#throne of secrets imagine

[princeofsinweek]

Day 5: Gluttony/Champagne Fountains

Can't belive it is already time for Day 6! I hope everyone has enjoyed Prince of Sin Week! Another is definitely in the works for next year! Really enjoyed all the content for the Prince of Gluttony's day. With Throne of Secrets coming out in October, I can't wait to see all the new content for Prince Gluttony!

Header by @afandomangel

Moodboards

Day 5, "Champagne Fountain." by @badomenwhump

Fics

Indulge in you - Gluttony x Reader by @litnerdwrites

No Rest For The Wicked - Prince Gluttony x Actor!Reader by @afandomangel

To Us - Prince Gluttony x OC!Helena by @afandomangel

[wasabi-gumdrop]

Kabru has a secret admirer in the castle!

[dirty-bear-rick-sanchez]

I think it would be funny if Jerry secretly had a really successful honey business but still asks the family for money a) because he’s greedy or b) no matter how much he makes, he spends it all without fail

[litnerdwrites]

Lust sending us out on a royal mission but it's really a distraction for us so he can prepare to propose a date with us (y/n)

Tomorrow- Lust

I loved writing this fic. It took me a while to put the vision I had into words, but the end result is perfect. I hope you enjoy anon, even if I did take the idea and run with it.

I'm so excited beyond words for tuesday, when tos comes out, I will probably have so much to say, yet be absolutely speechless in every chapter.

I'm considering what to do next. The Nesta fic chapter is almost finished, but I want to get one more Gluttony fic out before tuesday. Shall I do Nesta, or Gluttony, let me know. And if the latter, would you like the part two that I have in mind for New Friend or a different request from the poll?

Tomorrow - Lust x Reader

WC:2,496

TW: Nothing really. This is a fic that appeals to Lust's secret soft side, but there are some canon typical sex references. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Notes: (L/N) is Last Name, (H/L) is Hair Length, (H/C) is Hair Color and (gown/suit) is self explanatory.

Masterlist Kingdom of the Wicked Masterlist

You leveled your lover with an unimpressed stare. He merely grinned lazily, and tightened his arms around your bare waist.

“Don’t look so down, Beloved. It’s only for a day, and I can trust no one else with this matter.” Lust cooed, pressing a soft kiss on your cheek.

The gesture had your features softening, and agitation gave way to disappointment. Lust despised this look on your face. You were no less beautiful, of course, but to see that slight, downward twitch of your lips, the scrunch of your nose, or the slight movement of your chin, when you bite the inside of your lips or cheek, had a fracturing sound echo in his head, from the depth of his blackened heart. 

His hand reached out to cradle your face, his thumb tracing across your cheekbones. Your breath hitched, and your heart picked up its pace, as you leaned into his warm palm. Heat spread across your face, leaving it slightly reddened at his affection. Every time he did something like this, something soft, something romantic, your chest felt lighter. Every time, you fought the urge to grin like a loon for hours on end, all due to the simplest, most wholesome of actions. Of course, being The Prince of Lust, his brothers and his court had their own ideas as to what had your cheeks so rosy and pulse pounding, but the two of you found it amusing, so you let them think what they wished. 

“Still, I wish you hadn’t sprung this on me so last minute.” you whined. “You owe me a lazy, stay-in-bed-day tomorrow.” 

Lust chuckled, the sound low and deep. You were about to scold him for finding amusement in your sadness, only for him to lean forward and press another kiss to your cheek, then nuzzle it.Once he felt heat begin to creep across your face, he moved his lips to your ear.You felt your pulse stutter and thighs pressing closer together. Your body arched into him, as his fingers traced along your spine, and your breath hitched at the ministrations. Red, hot desire spread just beneath the skin, in every place that his flesh met yours and you knew, you knew, that you couldn’t blame it on him using his sin on you now. Not as you let out a delighted, breathy gasp, at the pleasure.

“Believe me when I say that I want nothing more than to keep you here, in my arms and my bed, warm stated, and high on pleasure until you can think of nothing but me,” his voice was low and husky, and his warm breath brushed your ear, “However, this matter is of the utmost importance, and could very well decide the future of House Lust.” 

His voice sent a rush of heat to your core, but you forced your mind to remain present. The princes couldn’t lie, so if Lust was insisting that this job was important, then it had to be. 

Lust leaned back, sensing you needed a moment to collect yourself. 

A breath in. A breath out. In. Out. In. Out. 

You forced your heart rate to stabilize, and did everything you could to ignore the heat that spread throughout your body. It wasn’t easy, given that the man next to you likely inspired generations worth of sculptures, poets, and other artisans everywhere he went. You weren’t jealous, by any means. In fact, you found great joy in knowing that any who laid eyes on your prince lusted for his touch, his power, his love. And yet none but you had ever, or will ever receive it. That thought often brought you a sense of satisfaction and joy, that seemed to have enough sway to override any previous emotion. 

Lust enjoyed exploiting this weakness. 

You hadn’t realized you shut your eyes, until they fluttered open, only to lock onto his own. His hand cupped your cheek, keeping you from falling into the fathomless depth of his charcoal gaze. 

“What do you need?” Your voice drifted across the bed, the gap already felt too large, despite being less than arm’s length, and settled something in whatever remnants of a soul he possessed. 

Lust smiled. 

It was a small smile, gentle, even. It was so unlike his usual demeanor. It wasn’t sensual, or amused, or cocky. It didn’t seem to draw her near, or have her considering the fastest way to disrobe (if that step was needed at all), or plant deliciously sinful thoughts in her mind. 

No. 

This smile was one of contentment. Neither disbelief, nor stupor. No. He was content, perhaps even joyful, at this moment. 

“An important treasure, currently in my brother’s possession.” He began.   

You nodded along, eyes tracing the curve of his lips as he explained. 

________

“But you're sure it’s not… cursed or anything, right?” You raise a brow at Sloth, who merely leans against his desk. 

“I’m quite positive. That particular item was acquired from my brother, Envy, as a favor. Greed had it for a time too, to confirm authenticity, then to prepare it as per my single minded brother’s instructions,” Sloth drawled, already thumbing over the pages of  a new tomb, ancient and magical, that lay on his desk. “He sent it back to me, for research and authentication, and to keep until he sent for it.” 

You rolled your eyes at the slight jab meant for Lust, sure that if he were here, he would’ve argued it was Sloth, who was so single minded that he refused to think of anything but his books. Their relationship had always amused you, and your ability to quiet the arguments whenever they broke out, according to what you heard, had garnered you some respect from Envy and Wrath in particular. The former, for how Lust feeds his sin when Sloth gets too close, and the latter for taking the job of wrangling them out of his hands. 

Sloth eyed the spark of amusement in your gaze, and huffed. 

It only served to amuse you further. 

“Just make sure my  brother receives it. Lest he come banging on my door to accuse me of deceit.” 

“I’ll be sure to let him know you send your regards,” you assured him.

Sloth Scowled, but ignored the comment, instead, passing you a box. Intricate carvings were etched onto the wood, forming shapes and patterns, some humanoid, some not. Amongst the shapes, tiny, glittering diamonds were placed, twinkling like stars against the dark base, distributed evenly across the items. You wanted to open it, to confirm the contents for yourself, though if it was out of curiosity or paranoia, you couldn’t tell. The only thing that held you back was The Prince of Sloth’s keen gaze on you. 

You glanced up, meeting his gaze with a raised brow.

“Issue?” 

He studied you a moment longer before shifting away from the desk, to stand proper. 

“No. Just a curiosity,” he assured. “I am vexed by my brother’s antics on the best of days, nor am I particularly fond of feasts, however, I feel inclined to make an exception.” 

“Oh? I heard you hadn’t hosted anything formal in well over a century, your highness.” 

“Correct, ms. (L/N).” Sloth hummed, “As you can imagine, neither my sin nor my charming personality lend well to such activities.” 

You hummed, not arguing with his logic, then prompted him to continue. 

“But…” 

“But I feel inclined to invite you to indulge in the many comforts House Sloth offers. And to bring my brother, if you wish as well.” 

“You are willingly inviting his highness to your circle?” you asked, incredulous. 

“Don’t get used to it,” he scrunched his nose, as if offended by a foul odor, “It’s merely as a plus one, should you wish for it. I’m inviting you.” 

You nodded, as his words slowly settled in your head. 

“I thank you for your generosity, your highness. I’m sure my prince will be thrilled by the prospect.” 

“Don’t worry,” he assured. “You know me. It’s nothing overly formal. A meal on the terrace, and a celebratory drink.” 

“Might I ask what you wish to celebrate?” 

You could’ve sworn mischief sparked in his eyes. 

“I suppose you'll find out when you attend.” 

__________

“Might I ask what in The Mother’s name is so important about this box?” You asked, incredulous, as you placed it on his desk.

Lust dragged his eyes over your body. Not in the way he so often did, when he had sin and pleasure on the brain. No. This was more analytical, searching for signs of injury or fatigue, and leaving goosebumps in the wake of his gaze.

“I needed it for something.” he responded simply, once satisfied that you were unharmed.

“And that is…”

Lust leaned back in his seat, opening his arms to invite you into his embrace. 

Your features softened at his, and you cursed him, and yourself, for his exploitation of this weakness. 

After a few moments, you trudged over, dropping yourself into his lap. One arm went around your waist from behind, while the other went around your front, settling just under the first.

“I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I promise this is important,” he soothes. 

“If it’s so important, why won’t you tell me? Do you not trust me with this? If so, then just say it.” 

“That’s not it!” he growled, before taking a calming breath. His brows furrowed, like he was contemplating opening his mouth before he stopped. Eventually, he hissed. “Fuck it.” 

Lust reached for the box, pulling it in front of you both, a hand resting on top of it. 

“What-” 

“I wanted to discuss it over dinner. Either that or after sex. Envy swore those were the best times to do so,” he muttered that last part. 

You turned to him with furrowed brows of your own.

“What does this have to do with-” 

Soft music filled the office as he pulled the lid open. The inside of the box was lined with a decadent plum velvet, and divided into several spaces intended to hold all sorts of trinkets. From brooches and necklaces, to rings and earrings. With some creative placement, you could probably fit your smaller stationary pieces in here too, like the pushpins you kept pricking your fingers on. However, what caught your eye was the small, spinning platform where a couple, carved in silver and painted in colors you’d never seen before, danced. The man had charcoal hair, and the dotted eyes were the darkest shade of black you’d ever seen, bar Lust’s. His suit was unpainted, remaining a glittering silver. Beside it, the woman’s hair had been painted to resemble (H/L) (H/C) locks, as she twirled in a (D/C) (gown/suit).

“This looks like-” 

“I remember every moment of that night. It took days, much to my brother’s eternal annoyance and jealousy, for Camilla and I to get the correct color match.” he whispered. 

The words were meant to be cocky, but nowhere could you hear his usual smugness. 

“But why-” 

“There’s more-” 

You noticed a small tab sticking out. Tugging it, you lifted the top layer of the interior up, revealing a second layer. You almost dropped it.

You almost fainted. 

Your heart stopped and your breath was caught in your throat for what felt like hours as you stared. Lust’s finger gently pushed your jaw up, forcing it to close. 

“I-Is- Is this-” 

Lust reached into the box, and pulled out the ring.

“For you.” 

“For me…” you repeated, disbelieving. 

“I had wondered for a long time,” he began carefully, “how my brothers were content to bed the same person for eternity. Since I met you, however, I find it becoming clearer to me.” 

Your head whipped to him, your expression incredulous. 

“You-” 

Lust pressed a finger to your lips. 

“Make no mistake, I am still The Prince of Lust, and I still embody my sin,” he assured, “but recently I find myself having little to no desire to indulge in sin with anyone but you. In fact,  I look to my dais and my throne, only for it to feel barren, unless you stand beside it, but even that never felt right,” he hummed. You remain stunned. “Until the first night I took you on my throne, and in the end, we sat there, together, with you in my arms. That’s when it clicked.” 

“I-” 

Lust took your hand with one of his own.

“Marry me. Rule at my side. Sit upon a throne beside mine. Spend eternity with me, wrapped in debauchery and sin. Wake every morning at my side. Sleep every night in my arms. Remain with me, and use your oh, so terrifying rage to scare off any who would want to feel my arms around them as you do. Be mine. My lover. My Princess. My wife. From now, until the end of time, my beloved (Y/N), be mine.” 

Your mouth dropped open again, then it closed, then open, then closed, open, closed, open. 

The ring he held in front of you was speckled with enough diamonds, it alone could buy 50 of Prince Greed’s gambling halls, with a tear dropped gem in the center. It was a rare one too, found only in the darkest depths of the underworld, even demons dare not tread. Legends had said that it was created before The Princes even arrived here, when ancient goddesses had been no more than a spark of an idea in the crone’s mind. Long before Ice dragons soared over high, or the first shifter had felt the call to shift. Delicately, it rested on a silver band, encrusted with clusters of tiny, colorful diamonds designed to look like flowers. 

“Lust, I- I don’t know what to say-” is all you manage to get out. 

“The truth. Do you wish to be mine? From now until the end days, do you wish to rule House Lust at my side? I promise to ravish you tonight, and every night you wish, and give you as many lazy, stay-in-bed-days as you could want, whenever you want. Just say you’ll stay at my side.” 

“I don’t care if I rule or have lazy days ever again,” you murmured, dragging your eyes to him, “I want you. I want to marry you, and be yours, and stand at your side, with or without royal authority. You have my soul, and my heart. Now, I want to marry you, and give you whatever’s left of me to give.” 

Before he can respond, you shoved your lips against his. A hand gripped his shoulder as he slid the ring on you, despite not once breaking eye contact. His mouth moved against yours, slowly getting more and more demanding.

“You’re my reason. In every sense of the word, beloved. You’re mine, for eternity.” 

“Yours,” you sigh. “Today, and tomorrow, and every tomorrow yet to come.”

“Gladly.”

[sins-of-the-dragons]

So...me and my friend were drunk the other night and I showed her this blog I got to find out her mind is more twisted than mines and now she is talking about dragon!aemond fucking a girl with the big dragon tongue. Like not dragon in human form, she meant a full big fire breathing dragon. Ngl it sounds twisted and hot

[freyadragonlord]

Nothing brings me more joy while rereading ORV than to picture either the kkomas or the Big One behind the comments of Secretive Plotter.

It is delightful.

[thestoryarchives]

Prince of Sin Week (2024) Masterlist

All of these works have been migrated from my other blog, under the name @litnerdwrites and reblogged on this one for convenience and to keep all of my fics together.

If you want more Prince of Sin content, might I suggest checking out the official @princeofsinweek blog, run by the incredible @afandomangel (who has a lot of great works on her blog too)!

Day 1: Worthy - Platonic!Wrath x Daughter!Reader Wrath comes to inform of his daughter that the vampire delegation that would soon arrive. Instead, he finds her spiralling and steps in. ⚠️Canon typical violence, trauma from witnessing canon typical violence, description charred corpses.⚠️

Day 2: Shattered Reflection - Pride x Wife!Reader You find yourself staggering to yours and your husband's shared room as you descend into a spiral of self loathing. ⚠️Body dysmorphia, mention of self harm, blood, accidental cuts on shattered glass, anxiety, insecurity, mention of sex but no smut.⚠️

Day 3: Present - Envy x Wife!Reader After returning from a trip, Envy wants nothing more than to see his wife. Unfortunately, she has other plans. Envy should've known his wife couldn't resist an opportunity to play. Mentions of smut but not smut. Mostly fluff.

Day 4: Warmth - Platonic!GreedxNiece!OC Greed gets an unexpected visit from his niece, Euphemia. While this isn't typically uncommon, something about this visit is different from the others.

Day 5: Indulge in You - Gluttony x Reader Gluttony's attempts at courting the one he likes have, thus far, ended in failure. Surely this gift will sway her, won't it? ⚠️It's mostly fluff, however, inspiration was taken from the teasers for Throne of Secrets that Kerri Maniscalco posts on her instagram. If you don't wanna be sorta spoiled or know about the teasers, don't read.⚠️

Day 6: For Research Purposes - Sloth X OC Sloth needs a favour from Eleanore. For research purposes. ⚠️A couple sexual innuendos but nothing outside canon typical. Also, Eleanore has a bit of a panic attack.⚠️

Day 7: Speak Now - Lust x OC A oneshot for Prince of Sin week that the Clandestine affairs Series is based off of. ⚠️Almost forced marriage, abuse (father striking his daughter, plus forced fiancé hurting bride), mentioned death of a parent, mentioned canon typical violence.⚠️

[blueeclipsepaperstudent]

Lost souls - Chapter three | Lust x reader

Summary:

Prince of Lust is known for his cunningness, desirability, extravagancy and most of all – cruelty. He can give others the taste of pure joy and desire, but before his victims can grasp on those feelings, he takes it all. Together with any desire to live, what made a being a being, to feed his sin. Where once was utter joy, there was utter hell. But lust is never-ending and always left unsatisfied, just like gluttony – enough is never enough. And so, the prince keeps on taking and taking, yearning to fill that void inside his rotten and wicked soul, or what was left of it, and hiding this very truth from the world and himself behind his jovial and cunning persona.

Reader is a mere mortal, who is trying to make her world a better place by helping only pure souls that are left in the world and tries to improve their lives. At the age of 25 she graduated Veterinary University and became well-regarded by her colleagues. But no matter how hard she tried, sometimes her knowledge, skills and practice aren´t enough to saves lives that matter to her the most. That is sadly a part of her job, of medicine. She is average beautiful honest and perceptive young lady with big heart and sensitive soul, that was hurt and struggled to live many times in her life. And is struggling once again. What will happen when she somehow ends up in completely different world and timeline, far away from home?

What will happen when these two lost souls finally collide?  Will they find solace in each other, or will their difference only keep them forever apart?

Maybe their difference isn´t so big after all. 

Lust x our world!reader

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

Warnings into the future: emotional struggle, suicidal thoughts, slow burn, small confidence, lust is a secret romantic, threesome, vaginal sex, oral sex, mirror sex, dirty talk, praise (more warnings will be add in the future),

there will be probably no plot – it will be a journey of two souls finding their way to each other (with eventual porn)

This is for everyone who can´t wait for another book starring Prince of Lust. Because the book isn´t released (and who knows when it will be released) we don´t know his inside character. So this won´t be totally accurate and this is purely my imagination (hell I didn´t even read The Throne of the Fallen or The Throne of the Secrets, because it isn´t still translated to my language) what his character actually looks like. So, this fic will be probably rewritten once his book will be released :P.

And sorry for any grammar mistakes. As you probably found out English isn´t my native language.

AO3 - Lost Souls

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

(Y/N) = your name                     

(Everybody knows this shortcut (just how many dirty fictions you read, you freak), but I will still give here an explanation.)

(Y/L) = your last name

(Y/Nn) = your nickname/short version of your name (given by your family)

(Y/C) = your favourite colour

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

<<<< Chapter Two

>>>> Chapter Four

Chapter Three

Lust returned with his army, except for the men who stayed behind and searched the area, where they found the woman, for anything unusual or suspicious, to his wicked mansion along with the prisoner. A human girl. He had no idea how or why she had come here. How she had found her way into the Seven Circles with such dramatic entry, no less. He hadn´t seen or heard of this in his immortal life. This will cause a fuss that he didn´t want to deal with. He was rather enjoying the carefree time since the curse had been broken. But this could mean a much bigger a problem in the future. Something with the potential of changing the Circles forever. Of distortion. And it wasn´t something to be taken lightly. He knew that. Still, he played his role of jovial brother and leader, hiding his sharp and perceptive instincts underneath and showing them when necessary (or to get under the skin of one of his brothers), like a cat pulling out its claws.

When he arrived at the front door with his infamous sign welcoming his guests above it. He, his second and a few soldiers took the prisoner and followed the corridor in the furthest wing of his residence to the dungeon, where the iron cells were located. Iron could stop or cause harm to the Fae and other less known creatures that roamed the underworld.

This could certainly stop a human girl. They had to proceed with caution (in case she turned out to be something other than human).

The soldiers laid her on the floor in the pile of hay – a very poor imitation of a bed – and left the cell. Only he, his second – Amon – and the girl remained. They examined her more closely now, this time unhurriedly.

She was a small woman compared to him (who wasn´t), over five feet tall, with very pale skin. She wore some kind of dark blue trousers, that hugged her elegant (but perhaps too thin, not very healthy looking) legs, made of some material he hadn´t seen before, and some kind of sweater that hugged her neck and torso and a leather jacket. Her feet were covered in leather boots with heels and some sort of fastening on the outer side but still with laces at the front. It was strange to see mortal women wearing men´s clothing. Basically in anything that didn´t have a skirt.

Lust then looked at her face. She had round face with a slightly sharp jaw, but rounded cheek bones (which showed themselves probably more than they should) and just like her nose they were covered in small delicate freckles, which would undoubtedly show more of themselves under the summer sun, shadowed by her long eyelashes. She had bland pink mouth (surely as soft as rose petals, Lust thought) and dark and tired circles under her eyes. Her face was framed by her chestnut hair, which shone like gold and copper in the light, that crept its way into the cell, from the torch in the hall.

But in the summary, she wasn´t anything interesting (at least by looks). She was just ordinary woman. No weapons, no traces of magic. Nothing. 

Plain. Disinteresting. Unimpressive. Boring (if he didn´t count this particular event). Not worth the sin.

He exchanged glances with Amon, who had come to the same conclusion as him. And so, they left without a word, closing the guarded cell door behind them and leaving the dungeon. 

“Send the invitations to my circle to my brothers and their wives. I will change into something presentable. And when you are finished, bring the pack to the war room and then go to the cell and inform me, when she wakes up. And if our men find anything out of the ordinary in my circle, inform me as soon as possible,” the Prince of Hell said, when he reached the entrance hall, by the staircase that led to the wing with his bedroom. Amon left to obey his order without a word and to complete the task, leaving his prince alone.

When he reached his bedroom, he couldn´t help himself but sigh. He knew what was to come. Hours long discussion with his some more and some less insufferable brothers. Also with examination of the contains of the baggage, he had found along with the woman. He changed into black suit with matching vest decorated with silver thread and dark purple shirt underneath with top half of the button undone. To the contrast with the dark suit he picked out brown Oxfords. He summoned his crown of fire and then he left his chambers and headed for his war room, where he would wait for his brothers to arrive.

He hoped that some of them would put their habits of arriving socially-(un)acceptably late aside for once.

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

He was sitting at the head of the table, one leg bent with his arm hanging from his knee, in a relaxed manner, displaying nonchalance. His brothers and sisters-in-law were already seated. Their seconds behind their backs. No one was late, not even Pride, who loved to irk our nerves and maintain the image of the debauched prince. Everybody had serious and unreadable faces, especially his brothers, who had mastered this mask centuries ago. He put on the mask as well, but with cunning look in his eyes untouched by the situation, when he took a look at everyone present. Wrath and Emilia weren´t the only ones who were initially enjoying themselves but were sadly interrupted. Camilla and Adriana looked a little shaken, but he doubted it was from the mortal woman, who had literally fallen from the sky. He did too indulge himself in times of pleasure, but it was practically his sin and it wouldn´t be him if he let it slide and didn´t comment on it. A little teasing never killed anyone.

“So, if everyone is here and everyone is properly satisfied- “he said with wry smile, watching with satisfyaction as Camilla and Adriana blushed a little but remained with stone faces. Envy said nothing, but he has put his arm possessively around his wife’s shoulder. Territorial bastard. Gluttony looked at his wife Adriana and smirked at her. She rewarded him with her famous look of anoyance, but her cheek got slightly redder, undetectable to a mortal´s eye. Her growing lust also gave her away. And Gluttony´s as well.

He barely could contain his disgust. Newlyweds. He couldn´t understand how they could be stuck with only one lover or lose the games of courting and chasing, which were sometimes more thrilling than the act itself. Especially his brother Gluttony, who was almost as licentious as Lust. He often advised his brother to fuck out his frustrations from this reporter. With the SAME reporter. He didn´t expect it would eventually come to this.

Maybe it shouldn´t be surprising. The opposites attract after all.

“- we can start discussing on how to solve this occurrence.”

But most of all, he couldn´t understand, how so he didn´t already have some nephews or nieces running around and causing chaos with all the essential fucking that was going on in the three Circles of Hell. The three couples were fucking like animals in heat. Even more times than him and that was something.

It was true that he was fucking so much he could have accidentally produced an heir already. However, he was taking contraceptives and his lovers as well (he always made sure of it) and since he was immortal in addition, it was practically impossible to impregnate one of his female lovers. It was much harder for immortals to have children, because of the very long or in some cases - like him and his brothers or Emilia - eternal life. But he doubted that THEY had had the time or break to take some properly. Although he doubted there existed contraceptive that would help with the amount of sex his three brothers had. If he wasn´t the prince of lust, he would definitely blush. 

“Did you find anything interesting on her?” Greed asked him.

He shook his head. “No weapons, no traces of magic. Only this baggage and strange clothing.”

“What strange clothing?” Gluttony´s wife wondered.

“She had trousers from material I have never seen. Shoes with some fastening I also haven´t seen in my whole life, the same one you can see on the pack,” he pointed out. With the last sentence he drew the room´s attention to the object, that was lying on the table in the centre of the meeting.

“Shall we open it?” Lust asked.

He could feel the tension, anticipation and curiosity in the air. Everyone rose up from their seats to get a proper look at what was inside. As Lust reached for the curious fastening, he could see from the corner of his eye that Gluttony looked at his reporter and took her hand, ready to protect her. As for Envy, he literally hid his wife behind his back. Camilla was cautious but also curious as she peered over her husband´s shoulder.

The pack was made of leather, but it didn´t look like real leather. Odd. The fastening had some small stick on one hand of the fastening, he reached for it and pulled up. It didn´t do anything. He wanted to try again pull the stick to the side this time, but his lazy brother had to leave a smart remark.

“Try to pull it to the side and copy the way of the –“

“I know, smartass,” Lust looked at Sloth irritated.

“Brothers,” his brother Wrath spoke out with authority, “now isn´t the time for your bickering.” He fixed them with THE look. Lust swallowed another comment. Now wasn´t the time.

He opened the pack and looked inside. There were some items he had never seen before. He took them out, one by one.

Firstly, he took out a wallet. Inside were some cards with pictures and some bank notes and coins of different sizes. Bank notes weren´t commonly used (at least not yet, mortals didn´t trust them), but the coins were a usually used currency in this century, but he didn´t recognize this embossing. Greed reached for them and looked closely at them.

“I don´t recognise the currency,” he muttered in concentration, his eyes narrowing. Then he continued: “But the embossing is very precise. I have never seen such work like this before.”

Envy was examining the cards. “On each card there is a name. The names match. (Y/N) (Y/L).”

“Is it the name of our Miss Unknown?” Gluttony wondered. 

Then he took out a thin black mirror. Next was a thick book with a very precise image painted on the cover. Too precise even for an immortal being. And an unfinished piece of crochet. The last object was some thing in the shape of the letter “Y”. One end was round and flat and the other end was made of two parts that could come into ears. It was made of metal and some strange material.

“And what is that?” Sloth picked it up and examined it. His attention was captured. He touched and tested the material with his gloved hands.

“Is there anything else?” Pride asked.

Lust turned the pack upside down. Blue gloves fell out. Also made of unknown material.

Lust picked up the book and began to read. “Look at this, the hell Prince of Lust, has taken a book in his hand. Has the Day of Judgement finally come?” Sloth teased him for all the times his brother insulted him of his laziness and lack of want to indulge in his sin society, because he would rather hide somewhere and read a book.

“Say one more world and I will send you to your circle,” Lust snarled at him. His hand itched to take out his house dagger and plunge it into his brother´s chest up to the hilt. And twist it. Sloth mockingly raised up his hands as in surrender.

Lust briefly inspected the book until he reached the last page. At the bottom of the page there was a code of numbers and letters, the name of the publisher and the date of the first edition. This caught him off guard. Shock crossed his face and before he could get his emotions under control, Camilla, who was still hiding behind Envy´s back (strange he thought – Envy hadn´t been so territorial or possessive like this before) took notice of his bewilderment. 

“What is it?” she whispered. Everyone in the room turned to him.

“There is a date of the first edition.”

“So?” Pride asked.

 “The printed date says it was published in the year 2024.”

Silence. Utter, complete, shocked silence.

“Give it to me!” Pride demanded, but he didn´t wait for his brother to simply hand it to him. He just ripped it out of his hands and looked at the date himself. Then he looked at the rest in confirmation, shock in his eyes.

The princes of hell were very powerful. They possessed great abilities, powerful magic, eternal life. Even knowledge like no one else in existence except the Creator. They can cross space, they could be in the Seven Circles in one moment and they could be behind the seas or the land of mortals in the next moment, but none of them can cross time like that. The Shifting Isles were an exception. They were unique in their own way, there were no rules that would applied to them. And for some reason there are no rules that would apply to her either. No mortal could cross space and time. Not even the witches or werewolves. Werewolves could travel between the worlds and entry the Spirit realm, yes. But never time.  

Who in the name of the old gods is this woman?

Then his second entered and cut through the tension in the room. “My lord. She is waking.”

[stellanslashgeode]

Okay, so. Star Wars has all these concepts that weirdo New Left boomer George Lucas tosses in there but because of storyteller limitations it would kill the plot to fully explain them all, so later writers have to come in for the spin-off materials and bat clean-up to fully explain all this crazy crap. And I would like to talk about something that made me actively angry at first, but which I now adore. And that is the Naboo.

So much about Naboo culture is infuriating from a logical standpoint. They have a queen, okay. A constitutionally elected queen? Weird, okay. Don't know why they'd do that but... She's FOURTEEN? Excuse me? Is it a ceremonial thing or, oh no it's not? Legit head of state? Why does she dress like that? Why does she talk like that? I'm so tired.

Here's the explainer. Let me go cook.

There's this joke in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where the last living human goes back in time and finds out humans aren't actually from Earth, but an alien culture that tricked all the middle managers, pedantic weirdos, and other infuriating folk into getting in a space arc which they gave the wrong evacuation coordinates to simply get rid of them. The Naboo are like this but they're all artists and poets and hippies, but like classy ones. They fled their home planet during a war and crash landed on Naboo, then did a colonism to the Gungans because, hey, they were fleeing a war and it was do or die. This spiritual rot in their creation story is later rectified by Padmé. But it's super important to their cultural psychology. They're hippies, but will subjugate if needed. They are "peaceful" but I guarantee you every single one of them has a tiny extremely shiny pistol up their sleeve and they will draw down on you if backed against a wall.

The scene that I think says it all is at the end of Phantom Menace when Padmé is surrounded by Nute Gunray and his droids, they've got her dead to rights, but Sabé her double creates a distraction so the queen can make it to her throne. This one piece of furniture is the Naboo in a nutshell. It's richly carved with artistic details, it has two seats to the side so the queen's handmaidens can read the lips of people in the back of the room and use hand signals to communicate with the queen while she can remain focused mostly on who is speaking to her. It is hundreds of years old. And it has a secret compartment in the armrest that is FULL OF GUNS. Layers of artistic opulence hiding their true intentions.

The Naboo were created to be backwards compatible with Princess Leia. They're compassionate pacifists, but they will shot you if needed.

Why do they elect teenage royalty? It's a little creepy. It's giving "age of consent is emotional maturity". It makes no sense.

The explanation they give outsiders is they want youthful idealism untainted by cynicism. What they don't tell you is that they take kids with stated interest in politics and put them in an advanced highly competitive Leadership Academy which is like Model UN mixed with Battle Royale. Well, they don't kill each other but it's intense. It's like what the clones went though just all diplomacy training and tea ceremonies all the time. Which is crazy but so Naboo.

Oh, and all the delegates for the royalty election run using pseudonyms for security. Imagine voting for the head of state but you can't run a background check. It's so crazy.

Why does Padmé dress like that? Well, fashion is one of Naboo's major industries so it's like she's wearing the entire Fall line catalog at once. To advertise not only the talent of her people, but to show how much they favor her. BUT that dress has multiple layers of padding and resin armor. And aforementioned spots for those little silver blasters. And it breaks up her silhouette making her harder to shoot. And it's so elaborate you pay more attention to the crazy dress and not if the person wearing it is really the queen or a decoy. Everything about Naboo is like this.

Queen Amidala has that weird accent while Padmé does not. Because all her handmaidens helped create the accent together so they all can imitate it. It's like if you gave girls at a rowdy sleepover the job of federal counterintelligence. That's what they came up with.

The handmaidens wear colorful identical clothes so you can't tell them apart, hoods to partially conceal their identity, and they don't wear the queen's fancy makeup. So one of them can be the queen and spy on people in the audience. Because the Naboo don't trust shit for shit.

Their public face is so silly to hide all the truly weird shit they do behind the scenes.

They use their reputation as artist hippies to conceal multiple layers of subterfuge and disguise their methods of self defense and assuage their paranoia due to wartime trauma and their disturbing colonial past. All of them are completely off their rocker even by Star Wars standards. And I love them so much. They put on a show so everyone thinks they have them figured out but what they have going on is far more weirder and more sinister than meets the eye. You know how catty, neurotic, and competitive art school students stereotypically are? Yeah, planet art student. Love them!

There you go, @charmwasjess

[vogelmeister]

“ranking every story i’ve written by how inappropriate it would be to add a confetti cannon to the end”

[unadulteratedsoulsweets]

A DC X DP IDEA #47

I would turn back time just to see you again

Imagine dis…

I just needed to clean my drafts and this one is a bit overdue. Also I think I saw a post similar to this one and I cant find them anymore so either way kudos to them cause their post inspired me to make one of my own.

…..

Danny Phantom, now Danyal al Ghul, had found himself hurled into the past. Panic clawed at him. He didn’t need to guess, he already knew something had happened to Clockwork, his mentor, his protector, the Ancient of Time himself. A disturbance in the Infinite Realms had yanked him forcibly back into his younger body, leaving only his soul intact and including the full weight of bearing the title the Ancient of Space.

And he had landed here.

In Nanda Parbat.

In the very place where his life had ended the first time.

But Danyal was not without resources. He had memories. He had the power. And most importantly, he had training. He understood he couldn't act suspicious not here, surrounded by League members who could smell weakness.

So he slipped into his former role.

He became the perfect illusion of young Danyal, the former him, the wide-eyed, devoted son who adored his mother and idolized his older twin, Damian.

Every smile, every soft word during the rare times where only he and Damian are together, every clumsy move was calculated, down to the tremble in his voice and the slight hesitations in his steps. His every expression was carefully crafted to mimic innocence.

As much innocence he was allowed within this halls.

Danyal was acting, and he was doing it so well that even Talia and Damian, the supposed two people who knew him best, never questioned him.

Not at first.

He trained in secret, pushing his ghostly powers to the edge while outwardly struggling with swordplay in which Damian mastered months ago. He let it show in his own body language on how confused he is during strategy meetings, deferential during training sessions. He laughed and cried. Anything to keep suspicion off his true nature.

He will avoid the Fentons at this time around at all costs. As much he adored Jazz and Dani he wouldn’t want to feel his own organs rearranging itself and beating outside of his own body for the second time.

But he will wait, wait for the fateful day where Ra would only need one heir. The day where Danyal Al Ghul could never grip his sword right as to follow the order to fight by the Demon Head.

The day Damian had killed him without so much as a second thought always vying for the rightful title as the heir.

But something went wrong.

A week into his second life, Danyal watched with growing horror as events began to diverge from the past he remembered. Talia and Damian that was once Ra’s al Ghul’s most loyal heirs, had killed Ra’s themselves. The man who had cast his shadow over their entire lives was gone, and now both mother and twin looked at Danyal with sharp, unsettling intensity.

Family dinners became mandatory, silent meetings took place behind locked doors, and Danyal could feel the weight of their stares lingering on him longer than ever before.

He clung to his mask of naivety, knowing any slip might reveal the powerful being hidden beneath the skin of a boy.

He almost convinced himself that he could handle it—that he could steer this altered fate back on course.

That deep down Damian still wanted to be the only one. The one true heir.

Until a horde of colorfully dressed vigilantes stormed Nanda Parbat’s gates.

As Danyal al Ghul, he had to respond.

Katana in hand, neutral expression plastered on his face, he sprinted toward the throne room. He braced himself for bloodshed, for the clash of steel.

Instead, he heard shouting.

Bursting through the doors, he found not assassins or invaders—but Gotham's vigilante elite: Nightwing, Batman, Red Hood, Red Robin. Only Robin was absent. They stood frozen, as pale as specters, staring at him.

At the boy with Damian's face—and crystal blue eyes.

….

Six Years in the Future:

The Batfamily had been losing a brutal war against Eclipso—the personification of God’s wrath, possessing Ra’s al Ghul’s body, corrupted by endless dips in the Lazarus Pit. Eclipso had shattered mountains, unleashed floods, brought devastation with the power of a fallen god.

Just as he delivered what should have been a killing blow to the broken Batfamily—

They woke up.

In the past.

Dick was back in Blüdhaven. Tim was Robin again. Jason was a newly minted Red Hood. Bruce was a broken man, still mourning Jason.

Memories intact, instincts sharper than ever, they knew where to go: Nanda Parbat.

They expected to find Ra’s. They expected to find Damian.

They did not expect Ra’s to already be dead, his ashes scattered to the wind.

They did not expect Talia to step from the shadows and confess she had killed him herself, striking before Eclipso could even thought of possessing the former Demon Head.

They did not expect Talia relinquish her own hold to Damian. Talia as though pushed him towards them.

And they certainly did not expect Damian go wide eyed in surprise and then anger and be so so insistent to stay here.

The argument between Talia and Damian was vicious, each screaming accusations and betrayals at the other—until a boy, a stranger, entered.

A boy who looked like Damian.

But whose eyes blazed bright, glacial blue.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Danyal al Ghul.

A son Bruce had never known. A brother Damian had killed in the first timeline. A secret Talia had buried deep within her heart.

To Damian, Danyal was the brother who had loved him without hesitation—whom he had destroyed in cold ambition.

To Talia, Danyal was her true heir—the one she had nurtured, protected, loved beyond measure.

To the family of vigilantes, Danyal was a son/ brother that they didn’t know about, and didn’t get to mourn about.

And now, faced with a second chance, neither Talia nor Damian would let the Batfamily take him away so easily.

Because no matter how much Bruce or his sons demanded— Talia would rather die than lose Danyal again.

And this time, Danyal wasn’t a helpless boy.

This time, he had secrets of his own.

…..

PS: If someone out there wants to continue or make a fic about this you are free to do so, don’t forget to tag me though.

PS: This is shorter than i thought it would be....

[litnerdwrites]

Euphemia fic?

New Friend- Euphemia (Part 2)

I've had so much going on, I barely have time to write. It sucks. But, I want to try and answer as many asks as I can this week, and hopefully, they'll be a new chapter of clandestine affairs out next week, followed by the first chapter of my Nesta fic. Fingers crossed!

New Friend - Platonic!Gluttony x Niece!OC, Platonic!Wrath x DaughterOC, Platonic!Emilia x DaughterOC

WC:3712

TW: Nothing but fluff. Oh, and Wrath threatening his brother, and a baby Ice dragon. This has some very mild spoilers tos. Two characters that appear here are from the book, along with those characters interacting with Gluttony, but if you want to go into it 100% blind, then I advise you not to read.

Notes: I will be using Prince Gluttony's various names interchangeably throughout the fic. So, just to be clear for those who don't care about spoilers, Gabe, Gabriellis, Gabriel, and Gluttony, are all the same person.

Masterlist Kingdom of the Wicked Masterlist

Euphemia squealed when she saw the large feathers that were presented to her. The feathers were as white as freshly fallen snow, some even compared them to angel wings. Now that the little princess thought about it, the feathers did look somewhat like her Uncle’s feathers, and he was a fallen angel. But then, so was her daddy, and all her other Uncles, and they didn’t all have white wings. Daddy’s used to be silver and gold, according to her Mama, but now they were black. And Uncle Envy’s were green! So, really, the pretty plants in the greenhouse could be the color of an angel's wings, if there were angels who had green wings like Uncle Envy.

Although she wanted to ponder the matter of wings a bit more, and perhaps start voicing her millions of questions, certain that her parents had answers for her, her attention was quickly drawn back to her gift. She felt like she knew, surely, who had sent it, and the thought of it made her giddy, with anticipation, squirming on her throne as she became anxious to touch and play with them. 

The King and Queen, however, clearly did not share their daughter’s excitement. 

Emilia merely blinked at the sight, brows furrowed in concern, but Wrath immediately narrowed his eyes on Gluttony, who met his brother’s stare with a grin. 

“Care to explain, brother,” Wrath’s knuckles went white as he gripped the arms of his throne, despite Emilia’s attempts to sooth him, “what are these for?”

He was seething, Gluttony could tell that much. He only wished to contain his rage, for the sake of his daughter. That’s not to say the princess of House Wrath feared her father’s temper, or hadn’t seen it before, in fact, the issue had little to do with his brother’s sin at all. It had more to do with how young Euphemia still was and while it was several years ago at this point, the trauma surrounding her birth, and its immediate aftermath still weighed heavy on their family. 

His sister in law most of all, and not just because she was the one going through months of pregnancy and then many long, agonising hours of labour, followed by everything else that had happened (though that was certainly part of it). The realm would forever be left to speculate what occurred the night she was born, but Gabriellis, and his brothers, all knew that if things had turned for the worst, that night, the realm itself might have fallen apart, shortly after, if not at the hands of Emilia herself.

His eyes slid to The Queen, softening as he noted her white knuckled grip on her husband’s hand, and how the other subtly twitched towards her daughter. Wrath’s grip softened beneath his wife’s touch, and he realised that, for a moment, the three of them had tumbled down the same train of thought. 

A fit of giggles from beside him is what snapped him from his thoughts. At some point, the princess had run down the dais, to her gift, and was happily chatting with Anir, who kneeled by her side, smiling gently, and seemingly telling her about the different ways she can use the feathers. Though, he doesn’t miss the pain that flashes through his eyes the moment Euphemia turned away. So he was remembering it too, then. 

“They’re a gift, brother. For Euphemia to use as she wishes.” he answers with a grin. 

“From whom?” Wrath reiterates. “They seem a bit large to be yours, and I find it difficult to believe that any of the Ice Dragons would send them to her for the sake of friendliness.” 

“Believe it or not, but that’s exactly what this is.” 

“Really? From Sil?!” Euphemia calls from beside him. 

Gluttony turned, noticing that his niece had come up to his side, and was practically jumping up and down beside him.

“Yes, little demon. He won’t admit this, but he spent a long time trying to find the perfect gift for you.” Gluttony smiles, reaching down to ruffle her silver hair as she squealed in delight.

Before Wrath could question him more, Emilia stood. Wrath and Gluttony turned to her, but she didn’t spear them a glance as she glided down the dais, towards her daughter. Anir had since returned to his post at the foot of the dais. 

The Princess squealed as Emilia brought her into her arms, but The Queen remained patient as she wrapped one arm around her thighs and the other gently patting her hair. The princess wrapped her own arms around Emilia’s neck, and her head against her shoulders. 

“Mama?” Euphemia whispered, though her voice echoed across the silent throne room. 

Emilia kissed the side of her daughter’s head, then resumed stroking her hair. 

“Yes, my little magpie?” Emilia cooed. 

“Are you okay?”  

“Yes, baby. Mama’s okay.” She kissed Euphie's cheek, then turned to Wrath, holding their daughter close. “I’m going to get her lunch. Come and find us when you’re done.” is all she told him, before walking out with Euphemia. 

_______

“- and then he let me sit on his tail tuft! It was so soft and feathery!” 

Emilia smiled softly, reaching over with a napkin to wipe the crumbs from the side of her mouth, as her daughter rambles about her ice dragon friend. The idea of her daughter coming across such a creature, while left unattended, didn’t sit well with her, but the maids who were supposed to watch her had already been severely reprimanded, and her baby was okay, thanks to Gabe, so she chose to find more… productive methods of expressing her fury instead. Typically with her husband, who had similar inclinations. 

“Ice dragons are very dangerous, my magpie. Weren’t you scared? Or cold at the very least?” She asked, as Euphemia took a bite of another cannoli. 

“Hm? Not any more than usual, when I go outside with a cloak.” Her daughter hummed around a mouth full of Cannoli, her eyes set on a stuffed Hellhound Anir had gotten her for her birthday some months back. 

“What did we say about talking with our mouth full, baby?” Emilia admonished with a chuckle. 

“Sorry!” Euphie chirped, her mouth still full with Cannoli. 

Emilia just laughed again, right as Wrath and Gluttony entered the kitchen.

“Daddy! Daddy! Look! Mama made Cannolis for snack time!” 

“You had Cannolis, and didn’t think to share some with daddy?” he asked with mock anger, scooping Euphemia into his arm and holding her on his hip. “This means war.” 

She squealed in delight, as Wrath pinched her cheeks. 

“Nuh uh! Those were my Cannoli! Yours are over there!” She pushed his hand back, pointing to a tray on the counter. 

“So they are. I suppose you got lucky today, princess.” Wrath smiled, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

Emilia laughed softly at their antics as she offered Gluttony some Cannoli as well. The prince accepts them with a nod, but doesn’t miss the flash of pain in her eyes when she turns back to her husband and daughter. Gently, he reaches around and rubs her back. The Queen’s eyes darted to him, but he didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he smiled at his niece, as she made faces at her father, who held her over his head. 

“I know how much you trust Silvanus,” she murmured to him, “But I just- After everything- She’s my baby.” 

Gluttony glanced towards Emilia, but she’d turn back to watch Euphemia and Wrath. Her eyes never strayed from his. 

“Silvanus won’t hurt her. I’d stake my throne on it.” He repeated what he told his brother. 

Emilia sighed, and dropped her gaze to her interlocked hands, resting on the table. 

“I can’t lose her.” She whispered. 

“I know.” 

“Uncle! Uncle!” 

Gluttony turned just in time to see Wrath stand, and Euphemia ran from where he was, over to him, with her Hellhound toy clutched to her chest. He crouched on one knee, and opened his arms for her, which she gladly ran into. 

“Yes, my little demon?” 

Euphemia looked up

“Uncle Lust was telling Uncle Sloth about a party you threw last week. He said that you and Aunt danced all night.” She looked up from his chest, her mouth hidden behind the head of her toy as she did. 

Gluttony cocked his head to the side. 

“We were. Why?” 

“Why wasn’t I invited?” She huffed. “I love dancing too! I wanna dance with you as well! And with Uncle Lust, and Uncle Sloth, and Uncle Pride! I wanna dance with all of you, and drink fizzy juice. Daddy doesn’t even let me go to the parties he hosts, and he just hogs mama all night.” Gluttony frowns at her, surprised at where the conversation was going. “And wanna know the worst part?” 

“What’s the worst part, little demon?” 

“You invited my friend, but you didn’t invite me.” 

Gluttony went still. 

Silvanus had been at the party, or rather, the tail end of it. He and Adriana had gone with him to check up on some of the new hatchlings after the ball had ended. Usually, he went with his hunters, but Adraina had wanted to see them, and Silvanus had insisted on going as well. ‘To protect the lady’ is what he’d said, before letting her climb onto his back. 

“Your friend?” he asked evenly. Gluttony wanted to be sure it was Silvanus she was referring to, although he was almost certain it was. 

Euphemia nodded. 

“I know you got upset last time, but I just don’t get it. Sil was so nice, and he tried to keep me warm, and let me pet his tail feathers. He even sounded like he was scolding me when I told him I snuck out, just like daddy does.” She hugged her toy close. “I just don’t understand why you have to take my friend away. He was the first one I ever had.” 

“You have Val. She’s your friend. So are Anir, Fauna, and Alexi. Blade agreed to be your friend too, remember?” he reminded gently, as he wrapped an arm around her legs, and stood, holding her to his hips.

“It’s not the same.” 

Gluttony frowned, knowing she was right. Being ‘friends’ with her adult family members, and the people who worked for them (regardless of how close they are) was very different from growing up with your own peers. Although, he wasn’t sure that being friends with an ice dragon was any better. 

“I-” 

“Euphie,” Emilia called. Gluttony turned to his brother and sister in law, his niece still in his arms. A servant stood beside her. From what he recalled, this woman was Euphemia’s head maid, Ana. “Go with Ana and get ready. We’re going outside to meet someone. Oh, and be sure to dress warm.” 

Euphemia grinned, squirming in her uncle’s arms until he let her down, then ran off, with Ana jogging after her. 

“If anything happens to my daughter, Gabrielis, I will wipe him, and his kind off the face of the realm.” Wrath’s voice was low, and laced with a promise of bloodshed. 

Gluttony turned to his brother, not at all perturbed by the icy promise in his voice, and nodded. 

Emilia stepped forward, and placed a hand on her husband’s arm.

“You’re certain he won’t hurt her?” 

“If I thought there was any chance Silvanus was a threat in any way, I wouldn’t allow him anywhere near Adriana.”  

Emilia pressed her lips together, and searched his eyes. Eventually, she nodded at him, then left the kitchen, rose gold gown trailing after her. 

_________

Wrath and Emilia remained vigilant, as the four of them headed out to meet with Silvanus. Gluttony didn’t need the ability to sense emotions to feel his brother and sister-in-law’s anxiety, but he chose not to comment. Instead, he glanced down at Euphemia, holding his hand and chatting happily with Gluttony, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere, as she skipped at his side. 

“-Aunt Addie said it’s really just like horse riding. Is it really?” 

“Do you even know how to ride a horse, little demon?” 

Euphemia turned to her uncle, meeting his raised brow with a grin, shut-eyed grin. 

“No. But I can learn.” 

“You’ll need a horse first, dear.” he mused, “And I don’t think there’s a hell horse in the realms on which your feet would reach the stirrups.” 

“They can too! I can borrow Death! Or Tanzi!” 

“I think Uncle Gabe is right, princess. Perhaps when you’re older.” Wrath interrupts. 

“But I-”

“Why bother with horses, when dragons are clearly the superior creatures.” 

Gluttony rolled his eyes, but kept a grip on Euphemia’s hand, even as she tried to tug it loose. They had Celestia cast the spell to allow him to communicate while the princess was being wrapped up in a warm, pink cloak, lined with white fur and held together by a gold serpent brooch. 

“Yet you're both just as likely to drop her.” Gluttony reminded him. “And don’t forget to mind your manners, Sil.” 

“Sil!” Euphemia shrieked happily, as she finally pulled herself free from her uncle, and ran towards the dragon. “You came to visit!” 

“Of course, little Princess.” The dragon tilted his head to the side, watching the princess. “Is it not normal for one friend to visit another?” 

Euphemia opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a happy bleating that sounded across the yard. 

Everyone froze.

A smaller head poked out from behind Sil’s paw. The baby Ice dragon wasted no time in taking in his surroundings. He bleated happily, running back and forth between Sil’s giant paws, trying to decide where to explore first. 

“You brought Vex?” Gluttony hissed, still staring at the little creature that, unlike Sil, hadn’t gotten permission to be here.  

Vex, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered by the tense atmosphere at all, and seemed content in its exploration of House Wrath. 

“Had I not, he’d be wreaking havoc in your palace, Prince. You named him Vexus for a reason.” Sil huffed. “Besides, he was intrigued by the concept of a ‘play date’.” 

Gluttony blinked at Sil, still processing his words. 

Play date. He brought Vex for a play date?

“This wasn’t part of the plan.” Wrath growled, eyes trained on Vex. 

“Unfortunately, Vexus derails plans as a hobby. I dare say his sense of adventure rivals my own.” 

“So I’ve heard. Adriana thinks he’s in the dragon version of terrible twos.” Emilia added, seeming tired at the very thought.

Wrath winced as he recalled how Euphemia was at that age, but his rage was forgotten for only a small moment, before he turned back to his brother.

“My daughter’s safety isn’t a joke. If he bites her-” 

An excited shriek pierced the air, followed by a thud, and the adults immediately whipped their heads to the source. Euphemia’s face lit up in a way Gluttony had never seen, as she sat in the snow, Vexus’s paws on either side of her, as he nuzzled against her. She giggled at the baby dragon, reaching up to pet the side of its head as she did. 

“You’re like my daddy’s puppies,” she smiled, Sil snorted.

Even Wrath had to snort at that one.

“I think Ice dragons are a bit more deadly than Hellhounds, lovely.” Emilia called, biting back her own chuckle. 

“Even your sister in law is wiser than you, prince.” Sil mused. 

It was only after becoming bored with the pets, that Vexus noticed Gluttony. The baby dragon’s eyes widened and it charged towards the prince. Gluttony staggered a bit when he caught him. Vex nudged his chest, and he rolled his eyes, before beginning to pet him.

“Oh, how sweet,” Emilia cooed, drawing the dragon’s attention. 

Vex cooed, and started nudging the air in her direction too. His sister-in-law giggled, and reached over to pet him, only for Wrath to grab her hand.

“Bite her, and I will mount your scaly head to my wall.” Wrath warned, then let go.

Emilia rolled her eyes and Gluttony scoffed. But the dragon paid him no mind, and cooed as Emilia began to pet it. Gently, Gluttony set Vex down, allowing him to keep nudging at Emilia’s gown, wanting more pets. He patted Wrath’s shoulder, but the demon of war remained vigilant, eyes glued to Sil, apparently having decided he was a bigger threat. 

“Is that your baby, Sil?” Euphemia asked, the older dragon that now sat with his scaly stomach pressed to the snow covered ground.

“Vexus is part of my pack, but he is not my spawn.” Silvanus explained, but gluttony can see something like sorrow flash through his iridescent eyes.

Euphemia caught it too. She raised her arms up, and made grabby hands towards him. Sil lowered his head, and allowed the princess to splay her arms across his muzzle.

“Oh, you are cold!” she squeaked. 

“Would you like me to warm the scales?” Silvanus asked, and Gluttony thought back to when the dragon asked Adriana the same question.

Euphemia shook her head. 

“Nuh uh. It’s perfect.” 

“Is it not too cold, though?” Sil asked, iridescent eyes, glued to the girl, still hugging him.

“All of Hell is cold. It’s just the climate of our home, and I still love it. If it wasn’t cold, would Ice dragons even exist? And if they did, would they be the same way they are now? Probably not. I think it’s all perfect, just as it is.”  

Silvanus let out a puff of icy air that sent a small flurry of snow towards the adults. Wrath scowled at him, keeping one hand on his dagger, the other around Emilia. 

“You are a wise child.” Sil hummed, “I’m sure you’ll grow to be a just princess.”

“That’s high praise coming from a dragon.” Euphemia giggled, then stepped back, but kept a hand on his muzzle. 

“Euphemia. What do we say when someone brings us a gift?” Emilia asked, now holding Vexus.

Silvanus’s iridescent eyes flicked between the Queen and princess.

“Oh, right.” She gasped, then took her hand back from the dragon, taking her skirt into her hand and dipping into a somewhat wobbly curtsy. “Thank you so much for your gift. I truly love it.” 

Silvanus raised his head, letting out a proud huff, accompanied by a puff of icy air. 

“I’m pleased that it’s to your liking. I took care to ensure the feathers shed were of the highest quality, fit for a princess.” 

Gluttony swore he heard Emilia giggle behind him, and even Wrath let out a huff of amusement. 

“Hey, Sil? When I’m all grown up, can I hunt with you like Uncle does?” 

Sil tilted his head.

“That is up to your family. However, should you wish to join the hunt one day, then I look forward to meeting you in battle. I’m certain you’ll be a worthy opponent.”

“Then I’ll be sure to live up to your expectations. Let’s make it a fun battle.” she grinned, happy to welcome the challenge. 

Gluttony grinned too. To those who had found Euphemia to be too timid, or sheltered, especially from her father’s rage, let her excitement for battle be proof that she was House Wrath, through and through.

___________

Emilia smiled from her spot on the blanket, and took another sip of her wine. She, Wrath and Gabriel had spent the last two and a half hours watching, as Sil lounged across the ground, allowing Euphemia and Vexus to use him as a climbing frame while they played. They hadn’t expected Silvanus’ visit to last this long. They thought their daughter would thank him, pet him, beg to go on a flight, only to be denied, and that would be that. Now, Emilia couldn’t help but want to coo over the scene.

Euphemia and Vexus were curled up in the crook of Sil’s tail, as it wrapped around the rest of his body. Gluttony had confirmed that Sil heated it enough for her to be comfortable, and Vex clearly didn’t mind, since he’d fallen asleep almost instantly. She sighed, passing her glass to Gabriel, and walked over to the dragons. 

“Thank you for looking after my daughter. And for today,” she whispered to the dragon.

“It’s been a pleasure, milady.” Sil nodded, then turned back to the freshly hunted Hell Deer that Wrath had someone bring out for him to eat. 

Though, Vex may have woken up a couple of times to steal a leg or two.

“The two of you are welcome to come back and see her, if you’d like.” 

“I should like that very much. As would Vexus. We have grown rather fond of the little demon.” 

Emilia nodded, walked over to Sil’s side. The dragon was happy to allow her up, to take Euphemia into her arms. Vexus shifted in his sleep, but settled quickly, after Emilia gave him a few gentle pets. Euphemia shifted in her mother’s arms, nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck as she gave Sil one last nod.

Wrath stood as she returned, and gently pet Euphemia’s head.

“Bed time?” He asked Emilia, who nodded.

“Thank you, Gabe. I was weary at first but this really made her day.” 

Gabriel nodded. 

“I only wish there was a more permanent fix.” Gluttony sighed, lifting the flue to his mouth. 

“There would be if you and the lady had one of your own.”

Gluttony choked on his wine, while Emilia and Wrath tried to hold back their laughter (just so they wouldn’t wake their daughter). Even Sil snorted at that.

“If you have no answer, I’ll ask the lady about it later.” Sil nodded.

“Don’t you dare!” Gluttony hissed.

“Perhaps you and Adriana should consider it, brother. I’m sure Euphemia would be excited.” Wrath added.

Gluttony groans, and Wrath grinned wider.

Emilia shook her head at the bickering, and instead turned to Euphemia. 

“I know you feel alone right now,” she whispered, “But Mama, and  daddy, and all your aunts and Uncles love you, so dearly, my little magpie.” Euphemia began to shift in her arms, so Emilia gently shushed her. “Just wait, my darling. Everything will work out. You’ll see.” 

[missdynamighttt]

i can just imagine that bf! katsuki's idea of a prank for april fools is... truly something else.

it was april 1st, and you knew something was up.

katsuki had been acting too smug all morning—watching you with that feral little glint in his eyes, lips twitching like he was holding back a secret he could barely contain.

he wasn’t exactly subtle. he never was.

so when he gestured toward the living room with a deceptively casual, “got you a seat, sweets,” you should’ve known better.

you looked down at the chair behind you. then at his suspiciously innocent expression.

then back at the chair.

it looked like a chair.

still… something reeked of bullshit.

but you, tragically, were trusting. and very tired. and in very, very tiny shorts. so—you sat.

and the “chair” just, vanished.

because he’d yanked it away at the last second, and you landed squarely on his face.

a startled squeal left your lips, your hands flailing for balance as your thighs straddled his head. “katsuki—!”

he let out a guttural groan that vibrated straight through you, hands already locking around your thighs to keep you exactly where you were.

“happy fuckin’ april fools, sweetheart,” he rasped, voice muffled deliciously between your legs.

you couldn’t even respond before he grabbed your hips and pulled you down with zero warning, your thighs straddling his face as you yelped, scrambling to keep your balance.

and when his tongue immediately slid up against the wet patch of your tiny shorts, already bullying through the damp fabric like he had something to prove, you knew you’d just been played in the most evil, genius way possible.

“th-this is not what.. april fools is supposed to mean,” you gasped.

“sure it is,” he growled. “i made a fool outta you. thought i was givin’ you a normal chair."

“katsuki—”

he just groaned again, louder this time, the sound shooting straight through your core as he pulled you down flush against his mouth. his nose bumped against your clit through the cloth and you nearly sobbed.

“fuck— this isn’t even—this doesn’t count as a prank—!”

“it does if it ends with me eatin’ you out,” he muttered smugly, voice muffled beneath your thighs. “best fuckin’ prank of the year.”

your hands fumbled uselessly at his hair, clutching for something to ground yourself while he tongued your clothed cunt like he hadn’t eaten in days. and god, he was relentless, licking and sucking and grinding his face up against the thin fabric like it offended him.

“there you fuckin’ go,” he purred, tongue flattening against the mess you were already making. “that’s it, atta girl. ride my fuckin’ face."

you shivered, legs trembling as your body betrayed you, hips rolling forward without you even realizing it, chasing the friction.

“you ambushed me, asshole!” you gasped, flushed and panting, though your hips were already obeying him, grinding down slowly, rhythmically, chasing the pressure.

“‘s not ambush if you’re enjoying it,” he growled. his teeth grazed your inner thigh. “now shut up and ride your throne.”

you couldn’t even respond. not when he hooked a finger under the waistband of your shorts and yanked them to the side—finally getting his mouth on your soaked cunt, bare and aching and already trembling for him.

your head tipped back. “fuck—!”

the smug bastard moaned into you, like he knew he had you, like he wanted you to drown in it—wanted you to remember exactly how dangerous it was to sit in anything he called a “seat.”

katsuki’s mouth was devouring you like this had been the plan all along. and, god, it probably had been. he was nothing if not meticulous when it came to fucking with you, especially when it involved your thighs on his face and your moans in his ears.

your nails dug into his scalp as his tongue licked a stripe up your folds, slow and hot and absolutely criminal. he didn’t give you time to catch your breath either, just latched onto your clit with a low grunt, sucking until your knees nearly gave out.

“shit—katsuki, i’m gonna—”

he growled, like good, and gripped your ass tighter, anchoring you against him. “then fuckin’ do it. cum on my face."

your brain short-circuited. he was groaning like he was starving, and you were trembling above him like you were about to break.

and when he slid two fingers inside you—without warning, curling them just right, you did.

your orgasm hit like a damn truck, hips jolting, thighs trembling around his head as you gasped his name so hard it cracked. katsuki didn’t let up, tongue lapping through your release while his fingers pumped you through every wave.

only when your legs started to give out completely did he finally ease up. just enough to look at you with his lips slick and his grin absolutely feral.

you collapsed onto his chest the second he sat up, totally spent, heart still pounding.

“best fuckin' holiday, huh?” he murmured, kissing your temple.

‎‧₊˚✧[ it's me, kia ! ]✧˚₊‧ ｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ ‎‧₊˚✧[ more of katsuki ! ]✧˚₊‧

⋆˚࿔ kia's note ˚⋆ ahhh pls pretend its still april 1 lmao, finally done with school and hopefully i get to write more!! hope you guys enjoyed💗💗

[yourlocalmushroom]

The Amulet

dpxdc

Damian was nine when his brother died.

Danny had been twelve—older, taller, faster. Wiser, even. At least, that’s how Damian had always seen him. He was the one who ruffled his hair when he was annoyed, the one who taught him the best way to land a hit when sparring. The one who, even in their grandfather’s suffocating world, still managed to make Damian laugh.

And then, one day, he was gone.

Not just gone—erased.

By the time the grief had settled like dust over his shoulders, Ra’s al Ghul had made sure no trace of Danny remained. No files. No photographs. Not even a whisper in the League’s archives. It was as if he never existed.

But Damian remembered.

And he had the amulet.

A small, smooth crystal set into a metal frame, strung on a fine, worn chain. Danny had pressed it into Damian’s palm the night before he disappeared, closing his fingers around it like a secret.

“Keep it close, Dami. No matter what happens—don’t lose this. Promise me.”

Damian kept that promise. Through every sparring match, every mission, every moment he stood as Robin beside his father. He wore it beneath the collar of his suit, hidden but always present. When the world felt heavy, the amulet reminded him he hadn’t imagined it all—hadn’t imagined Danny.

And over time… it started doing more than that.

At first, it was just a feeling—a presence. Every time Damian found himself in danger, the amulet would glow, just barely, almost imperceptibly. He didn’t think much of it. Probably just a trick of the light.

But then the near-misses started.

A blade that should have sliced through his side—dodged at the last second. A bullet meant for his skull—tilted just an inch to the right. A collapsing beam during a mission—falling just shy of crushing him.

Every time, the amulet pulsed, and the next moment, he would move—without thinking, without reason. It wasn’t skill. It wasn’t luck.

It was something else.

And the family noticed.

Bruce had narrowed his eyes every time, watching him with the same calculating look he used when analyzing evidence. Tim had outright asked if he was cheating death. Even Jason—who didn’t believe in magic or miracles—had muttered something about the brat being “too damn lucky.”

Something was wrong.

But then, the real nightmare began.

It started like a whisper—stories of strange phenomena, ripples in reality, beings phasing in and out of existence in small towns and quiet corners of the world. Then the whispers turned into chaos. Entire cities blinked through moments of freezing cold, electronics failed, shadows moved when they shouldn’t.

The Justice League investigated.

What they found wasn’t a rogue metahuman, but an open wound in the fabric of their dimension—and something trying to crawl through it.

Ghosts. Entities. Creatures that bent light and space, beings of ectoplasmic energy that grew restless, aggressive. Some were merely curious. Others were cruel.

And they were looking for someone.

“The King,” one of them rasped through Zatanna’s containment ward. “He is here. We can feel him. His heart beats in this world once more.”

The JL pressed for answers. The ghosts spoke of a kingdom—the Infinite Realms—a place of dimensions layered like veils. Their king had fallen, and now the throne trembled beneath the feet of a usurper. The war had spilled over into this reality in search of the one who might reclaim it.

The king, they said, had been reborn.

But time was running out.

In the weeks that followed, the world became a battlefield. The League, the Titans, the Bat-family—all fought with everything they had. Cities were scarred. Skies turned green under rifts of swirling ectoplasm. And still, the invaders came, stronger, bolder.

Until one night, Damian found himself face-to-face with death again.

He’d leapt in front of a civilian—reckless, impulsive, the way he always was when his blood ran too hot. The specter’s blade moved too fast.

There was no time to dodge.

But the amulet around his neck blazed to life.

Light burst outward in a pulse that made the air shatter. The ghost reeled back, howling in agony, while every other entity across the battlefield froze. A shockwave rippled through them—not of force, but of recognition.

And fear.

Every spectral eye turned toward Damian.

The king is here.

Some screamed in fury. Others dropped their weapons and fled. Those who lingered felt the surge of power that poured from the boy—not his own power, but something ancient, something buried deep in the amulet that now burned white-blue against his chest.

Everything stopped.

The ghosts froze, eyes wide with horror.

"The King," one of them whispered.

Damian barely registered it.

The energy surged through him, crackling under his skin, pulsing with something ancient and vast. He could hear voices—distant, echoing, familiar. The ground trembled beneath him, and for the first time, the invaders fled.

The war was over.

And Damian collapsed.

The League called an emergency summit in the days that followed. Damage had been widespread, but miraculously, there were no major civilian casualties. As cities began to rebuild, questions remained. Chief among them: What exactly had happened?

Robin sat in the meeting chamber, surrounded by the most powerful beings on Earth, saying nothing. His fingers drifted toward his chest—only to find nothing there.

The amulet was gone.

His breath caught, just slightly.

The warmth that had always been there—the anchor to his brother, the quiet hum of protection—it was gone.

Panic swelled in his throat before he even realized he was standing. The conversation around him blurred. Someone called after him, but he was already halfway down the hall, footsteps echoing through marble and steel.

He burst through the balcony doors, heart hammering—and stopped.

The sky was clear. The stars shimmered like tiny mirrors.

And there, leaning against the railing, arms folded, gaze turned upward… was Danny.

Whole. Real. Alive.

He hadn’t aged a day.

The same snow-silver eyes. The same wild black hair that defied gravity. That same presence Damian had only remembered in fragments, in dreams.

Danny turned at the sound of footsteps. His expression softened.

“Hey, Dami.”

Damian felt like the world had shifted beneath his feet.

Danny’s voice was exactly the same. Not older. Not changed. As if he had never left.

"You grew."

The words were soft, fond.

Damian’s breath came sharp and uneven. His body screamed at him to move, to do something—to attack, to demand answers, to hit Danny for making him think he was dead.

But he couldn't move.

Because suddenly, that warm thing in his chest, the one he had ignored for years, the one that had flared to life when he had blown out the candle that morning—

It broke open.

Flooded through him like fire and light, grief and relief, memory and something else—something too big to name.

He had spent years pretending he didn’t feel the ache. Years telling himself it didn’t matter. That his brother had been erased. That he was alone.

And yet, here he was.

Standing in the moonlight. Smiling at him.

Danny existed.

The amulet—the core—had never just been a memory.

It had been Danny.

Waiting.

Returning.

And Damian didn’t know what to do with that.

So he did nothing.

Just stared.

Just breathed.

And Danny just smiled.

Like he had never been gone at all.

[thestoryarchives]

Kingdom of the Wicked

TBA

TBA

TBA

Clandestine Affairs - Lust x OC (series masterlist)

Tomorrow- Lust x Reader What does tomorrow hold for Lust and (Y/N)? Well, they have some ideas. (Request). ⚠️Nothing really. This is a fic that appeals to Lust's secret soft side, but there are some canon typical sex references. Nothing out of the ordinary.⚠️

TBA

Pet - Gluttony X Reader Gluttony returns from a hunt, expecting to find his fiancé in bed, waiting for him, to reward him for his victorious hunt. Well, she is in bed, at least. Maybe not entierly alone though. ⚠️References to sex but no smut. All pretty cannon typical.⚠️

TBA

Want it - Euphemia Wrath demanded his brothers presence as they try to solve the mystery behind his daughter's current fixation; Demonberry wine. ⚠️Little blood, but just cuts, canon typical threats of violence (threatening people is like, Wrath's hobby), mentions of a child potentially having drunk wine. She never does on page, but the possibility is discussed if that's something that bothers you. Really, it's mostly fluff.⚠️

Headcannons - Euphemia Just some fluffy, cute headcanons for Euphemia and the Princes of Hell.

New Friend - Euphemia Part 2 While visiting House Gluttony, Euphemia goes on a hunt of her own, and makes a new friend. Fluff all around.

Filia - Euphemia As Euphemia prepares for her very first, age appropriate ball, she can't help but be overcome with anxiety. ⚠️Anxiety, and some bullying being hinted at. Also, mild spoilers for a scene in KOTC, not a major plot spoiler but something that happened. As well as a mild spoiler about Edan if you haven't read totf.⚠️

Uncle Lust - Headcanons Some headcanons for lust as an uncle.

Prince of Sin Week 2024

[blueeclipsepaperstudent]

Lost souls - Chapter two | Lust x reader

Summary:

Prince of Lust is known for his cunningness, desirability, extravagancy and most of all – cruelty. He can give others the taste of pure joy and desire, but before his victims can grasp on those feelings, he takes it all. Together with any desire to live, what made a being a being, to feed his sin. Where once was utter joy, there was utter hell. But lust is never-ending and always left unsatisfied, just like gluttony – enough is never enough. And so, the prince keeps on taking and taking, yearning to fill that void inside his rotten and wicked soul, or what was left of it, and hiding this very truth from the world and himself behind his jovial and cunning persona.

Reader is a mere mortal, who is trying to make her world a better place by helping only pure souls that are left in the world and tries to improve their lives. At the age of 25 she graduated Veterinary University and became well-regarded by her colleagues. But no matter how hard she tried, sometimes her knowledge, skills and practice aren´t enough to saves lives that matter to her the most. That is sadly a part of her job, of medicine. She is average beautiful honest and perceptive young lady with big heart and sensitive soul, that was hurt and struggled to live many times in her life. And is struggling once again. What will happen when she somehow ends up in completely different world and timeline, far away from home?

What will happen when these two lost souls finally collide?  Will they find solace in each other, or will their difference only keep them forever apart?

Maybe their difference isn´t so big after all. 

Lust x our world!reader

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

Warnings into the future: emotional struggle, suicidal thoughts, slow burn, small confidence, lust is a secret romantic, threesome, penis in vagina sex, oral sex, mirror sex, dirty talk, praise, violence (more warnings will be add in the future),

there will be probably no plot – it will be a journey of two souls finding their way to each other (with eventual porn)

This is for everyone who can´t wait for another book starring Prince of Lust. Because the book isn´t released (and who knows when it will be released) we don´t know his inside character. So this won´t be totally accurate and this is purely my imagination (hell I didn´t even read The Throne of the Fallen or The Throne of the Secrets, because it isn´t still translated to my language) what his character actually looks like. So, this fic will be probably rewritten once his book will be released :P.

And sorry for any grammar mistakes. As you probably found out English isn´t my native language.

AO3 - Lost Souls

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

(Y/N) = your name                     

(Everybody knows this shortcut (just how many dirty fictions you read, you freak), but I will still give here an explanation.)

(Y/L) = your last name

(Y/Nn) = your nickname/short version of your name (given by your family)

(Y/C) = your favourite colour

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

<<<< Chapter One

>>>> Chapter Three

Chapter Two

I took off my face mask as the patient let out his last breath, no resuscitation helped him. I let out a weary sigh to the beeping of the monitor expressing my another failure.

“Time of death – 12:38,” I said, looking at my colleagues, who looked as tired and as grim as I did.

I left the operating room without a word, leaving the rest of the work to my colleagues. I took off my blood-soaked clothes and gloves and threw it into the thrash. I washed my hands and left the death behind me and started looking for a place to hide from everyone.

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

I woke up to the alarm of my phone. Sign for me to get up. So I did. Ignoring the fact that it was getting harder with another day and another failure.

I did my morning routine, got dressed, took my keys and left my small, quiet cottage-like house to face another day at work.

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

I was doing some paperwork in my office, which was attached to the clinic I had set up. After graduating the Veterinary university, I spent a year traveling across the world – Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Madagascar, Japan and many places in Africa and Asia - improving my skills and knowledge, gaining more practice and experience. When I returned home I set up a clinic, which helped the horses, farm animals, small animals, also wildly living animals that found themselves at the rescue stations. My clinic also cooperated with zoo. I wanted to help as many animals as I could. So, I hired the best of the best veterinarians, who shared my goal and passion, in my country and one from another country and soon our clinic became one of the best and acknowledged.

This clinic became my child and I was very proud of it. I loved my work and I still do. But recently my failures were getting the best of me. I wasn´t getting joy from any of my patients I could help and instead my mind was overwhelmed with patients I wasn´t able to help.

I took a sip of an energy drink I had poured myself. One could think I had taught myself to drink coffee, since I had attended a very difficult university. I despised bitter things and never got over it. But I really could use a dose of real caffeine right now. Good sleep was avoiding me for a long time and I needed to stay awake during the work.

I was lost in the words and letters on the blindingly white paper when the knock was heard.

“Come in,” I called out not lifting my head from the paperwork.

My colleague entered and sat down in front of my desk without saying a word. I couldn´t look at her. I still felt ashamed of yesterday´s exitus.

“How are you feeling?” my colleague said carefully. Like it was supposed to trigger some rampage.

“I feel fine” I lied with the most convincing smile I was capable of. I even looked from the papers and gave her my best smile to her. I wanted to convince her that she didn´ have to worry about me.  I didn´t want be a burden or let anyone down with my inner turmoil. But she always saw through my lies. It was a pathetic and naïve attempt. 

“Liar.”

Didn´t I say so?

I sighed and leaned against the back of the chair. I didn´t want to look at her. I knew that if I did, the dam of tears would finally break. And I didn´t want to look weak in front of her. I am her boss after all. I am supposed to be someone she could depend and rely on when everything fails and crumbles down.

“What do you want me to say?”

She remained silent for a few minutes studying my face. I tried to hold everything in, not to let anything of my true feelings to the surface. Then she said: “We´ve all noticed you´ve been out of your skin for a while now.”

I swallowed.

“There is no life in your eyes lately. You are not the same as you were the first day we started working together,” she continued with a hushed tone. Still no reply from me. “You can talk to us, you know. We are your family, you can tell us what is troubling you. You can rely on us.”

“I am the one you are supposed to rely on.”

“But you are human too. It is not a shame to feel lost and troubled. Especially with us. Boss or not. We are in this together,” she said with such a soft tone. Like I would break down if she raised her voice. Maybe I would.

Tears were prickling my eyes. I blinked many times to make them go away, but it wasn´t helping. I inhaled some air trying to say something, however I couldn´t bring myself to it.

My colleague rose from her seat and came to me, feeling and seeing my struggle. She kneeled before me and took my hands in hers.

And I broke down. The tears were flowing from my eyes endlessly. The more I tried to stop them the more were flowing. And my colleague held me in my arms, shushing me, comforting me. I grabbed her uniform in my fists and cried harder. She reassured me many times that it was okay. It was okay to cry. It was okay to let it all out. That I will feel lighter once I will get it all out.

But the truth was I didn´t lighter or better. Actually, I felt even worse.

“What is bothering you?” she asked me while I was calming down from what felt like hours long mental breakdown. But I think she already knew the answer. She just wanted to hear it from me.

“I am a failure,” I exhaled, my voice clouded in tears and full nose. She didn´t reply. She waited for me to explain.

“I failed one life yesterday. I failed 3 lives last week. And another ones last month. I couldn´t do anything to save them,” I cried out.

“But you have saved and helped so many lives in between. You are not a failure.” she paused and the continued.

“Death is a part of our job. No matter how far we have come with technology and knowledge, there are some things that cannot be cured, that cannot be treated. Sometimes we must give our patients procedures, but we don´t know for 100 % if the patient can endure the procedure or treatment, but we have to do this procedure, because we haven´t found a better way, yet. There's also the question of whether there is a better way.”

“I know that. But I cannot get rid of the feeling that I am not doing enough. That I can do more. That I should have tried more,” I whispered. I had never felt so small in my entire life like I felt at that moment. The anxiety making me smaller and smaller, making me a small, pressurised ball ready to finally explode. My chest was hurting, I couldn´t lift the weight of the guilt I felt.

My friend opened her mouth, tried to say something, but then someone burst into my office.

“It´s Freya!”

Both of us got up from the floor, entering the doctor mode, and rushed to the room, where we were looking out for our patients. Freya has been here practically since her birth diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. We were giving her strong inhibitors, so she could experience a normal life as much as possible, since the owner didn´t want put her down. However, she wasn´t responding much to the inhibitors. She already had a high dosage (as much as we could give her), everybody had expected some improvement would finally show up like it was in the case of other patients with the same disease.

The improvement had never showed up. The disease was progressing rather fast. Still she remained a happy and curious foal. She easily crawled into our hearts.

We arrived at her box. She laid there breathing heavily. Not moving.

We quickly got to work.

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

After hours of work, trying to make her cling to life, Freya was gone.

Another lost life to my list.

For the rest of the day everyone worked as best as they could, trying not to let sadness get to them. I contacted the owner, telling her the bad news. She arrived in an hour, and we handed her the foal for cremacy or burying. She arrived and left without a world, but I saw the resentment and accusations in her face.

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

I worked until evening, some of my colleagues already left in the afternoon, other colleagues arrived for the night shift.

I changed my work clothes to civil – black turtleneck and dark blue jeans -, put on my backpack and left the clinic. I didn´t have a car. I always used public transport. But I wanted to be alone right now, so I decided for a walk. It will be a long and tiring walk. Normally I was lazy to walk for so long (and didn´t have any stamina for it), but tonight I wanted to punish myself.

After an hour of walk I reached the bridge. Another half an hour was ahead of me until I reach my lonely home, where nobody was waiting for me. I gave myself a break and stopped, leaning on the railings. I looked at the depth beneath me. Dark and cold river flowing, not caring what else she took with it. Never stopping. A constant in this world. A complete mindless part of this world, but as much important. I wanted to be like the river. I wanted a clear mind. I didn´t want to care about the rest of the world.

I looked at the sky and wished I could live without guilt, without fears, without failures. I wanted to come home and have somebody there, who will hold me as I break down and then put my pieces together. I wanted to live happily like the foal until the very end. I wanted to enjoy my life as I have before.

I closed my eyes and made the wish.

Then I came to my senses and laughed at my nativity. Wishes were for the kids. Happiness was for the lucky ones, the chosen ones. I wasn´t one of them. And I will never be. I continued my walk ignoring the passing cars.

Suddenly, there was a loud and urgent car horn behind me. I turned around and was blinded by hitlights. The horn still sounding. I put my arms in front of me in pathetic attempt to protect myself. And then everything got dark.

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I didn´t know where I was, I couldn´t open my eyes no matter how much I tried. My body wanted to give up to the unconsciousness. I was cold.

I heard someone´s footsteps approaching me. Somebody touched my neck and then I heard someone talking, but I heard them like I was under water. I couldn´t make up the words. Somebody moved my body, but I lost the battle and fell to the arms of unconsciousness.