearing what he was insinuating. Of her many areas of expertise, first aid was not one of them. "Do you not trust me?" The question not a serious one. She conceded and abandoned the shelf to return to the warm fire.

Edgar winced, but reached out to grab her, tugging her into his arms. "It's cute when you pout.” His signature grin only graced his lips for a fleeting moment, crumbling into a frown. His cold fingers brushed her warm cheek, careful not to touch the wound lest he hurt her. "You've been hurt."

"It's a scratch. You're the one who got crushed by a tree branch. Probably a broken rib or two." The bruises already forming on his muscular abdomen. She should wrap them but lacked the knowledge to do so. “You’re an idiot.”

“I love you too, Iris.” His features still expressed concern. If he’d been a little faster, if he’d done more to protect her, then she wouldn’t be injured at all. Jade irises focused on the cut, as if he could will the wound to close.

Despite his grunt of pain, he was delighted the moment her lips met his. He pulled her in closer with a gentle jerk, catching her off guard. The two fell back onto the soft cushions of the couch. It was so adorable how hard she tried to hide her feelings.

“Are you trying to hurt yourself further?” Iris couldn’t break free of his hold. Her body weight had to be hurting him. It was irritating that he tended to do as he pleased at all times, but it always made her heart flip in her chest. Besides, who could resist that sweet smile?

“No, I do believe I’m distracting myself from the pain. The only real medicine is touching you.”

Silver tongue.

As if to prove his point, Edgar gingerly traced his fingers up and down her spine, humming to himself. He never tired of feeling her soft skin beneath the pads of his fingertips. She had incredible fighting skill, amazing strength, and yet, she remained oh so soft.

“You’re so unreasonable. We’re on duty.”

“Ah, but I’m not the one thinking naughty thoughts.”

Iris shook her head, smacking her hand against his shoulder as punishment, receiving a grunt from him. “I’ll go check on the soldiers upstairs then-” He was always thinking indecent things.

But Edgar tutted at her, managing to catch her again before she’d completely escaped. It didn’t feel so great moving so quickly, but it was nothing compared to what he’d feel if she left him right now. “Who said you could leave me? I’m injured, remember?”

He sounded much like a wounded puppy begging for its owner to pay attention to it.

“I guess I can stay a little longer.” Iris caved, her back flush against his chest. The fire did warm her cold body, and she did have a weak spot for this puppy side of him, especially with the way he snuggled against her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Edgar gave her a little squeeze, absently tracing patterns over her stomach. He’d love nothing more than to wind her up, excite her, but the pain did inhibit his ability to do so. Instead, the Jack of Hearts was content simply holding her in his arms while they waited out the storm.

#ikemen revolution #ikerev #edgar bright #iris adley #edgar birthday countdown

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merryfortune · 3 years

Text

Lunacy

Written for 100ships Challenge on Dreamwidth

Prompt: 06 Lust

Ship: Eirika/Valter

Fandom: Fire Emblem Sacred Stones

Word Count: 2,941

Rating: M

Warnings: Chose not to use warnings

AN: Big thank you to @seasaltmemories for being my beta :D

Tags: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Forced Relationships, Obsession, Abuse, Murder, Themes of Rape/Non-con

Every night, without fail, the Goddess of the Moon used to light up the night skies, turning every end of the day into a feat of joy and merriment with just her appearance as she danced through the skies, no chariot of her own, just her and her two glass slippers. The nocturnal hours that she lit were precious and safe, completely and utterly free of the fear of the dark.

It’s not like that anymore. Sometimes she is able to grace the world with the whole of her dance, other times she is shrouded in darkness. Worst of all are the nights when she’s not there at all.

Ever since the Goddess of the Moon was forced to wed the God of the Dark, she had been unable to dance like she had in the more innocent days of yore. The gentle, restful night had been transformed due to their union as with his occurrence within the world had caused a new, dreadful fear to become known to the world. Thus cementing the God of the Dark as having a reputation for being the stealer of one of the two most precious lights that resided within the heavens.

The moon had been taken from her twin, the sun, her elder brother.

Ephraim, the older twin, the literal golden boy, was the emissary of the sun. Commanding a golden chariot pulled by golden horses, he lit up the day with his fierce warmth and light, bringing energy to all lit by it. From the people to the animals to the plants. Each and every day, over the course of several hours, Ephraim and his horses would cause the sun to arc over the world. He would leave a blaze in his wake regardless of which season it was but that is what made him and his chariot, the sun, so admirable.

Meanwhile, at night, Eirika would take to the skies in her brother’s place. She had no chariot, only her two glass slippers but her dance was elegant and illuminating. Her dance would lull children to sleep and her rapier would allow for light to gleam off it, revealing safe paths for weary travellers to follow. Where her brother blazed, she was a dew or a frost. Soft and forgiving, soothing, healing.

Both the sun and the moon had their fair share of followers and devotees.

But Eirika had a devout follower like none other. A man by the name of Valter who had been praying to her since he was a child. It was a childhood interaction between him and the Goddess of the Moon that had caused him to become utterly obsessed with her.

He recalled that fateful night with brilliant clarity, when the Goddess of the Moon had come down from the heavens and presented himself to her in the flesh and nectar.

Beaten. Starved. Abused. Just a sampling of what Valter endured as the bastard child of a noblewoman and a rapist. And like many others, the night was the only reprieve from the scrutiny and assault that he faced from the people around him meant to be his family or carers.

He escaped outside, into the cool and into the fireflies that lingered near the pond at the rear of the orchard. Far, far away from the house with the little, battered cot that he had to call a bed. He looked up into the sky, through the treetops and the stars, and saw her. The most beautiful woman a child could ever conceive of: he saw the moon and his eyes filled upon that visage and with tears, too.

He prayed. He begged. He worshipped in the blinding, holy light of the moon with no temple or ritual. Just his brutal feelings and brutalised body. He laid down his body and soul for this and for that, the Goddess of the Moon stepped down from the heavens and appeared before him.

She caressed this child’s bruised face and cradled him, she ran her fingers through his hair and untangled the knots. Valter wept in her arms and so, Eirika gave him a blessing that he would take to his grave: she kissed his forehead and thus, a seal was placed upon him. The mark of the full moon. So long as he was faithful to her, no harm would befall him all the same as any other beneath Eirika’s moon.

Then, once Eirika felt that she had consoled this child, she disappeared into his arms. A cavalcade of moonlit glitter, silvery and blue, and returned to her eternal dance in the night sky. Every twirl of her body, every kick of her long legs, every flick of her hand, another movement of the moon made as it had its own arc over the Earth.

With the blessing of the Moon Goddess protecting him, his parents never raised a hand against him and he realised something. He was not weak anymore. He was not their prey. And so, empowered by the seal upon his forehead, Valter found his hierophilic purpose in life. Looking up at the indigo skies, he watched, entranced by the moonlight, by the goddess herself. Every night, he watched. He prayed.

Admiration and prayer gave way to obsession in the mind of young Valter as Eirika never visited him again, no matter how he pleaded and begged for her to reappear before him. And so, hopes and wishes, no matter how suffocated with his twisted affection, gave way to actions. He would do whatever it took for Eirika to notice him once more amongst all her mortal followers. Whatever it takes.

Eventually, Eirika did notice Valter once more. He became all consuming to her attention, sickening her to her very core.

He had grown into a man, a man like a wyvern. Tall, bulky, and sneering all the same as that heinous, fanged reptile. His prayers had turned to rallying cries of orchestrated tragedy. Each struck reverberating through the goddess whom he showed his devotion to in frigid cold blood. Until she had to cry out to no one at all as the gods had no higher power they could truly turn to.

He was slaughtering innocents, those whom he deemed as unworthy followers of her and anyone else who had the misfortune of crossing his path like a black cat. Every kill, a prayer and as they were prayers, Eirika felt each and everyone of them, even so far flung as into the skies and heavens. Every plunge of his spear against his so-called offerings was felt by Eirika as deep as the pain could possibly go and further still.

She felt the eviscerations that he put his victims through, the way he disembowled and revelled in the resulting viscera, how he desecrated what little was left. Every wound, every puncture. Though Eirika did not spill with a single drop of blood, she felt it as though it were a waterfall. The phantom penetrations left her on her knees as she could only grit her white teeth through it at all, screaming, sobbing, body and soul violated with his weapon of choice. His lunatic devotion.

To the envy of the gods of war and the like, Valter was single handedly causing a disbalance in nature and the aether. All in adoration of Eirika and for it, Eirika would be the one punished by her fellow gods and goddesses. Not even her brother the sun could protect her as Lyon, the emissary of death, made his way to the moon, a tranquil fury at Eirika’s perceived negligence.

He visited Eirika in the wayside of twilight, before her nightly dance would begin and he found her on her sublime abode, of marble and pure white rock, retching, holding herself as she felt more - dozens - killed in her name. Lyon knelt beside her.

“Hark, my friend,” he told her, stroking her shoulder, an embodiment of light such as Eirika was not meant for such darkness, “but you must have courage and take to even your own follower to cease his atrocities. My domain is overflowing with souls who were not meant to be cut down by death just yet, it is disruptive, please understand, dear.”

“I understand, Lyon, I will find a way to cease this madness.” Eirika said, sucking in a breath to sound braver than she was.

“Excellent.” Lyon agreed and in a smog of shadow and dust, Eirika was left alone.

She gazed out across the sky and she felt so, so small before the might of humankind and even all the universe. She had never felt that way before. She was a goddess, after all. So, she found herself seeking the counsel of someone whom she could always trust: her twin brother.

Time was of the essence but Ephraim appeared on her cross path eventually. She hailed out to him and he halted his horses. They whinnied and whined but with Ephraim’s expert command, they stopped and he dismounted from behind the guard of his chariot.

“Unexpected to see you this soon, sister.” Ephraim greeted her.

“I need a little of your help.” Eirika confessed, fidgeting. “I have never had a follower kill in my name, let alone slaughter. I have been told to end him but I do not believe myself to be up to the task alone.”

Ephraim stroked his chin thoughtfully, “I am informed of the situation and believe it is yours and yours alone, little sister.”

“I have never taken up arms against anyone,” Eirika said, “I am not like you brother. I am not a warrior. I am a lover, not a fighter.”

“Then perhaps you ought to use that to your advantage. Fight with words, rather than weapons.” Ephraim said then sighed. “With that, I must dismiss you. As you cannot prolong the night, neither can I prolong the day.”

“I understand, rest well later, Ephraim.” Eirika told him.

She watched as he and his horses left her. She watched the sparks and embers in his trail, they were beautiful but in the right temperature, could ignite the very crops that he was meant to rear. Eirika wondered if the indulgent blessing she had given away so recklessly a few years ago was the same. Her heart wrenched and sure enough, the killing prayers had begun again and her offerings were in the form of heads cleaved from necks rather than trimmed hollyhocks or similar.

It brought her to her knees with indecision and powerlessness. Eirika, a goddess, was left snivelling and sobbing in the wake of the murder in her name. She hadn’t a faintest clue how gods of war and death endured or if it felt different to them.

Desiring nothing more than to at least end her own suffering, let alone the grief of the loved ones of those who had been killed in her name, Eirika found her courage. She would find her own way to fight against this follower of hers. Eirika took a deep, heaving breath and her gloved fists strengthened. She tried to lift herself up but she was struck once more by the sensation of a piercing lance but she endured the pain as innocents were killed in her name. She vanished from the edge of the world where she had met her brother.

Reappearing in a scourged field, Eirika stood, uncertain and she gazed out past the fallen, slaughtered bodies. This may have been a village once and it was as though war had razed it but she only saw the silhouette of one man and his lance in his hand. The one man who had caused this tragedy and his weapon of choice.

Valter twitched. He could sense a cool change in the dusk. His movements were unnatural as he lumbered around, enthralled, that he appeared to be in the presence of someone more than loyalty. Eirika steeled herself. His gaunt face split into a manic grin. A lust for life, a lust for blood, and worst of all: a lust for her, Eirika sensed from it.

“Eirika, my goddess, you recall me?” he asked as he began to amble forward, tired by his slaughter, using his lance as a cane to hobble with, and yet enthused by Eirika’s reappearance before her.

In front of her, he laid down his weapon, overjoyed that his prayers had finally been heard, it seemed. He took her hand and smothered her knuckles with kisses. Eirika remained akin to marble, just a statue, glaring yet neutral. Valter’s passion disgusted her but what really made Eirika tremble was the realisation that he still bore her blessing upon his forehead. It shone like a beacon, completely unmarred from the passage of time, unmarred by the splatter of blood, completely unlike the rest of his face.

“Yes, I remember you, the child that I assisted.” Eirika replied gravely.

Valter lifted his head and Eirika saw a jaundice to his eyes, they were wide, “I was worried my prayers were eluding you, I am nothing but devoted to you, my goddess, your attention is all that I desire.”

“They have been heard, Valter,” Eirika said, firm, “and they must stop.”

Her proclamation shocked Valter to stone. He blinked. He behaved as though he could not fathom her words.

“This killing in my name must stop.” Eirika continued, her voice getting louder now.

Both of them were distraught but somehow, Valter was more so. He gawked, on the brink of anger. His one-sided love betrayed.

“I will do anything to bring a stop to your murder.” Eirika told him.

“Anything?” Valter echoed and disbelief gave way upon his rugged face to something conniving. It made Eirika’s skin crawl.

“Yes, anything, so long as it is within the boundaries of my domain.” Eirika replied, sheepish, already regretting her words but she hoped that so long as his request was per her own magic, then she would be true to her own word yet she dreaded Valter’s reply.

He took a moment to peruse his words and gather what his anything would be but his teeth glinted, “I have my request.”

“Let’s hear it.” Eirika replied, bravely, keeping her chin up even though she dreaded what was about to come from Valter’s mouth.

“I want power.” Valter said. “Power of the gods.”

“I must deny that, I can give you no such thing.” Eirika replied and she tried to step away from Valter but he grabbed her hand.

Eirika’s heart could have jumped from her chest but instead, it sank. Valter came down to his knee, still holding her hand and Eirika realised what he was asking for her.

“I could share in your power, as your husband.” Valter said. “Have me as your mortal lover…”

“But make you a god.” Eirika finished his sentence for him.

He was perversely delighted, clearly thinking it a good omen of her marriage for her to do that. Eirika swallowed a lump in her chest and her expression remained firm. Brave. She took a breath.

“For a dowry, you will receive power over the dark, the home of the night sky and moon, but for the engagement, you will relinquish your killing. Those are our vows.” Eirika scowled.

“As you wish,” Valter replied, his voice a sick caress, “my love.”

Valter kissed Eirika’s hand once more. Just once. And there was a swell of power. The transfer of part of Eirika’s domain into another. She kept herself strong through it as she felt part of her power diminish and was eaten up by Valter.

“You are now Valter, God of the Dark.” Eirika christened him and she could feel a shift in the balance of nature and aether but she didn’t think she was going to be scolded for it.

This shift recontextualised itself and Eirika could feel the new presence of the dark. Not as a time of rest and solace, but as something that could have horrible dangers lurking in. An old fear, from before her time and birth as a goddess, revived and revitalised because of the birth of the new god before her, at her feet.

“Come, Valter, we must make haste. The night must begin, it must go on.” Eirika told him, hurried him.

Valter slowly got up and smiled eerily, “With pleasure.” he replied.

Though she wanted to be let go, Eirika instead took Valter’s hand. To turn the moon, to blanket the world in darkness and sleep, soothed by the gentle light of the moon… unfortunately he now had a place in this as a newlywed dance, no matter how unnerving.

Valter was sharply keen to assist. His hand was large against Eirika’s and despite being defined by her dualism with her brother, she had never danced with a partner before. His hands were stony and so were his movements, he was a warrior, not a dancer, Eirika quickly realised.

He trod on her toes, cracking the glass slippers her feet were adorned with but he was an eager partner, if anything else. Eager but inadequate, he took charge. They danced but it was not the dance that Eirika, or the world, had once known so effortlessly, so innately. As such, the moon was partially enshrouded in a shadow that had never been there before.

Thus, for the first time in all the history so far of creation, earthly and heavenly, the moon began to wane. A shade of darkness, her possessive husband, hid the moon’s face as she tried to dance as usual, beginning a new lunar cycle the world had not seen before but would come to know ever after.

#100ships challenge #writing tag #eirival #otp: both sides of the moon #fire emblem sacred stones #fire emblem #sacred stones #eirika x valter #valter x eirika #valter fire emblem #eirika fire emblem #gore cw #rape cw

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tabloidtoc · 4 years

Text

National Enquirer, March 15

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Tiger Woods' car crash

Page 2: Bruce Springsteen has beaten the DUI charges leveled against him after federal prosecutors couldn't find a drop of evidence he had been drinking over the legal limit -- with an acceptable blood alcohol level of 0.02 well below the 0.08 threshold at the time of his arrest in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, prosecutors backed off two of their charges for drunken and reckless driving -- the rocker did plead guilty to a third charge, admitting he had two small shots of tequila on federal parkland and for that, he was fines $500 plus $40 in court costs

Page 3: Patrick Dempsey's dreamy return to Grey's Anatomy was a big hit with fans but his well-received cameo left series star Ellen Pompeo seething with jealousy -- Ellen may have permitted Patrick to revisit his old stomping grounds in Meredith Grey's fever dreams in season 17 but she doesn't want him coming back permanently and swiping her hard-earned glory and she considers herself the anchor of the show and thought she was rid of this guy after making the show her own, but now fans are begging for him to be brought back and Ellen is furious -- it's no secret Ellen hated the first 10 years of the show when Patrick was the star and she feels the series got better after he left and she became a big-shot producer, something she'd been demanding for years -- she likes being in control and calling the shots and clearly thinks she got this deal on her merit alone but it's also because she's the star who's lasted the longest; most of the original cast had already left and bosses had to cave in to keep her -- unfortunately being in charge hasn't amounted to better ratings and show has been slipping consistently in recent years and the main reason they brought Patrick back on was to spike the ratings, which it did and now producers are considering offering Patrick a full-time gig but Ellen will do everything in her power to prevent Patrick from stealing her thunder again

Page 4: Home reno gurus Chip and Joanna Gaines are clashing over his wild spending, and she's desperate to rein him in before they land in the poorhouse -- Chip and Jo are rich on paper and worth $20 million in property and assets but they were hit hard by the pandemic like everyone else and recovery has been sluggish to say the least -- they're just getting back on their feet and under a ton of pressure to get their Magnolia network off to a running start but Chip, as usual, is casual when it comes to money and it frustrates Jo to see him buying things they don't need, like new tools and equipment when the old ones work just fine and overpaying on lumber and masonry -- Chip is always shopping and not always for the house; he's got a boot fetish and has dozens of pairs, plus he treats the crew to free cappuccino and treats from their coffeehouse several time a day and Chip wants the best of everything for himself and everyone else

* Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are ready to welcome baby number four through adoption -- the couple who are parents of daughters James and Inez and Betty hope to find their next child in South America and they've invested time and money sponsoring immigrant children and they're warming up to the idea of providing an orphaned baby or toddler with a forever home -- a 16-year-old girl they sponsored through the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights was deported back to Honduras and they were heartbroken, and Blake and Ryan are now determined to provide a child with a happy home and opportunities he or she wouldn't have in their native country

Page 5: Newlyweds Pamela Anderson and Dan Hayhurst are itching to start a family and are already trying for a baby of their own -- 53-year-old Pam tied the knot with the 40-year-old handyman on Christmas Eve at her Vancouver Island home and she's been telling pals they hope to have happy news soon -- Pam wants to build a whole new clan with Dan and he's on board even though they each have kids with their exes and Dan's two kids from a previous relationship are living with the couple at Pam's pad -- the couple love the idea of adopting or going the surrogate route and it's not something they want to waste any time over

Page 6: Weary Kelly Clarkson is juggling her skyrocketing career and brutal divorce battle with estranged husband Brandon Blackstock on less than six hours sleep a night and Kelly has also been pushing to sell her homes in Nashville and Encino, while running her L.A.-based talk show and recording new music -- she's been running herself ragged for months and she's feeling the burn in a big way but despite her exhaustion, she can't sleep and nothing she tries works and the most shut-eye she catches is two, three hours at a time; she lays awake in bed at night worrying and crying

* Suddenly remorseful Kanye West has spiraled into depression and despair since soon-to-be ex-wife Kim Kardashian filed for divorce -- for all their problems, Kanye realizes she was the one person who was there for him whenever he went off the deep end and now he knows he's alone and seriously doubts he can hold his life together -- without Kim and her family to keep his wild impulses in check, he may succumb to the poor judgment and wild mood swings that have marked his chronic bipolar disorder as they were the ones who reminded him to take his meds and steer clear of recreational drugs and now all he has is a circle of yes-men he doesn't listen to anyway -- since the split, Kanye has shuttled between his ranch in Cody, Wyoming and a hotel in L.A. near the sprawling mansion he once shared with Kim and he's been blowing up her phone to beg forgiveness, but she won't take his calls and it's driving him off the deep end again

Page 7: Kourtney Kardashian is fed up with Shanna Moakler's online barbs and is plotting her revenge against the ex-wife of her new squeeze -- since Kourtney and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker went public with their romance last month, former pageant queen Shanna has been throwing social media shade and Kourtney's tired of taking Shanna's crap and she's going to fire back soon and Kourtney's using her wide network of contacts in Hollywood to bad-mouth Shanna and she's placing calls to casting directors and perspective suitors to put as many potholes in her love rival's path as possible and she plans to make Shanna regret messing with her

Page 8: Nearly two years after Johnny Depp was forced to exit Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise following ex-wife Amber Heard's allegations of abuse, the company has kicked him while he's down by considering her for a plum part -- Johnny is fuming over news that Amber is reportedly in contention to play fairy-tale heroine Rapunzel in the studio's upcoming live-action remake of Tangled -- for Amber to be in the running for a Disney pic is the ultimate insult to him especially because he believes the company made millions of dollars off his name

Page 9: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had a whopping $500 million motive to betray Queen Elizabeth -- outraged at being cut loose by the British royals, the couple retaliated by secretly negotiating backroom Hollywood megadeals and going public on TV -- Harry and Meghan see themselves as victims of an out-of-touch monarchy and want revenge and selling out Harry's family is the way to get it and cash in big-time; Meghan's convinced they'll have deals totaling $500 million by the end of the year but they better act fast because Hollywood is a fickle town where even royalty can be chewed up and spat out

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Amelia Hamlin stuck to the shore while pink-haired beau Scott Disick made waves in Miami, Steve Martin nibbled on a pretzel while filming Only Murders in the Building in NYC, Floyd Mayweather turned 44 and celebrated with a birthday bash in Miami, Bachelorette reject Tyler Cameron showed off his toned tummy in Florida

Page 11: Drew Barrymore feels deeply for dad-controlled Britney Spears because she's been there: she said her mom locked her away in a loony bin for over a year when she was just 13 -- Drew said it's hard to grow up in front of people and she empathizes with Britney and Paris Hilton and any star who can't escape the glare of celebrity -- Drew's mom put her in a place that was a full psychiatric ward and says she used to laugh at those Malibu 30-day places because she was in a place for a year and a half called Van Nuys Psychiatric and you couldn't mess around there and if you did, you would either get thrown in the padded room or put in stretcher restraints and tied up

* Eddie Murphy famously bragged he has never changed a diaper in his life despite having so many kids and now he's set on having another baby with fiancee Paige Butcher and this will make baby No. 11 for Eddie -- he says his genes are incredible as ever, so why stop; he's super fit and Paige is in amazing shape at age 41 and wants at least one more baby so they're going to go for it and are already trying

Page 12: Straight Shuter gossip column -- CNN could blitz news veteran Wolf Blitzer as the network revamps its lineup and TV is a young person's game and no one knows that better than Wolf and after 31 years at CNN, he sees new faces getting promoted and knows his days are numbered and Jim Acosta and Poppy Harlow are the future of CNN, not Wolf -- although Wolf's airtime has been cut as Jake Tapper's role expands, he isn't bitter or angry but instead he's grateful for an amazing run

* Love It or List It star Hilary Farr is moving on to her own show and leaving partner David Visentin in the dust -- Hilary's new show is basically the same one she and David have been doing for years, with him edited out and David was blindsided by the news and he knows HGTV has sent out a casting notice for the new show and he's hurt and angry especially because Love It or List It hasn't been renewed yet

* Sacked Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron has reached out to Chris Harrison after he stepped away from The Bachelor amid a racist scandal -- Tom wasn't fired over a scandal, but he knows exactly what Chris is going through because both of them thought they had a job for life, but nothing lasts forever -- Tom is a good guy and wants Chris to know he's around if Chris needs anything

* Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, spruced up for the camera (picture)

Page 13: Brooke Shields isn't letting a busted leg keep her down but she's taking her recovery one step at a time -- she shared an Instagram video showing her cautiously hobbling on crutches and explained she broker her femur and she was beginning to mend -- she didn't reveal what caused the unlucky break

* Outspoken actress Rose McGowan is living a charmed life in Mexico and the Harvey Weinstein accuser has headed south of the border and vows never to return to the United States -- she got her permanent residency card from Mexico and is grateful to have it and says it's a really healing land and it is truly magical -- she moved at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic because she knew it was going to get really bad in America and she had a moment to figure out where she wanted to be

* Picky perfectionist Blake Shelton listens to around 300 songs to choose what to record for each of his albums, according to his longtime producer -- music pro Scott Hendricks said he wades through nearly 3000 tracks by professional songwriters to select tunes for Blake to consider and then Blake methodically whittles down the nominees until he's certain which songs he wants to record but Scott admitted that process is more difficult for him culling the 300 from the 3000 -- Scott, who has worked with Blake for most of his career, said of their close professional relationship that the chemistry works and they have recorded several hundred or more songs together and they are getting ready to go do some more

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Killer kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's busted beauty queen bride will be marked for death behind bars -- if Emma Coronel Aispuro snitches to the feds about the bloodthirsty Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel long run by her caged husband, she'll put a big fat bulls-eye on her back -- according to a federal complaint, Coronel was intimately involved in her husband's multibillion-dollar drug-running racket and acted as his criminal agent while he was on the lam and the mother of El Chapo's two young daughters helped mastermind her spouse's daring 2015 tunnel escape from a Mexican prison and also paid him $100,000 for another failed bust-out a year later -- they are going to put the heat on her to spill more details on other top operatives in the cartel and take them down, too, but if she spills, it will be open season on her on the inside

Page 16: Dr. Dre appears to rap about estranged wife Nicole Young in a song filled with angry, explicit lyrics calling someone in his life a greedy bitch -- DJ Silk previewed part of a new track from Dre full of digs presumably at Nicole, with whom he has been locked in a nasty divorce -- his lyrics include: Trying to kill me with them lies and that perjury/ I see you trying to f--k me while I'm in surgery / In ICU death bed on some money s--t / Greedy bitch take a pic / Girl you know how money get

* Hollywood Hookups -- Lorenzo Lamas is set to wed for the sixth time to model Kenna Scott, Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause are officially divorced, Adam Rippon is engaged to Jussi-Pekka Kajaala

Page 17: Former Home Improvement kid Zachery Ty Bryan has pleaded guilty to two felony counts of domestic violence -- Zachery, now 39, has been sentenced to three years of probation and will also have to take part in a batterer intervention program

* John Mayer has dated a succession of famous singers including Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Halsey and he hopes they write chart-topping songs about him and admitted he'd be jazzed if his exes enshrined him in song, saying sometimes a song is so good he hopes it's about him and he even scours their lyrics for clues -- Taylor already has several tracks that have been linked to John including Dear John

* Ruthless chef Gordon Ramsay said he's cooked up his own plan to keep his kids humble -- he has five kids with wife Tana: Megan, twins Holly and Jack, Tilly and Oscar but said he plans to leave most of his reported $200 million fortune to charity -- Gordon explained his kids must tidy up after dinners, can only fly coach and are expected to learn how to cook for themselves and he's forbidden them from taking costly taxis and the foulmouthed foodie insisted they don't swear

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Roseanne Barr was blindsided by a humiliating new scandal after risque photos from the early '90s recently emerged which appear to show her teenage daughters licking her boobs -- Roseanne posed for the shots with her two youngest girls at a Glamour Shots studio in Iowa more than 25 years ago and the photographer who claimed he snapped the fake lesbian lovefest but did not want to be named dished Roseanne and daughters Jessica and Jennifer who are now in their mid-40s happily hammed it up for the camera but decades later Roseanne and her daughters are all mortified and embarrassed by these pics; they were horsing around years ago and never thought they'd see the light of day

Page 20: Cover Story -- Still recovering from agonizing back surgery, Tiger Woods was pushing himself to the limit when he flew off a California cliff into a career-crushing car accident -- lawmen said the golf legend was lucky to be alive after the horrific wreck that shattered his right leg -- the accident only added to Tiger's physical problems; his movement has been restricted since a fifth back operation in December and he was unable to play golf despite an appearance at a local tournament the weekend before the bloody wreck -- at a press conference days before cheating death, Tiger admitted he was worried about his physical condition and his ability to play again, saying a lot of it is based on his surgeons and doctors and therapist and making sure he does it correctly and he doesn't have a lot of wiggle room left -- Tiger could barely move, and it seemed to get him down and his back rehab has been brutal and he was hobbling around and distraught but he refused to give into his condition and his tough-as-nails mindset could have contributed to the crash: when a person is overwhelmed by physical pain, that dominates everything they do and if you're behind the wheel of a car and in physical pain, it can distract you and likely lead to this kind of disaster -- Tiger was eager to get to a TV taping on the morning disaster struck and he seemed impatient when he left the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, an L.A. suburb, just after 7 a.m. and although traffic cameras show he was driving within the speed limit, his Genesis GV80 SUV crossed the center median onto the opposite side of the road and flipped -- authorities said Tiger appeared lucid to first responders and there were no signs the recovering addict was under the influence of alcohol or drugs and they did not request a blood test when Tiger was rushed to the hospital from the crash site and the incident was an accident -- Tiger was taken to nearby Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where doctors said his broken bones protruded through his right leg and they put a rod in his leg and used screws and pins to stabilize the break and his ankle -- it will take three to four months to heal and then eight months of physical therapy and it is unlikely he will ever run again and he may have a limp and in terms of golf, just walking for extended periods of time will be a big deal and recovery will be agonizing; it's a very real possibility that Tiger's taken his final swing

Page 21: Addiction experts warned Tiger Woods' recovery will test his sobriety after his stint in rehab for prescription painkiller use and it is very, very common for a patient in recovery to relapse after a trauma like the one suffered by Tiger and exposure to painkillers administered directly or prescribed after a physical trauma is highly likely to trigger a relapse -- Tiger will probably need painkillers to get through this, but he'll also need to be connected with like-minded people to keep him away from his old thinking that pills are the solution to his problems

Page 22: Desperate Ghislaine Maxwell has offered to renounce her British and French citizenships in a new bid to get out of jail -- the disgraced socialite's last two stabs at freedom including one package offering $22.5 million as bond money were rejected by a judge who deemed her a flight risk -- now according to her lawyers, Ghislaine will formally commence the procedure to renounce her foreign citizenship to satisfy any concerns the court may have that she may try to seek a safe haven in France or the U.K. -- Justice Department officials were concerned Ghislaine would flee to France, where she was born, since the country has no extradition treaty with the U.S.

* Woody Allen claimed his own words are being used to attack him in the bombshell Allen v. Farrow documentary -- Woody has repeatedly denied adopted daughter Dylan Farrow's claims he sexually abused her when she was seven at her mom Mia Farrow's home -- Woody blasted the documentary which rehashes the claims as a shoddy hit piece and a hatched job riddled with falsehoods adding the filmmakers stole from his autobiography

Page 26: Twice-divorced Ricki Lake's engagement to California attorney Ross Burningham has insiders fearing she may suffer yet another heartbreak -- she announced her happy news on Instagram but Ricki has seen far more than her share of bad luck in the romance department and everyone is praying this final shot at love doesn't end in despair and it's never Ricki's fault, but she's never found a man who could keep her happy

Page 28: A lurid landscape of drug-fueled orgies, suicidal thoughts and fake sexual enthusiasm will play out in a new television series based on model and reality star Holly Madison's X-rated confessions from her shocking 2015 biography Down the Bunny Hole -- Madison first exposed the sleazy details of how she and other young women were plied with drugs and coerced to participate in sex parties with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in exchange for acting as his girlfriends and getting to live inside the iconic L.A. mansion along with a weekly $1000 stipend -- the limited series will star actress Samara Weaving as Holly, who was a member of Hef's harem between 2001 and 2008 -- Holly, Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt became the notorious stars of the reality show The Girls Next Door which debuted in 2005 and focused on their seemingly glamorous life with Hef but glossed over the dark secrets behind the scenes -- in her bombshell confessions, Holly revealed the 22-bedroom manor was actually a foul pigsty filled with stained mattresses where Hef's live-in ladies were forced to perform weird bedroom rituals and look excited by it

Page 29: Jack Osbourne has listed his sprawling California home for rent at $16,500 a month -- the 35-year-old son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne is offering the five-bedroom, 5600-square-foot home in Studio City unfurnished -- Sharon was recently seen outside the home with moving vans helping Jack prep the property -- Jack, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, bought the home in 2014 when he was married to Lisa Stelly; the couple divorced in 2018 and share three children: Andy, Pearl and Minnie

* Heidi Klum has snipped all threads tying her to dad Gunther Klum after the cosmetics and modeling honcho skipped her wedding -- Heidi dumped her manager dad after he snubbed her August 2019 ceremony in Capri with guitarist Tom Kaulitz of the band Tokio Hotel and she has also ended her German enterprise Heidi Klum GmbH, originally overseen by Gunther -- Heidi and her dad had a falling out over Tom and Gunther never really approved of him and was dead set against the marriage and it drove a wedge in their relationship

Page 32: Health Watch

* Ask the Vet -- an African Gray Parrot with a feather-picking problem

Page 34: Barack Obama broke a buddy's nose over a racist remark -- he revealed the two classmates were playing basketball when his friend hurled a racial slur and he popped him in the face and broke his nose, Obama told Bruce Springsteen on their podcast Renegades: Born in the USA -- Obama said he doesn't think his pal even knew what the word meant, just that it was meant to be hurtful

* Country singer Keith Urban has shrunk to 140 pounds as the former addict is hooked on a bizarre diet of nuts and berries and even worse, the five-foot-ten crooner appears to be growing thinner and friends are worried the stress of his demanding career and his desperate desire to be a good husband to Nicole Kidman may push him over the edge -- no one sees him eating much more than handfuls of raw almonds or sunflower seeds and berries washed down with gallons of water -- though he's been sober since 2006, pals fear the struggle to avoid giving in to temptation as well as hearing Nicole purportedly mended fences with ex-hubby Tom Cruise may be weighing on the star -- despite his bony appearance, Keith thinks he looks great

Page 40: Evil ISIS terrorists are using the COVID-19 pandemic as cover while they rebuild their network and mastermind new attacks and both Iraq and the U.S. are in their crosshairs -- because the West has been focused on dealing with the pandemic, ISIS and new groups sprung from their shattered forces have been reloading and plotting revenge, according to Ryan Mauro of the terrorist-monitoring Clarion Intelligence Network -- the pandemic has brought decreased confidence in Western governments, which has emboldened the terrorists to launch sleeper cell attacks on foreign soil

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Anya Taylor-Joy

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cross-d-a · 3 years

Note

I want to know ALL about Wu Xie embarrassing time traveler!Li Cu!!! ✨✨ I'm also v intrigued by Nie Huisang death death death

(Also, Cross you have so many wips; I read in awe. And to think I thought I had a lot of star wars fix-it ideas! I only have anything at all written down for two of them!)

(this refers to the WIP tag game I completed a few days ago!)

Wu Xie being EMBARRASSING & Li Cu Time Travel:

I’ve got a series of interconnected oneshots planned where Li Cu just- accidentally hops back in time to every drama/book and helps out the Iron Triangle. and it’s more like LI CU embarrassing WU XIE haha

I thought it’d be HILARIOUS if Li Cu got to see how Wu Xie (UR MY DAD BOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE) is so YOUNG and STUPID and EMBARRASSING when he’s young!! Wu Xie making (ACTUALLY) innocent doe eyes at an emo Xiao Ge?? GROSS. Wu Xie accidentally (DELIBERATELY?) setting off multiple traps in a tomb?? Li Cu is 10000/10 going to RECORD THIS on his phone and bring it BACK to the future and make fun of Wu Xie FOREVER. Also!!! There are SO MANY SNAKES in Ultimate Note!! And?? Conveniently?? Li Cu has a lil’ snake buddy?? MAYBE HE COULD HELP???

I basically want Li Cu being the Actual Competent One and the baby Iron Triangle floundering. Mostly Wu Xie. I want Wu Xie floundering. I also want Wu Xie SO EMBARRASSED when Li Cu hops back to his own time.

li cu: DAD UR AN IDIOT

wu xie: i DONT WANT TO RELIVE IT PLS AND THANK

li cu: nO!! U ARE GOING TO SUFFER!! UR SO STUPID u set off FIVE TRAPS

wu xie: i hate you

li cu: no u don’t u just told me u loved and appreciated me for saving ur life like ten minutes ago. there were tears in your eyes. actually they were streaming down ur face. u might have been hugging my leg and sobbing

wu xie: tHAT WAS SIXTEEN YEARS AGO FOR ME OK i am an OLD MAN

Nie Huaisang death death death:

I think it’s hilarious that you picked out one of the resurrective immortality fics considering we were JUST talking about the old guard hahaha. This one I actually have a good chunk written so far, so here is a long snippet near the beginning. Context is that Nie Huaisang’s mother is VERY pregnant and she’s riding through the mountains to visit her family before she gives birth. WARNINGS for gore (kinda??) and child death and just- DEATH in general:

There are beasts in the mountains. Ravenous, born of fury and blood, more ragged spirit than flesh. Their claws are jagged and broken and their maws drip with sizzling saliva. They have roamed the mountains for years and years, and have only grown more enraged, voracious.

The Nie Clan have always harnessed the butchery of their past. Binding rage and ruin to themselves, channeling it through their hearts and into their swords until they are one and the same. Until it feeds upon their flesh and their spirit, gnawing on their bones, carving out a little space for itself between brittle ribs. Until, one bloody piece at a time, it consumes them whole.

The Nie Clan’s power is also the source of their doom, and these beasts who roam and know only hate hate hate are Nie-furen’s doom, as well.

They descend upon the Nie in the dead of night, a roiling mass of snapping teeth and furious howls. There is blood, screaming, desperate flashes of Dao magic and heavy blades. But there are too many and it is not enough.

But the mighty Phoenix of the West has always been filled with unmatched fury and she is full of new life and about to burst. She will not let her child die here today. Not before he can breathe sweet fresh air and keen that first high cry. Not before his father can cradle him in his arms and his older brother can plant a kiss on his forehead.

That rage within her swells. It devours her spirit and bleeds out her eyes as she screams screams screams- a raging beacon of power and brutality and every ancestor’s grief.

She slaughters everything in her path.

When she comes to, she is soaked in blood and there is pain in her belly and an ache behind her eyes and in every breath- but she is alive. She lies amidst the ruins of her people and the lingering darkness of vanquished spirits and Shan Xifeng—

She goes into labour.

It is long and hard, lasting through the night into the bloody dawn and beyond. She manages to crawl to the edge of their encampment but no further. She twists into a curl of agony and cries into the clouded sky.

Her son is born on the cusp of evening, just as the sun slides behind dark, ragged peaks. He is born soft and warm and silent.

Shan Xifeng cradles him in quaking hands. Cups his cheek to her breast. His tiny head is blood-streaked like his mother. Blood-streaked like her friends and family around her.

It is an irony that on one of the most important days of her life, she is surrounded by her loved ones and yet they are all dead.

“Little one,” she murmurs, and tilts his limp head. “Little one, please.”

But he is silent as the dead around her and that grief swells again in her breast. It gnaws on her ribs and scrabbles at her throat and she is shaking shaking shaking.

“No,” she spits. “No! He has done nothing wrong! Nothing! Does he not deserve his first breath? His first cry? Does he not deserve the family that awaits him?!”

She screams into the sky and tastes blood between her teeth. “Take me instead! I beg of you! Please let him live! I would give my life! Every single one of them, so that he may live!”

Her sword quakes along with that dark raging thing within her and she clutches her dead son close.

Then—

The faint, elegant curve of a fan in the corner of her eye. The shift of cloth, the echo of a breath. The glimmering of ethereal gold and silver, like someone has spun the stars and sun above into delicate thread.

Summoned, like a beast to blood.

“All of them?”

Shan Xifeng knows better than to face an unknowable thing and so she bows as low as her broken body will allow. She stares into the bloodied dirt and breathes in dust and rasps, “Yes.”

“Hm.” A flicker of a stretching smile, coy, with a hint of sharp teeth. She does not see the fathomless dark behind those stark white teeth, a gaping void of ravenous benevolence. It is hidden behind the flare of the fan. “Do you understand what you ask for?”

“I do,” she says without hesitation.

The grin widens, lips scarlet and dark against bone-white skin. “Then I shall grant your wish.”

A shift of cloth, then a cool hand cups Nie-furen’s cheek, guiding her up. Her eyes flicker open and she sees what no mortal has ever seen, and then that fan whispers against her cheek and blood-red lips press against hers and the last thing she feels is her golden core trembling spasming dying as life is pulled from her breath- all the lives she has ever lived, the one she lives now, and every life she could have ever lived.

Shan Xifeng falls into the bloodied dirt beneath, still clutching her dead son to her breast. And then there is no one left living in that small clearing.

Pale, bony fingers trace a delicate line through the blood that lingers upon her cheek. It is still wet and useful. Stained fingers press against scarlet lips and the life held between stark white teeth is breathed anew into that blood.

Carefully, bone-thin fingers trace a deliberate character upon the newborn child’s left cheek. The blood shines, brilliant and devastating, before fading back into a gruesome name across pale skin. Slowly, the child begins to twitch, brows wrinkling in displeasure, before a high keening wail escapes tiny lips as the child take its first breath.

“Your mother does not know what she’s doomed you to.”

A day later, travelers upon the road hear a faint keening noise not far from their wagon. When they find the clearing, they gag and retch. When they find the weak, whining child clutched in his dead mother’s arms, they shake their heads and then stare at the crest emblazoned upon the woman’s clothes.

Two days after that, the child is delivered to Nie-zongzhu’s disbelieving arms.

“No,” he says, violent spirit quaking deep within him. “No. It- it is not true.”

The traveler ducks his head and clasps his hands in a bow. “I’m sorry, Zongzhu. We were not able to take the bodies with us. You’ll have to send someone to check, but…it was the crest of your house. And…” he hesitates, then nods to his companion who stumbles up and offers a sword.

Not just any sword. A dao.

Shan Xifeng’s dao.

Feng.

“No,” Nie-zongzhu cries, falling to his knees.

“I-I’m so sorry,” the traveler stutters. “I am so, so sorry, Nie-zongzhu.”

Nie-zongzhu sobs, clutching his newborn child to his chest. “Little one,” he weeps. “Oh, little one. At least life is kind enough to have spared you.”

“Yong,” the traveler blurts.

Nie-zongzhu stares uncomprehendingly, tears running hot down his cheeks.

“It- it was written upon his cheek in- in blood. I- I think that is what his mother named him. She must have done it with her dying breath. She must have wanted you to know. He did not enter this world nameless.”

“Yong,” Nie-zongzhu echoes, trembling. “It- it is a good name, for my brave little boy.” He cups his son’s cheek and sobs. “Brave like- like his mother,” he murmurs, voice thin and quaking. “She named you well.”

And perhaps it is bravery that made Shan Xifeng give up the chance to ever be reborn. Perhaps it is bravery that saved her son’s life.

But it was all a mother’s wretched love, and Shan Xifeng did not write the character for brave upon her son’s cheek.

No, it was not Yong for bravery, but Yong for eternal.

And it is not his mother who wrote it.

Perhaps it is bravery that saved her son, but is the curse of eternity really a kindness?

No, no Shan Xifeng did not truly understand what she asked for.

But Nie Yong soon would.

The next section starts with:

The second time Nie Yong dies, he doesn’t even realize it.

He is four years old.

and the third section starts with:

The third time Nie Yong dies, his Adie kills him.

He is nine years old.

It’s basically an Angst Fest with a happy ending bc...I just need a happy ending Always. I just REALLY love resurrective immortality and I love making my favourite characters Suffer :)

I hope these were fun and satisfying to read!!

♪(ﾟ▽^*)ﾉ⌒☆

(also omg NO it’s a CURSE!!! I WISH I could just finish SOMETHING!! ANYTHING!! OMG!!! I am so envious you’ve managed to restrain yourself to a few!! Also!! I am SUPER excited to find out more about your fix-its!!! :D)

#tag game #my fic #cross talks #wip tag game #ask game

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fabuloustrash05 · 4 years

Note

Will you ever rewrite when worlds collide with Ralph having the powers instead of Mikey?

I actually discussed that idea here

The post is kind of old but my ideas still stay the same with a few added ideas I thought of over time.

I do want to write it one day as a full on fanfic but I already got other fanfic ideas I wanna work on so it may or may not happen.

However I did write something a while back, so to get my idea out there enjoy this sloppy narration of how I would make the first half of TMNT 2012 When Worlds Collide rewrite would go down!

~~~

The story/arc will open differently with a flashback to a few years ago. We see a younger Sal Commander in a brutal fight. Covered in fresh scars and is struggling to stay on his feet but he’s still fighting hard. We discover who he’s fighting and it’s (a younger looking) Newtralizer. The two young Salamandrian men continue fighting as Sal tries to reason with him, saying things like “We were once friends,” or “You were once a respected warrior and now you’ve chosen a dark path,” or “You would actually terrorize your own planet?”. Newtralizer ignores his words and knocks Sal down to the floor, his weapon aiming at the soldier. Sal then asks him what he has done wrong and why he hates him so much. Newtralizer stays silent. He evilly smiles and through Sal's point of view, we see Newtralizer swing his blade at the young soldier and it cuts to black.

We then find young Sal Commander in an infirmary, covered in bandages and stitches. He survived the attack. We see he has a patch on his left eye and on the side of his left stomach (with that we learn how he got the metal eye and the metal patch on his stomach). A young worried couple soon comes bursting into the infirmary to see him. It is revealed that they are some of the students that he trained and are close to in the military. They inform him that he’s been in a coma for a while and Newtralizer has escaped and he’s been missing ever since the fight, theorizing that he's in hiding. Sal Commander vows that because of his loss to him he will find him and reclaim his honor by turning him in and receiving justice for his crimes.

After some small talk the woman tells Sal that they want him to meet someone. Hiding behind the Salamandrian woman we see a little 5 year old Salamandrian girl, holding on tight to her mother's tail. Sal discovers that his two dear students and friends got married and now have a child of their own. The couple lift their daughter up and have her sit on the bed, having her face to face with Sal. She’s obviously nervous and a little scared from all of his scars but Sal assures there’s nothing to be afraid of. The little girl begins to warm up to him and Sal asks her for her name. The little girl shyly says her name is Y’Gythgba, and with that we learn that this is how Sal Commander and Mona Lisa first met. They share a sweet moment as it cuts to the intro.

After the intro we are now in the present day. We see Newtralizer return, zapping through the New York outlets and electric poles, revealing he now has electric powers. He monologs to himself how he has finally mastered this new ability and vows to destroy everyone who has wronged him: Sal Commander, the Utrom, the Turtles, and even Slash.

We then go to Salamandria to see present day Mona Lisa, now nineteen, and Sal Commander, older and scars fully healed. We learn through their conversations that Salamandria is healing after another invasion from Lord Dregg. During their conversation we discover that Mona’s parents left her under Sal’s care while they went to war against the Triceratons, but they never returned, signifying that they were killed in battle. (Finally giving Mona backstory!)

During this time we learn a little about Mona’s life on her planet, constantly training or working, never having a break or a chance to just relax and act her age, but instead has to grow up quickly and act mature. We get the idea that she’s starting to get bored of her life and wants to do something fun. We see moments where the men on her planet make advances at her but she doesn’t give them the time of day. We see the females spread rumors about her, showing that she doesn’t really have any friends, for word has spread that she’s been wooed by “some lowlife being from an uncharted disgraceful planet” and that her relationship with this guy was the reason for Dregg’s invasion in the first place (referencing back to the Evil of Dregg episode)

That’s when Mona and Sal are called in to see the head general who informs them that after fourteen years Newtralizer has finally come out of hiding and has been spotted on a worthless planet called Earth.

Cue Mona thinking of Raph doing push ups.

While Mona continues day dreaming, Sal Commander is assigned to go to Earth and capture Newtrailzer and bring him back so he can face his long awaited trial for his crimes. Sal agrees and heads off to his ship, bringing Mona along with him as backup. In the ship Mona, trying not to be too obvious, suggests that since they are going to Earth they should contact the turtles and ask for their assistance in their mission. Sal doesn’t want them to get involved in dangerous tasks, but Mona convinces him that with their help they can easily take him down. Knowing that secretly her real reason is to just see Raphael again, Sal agrees.

We then finally go to Earth, finding Raph watching Spaceheroes: The Next Generation with Leo. After watching the main hero, Captain Ryan, lose the woman he loves we see Raph have sympathy for him, silently showing us that he understands that pain. Leo however shrugs if off, saying Captain Ryan will get over it, but Raph gets angry and storms off to find something else to do, calling the show stupid.

He goes to see if Donnie wants to hang out, but Donnie is hanging out with April in his lab, working on a new science project together, but there more focused on training than working. He tries calling Casey, but he tells him he’s got a “hot date”. Then Raph goes to Mikey’s room to see if he wants to hang out, but Mikey is busy chatting with Renet via holograms.

It's when Raph overhears Mikey say that him and Renet are now in a long distance relationship, that’s what gets to him. Raph storms off to his room. To take out his frustration we see Raph play with his drum set. After he’s done, Raph starts to rant to Chompy, making fun of his brothers for being lovey dovey with the girls. That’s when Raph gives his lone wolf speech and how he doesn’t need love or romance in his life, but before he finishes his false claim, his old space helmet begins to buzz. Raph gets the call from Mona and tells him that her and her commander are coming to Earth for a mission and need their help. Raph gets excited and runs into the door just like in the episode.

We then get a moment of Raph calling his brothers, April, and Karai (who is now at the lair stopping by for a visit) in the main room of the lair where he excitedly explains to them that Mona (and Sal) are coming to Earth. Raph explains that Mona sent him the coordinate to where and when they’ll be landing and that they need to meet them there. April and Mikey have a fanboy/girl moment, happy their OTP is reuniting. Karai, confused, looks at Leo and asks him “Who’s Mona Lisa?”. Leo smiles and jokingly but also seriously says “Raph’s girlfriend,” and walks away leaving Karai with a shocked look on his face. The scene ends seeing the team leaving the lair as April and Mikey continue their freak out, Raph freshens himself up to look good for his lady, as Karai screams, “Why did no one tell me my brother has a girlfriend?!?!”

We then get a short moment of seeing the Utrom living a happy peaceful life, for they have reclaimed Dimension X as their home. The happy moment is interrupted by Newtrailzer who begins attacking the Utrom. We see the Utrom council watching this occur through and screen and worry for their people, wondering what they should do. That is when another alarm goes off informing them that more Salamadrians are entering the Milky Way Galaxy and are heading towards Earth. The Queen, worried that they are a hostel like Newtailzer, sends Bishop to capture these other Salamadrians and see what they want, for they already have one Salamandrian problem and they don’t need another.

We go back and the episode goes similar from there. Raph and Mona reunite, the team splits up to find Newtrailzer, Raph and Mona shortly catch up (with an added bonus of Raph bringing his flirt on and more focused on Mona then the actually mission), Bishop joins the fight, but then things get different. After the team escapes Newtrailzer and hides out in the Utom base they don’t get attacked by Newtrailzer like in the episode. Instead the council gives the team the weapon that can stop Newtralizer and absorb his powers. During their conversion to devise a plan the council suggests they need more reinforcements. Raph then comes up with an idea, knowing the perfect person to help take down Newtralizer.

With their new weapon, the team heads to the Mighty Mutanimals lair, where we find Casey and Shini also hanging out with them. Sal and Mona meet Slash and his team. Mikey introduces his friends to Sal, while Raph introduces Mona to Slash. Slash makes a comment that Raph has told him about Mona countless times, embarrassing Raph slightly. After a mini moment of Mondo Gecko trying (and failing) at making a move on Mona, Raph explains to Slash that Newtrailzer is back and they need his help since he knows more about him then the turtles do, for he was once his partner. Sal has a moment with Slash, like a “I understand what you went through” kind of moment. Slash agrees to help while the rest of the mighty mutanimals, Casey, and Shini, agree to help as well.

The fight goes similarly, just with the inclusion of the Mighty Mutanimals, Casey, and Shini. We then get the moment where everyone splits up and Raph and Mona are alone together again. This is when they have their conversation about Mona staying on earth after the battle is over. Mona declines and tells him that her job is to fight for glory and honor as a Salamandrian. Raph tries to convince her by telling her that she can fight on earth and how there's so much for her on his planet. Mona begins to feel unsure. Raph then hits Mona with how he’s been feeling about their long distances relationship. He tells her he doesn’t want to keep living in wonder if he'll ever see her again or not. That he wants to be with her and not keep going with a fear that one day they never see one another again. Mona tells Raph that she does care about him, it's just that who they are and where they’re both from makes this so difficult, so them just being together is a risk. Raph tells Mona he’s willing to take that risk to be with her. Before Mona could say anything, Newtrailzer makes another appearance and begins fighting the turtles and mutanimals so Raph and Mona need to help the others, but before they do, Raph grabs Mona’s hand and looks at her. He asks her if she could at least think about his offer. Mona agrees.

They all fight Newtrailzer but then the power in New York goes out. It is discovered that Lord Dregg is here and has teamed up with Newtrailzer to invade Earth. Dregg's ship lands as Newtralizer teleports inside the ship.

The turtles and friends look on to Dregg’s ship to the two villains eviling looking down at them, but they weren't alone. Dregg and Newtrailzer had a third ally, a little shorter than them as his eyes glowed an evil orange. The team couldn’t make out who it was at first. The third ally jumped off the ship and perfectly landed to the ground in front of the turtles.

The turtles, April, Casey, Mona, and Sal look at Dregg's new ally in a heartbroken shock. It was Fugitoid, now run down with missing parts of his robot body replaced with dark rusty metal patches. His eyes no longer glowed a bright blue but a dark orange.

Fugitoid gives them all an evil grin asking them if they missed him. Fugitoid explains that it is their fault that he’s like this, accusing the turtles of abandoning him and leaving him to die, using him just to destroy the black hole generator. The turtles are confused for that is not what happened. They try to get through to him but he doesn’t listen. Fugitoid begins to attack them while taunting the turtles, April, Casey, and the Salamandrians. Fugitoid takes them down practically effortlessly as Dregg and Newtrailzer watch in amusement, calling him their “new toy” and Dregg mentions he’s glad he “fixed and kept him”.

Donnie then puts the pieces together and figures out that Dregg must've found Fugitoid’s pieces after he was blown up to destroy the black hole generator (back in season 4), put him back together, and rebooted him and his memories to believe that the turtles and friends are the bad guys. Newtrailzer does one final lighting attack throwing multiple shots at our heroes and as everyone runs for cover, the lighting hits Raphael. He screams in agony as he fades from existence.

Everyone screams and cries for the fall of their friend as the three turtles cry for the “death” of their brother. Full of rage for hurting her love, Mona Lisa draws her sword and attacks Newtrailzer with all her might. We get a quick Mona vs Newtrailzer fight (with it being a parallel to the Raph vs Dregg fight when he hurt Mona).

Soon however, Newtrailzer beats Mona and Sal rushes in to protect her, as Mikey uses the Utrom weapon on Newtralizer, Sal orders her to run with the others somewhere safe. There is no time for goodbyes. Dregg sends down his insect army and starts his invasion. As Newtrailzer, frees himself from the weapons hold and grabs Sal Commander as hostage, Dregg’s minions capture Leonardo and the mighty mutanimals, except for Slash. With one fallen and some captured, the team retreats as Dreg takes over the city.

~~~

That’s all I got right now. I hope you enjoyed the first half of my When Worlds Collide rewrite. (Btw I am gonna do this with every arc in season 5 cause that season in my opinion was an entire mess)

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cleverwordsandotherstuffilike · 3 years

Text

Britain's child slaves: They started at 4am, lived off acorns and had nails put through their ears for shoddy work. Yet, says a new book, their misery helped forge Britain.

The tunnel was narrow, and a mere 16in high in places. The workers could barely kneel in it, let alone stand. Thick, choking coal dust filled their lungs as they crawled through the darkness, their knees scraping on the rough surface and their muscles contracting with pain. A single 'hurrier' pulled the heavy cart of coal, weighing as much as 500lb, attached by a chain to a belt worn around the waist, while one or more 'thrusters' pushed from behind. Acrid water dripped from the tunnel ceiling, soaking their ragged clothes. Many would die from lung cancer and other diseases before they reached 25. For, shockingly, these human beasts of burden were children, some only five years old. Robert North, who worked in a coal mine in Yorkshire, told an inspector: 'I went into the pit at seven years of age. When I drew by the girdle and chain, my skin was broken and the blood ran down … If we said anything, they would beat us.' Another young hurrier, Patience Kershaw, had a bald patch on her head from years of pushing carts - often with her scalp pressed against them - for 11 miles a day underground. 'Sometimes they [the miners] beat me if I am not quick enough,' she said. The inspector described her as a 'filthy, ragged, and deplorable-looking object'. Others, like Sarah Gooder, aged eight, were used as 'trappers'. Crouching in the darkness of the tunnel wall, they waited to open trap doors which allowed the carts to travel through. 'I have to trap without a light and I'm scared,' she told the inspector. 'I go at four and sometimes half-past three in the morning, and come out at five-and-half-past … Sometimes I sing when I've light, but not in the dark. I don't like being in the pit.' His master threatened to 'knock out his brains' if he did not get up to work, and pushed him to the ground, breaking his thigh. Eventually, bent double and crippled, he returned to the workhouse, no longer any use to the brute. Most were exhausted by their working hours - they were often woken at 4am and carried, half-asleep, to the pits by their parents. Many young trappers were killed when they dozed off and fell into the path of the carts. Ten-year-old Joseph Arkley forgot to shut a trap door, allowing poisonous gas to seep into the tunnel. He died along with ten others in the resulting explosion. But coal mining was just one industry in which children worked during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Industrial Revolution brought immense prosperity to the British Empire. Not only did Britannia rule the waves, she ruled the global marketplace, too, dominating trade in cotton, wool and other commodities, while her inventors devised ingenious machinery to push productivity ever higher. But, as a new book by Jane Humphries, a professor of economic history, shows, a terrible price was paid for this success by the labourers who serviced the machines, pushed the coal carts and turned the wheels that drove the Industrial Revolution. Many of these labourers were children. With the mechanisation of Britain, traditional cottage industries, which had employed many poor families, went out of business. Consequently, more and more poverty-stricken workers were driven into the major cities and factories. The competition for jobs meant that wages were low, and the only way a poor family could fend off starvation was for the children to work as well. These were the real David Copperfields and Oliver Twists. Beaten, exploited and abused, they never knew what it was to have a full belly or a good night's sleep. Their childhood was over before it had begun. Using the heartbreaking first-person testimony of these child labourers, Humphries demonstrates that the brutality and deprivation depicted by authors such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy was commonplace during the Industrial Revolution, and not just fictional exaggeration. She also reveals that more children were working

than previously thought - and at younger ages. As British productivity soared, more machines and factories were built, and so more children were recruited to work in them. During the 1830s, the average age of a child labourer officially was ten, but in reality some were as young as four. Many child scavengers lost limbs or hands, crushed in the machinery; some were even decapitated. Those who were maimed lost their jobs. In one mill near Cork there were six deaths and 60 mutilations in four years. While the upper classes professed horror at the iniquities of the slave trade, British children were regularly shackled and starved in their own country. The silks and cottons the upper classes wore, the glass jugs and steel knives on their tables, the coal in their fireplaces, the food on their plates - almost all of it was produced by children working in pitiful conditions on their doorsteps. But to many of the monied classes, the poor were invisible: an inhuman sub-species who did not have the same feelings as their own and whose sufferings were unimportant. If they spared a thought for them at all, it was nothing more than a shudder of revulsion at the filth and disease they carried. Living conditions were appalling. Families occupied rat and sewage-filled cellars, with 30 people crammed into a single room. Most children were malnourished and susceptible to disease, and life expectancy in such places fell to just 29 years in the 1830s. In these wretched circumstances, an extra few pennies brought home by a child would pay for a small loaf of bread or fuel for the fire: the difference between life and death. A third of poor households were without a male breadwinner, either as a result of death or desertion. In the broken Britain of the 19th century, children paid the price. One young boy, Thomas Sanderson, went out to work when his family was reduced to eating acorns they had foraged after his soldier father had been demobilised without a pension. Children were the ideal labourers: they were cheap (paid just 10-20 per cent of a man's wage) and could fit into small spaces such as under machinery and through narrow tunnels. But while parents sent their children to work with heavy hearts, the workhouses - where orphaned and abandoned children were deposited - had no such scruples. A child sent out to work was one mouth fewer to feed, so they were regularly sold to masters as 'pauper apprentices'. In exchange for board and lodging, they would work without wages until adulthood. If they ran away, they would be caught, whipped and returned to their master. Some were shackled to prevent them escaping, with 'irons riveted on their ankles, and reaching by long links and rings up to the hips, and in these they were compelled to walk to and fro from the mill to work and to sleep'. Orphaned Jonathan Saville was sold as a pauper apprentice to a master in a textile industry. His master threatened to 'knock out his brains' if he did not get up to work, and pushed him to the ground, breaking his thigh. Eventually, bent double and crippled, he was returned to the workhouse, no longer any use to the brute. Robert Blincoe - on whom Dickens' Oliver Twist is thought to be based - was sold, aged six, as a 'climbing boy' to a chimney sweep in London. Forced to scale the narrow chimneys, only 18in wide, he would scrape his elbows and knees on the brickwork and choke on coal dust. It was common for the master sweep to light a fire under them to make them climb faster. Many climbing boys and girls fell to their deaths. After several months, Blincoe was returned to the workhouse. Then, aged just seven, he was sent along with 80 other children to a cotton mill near Nottingham to work as a 'scavenger' - crawling under the machines to pick up bits of cotton, 14 hours a day, six days a week. In return, he was given porridge slops and black bread. Weak with hunger, at night he crept out to steal food from the mill owner's pigs. Many child scavengers lost limbs or hands, crushed in the machinery; some were even decapitated. Those who

were maimed lost their jobs. In one mill near Cork there were six deaths and 60 mutilations in four years. Blincoe was lucky: he only lost half a finger. A German visitor to Manchester in 1842 remarked that there were so many limbless people it was like 'living in the midst of an army just returned from campaign'. A doctor who observed mill workers noted that '… their complexion is sallow and pallid, with a peculiar flatness of feature, caused by the want of a proper quantity of adipose substance [fatty tissue], their stature low, a very general bowing of the legs … nearly all have flat feet'. The average height of the population fell in the 1830s as an overworked generation reached adulthood with knock-knees, humpbacks from carrying heavy loads and damaged pelvises from standing 14 hours a day. Girls who worked in match factories suffered from a particularly horrible disease known as phossy jaw. Children in glassworks were regularly burned and blinded by the intense heat, while the poisonous clay dust in potteries caused them to vomit and faint. Supervisors used terror and punishment to drive the children to greater productivity. A boy in a nail-making factory was punished for producing inferior nails by having his head down on an iron counter while someone 'hammered a nail through his ear, and the boy has made good nails ever since'. But despite the growth of cities, agriculture remained the biggest employer of children during the Industrial Revolution. While they might have escaped the deadly fumes and machinery of the factories, the life of a child farm labourer was every bit as brutal. Children as young as five worked in gangs, digging turnips from frozen soil or spreading manure. Many were so hungry that they resorted to eating rats. Children in glassworks were regularly burned and blinded by the intense heat, while the poisonous clay dust in potteries caused them to vomit and faint. The gangmaster walked behind them with a double rope bound with wax, and 'woe betide any boy who made what was called a "straight back" - in other words, standing up straight - before he reached the end of the field. The rope would descend sharply upon him'. Another favourite gangmaster's punishment was gibbeting: lifting a child off the ground by his neck, until his face turned black. And yet, many of these children showed extraordinary resilience and lack of resentment. Children who worked six days a week spent the seventh at Sunday school, determined to better themselves. But whenever anyone sought to improve children's working conditions, they encountered fierce opposition from the proprietors whose profits depended on exploiting them. They argued that any interference in the marketplace could cost Britain her manufacturing supremacy. Even when regulations were eventually passed to improve working conditions, with only four inspectors to police the thousands of factories across the country they were seldom enforced. In 1840 Lord Ashley, later Lord Shaftesbury, set up the Children's Employment Commission, interviewing hundreds of children in coalmines, works and factories. Its findings, reported in 1842, were deeply shocking. Many people had no idea that coal was excavated by young children. But it was the immorality rather than the cruelty of the mines that shocked them most. An inspector described how, 'The chain [used to pull the carts] passing high up between the legs of two girls, had worn large holes in their trousers. Any sight more disgustingly indecent or revolting can scarcely be imagined … No brothel can beat it.' An Act was passed, prohibiting women and children under ten from working underground. Two years later, another Act was passed prohibiting the textile industry from employing children younger than nine. But it was not until the mid-19th century that children were limited to a 12-hour day. In 1880, the Compulsory Education Act helped reduced the numbers of child labourers, and subsequent laws raised their age and made working conditions safer. But it had come too late for the little white slaves

on whose blood, sweat and toil our great railways, bridges and buildings of the Industrial Revolution were built. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312764/Britains-child-slaves-New-book-says-misery-helped-forge-Britain.html#ixzz2ZKkYXGMW

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iwritethat · 5 years

Text

Damian Wayne: Expectations

A/N: I have no idea where this came from but I wrote it anyway.

Warnings: Like 1 swear word

>>>>——————————>

Life in Gotham could be difficult, horrific and down right dangerous - so like any other kid who had been living it rough you turned to crime. Firstly creating an alias for yourself equip with fitted black costume as the colour made it easier to move through Gotham at night, it consisted of a hood and bandana to cover your face and conceal your identity. You took up minor theft, so by the time you reached your teenage years you were now a seasoned professional - you had perfected 'slight of hand', acquired fighting skills as well as being very good with disguising yourself to gain entrance to otherwise unreachable areas/events.

Most of the time it was thievery from those who seemed more wealthy, you considered it better to steal from the wealthier population rather than the poor as they would need their money more - though you were a criminal you did have some values intact. This time however was unusual, Catwoman had asked for your assistance on a job, you had met Catwoman before on numerous occasions and got on quite well but you didn't expect her to ever ask for your help, clearly she thought very highly of your abilities.

As a result, after robbing a museum of a cat sculpture you found yourself standing on a rooftop waiting for the promised payment your partner was currently handing you.

"Catwoman, you're going to have to return that." A deep voice sounded from behind you, sending a string of curse words through your head.

Surprise surprise, you turned to find the Dark Knight accompanied by Robin who had joined you on the building.

"Who are you?" The sidekick asked bluntly taking a step toward you.

"Hm, wouldn't you like to know?" You quickly replied, matching the arrogant tone meanwhile Catwoman looked genuinely amused. Your temporary partner, clearly unwilling to simply hand over the stolen goods, began to flirt with Batman - apparently reoccurring behaviour judging by Robins foul expression.

"They do this often then?" You commented, observing the two adults.

"Too often. You still didn't answer my question thief." Robin replied, getting into a defensive stance mirroring his mentor.

"It's (v/n) - thief is just rude birdboy." You earned a growl before he came at you with his katana.

Though you weren't specifically trained in any martial arts, you picked up a thing or two by watching others or brief involvements with street gangs which allowed you to hold your own somehow. Instinctively, you pulled out your daggers to clash with the oncoming blade before kicking Robin in the abdomen and running for it. Successfully, you made your escape without being followed equip with money from Catwoman and so, you made you way 'home'.

Over the next few weeks, you had various encounters with Robin which you found peculiar as there were far more dangerous villains out there that required his attention but here he was again - confronting you about the deal you’d just completed, selling off a rich mans watch for a very good price.

"Why are you doing this?" The vigilante asked, arms crossed as he blocked your path.

"Because it pays well? I'm not quite sure what you expected." You sarcastically remarked, scanning the area for an exit.

"You seem like a good person, from my observations you only rob the wealthy. You should use your skills for something more productive." He commented, noticing your glare.

"Uh huh. You're like the same age as me Robin, you can't tell me what I should be doing. Besides, I didn't have the perfect life, I highly doubt you grew up on the streets - you can't exactly get 'productive' with that, I wouldn't have these skills otherwise. So sorry hero! If this was all part of the ‘turning me to the good side’ plan - you've failed." You defended, venom lacing your tone despite the mockery situated there. It was possible that you were a little harsh but you didn't need this at the moment, you had somewhere urgent to be.

Robin released a frustrated sigh meanwhile you put your plan of escape into action, you hopped onto the dumpster to the left, grabbing the metal ladder that lead to the staircase running up the side of the apartments. You slipped through an open window muttering a string of apologies as you ran through the now startled woman's apartment and out the front door, you made your way out of the building through the fire escape.

Checking your surroundings you discovered you'd lost the Batman's sidekick allowing relief to flood your body, though you were growing more suspicious - it shouldn't be that easy to escape Robin but it was almost like he let you get away in all of the times you'd encountered him after your first meeting. You had seen him fight other villains on the news and take them down with a degree of brutality, yet with you things never escalated to that level. Robin was obviously a better fighter and had beat you many times, brought you the police station handcuffed at least twice but never really hurt you.

Shaking your head out of the trance, you entered the old corner shop you'd made your way to and collected the items you needed. Walking over to the familiar owner of the small shop, you were greeted with a warm smile, you'd expect a form of hostility from anyone else considering your vigilante attire but upon visiting the shop on multiple occasions they soon realised you weren't a threat and never caused any trouble.

"Quite a lot of chocolate today (v/n)." The owner commented politely, knowing exactly what it was for.

"Mhm, everyone deserves a treat now and then - even me." You replied handing over some of the recently attained cash and taking the bag of items. Next you intended to return 'home'.

Unbeknownst to you Robin was tailing you, Damian was undeniably curious about you for some strange reason and had decided to follow you this time. After finding out about part of your childhood he wanted to understand why you did this, he assumed you had a home with an unstable background/parent and provided financial support though soon realised he was somewhat mistaken.

Once you left the store now carrying a bag you made your way to an old apartment building, Damian continued to follow, watching from the building opposite as you entered one of the 4th floor apartments. The area of Gotham was quite run down meaning rent wasn't expensive and you managed to maintain clean, suitable living conditions despite your situation.

"(Y/N) is back!" A young voice yelled, filled with excitement as you strolled through, placing the bag on the table.

Damian was puzzled, a small group of young children raced over to your figure which was soon lost in an array of hugs, one jumped on your back another two hugged your sides while others screamed with enjoyment.

"Yeah yeah, I missed you kids too." You happily greeted, kneeling down causing them to slowly release you.

Robin perched in the darkness now connecting everything together, you pulled down your hood and then removed your bandana, revealing your identity. Damian was stunned, the dim lighting highlighted your features perfectly and the smile you wore made you all the more beautiful.

"What did you bring us this time (y/n)?!" One girl chirped, standing hopefully in front of you.

"Hmm, well I brought some fruit, vegetables, soap, toothpaste..." You playfully listed, though the kids were grateful, they weren't exactly ecstatic to hear about the vegetables.

"And chocolate!" You grinned, excitement lacing your voice - pulling it out of the bag, the children immediately erupted into squeals and cheers taking a bar each.

Robin took this opportunity to slip through the window behind you making his presence known with a cough. You froze for a second, knowing that he probably knew you're identity now and where you lived - still, you recovered and turned around, the kids also taking notice of the unfamiliar company.

"Shit!" A child yelled from behind you, panic evident.

"Jake - language!" You whisper yelled, the children now gathered behind you.

"You're in a lot of trouble (v/n)." Robin sternly stated.

To your surprise a young girl quickly stepped in front of you spreading out her arms as a guard.

"No Robin! You can't take her away, I know she's bad sometimes but she only does it for us. Please don't take her to prison!" The girl pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.

Next was the boy, Jake, who ran to your side (chocolate long forgotten) and grabbed your arm.

"She isn't a hero like you or - or Batman but she's not a bad guy!" He claimed, also jumping to your defence.

"Yes! (V/N) is our hero, (y/n) protects us like you protect other people s-so there!" Another girl argued from behind you.

You and Robin were both shocked at the children's reactions, you found it heartwarming that they were defending you before one of their biggest heroes yet weren’t sure if their testimony’s would’ve be valid enough.

"I'm not taking (y/n) to prison." Robin boredly sighed, though he probably should - but you hadn't committed crimes at the same severity as the Penguin and you had legit reasons, so he took the opportunity to persuade you to take a more legal route.

Upon hearing Robin's assurance, the children calmed themselves dissipating into the apartment, finding suitable places to watch the scene unfold. You crossed your arms leaning on a nearby counter and looked to Robin expectantly - not having anything to say yourself.

"This is why you do it then?" He inquired, but it came off as more of a statement.

You nodded, observing the 3 children sitting on the couch while others scattered through the apartment.

"I try to take care of them when they need me, I'm pretty sure they live on the streets so I provide for them the best I can when they come to stay. But when they do, I need extra cash - with studying and my job I can just afford rent and the basics for myself. I steal so they don't have to, I want them to grow up 'good' I suppose." Robin listened carefully as he too looked at the children.

Silence.

"So... There you have it bird boy, I grew up on the streets but want them to have a better life than I had. The end." You calmly explained, your tone getting more defensive as you went on.

"You're not what I expected." Robin admitted confidently.

"Oh really? And what did you expect?" You countered, smiling with a challenging hint to your voice.

"It doesn't matter. I think you could be of assistance to me, obtain information and getting into secured areas etc. In exchange I can offer my assistance." The sidekick clearly proposed, observing the consideration dashing across your features.

"...Maybe.”

Within the next few weeks that's how it happened, you would assist Robin on select cases and in return he'd bring over extra supplies for any kids that decided to visit. Today was one of those days, you came in from work to find the children swarming around Robin who probably had to leave for patrol. Upon seeing you they rushed over with hugs and "Welcome home!"s before returning to their activities.

"What did you bring them this time Robin?" You curiously greeted, he threw the bag over to you which was effortlessly caught, after looking inside you nodded and placed it on the counter.

Out of gratitude, you made way to Robin and gave him a hug to display such thankfulness as you felt words weren’t quite enough this time.

"Thanks for everything bird boy." You added and pulled away from him.

"You're welcome?" Robin replied, still bewildered due to the sudden contact that it sounded as though he was questioning himself.

"So are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?" One of the girls mischievously inquired appearing out of nowhere.

"Uh - n-no. No." You briskly stuttered knowing you were blushing and attempted to conceal it to the best of your ability.

"(Y/N) is very beautiful but we are not dating." Robin answered in a much less embarrassing manner compared to you. You flushed deeper upon hearing the compliment, of course the sidekick quickly noticed your behaviour causing a smirk to appear.

Robin headed toward the window to leave for his previously mentioned patrol, though the young girl followed him and gently tugged on his cape gaining his attention.

She moved her hand to the side of her mouth so only Robin could hear her whisper "I think you should ask her out!"

"TT, I will." He assured her before disappearing into the night, finding that he’d have to learn to expect the unexpected when it came to your mismatched adopted family.

#damian wayne #damian wayne imagine #damian wayne x reader #dc #dc imagine #robin #robin imagine #robin x reader

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mossythegod · 4 years

Text

Elaine leaned against the plush seat of her carriage, running a finger across a page of the book she was reading, so as to not skip any lines.

Rain hammered down outside, paired with the occasional clap of thunder or flash of lightning, soaking everything in it's path and causing the trip from the old Lichfield Cathedral, where a charity project was held, to the Patterson Manor take more time, due to the dangerous and slippery conditions of stone paved roads. And roads not paved in stone were muddy, slowing down the horses and the carriage.

Across from Elaine sat her demon butler Lucifer, a tall, sotic demon who was tasked with dealing with Elaine and attending to her every need until her death, or until she found justice for her father's brutal murder, whichever came first. He Elaine carefully, red-orange eyes critiquing her posture and probably her facial expressions too. For a butler, he was very adamant that she look her best at all times, even when alone.

The carriage lurched and sent the book flying from Elaine's fingers.

She stumbled in her seat, gripping the fabric to steady herself, her green eyes squeezing shut with panic and her breathing quickly becoming ragged.

The carriage quickly got back on track, and Elaine shifted in her seat, inhaling and exhaling softly, attempting to still the pounding in her chest. Lucifer handed her book to her when the carriage righted again, though she scowled. She knew the coachman wasn't bad at his job. He could make a bumpy road feel smooth, even in harsh conditions, so why was the carriage moving so much? She resumed the book, flipping a page and tracing the lines again, her eyes dancing across the page, slipping momentarily into the pages, losing touch of reality as the story unfolded before her. Books, even as a child, were more than ways to pass the time. They were escapes, especially after her mother's death. And that would probably never change.

The carriage lurched once more and this time Elaine stumbled and fell onto the floor of the carriage, her good mood soured by the second disruption of the book and its contents.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. The carriage lost control and tipped, and Elaine came back to her senses with a bleeding head wound and a soaked dress from the rain that had founds its way into the flipped carriage.

Lucifer held out a hand to pull Elaine out of the carriage, and she accepted it, stepping onto the muddy ground. The coachman was nowhere to be seen, and neither were the horses, their reins snapped from where they had tried to run to escape the fall. But, they were horses, Elaine could get more. She was more suprised she didn't break a leg. Her hands were numb from cold and her dress weighed a thousand pounds because it was waterlogged.

Elaine steadied herself on her feet, the wound in her head throbbing. She pressed her hand to her temple, only to find it was wet. Assuming it was the rain, she brushed it off as nothing. But when she pulled her hand away, even in the dark, she could tell she was bleeding. Elaine quickly recovered, brushing the blood off her fingers with the fabric of her dress. It was already ruined, so she saw no need to try and salvage it. She hoped it wasn't bleeding too profusely. She muttered a curse under her breath at the thought of having to have the dried blood washed from her hair later.

"Where are we, Lucifer?" The demon glanced around, suit somehow immaculate despite the fall. Being a demon seemed to have its perks, even if he got on Elaine's nerves more times than not. He was immune to these harsh weather conditions, and to everything pretty much. He could clean an entire manor, prepare dinner, and keep Elaine from burning down the house, all without fault. Of course, because Elaine had a cook and a maid now, he really only helped Elaine and oversaw everything.

"About seven miles from the manor." Elaine scoffed, clenching her jaw to stop her chattering teeth. Damn, she was freezing. She was soaked past her undergarments, sending the cold deep within herself to her bones, causing her to shiver. She hoped this wouldn't lead to a cold. She hated colds.

"Of course we are. Do you know if there are any manors nearby we could find shelter in?"

Lucifer was quiet for a moment, his superhuman thoughts swirling around in his head. He was weighing his options. Five miles, even for Lucifer, was long on foot. And if Elaine stayed out much longer, she would get sick. And that wound needed to be looked at before it got infected.

"Yes. Follow me, m'lady." Lucifer held out an arm for Elaine, who linked her arm in his and stumbled forward, heels getting stuck in the muddy ground and the wound in her head making her dizzy. Had she really lost that much blood? She hadn't noticed, between the neverending shower of rain and her freezing body, the amount of blood she lost was an afterthought. She grabbed Lucifer's arm as she tried to steady herself, her vision swimming and head throbbing again.

"Would you like me to carry you, young mistress?" In most circumstances, Elaine would've snapped back with some sort of witty remark, but she wasn't in the mood. She was tired, hungry, injured, and cold. She wanted to get out of the rain as fast as she could, lest she face the same fate as her mother all those years ago. Although, she doubted Lucifer would be too sad. Then again, she didn't know him like she thought she did. For all she knew, he could care for her like she was his own. But that was unlikely.

"That would be splendid, Lucifer." She mustered a small smile to the demon, who didn't smile back, but she didn't mind. Thinking back, Elaine hadn't seen him smile since she'd known him. She knew he had interests and hobbies, but those never really made him smile. They were really just ways to pass the void of time until his services weren't needed any longer and he could have his feast. The demon scooped the girl up without a word, though there wasn't much to say anyway. Elaine shielded her face from the rain with an arm, willing the manor to be nearby. There was a bit more walking and then Lucifer set Elaine back down on her feet.

They were in front of an old manor, with the lights on in every room. That meant the owner was awake. That was good. Elaine clutched her shawl, which was useless as it dripped with rainwater. Lucifer, wordlessly, shrugged off his overcoat and draped it over Elaine's shoulders before knocking on the door. Elaine instinctively leaned against her butler, shivering from the cold. She didn't expect him to wrap an arm around her or anything. Then again, she hadn't expected the jacket either.

She hoped that soon enough, she would be let inside and given at least something warm to wear. Some food and a warm bath would be good too, but she always expected the bare minimum when she was a guest, so as to not get her hopes up. She shifted on her other foot and sneezed. Oh great. Here we go.

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theangriestpea · 5 years

Text

In the Shadows : Five

Summary: Jughead Jones, resident werewolf, just wants to protect his family and his pack from the incoming doom of The Red Circle. Sweet Pea and Lily join him to help keep the Southside safe from human tyranny. Meanwhile a demon princess named Myra and succubus named Lavender had a plan to bring on the apocalypse. <ao3> <masterlist> <playlist>

Rating: Mature // Explicit

Pairings: Jughead Jones x OC, Sweet Pea x OC, Kurtz x OC

Warnings: Smut, Mentions of forced pregnancy, Rough sex, Hair pulling, Intense choking, Fingering, Oral, Anal, Degradation/Humiliation, Dirty talk??? , NO AFTERCARE

Word Count: 6.3k+

A/N: This chapter has a very serious warning. At the end there is a very graphic and violent, CONSENSUAL sex scene. If you are not comfortable reading about rough, violent sex then you might want to skip it because it gets a little brutal imo. If you're not in a good headspace for that, then please come back and read at a time when you are.

Part Five: Alone

A few quiet days passed. Lavender spent her days lounging with Charlie, enjoying the fighter’s company more than loneliness. During the night was when Lav hunted as Charlie could only see her partner after the sun had set. Charlie’s relationship was open and Lav’s was nonexistent.

As it turned out, Charlie was the newest member to the Jones pack. She had been an outsider from Greendale that escaped a desperate situation to what she thought would be safe in Riverdale. Once she arrived and found the plague that was The Red Circle, she realized that she had been gravely mistaken.

However, having a strong pack to back her up and support her was better than the broken home she had been barely surviving in. She also struggled with loneliness and did not quite fit in with her packmates yet. Despite her fierce loyalty to the Joneses for taking her in, it was said that she had yet to prove herself.

She was a champion in the ring. Charlie had never lost a fair fight. In Greendale she was forced to fight for scraps. She excelled and it was used to bind her into servitude. Now it was her greatest strength as it earned her enough respect on the Southside to not get messed with. Everyone knew there was a bite to back up her loud bark.

Seeing their blossoming friendship, Jughead decided to give Charlie a job to do. He wanted her to keep an eye on the succubus for the time being to make sure that she was trustworthy. The only reason he had to distrust her was that it was the very nature of a demon to be dishonest and conniving.

There was still two weeks until the next full moon and Jughead wanted everyone to meet together. Lavender was dreading this as it meant she’d have to see her baby daddy. While she wasn’t showing yet and didn’t really have any symptoms of pregnancy, she had a feeling he would know. Most likely because of Jughead’s big fucking mouth.

But she could always deny that it was his. She pondered this and eventually found that it would be the most beneficial tactic for her. The last thing she wanted was there to be strings attached to her in any way. Her forced commitment to Myra was bad enough. Her fling with Charlie was hardly anything more than friends with benefits.

Jughead had not probed any further about who the father was. Though he routinely asked her how she was doing in regards to pregnancy. Lav kept telling him that her human symptoms weren’t bound to start for another two weeks or so while her demonic ones were already in full swing. Never in her entire demonic life had she been so hungry, so insatiable that she thought she might go insane.

Myra even brought her supplemented souls to feed her. She could always tell when the succubus was starving. The demoness asked Lav why she didn’t take Charlie’s soul as often it was during the day that she needed more sustenance. Lav always dodged the question.

Presently the demon was on the back of Jug’s motorcycle as he drove through a large beaten path in the woods to the cottage where the witches lived. Her grip was tight but she was not nearly as pressed against him as she had been against Sweet Pea that fateful night. Her clothing choice was also a bit more modest since she knew there would be a toddler present.

The wolf had to assure Lily that Lav would not harm her child. It took a few lengthy conversations before the white witch that smelled of sunshine finally gave in. He pulled up into the smooth driveway and parked as Lav hopped off and threaded her fingers through her messy hair.

Jughead swung his leg around and stood as Lily came out to greet them. Lav watched her with curious eyes as she seemed to beam at the werewolf. She wondered what had happened the night he saved her from Kurtz when he took her home.

It was clear to Lavender that he was enamored with her and she suspected that Lily felt the same for him. It was cute in some way. Their energy was radiant when they were close to one another. She even suspected that they might be soulmates. It was incredibly difficult to take the soul of someone who had met their cosmic match. She always avoided those who gave off that aura.

Then, Lily looked at Lav with distrust. “Come on, Sweet Pea is already inside.”: The witch’s eyes flickered to the demon’s stomach that showed no sign of a child growing within. She shook her head before turning and walking back into the small home.

The succubus said nothing as she kept a blank look on her face. Once inside she noticed that all of their gazes were trained on her, specifically her abdomen. She put a hand on her hip, “if you have something to say, then say it.”

Sweet Pea was enraged with her, feeling as if she had deceived him. If he had known she could get pregnant then he would have worn a god damn condom. His anger was boiling, threatening to bubble over. The only thing that stopped him was the thought that if either of them were dead then those that remained alive wouldn’t have the necessary power to protect Daisy. Daisy was the only thing keeping him sane.

“You’re pregnant.” Lily said in a tone that showed just how much faith she currently had in their newest partner. It was very little. “Were you pregnant before you stole his soul or was that part of the packaged deal?”

Lav felt like she didn’t have to explain herself to mortals. Not when they were being this aggressive towards her. She kept her feelings calm. Any alarm would summon Myra or worse, Kurtz. That was the last thing she needed right now. She truly did want to help Jughead as the Southside had quickly become her new home.

“Before.” She lied, wanting to ease the tension. “I killed the father and ate him like any good demon would do.” It was so easy to let the deceit roll off her tongue. So easy to just pretend that she wasn’t in this complicated situation.

The air seemed to have left the room as all three of the others sighed with great relief. She felt herself irked that the thought of Sweet Pea being the father was such a bad idea that it caused them that much distress. Clearly she could never let the truth be known. It almost hurt her. But then, she never expected him to be in her daughter’s life in the first place.

“I don’t understand all of this hostility after I saved you for the vargulf the other night.” The succubus said, displaying her annoyance openly now.

Lily’s face dropped while Sweet Pea looked completely confused. “You saved her? When?!” He was snapping at the both of them. Neither woman appreciated it.

“When the vargulf attacked her. You didn’t think you got him off of you all by yourself, did you, little witch? Your magic was so weak that night that you couldn’t stop him from bruising your throat, don’t think I can’t see it under your charms. It was right in front of my trailer. I flung him off you and pinned him down. Jughead took you back to his home before I let him go again.” She hadn’t planned on ever admitting this but obviously earning their trust was something she was going to have to do.

“I could have let him tear you apart,” She continued, “because he would have had I not intervened. Jughead wouldn’t have been able to save you without getting himself killed in the process. My child has nothing to do with any of you.”

Jughead’s eyes softened. He had questions about what had happened that night himself, but didn’t think that it had been his neighbor who had saved his crush. The distrust in him was quickly fading. He did have one very important question though, whether or not she would answer him he did not know.

“I don’t understand, why did you save me?” Lily asked, her own voice light now instead of harsh. “He would have killed me. You are right, I wasn’t strong enough that night. My head was in a bad place for magic.” Her gratefulness was overcoming her doubt. This demon was the reason she could still hold her little girl every day. The reason she could still hold Jughead….A blush quickly crossed her cheeks but she hid it well.

Lav shook her head. The real reason was that Lily was important to Sweet Pea and he was important to her. She didn’t know why the prick was important but more often than not she believed that Charlie was just a distracting substitute for him. They did have some frank similarities that she really couldn’t ignore.

All eyes were still on her. She shifted uncomfortably. Normally she felt quite starved for attention but this was too much to take it at once. “You have a young daughter. I know what it’s like to grow up without a mother. I do not wish that on anyone.” She said, telling a half truth this time.

The white witch seemed to connect with her on a deeper level then. She was abandoned at a young age by her own mother so she also knew what it was like. “Thank you.” She said with great sincerity. “I truly appreciate it. If there’s anything I can...we can do to repay you, then let us know.”

“We? She took my soul! It was the least she could do to save your ass!” Sweet Pea said loudly in a voice edged with fury for being volunteered.

“Because you’d be lost as a single parent, Sweet Pea.” Lily replied harshly. “You’re a good dad but you couldn’t do it all by yourself and you know it.”

He backed down a small bit, knowing what she was saying was ultimately true. He couldn’t do it by himself and he didn’t have any disillusion that he could. “Fine.” He bit back, clearly not happy. “If she’d like another orgasm, I’ll happily give her one.”

Jughead couldn’t help but roll his eyes before sitting down on the couch. Lavender just stared at him with the same blank expression as before. “Believe it or not, witch, your dick is not the gods’ gift to womankind. If I want an orgasm then I already have someone in my care who will gladly oblige and I can assure that her head is much better than yours.”

His neck turned red with rage, eyes aflame despite the immediate arousal he felt from the mental image of her with another woman. One seemed to be fueling the other. “No girl can fuck like I can.”

“I suppose you’re right. Women don’t just pound into you until you have a mediocre climax. So no, she can’t fuck exactly like you can. She’s much, much better.” Lav said, a smirk on her burgundy lips now with pride in the fact that she knew she would win this argument, even if she was lying.

Lily was standing there awkwardly, not knowing exactly what to say. She only had experience with sex with one person and that was Sweet Pea. She was unsure what it was like with other people. Her eyes darted to Jughead as the thought ran through her as to what he would be like between the sheets. Her cheeks were instantly pink again.

Jughead saw her looking at him and smiled before motioning for her to take a seat. She returned the smile before sitting down beside him. Close but not too close. Sweet Pea noticed this and frowned, jealousy twinging in his empty heart. He huffed and sat down in his old tattered recliner, crossing his large arms across his chest in a masculine pout.

“So, you’re asking for my help because you need another boost of power.” Lav said, successfully changing the subject. “I’m not concerned with my levels or Sweet Pea’s as having no soul means there’s no longer a barrier on how much he can hold. Sex with a demon will give you more than one witch can possibly handle. I’m sure you’ve noticed his lack of control.” Lily nodded, she had noticed but she hadn’t said anything. Sweet Pea scoffed, wanting to protest but decided not to.

Lav took a seat in a nearby chair, crossing her legs clothed in tight black denim pants. “Which is fine for what we’re doing, but a bigger concern of mine is that your level is relatively low, Lily.” She looked at her, hazel and green eyes meeting. “Not to say that you don’t have great magical strength, because I sense that you are quite powerful in white magic. Protection and healing mainly. Which is why you will need to lead the spell and why you need to be stronger. I suggest you have sex. Anyone will do. I will gladly have sex with you if you want, I love taking beautiful women to bed. Although, I understand if you do not want to partake in the risk.”

Lily was quiet, her entire face red. Sweet Pea was smirking, “Lily, I’d happily show you another good time. For old time’s sake?”

Her eyes cut and narrowed at him, “no thank you, Pea. And no thank you, Lavender. I’ll handle it on my own.”

Lav shrugged, not offended in the slightest. She wouldn’t have taken Lily’s soul but she knew that Lily did not trust her enough yet to understand that. Her cutting Sweet Pea down was extremely entertaining as the male witch’s face went from smug to enraged. If she didn’t know any better than she thought there may have been some hurt in between.

Jughead cleared his throat, wanting to throw his name into the hat but also not being confident enough to quite do that. “We have a few weeks before that’s necessary, I think. Fourteen more nights until the next full moon. What else will we need?”

“I have all the other ingredients, Jug.” Lily said with a confident smile, “As long as everyone is at their best then this will work. We just have to make sure everyone is inside the woods or some other safe place during that night.”

The wolf’s eyes moved to Lavender, his question from earlier finally coming to fruition. “Why didn’t you kill the vargulf the other night? You had the chance but you let him go.”

Lavender shifted, pretending to be simply adjusting herself to be more comfortable. In actuality she had been nervous of this being asked. Did she tell them the truth or simply add more to her ever growing web of lies? “It would be against the orders from my master.” Was the best way she could put it.

“Master?” Jughead asked, eyebrows rising at the word. “You have a master?”

The purple haired hybrid sighed. This was not something she ever liked admitting to anyone. “I am indebted to someone. Another demon. She has a hold on me.” She pointed at the faint pentacle on her pulse point of her neck, “She has marked me. And she is the one that I warned you about. She forced me to become pregnant to use my child. If anything were to happen to me or it. She would literally raise hell.”

They all fell silent. The pause was nearly as pregnant as Lavender was. This was more embarrassing for her than not. Admitting she didn’t have much free will was not something any demon wanted to talk about….ever.

Lily looked at her with a doleful expression. “She forced you? She’s going to take them after you have it? Will you ever see them again?”

Lavender did not want to think about that. Her attachment to the growing fetus was getting stronger each day. The thought of Myra taking her daughter from her filled her with despair. She attempted to hide it, and perhaps the two boys didn’t notice, but Lily sure did. After all, she was a mother herself. She knew .

“Yes. She made me drink a potion that made me fertile enough for conception to be possible. My daughter will not belong to me when she is born. As I do not even belong to myself…” The last part came out more sadly that she had meant it to. Even Sweet Pea felt a small spark of sorrow for the demon. It quickly faded and was never thought of again.

Jug bit the inside of his cheek, “I know we made an agreement before about payment, but what if we help you keep your child and gain your freedom? Would you want that?” Lily nodded her head eagerly, wanting nothing more than to keep mother and child together.

The succubus did not like the sound of this. “She will kill you for even thinking that, Jughead Jones. Do not ever say that aloud again. I will not even consider it.” She snapped harshly, her voice extremely stern. “When she is born, my master will take her and will do whatever she so desires. Are we clear? You are not to help me in this matter in any way.”

The wolf sighed, his determination squashed for the time being. “Alright. I won’t. You said daughter? You’re having a girl?”

Lav smiled, taking a small exhale of relief, “yes. I’m destined to have a girl.”

One witch practically squealed with excitement while the other looked bored to tears. Lily was about to say how much fun girls were, but then stopped herself. Lav would probably never know. She nearly started to cry from the rush of despair.

“If that’s all for now.” Lavender said, standing up, “I need to leave. I have an appointment. You have my number.”

Jughead stood, “let me drive you home. I’ll text you later, Lils.” He shot the little witch a toothy grin and a wink before turning to leave with the demon. Sweet Pea’s eyes were but slits as he examined the blush on Lily’s face at the pet name. This was not good. This was not good at all .

Later that night, Lavender and Charlie were visiting the Whyte Wyrm. This was not entirely usual for them as they normally went separate ways after sundown. It just so happened that tonight they had the same destination. Lav needed to feed but Myra had given her a soul late that afternoon. She would be fine for several more hours.

She was at the bar, wearing a black mini dress and stiletto heels. She stirred her Shirley Temple slowly. The red of the grenadine swirling around in the ginger ale. She still had a cheery bobbing on top of the ice.

A familiarly large figure sat down next to her and ordered a beer from the pink haired demon slayer. His dark eyes looked at the demoness through a sideways glance. He eyed her form, the fabric of the dress was skin tight. Again she left nothing to the imagination and he believed she must be there hunting.

“Why did you lie earlier?” He asked as a fresh bottle of beer was set in front of him. He nodded a thank you to the slayer before taking a sip.

Her spine went rigid, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The warlock made a sound of annoyance, something between a scoff and a huff.

“The night we met you were drinking alcohol.” He said. “You said you were pregnant before we were together but now you’re drinking a virgin cocktail. Tell me the fucking truth, am I the father?”

His tone was extremely dangerous and she was worried what a fight with him would cause. It wasn’t often that Lavender feared for her safety, but the mere thought had Myra suddenly appeared in the back of the room, eyeing the situation. The demon princess was quiet and hiding in the shadows. Only Lavender could feel her presence.

“You are.” She confessed. “I thought I’d spare you the trouble of another child.”

There was a dull ache in Sweet Pea’s chest. The fact he was having another kid on top of the fact that he’d never get to see her. He thought he was a boiling kettle about to scream instead of whistle. Lavender forced her nerves to quiet as to not raise attention to herself. “So you thought that I shouldn't know that you’re having my kid? And you’re not even keeping her?!”

“It’s not my choice.” Lavender hissed angrily, her eyes turning black for a moment. “I would not even be in the situation if I had any choice, don’t you fucking understand that?”

The dark witch backed down at the sound of pain in her voice. She thought she had hidden it with anger, but not well enough. Not for him. He knew the feeling all too well. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

Lav’s head turned to look at the stage. Charlie was dancing provocatively on it, showing off to her lover. “She’s with her boyfriend tonight. She wanted a nice ride.”

“So she needs dick but you don’t?” He asked, eyes flashing dangerously as he turned to face her completely.

The succubus shrugged, “dick is abundant and incredibly low in value, witch. When a woman wants it, she simply needs to ask for it. That’s it. Me? I don’t even have to ask. I just have think about it.” She proved her point by flushing the room with her hormones. Almost everyone’s attention then tuned in on her and she smiled with triumph.

Sweet Pea felt the pull stronger than everyone else due to his close proximity. His cock started to harden and he had to bite his tongue for a moment to control himself. He leaned in to whisper to her, voice low. “You won’t be so cocky when I’m making you scream.”

A thrill ran through her and Lavender was almost disgusted with herself. One minute he was borderline scaring her and the next he was trying to seduce her. She felt herself getting whiplash. Myra backed off, understanding that this was some weird courtship ritual she did not understand and that her sex demon was not in any actual duress.

“Is that a promise or a threat?” Lav asked, eyebrow quirked with a matching expression of a curious cat. “Because if I remember correctly, it’s an awful long drive back to Fox Forrest. I don’t think you can hold out that long.”

She put a manicured hand on his knee, thumb rubbing in small circles as she let her influence seep into him. His arousal surged almost painfully through him as he grit his teeth. He didn’t like anyone having this kind of effect on him, much less a demon.

“You don’t deserve to sleep in my bed again, not after what you’ve done.” He said darkly. Her smooth skin was suddenly replaced with gooseflesh. She bit into her lower lip so that she was pouting at him, pretending that what he was saying wasn’t fair when in all honesty it was.

“No?” She countered before taking a sip of her drink and setting it back down. “Then where do you suggest, daddy?” She cooed to him so that only he could hear her voice. “Did Lily ever call you that? Or was she too innocent to let you do the things you really love to do?”

Sweet Pea stiffened. Lily didn’t have much experience with sex so he had to be more...generic than he would have liked. They could have worked up to the kinkier stuff if things had worked out. He wondered if they ever would...Certainly not with the way she was pining over Jughead.

His heart sank for a moment before turning icy. “No.” He replied flatly, “She was boring as shit.”

Lavender giggled, hand creeping up his thigh. She squeezed playfully. “You don’t ever have to hold back with me, Pea. I can take it.”

He stood up abruptly and grabbed her wrist with a bruising grip. As he yanked her past the spot Myra had been spying in, she noticed that the demon princess was gone. Lav let out a sigh of relief, not wanting Myra to witness what was about to go down. She was certain to disapprove.

The demon slayer, Toni, yelled something at Sweet Pea as he stormed past her with his demon in tow. The witch ignored her as he went into the supply closet, forcing Lav inside before slamming the door and locking it from the inside.

He spun her around and grabbed a fist full of hair as he leaned down and kissed her lips so hard that it was almost painful. He forced her against the door, pinning her there as his knee went between her legs. He pulled away abruptly, panting with heated anger. “You think you can come into my town and talk to me this way? Talk about how much you don’t need my dick when I know you’re dripping already from the thought of it?”

He reached down, yanking her dress up and grabbing her crotch to prove his point. She was wet, her lacy panties practically soaked. No one in existence had ever turned her on the way he had. It made her full of want and she absolutely hated him for it. She found herself wishing he was dead.

Life would be much simpler if he was gone.

Sweet Pea wasted no time in ripping off her underwear. The fabric was so thin that it was as simple as opening a can of beer. She kept her weight against the door, unable to speak, fearing for what needy whine might come out of her mouth. Christ, all she wanted in this moment was for him to be inside of her.

His finger was within her core in an instant, “does your master have your tongue too?” He hissed at her before biting her earlobe. “Or can you not concentrate when I’m fingering you? Oh baby girl, you have no idea what you’ve started. I don’t care if you’re pregnant with my kid. I don’t care if you were ordered to take my soul. I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

She knew this was his darkness talking. If he had a soul then she imagined he’d care a little more. However, this wouldn’t be nearly as fun. Her breaths were staccato puffs through her nose as she held onto his denim vest. Her only response was the moan she let out when he added a second finger and started pumping at an insanely fast pace. She could feel the ring around it’s base against her walls.

“That’s it, take my fingers like the whore that you are.” He growled at her, “You just couldn’t wait to get me alone again, could you? You talk such a big game about how you don’t need my cock but as soon as I make the proposition you fall right into my lap. I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”

He bit at her neck next as she pulled him closer to her. She couldn’t help the sounds that started to come out of her. Small whines of pleasure as she felt herself climbing higher. Release was imminent and it felt so damn good. The succubus was somehow at a loss for words. Mostly because he had a valid point that sent her into a pit of self loathing. He did have some bizarre effect on her and it was possibly the worst thing to have ever happened to her yet.

A third finger went in and her head lulled onto his shoulder pitifully. She could feel him using magic to enhance her pleasure. It was a dirty cheat. A trick she often used herself but she had never had it used on her . She grabbed at the hair on the nape of his neck, desperate to inflict some kind of pain. She tugged the locks twirled around her fingers aggressively. “You’re….fighting...dirty…” She managed to say between whimpers. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut.

“Telling me the big bad sex demon can’t even take my fingers?” He asked condescendingly. “Are you going to come already? What a fucking slut.”

She pulled his hair again but it had little to no effect on him. He was winning and she could try to grapple for control but the battle was lost and deep down she knew that. By bringing up Lily she had crossed a line that she shouldn’t have crossed and now he was going to make her pay dearly for it.

Lav clenched her teeth together tightly to keep from crying out as her climax was in fact building rather rapidly. His pace seemed inhuman. She’d never lost herself during just foreplay before. This was so humiliating... and she liked it.

“You’re going to come on my fingers and then I’m going to shove them down your throat.” His thumb brushed against her clit for a split second but it was enough to send her crashing over the edge. Volume control was thrown to the wind as she moaned loud enough for Toni outside to hear. The door was rattling on its hinges and she was sure it would break when he finally fucked her.

Sweet Pea did not let her ride it out. He yanked his digits out and just as he said, they were forced into her open mouth. She sucked on them hard, eyes rolling back as she felt like she could no longer stand. He held her up by pinning her hips with his own.

He gagged her with the pads of his fingers and she could feel the anger rolling off of his touch. The witch was full of it. Her lies. Her deception. Her taking his child from him despite the fact that he wasn’t sure if he even wanted it. Not having a choice in being in his second daughter’s life had him so full of rage that he could barely see straight. He was determined to take it all out of her because this was entirely her doing in his eyes. Master or not. Certainly she still had free will. She was a demon after all.

“If you think I’m done with you, slut, then you have another thing coming. Get on your fucking knees.” He released his grip from her, pulling away so that she fell forward, landing onto her knees so hard that pain shook her patellae. Lav cursed under her breath, enjoying this more than she knew she ought to.

He unbuckled his belt and tore it off of him before wrapping it around her throat, threading the end through the buckle and tightening it under she gasped for air. He kept it in one hand while he unbuttoned his pants with the other. He shoved his pants and underwear down so that his cock flopped out, hard and ready. He’d choke her with it too and she’d fucking like it.

Lavender opened her mouth without him even forcing her to. Her gaze was eager and he found himself almost wishing she wasn’t such a willing participant in his torture. He grabbed her hair with his now free hand and knotted it into his fist. He inserted himself inside of her mouth, groaning as the feeling of her tongue against the belly of his shaft. It seemed longer than before, nearly wrapping around him and he realized she was shifting the appendage with her power to make it more serpentine.

She pushed her demonic magic into him, just as he had done her a moment before. He tugged on the edge of the belt and she abruptly halted. Sweet Pea glared down at her hatefully, taking away any last ounce of control she had. Lav, who almost always dominated in sexual situations was suddenly on the bottom of the food chain.

His hips bucked hard into her mouth and she nearly threw up on him from the force of him hitting her gag reflex. The warlock didn’t care and he didn’t stop, thrusting hard into her mouth so that his scrotum smacked her defined chin. Tears streamed out the corners of her eyes as her tongue moved in sync with him. He loosened his grip ever so slightly as he lost an ounce of the control he had. The pleasure he was feeling clouding his aggression.

Lav put her hands on his thighs to keep herself a little more steady although he was holding her in place with his own grip. Between the belt and his dick she could barely breathe. Her heart beat fast and hard in her chest with excitement as she moaned around him.

He suddenly pushed her away and forced her to stand by tugging on the belt. He didn’t want to come just yet and he knew if he continued like that then he would. Plus, he didn’t want to wait any longer before he showed her what he could really do when he put his mind and skill into his favorite pastime.

In the next instant, he had her face pressed against the door and was lining his tip with her ass. “What the fuck-” She breathed out, knowing he was going to go in raw and that it would probably hurt more than she’d like.

“Shut the fuck up.” He ordered before pushing into her. Lav cried out at the sharp pain of him entering her rectum. It wasn’t totally unpleasant, just unexpected. She didn’t mind anal when the guy was small but Sweet Pea definitely wasn’t small. “Fuck your ass is so tight. Guess no one has been in there in a while. Good.”

She wanted to roll her eyes at the stupidity of his statement. While it was true, the amount of anal one had didn’t have anything to do with tightness. He knew that, of course, it was just something to say to her to degrade her further.

“Your cunt is so used out, I don’t want to fuck that anymore.�� Lav growled at him lowly, threatening to turn on him if he insulted her much further. He was hip deep inside her but she’d castrate him if he started doing something she truly didn’t want him to.

Sweet Pea understood what she was trying to say. He didn’t apologize for he didn’t care if he offended her or not. She was just some sex crazed whore to him now and that was how he planned on treating her. His hips ploughed into her and the door began to shake again. She swore she heard the wood splinter for a moment after one particularly hard thrust.

Despite the initial pain, Lavender was almost fully immersed into a pool of pleasure now. Her moans had returned, vibrating the door with the echoing sound as her nails dug trails into the old wood. He yanked the belt back, causing her head to be forced back with it.

He reached around and pulled down the top of her sleeveless dress so that her bare breasts were exposed. He grabbed one nipple, fiddled with the hardware of her barbel before pulling roughly. The sensitive spot made her sounds go up an octave as he was effectively breaking her, just as he planned to.

Lav managed to turn her head to the side enough to look at him. His eyes seemed almost pitch black as he was looking down with concentration. He reminded her of a demon almost. Only a demon would not have let her feel any pleasure at all.

He was slamming into her without a shred of care for her well-being. If she had been human then he would have been causing a massive amount of damage not only to her orifice but also to her throat. She was lucky she didn’t need to breathe to survive.

Sweet Pea was lost in his own dark mind, giving into his carnal desires as he moved without a care in the entire world. He’d never been this rough with anyone before. He found himself enjoying it way too much and he had the sudden worry that sex with anyone else just wouldn’t compare.

He was cursing madly as he released into her, Lav was strictly being held up by him at this point and after his orgasm ceased he promptly dropped her to the floor. She collapsed into a muddle of skin, muscle, and bone. “You’re mine now.” He hissed as he redressed. “Don’t ever fucking forget that.” He put his belt back on and moved her out the way before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

Myra appeared, looking down at her little demon with an inspecting gaze. She eyed the bruising around Lavender's throat and tutted. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more pathetic, you let a human walk all over you. Pull yourself together, we’re going home.”

Lav was so numb that she couldn’t feel anything. She sat up, collecting herself and the shards of her dignity that had been laying on the floor there with her. She pulled her dress back up over her chest before pulling it down over her naked genitals. She had to use the nearby shelving unit to pick herself up off the floor. She couldn’t look at Myra, not with the amount of shame she had in her heart for what had just happened.

When she left the room her head was high as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. The demon slayer was starting at her and Myra, weary of their presence and the whirlwind that was Sweet Pea now storming through the bar.

Once home everything was as it was before and Lavender was alone.

Tags: @the-gargoyle-queen, @southside-vixen, @princesweetpea, @lilhemmo, @wayward-river, @redhairdontcare732 (comment/ask/message if you want to be added or subscribe to AO3)

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thebirthbysleep · 4 years

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𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩.

𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 : nine thousand, four hundred and seven words

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 : the nymph awoke when her crypt was disturbed by a group of pesky pirates, the offspring of the gods who jailed her, no less. but when soldiers drove them out of crete, din had no choice but to follow their path; in search for something of her own, a way to break a curse that plagues her.

“ you’re here again. ”

this was the only place where she could escape the dreams.

not normal dreams. not the dreams that as a child, cause you to flinch out of your bed sheets and into your parents’ arms in search of comfort. not the dreams that end with a blissful memory or desire, causing you to awake with an enormous smile hugging your lips. not the dreams that leave you confused, wishing to return to find the final piece. not the dreams that bring your confusion encased in laughter, scolding your mind for producing something so abhorrently humorous. it was not those kinds of dreams.

it is the dreams that no mortal being would think to have. and every time she is thrusted into these dreams, many that repeat in a maddening cycle, it would seem that something yanks her out and places her in this cold room. her dreams were dark, and she would always appear in the presence of a window. tainted, ivory symbols carved into the frames, and most importantly, allowing the view of an angry ocean below.

on the times where she would be summoned to this room, it would be after seeing something that made her scream until her throat shattered but she never heard it, not even a squeak, only soundless screaming and pain trembling through the hoarse timbres of her voice. and the very next moment, the only sound would be the wind howling outside of the tower, and a humming from behind her.

there was no light elsewhere in the room, and the grey clouds outside hid the timid sun. and for a hundred years she has never known what lies beyond where she always appears, feet stapled to a marble floor, gaze fixated on the world outside and her breath trembling at the ice penetrating the scarred soles of her feet.

it was cold, dark, bleak. but it was heaven in comparison to what she’d seen, heard, felt.

everything disturbed her, but what made it blissful was the mere child’s humming that came from behind her, and up until now she hasn’t mastered the courage and see who it belonged to. all she knew is that it was sweet, coated in nostalgia of a child loving her voice for the first time. it was hums, never did she hear a coherent word come from the girl, neither did she ever stop singing. and she couldn’t help but feel grateful for the little bit of mercy the gods had in this instance.

but it confused her, especially as she turned her head and glanced behind her. no god driven insane by their anger would allow a child to be within a meter of the nymph and provide her with comfort through their docile voice. unless if she had managed to escape some of the torment, developing a room of comfort with the little power and control she had left after it was stripped away from her the day her sleeping body was buried in a stone tomb.

if this was the case, it was no wonder din felt a sort of familiarity once glancing upon this child.

small, slim. no older than twelve, blue locks curled perfectly like sculpted by an artist cascading down her back, the ends of her white dress brushing against bare ankles. the place surrounding her was filthy, yet din couldn’t place a stain of dirt on her skin. the child had a slim face, freckles on her hands, and made daisy chains from the flowers on the floor. and she sang, and never stopped, din hadn’t ever heard her voice. up until now.

the girl had taken notice of din despite having never spoken to her, or looked at her, entertained by the flowers, intrigued by what her curious hands could make, never once worried about the death of the flowers as her touch seemed to heal all it grazed against. and for the first time, din had heard her voice.

“ yes, i am. where else am i to go? ”.

no place had quite provided her the same amount of comfort as this tower in the middle of a stormy day. and through her dreams din had seen horrors that would shock anyone and worse of all, she could feel it. she could hear it, sense it, smell it. she could feel the thorns pricking her feet as she bolted through a maze. she could hear the shrieks of sirens racing after her as she ran into a cave during a thunderstorm by the sea. she could smell the reek of death as she ran through her home, the corpses of her kin scattered and the water turning red.

the moment she fell into this tower, din thanked the gods for mercy. until she realised they didn’t have any, and that she had manifested this tower as a temporary escape of the hell she had been dumped in. for a hundred years, it felt as if she had been forced to live the nightmare of every mortal that walked on the earth. and endured the pain, the hot tears, the tightened throat, the agony of having her body abused and tormented in a mixture of ways that would bring one to wish death would come sooner.

“ hm. you’re quite right. you don’t have anywhere else to go. but i don’t mind having you here “, the girl spoke, and then lifted what appeared to be a flower crown and placed it gently on her head in fear of it falling apart. it was only then that din noticed piercing yellow eyes staring back at her, a tender smile gracing the child’s face and cheeks rosy like a sunset. “ you keep me company. ”

din should’ve been the one to say that. for reasons unknown she began to feel warmly towards the girl, appreciating her smile as it was the first one she’s seen in a long time. a child’s smile; the thing that mattered the most, the thing that gave most people hope. it was in seeing a child happy that caused parents to do the most abominable things. and din found that she would do anything for this young girl to keep her smiling.

din even felt her lips twitch, and she moved her feet gently, the soles scraping against the smooth marble as she crouched beside the young girl and peered at the countless flowers scattered around, different colours and species; some of which the nymph has never seen before. it was then where she enabled the courage to ask the girl questions which needed answering, the ones gnawing at the back of her mind. the first one being quite obvious, “ why are you here? ”.

“ the same reason you’re here.” din frowned. “ i’m cursed. i’ve been completely lost part of my soul. or maybe my entire soul. maybe i know this because i don’t really feel anything . . . i was cut away from who i was supposed to grow up to be. i know that she was supposed to be kind and helpful but . . . ”.

the final word never came, no matter how long din waited for the completion. the girl shrugged and went on making more souvenirs with the flowers at her disposal. din watched her, observing her; realising the lotus flower tucked in her ear as her blue hair flowed, recognising vines serving as wrist and ankle bracelets, nails painted a pristine blue. she looked like a nymph princess.

din didn’t hear her speak again, and so sighed and hugged her own knees during her crouch. “ i know little of myself, too. i only know my name and what the gods did to me. i hardly know where i come from, what i’m capable of, where my friends and family are. ”

“ what’s your name? ”.

“ din. ”

the girl smiled eagerly, “ din! that’s a lovely name. it’s nice to meet you, din. my name is— well, you don’t actually need to know my name. i’m rather insignificant, too. i reckon you will forget my name. perhaps i’ve forgotten mine already. ”

though the girl giggled, din sensed pain. who was this child, why was she lost, who cut her away from her soul? why was she here and not out there with her mother and father, enjoying her youth and finding her soul on the way? the nymph didn’t think she deserved to be there, that she needed freedom far more than her. she could see through her and find only purity and innocence, not a mal intended thought crossing her mind. flowers and water, were the only two things din saw cross her mind.

din moved to stand up, but her actions were brought to a standstill when the girl suddenly paused and took a hard look at her, her smile dropping and so did din’s stomach, fear coursing through her veins as she wondered whether she had done something wrong. to upset the girl. to offend the girl, her only company in this bleak tower.

“ din ”, her name sang through her voice like starts aligning. “ if you ever remember who you are, will you tell her to find me? please. i feel lonely without her. ”

her world shook. trembled. din believed it to be a tremor from the thunder outside. words of confusion hung on her lips and were left unspoken as the girl suddenly stood up and dumped the flowers, spilling them onto the floor and looking around, sensing something which the blonde could not begin to fathom.

“ w-what do you mean by, finding her? who am i supposed to find? ”.

the girl took no notice of din’s confusion, turning and facing the walls in search of something, before she stopped and looked at din again. “ do you hear that? ”, avoiding her question yet again. “ sounds like thunder. that’s odd, it never rains here. it’s just always cloudy. ”

“ a-answer me, please! who am i supposed to find if i’ve been stuck in this nightmare for a hundred years? all the people i see in my dreams are dead or want to hurt me! please, tell me! ”.

din, stuck in a hundred years of a deep slumber, hadn’t thought of awakening and being unleashed back into the world. the first few days were brutal as she fought to be rid of pain or suffering, but it became useless as the dreams worsened. she couldn’t fight against the waves drowning her, she couldn’t fight against the chimeras chasing her. she gave up in resisting, believing that as she persisted the more willing the gods would be in waking her up.

but after what she’d seen, and the thought that a century had passed, she couldn’t believe that she would be unleashed back into the world. disoriented, confused, emotionally exhausted and seeking nothing but rest. but the girl, who had been singing to her for the past century, hinted that this would not be her fate forever.

and just like that, fear became a thirst.

din didn’t notice it at first as she looked at the girl and waited for the answers she wanted and was struck by more frustration as the child appeared lost, scared, worried; not a sight that pleased din, but one that revolted her more, that made her want to crash her fists against the tainted glass and scream into an foreign wind.

the girl stopped again, and peered at din with a blank expression. face rid of any previous panic as a small smile settled instead and for a split second, din believed that the worst had passed and that what she had brought up was nothing more than childish nonsense.

and then thunder roared.

“ someone’s here. ”

･｡ﾟ.˚⊹･゜

never raid an island you haven’t marked, they say.

crete was one of the islands that people hardly just came across in isolation. most people intend on going with the purpose of finding paradise. with beaches littered with golden sands, coasts were coloured pink in some instances, a phenomenon people can’t quite explain. so they point to the gods; crete was just one of their unfathomable creations, a splatter of land on their canvas whilst they drew the world. but they took the time to make everything about this island perfect.

those who enter carry the intention of staying. despite being directly under strict ottoman rule, it was a hotspot for all kinds of people around the world; and as you might expect, pirates often visited. slipping past the turkish guards. wandering into their caves. caving out a hole as said on a map, and once the gold started overflowing, they would part.

any smart pirate would have picked another island that wasn’t under the watchful eye of a cautious sultan. but it isn’t the matter of being a smart or foolish pirate; it’s about the blood through coursing your veins. they say that not everything is led by the conscious, but the sub-conscious sends you spiralling into situations you wouldn’t normally expose yourself to. and in this case, it was an attraction towards the island that was encased in a wanting for gold and jewels, just as any pirate would want, but there was something else in there. they wanted to find something odd, something strange, out of the ordinary.

and that, they did.

for tucked in a deep cave, in an region populated by sharp rocks and stormy shores, something laid dormant. no noise escaped aside from the droplets of water that would fall onto the puddles, a sound that came every minute. and aside from that, the only thing that gave away the sign of life were the litters of gold splattered everywhere. so much gold and jewellery that you’d mistake this for a dragon’s chamber, but it was hardly the size of that. it was small enough to house a human by uncomfortable means.

the silence, which had been established as soon as they entered the cave, was broken by the cluttering of pirates looting anything they could get their hands on; cups, coin bags, chests spilling with jewels they couldn’t quite name; but they had a glimmer flickered at the mercy of a torch one of the pirates held.

all seemed to be going well; entire sacks were growing heavy with the loot, the need to gather and run growing larger as they feared the ottomans might catch them even on this insignificant rocky part of the island of crete, that had just given birth to the most stunning sights they had ever seen; gold, real gold, that would suffice them for years to come in their travels. the world was at their feet now, and now more than ever did they wish to head back to the ship and explore.

that was until the cave began to tremble.

“ w-what’s that? ”.

“ griffin, i told you not to touch anyt— ”.

“ i didn’t! ".

the jingle of the coins and various objects trembling against each other soon covered the enclosure of the cave, along with the panicked yells coming from the various pirates who were shrieking at each other to get out of the cave before it was too late, before the ceiling caved in and they found themselves without an exit.

it was mentioned before that something was dormant, but now, it had awoken. tucked deep within a narrow pathway, was a crypt. within this crypt, a soul laid at rest ( to the ignorant eyes. ) for a hundred years, within a tomb, someone laid and in their dreams, they perished. long ago they had given up on ever finding a way out.

but while the soul was sleeping, seven fools found her door.

it came in a shock wave that stunned the wind, sent incoming waves recoiling back in ripples, a howl from within the tomb silenced the island for many seconds. suddenly the weather turned sour, dark clouds gathered seemingly out of nowhere, cursing the island with the strongest wind it’s seen yet, sending civilians spilling out into the streets and out of their homes in a daze, wondering if a cyclone had just found them.

the pirates were lucky to escape the cave, but they soon reached the beach, and were knocked down by the wind that could’ve skinned them. they held only onto the golden sands of crete as a way to ground themselves, one standing up and looking off into the previously blue sky and finding it bitter, grey. as if the gods had revolted.

but it was no god. in fact, it was anything but the actions of a god. the soul from within, had feared what she would wake up. feared what she would open her eyes to see, to find the world a hundred years later after she had closed her eyes. what would she find? who would she find? what lengths would the gods go to sending her back to sleep, if they still raged their vendetta?

and with these questions left unanswered, the nymph theorised it herself; that she would awake and be forced back into that dark tomb where not even life could enter. a crypt dug deep within the earth, where she had rested for a century. it was easy to say that din was now restless.

fear became thirst, a thirst for freedom, and after the wind died down, it seemed like those with their feet on crete held their breaths in fear of what would come next. thunder? a storm? to their relief, the sky began to clear just like that, the sun smiling down upon them with mere confusion on why it was hidden for four painful minutes.

foolish pirates, believing the worst was over, looked between each other with their suspicions rising. and the one who’d stood up felt something tickling his ear again, wind. but not the one he was expecting.

with a bellow, he crouched back down just as a cyclone of color slammed over his shoulder and down the beach, too fast for anyone to identify what it was. wind broke through again, violent but fragrant.

petals. flower petals. rose petals, daisy petals, dandelion petals, snapdragon petals; a rush of color and smells that knocked them with confusion, as ahead of them, this cyclone, whirlwind, touched the ground, a flurry of colours brushing against the trees, sending them leaning backwards at the verge of snapping.

one of the seven fools held a sword in his hand, feeling that whatever this cyclone brought, it would bring anything but just a storm of lovely aromas and colours. and as the wind began to settle and petals began to fall, he rose from the sand and began to wander closely, despite the urging of his fellow pirates for him to turn back, to turn around and keep his distance.

“ daeva! ”.

“ relax, i bet it’s nothing! ”.

it was anything but. when this cloud of color calmed, he was stunned to find a figure. cloaked by a red fabric, frozen solid in a crouch. he saw a strand of blonde hair escaping the red hood, freckles hands and fingers digging into the sand for support. and aside from the tension around the shoulders, nothing seemed to worry this figure that someone with a sword was approaching it.

and with a level of courage, he rose the sword and pressed the tip against the hood, moving it gently to reveal the face of this strange figure but before he could dare to do just that, a hand moved from the sand and grasped the blade with confidence that had the pirate wondering whether he was hallucinating. to his surprise, not a drip of blood came from grasping a sword crafted by the son of the man who made weapons for gods.

his hand began to tremble the moment he felt like he was grasping nothing. he saw it happen, from the tip of the blade, and how it began to deteriorate, fading into petals similar to the ones of the cyclone, and within seconds his blade was gone with the wind that blew the petals off course.

from behind, a blacksmith murmured, “ that was my best sword . . .” .

the reckless pirate took several steps back, something within him told him that he should. and just then this figure stood up, and the hood became undone. and he was met with the most frightening pair of blue eyes he’s ever seen.

blue eyes, and hair like the sun, the woman stared deep into his eyes and then averted her gaze to her surroundings, then at her hands, and then at the petals that had gone off with the wind. and then at her palms yet again.

“ hm. that definitely was no mortal sword. ”

her tone was carefree, but her hands were cut deeply by the grip she had on the sword, of which din wasn’t expecting. in fact, she was pleasantly surprised, even if moments later, her hands would be clean of any scars or cuts.

yet her attention would be brought to other things. to the group of beautiful youths staring back at her with sacks full of what she could only describe as her haul from mainland greece; nymph property, ancient gold which they protected from falling into the hands of hunters who intended to use it for profit, not for worship.

property at the hands of filthy pirates who wouldn’t think that this was gold they were not supposed to touch. not supposed to sell. part of her didn’t want to warn them that if they were to sell it, bad things would happen.

the longer she stared at the thieves stunned into silence, the more din found her eyes narrowing whilst deja vu guided her through painful memories. because she knew some of these fools, or rather, the people who they shared an uncanny resemblance to.

hypnos’s warm cheeks. hecate’s raven hair. aphrodite’s plump lips. hephaestus’s scarred hands. apollo’s sun-kissed skin. hades’s scowl. and poseidon’s starry eyes.

the rage that engulfed din was enough to set half the world on fire, as she cams face first with the replicas of the people who had tormented her. who opted to make her suffer. who had shoved her into a crypt, torturing her in a death-like sleep with dreams from which she could not escape. she didn’t need an explanation of who these pirates were, or their names or their stories; they were demi-gods.

“ are you alright, miss— ”.

din’s natural distaste for poseidon led her to cut his son right off, her scowl growing deeper. “ you have no right to touch nymph property. it’s not yours. and who told you fools to be wandering around ottoman territory? i suggest you leave unless if you seek the most painful death. ”

“ nymph property? ”, aphrodite’s daughter looked among her companions and seemed to smile with some sort of pride that they’d just come across gold that was worth more than their lives. “ i know it was a good thing to come here. and you doubted me, daeva! ”.

“ nothing to be proud about. go on; take it to the market in exchange for something nice. nymph gold is cursed to never be sold or exchanged ”, din warned, and wished she hadn’t. the hatred burned too deeply that she wished they did get rid of the gold and were plagued by the worst misfortune than the previous greek heroes that their own parents cursed.

the sea prince suddenly frowned, looking at the sacks of gold. “ i-is that true? i’m sorry, we didn’t know. we can put it back if you’d like, we don’t mean any trouble ”, he stood up and grabbed one of the bags, and wandered close to din, causing her to take multiple steps back. he took notice of this. “ we won’t hurt you! we’re sorry for stepping into your territory. ”

behind him, daeva looked outraged. “ cap, you can’t be serious. just because this woman says it’s cursed you’re going to hand it back to her as if she has some sort of ownership over it? “, he grumbled. he also started to get close to din, too close for her dislike, but she didn’t back down. he stood inches from her face, staring her down. “ my question is, who are you and what power do you have over the gold? for all i know, it could just be bull—shit. ”

din growled, “ get out of my face, son of hades. or i’ll be sending you crying back to papa. ”

“ aha! so you know us! just as i suspected. cap, i told you someone was following us ”, daeva stepped back with a laugh and sneered at the nymph. she wished she had a weapon at that moment. “ what’s your deal, hm? royal navy? ottoman soldier? maybe even the french sent someone after us after what went down in tortuga. ”

din’s face twisted, “ i’m sorry? ”.

“ daeva, leave it. ”

a voice came from all the way within the group, a female. her voice appeared to be dripping with exhaustion, but something in it was firm. a command that daeva contemplated on, and then obeyed, taking many steps back with a tch, and then walked off to collect his thoughts.

din’s eyes didn’t leave him. a son of hades with a ticking time bomb of a temper, that came as no surprise for the nymph, who had seen the god in action, saw how impatient he was despite being cooped up in the underworld where nobody bothered him. his rage matched that of ares, a god so frightening that he was better left alone. how aphrodite could handle him was beyond din.

but that was besides the point. she had been awoken due to these kids meddling with her things, stealing treasure which they definitely had the intention to sell. she was almost willing to thank them, but the need faded within minutes as she found herself feeling bitterly towards them.

they hadn’t been the ones to put her in the death-like sleep where she perished; correct. but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, was what she found. especially after seeing daeva’s behaviour and stubbornness, identical to his egotistical father who wanted more and more.

her hatred was besides the point. because here she was, awake, walking, breathing, free to escape in a flush of flowers and fade into the wind. she could go home, but crete was the boot of greece and it would take her a while to find a way back. especially with the turks having watchful eyes over their seas. she didn’t know what had happened to her home in the time she was asleep, but she prayed it had been untouched, protected by nymphs that moved down from the mountains, or children of her kin who had stayed to cover the legacy.

and aside from that, din had another problem in her hands; this curse which the gods had given her, she wanted it gone.

they tricked her into inheriting the power of the priestess that ruled the nymphs back home. a kind woman, a servant of poseidon and a favorite of artemis. with magic that was inexplainable up until now. the moment her death struck, fear and sorrow shot through the heart of the emerald forest the nymphs roamed. no one really dared to take her place, to lead with grace and sweetness, for she was the only one who could do it. but her power was left for anyone to grasp.

din sensed that her kin would fall into despair and be overtaken by the men who had laid down civilisation in the woods. they would be overrun, killed, sent away to foreign lands which they could not call home with comfort. she knew the power of the priestess meant good things, and it could be passed down to someone worthy. din wanted to take it, so when the right moment came, she would pass it onto someone who could be like the blue priestess.

she came to the gods one night in prayer, and they blessed her with lies. that the gift would give her eternal beauty, heal any wounds, give her power over the nature around her, and most importantly, would unite people. it turned out to be the biggest half lie a god had ever placed over a mortal.

din would awake in the middle of the night in fear, haunted by dreams she would have never had previously, now at the mercy of morpheus whom she wished would give her better dreams. she thought it would pass, that life in the pond would continue as normal, and that she could be happy with her kin. the morning of her best friend’s wedding, din realised the true origin of the gift.

the bride, with raven hair and round grey eyes peered at her as din adjusted her tiara, a smile on her face. a smile which was replaced with pale horror, and din witnessed her slip away. into purples and pinks and reds.

she wanted to get rid of this curse. and she didn’t know who would help her, but she needed to find someone.

“ i’m sorry about him. he’s not usually like this ”, the captain spoke, seemingly imploring with the nymph. she had already developed a dislike for the son of hades, and now the son of poseidon was causing her to question whether he was truly the son of the god of the sea. he seemed far too good-natured as opposed to his old man, a scoundrel who was just as greedy and stubborn as his two brothers.

din didn’t look remotely impressed, “ what, is he usually a ray of sunshine? hardly seems like the type. it wouldn’t surprise me that hades didn’t teach any of his kids manners, and that goes for every god. ” the look on the captain’s face flustered her for a moment, he seemed genuinely upset. though she didn’t intend on apologizing.

“ i-i’ll admit, he’s rather difficult. maybe it’s because you turned his sword to flowers . . . but i can say he gets better ”, his tone sounded far too enthusiastic for din to begin to trust him. “ uhm . . . again, i apologize for treading into your territory. if you’d like, w-we can return the gold to your cave. ” he extended his hand out for a handshake, and din took a step back, knowing what would happen if her touch grew too proximate. “ theseus! it’s a pleasure to meet you. ” she couldn’t say that the feeling was mutual.

din wanted nothing more but to turn and walk the other way, knowing she was mingling with blood that was prone to betray; not something she would want to bring up to offend the demi-gods, but it was nothing more but the truth. if she hadn’t been so scarred at the hands of the gods, maybe she would’ve welcomed these kids with open, warm arms. no such warmth came from her.

deep within her, however, came a part which had decency, which hadn’t lost total respect for people. the nymphs were supposed to be kind, serene people who never carried any mal-intentions. the bitter part of her wished to smack the captain’s hand away. but in the end, din ended up shaking her head. “ i can’t touch anyone. i’m sorry ”, she muttered.

theseus’s hand dropped, his head craning to the side. “ that’s okay. i still haven’t gotten your name— ”.

din cut him off again, “ right, that’s because i don’t wish to give it. if i did, i would’ve given it to you already. you don’t need to know my name. you don’t need to know anything about me. all you need to do is put my gold back to where it’s supposed to be and get out of the island. ”

“ you’re the nymph, aren’t you? ”.

theseus wasn’t the one who questioned, it was another fellow whom din identified as the son of hecate, a goddess who always led her own path minding the crossroads but couldn’t help herself when it came to cursing a nymph who wanted to pass the power of the blue priestess onto someone worthy in her kin. a goddess who called herself morally grey, but in the end, played into the hands of the olympians like a puppet.

this young man’s mother was the one who gave din the power to deteriorate all that her hands touched, the one who brought her immortality against her will when the blue priestess died just like any other nymph. the hatred she had for hecate was something that differed from her distaste to the other gods, it was something more personal, with a root that stretched deeper into din’s soul.

“ mother told me about you. you became folklore back in the mainland. every child has heard the tale of din at this point ”, the witch’s son spoke, din’s jaw clenched as he proceeded. “ you’re the nymph that caused the january typhoon. three hundred casualties ”.

din chuckled bitterly, tilting her head slowly with a risen brow, “ shouldn’t you be criticizing your darling mother who cursed me with a gift i didn’t want? i feel like you should also be criticizing her minions who do exactly what she does; betray and toy. and that goes for most of your parents. ”

the last sentence roared, gathering the attention of the demi-gods and din knew it was possible she could anger them. you never speak ill of someone’s mother or father but she felt it was fair; the gods weren’t kind to her mother nor her father either, in fact, they killed them as ‘compensation’ for din’s turmoil bringing about the destruction of the january festival of 1620.

theseus began, “ p-please don’t reflect the actions of our parents onto us, w-we might be their kids but it doesn’t mean we’ll be like the— ”.

“ the very act of you defending them makes me think otherwise ”. din took a few steps back and admired the beach around her for the first time, kicking the sand and feeling the skirt of her dress brushing against her bare ankles. “ in fact, most gods tend to be entirely shameless when defending their actions as if just because they’re a god, they’ll be immediately excused. ”

“ we are not our parents ”, daeva cut in, looking over his shoulder and over at the nymph. “ you speak as if we’ll also end up putting you in a hundred years asleep again now that you’ve awoken. ”

“ after i’m out of crete, you’ll be wishing you did. ” and that was nowhere near a threat, it was a promise, one that she was never going to break. her spite of these gods created a cauldron whose final solution would taste of revenge. she was quenched, and ruining the life of a god would feel like the right compensation.

they needed to bleed the way she did. they needed to break the way she did, lose the way she did. selfish, repugnant, egotistical immortals who needed a taste of their own medicine and they would get it as soon as this nymph had crossed onto the mainland. she would reach olympus and bring unfathomable evil at their front door.

and she had many years to do so. now immortal, she would declare herself as the biggest enemy of the gods and would rage hell and spill blood if it meant seeing them choke on their tears and bleed.

“ w-where are you going?! ”.

the son of apollo seemed too concerned with her, and she definitely didn’t owe them the satisfaction of an explanation. she had turned and began to tread beside the coast, following footsteps that didn’t belong to boots worn by pirates. if she found the port, she would be out of crete before sundown. and would land in the mainland at night. and from there . . . you can imagine what she’ll do.

what din could only hope was that the gold would be preserved. if she found a ship that would take her home, she would return and collect all of the loot and bring it back home with her. home, being the pond and lake where she was raised. she had no memories of the place, but knew that it was home, and knew that a nymph born there shouldn’t stay far from there.

something told her to look back at the pirates to ensure they were on their way as well. demi-gods weren’t good news to her. most gods tend to make their kids into brain-washed servants to do their bidding and turn their own vendetta into an issue the kids would later join. it happened with dear hercules; a man who would’ve been fine had be remained a mortal.

but all the sons and daughters of gods want to be great, want to be the favorite and the most loved and recognized. it was twisted, in din’s mind, that gods had kids with mortals only to bring them suffering and then summon the kids who would do anything to win the favor of their immortal parent.

it had been a hundred years, and her disdain for the gods had just gotten far worse. it was why she chose not to linger with the kids, in case they decided to snitch.

din might’ve not been a threat when she was dormant. but she was definitely a threat now; she would deteriorate anything she touched, a power she wouldn’t need to control as she only touched the things that she wished to harm. she had endless years left on earth thanks to hecate’s trickery, and nature was in her favor. the gods should be worried; she didn’t have control of the sea or the sky or the mountains or the ice and fire, but din was no weakling.

she wouldn’t have thunk to bring harm to the beings that supposedly pleased the people who followed them. there was a time where she caved into obedience to be blessed by demeter and poseidon, for the flowers to bloom and for the water to continue to run. some nights she would ask artemis to keep the hunters at bay and ensure the security of the animals native to the emerald forest.

this changed. now, din wished death to the gods. and that alone marked her as a cursed nymph who would have nothing but a life plagued with misfortune. but the gods had played their cards; now it was time for din to play hers.

for twenty minutes, she paced out of the beach and into the rocks of crete, where she found a city buzzing with merchants and villagers, the port not too far from her. behind her, atop this hill in which she stood, she spotted a grey cloud brewing in the distance; no less, zeus’s doing. maybe he knew she was awake, or maybe poseidon’s ocean was disrupted by the wake of an angry nymph. regardless, the storm looked like it carried harm; fortunately, she would be out of crete before it could strike.

din blended with the crowd with ease, bursting into petals after snatching a hood from a merchant stand and hid into the alleyway where she dressed herself with fine silk to cover her hair and face. the dress she wore needed to be changed, but that would come later on if she came across something she liked; she had no money, the nymph gold would not be exchanged, but din would be gone with the wind before someone noticed she had replicated hermes’s antics.

fashion had hardly changed from the time she was awake, but alterations were made. the turks brought new materials and dress to the people of greece and they followed with quite a lot of enthusiasm, wearing colorful robes and shirts and breeches; sailors and soldiers wore boots, merchants and peasant wore sandals, this was something that had remained identical to when din was brought to crete.

she understood that she had woken up in 1720. aside from this, she knew little of the changes that had been made to the world, but she would grow to learn. and it wasn’t as if she would linger among humans to understand it all, for she would be tucked back home soon, and that was all that mattered to her.

after picking some grapes, cheese, and a bota bag from a couple of distracted merchants, din headed off in the direction of the port where she saw ships she wouldn’t have pictured to exist a hundred years ago. they were large, bolder, sailors chanting and bringing containers and boxes to the collectors who would dump sacks of money into their hands; all in a good day’s work.

to the side, din could hear a band playing music. the origin of where it came was foreign to her, but she found it pleasant, especially as she saw the children dancing the room between giggles, and then stopping timidly when soldiers walked past, before returning to their jolliness.

it was enough to make her giggle, forgetting the anger she had felt just minutes ago. maybe it was because she was distracted, her mind focused on finding a ship which would take her to the mainland. she wandered down to the docks, sandals scrapping against the wooden planks as she narrowly avoided the edge of each platform; the fear of ocean water ran too deep.

“ excuse me, sir ”, she called out to a sailor in the middle of taking a swing from a bottle of rum. or wine. she could not make a distinction of the smell. “ where might i find a ship that will take me to the mainland? ”.

“ well, that depends, madame, are you looking to enter sparta or athens? ”.

this confused her, had the nymph narrowing her brows in confusion. she knew that sparta was too far from mount olympus, and her home laid within the emerald forest which was tucked between a region of green north of athens.

“ uhm, athens, sir. ”

he motioned to one of the boats empty of any sailors, most of whom had apparently moved to have meals in the taverns nearby. “ you might want to travel with the paladin. big one with the white rims. it’s set to leave for athens tomorrow morning at seven o’clock ”, din stared at the ship in wonder, it was by far the most stunning one her eyes had ever come across. “ if you have the money to pay for the ticket. ”

the roundness of din’s eyes fell into a small narrowing, bringing her attention to the man with a clenched jaw. “ do i not seem like the type who can afford her place on a ship back home, sir? ”, she inquired, and the man bowed his head in dismay. din did not wake up from her crypt to have a man make sexist remarks.

“ forgive me, madame, i didn’t wish to offend you. ”

din hesitated, and then grabbed a coin bag she had snatched and put it into the man’s hands. “ here. tell the captain a woman will be joining them tomorrow on the trip home, and i better not be bothered by these men . . . you wouldn’t want to make the sea angry ”, and with that, she turned and left the docks, wishing she could’ve kept that coin bag. but the money did not matter now; she had a way back home.

･｡ﾟ.˚⊹･゜

the taverns were full of the best, and the worst people. although not as crazy as the ones she’s heard about, this tavern had the potential of being the loudest, with men singing at the top of their lungs with raw passion, mostly under the influence of a nicely fermented rum that cost less than a glass of water.

waitresses would bring food around the tables, enjoying the music despite the timid way to hide it. din observed everyone from her table in the corner of the inn, sat down with a cup of mead and pitta bread with some chopped up lamb on the side. it was the first proper meal she’s had in ages, and her taste buds were tingling with satisfaction, she wanted to ask for more, but she did not have anymore money she could waste.

she was lucky enough to save some coins that were not in the bag she gave to the sailors earlier that day, but now she had no money, and only with a ticket back to athens tomorrow morning.

at some point, a lovely waitress approached her to fill up her cup of mead with another round. din acted instinctively, not recalling that she had asked for a refill, and grew afraid she would be charged for it, “ i-i didn’t order a refill, miss. ”

the waitress, youthful, with sun-kissed with and plump lips, gave her a smile. “ oh, there’s no need to worry. i won’t be charging you for this. think of it as a way to start a conversation, madame. you’re by yourself here . . . i can’t help but feel curious ”, she said, din felt her cheeks burn slightly. she didn’t expect to be approached like this, but she knew most definitely that she was being flirted with. “ or would you rather i leave you alone? maybe you’re the loner type. ”

din found her voice again, “ y-you’re very polite . . . forgive me, it’s been quite a while since i’ve talked to someone so casually before. let alone been approached by a pretty lady such as yourself. ”

“ you think i’m pretty? ”.

the nymph felt as if it was unnecessary to answer that question, her face gave most of it away. her cheeks were tinted pink and as she chewed on her bottom lip, found her bashful self unable to meet the eyes of the waitress. all she heard was a chuckle and felt a gentle breath against her ear the next, a cheeky whisper tickling her lobe, and when the female retreated back to serving, din pressed a hand to her flaming cheek.

charming, very charming.

for the rest of her evening, din was mostly undisturbed, her moods lifted gently by the flirting between herself and the brunette who would throw her glances whilst she served the customers. din wished that she would come by and whisper something else into her ear; a hundred years asleep, but still the same romantic she recalled herself to be.

well, it was not that she remembered being a romantic. a thought within her just knew what she was, but not who. she does not recall her family or friends or who she was before she fell asleep; she just knows that the grotto is her home, and that her name was din, and that her personality was complex. she knew that she was a romantic, and she knew that she loved a good mead.

and she knew that she had things to do, and that she was so close to being home. but as you might know, the best stories never end that quickly. the best adventures told by folklore always tell of initial peace in the start of the tale. initial peace, followed by chaos.

the chaos, of course, came when the doors of the taverns opened, and two familiar faces broke through the lights. din’s smile fell, as griffin and the daughter of aphrodite entered, soon catching her in the corner despite her best attempts to hide.

the girl, with a cheshire smile, skipped on over to din. “ my, my! i am liking what i’m seeing. first time i’ve had a meal in a while as well. mind if i join you, din? ”, she questioned, and by din’s face alone, she knew the answer. “ aww, why not? it’ll be fun. griffin is a decent drinker, too, he’s good company. hence why i asked him to come with me. the others are too stuck-up, innocent, or bitter. or asleep. ”

din stared hard at the beautiful girl, “ what’s your name? ”.

“ phew! i was wondering when you were going to ask me; i’m rosé, the one and only! you asked me what my name is, and not the others. i feel special ”, she was far too eccentric to have such a stuck-up and arrogant mother. it was refreshing, to say the least, despite din’s distaste towards the goddess of love.

din remained confused at the girl’s attempt at befriending her when she had just cursed her mother a few hours ago. she seemed unfazed by the insults and approached din with a flirtation that stunned her; not even the waitress from before had been so blunt. and looking over and noticing her displeased glance, the nymph knew that she would not be getting anymore flirting tonight.

“ here’s the thing ”, rosé sat on the table, dangerously close to din to the point where she had to lean back on her seat. rosé crossed her legs and tapped her chin. “ in about a minute, two guards are going to walk in here wanting to find a lady with blonde hair and blue eyes. you have a bounty. the sailor you gave that money bag to? he started this whole rumor that you were a witch. and yes, witchcraft trials were left all the back in the dark ages, but you know how these people are here. anyways, you have to come with us if you want to live. ”

din froze. and then recalled the way the man looked at her, how his eyes would fall on her eyes and cloak and dress, as if searching for something suspicious and that’s when she realized it; the marking on the palm of her hand. no human would have a mark like what she had.

“ tick tock, dear. griffin can help you out through the back door. i’ll follow suit after i’m done with a fella here, he owes me a couple coins ”, with that, rosé stood up and left, but not before tickling din under her chin with a deep chuckle. at that, the nymph rose on her feet, and then paused.

this could be a lie. this could be a foolish pirate attempt at bringing din out of her mission and to fall into the hands of a sea god whilst being stranded in the middle of the sea on a ship. at poseidon’s mercy. she couldn’t risk something like that.

but then she realized that tomorrow, she would venture off into the sea anyway. the dilemma grew to make her head throb in pain, and din didn’t know which decision to make; if she was going to put herself at death’s door alone, or with the demi-gods whom she had sworn to hate.

griffin stood beside her now, hands tucked into his pockets, leaning down with his head beside her shoulder. “ now’s not the time to be confused, din. you have less than thirty seconds. they’re going to find you and burn you at the stake and i know you won’t die, but i know you feel pain ”, he was referring to the scar the god-killing blade he made left, even when she pulverized it. “ and what if we could help you break your curse? ”.

din looked at him quickly. seconds later, he grasped her wrist and recoiled her to the back door with speeds that left her mind still on the mead and meal she was having, on the cute waitress, on the hopes of having a peaceful first night back on earth. all to have it reduced to dust at the hands of troublesome pirates. one of whom was yanking into the darkness of the city. behind her, as the door closed, she heard a door opening, and yelling from within the tavern.

she snatched her wrist from griffin’s grip but never stopped running. her soles ached, injured from her dreams of the maze of thorns, but she never stopped running. she lagged behind griffin at first, but upon hearing further shouts from behind, sped up and overtook him.

ottoman soldiers were after her under the claim that she was a witch. in a way, it was true, but she couldn’t fall into mortal hands and become a prisoner when she wanted to get back home so badly. and even whilst following griffin, she grew further from that desire being completed. she was joining hands with pirates.

running over the same hill from before, she descended down a rocky path, stumbling and then picking her pace up once more, lungs chanting for rest but rest didn’t come until she saw the ship in the distance, lanterns lit at the side and in the falling twilight, din spotted the son of apollo waving at them from the starboard side. “ hurry up! we’re lifting the anchor! ”.

behind them, shouts grew louder; pitch-forks and torches raised, ready to skin the first person they came across. din shrieked when she was picked up and thrown over the shoulder of griffin, and heard him yell something incoherent before she found herself encased in light, blinding her eyes.

the moment she opened them again, she couldn’t hear the soldiers. she only hear the hectic pitter patter of footsteps against wooden planks, shouting going around of the anchor being lifted and the sails being set. din continued to blink, her feet touching the ground was once again when she heard theseus behind her. “ great, you’ve got her. prepare to set sail! we’ll be out of here and blending with the night before these fools can begin to catch up ”, the captain yelled.

beneath her feet, the ship rocked and creaked and croaked, and din clawed around for a way of support and held onto a rail, just as the food in her stomach began to rise. if there was one thing she hated, it was the ocean; she was revolted by it with the way she dreamt of it.

but with her eyes squeezed shut, din could feel it begin to move. she could feel the wind batting against her face, the splashes of the waves hitting the sides, the ship rocking up and rock in a sickening motion to her, but soon, she grew used to it despite the nausea. she was concentrating on not fainting at that moment.

she suddenly felt a hand grip her shoulder, and let out a gasp and stepped back, nearly falling to the floor if it wasn’t for the railings she grabbed onto. the son of apollo looked back at her with concern. “ i-i’m sorry! i didn’t mean to startle you ”, he stated. and let his hands fall to the side. “ don’t worry, you’re safe now. the captain knows how to take us to safety, you needn’t worry . . . ”.

except she had every reason to worry. ottomans were after her, the gods knew she was awake, and the demi-gods had taken her under their wing.

everything was going directly against her plan.

it was enough to revolt din to the extent of blacking out. it came in a wave of darkness, her vision twisting and breathing growing slow, her legs growing weak and grip loosening from the rails. all she felt before her eyes fell closed was a pair of arms catching her from behind before she met the floor, and all she heard was a cacophony of confusion looming over her.

for the first time after a hundred years, she closed her eyes and was met with pitch black. no nightmares or terrors, and also no bliss. pitch black coldness.

𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞.

#chapters #chapter one #demi-gods

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chicagocityfclanspromoblog · 4 years

Photo

Ellis Watts III→ Aldis Hodge → Jackal

→ Basic Information

Age: 99

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Born or Made: Born

Birthday: December 25th

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Religion: Christian

→ His Personality

Ellis Watts is a workaholic. He has spent the entire duration as head of the Jackals looking for ways to better the clan and push them into more prominent positions within the city. This includes heavily encouraging the jackals in his clan to pursue a degree and better themselves intellectually. He also serves the citizens of Chicago as the City Planner. He has been making significant efforts to improve the quality of life for both supernaturals and humans. He is very dedicated to his work and responsibilities and does not falter in his duties. He is disciplined, often working nights and weekends until a project is seen through to the end.

However when Ellis relaxes, he does so in style. He loves expensive clothes and timepieces, nice cars, and excessive hobbies. Since he could get his hands on them, he’s loved anything with a motor: cars, motorcycles, and speed boats. Only recently has he begun to tackle the skies. It was a 95th birthday present to himself, and he’s almost put enough hours in to finally obtain his license to fly. He also enjoys spirits, and has begun making his own wine. This harkens back to his youth filled with mild over indulgence and a desire to escape.

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Head of Clan Jackal and City Planner

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: High end watches and Fast vehicles

Two Dislikes: Idle hands and People who ride their brakes

Two Fears: Failing at leading the Jackals and Heights

Two Hobbies: Boat Racing and Wine Making

Three Positive Traits: Responsible, Disciplined, Ambitious

Three Negative Traits: Work-Obsessed, Superficial, Stubborn

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Ellis Watts II (Father): Ellis did not have a very strong relationship with his father, contrary to everyone in their pack. They were not very affectionate towards one another and often got into spats. Though it appeared that Ellis Watts II was handing his son the keys out of respect, in reality he left out of spite. They didn’;t have any other contact with one another for the rest of his life.

Lucretia Watts (Mother): Lucretia was old, much older than Ellis’s father, when they mated and died while Ellis was 30. Ellis was close to his mother, and she instilled many of the mantras he repeats and follows to this day.

Sibling Names:

None

Children Names:

None.

Romantic Connections:

Mary-Alice Lewis (Ex Girlfriend): He met Mary Alice when he was away for school. Too many things were trying to work against them, and when he asked her to come back home with him, she said no. He still thinks about her often and has thought about trying to see if she was still with her clan.

Miriam Vance (Ex Girlfriend): They dated in the 1970s for a few years. He was just getting in the meat of his political career and she wanted lots of children immediately. They parted ways and last he knew she moved to San Francisco.

Platonic Connections:

Sarah Harris (Best Friend): Sarah has been one of his longest friends and is often the person to call him out. He is the Godfather to both of their daughters and spends most holidays with their family.

Zack Harris (Best Friend): Zack is his most trusted confidante. They throw ideas around, playing with possibilities, before eventually bringing it to Sarah who helps make the idea possible.

Shannon Harris (Goddaughter): He has known Shannon since she was born. She’s a mini-Sarah through and through and he has recently begun training her to begin as a liaison to the pack. With the new influx of supernaturals that may come due to the University, Ellis wants to be ready.

Zelda Harris (Goddaughter): He has known Zelda since she was born. She was always a very independent child, taking the harder and often more daring road. Despite Sarah’s surprise, he saw Zelda forming her own path long before she finally told her mother she wasn’t going to school. He has her placed in the water department.

Odell Rella (Friend): Ellis brought Odell on as 3rd about 9 years ago, after he returned home from going to college and travelling the world. It’s a perspective that Jackals don’t often have and he values his input because of that. He’s still an idiot, but he does a good job as 3rd.

Seth Allen (Curious about): Seth is somewhat of an enigma to Ellis, Zack and Sarah. He is wild and difficult, but the strangest thing is that he doesn’t really act like a jackal, or at least not like anyone in Chicago. He loves being shifted and running in his shifted form. Seth also seems somewhat uncomfortable with the family dynamics that most of the clan has. Ellis has been mulling over their new addition a lot, and has even gone on a run with him in shifted form to see if it’d shed any more light.

Vee Armstrong (Employee): Vee has shown her work ethic since she was in college and Ellis took notice. When Sirius proposed getting a Human Shifter elected with the jackal’s help; Ellis knew she’d be the best person to get them there. So far she’s impressed him, and the early polls indicate Fischer will win.

Leon King (Friendly): Ellis knows of Leon through his work with the kids. He increased general activity and helped spearhead a childhood activity project that got kids moving.

Clara Fields (Fellow Council Member): Ellis doesn’t often talk to Clara, actually avoids it when he can, but they’ve known each other for a long time and he respects her work ethic.

Isaac Baker (Friend): Ellis has liked having Isaac on the council. He’s smart and isn’t weighed down by a century of baggage like the rest of them. They occasionally go to sports games together.

Chris Bialar (Work Associate): Chris came to him a year or two ago to suggest creating a University for the supernatural community. Clan Cat was experienced with the education side of things, while Clan Jackal could encourage the permit and general bureaucratic business along. Before their business venture Ellis thought he was an arrogant asshole, now he’s an arrogant asshole with a plan to get more Jackals to the city.

Nick Hamelin (Fellow Council Member): He and Nick are on good terms. The rats don’t invade any areas they shouldn’t and in return they don’t try to keep too much from them.

Percy McCormick III (Fellow Council Member): Ellis is fairly neutral about Percy. They’ve never really hit off, unlike him and the Fields, and it’s not something he’s interested in trying to start.

Greer Finley (Work Associate): Greer is the 2nd of the Cats and is spearheading much of the project on the Cat’s end. He tends to work with her on projects to avoid putting her and Sarah in the same room.

Amaria Crais (Work Associate): Amaria is the main liaison between the Cats and Jackals for the University project. He finds her much easier to deal with than Greer.

Asa Fields (Old Friend): He hasn’t spoken to Asa since he has been back, but the two would occasionally meet at parties around the city. He’s interested in seeing how he’s changed over the years.

Sirius Cobic (Business Partner): Sirius proposed the idea of getting a supernatural to the top of the Chicago government about a year and a half ago. They need someone with real power to rule and a human shifter would be the only one who could make it. Together they developed a plan, and are currently seeing it play out.

Hostile Connections:

Russell Jordan (Concerned about): Russell quickly shut down many lines of connections that had existed between the hyenas and jackals since they’d arrived. He claimed it was to unify the clan under new leadership, but they haven’t opened back up.

Alan Thomas (Annoyance): He’s never seen anyone argue so much over building codes that have been public knowledge for years. Thomas takes any slow down as a personal offence and doesn’t care to restrain himself from throwing a fit.

Pets:

None

→ History

Ellis was born in Chicago to Ellis Watts II and Lucretia Watts. Unusually for jackals the pair married at quite old ages and Ellis III was the only child they ever had. Lucretia was showing signs of slowing down when Ellis was a young boy, so it was only a matter of time when she passed away. He was away for many of her last years, and when he returned from school she refused to shift back into her human form. Ellis spent much of his time shifted the last year of her life so they could communicate easier. When she finally died, he didn’t change for years. It was at this time of no shifting that Ellis discovered his love for fast machines; motorcycles, cars, boats, anything he could feel the exhilaration of. He also garnered some criticism at this time, specifically from his father who thought he was being frivolous and wasteful. This was the beginning of what would become decades of arguments between the two men.

They fought about him not using his degree or getting a useful job, about Elli II being inflexible and running members out of Chicago. This was all hidden from the packs eyes as their leader having the least happy family of all might cause an uproar in such a family oriented clan. The only members who were aware were Sarah and Zack Harris, his father’s seconds. Finally in 1941, after a particularly brutal argument Ellis II quit, told his son that he could burn the pack down if he wanted, but that he wouldn’t be around to watch. He packed up his things and left the clan to Ellis to rule, with the obvious assumption he’d fail. Ellis, like he did in many instances rose to the occasion. He hunkered down and learned everything: each pack family, who needed assistance, what needed to be done, where there were spots they could expand. It was Ellis who made the switch into the Government and slowly began securing good jobs with good pay for his people. He finally joined office himself once he was legally able to and has been City Manager on and off for many years.

After he switched into being a leader, he’s had a difficult time turning it off. It’s ruined any relationship he’s had, caused tension headaches and teeth grinding, and he rarely if ever takes a day off. He still maintains many of his hobbies like boat racing, wine making, and now piloting; but work and his clan is always in the back of his mind.

→ The Present

Ellis would like to find a wife and start a family. Sarah says it was his dysfunctional family life that’s scared him off. Which is partially true, but he’s worried that he’ll start slipping if he relaxes too much. He’s actually considered asking Sarah or Shannon to set him up, but he’s not sure that he is that desperate yet.

Ellis is also creating a University with the Cats. He, Sarah, and Zack have been in talks for about a year or so developing the idea, but they are going to break ground soon. He’s excited to have a new school for his Jackals to go to, as well as a new draw for the supernatural community. Another venture he’s taking on, though in a much more removed position, is the election of human shifter, Robert J. Fischer. It was an idea concocted with the human shifters to get a member of the supernatural community in the highest seat of power. Though the council previously ruled no species could be in the mayor’s office due to an unequal balance of power, Ellis knows they don’t understand the nature of modern politics.

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Aldis Hodge [1][2][3][4]

#Aldis Hodge #Jackal #Supernatural RP #original rp #Fantasy RPG

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peters-starks · 5 years

Photo

CONTROL

Peter Parker x Enhanced!Reader

Summary: Based on the song Control by Halsey . The reader has had their abilities chemically enhanced by a new wing of HYDRA, using her as their new secret weapon. However when the avengers discover her on one of their missions her life completely alters.

They send me away to find them a fortune A chest filled with diamonds and gold The house was awake, the shadows and monsters The hallways, they echoed and groaned

Your blood pumped through your veins, drumming in your ears as you ran through the corridors, the sound of an alarm was blaring but you could only faintly hear it over the screaming inside your head, everything in your body urging you to stop but the fear of what they would do to you kept your movements on autopilot, throwing armed guards against walls with the twitch of your fingers.

You turned the final corner that would take you to the door to the central of the warehouse according to the blueprint you studied on the journey from HYDRA’s base. Blocking your view of the doors stood a dozen guards armed heavier than any of the others you had faced yet. Body shield and armour covered them completely as guns lay in their hands, as well as a glowing blue light that was wrapped around their necks. You tried to move them by throwing your arms open expecting them to crash into the walls clearing you a path but instead the glowing devices around them flashed red. They must have expected your arrival.

You cracked your neck to the side and gulped slightly, although you had been intensively trained and beat into your hand to hand combat becoming next to precise however, fighting up close, looking into the eyes of those you are being made to harm unnerved you. It reminded you that everything they had done to you and everything you are living through wasn’t some sick fever fuelled dream but was the hellish existence you are put through every waking moment. You leaped towards the first line of guards easily knocking their guns off them, straddling one of the soldier’s shoulders, using your thighs to apply pressure to their neck and using your free hands to rip the devices from their necks so you could throw them into the guards behind them taking out 4 at once. As the one you had locked between your thighs passed out one grabbed you from behind after smacking the back of your head with his weapon, knocking you onto the hard concrete floor and almost certainly leaving a bruise. Just as you were about to pounce back up a voice caught you off balance.

“That’s no way to treat a lady now, is it?” the American accent echoed across the concrete walls briefly stopping the brutal assault. Using the distracting, and without even a glance at the mystery voice you used this as your chance to sprint towards the door, tearing off a device from another guard and twisting his body into a ball, chucking him like a bowling ball knocking down the soldier’s that had realised your attempted flee. You grabbed the door handle and as you pulled it towards you a metal shield painted red and blue, a striking white star in the centre of it cracked the door as it soared into it. “Tony, we have an enhanced”.

Captain America was crashing your mission.

You whipped your head around and glared at the tall man, suited up in his iconic uniform before squinting your eyes. Steve’s eyebrows furrowed as the door creaked underneath your glare, the door that now had his shield buried into it was coming off its hinges and next thing he knew he was ducking as it hurtled over his head and hit a very surprised Spiderman standing behind him.

You dashed inside and grabbed the metal box engraved in a foreign tongue you weren’t sure was a human language Exerting the rest of your energy you ripped a hole in the wall for an easy escape, avoiding getting your ass handed to you by what seemed like the full avenger’s squad. Blood trickled down your nose as the thick metal wall tore like paper creating a gap just big enough for you to squeeze through. The fact ripping a 6 inch thick metal wall had almost made your brain melt is what you are attempting to blame the fact that you didn’t sense an almost 6 foot spider child swinging through behind you until a powerful web sprayed across your hand that was holding the box forcing your body, hand first, into the wall as you let out a groan on impact.

“You know, stealing isn’t very nice” Spiderman’s voice took you by surprise, sounding higher than what you had imagined making you believe he was younger than the estimated 25-30 years of age his HYDRA file had stated. The eyes of his suit stayed wide in an animated fashion as you struggled against the web, not yet feeling up to using your powers again to escape and also at this point losing hope, knowing almost nothing can be worse than going back to hydra and being their experiment, you just hoped the avengers would make it quick.

As iron man landed, his helmet dissolving around him which you assumed was the Nano tech hydra had been failing to copy for a couple months now, and you had some scars to prove it, he stared at you almost as if he was confused. “so, kid, who are you working for and what do you want with the weird shiny alien box?”

At first you simply stared at him, eyes narrowing in distrust. Although the avengers were hailed as “earths mightiest heroes” you still didn’t trust them. If the majority of the tech that HYDRA has had come from the avengers and most of what they had done to you was based off of them then you knew they were just as bad, only better at hiding it.

“I think you’re smart enough to figure that out” you mumbled, venom lacing the hushed tones of your voice making the female, you assumed was black widow, smirk.

“so what are we gonna do with her then?” Captain America quizzed as they crowded around you like the cover of a box set. You could see their hands occasionally twitch over their weapons as they stood at high alert, not knowing the capabilities of your powers.

Iron Man rubbed his hand over his forehead and sighed “I guess take her back to the compound for questioning then seal her up until we can understand her abilities more” . Seal. Seal. More confinement. Your blood ran cold and panic set in, more and more confinement, more tests, more alienation even from those who held similar differences. Without even thinking your hands began to glow as the webbing split, shooting away in the directions of all the avengers quickly setting them into motion. You concentrated on the thrusters of iron mans and directed them in the other direction sending them in the opposite direct as he yelled something probably unpleasant towards you.

You ducked under an arm and held the red headed woman to the ceiling as she struggled against your force. As you were scanning for an exit point something sticky flew against your shoulder pushing your entire body back. In shock your hold on the multiple avengers faltered but you quickly put it back on full force causing multiple grunts to echo the hallway.

The webbing removed itself from your shoulder and shot towards Spiderman but he managed to jump out of the firing line.

“what’s your deal?” his voice sounded frustrated, becoming annoyed as to how little hits he would get on you. Your lip twitched slightly in a smirk but quickly disappeared and you decided to finally end the child’s play by sending him to sleep. Just as you lifted your hand towards the suit clad hero, you felt something prick the back of your neck, lifting your hand to feel a dart.

You whipped your body around seeing Tony Stark stood there pointing a sedation gun at you, his suit now open but still held against the wall a few feet behind you. Spiderman was too distracting that you didn’t feel his movement behind you and now It as cost you. Your body began to droop and you let out a strangled but quiet “no” as you feared what was yet to come. Before you felt the impact of your body on the floor a chest hit your back holding you semi upright and Handcuffs were around your wrists. Your eyes were too heavy to open but in the last moments of consciousness you could hear the same young voice of Spiderman “woa, I’ve got ya, you’re safe”.

I sat alone, in bed till the morning

I'm crying, "They're coming for me"

And I tried to hold these secrets inside me

My mind's like a deadly disease

Your body jolted awake, sweat beading down your forehead as you scanned the room. It was cleaner than your Hydra holding cell. The walls were all white, padded and from your drowsiness and the sting at the back of your head you assumed the walls held a dampener for your power. The door was the same material, positioned opposite your bed and it had a screen placed in the centre of it which you didn’t understand the purpose of. Although being a prisoner of the avengers held slightly higher luxuries the fear and anxiety you felt clouded your mind.

As you slowly investigated the cabinets below the sink and the draws in the bed side table, which were all “baby proofed” so you wouldn’t harm yourself, you saw the screen on the door flicker stating the time and date. It was a whole 48 hours since you’d been compromised. The sting at the back of your skull turned into a throbbing, spreading across your entire body as a paralysing fear became you. HYDRA would come for you, one way or another they would take you back either terminating you for being a loose end or in worse case take you back as their play toy and punish you. Not only punish you but punish them.

Your mind was screaming, yelling and scratching at the walls for you to get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.

Even with the power dampening components within the walls of your holding cell the furniture within the room started to quake as you buried your head between your knees. A silent terror consumed you, blocking all your senses so you didn’t hear the alarm sounding inside your cell. The next thing you knew arms were wrapped around your torso, a hushed male voice whispering in your ear. “hey it’s okay, don’t worry”

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

The Avengers all gathered around a long table in the board room of the compound, Tony Stark stood at the head of the table with grainy photos of you taken by his suit AI. “So, she’s female, seems quite young probably around Parkers age, and visibly enhanced, aaaaand that’s all we’ve got” Tony sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as he inspected the photo of you again “HYDRA obviously need her by how well hidden they’ve kept her until now, her energy readings are off the chart”. Peter shuffled in his chair slightly, not yet being used to the formal side of the Avengers that includes meetings and de briefs. He was used to punching aliens and fearing for his life when surrounded by these guys, not drinking a hot drink from a paper cup in a chair worth probably more than his and Aunt May’s apartment.

“Mr Stark uh I uh Tony do we know what her powers even are” Peter fumbled under all the eyes in the room on him, easing slightly as Steve sent him a reassuring smile.

“Not quite, it’s some sort of telekinesis, she appears to be able to move things with her mind but it’s hard to tell how or how far her powers can even go still, we’re gonna have to wait for Banner to do some readings” Everyone in the room nodded along with Tony showing silent agreement.

Just as everyone filed out FRIDAY alerted Tony to some commotion in the holding cells, with you being the only one down there, everyone knew It was you. Tony and Peter were the first to rush down there, Tony already suited up spreading from his Arc Reactor into his full suit whilst peter pulled his Web Shooters from his pocket and managed to just about throw his mask on. Tony burst into the room first seeing the bed side table basically on the ceiling and the sink was almost shaking off the wall. His eyes scanned the room finding your body, suddenly looking small and to be frank terrified, curled up in the furthest corner with your head buried in your lap. Peter was shocked as your body quaked, the room becoming more and more unstable to longer you sat there. Peter decided to rush towards you as Tony kept a careful eye and raised his hand ready to retaliate any attacks.

He was nervous, it was probably stupid what he was about to do but Peter couldn’t help himself. He felt like he understood the fear you had of these powers you couldn’t seem to control and he just wanted to comfort you. Peter slowly slid down next to you and wrapped his arms around you gently, he felt your body stiffen by the foreign human contact but slightly lean into him, only letting a small percentage of your guard down.

Tony was confused by Peter’s methods of deescalating the situation, you were a massive potential threat and the kid just wanted to, snuggle you? However, whatever he was doing it appeared to be working and as some other of the avengers shuffled closer to the holding cell door with their attack stances showing them to be on high alert they held the same bewildered faces as Tony at the scene in front of them.

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OKAY! so this was my first ever fic posted onto this account! feedback would be 10/10 appreciated as i crave validation and also just be nice to know if a part 2 etc is really wanted!.

#peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker fanfic #peter parker x you #peter parker fluff #peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #spiderman imagine #spiderman fanfiction #spiderman x you #spiderman x reader #spiderman x y/n #avengers imagine #avengers fanfiction

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