#to get knifed by Ren and have a scar because I think it's interesting

[ghostietea]

You must imagine that your favorite character will be happy someday

[magnhild]

Nora Valkyrie, Identity, and Purpose

Hey everyone, Blaire here, and almost exactly a year ago, I made this mess of a post where I laid out all of my thoughts on Nora and what I thought the show could have in store for her.

And honestly, most of my ideas were way off, and not at all correct. Also, the post kind of flopped.

Thankfully, Volume 8 has given me a chance to redeem myself, and write another, more coherent, essay about my favourite RWBY character; where this Volume seems to be taking her character, and what it means to me, personally.

Buckle up.

To the vast majority of people in the RWBY fandom, Nora is the least-developed character, and the one most lacking in dimension. Most of her character seems to be defined by two things; her energy and love for fighting, and her relationship on Ren.

Volume 8 took note of these conceptions, and addressed them head-on.

Of course, any keen-eyed viewer will have noted Nora’s hidden depths even before this volume, which I noticed in last year’s post. She is perhaps the most perceptive of the main cast, at least, when it comes to people’s feelings and relaionships. She was the only one to really comment on Pyrrha’s crush on jaune, and the first to bring up Blake and Yang’s growing relationship. It was also her level-headedness that resolved RNJR’s argument in Volume 4, Chapter 9.

Volume 7 also showed us her innate desire to protect the weak, and her disdain to those who have the power to help, but refuse. I personally get the feeling that this was her driving motivation in becoming a Huntress; to protect people who cannot protect themselves, perhaps because she doesn’t want anyone to have to grow up as she did. Nora’s fury at Ironwood in V7C7 is esepcially signifigant, because it’s the angriest we’ve ever seen her before, even more so in that this anger is directed at someone with much more authority than her.

But these little details were only the tip of the iceberg. These were traits she already had, and while they help to add layers to her character, they’ve done very little in terms of her actual development. 

This is where Volume 8 came in stronger than any other.

Volume 7 hinted to us that Ren and Nora’s relationship was beginning to get more complicated, between their bickering, Ren’s dismissiveness at Nora, and their kiss in V7C6. By the end of the volume, it was clear that they were still struggling, despite their clear love for each other. Volume 8 carried this thread along, having them split into different parties, and Nora giving Ren a bit of attitude we’ve not really seen her direct at him before. 

She’s frustrated with him, and disappointed that he can’t see what she sees. But despite her tough front, V8C2 then hints that she’s sadder about the split than she’s letting on, after May brings up Nora’s ‘friends’. C3 then brings this to a head, where we get a conversation that sees Nora opening up to Blake and Yang, and revealing a deeply sad truth about herself- that she has no idea who she is without Ren, because she’s spent so much of her life with him and him alone, and her feelings for him have shaped so much of who she thinks she is. We’ve never seen her so hopeless and lost, especially after she reveals that, as far as she’s concerned, all she’s good for is hitting stuff.

Right in these few minutes, the show takes how the audience percieves Nora, and reveals to us that those two core traits are the gateways to a far deeper insight of her character. She’s known for her relationship with Ren, but wait- what about when he’s not there with her? She’s known for hitting stuff, but wait- that’s all she thinks she’s good for. 

It’s revealed to us that, not only is this how most of the audience percievs Nora, but it’s how she percieves herself. And for all her energy and upbeat attitude, deep down, she thinks incredibely lowly of herself. For all her confidence in her fighting abilities, she lacks confidence in herself as a person. 

Surprisingly enough, the ‘who am I?’ character arc is one that was hardly explored at all up until this point, despite it being one of the most common and signifgant character arcs in fictional media. And I don’t think many of us at all could have imagined that Nora would be the one to get that arc, when she’s always seemed so self-assured on the surface.

And then, when Penny is in need of help, Nora takes Weiss’ advice to heart, and does the one thing she believes she’s capable of- being strong, and hitting stuff.

Nora overcharging her Semblance to take down the wall is seen by a lot of the fandom as some kind of win for Nora; as her ‘big moment’. But while it’s certainly a really cool and badass scene, it was far from a triumph for her.

This was Nora at perhaps her lowest point so far in the series. This was Nora figuring ‘well, if this is all I’m good for, I’ll do it to the extreme’. This was Nora thinking her only purpose was to greatly endanger herself for the sake of others, because she figured she was the only one who could. And she almsot got herself killed for it. 

While certainly a defining moment, it was far from triumphant. It wasn’t a win. It was a self-destrcutive act that reflected how little she thinks of herself; that she’s not worth anything unless she’s pushing herself to the limit doing the one thing she thinks she’s good at.

And to drive the knife in harder, it backfires horribly. 

Because now she’s bedridden and critically injured, with scars that are probably permanent; a reminder of her lowest point, forever marked on her body. She can’t fight now, can’t help at all, and Salem has launched her attack on Atlas.

And in her half-unconsious state in V8C7, she realizes this, delivering an absolutely heartbreaking line:

As far as she’s concerned, her last attempt at doing what she thinks only she can do- what she thinks is all she can do- has prevented her from doing anything of worth at all. She lost one half of herself when she split from Ren, and now she’s lost the other half too. The two things that she defines herself by are gone. And the worst part is, we don’t know if she’s awar of the fact Salem has begun her attack. We could very well see her fully wake up, only to realize that the world has begun ending while she was unconsious, and she can’t do anything about it.

Now, this scene, and Nora’s struggle in this Volume as a whole, hit home for me in particular.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’re probably aware that Nora is only of my hightest- and only- kins. And I’ve only been able to relate to her more and more after what we’ve got of her in this Volume.

I am chronically disabled. I have a connective tissue disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which fucks up my body in a multitude of different ways, but signifigantly affects the joints. For me, it hits worst in my back, ankles, and my fingers. The fingers are my main problem. To make matters worse, I’ve also been victim to intense pains in my shoulder, which came out of nowhere a couple of months ago and have only gotten worse since. The slightest movement aggrevates it. As any follower of mine would know, I am both an artist and a writer. I create both for fun, and I’ve studied writing as a profession. It is these things I’m known for being good at, and not much else. 

Thanks to my disability and my shoulder though, I have to do these things less. Even on perscription pain medication, it still hurts. It hurts to write this even now; my shoulder feels like it’s burning up from the inside. It will only get worse over time.

So, I’m finding myself in Nora’s position. I can’t do what I’m good at anymore, and I don’t know what to do with myself as a result. Not doing these things makes me feel lazy and unproductive, and makes me feel that the people around me will abandon me so long as i can’t keep providing them content. And I’ve gotta say, it hurts a lot, and I don’t just mean physically. 

Because of what I’m going through, it’s especially important to see my favourite RWBY character just so happening to be dealing with the same problem; the same loss of idenity and purpose. We don’t know who we are or what we’re good for without the things we think define us.

While I’m unsure of my own future though, I find comfort in knowing that Nora’s problem will be tackled and addressed; that her friends will help her to rediscover herself and find her true worth. And while we’ve got a while to go until we’ll be able to see the Volume continue, I’m incredibely excited to see where Nora’s arc goes, especially if we can get some backstory along the way. I find myself wondering if her life before Ren is part of why she thinks so little of herself without him- was it the way she was raised to think? Is this the fault of her childood circumstances? Or is this just something she developed on her own, after becoming too dependant on Ren for comfort?

Whatever answers we get, I have faith that Nora’s story will be told well, and I’m very sure that it’s only just beginning. Even if she finds her worth before the end of the volume, her story won’t be over yet, not when we’ve still likely got at least four more volumes to go after this one.

In just seven episodes, Nora Valkyrie has gone from one of the least developed characters, to one of the most interesting and relatable, at least, in my eyes. There is so much more depth to her character than having a crush on Ren, and being the strong girl who hits stuff. There’s a layer of tragedy to her character that we’re touching upon now, and I’m excited to dive into it.

Thank you all for reading!

[insufferablelust]

Pretty little thing, (II)

Warnings : this series will be filled with Adult content, upcoming smut, murder, psychotic behaviors, dark kinks, traumatic events, manipulation, gaslighting, and isolation, interrogations, Daddy issues, abusive parents, blood, Spencer Reid x Unsub!Reader.

This is a dark fic, there might be stuff that could trigger you so please read with caution and/or don’t read it if you are sensitive to the stuff in the warnings.

MASTERLIST.

——————

like i’m a flower,

that’ll rot at a speed of light,

like i’m a ripe peach,

that’ll bruise in the daylight.

——————

“Y/N Y/l/N put your hands on the air and hand us your weapon!”

Y/N’s brain thrummed against her skull, her lips quivered as she laughed loudly at the situation she was under, her hands up after she has tossed her gun and knife, turning around with knuckles all bloodied and face tear stained with angry red splotches— the sight truly psychotic.

“You’re making the biggest fucking mistake, Professor.” She chuckled, head tilting to the side at the gun cocking beside her head. Her eyes never leaving Spencer’s as Luke cuffed her scarred wrists behind her break and guided her outside of the house to the police car.

Spencer watched as she continued laughing from inside the car, her eyes never leaving his as his eyes stayed with hers. “She’s truly a narcissist huh?” He was blurred out of his thoughts by JJ’s voice beside him, His brain can’t seemed to let go of her voice chanting ‘mistake’ over and over inside his head.

“Spence?” JJ tapped his shoulder, jolting him from his mindless thoughts of a girl, the girl he arrested, the girl in the car, the girl who killed so many others, the girl who worked with cat, the girl— that looked innocent.

————

He stared at her through the window pane, he saw her bandaged knuckles, her head hung low and the wrist twisting around the cuffs. The more Spencer looked at her, the more he connected the dots, the more her remembered every foggy memories that surrounded her, every time cat mentioned her name before.

“Y/l/N isn’t dumb Spencie—“ Cat rolled her eyes, “She’s quite smart actually, when i’m dead she wouldn’t dare to betray me. do you know why?” She challenged, licking her lips in a cocky manner,

“Tell me.”

“Because i live inside her, every time she breathes it’s because i allow it— even after i’m dead, she’ll keep doing what she does best, killing our fathers.”

Our fathers,

Our fathers,

“Our fathers.” Spencer blurted out suddenly, alerting Emily who was about to stepped into the interrogation room. “What?”

“Our fathers, that’s what cat said when i visited her last to talk about Y/N.” He whispered the last part, still unable to connect all the dots. It’s like when it comes to Y/N, he freezes, he stopped breathing, his mind stopped thinking. Its like he had known her for so long— that she was someone special to him.

“Let me talk to her..” He pleaded, fingers gripping the door tightly— eyes begging Prentiss to just let him talk to her. “Spencer you’re—“

“Conflict of interest, yes but i— i know her better than anyone here okay, give me a chance. She trusted me more because she knows me.” Emily’s eyes switched between Spencer’s and Rossi’s, looking for the best decision. “You know the protocols, just get her to talk, if things get difficult in there i won’t hesitate to pull you out of this case.” She stated firmly giving the files over to Reid, which he thanked her for, before stepping into the room.

———

Y/N felt him before even seeing him, she felt the warmth of his presence before she even had the knowledge of touching him— his body heat. Yet, Y/N knew it was him, he’s here with her. She kept her head low, closing her eyes tightly as she felt the low rumble of his voice as he sat down on the opposite chair.

“Hello, Y/N.”

She smiled, the sound of her name— her real name rolling from his tongue brought her some peace and quiet. Stopping her raging mind from all the torture she endured. It was 5 seconds of heaven, she concluded.

“Y/N, I’m—“

She giggled before he even muttered a third word, she giggled loudly but her head kept hanging down, she could already paint his expression inside her mind— she had studied him in great details for years, she knew every twitch of his face without even looking at him, like it was imprinted deep in the core of her memory.

“Is there something funny?”

He used that tone, the tone that made her shivered whenever he uses them on class, when he had scolded her because she was late, when he corrected her because she ‘accidentally’ did all her homework wrong. The very same tone she adored, that made her nerves twitched and seared her core. So she shrugged, licking her lips as if he could see her.

“Y/N Y/l/N, born November 17th 1985, only daughter of Amethyst Ren who died giving birth to her, and William—“

“Don’t you fucking dare.” Her head snapped, looking at him with a sharp glare— a glare so sharp that it could cut through the glass. Spencer remained calm as he sees the way her fingers twitching together, and her skin on her wrist digging painfully against the cuffs.

“Be careful not to hurt yourself, as i was saying.. William Y/l/N who was a—“

“Fucking stop.” Her skin digs through the cuffs painfully as tears spilled out of her eyes— her tone was raging with anger.

Reid looked at her briefly before continuing with a straight face, trying so hard not to show any emotions, “A local businessman, apparently he raised Y/N—“

“You have a fucking death wish, Professor.” The blood dripped onto the interrogation table as the sharp cuffs nicked the skin, her legs bounced hard against the desk, a sign of agitation and pent up frustration.

“He raised Y/N dutifully and he—“

“He was an abusive fucking prick, who destroyed my life.” Y/N screamed loudly, her hand banging the table as Emily marched in to the room, trying to pull Spencer out, “Reid, out.” She said sternly but Spencer refused.

“He was a fucking coward, do you know what he did, professor? he broke me— damaged me into this this fucking monster” Y/N let out a sinister smile as she fought through the sobs, “My mother— my mother, he killed my mother. He killed her because do you know what men like him wants? what gets him off, professor? some young girl to torture,” She’s full on laughing now as she stopped the bounce on her knees and stilled completely,

“My mother was his precious girl, yet she’d grown too old so- so then he had me— and it was time for her to go.” She tilted her head to the side, “I was perfect for him, his personal punching bag..” Y/N closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and smiled sweetly at Spencer and Emily, “I never killed anyone, not once, i might be insane— might thought about killing, but there’s only one person i want to kill, and i haven’t gotten the chance yet.” She leaned in closer to Spencer as her waist bent over the table,

“I’m not Cat, Professor. I’m smarter than her, you know that. She thought she manipulated me, made me her personal clean up puppet. But, look at us now— she’s underground and i’m up here with her favorite man.” Y/N bit her lips, eyes pierced at Spencer’s “If you want to Arrest me, arrest me. But you know damn well, i’m just an innocent and beaten up daddy’s girl. My hands are clean.” She sat back down as her eyes flicked to Emily and smiles sweetly,

“I want a lawyer, please and thank you.”

————

“We’ve got enough evidence to arrest her, her fingerprints was all over Cat’s victims.” JJ voice rang through the room as the others kept on discussing about Y/N lawyering up,

“Yeah, but why is she lawyering up now? she knew about the evidence, she left them on purpose at the latest crime scene 2 years ago.” Rossi said, his eyes trailed over to Spencer who hasn’t said much after the interrogation room, eyes glued to her file and seemingly deep in thought.

“Right, it doesn’t make sense. She could’ve stayed hidden if she wanted to— she managed to do that all this time. Why expose herself to Spencer now?” Tara chimed in, head shaking at the puzzle thats in front of them, confusing each and every one of them. Whilst Spencer’s eyes blinked repeatedly as he remembered, the words that left Y/N’s lips,

“My hands are clean.”

“You know that, Professor.”

“Beaten up Daddy’s girl,”

“Daddy’s girl.”

“She never killed anyone.” The table went silent as he spoke up, his eyes darted to the picture of William on the board then back to his team,

“Spencer—“ JJ was about to cut him off before he murmured,

“The reason why she exposed herself now is because she found her ultimate target, the one she has been after all these years, she was right— she’s way too smart to fall into anyone’s game even Cat’s. I’ve seen her ability enough times to know how observant and smart she is combined with the fact that She has managed to stay hidden all these years when Cat was too unstable to see through my lies when i arrested her,

That’s why we never found any evidence except the fingerprints— we profiled that this splatter of blood..” He pointed to the picture on the board and took a deep sigh “was an act of someone cleaning up, all of the murder site said the same things about her fingerprints— clean up.” He finishes, whispering the last word.

Spencer looked up to see his teammates all shocked, especially JJ who has her palm on top of his shoulder trying to say something but clearly couldn’t, then his eyes flicked to Emily as she stood and walked over to him,

“It’s not impossible.” She stated, leaning into the table as she used her palm to support her body, “Emily—“ It was Alvez this time whom raised the doubt,

“No i mean think about it, The blood, the way she stayed hidden and her sudden appearance, her behaviors— we profiled her as the exact epitome of Cat Adams but what if that was only her cover up. If she was truly a narcissistic psychopath she wouldn’t have the ego to deny any of the murders— she would be proud of it. What if, all these time we weren’t looking for a killer, but the misunderstood puppeteer?” Emily grabbed a photo of her and placed it on the table,

“Well then who’s her actual target?” Penelope bit her lip nervously as Spencer placed a photo of,

“William Y/L/N, her father.” Next to her’s.

“Garcia—“

“On it!”

————

Taglist and Requests are open! Message me or simply send in your asks!

( @drreidshands , @annestine , @addie5264 , @maybankslut , @lolitstiana , @imjusthereformggcontent )

upcoming updates : TAAHM VII, Blurb Requests!

[remedyhunger]

Bumbleby Percy Jackson AU

Blake Belladonna as Percy Jackson, a troubled kid who got expelled from 6 schools before finding out she was a half blood demigod and daughter of Poseidon. Her mother Kali met her father one night near the ocean and they fell in love. Blake has severe ADHD and dyslexia due to her fathers side. She thinks he doesn’t care about her when in reality he does and has always watched her. Blake’s step father is a piece of shit his name is Roman. (Don’t at me). She is a rebellious and smart girl who usually feels everything is her fault. Blake is strong and can control the water around her...which sometimes gets her into trouble..she considers herself a black cat who always ends up with the short end of the stick. She finds Yang really pretty but also believes Adam is handsome, she has conflicting feelings, but after Adam’s betrayal and Yang comforting her afterwards her interest in Yang grows.

Yang Xiao Long as Annabeth Chase, a smart genius level and clever girl as well as the daughter of Athena. Yang is also very strong for a demigod she can flip even the strongest boy from the Ares cabin. She also has ADHD but not as severe as Blake and dyslexia cause her brain is hardwired to read Ancient Greek. She finds Blake interesting and she at first was cautious around her due to her mother and Blake’s father’s ridiculous rivalry...until she saw a spark in Blake’s eyes. Yang is also very cheerful and kind to any newbie that comes to camp half blood. Unfortunately she has a strong temper that gets her into trouble. Her weakness is her hubris. She considered Adam a brother until he betrayed her by trying to kill Blake during the quest.

Adam Tauras as Luke Castellan Demi god and son of Hermes (I know he redeemed himself by killing himself but these two have way to many similarities that I can’t ignore it ok, Luke still did what he did because of his own selfishness) Adam has a long scar that goes down his left side which he got from Ladon after stealing a golden apple for his father Hermes. Adam resents his father and the gods in general but he hides his hatred from the other kids at camp half blood. He is also 7 years older than Blake and Yang. Adam at first seems charming and kind toward Blake which she takes a liking to. He makes Blake feel at home at camp half blood. Yang and him both came to camp half blood with Pyrrha and Sun when he was 14 and she was 7, he gave her a bronze knife to rid her of the monsters and Sun a gold staff. Adam tried to kill Blake several times even though he knew she liked him.

Sun Wukong as Grover Underwood who is a Saytr and and one of the sons of Pan. Sun is a happy go lucky boy who enjoys playing games. He is Blake’s best friend and guardian. He can talk to any animal and is very loyal to Blake. He along with Yang, Adam and Pyrrah all went to camp half blood. He was given a golden staff by Adam, and witnessed Pyrrha Nikos getting killed. Pyrrha was to daughter of Zeus, and he felt responsible for her death. Sun and Yang get along pretty well. He has a slight crush on Blake but never tells her cause he knew she had a interest in Yang the moment she woke up at camp Half Blood.

Ok yeah these are the main bunch and yes I have ideas for the other characters like Qrow as mr.d , Mr. Burner as Ozpin, Nora as Jason Grace, Ren as Piper McLean, and Jaune as Leo Valdez.

[raiswanson]

15 OC Questions/Character Interview Tag-- Clifford

Rules: Pick a character from your WIP, and have them answer these 15 questions!

I was also tagged for this by @dove-actually! (You’re tagged back below if you want to interview another of your characters!) Thanks! Thanks to you I was able to do one for Cliff too! And where would we be with a Reg without a Cliff? ;) (Reg interview found here!)

~

1. What is your full name?

Clifford Ford. Yes, I know. “Ford Ford”. Don’t ask, my mother was very-- My family was a little different. They did their best.

2. What does your full name mean?

Honestly, whatever it actually means I can assure you it was given to me because Mom thought it sounded nice. She’d probably tell you it meant “blessing”. But I never thought to ask.

3. What are your nicknames/other names?

“Cliff” is the usual go-to. Reg called me “Clifferson” once when I gave him fuss over his name, though. Think that might take off? I rather like it.

4. What’s your gender?

I'm a man. And a rugged example of one, don’t you think? [winks]

5. What’s your sexuality?

Oh, anyone that catches my interest really. I’m not too picky. If you make good conversation and we suit one another’s tastes then I’m all yours.

6. Where are you from?

Just...a small village a few miles off...outside of town. You’ve probably never been. It’s very reclusive. No need to dwell there. Next question?

7. How old are you?

Twenty-six years young and counting. Oh, don’t look so surprised. It’s the beard. Makes me look older.

8. What is your magic form/What species are you?

Hahahaha, oh, wow. Okay. Well, despite what those around the office might say, I’m not a werewolf. I know, I know, I’m about as furry as one, but I’m very much human I assure you--the Watch can attest to that, they’d be happy to execute me for lycanthropy if they could.

Mind, I’m not at all offended by the comparison. Werewolves are good folk, but well...you know. Important that no one believes those rumors. Lots of people around here attack first, think never, and I can’t help the wolves out from my side if a mob leaves me dead in a gutter now can I?

9. What does your human form look like?

I’m a devilishly handsome specimen of a man, can’t you tell? Red-brown hair, nice beard--I forgot to trim before this interview, apologies, it’s usually much tidier--and I think that my arms might be thicker around than your waist. Are you eating alright? Do you want to get some food after this? Hodge’s makes an amazing cassowary omelet and it’s almost time for my lunch break.

10. What’s your aesthetic?

Hmm. Can you make an aesthetic out of wood carvings? Is wooden animals and good food an “aesthetic”?

11. Who’s your best friend?

Ah. Well. It’s rather...it’s a little hard to come by friends as a werewolf sympathizer in a place like Srivet. Especially in the guard. I’m trying to get people to come around, but it’ll be a while. For now I’ve only really got Mickey and if I called her my best friend she’d probably say that was the most pathetic thing she ever heard in her life, so...I’ll get back to you?

12. Would you ever get a piercing/tattoo?

Sure, if I had a mind to. I don’t really. Kids like Reg can get by with them but Central would be up my ass for piercings what with all the trouble I cause them, and as intrigued as I am by tattoos I’m afraid I have a few too many scars to humor the idea. Maybe a small one? I might have at least one spot clear enough to be inked. Hmm.

13. When are you happiest?

Hmm, this is a hard one to answer. I’m a happy enough guy, I think. I’m happy in good company, with good food, getting a day off to sleep in...but I suppose that I’m happiest at the times where there’s no deadline looming--or one I can ignore--and I can sit back in my office in the nice orange glow of the afternoon with my whittling in peace. No one bursting in with papers to file or emergencies to tend. Just me, my desk, my knife, and my current project.

14. What’s your biggest secret?

Ah, well, that is a personal question isn’t it? Rather bold. I suppose I ought to reward that. Come on, lean in. My big secret is...I was raised by wolves. Hahahaha. I know--shocking, right? The big hairy man that runs around getting werewolves off the streets was raised by them. Who would have thought?

You don’t believe me? Ah, no one does. It’s the truth though, honest! Hahaha

15. What was your first impression of Reg?

Well my immediate impression was that he was a thief, considering I watched him lift a book right of a stall on Market Street. Then I caught up with him and realized he was one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever-- I mean did you see his eyelashes-- erm. I mean. [coughs] He seemed like your usual scared kid off the street that’s been traumatized by the Watch’s tactics and constant fear of werewolf attacks. And then, y’know...he stabbed me in the leg. We had an eventful meeting, there’s a lot to unpack. But I know he’s a good kid deep down. He just needs some place safe to stay so that kid can come out of hiding.

Tag game tag list! (Join in if you want!)

@helenpowers @typeaadventures @tundra-tiger  @jesse-is-inarguably-purple @inkandkeyboard @scribbledwriting @lilymaidofgallifrey @booksaremymeth @otramble @dqwrites @jade-island-lives @jaidynwrites @lady-redshield-writes  @authorloremipsum @thewitchthetimeladythehuntress @midgardianthief @dwobbit-under-the-mountain @sincerestaffect @universalfanfic  @siarven @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword  @authordai @vulpixofwin  

And some new tag-ins for some new acquaintances? (if you don’t want to be tagged in tag games just gimme a shout!) @incandescent-creativity @dove-actually @fictionshewrote @ren-c-leyn  

[the-house-of-the-nine]

In Depths Below: Epilogue, Part 5

Later that evening.... 

[ L.K ]     It would be a rough start to the night. Lazarius had accompanied Jursol back to her hut and patched the broken areas just before the storm let loose. And what a storm it was. No doubt those Tide Sages of Kul Tiras were at it again. But the rumbles of thunder and lightening crashing all around, as well as the torrential downpour, it bound them inside.

Lazarius had stripped down to his shorts in the swampy jungle heat once more. The glistening of his brandings, tattoos and scars evident in the light of what few candles there were to give them a way to see. He sat on the edge of the cot she had given him to rest on earlier, and in his silence, his extended palm in front of him would flicker with small galactic wormholes that would pop into existence and fade. A black purple flame swirling around him. He was simply toying with his magic.

“We once worshipped N’Zoth, the old god of the deep. My former Mistress was the leader of our cult of The Nine. In fact, Nine member all of which lead the rest of the order to its victory and inevitably its defeat. Decades passed... I have been leading us since the times of this great Third War of the mortal races. I know your people have never been too keen on involvement but that is how long.”

He closed his hand around the flame and sighed.

[ J ]       Once back at the hut, Jursol found a few things to patch the hole on the wall up with. With a smile she handled them to the elf. As she watch how surprisingly good he was at patching up such holes, a small laugh escaped her. She knew like him this was no normal storm coming. Those damn Tide Sages had it out for these lands.

[ L.K ]     “In recent months we have shifted further and further away. I took it upon myself to take inventory of what it is we truly do. What we stand for. And it is chaos, but it is more than that. We are saviors of some of the most brilliant and talented minds the world has ever seen. People who would otherwise be killed for their work, or worse imprisonment. We provide a home for like minded individuals who are through fighting others wars and wish to thrive on our own. A nation away from the political nightmare and a place that offers salvation to all who swear loyalty to the cause.”.

In his hand she would see the construct of a void magic made machine. He created it from the shadow to give her a visual representation of it.

“The Void Forge is our greatest achievement. Made from Titan technology, Mogu and ancient earthen wares. It was reversed engineered to take life, not create. Essentially what it does it extracts the void magic from the Ren’dorei. The void elves. It stores it in batteries for us to use.”.

The image would rotate and turn for her to see all the massive gears and devices.  

[ J ]        Zandalari after all had a great naval force that could rival their own. Due to the ongoing war however, Jursol feared this was perhaps their way of hiding ships sent to scout areas ahead of the coming battle. As she listened her eyes wondered to his hands. She was still mesmerized by the beautiful galactic wormholes he was making.

[ L.K ]     “The body is then stripped of its blood which is placed in a dedicated vessel for our blood mages to experiment on. And lastly, the organic husk is used as the fuel source. Perpetually it will run for as long as we provide it with its source of fuel, Ren’dorei.”

He collapsed the construct and peered over toward her, wherever she was at this point.

“We are bad people Jursol, I know this. But we are also true, pure and devoted to one another. Love and compassion are not lost on us. We do this because when the dam breaks, and the old one returns, lives will be lost. Chaos and the Black empire will return, I have seen this. These stores batteries will be enough to provide us with a shield that will allow the world to bypass us safely in the Bastille for generations to come.”

He looked toward her still and smiled.

[ J ]        As he spoke of his people, The Nine, and the old one N’Zoth she listened intently to every word. Like many Zandalari she knew the threat of Old Gods was real. They were coming back and soon. Hell there was already the created Old One who posed a threat, Ghuun. While he may be defeated easier then most he was still a threat to all life. Jursol recalled a old Seer speaking of the coming storm. A storm of blood, death, dark magic not seen in years. An evil that once thought dormant was said to be returning.

‘Could dis be N’Zoth then?’ she thought.

The more he spoke of how his people, and their home far from the political nightmare that most live in, the more she realized how truly misunderstood he was. Him and his people may have a strange way of doing things, but their goal is far from evil. She could hardly believe the structure of the Void Forge was real. The way it worked, how it was made, everything about it peaked her curiosity.

[ L.K ]     “I could not ask for a better person, you...you Miss Jursol, to be there with me, at my side. I would ask you for it is the respected position that you deserve.”.

She watched as he offered his scarred and worn hand toward her, the image of a serpent burned into the palm.

“Join us. You with your Magic’s..you are the prime candidate to offer us a perspective we have never seen. I see in you...a person worthy of a place where she can flourish...”

[ J ]        She only had to think for a moment after he’d stopped speaking.  He bright eyes looking toward him over the glare of the fire.

“You not be bad people my friend. Many forget der be times we must be doen thins we never thought we would in order to save ourselves or others Sometimes it be taken being da bad guy to get da job done.”

She said smiling looking at him.

“Da future of yo people means a lot to ya. Der be nothing wrong with dat in my eyes.”

As his hand was reached out towards her with an offer to go with him, she bowed her head and met his hand with her own clawed and scaled hand.

“I be happy ta be joinen ya Da raptors be happy as well. Dey seem to trust ya as I do.”

As she said this big raptors gave a small grunt sound in agreement. The smaller one leaping up next to the elf and laying down.

“A place to be using me magic in peace will be a nice change. Perhaps be learnen more about da blood magic I began studying before.”

[ L.K ]     Lazarius would listen to her as she explained and answered each of his various questions and requests. Listened to her explain her side of things. It was quite obvious he knew she was exactly the type of person who could work with the order.

“A place for you to work your blood magic and perfect it. Our former Grand Magus. . . .”

There was that pause again when he regarded her.  A hint of sadness in his eyes, but he would clear it away shortly after and continue on.

“ She has written two books on the subject, her parents before her were members of the council of Nine and served my former mistress. They’d written four. Also with the raw essence being reduced down from the forge you can perhaps practice hands on with it. I am sure a Zandalari brain can think of far more interesting ways to use the blood than we elves.”

The compliment was left there, hanging in limbo for a moment as he pondered.

“Blood Huntress Jursol.”. He said with a chuckle.

“Our last Magus took my hospitality and generosity and is currently beginning work on how to utilize this blood. If possible I’d like to put you in charge of how we research the blood within The Bastille. Perhaps you and our resident scientist Doctor Whistletorque can find a way to use the Azerite with it.”

[ J ]       Jursol moved around the hut as she listened to him. Grabbing some things to make something for them to eat. Herbs, spices, dried meat, and fresh looking fish. Using a very small fireplace she worked to mix the ingredients together just so. Her clawed hands seemed skilled as she gut, deboned, and flayed the fish.

Chopping the herbs with a large knife as she placed them into a bowl. Chucks of dried beef were tossed into a pot of boiling water. A small dash of spices were added as well. Grabbing the chopped herbs she added a bit of oil to them. In another bowl she worked to crush the herbs, turning it into a paste.

The paste was rubbed over the fish before she laced it onto a rack over the fire. Some vegetable type things got added to the stew of beef and spices.

“A place to be practicing in peace be something I be happy to have again. Ta learn more den I know would be a great gift to my allies. A curse to mah enemies.”

Her face seemed calm her pleased.

“So ya be having a scientist der? Dat would make finden new ways ta use blood magic much more fun, and if he be able to use Azarite as well, dat be amazing.”

A smirk grow on her lips as she laughed.

“Well I be not letting ya down. Dis magic be something I take pride in, even if he hated by many.”

As she spoke she kept up with the food. It now smelled like herbs and spices in the little hut. Her hands stirring the stew as she watched the fish.

[ L.K ]     “Well then on behalf of the Council of Nine. .  I officially welcome you into our order.  I know that it is not the Grand flare and show of excitement one such as yourself should warrant but...”.

The irony was not lost due to the fact that he was but one of the council, and the rest were not in attendance.  He extended a finger toward the air and from it a little violet spark shot up and burst into a small firework.  The explosion would for a serpent as it slithered around in a circular shape and then into a knot before vanishing.

[ J ]       Jursol gave a fanged smile as she watched the serpent slither around in a circle, then a knot, all before vanishing. It seemed to entertain her to see his use of his skills.

[ L.K ]     “Ive been giving it some thought.  And I think I know how we can get back to the Bastille.  But now comes the true test of our survival.  Getting us to the Eastern Kingdoms.  If we didn’t have to worry about the war I could arrange passage from Kul Tiras if we could get there.  But that is out.  But I need to reach Alterac.  If we can get there... the former Magus I spoke of who should still be there. . .”.

He sneered and shook his head.

“I installed a gateway through her lower sub basement into the Bastille.  It will place us directly where we need to be.  At that point I can sever her portal thus finally putting an end to that link, and reach my sisters hopefully before something terrible happens.”.

Lazarius would give only a glance toward her meal, granted he didn’t choose to eat anymore because of the parasite but he could still appreciate her talent.

“Are you up for the task Miss Jursol?  Any ideas on how we can escape this island?”

[ J ]       Hearing him speak about the order, and about getting back to them, she started thinking. She knew of the Eastern Kingdoms, and heard about the Alterac. However she never ventured there herself. Pondering for a few minutes before speaking.

“Hmm, I be knowing one way ya travel der. Dey be smugglers doe. We be needen ta get off Zandalar before dey can help. But if we be getting away from Zandalar dey can help get us ta Alterac, or close at least. Ta get off Zandalar we be needed a boat. Dat be easy, if not for da war. Mah people don take kindly ta outsiders. We be needen ta get past dem somehow.”

[ L.K ]      “That is good for us then.  Unfortunately the Horde had not actually made contact with your people before this all began.  I never gave the order to send my own operatives into Zandalar.  But hindsight is of course twenty - twenty.”

Lazarius would think for a moment.  His eyes drifted toward his hands.  The edges of his fingers slightly starting to blacked right at the tips.  Alarming but not enough to warrant attention.  

“What if....”.

He slowly smirked and shifted on the bed while sitting on its edge.  His pale flesh glistening in the hot jungle night; the humidity was overwhelming and the rain outside on made it worse.

“You take the guise of a guard.  One of the elite kings men.  Since I can easily pass for a Ren’dorei, you could be doing a prisoner transfer.  Say you’re taking me for a parlay with the Alliance, trading one of theirs for one of “ours”.  We get our boat and sail to where these smugglers are, they’ll never see us again.”

[ J ]       A grin crossed her lips as she gave the stew a last stir. Scooping some into wood bowl before grabbing a wooden spin.

“Dat may actually work. Ta get a guard be easy enough. Get one ta chase ya ta me, and I can use a dart with poison on dem. Can’t be having blood on da armor.”

Jursol took a bite of the stew before speaking again.

“Da dart be covered in jungle frog poison. Works fast and silently. Most be to busy ta question a prisoner trade. One of da Zandalari priest been missing for some time now. If dey ask I can be saying we be trading for her.”

Jursol laughed as she said that last part.

“Don’t worry she not be comon back. Saw her body being eaten by a few stray raptors. Some small men be killing her. Dey were near some strange looking metal things.”

She nodded and smiled, a tusked toothy smile.

“Yes dis may work for us.”

[ L.K ]     He nodded right back, and gazed at the warrioress with a matching grin.

“Yes...dis may work for us.” 

To be Continued in. . . “In Depths Below: Epilogue, Part 6″

[psychosistr]

Interesting- Jotakak SerialKiller!AU Chapter 6

Summary: During the final days of his recovery, Kakyoin decides to surprise Jotaro by going to see him after school. What he sees while following the taller boy changes his life forever, but in the best ways possible.

Warning: Graphic depictions of death, blood, gore, and violence against background characters.

Edit: Here’s the uncensored version on AO3.

Jotaro calmed down a bit after Kakyoin’s first day in the hospital. Just like before, he still refused to leave Kakyoin’s side more than necessary, but he was also trying to make himself useful when he HAD to leave for things like school by bringing back Kakyoin’s homework (along with meals prepared by Holly) and helping him with it every evening.

Thankfully he didn’t have to stay cooped up as long this time and was released after only a week for home-recovery. While that part was refreshing, he still got bored easily with nothing to do all day. One afternoon, after he was pretty much finished healing and would be starting school again any day now, he decided to go meet up with Jotaro on his way home so the two of them could walk back together. The fresh air was a nice change of pace for Kakyoin and he missed walking home with his boyfriend like before.

Kakyoin arrived at the school a few minutes after the final bell. Students were already starting to file out of the building and go their separate ways. It felt a bit odd to be out of uniform around the school, having settled on his favorite emerald green tee-shirt and dark jeans today, but he decided to ignore it since it was more comfortable walking around like this, anyway.

Kakyoin stood across the street a few blocks to the right of the school, knowing this was the direction that he and Jotaro took to get home every day and figuring it would be a nice surprise for his boyfriend to see him waiting there. He eventually spotted the boy in question exiting the school, his Joestar-level height making him easy enough to pick out of a crowd of normal-sized Japanese high schoolers. Just as he was about to wave and call out Jotaro’s name, he was surprised to see the taller boy go the opposite direction.

“Huh?” Kakyoin blinked as he watched Jotaro go towards a road to the left of the school. “There’s nothing interesting that way..what are you up to, Jojo?” He mumbled quietly to himself before deciding to follow and see what was going on.

Kakyoin followed Jotaro for several blocks past the school, making sure to conceal his presence in the hopes that Jotaro wouldn’t notice. Jotaro seemed to be following a group of students that were going in the same direction, but they were too far away for Kakyoin to make out any details. After a while, the group began to slowly disperse as some of the students went off towards their homes and after-school destinations.

Jotaro ended up following one small section of the group for a few more blocks towards a convenience store. The group went inside and Jotaro followed. Still curious as to what was going on, Kakyoin waited outside and peeked in through one of the side windows. Inside of the building he quickly spotted Jotaro leaning against one of the drink cases with his hands in his pockets while side-eyeing the group he’d followed in.

Following his line of sight, Kakyoin gasped when he saw who exactly Jotaro was following: It was the group of boys from the stairwell, including the one that still sported the scar that Kakyoin himself had given him.

The boys didn’t seem aware of Jotaro’s presence at first, going around the store and grabbing their various snacks. They did, however, notice him when they finally reached the drinks and saw him staring right at them. They faltered for a moment, taken aback by Jotaro’s intimidating presence, but soon recovered. The boy with the scar approached him first with a scowl and the two engaged in a conversation that Kakyoin couldn’t hear.

Things between Jotaro and the group seemed tense for a little while, but it all escalated very quickly when Jotaro moved from his position against the case and reached inside. After grabbing out a can of cola, he gave it a quick shake…and then proceeded to point it towards the boy and his friends and crack it open, drenching them in the sticky beverage. Once the can was done spraying, Jotaro then tipped it over to spill the bit of remaining liquid on the scarred boy’s head and, to add insult to injury, placed the can on top of his hair.

Kakyoin was frozen in shock just as much as the boys inside were. He watched Jotaro go up to the front counter and place a few yen down, presumably for the soda, before turning back towards the still frozen pack of thugs with a smirk and saying something.

Whatever he said seemed to be the spark needed for them to move again, every single one of them looking murderous with fury as they ran towards Jotaro. Jotaro took off through the front doors and ran down the street, the boys following after him and swearing loudly.

“Get back here, fucker!”

“You’re fucking dead, bastard!”

“You’ll pay for that, gaijin!!”

Kakyoin gave chase after them as well, doing his best to keep up as Jotaro led them through the streets to less and less populated areas. He lost track of them for a couple of minutes, though, when they ran across a street right before the light changed.

“Damn it!” Kakyoin swore while hitting the cross-walk button urgently. He looked around for any gaps in the traffic or other areas to cross the street while noting the direction that Jotaro and the boys had run towards. As soon as the light changed, Kakyoin was sprinting across the street to catch up again. “Jojo, don’t you dare do anything stupid!” He grit out while going down the same alleyway the boy in question had not long ago.

What was Jotaro thinking?! Was he trying to get revenge for what happened to Kakyoin, despite telling him not to do anything himself? While the notion was sweet, he was terrified for Jotaro’s safety. Sure, Jotaro was a big guy with an above-average amount of muscle, but fighting six-to-one would be difficult for anyone! Kakyoin hoped that he could get there in time to offer some help and even the odds a little!

The end of the alleyway led him towards a decrepit old house with the door knocked off of its hinges. Unsure at first if this was the right place, his intuition was proven right when he heard a scream coming from within the house. It didn’t sound like Jotaro, but it at least confirmed that the fight had started.

Not wasting another second, Kakyoin entered the building and took his knife out of his pocket, making sure to flick it open in preparation for an attack. They didn’t have bats this time, so Kakyoin wasn’t worried about being knocked out again, but he was still cautious while walking through the creaky building. Each step filled him with tension and unease, not a fan at all of how easily the act of walking gave away his location.

Slowly rounding a corner, Kakyoin noticed something strange: A wire. To be more exact, it was a thin, almost invisible metallic wire that was set up a few feet above the ground to cut across the hallway. The only reasons that Kakyoin had noticed it were because he was going slow…and because there was blood dripping from the wire. Looking down, Kakyoin noticed a matching wire parallel to the other only a few inches above the ground that also had blood on it.

“Why would-?” Kakyoin’s questioning of such a thing was cut off by another scream from further down the hallway.

Following the sound, he heard more screams and cries the closer he got.

“No! Ren! Come on man, get up!”

“Aaaah! Oh god, please-!”

“No, please, I don’t wanna d-AUGGH!!”

Each scream was accompanied by a variety of sounds from the cracking of bones to the dripping of liquid.

Reaching the source of the noise, and passing more bloodied wire traps along the way, Kakyoin found himself at what looked like the stairway to a basement. Carefully walking down the steps, Kakyoin was greeted with the sight of an absolute massacre.

First, there was the body of one boy at the bottom of the stairs: His body was sliced up in various locations, with the worst and likely fatal cut being the large gash on his neck. His limbs and torso were tangled in the same steel wires that Kakyoin had seen throughout the house, the metal woven into a net at the base that not only caught him and likely killed him when he fell, but also served as a barrier to keep anyone from going back up the stairs without jumping or climbing due to the railing blocking the sides of the stair case.

Near the side of the stairs was the second body: This boy had a broken arm and several cuts along his limbs. His corpse still had one hand extended, as if he had been reaching for the stairs when he died. The cause of death was easy enough to see- his neck had been snapped and his head spun around a full 180 degrees so that it was staring up at the ceiling while the rest of his body was, what would have been, face down.

Kakyoin climbed down a little further so that he could actually see the rest of the basement. The floor and walls were all splattered with blood, a trail of which led to the third body: That one was in gruesome shape with every single one of its limbs broken at unnatural angles. To make matters worse, its head was just…gone. No other way to put it, really, its head was completely missing. It looked like it had been both cut and torn off, going by the smooth, clean lines on one side of the neck and the ripped flesh on the other.

In the middle of the room was another body. This one was lying face down with blood pooled under it and one arm twisted the wrong way, but other than that, Kakyoin couldn’t make out what other damage was done to it.

Eyes roving over the basement to further take in the carnage, Kakyoin spotted Jotaro on the other side of the room: He was missing his jacket and hat, standing in his white tank top, black pants and usual belts, and his uniform shoes. The normalcy of the sight was quickly put to an end thanks to the large splatters of blood across his body. Every inch from his head to his feet was covered in shiny red and he was currently getting more of it on himself.

Jotaro had one of the boys held up by his throat against the wall using one of his hands. In his other hand Kakyoin could see a blade- no, wait. Upon closer inspection it was actually TWO blades. When Jotaro pulled his fist back to slam it repeatedly into the captive boys guts, further covering himself in the glistening crimson liquid, Kakyoin could see that the base of these knives were actually the buckles from Jotaro’s belts- he had two fingers through each square and the push daggers on the end were expertly sharpened with serrated edges that caught and tore at the flesh every time he drove his strong fist forward.

The boy in Jotaro’s grasp was soon coughing up blood, choking on his own fluids until Jotaro changed the position of his fist and brought it down hard into the boy’s eyes. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!” The boy managed to scream out around the blood in his mouth. Jotaro then roughly dropped him to the ground after pulling the knives back out of his ruined eyes. He writhed and screamed upon the ground until Jotaro finally ended his suffering with a heavy stomp to the side of his head that resulted in a sickening crunching sound.

Jotaro turned his head to the side, looking towards the corner of the room opposite the staircase. “……”

There, cowering on the floor in the corner, was the boy with the scarred face. He was pale as a sheet with tears of pain, fear, or possibly both streaming down his face as he sobbed and whimpered in sheer terror. “No..no..please..stay away..! Don’t come any closer!” He tried dragging himself away with his arms and Kakyoin noticed how his legs were both facing the wrong way, clearly broken and of no use to him whatsoever. “NononononoNO! Oh god, please, I’m sorry!” He tried begging as Jotaro drew closer, walking at a slow, steady pace that only served to put the boy into an even worse panic. “I-I won’t go near either of you again! I’ll leave you alone! I’ll-I’ll change schools or leave the country or anything! Just..please..don’t kill me!!!”

Jotaro finally reached the boy and stepped on his already broken leg, both stopping him from moving further away and ringing a scream from his throat. After the screams died down into broken sobs and whimpers of pain, Jotaro finally spoke. “So..you don’t want me to kill you?” At a frantic nod from the boy, Jotaro gave a low hum like he was thinking something over. “Fine. I won’t kill you.”

The boy’s face lit up with anxious hope. “You-You won’t?!”

“Maybe.” Jotaro reached into his pocket. From deep within, he pulled out a small bottle of pills and threw them down near the boy’s hand. “You’re going to kill yourself.”

The boy stared at the bottle, the earlier look of hope now replaced with fear and confusion. “Wh..What…?”

“You heard me.” Jotaro said while gesturing to the bottle on the floor with the hand still holding his knives. “You’re going to kill yourself. Those are cyanide pills. Shove as many as you can fit into your mouth, bite them open, then swallow. If you do that, then you’ll get an easy death.” He held the knives up in warning. “Your other option is for me to cut you apart piece by piece until you bleed out.” He kneeled down and placed the pill bottle in the boys hand while keeping his knives held close to the boy’s throat. “Your choice. What’s it gonna be?”

The boy began to sob, shaking his head. “No..no, no, no..please..don’t..don’t make me do this..!” His voice cracked from the force of his crying.

“You’ve got five seconds to choose.” Jotaro said in warning while slowly moving the blades towards the boy’s other hand. “By my hand..or..by yours..?”

The boy cried desperately and continued begging until Jotaro began to press the knives into his flesh. “Th..The pills! The pills! I-I’ll ta-take the pills! Please!” He sobbed and brought the bottle up towards his mouth with a trembling hand. Jotaro allowed him to bring his other hand up so he could open the bottle. With one last desperate, pleading look at Jotaro that went unanswered, the boy brought the bottle to his mouth and began to pour the pills in. His hands shook so badly that many of the capsules ended up missing, but a fair amount still managed to land in his mouth. Once he had enough in his mouth, the boy began to chew and swallow the pills. After the first few crunches, though, his eyes suddenly widened. “Nh?!!” His mouth opened as a thick, white foam rapidly expanded and hardened in his screaming orifice. “Mhh! N-Mhhh?!!!” He dropped the bottle and attempted to pull it out, but it made him gag and wretch as the solid mass pressed against the back of his throat. He looked up at Jotaro, pleading for answers as to what was going on. “Nmhmh?! Mhhh?!!!”

Jotaro slowly removed the buckles from his fingers and wiped the blood off on his pants as he spoke. “I kept my word: Those pills have cyanide in them, it’s just a low amount. It won’t be quick or pleasant like you’ve seen in movies- it’ll be a long, painful death. You’re gonna have trouble breathing, feeling lightheaded and nauseous. Then, after a while, you’ll start to vomit and have seizures. Finally, your heart’s gonna stop and that’ll be it for you.” He pointed at the solid mass of foam currently sealing the boy’s mouth. “To make sure you didn’t throw all of it up, I mixed in some polyurethane capsules to seal your mouth and the top of your throat.” He finished cleaning his knives and began putting the buckles back into place on his belts. “The cyanide ones also have some pretty powerful stimulants to keep you from passing out, so don’t think you’ll get off that easy.” He stood up to his full height and looked down at the boy with a cruel, sadistic smirk on his usually stoic face. “Hey, don’t look so sad- people have survived cyanide poisoning before. All you have to do is hope you’re one of them..oh, and try not to choke to death on your own puke.” He smirked more, a low chuckle in his chest as he listened to the boy scream and cry around the white substance blocking his mouth.

Kakyoin stared at his boyfriend, completely transfixed by what he was witnessing. One part of him felt like he should be terrified- this was the most brutal, gruesome thing he’d ever seen in his entire life. The other part, though, was stuck dealing with a rapidly beating heart and weak knees. Jotaro just looked so damn HOT like that- sweating a bit from exertion, blood splattered across his skin, his muscular arms and torso on full display- it was impossible NOT to stare in that situation.

While he was trying to decide if the scene was more disturbing or arousing, though, he noticed movement on the floor. He looked towards one of the bodies- the one that had been lying face down with just a broken arm- and his eyes widened as he watched the boy get up, albeit with great difficulty. Kakyoin saw that he had a pretty deep gash on his stomach and a few cuts along his face and legs, but was still able to stand. On wobbly legs, the boy stood up and noticed Jotaro across the room. Then, as quietly as he could, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade knife and started to creep up behind Jotaro, his intentions clear.

Kakyoin’s blood ran cold.

Jotaro didn’t see the other boy.

Jotaro had already put his own knives away.

Jotaro was in danger!

Kakyoin could have just called out his boyfriend’s name to get his attention. Jotaro could have defended himself just fine…but something flared up inside of him that demanded he do MORE.

Gripping his own knife tightly in his hand, Kakyoin’s body seemed to have a mind of its own as he vaulted over the gap in the railing down to the basement floor. “JOJO!” He ran at the boy and grabbed him from behind, putting him in an arm-lock with his free hand. The boy struggled in his grip, clearly confused and surprised by Kakyoin’s presence. “Don’t you dare touch my boyfriend!!”

His body was on fire- it was like lava was flowing through his veins instead of blood, making him feel wild and powerful and so ALIVE. He also felt protective anger and righteous fury over this bastard attempting to actually HURT his boyfriend. How dare he?! The feeling was similar to the anger he’d experienced when carving “baka” into the other boy’s face, only ten times stronger.

And, similarly to the impulse he’d gotten in that situation, he wanted to see BLOOD.

He brought his knife up to the struggling boy’s throat and pressed the blade to the left side of his neck. Then, applying as much force as he could to cut through the flesh and muscle beneath, he dragged the knife across his throat and through his windpipe.

The body in his arms stiffened as blood sprayed out from the cut. Then it began to choke and sputter before finally going limp. Kakyoin released it and watched it fall to the ground with a dull “thud”.

Kakyoin took a moment to look down at his hands and the knife still held in his right hand. They were both covered in blood. They were stained red and he…he LIKED it. He LIKED what he had done! Sure, he’d gotten in fights and injured people and cut into them before, but this was the first time he’d actually taken someone’s life and he LIKED it! God, he must be sick to enjoy something like that, but it just felt so good that he-!

“Nori..?” The voice of the only other living person in the room (well, the only other one that could still TALK, that is) cut off his train of thought.

Kakyoin looked up from his hands to Jotaro. “Jojo…” Jotaro was staring at him with wide, surprised eyes. He took a step towards Kakyoin with a hand raised like he was reaching out for him, but the redhead was a little on edge from the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings going through his head and he took a step back on reflex. “..!!”

Jotaro paused and looked down with a slight frown. “……” He looked…nervous? Hurt? Sad..? Kakyoin didn’t like to see any of those expressions on that handsome face. “Are you gonna call the police?”

Kakyoin thought that question over. He knew that he SHOULD do that..but, glancing down at his bloodied hands, he wasn’t exactly innocent in all of this either. Besides, he had questions he needed answers to.

“That depends…” He looked back to his boyfriend across the room. “Answer a few questions for me and I’ll decide then. Okay?” At a nod from the dark haired teen, Kakyoin asked his first question. “First question: If I do decide to call the cops, will you kill me?”

“No.” Jotaro’s answer was straight-forward and immediate. “I’d never hurt you, even if it got me sent to prison or worse.” Kakyoin could tell he meant every word.

“Good to know..” He relaxed a little, trusting that Jotaro wouldn’t hurt him now. “Next question: The traps and location were too perfect for this to be a spur-of-the-moment decision..so..how long have you been planning this?”

“Since you woke up in the hospital.” Jotaro said while putting his hands in his pockets.

“Is that why you told me not to go after them? Because you wanted to do it yourself?” Kakyoin was caught somewhere between being touched that Jotaro wanted to avenge him and a bit frustrated that he wouldn’t let Kakyoin take part in it himself.

“..Yeah…” Jotaro looked away a little, unable to meet Kakyoin’s eyes as he answered him. “Didn’t want to risk you getting hurt again..or..scaring you off if you saw me like this…”

Ah, so that was it- Jotaro was scared of losing him. Kakyoin barely managed to stop a smile from slipping onto his face at how sweet that was. “Next question..” He decided to press on, instead, to distract himself. “You were..well-prepared for all of this..have you killed like this before?” He wanted to know how often he’d done something like this, but also if-

“Depends..” Jotaro shrugged a little. “You mean if I’ve killed like this in general or if I’ve killed for YOU before?” Damn, Jotaro could read him pretty well, too.

“Both, I suppose.” Kakyoin answered while eyeing his boyfriend expectantly.

“Yes to both, then.” Jotaro looked back towards him again.

Kakyoin thought that answer over for a moment. So…Jotaro went around killing people in his spare time. While that should probably terrify him, he could understand it given that rush he felt doing it himself a minute ago. But, wait, who else would Jotaro have killed for him-?

Kakyoin blinked as he finally got an answer to a question that had been bugging him for months now. “The drunk driver in Egypt..” Everything made sense now! The police had been looking for the man, but hadn’t found him, even though they knew exactly who did it. Kakyoin had just assumed that he’d skipped town to avoid the police or something- he never would have thought before that Jotaro had killed him. “Final question…” Kakyoin took a deep breath to calm himself, his heart starting to beat rapidly in his chest again because he had a feeling he knew what the answer to this would be.. “Why would you do that- do any of this, really- for me?”

Jotaro met his eyes and, without any hesitation at all, gave the answer that Kakyoin knew would come. “Because I love you.” Kakyoin’s heart almost stopped from the intensity with which Jotaro said those words. He knew how Jotaro felt for him, had read it in his body language enough times, but this was the first time he’d ever said those words out loud to him. “People in my family- the Joestar family- we get..” Jotaro seemed to be fishing for the right words to say. “Protective, and a bit possessive, over people we care about. We don’t let anyone insult them or hurt them. It’s even stronger when we have someone we love- we’ll kill to keep them safe, to keep others away from them, and to make ourselves feel better for protecting them.” He took his hands out of his pockets and held them out at his sides to leave himself open both physically and emotionally for Kakyoin. “I love you, Noriaki. I love you and I’ll kill for you as many times as I need to. If that makes you uncomfortable, then call the police right now because I’m never gonna stop. You’re mine and I’m yours- I won’t let you go as long as I’m alive.”

Kakyoin’s heart was pounding in his chest and he felt his cheeks blooming with warmth at Jotaro’s honest admission. The idea of Jotaro killing others for him- killing to keep him safe, killing to avenge him, killing so he could keep Kakyoin all to himself- it..it EXCITED him. He understood now why Jotaro got so excited when he saw Kakyoin attacking the boy in the stairwell before- it was the same way he felt now, knowing that Jotaro had killed these boys for harming him. He loved that idea more than he should and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

“Jojo..” His voice trembled slightly as he dropped his knife and ran at the darker haired teen. He ran right into Jotaro’s open, waiting arms and threw his own arms around Jotaro’s broad shoulders, pulling him down into a passionate, hungry kiss. “Mh!” Jotaro wrapped his strong arms around Kakyoin’s slender waist and held him flush against his body. They made out with a sense of desperation and passion that drove them to press and grind against each other- to feel every inch of each other’s bodies. “A-Ah..Jotaro..” Kakyoin panted against his lips when he broke the kiss to catch his breath. “I love you, too.” He found the words tumbling from his lips as he clung to Jotaro, blood smearing against both of their bodies and absolutely ruining Kakyoin’s clothes but he couldn’t be bothered to care about that at all in this moment. “I love you, Jotaro.”

It was the first time he’d said those words as well, and Kakyoin found that he meant them just as strongly as Jotaro had. Before, he was unsure if it was appropriate to call this feeling love- after all, they were young and he’d been told countless times that at their age it was hard to tell true love from a fleeting crush or physical attraction. Now, though, after hearing Jotaro’s declaration..after killing to defend Jotaro..after witnessing what Jotaro was willing to do for him, as well as knowing what he would do for him in the future..he was sure of it now, beyond a shadow of a doubt: He was in love with Jotaro Kujo.

“Nori..” Jotaro froze for a moment, staring down into Kakyoin’s violet eyes with his own blue-green orbs. Kakyoin saw something hungry awakening in his gaze, similar to the time Jotaro sucked him off on a teacher’s desk but so much more fearsome now. With a surprised yelp, Kakyoin suddenly found himself being lifted off the ground and pressed against a nearby wall. Jotaro had him pinned with his muscular torso, his hands holding onto Kakyoin’s hips. “Say it again, Noriaki..please..”

Kakyoin chuckled a bit, enjoying how eager Jotaro was. “Hmm..if it gets you to act like this, then I’ll say it as many times as you want.” He leaned to Jotaro’s ear and spoke softly. “I love you, Jotaro.”

“Noriiii…” Jotaro moaned low in his throat, his grip on Kakyoin’s hips tightening a bit. “I..I have to touch you..please..I don’t think I can stop myself..”

“Go ahead, Jojo.” Kakyoin said while working his fingers into Jotaro’s hair. “Show me what you’re REALLY like.” He stroked through the blood soaked tresses and gave Jotaro’s ear a gentle bite before whispering seductively into it. “Show me how much you NEED me. You’ve earned it, Jojo.”

When he woke up again, Kakyoin was lying on his side with something warm and firm under his head. He felt a familiar set of large fingers running through his hair (but knowing to stay out of his long bangs for fear of Kakyoin’s wrath should they get messed up). Three strong scents permeated the air: Blood, sweat, and cigarette smoke.

Opening his eyes, Kakyoin saw Jotaro’s long, pants-covered legs stretched out before him. When he attempted to sit up, he noticed something warm was covering his body. A glance revealed it to be Jotaro’s iconic jacket, which must have been left somewhere safe before as it was surprisingly free of blood. With a small smile, Kakyoin decided against sitting up and instead just rolled over to his other side (careful not to put any weight on his sore backside, of course) to look at his volunteer pillow.

He saw that Jotaro still had his tank top off, but had apparently gone to retrieve his hat from wherever he’d kept his jacket since it was also blood-free. He’d also retrieved his cigarettes and lighter, explaining the smell of smoke in the room, and was currently finishing a drag when he felt Kakyoin moving on his lap. He held the cigarette away from his mouth with one hand and moved the other, which had been stroking Kakyoin’s head, to look down at his tired lover appropriately.

“Hey.” He greeted simply with a very small quirk of his lip that barely counted as a smile.

“Hey, yourself.” Kakyoin replied while adjusting Jotaro’s jacket on his body. “Was I out long?”

“Not really.” Jotaro shrugged while putting out his cigarette on the ground beside them. Kakyoin noted two others by that one, but chose not to comment on it. “How are you feeling?” Jotaro asked while looking him over.

Kakyoin yawned and stretched his legs out. “Tired and sore, but otherwise fine.” He looked up at Jotaro with a wink to let him know that he really meant “more than fine” without saying it out loud.

Jotaro’s shoulders shifted slightly due to a repressed chuckle. “Hmh. Good.” They smiled calmly and sat in content silence for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company and the peaceful warmth that had settled between them. The peace was eventually shattered by the sound of, ironically, a death march playing. “Shit..hold on..” Jotaro reached into his jacket’s pocket, careful not to bump Kakyoin too much since he was still IN said jacket, and pulled out his phone. He answered it with an irritated sigh, though Kakyoin could tell it was just for show. “What do you want, Polnareff?” Kakyoin heard Polnareff’s voice, but couldn’t make out what was being said. Whatever it was made Jotaro scowl. “Damn…I got it, I got it…fine.” He hung up and leaned his head back against the wall behind him, looking annoyed. “Polnareff and Avdol’ll be here in a few minutes…”

Kakyoin quickly tried to sit up again. “What?!” He hissed when he leaned the wrong way and readjusted so that he was up on his knees. He spotted his clothes nearby and looked through them with a frown. “Damn..my underwear and socks will be fine, but my shirt and pants are covered in blood.” He eyed Jotaro, who was still leaning back against the wall. “As are yours..and both of our bodies..what are we going to do about that?”

Jotaro shrugged while watching Kakyoin slip back into his boxers. “They’ll probably bring something to clean up with. And a change of clothes for me.” He started to move away from the wall and got to his feet, offering Kakyoin a hand up. “You can borrow my jacket ‘til we get to my place- you’ve still got spare clothes there.”

Kakyoin took the offered hand and pulled himself to his feet, having to hold onto Jotaro’s arm since his legs were still weak. “I hope you don’t plan for me to walk like this.” He muttered while buttoning up the coat as high as possible. Though, with Jotaro being both taller and broader than him, the coat was still very loose on Kakyoin, making him feel a bit like a child wearing their parent’s clothes. “I look ridiculous.” He said with a weary chuckle after the coat was as closed as it could be with Jotaro’s chain taking up the holes for the collar buttons.

When he looked up at his boyfriend, he noticed that Jotaro was looking him over and actually seemed pleased…the bastard. “It looks good on you.” He pulled his hat down a little, but he didn’t have his jacket collar to hide his smug smirk from Kakyoin’s line of sight.

Kakyoin gave him a half-hearted glare and a light punch to the arm. “Why do I love you again?”

Jotaro shrugged. “Probably ‘cause you’re a sadist and a narcissist that likes having someone that’d literally kill for you and treat you like a god.”

Kakyoin couldn’t help but smile at that, knowing that every word of that was correct despite it being phrased as an insult. “Yeah. You’re right.” He reached up and pulled Jotaro’s head down, surprising the taller boy with a kiss. After kissing him for a solid minute, Kakyoin broke away and smirked at how flustered he’d managed to make his boyfriend with such a simple kiss. “Though I’m still trying to figure out why you chose me. Is it simply because you’re a masochist that likes being told what to do by someone smaller than you? Or do you just have a thing for red heads?” He asked teasingly with a wink.

After taking a minute to regain himself, Jotaro looked him over slowly. “Kind of…but, mostly, it’s because you’re..” He quietly searched his mind for the right word before picking it out and letting the corner of his mouth lift up into that barely-there smile that Kakyoin admired. “Interesting.”

Kakyoin’s heart skipped a beat.

Interesting.

Out of every word he could have possibly chosen, that was what Jotaro used to describe Kakyoin: Interesting.

That was the very same way that Kakyoin had used to described Jotaro when he’d first sought the other boy out under the pretense of eating lunch together, completely unaware that following up on his curiosity would lead him to the love of his life.

It made Kakyoin smile and wrap his arms around Jotaro’s neck, pulling him down into another, much longer, kiss.

The two made out for a while, so wrapped up in each other that they didn’t even hear anyone else enter the basement- didn’t hear anything at all until Polnareff’s voice hit them like a bucket of ice water.

“Oi, Jotaro! Would it kill you to take down those damn traps next time?! I almost cut myself like five ti-i-i, mon dieu! Kakyoin?!” They quickly sprung apart from each other and looked to the stair case to see Polnareff leaning over the railing, staring at them with wide eyes. The look of shock quickly morphed into a shit-eating grin. “Ha! Called it!” He looked back up the stairs. “Hey, Momo! Good news- we were right! Joseph totally owes us a shopping trip next time we’re in New York!”

They heard Avdol’s deep chuckle from further up the stairs, followed by one set of heavy footsteps and one set of tiny scratchy ones. “Ah, that is good news, indeed.” They soon saw Avdol joining his boyfriend near the railing and carrying a plastic bag as well as a large black duffel bag, Iggy walking down the stairs behind him before slipping under the railing with ease to jump down into the basement.

Kakyoin was completely mortified with embarrassment to be caught like this- suspicious fluids probably still visible down his legs, wearing nothing but Jotaro’s jacket, his hair a complete mess except for his bangs, etc.- by two of the only other people he considered friends. He groaned and covered his face with one hand, trying to look as small as possible while sliding behind Jotaro’s larger frame for coverage.

Jotaro seemed to be taking it much better than him, simply looking the two of them over with his usual annoyed-at-life expression. “What kind of bet did you make with the old man this time?”

Polnareff chuckled, the big grin still on his face, as he kicked one of the bottom railing-posts that was keeping the wire trap holding the first corpse in place. “Joseph bet that you were gonna wait ‘til you’d been with Kakyoin at least another year or two before letting him find out about your little ‘family tradition’.” The post broke after a few kicks and Polnareff was able to move it aside so he and Avdol could walk down the stairs rather than jump the railing like Kakyoin (and presumably Jotaro) had done to enter the basement earlier. “Avdol and I said there was no way you’d be that patient, and he’d probably find out before you two graduated!”

Avdol followed his boyfriend down into the basement, looking over the carnage with a calm expression. “The winning wager was a two hour all-expenses-paid shopping trip in New York City.” He smirked a little bit, but tried to look away and pretend that he wasn’t gloating over his victory. “It was rather foolish of him to try out-predicting a fortune teller…”

Polnareff laughed and clapped his boyfriend on the shoulder. “It sure was! Poor Caesar’s gonna kill him by the time we’re done wringing Joseph’s bank account dry!”

Jotaro gave an annoyed “Yare yare daze” and held out his hand towards Avdol. “You brought some clothes, right?”

Avdol nodded and handed the bag to Jotaro. “Along with water and paper towels.”

Jotaro took the bag from him. “Good.” He grabbed Kakyoin by the hand and headed for the stairs. “We’re gonna go clean up.”

He didn’t wait for an answer before leading Kakyoin back up the stairs to the main parts of the house. Being the one to plant the traps, Jotaro knew exactly where each one was and guided Kakyoin around and under them with ease until they reached a dirty (and obviously unused for quite some time) bathroom.

Kakyoin stepped over to the decrepit bathtub and took off Jotaro’s jacket as well as his boxers, setting everything on the back of the toilet for the time being. “I take it the water and paper towels are because the plumbing here no longer works?”

Jotaro nodded and handed Kakyoin a large bottle of water from the bag. “Yeah..been abandoned for at least a year now.”

“I see..” Kakyoin said while taking the offered bottle and opening it. He poured some into his cupped hand and began cleaning the dried blood (and cum) off of himself a little bit at a time. After a few minutes, he noted that Jotaro hadn’t moved in a while and glanced in his direction while rinsing out his hair. He caught the larger boy staring at him, apparently transfixed by the water dripping down his body. Kakyoin smirked and poured a little more water into his hair, tipping his head back so some of the water would drip down to his chest. “Really, Jojo?” He teased with a lick of his lips. “You just had me naked and moaning under you less than an hour ago and you’re frozen watching me pour water on myself?”

Jotaro’s ears turned a little red at being caught staring, the color more noticeable when he had to take off his hat and pants so he could join Kakyoin and get cleaned up. “I’m not apologizing for thinking you’re hot…” He tried to sound annoyed and a bit defiant, but the red color and the fact that he couldn’t look his boyfriend in the eyes just made him look adorable to Kakyoin.

“I never said you had to.” Kakyoin chuckled and turned just enough to give his flustered boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

The two got cleaned up in silence after that. It was peaceful and calm, like when they were lying together in the basement. Occasionally they would touch each other a little- a hug from behind here, a light kiss there, a brushing of hands briefly resulting in entwined fingers getting mixed in now and then- but there was nothing too provocative about it, despite the teasing looks that Kakyoin would cast Jotaro’s way now and then. No, it was simply a silent way for them to communicate their love for each other in that moment.

Once they were both properly cleaned (and had their fill of messing around), they stepped out and dried themselves off with some paper towels from the bag (the good, thick kind that were closer to cotton rather than tissue-paper). Kakyoin certainly felt better now that he was clean, though he did still wish he had something to change into other than his boxers and Jotaro’s jacket.

Jotaro, on the other hand, had a clean pair of pants that he easily threaded his belts through, one of his plain black tee-shirts, and even clean shoes and socks prepared for him. He caught Kakyoin’s envious gaze while tugging his shirt on and re-adjusted his cap before holding out his hand. “Didn’t know you were gonna be here. We’ll make sure to keep spares ready for you next time.”

Kakyoin took his boyfriend’s hand and smiled. “Already making plans that far ahead?”

Jotaro shrugged a little and led the redhead back towards the basement. “I don’t really have a schedule for this shit: Sometimes I can go months in between urges. Sometimes I get the itch within a week. It just…happens.”

Kakyoin felt the larger hand holding his own slender hand tense a little, showing that Jotaro was still a little uncomfortable on the subject. “Mhm..” Kakyoin gave his hand a reassuring squeeze to comfort the taller boy. “Well, do let me know whenever it does happen- I’d love to see the process from start to finish, rather than coming in on the last two again.”

Jotaro looked back at him with that barely-there smile, his tension leaving him. “You’ll be the first to know- right before Avdol and Polnareff.”

Kakyoin was about to follow up on that line of conversation- he was immensely curious as to why the two were there in the first place and why they seemed so calm about everything and-

He paused when they reached the bottom of the stairs. His mouth fell open slightly at the sight: Everything was good as new! Well, maybe not new-new, but it was like the earlier massacre had never even happened. If Kakyoin had not been there himself, he would never have believed several boys had met a gruesome end in that same location not even two hours ago. The wire-net was removed from the railings, the broken post that Polnareff kicked was fixed, there was no trace of blood (or other fluids) anywhere to be seen, and, what was even more amazing to Kakyoin, was the lack of bodies scattered around the basement. The only thing out of place was the pile of large zipped-up black bags in the center of the room.

He looked from Polnareff- who was spraying the wall where Jotaro stabbed the second-to-last victim with some sort of clear liquid before wiping it over with a cloth- to Avdol- who was zipping up one of those black bags before tossing it onto the pile with the others. He spotted Iggy lying down in the corner, apparently napping, while the other two worked.

“H..How..?” Was the only word that Kakyoin could form at the moment. Seriously, though- they weren’t upstairs for more than thirty minutes and it was like these guys hit the rewind button on the entire damn room!

Polnareff looked at him and Jotaro after wiping off the wall one last time. “Oh yeah, that’s right- you’ve never seen us work before.” He tossed the bottle of cleaner and cloth back towards the opened duffle bag in the corner of the room before doing an overly-dramatic bow. “Jean-Pierre Polnareff: Professional scene-artist.”

Avdol was less grandiose than his boyfriend, but he still bowed his head slightly. “Mohammed Avdol: Body disposal expert.”

Polnareff stretched his arms out above his head with a big grin. “Feels nice to finally have a proper introduction without all that cover-up crap.” He gestured towards Iggy, who was still dozing in the corner. “By the way, that lazy mutt’s our cadaver dog- he makes sure police dogs won’t be able to pick up anything. Which reminds me…” He whistled while looking at the dog in question. “Iggy! Get up and get to work so we can get out of here!” When the dog’s only response was to open one eye half-way, look at him, then close it again, Polnareff glared. “Stubborn dog..” He pulled a stick of gum out of his pocket. “If you get the work done within the next five minutes I’ll give you an extra piece of gum- deal?” That got a better reaction from Iggy, making him get up and start sniffing around the room after Polnareff gave him the gum. “That’s more like it.”

Kakyoin gave a confused blink as he looked between the three of them. After a moment, he found his voice again. “Okay..I can understand ‘body disposal expert’ and ‘cadaver dog’..but ‘scene artist’?”

Jotaro responded before Polnareff had the chance to go into a lengthy explanation. “Technically, he’s a site-cleaner, but he doesn’t like the way that sounds, so he started calling himself a ‘scene-artist’. Either way, it means he’s the one that cleans up the crime scenes.”

Polnareff huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hey! ANY fool with a bottle of bleach and a rag can clean up- I am an artist that can completely erase the evidence and turn it back to normal!”

Avdol chuckled a bit at his boyfriend’s pouting and walked over to pat him on the shoulder. “He can be a bit sensitive about his title.” He then looked over to Kakyoin. “To put it simply, we are the ones that make sure Jotaro does not get caught by the police. That is the hidden purpose of the Speedwagon Foundation: To look after the Joestar family and make sure their secret does not get out. People like us have been assisting the Joestar’s since the company’s founder himself helped cover for Joseph’s grandfather.”

Kakyoin nodded as he listened with a thoughtful expression. “I see. That would explain what Caesar-san said the night we met…I just assumed he meant that we were all anti-social and thought about killing people too often, I didn’t think he meant that we ACTUALLY killed people.” He paused for a second as he remembered another part of that conversation and looked back up at Jotaro. “Wait..so..the rest of your family is…?”

“Yeah. They are, in different ways.” Jotaro explained. “My grandfathers have killed plenty of people, though they’ve slowed down a bit since they’re getting too old for it. Mom says she’s never had the urge, but she knows and helps out. Josuke’s too young to know if he gets it yet, but he still knows what the rest of us do and he’s fine with it.”

This was a lot of new information to process in one day. Not only was Jotaro a member of a serial killer family that spanned across generations, but for more than a century not a single one of them had ever been caught! That would be a record if it ever came out. It would surely be one for the history books, as well as the media.

“Your family is really something, Jojo..” Kakyoin mumbled, more to himself than to Jotaro. He was still processing everything. Today was certainly turning out to be more interesting than he’d planned…

“I guess…” Was all the taller boy said, but Kakyoin felt Jotaro’s thumb stroking along the back of his hand and he heard the unspoken sentiment behind it.

“You’re part of that family now.”

Kakyoin was momentarily surprised by the truth and sincerity in that silent statement, but, in a way, he felt like he’d already known it. The night he met Jotaro’s family, Caesar had said as much to him- had told him that he was already part of their family, regardless of what route he and Jotaro took in life.

The thought actually made Kakyoin smile. ‘So..they’re my family, too.’ He thought with a warm feeling blooming in his chest.

He loved his parents and grandparents, of course, but he’d never been able to relate to them on the same level that he had with Jotaro and his family. Joseph and Caesar already treated him like a second grandson. Holly always welcomed him into her home with open arms, no matter how last minute or late at night his visits were. Josuke, similar to how he viewed Jotaro, treated him like he was a cool older brother-figure. And of course he viewed Avdol and Polnareff as his own friends, too, rather than just “his boyfriend’s friends whom he hung out with occasionally”. Hell, he even liked Iggy, despite how obnoxious the dog could be!

Feeling emboldened by his happiness, Kakyoin got up on his toes and gave Jotaro a peck on the cheek. “Good to know I’ll be marrying into such an interesting family one day.”

“!!” Jotaro’s ears turned red and Kakyoin felt a strong swell of pride at having made the stoic teen look genuinely surprised for a moment before he pulled his cap down to cover his face, tilting his head a bit to hide his embarrassment further. “Y-Yare yare daze…”

The adorable reaction elicited a shared laugh at Jotaro’s expense from everyone else in the room. He of course flipped them off and told them to shut up with a scowl, but, for just a moment, Kakyoin caught a smile on the corner of Jotaro’s mouth.

Kakyoin could only smile further and think about how lucky, and how glad, he was to have found Jotaro. Before, he was alone in a way that even he didn’t realize, and so bored that he was simply going through the daily motions of life without expecting much from it. Now he had a loving boyfriend, a supportive family that understood him, and he was far from bored. He knew that, so long as he had Jotaro by his side, his life would always be interesting.

<-Previous Chapter

-From the Beginning-

[unexpectedreylo]

Spoilerific Thoughts On “Solo”

Rosé All Day In The GFFA!

As of writing, I’ve seen the movie twice and I really enjoyed it both times.   Forget those tales of a troubled production; Ron Howard made a solidly entertaining, fun film with lots of goodies and surprises for fans of most stripes.

“Solo” is basically a heist movie and a Marvel-esque origin story at the same time.  When we meet Everyone’s Favorite Smuggler, he’s a runaway living in Corellia’s dark and filthy underworld hoping for the big score to get him and his girlfriend Qi’ra away from their Fagin-like “master.”   We march through Han’s escape from Corellia, how he ended up with his last name, his abrupt and necessary decision to go to the Imperial Academy, his time as an Imperial officer, his first meeting with Chewbacca, and his re-entry into the galaxy’s underworld with his mentor, Tobias Beckett.  We witness his first meeting with Lando Calrissian and finding the love of his life, at least the one that isn’t a breathing person, the Millennium Falcon.  The famous sabacc game?  It’s there.  So’s the legendary Kessel Run.  All of the while, Han’s penchant for trouble and not listening to anyone but himself puts him in danger over and over.  It’s all great character development and enjoyable to watch.  But there’s more!  In “Solo,” we see the gray and topsy-turvy world of the galaxy’s criminal class.  Sometimes it appears glamorous and beautiful, sometimes it looks just like what it is:  dirty and awful.  The good turns out to be bad and the bad turns out to be good.  All of the while, Beckett reminds Han never to trust anyone.

So, you might ask, what did you think of Alden Ehrenreich?  Alden was in the same crappy position that Chris Pine was in while playing Captain Kirk in the more recent Star Trek films; it’s very difficult to step into a very famous role played by a very famous actor.  Ewan McGregor had a similar problem but because he played Obi-Wan decades younger, it gave him a lot more wiggle room to define the character himself while making it credible he and Alec Guinness were playing the same guy.  Ehrenreich and Pine were playing their respective roles less than 20 years younger than their more legendary incarnations.  That’s tough.  I’m certain some people are blowing off this film simply because they can’t accept someone else playing Han Solo.  The other side of that coin is it’s precarious in HOW you play the character.  Take on too much of Ford’s affectations, it looks like an impersonation, one that could descend into parody fast.  Completely ignore them and people won’t connect that it’s Han Solo at all.  Now, Ehrenreich doesn’t really look much like Ford.  He’s shorter, his nose is smaller, the whole shape of his face is different.  There’s only a bit of resemblance around the eyes and the makeup people thoughtfully added Ford’s chin scar.  It’s a little jarring when you realize that eventual son Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) really does look related to Ford while Ehrenreich looks like neither one of them.  My mom the movie critic, who saw the movie with me and my brother the first time, thought Ehrenreich is actually better-looking than Ford.  But (and there’s always a but) attitude can make up for a lack of resemblance.  More on that in a second.  For what it’s worth, Ehrenreich does have the right attitude.  It’s like seeing a more boyish Han, one who gets by on b.s. and bluster, who’s a tiny bit full of himself, and who hasn’t experienced a decade’s worth of betrayals yet to come and other things that made him far more world-weary in ANH.  This Han is charming and self-assured, a cinnamon roll whose circumstances define him but won’t defeat him and turn him into well, Qi’ra.  From this movie, it’s easy to see why he was drawn to Rey in TFA.  He saw a lot of himself in her.

Everyone does a pretty bang up job in the film performance-wise.  I have to say Donald Glover absolutely kills it as Lando.  Glover doesn’t really look like Billy Dee Williams but he’s got the Lando-ness down perfectly:  the smoothness, the vague sleaziness, the flair for fashion, and all around cool.  He even nailed Williams’s way of speaking without making it an impersonation.  Glover has so much charisma in the part, I really wouldn’t mind seeing him again in his own adventure.  Woody Harrelson was an excellent fit as Beckett.  Harrelson brings his own charisma and worldliness as the father figure who initiates Han into the life that as prophesized, he never got out of.  Casting him was a great idea.  Also worthy of mention is Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37, or simply “L3.”  Funny and sassy, you’ll be touched by her short time onscreen.  And the mysterious Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman) who turns out to be not quite what we thought.

The surprise in this turned out to be Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra.  Of all the new characters, she’s easily the most fascinating.  She’s beautiful, smart, resourceful, and tough but also a bit of a femme fatale.  She has a heart but she’s also hungry and hell bent on not ending up a Corellian street rat again.   She is what Han could have been with a few degrees of difference in his personality or more time spent a virtual slave on Corellia, what Rey could have been had she decided to trade on her looks and feminine wiles for material security from crime bosses.  The interesting thing about her is she clearly cares about Han.  I don’t know if she loves him per se but she does care about him enough to know she has to protect him from her.  She’s sort of like that old Amy Winehouse song, “You Know I’m No Good.” Paul Bettany’s character and Beckett both warn Han that he doesn’t know her as well as he thinks he does and that she’s done some pretty bad things.  We know for sure she allied herself with a crime syndicate that has committed atrocities and well, we find out toward the end how far her darkness extends.  She accepts Han’s affections but to a point.  Why?  She knows they can’t get attached.  At the end, when she splits in the mobile Crimson Dawn HQ, it seems to parallel the last Force bond seen in TLJ.  In TLJ, Rey has to do it for her own sake as well as Kylo’s.  In this movie, Qi’ra does it for Han’s own good.  The more he’s kept away from this stuff the better, not so much IMO she fears that lifestyle would destroy him as she realizes at some point her knife has to go between Han’s shoulder blades if he keeps hanging around.

Poor Han.  Not only can the guy never escape trouble, he’s constantly faced with betrayal throughout his life, which it is easy to see why he leans so much on Chewie.  Say what you will about Chewbacca, but he’s the one of the very few beings who never lets Han down.  Sadder yet are the implications of Han’s upbringing and his relationships with authority/father figures.  In one conversation with Lando, Han mentions his blue collar dad that he wasn’t close to.  Who knows what THAT relationship was like?  Han tells his Imperial recruitment officer that he “has no people,” so the officer christens him Solo.  (For all we know, Han’s real last name is Wallbanger or Horowitz or Seymour-Butts.)  Why Han was on the streets is still a mystery.  Did Han simply run away from home?  Was it disagreement and butting heads or was there severe dysfunction, i.e. addiction, abuse, neglect?  Did Han do something to the old man?  We don’t know and it’s not like Han to tell.  Han takes to Beckett as a surrogate father figure who of course betrays him.  Another fascinating and tragic parallel takes place near the end of the movie.  Most people pay attention more to the “Han shot first” aspect of it rather than how this scene predicts Han’s eventual fate in TFA.  Han kills his father figure just as his own son will eventually kill him.  Han of course was acting in self-defense but it’s tragic all the same.  Han’s family situation also predicts the struggles he has in his relationship with Ben Solo.  In this context it makes sense that a man who had no idea what a dad is like would struggle to be one himself, especially since he’s almost or at middle age when it finally happens.

Another thing to love about “Solo” is its careful attention to the mythos.  The film has the style and feel of Brian Daley’s novels from back in the day, while much of Han’s backstory, known to Star Wars lore fans for decades, is in here.  Moreover, elements from the expanded universe, video games, The Clone Wars, and the prequels are brought in to great effect.  Teras Kasi?  Glee Anselm?  The Maw?  Carrida?  Aurra Sing’s fate? Colo claw fish roe as an appetizer?  It’s all in here!

I will say this:  DARTH MAUL’S SHOCK CAMEO GIVES ME LIFE!!!

I blurted out, “What the hell?!”  when he turned up at the end of the film.  (I also had to explain to my brother, who had never seen The Clone Wars or Rebels, why Maul was still alive.)  A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.  That Qi’ra is working for him has a whole host of implications for her and possibilities for Maul to return in other Star Wars canon.  And yes, that’s Ray Park reprising his role and Sam Witwer voicing him.

“Solo”’s score is pretty good, a mix of original and unique music and John Williams’s classic scores.  Listen for some fun callbacks like “Asteroid Chase” from TESB.

Like “Rogue One,” “Solo” is a smaller movie than the bigger, sweeping main saga flicks.  It doesn’t have TLJ’s artistic ambitions or haunting quality.  But there’s room for a movie that’s pure fun with a few more layers than expected.

[comingoutofthecauldron]

If Sam Didn’t Die That Night

suggested by @_fadingsunlight (insta)

Sam Cortland had one more job before he could taste freedom, with the girl he loved at his side. Or so he thought.

Because that job hadn’t gone well for Sam. He had played with a psychopath, and now the psychopath wanted to play with him.

For hours, he had lain on a table, trapped in the dark basement of the owners of The Pits, because he was a fool. A stupid, lovesick fool, blinded by hope and preoccupied by bliss. For hours, he had been cut and brutalised and tortured, enduring pain so agonizing he forgot his own name. But never hers. It was his constant, his last tether to reality.

Celaena.

A knife cut across his collarbone, blood seeping out in its wake, following like acolyte follows their master. His screams echoed, calling out for a girl who wasn’t there.

Celaena.

He held on, wouldn’t let himself black out. He didn't dare stare at the face above his, bloodstained and grinning like a child with a new plaything. 

Celaena.

But then the pain stopped. It left, the sound of receding footsteps reverberating around the empty basement. He heard stairs creak, and then nothing.

He knew, then and there, who it was.

Celaena.

She was here. No, no, no.

Everything hurt. Everything bled. But he forced himself to move, forced his muscles to comply. Slowly, ever so slowly, he shifted himself to the right, closer to the edge of the table. A groan, more pain, and again he moved.

It was progress, but it was slow. Too slow. He had to save her, had to get to her. Finally, he reached the edge. He used every muscle, every part of his protesting body to push himself up. He managed to lean on his elbows, a start, when something began to fill the air. A strange smell. Sam realised too late what it was.

Gloriella.

He collapsed, the poison taking over, as he fell off the table onto the floor. He didn't register the pain, even as he felt someone throw him over a shoulder. Their face must've been masked, protecting them against the gloriella. 

He wanted to fight, to struggle, but his body was no longer his. The poison was in full effect. They carried him into some sort of meeting room, where in the corner of his eye he spotted the dead body of Ioan Jayne. 

What was going on? What was happening? Where was she?

The masked figure dropped him, rather ungracefully, on the floor, his head at eye level with someone’s feet. No, not someone’s feet. Her feet.

Celaena. 

Oh, Gods, tell me she isn’t dead.

Unfortunately, the gods answered his prayer. Sam was helpless as he watched Rourke Farran crouch beside Celaena, running a finger over her face as he said something Sam couldn’t hear. Celaena lay unmoving, a victim to the gloriella, but Sam knew, in his heart, she wasn’t dead.

He wanted to scream, to roar. But most of all, he wanted to save her. He wanted not only to save Adarlan’s Assassin, but the girl he loved. Beautiful, confident, passionate Celaena. What he wouldn’t give to hear her laugh again, to see her smile.  

He lay on the floor as they carried her to gods knew where, watching her expressionless face as her head rested at an uncomfortable angle, lying over whoever’s arm it was carrying her. A single tear slipped from one of her eyes as she saw him, and Sam had a horrible realisation.

She couldn’t see his face.

She didn’t know he was alive.

*****

Sam Cortland escaped that building. The gloriella began to lose its effect, and it seemed as though they’d forgotten about him. He clawed his way out, tumbling onto the street, only to have someone catch him, swearing colourfully.

They carried him down the street, but he passed out before he could see where they were going. 

For days, he drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of the two people nursing him back to some sort of health.

It was a week after Sam had seen Celaena’s limp body carried out of the house when he finally regained full consciousness. Every part of him screamed in agony, but he bit down on his pain. He opened his eyes to see a figure with dark hair, pale skin and a brutal scar running down his face.

The figure grinned.

“Well, stranger, glad to see you’re awake. And healing. Although you’ll probably have some wicked scars, not that I’m one to judge.”

“W-Who are you?” Sam croaked.

“Really, that’s the thanks I get? Honestly, if I hadn’t seen how much shit you must've been put through already, I’d punch you for that.”

Sam just stared at the scarred man as he sighed. Neither of them spoke, just stared at each other.

“Do you know anything about Celaena Sardothien?” Sam finally asked, his voice hoarse. 

“The assassin? Of course. She’s got a nasty future ahead of her now, that’s for sure.”

“What? What happened? She’s alive?”

The man just stared at Sam for a few moments, frowning. Slowly, he began to speak, “Everyone’s been talking about it, actually. She’s been sentenced to Endovier. If you’re waiting for a job or something, you’re gonna be waiting for a while.”

Sam’s world stopped. Endovier. Endovier. The most brutal slave camp there was. Celaena, his Celaena, in Endovier. 

“Why do you want to know?” the man asked.

A beat of silence, then, “Because I love her.” 

The man’s eyes widened. He seemed to be thinking, concentrating, when eventually he just shook his head and said, “Well I’ll be. You’re an assassin, aren’t you?”

Sam nodded, only just taking in his words.

“Well then, little assassin, do you want revenge?”

Sam just looked at him. Grief was pouring over him, overwhelming him.

“I want her.”

“Same thing. Tell me, how much are you willing to do to get her? Would you, perhaps, join a rebellion?”

“Anything. I’ll join whatever you want me to if you can free her from that place.”

“Wonderful. Our interests align, you see. To achieve my goal, I must destroy an empire. Your assassin is an added bonus,” the man grinned.

Sam could only stare, and then nod. He didn't care if empires fell, or if kingdoms burned. He just needed Celaena.

“Let’s get acquainted. I’m Ren. Ren Allsbrook.”

*****

Sam joined that rebellion. He fought tooth and nail for it. He devoted his life, his everything, to the cause. He heard about Celaena Sardothien’s participation in the king’s contest. He organised meetings with Princess Nehemia Ytger. He heard about her becoming the King’s champion, but no one ever let him near her. It would ruin their plans, they told him. Wait, they said.

And wait he did. Even when Celaena started to communicate with Archer Finn, he waited. And then, in a scuffle on a street near the Assassin’s Keep with some city guards, one of them—a young woman seemingly from the Southern Continent—trying to keep the peace, Sam Cortland was stabbed.

His fellow rebels fled the street, leaving him to bleed out alone, thinking only of his assassin, his Celaena, whom he would never lay eyes on again. 

[bucky-jesus-ren]

Will put up sources and better what’s written below tomorrow sometime but for now here’s a cool moodboard of a werewolf!Kylux AU I’ve been thinking about recently 💫☄️

-After loosing his job Hux moves across the city and finds his way to Finns cabin in the forest, a long time friend, there he takes up photographing the local animals, and the new group of wolves that have moved in. Things get a little weird when a black wolf takes a weird amount of interest in him, but also seems to still be intensely aggressive towards everyone bar the one gray wolf affectionately named Rey. It gets a little more wild when it turns out they’re a pack of werewolves but that’s for later-

Hux often visits the nature reserve to meet up with Finn, who for as long as he’d known him, has been living in the woods with a wild pack of wolves. When Finn had first ventured his way in to the property there was only the common forest dwelling animals, the worst he’d come across was a black bear crossing states, he’d survived the attack and had only a large scar on his back to show for it, he’d been careful then to take at least a hunting knife with him and a phone in case something were to happen where he wouldn’t have to crawl on the ground for hours in pain again. A few months after the events of the bear attack Hux had decided, through careful consideration and definitely not because his home life had gotten bad after he’d been fired, again, that he’d come up to photograph some of the animals and to give Finn some much needed company. A few weeks after that was when the first wolf arrived, a small brown timber wolf had wondered in to a trap Finn had set for a few pesky rabbits which had been eating away at his produce recently. Hux was first on the scene and through pure luck he managed to free it, which later turned out to be a her. After that they wondered more often than not around the cabin appearing to be almost watching both Finn and Hux’s every moves. Hux had of course taken the opportunity right away to start photographing them whenever they’d show, till one day he had stumbled across a black one. The aggressiveness of it made Hux weary, for all the other wolves seemed to avoid it too besides the original timber wolf who Finn had affectionately named Rey after the ‘Ray of sunshine she gives off’ whenever she passes through the trees. Hux had given the name to this new wolf Rex but somewhere along the line he’d ended up going with Ren.

The first time Ren shifts in front of Hux it’s terribly bloody. Hux is out in the woods as usual photographing some gullies when he hears low growling from beside him, he can’t see because of the darkness but he knows the only one that still growls at him is Ren so straight away he feels the hairs on his neck rise, he’d stupidly decided to go out without Finn this time because he was stubborn, believed everything would go the way he’d planned, take some shots of the woods and deer, be home by midnight, snuggle up on the sofa and have a hot tea before bedtime, it’d been weeks in between seeing the wolves. Ren barges in to him almost immediately, Hux knows that he shouldn’t move, shouldn’t be a threat but it’s pitch black for goodness sake he can’t keep the yelp that leaves him as he pushes at Ren, the wolf bites once on Hux’s leg which is thankfully fully booted. The wolf bites again this time aiming for Hux’s throat, he gets a good grip of him and slams him to the forest floor, the air rushes from his lungs in an instant, he can’t cry for help can’t do anything but wait out his obvious death. Suddenly there is another low growl from somewhere above them, he feels Ren’s bite slacken if only for a moment before he’s squeezing again “Ren stop!” Cries out a female voice, Hux would of laughed if he had had the capacity to, he’d been hallucinating hearing a women in his final moments. There is a scuffle and some swearing and then there’s two wolves fighting over the top of him, he gets scratched and bit a few times but nothing to seriously maim him, he gets his footing at one point and high tails it out of the gully. When he finally gets back to the cabin he’s met with a dark haired stranger who looks beaten and bruised in a green blanket, next to him is a brown haired lady who has, Hux suddenly realises, Finns shirt and pants on. There are hushed words coming from them both, he collapses on his knees suddenly feeling the consequences of all the events prior, the lady comes to his side and helps him to the couch inside where the dark hair man hovers. “I’m sorry” he finally speaks after what feels like an eternity “I wasn’t meant to be back so soon, I just… I just smelt you and had to come closer and then I guess… I guess things got blurry there”. From then on he explains exactly who he is. Hux is both amazed and terrified, and if he’s a little honest with himself angry.

Months after first shifting in front of Hux, Ren has a temper tantrum and runs off back in to the woods on a full moon, Hux, who at this point in time had become good friends through a lot of trial and error with Ren stumbles quickly after his friend, he must track him down through the snow. When Hux succumbs to the cold and finds himself laying down accepting defeat Ren reappears and takes him back to the cabin where he treats his wounds and snuggles Hux back to health.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Hanji Zoe

"Doctor Zoe, your next patient is here"

Spinning around on her examination stool, Hanji shot her receptionist Petra a happy smile

"Ooooh, is the grumpy blond one? I wonder if he wants a prostate exam?"

"He doesn't seem too... and I think he'd be scared if he knew you were thinking that way"

"Aw, you spoil all my fun Petra! Alright, send him through"

Whatever this Hannes man wanted, he'd booked a double appointment. Straightening up, Hanji readjusted her glasses as the man in question walked in. Yeah. She could see what Petra meant. The man looked... annoyingly plain

"Hannes?"

"Doctor Zoe, thank you for seeing me on such short notice"

So formal... it didn't suit him. Rising and shaking his hand, Hanji's curiosity was spiked by the small handgun tucked in his waist band

"Hanji's fine. Why don't you have a seat, and then we can get started"

Turning back to her computer, Hanji pulled up an intake form

"So Hannes, what brings you here today?"

"I was wondering what you could tell me about Eren Yeager"

Hanji's heart began to race. She'd been doing her best not to think about Eren... he knew Levi was falling apart, but Levi had holed up with Armin, and barely answered her calls or texts

"About Eren?"

"I'm the lead officer on his case. I'm sorry for not mentioning that sooner, but I'm here on business"

Shaking her head, Hanji turned to face him

"I'm afraid I'm bound by doctor patient confidentiality"

"I'm aware of that, but I'm investigating his disappearance and was told he had an appointment with you regarding a possible pregnancy"

So Hannes had been doing the rounds...

"Yes, Eren came to see me"

As much as Hanji wanted to believe Eren was alive, she didn't want to speak ill of the dead... when Eren wasn't there to defend himself. Not that Eren was a bad kid

"How was Eren during his appointment?"

"If you're looking into Eren, you need to understand him. The normal things, things we take for granted have a different meaning for him"

Hannes nodded and let out a half snort

"I feel like I've been hearing that a lot lately. It's hard to associate the Eren I'm hearing about, with the snot nosed brat I knew"

Wait. What?

"You know Eren?"

"I did. Back when I was a beat cop back in Shinganshima. That's why I'm determined to find out the truth of what happened to him"

So Hannes had a personal reason for his involvement in this case. Usually an officer would recluse themselves when personally involved, but knowing he knew Eren, Hanji couldn't deny she wasn't swayed to open up more than she'd initially been

"Then you know about his mother's murder?"

"I know both Grisha and Carla. I never imagined Grisha had an ex wife, nor that she'd murder Carla in front of Eren and Mikasa's eyes"

That was more than Eren had said. He'd said his mother had been murdered, and not long after he and Mikasa had ended up on the streets

"For Eren, that changed his whole outlook on like. He feared love, and he feared letting himself care too deeply. His and Levi's relationship probably doesn't make a lot of sense to a lot of people, but Eren finally allowed himself to love. Ren and Levi were his everything"

She knew she was speaking as if Eren was dead, but the newspapers were reporting he was...

"Levi said they'd been trying for another baby?"

Oh... yeah... that

"They were"

"You don't sound particularly happy about that"

"Oh, no. It's not that. I've been Eren's treating physician since he and Levi began courting. Eren's irregular heats made conception hard, harder than for most omegas"

"So he was worried about being pregnant?"

"He was worried he wasn't pregnant and his symptoms were all in his head. He also had a previous pregnancy aborted before he got with Levi and he's never really accepted it"

"So he felt he didn't deserve to be a mother?"

"Yes. Even though he knew he was in no situation to have a child, and aborted it out of fear, it was after that that his heats became irregular and he felt he was being punished for letting another family member die"

If she was honest, she didn't even know if Levi knew. Eren had never told her one way or the other, but when had been born, he'd thrown himself into being the best mother he could be

"For letting another family member die?"

"Eren blames himself for not saving his mother, and then after Mikasa became addicted to drugs... he carries a lot of guilt, so the feeling of love can be too painful. It wasn't unusual for him to go missing for days or weeks at a time"

Hannes nodded as if he'd heard this before

"So Eren was anxious and worried during his appointment?"

"Yes. He was also struggling with the idea of having another child. He feared he wouldn't love it as much as he loved Ren"

"Do you know if he talked to Levi about this?"

"I know that if he had, Levi would have understood"

"And was he pregnant?"

"Yes, roughly 8 weeks"

"How did he take the news?"

"He was in shock, but he didn't shut down if that's what you mean. The first thing he did was ask Ren if he wanted to see his sibling on the ultrasound"

It had been a bittersweet moment. Ren had no idea what he was looking at, but had laughed and whooped like he did

"And how do you think Levi would have reacted?"

"Levi would have been excited"

"From what I'm hearing, Levi seems to have the patience of a saint"

"Yes and no. I know he said it didn't hurt or frustrated him when Eren would take off, and then show back up. But he is only human. He also has quite a few scars of his own that Eren opened without knowing. He also initially felt displaced by Ren. Levi had tried for years to get Eren straightened out, but Ren was the one who did"

"Did Eren have a history of drug use or prostitution?"

Shit. Fuck... she'd already divulged way more than she should have

"Let me rephrase that. Did Eren even fallback into old habits after he got with Levi?"

"No. He was terrified of needles and pills by the time I met him, and he might have slept with someone before he and Levi started courting properly, but he said it was his way of paying his debt"

"His debt?"

"I honestly don't know. Eren didn't like to talk about things like that"

"Do you think Eren's past could have finally caught up with him?"

"He and Levi moved out of the city for a fresh start. Eren left that world behind and even the few times he went wandering, it was only ever to Armin's"

"Were Armin and Eren ever romantically involved?"

"Armin was definitely interested, or at least that was what Eren hinted at. But to Eren, he was like a brother. He couldn't love Armin that way"

Hanji had witnessed it herself. The way Armin used to look at Eren, the small touches that lasted a fraction of moment too long. The way Armin insisted on taking care of Ren like he was his own, though DNA conclusively proved that Ren was Levi's.

Hannes seemed to be thinking everything over, he nodded slowly

"Can you tell me more about Levi? I understand you've known him a number of years?"

"Yes. I met him shortly before the death of his friends"

"Farlan and Isabel. Yes I know about that. What was Levi like then?"

"Haunted. He didn't let people get to close, and he was obnoxiously clean. Everything had to be in its place, and organised"

"How did a he come from living on the streets to being a teacher?"

"Erwin. Our friend Erwin Smith. Once he learnt Levi was homeless, he refused to let Levi live on the streets. Erwin had already decided he wanted to be a teacher, and Levi had no real idea what to do with his life. It's thanks to Erwin that Levi is working at the community college, after the scandal with Eren and the fall out... Levi was worried he'd never find a new teaching role"

"So was Levi sleeping with Eren while Eren was his student"

"No. Levi didn't even know Eren was homeless to begin with. Eren always made sure he was neat and tidy. Though I suspect that was more Mikasa's doing"

"Did Levi ever meet Mikasa?"

"She was also in his class, but she'd already overdosed by the time Eren and Levi began courting. Because of the overdose, Mikasa suffered permanent brain damage. But from I what I know, she didn't particularly like Eren being taken away by Levi"

"So Levi was possessive?"

"No. No more than any of us. We all want the people we love to be safe and out of harms way"

Had she even made Levi sound possessive? She wasn't even sure what she was talking about anymore, it was like she couldn't stop herself and Hannes seemed captive to her words

"Did Levi and Eren ever fight?"

Hadn't he asked that? Shit. She really was getting confused

"Doctor... Hanji?"

"They did, but never anything serious. Levi never hit Eren, even when Eren hit him"

"Eren was violent towards Levi?"

"Sometimes. Eren has extreme PTSD. Sometimes he isn't able to vocalise what he's feeling or he doesn't know he's doing it. He used to self harm, or rather, he used to get into street fights for the pain. It made him feeling he was being punished for his sins. That's why he'd last out at Levi, he wanted Levi to hit him and punish him"

"And Levi never did"

"No. Eren also had a habit of reverting back to calling Levi "sir", whenever he was anxious or scared. He'd get embarrassed over it, so Levi began calling him "brat", it was his way of telling him he had nothing to upset about"

"I just have one more question for you, and then I'll get out of your hair. Do you believe Levi could have stabbed Eren to death?"

Hanji gasped despite herself. Hearing it so bluntly was like someone pouring orange juice on her Fruit Loops. It wasn't ok.

"No. No. Levi loved Eren... loves Eren. He'd rather kill himself than ever allow Eren to be hurt"

Hopefully Hannes understood that though there was love, there was also the kind of love that teetered on a knifes edge, and could easily be called unhealthy. Levi and Eren danced around that knifes edge, but had never crossed... or rather, not that she'd seen. But one never really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

[tweakerwolf]

Ren Endings 6 + 14 + 15 + 23

Since there’s so many endings that tie-in with the “chain” path... instead of writing out the beginning part each time, I’m going to cheat. So now you don’t have to constantly read the same 10 paragraphs each time. If I cut down on the first half of the house events, it’s less writing for me which means I don’t have to get bogged down and then skimp on the details! The four of these branch off fairly early so I’ll put a marker where you need to create a save point since 6+15 use one path and 14+23 use a different one. But I really didn’t want to separate them out into two different guides because they’d be almost the same except for just a few paragraphs...

Warning, these endings do include more prolonged torture, another reason why I wanted to put them together so I can do a blanket warning at the top of the post!

(Link for previous steps in detail- read up to the “chain” event and then return to this post)

Quick answer list:

“Where am I?” “About your ears...” “What the hell is this thing on my neck!?” “Are you insane!?” “I’m not an animal!” “Fuck you.” -Kick it- -Attack him- “How long are you planning to keep me here?” -Explore the house- -Open the door under the stairs- -Go down- -Open it- -Cut Lawrence- -Do it slowly-

When you wake up, Ren is in a white tank top and he looks a little... wary. He comments that you’re basically more than he bargained for, he doesn’t know how to handle you. I guess you scared him quite a bit when you killed Lawrence! When you see him reach for the remote again, you lunge at him, tired of his crap. If he wants to see hard to handle, well then, let’s get serious!! The two of struggle, grab -the chain!- before Ren and wrap it around his throat! Pull it taut around his neck and straddle him; keep squeezing even as he scratches you and tries to buck you off. Keep squeezing until his eyes close and his body slumps beneath you. Then -take his remote- so you can free yourself! Once free, -put it on him- because, oh, you want pay back! Then sit back and wait for him to wake up. It doesn’t take long, Ren stirring and grasping the situation fairly quickly. He grips the collar around his throat and looks at you, absolutely afraid. Tell him to unchain you, and he does. -Say nothing- which makes him nervous... he stammers out an apology, desperate. Ignore that and -threaten him- of course he’s sorry now! The collar is around his neck, you can see past his act. Tell him that he isn’t sorry /yet/ and he trembles in fear. He asks what you want... Reveal that you want ”blood”. Which scares him, what do you mean by that?! You mention the basement and you see the terror in his eyes. When did...? You assure Ren that you went down there and saw the body. He squirms and you grin, liking how his reaction is making you feel. When you tell Ren to get going, he narrows his eyes and says that he is /not/ going back down there! You easily shock him so he knows that you aren’t afraid to be tough on him. He whimpers and heads for the basement, slowly. You have to nudge him down the stairs but he goes.

Basement:

Once down there, Ren starts to beg but you cut him off, ordering him to sit. You find some rope and tie him to the pole, knowing that he isn’t the first person to sit there. As you look down at him, he has tears running down his face. -Soothe him- (I just really don’t want to hurt him!! Feel free to pick either of the other options, it doesn’t effect the endings) by patting his head a bit. It take a moment but eventually he stops crying, just sniffling softly. You look around the basement for something fun... there are so many tools after all, however could you choose? You rummage around and eventually narrow down your choices.

*Save here to swap between Endings 6+15 and 14+23*

Endings 6 + 15:

Go with -something personal-* and hold up a knife that you found in a drawer. When you show it to Ren, his eyes go wide and he pales. What an interesting reaction! Surely he wouldn’t be this scared of a knife, not when there are so many other tools that would hurt much more. He tries to scoot away from you but the pole stops him. It’s then that you notice just how many scars he has on his arms and legs, thin white lines. You ask if they are from the knife and he just curls into a ball. You yank on his hair, wanting him to answer you! He confirms that the knife was used on him... by the man in the freezer. You laugh and drag the knife across his cheek- you aren’t going to let Ren kill you. No, you’re stronger than that. Ren begs you but you shush him and pull out one of his legs... stabbing the knife right into his thigh. As he screams in pain, you’re filled with jealousy. He has all those scars and they aren’t from you! You hold onto his leg and run the blade over an old scar, cutting him open. You cut him again, and again, deeper. You keep cutting, replacing his old scars one by one. Ren goes quiet and you look at him; he’s covered in blood and doesn’t respond when you call his name. Not even when you press the knife into his skin... He does have a pulse though, he’s not dead yet. There’s a lot of blood on the floor too... he can’t take much more right now.

*Note: in order to get Ren’s 27th CG, you have to pick something personal. If you let Ren choose, the art looks very similar but technically there are tears in his eyes and the CG of the knife has no tears. You’d still get the other 3 knife CGs but not the first one. But I think it’s worth going back and clicking -let Ren choose- at least once to read through that small section.

Ending 6:

Decide to -let him bleed- because you know you have to make him yours. And the only way to do that was to let him bleed from his new marks. Ren slowly looks up at you and begs, with the small amount of energy he has left.... help him.... You stand there, not doing anything. Survived- You let Ren bleed.

OR

Ending 15:

Decide to -patch him up- because you aren’t ready for him to die. If he dies then you’ll never truly replace all of his scars! There are medical tools close at hand (obviously the other guy didn’t want his friends dying too early either!) and you carefully patch the fox-boy up. You even stitch up some of the really deep ones but Ren never responds to you at all. After all this, you realize that you did end up sharing something special with Ren! You get what he was talking about earlier! You ask Ren if he’s ready to go back upstairs and he manages a nod. As you help him up the stairs, you tell him that you’re glad he found you! Survived- You’ll replace Ren’s scars (end card reads: You replaced a few of Ren’s scars.)

Endings 14 + 23:

Go with -something brutal-, a nail gun! You show Ren what you found and he struggles to get away, his nails scratching the floor. You decide to start there, vaguely wondering if the nails would go all the way to the floor- only one want to find out! As you hold down one of his legs he starts to whine wordlessly... you press the tip of the gun against his foot and pull the trigger. He said he wanted to share something special with you! He screams in pain and you admonish him- you’re only getting started. Reflexively he tries to pull his foot away, closer to himself, and he yelps in pain- apparently the nail did go into the concrete! You grab his other leg and repeat the process to the other foot. He begs you to stop but you aren’t having any of it, this is fun. You move onto his arms next, just firing the gun here and there, not paying close attention. You just want him to feel /more/. Eventually you stop to catch your breath and realize that he isn’t screaming anymore... but you do notice that his arms are small enough that the industrial nails went straight through. Oh, oops! No wonder he’s just kinda staring at the wall, the pain must be pretty bad. But you aren’t done yet dammit... you go for one of his ears next. He reacts as soon as you grab it, he has enough energy to beg again, not the ear! You don’t listen, you pull the trigger. The nail shoots straight through the thin tissue and bounced off the floor. His head drops to his chest, a weak sob the only sound he makes. He must really be at his limit.

Ending 14:

Decide to -finish him off- because he’s being pathetic. Press the gun against his forehead and pull the trigger. Survived- You nailed Ren in the head.

OR

Ending 23:

Decide to -patch him up- since it seems like he’s learned his lesson. You easily find some medical supplies and get to work, gently pulling the nails out before patching him up. Ren doesn’t make any sound... just sits there and shivers. You force him to look up at you, telling him that you really understand now, causing pain really does create a bond! You ask him if he’s ready to go back upstairs and he nods. As you help him up the stairs, you tell him that you are going to have so much fun together! Survived- You gave him a few new holes. (end card reads: You gave your pet a few new holes.)

[xocorinthia]

if u ever wondered how i felt about reylo: here it FUCKIN IS

put this on the record: i’m a huge kylo ren fan. he’s a cool and interesting character, and i can’t wait to see his arc explored-- i always like the villains bc they’re complex and morally ambiguous.

but when push comes to shove i will curb stomp slimy kyle’s ass into the earth’s core to protect rey because i refuse to partake in victim blaming, siding with abuse perpetrators, and/or the romanticizing/normalization of abusive/incestuous/rapey relationships. i won’t fuckin do it. 

rey and kylo ren have not had and will never have a healthy relationship. EVER! even if kylo gets a redemption arc, their relationship will always be like walking on a knife’s edge because kylo ren invaded rey’s mind by force-- which we can’t even do with modern science-- rifled through her most personal thoughts like it was nothing, picked through what he wanted to take, and then took it. i cannot think of a single violation more profoundly scarring than that. there is absolutely no way to heal from that kind of mind-rape.

bodies and minds are temples that should demand care and respect. they are not to be desecrated by asshole punks who think it’s acceptable to traumatize women who had no way to defend themselves. and it’s also not okay to defend the desecration and label it as romantic. it’s disgusting and i’ll have no part in it.