#where even with all his power back it's like. his specialty/usefulness is not what she needs--she just needs him

[sovonight]

skeptical

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller Part 40: The Maestro's Mark

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June 1905

TW: mind control, body control, captivity, human auction, abuse, burning, branding, mouth whump, forced self-harm, dissociation, this one's kind of a doozy isn't it

"Sir -- " Fitz's voice had returned to him, and he was dismayed to find it shaky and weak, much like his knees. Beside him, Miss Lily was gripping his chain so hard he thought she might crumble it to dust. "Sir -- who was -- "

"The Maestro, an old and powerful vampire lord. My sire, and Alexander's sire as well. The one responsible for turning us into vampires," Miss Lily said, picking him up into a princess carry. "I wasn't expecting him to be here. He normally does not purchase his thralls."

"Is he --" Fitz faltered with the amount of questions he wanted to ask, before settling on the most important one. "Is he cruel, sir?"

She hesitated to answer as she carried him backstage and out into the hallway. "...Yes," she finally said. "Yes, he is cruel. I'm sorry."

She sounded like she meant the apology, and Fitz's too-short life flashed before his eyes.

"What should I do, sir?"

"There's nothing you can do now. Nothing you can do but be obedient. Try to find the private places in your mind to retreat to, places where he can't reach. Eat whatever you're offered when you can. Sleep as much as possible. And never be defiant, even for the smallest matter. The price will never be worth it."

"...You seem as though you know what you're talking about, sir."

"I was his thrall, once."

It was a colorful and loud nightmare as Fitz was carried through the bustling hallway filled with vampires and their newly purchased thralls, talking and laughing and showing off their fashions. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that when he would open them, he'd be somewhere else. The lumpy couch in his drafty, shared apartment. His dressing room backstage. Even the opulent prison of his bedroom back at his family's home.

He'd found that unbearably oppressive at the time. Perhaps he'd been a fool to leave, after all.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a small room primarily occupied by a desk and a few chairs. A vampire in a fashionable black dress, her neck and ears dripping with jewels, entered the room. "Oh my, Lily, your expression is better suited for a funeral. You've sold your little project for an extravagant amount of cash. Whatever could be the problem?"

Miss Lily's face was sour as a lemon. "You know very well how I feel about my sire, Colette."

"His money will spend as good as everyone else's. If you ask me, you were a little too attached to this thrall."

"I don't care one iota about this thrall," she said, her grip tightening on Fitz's shoulders. "I just think that no one, not even a thrall, deserves the displeasure of serving my sire."

"And yet, I assume you'll want your share of the earnings."

"And yet."

The door opened, and Fitz's new owner entered the room. Perhaps it was Fitz's fevered imagination, but even the gas lamps seemed to flicker in response to the foreboding aura. He gave Miss Lily a small nod, and Fitz felt her fingers dig in tighter, painful.

"It's truly an honor to do business with you, Maestro, sir,"  said Miss Colette, settling behind the desk. "Now, then, sir, you'll owe eleven thousand dollars, unless you require any additional services..."

"No, thank you." He was staring at Fitz now, and it felt like icicles sliding down his back. Fitz couldn't help the impulse to look away -- and realized that he couldn't. He was caught hopelessly in the web of power once more.

His master, as soon as the money was handed over. His master forever. There would be no escaping a man like this.

Never be defiant. The price will never be worth it.

Never be himself ever again.

No, he had to snap out of it. There had to be a way out of this. Some way to charm him, to appeal, to get them both on the same side. There had to be. Weaseling out of bad situations was one of his specialties.

The Maestro was reaching into his coat and pulling out a pouch of what looked to be actual golden coins, as if he were some kind of royalty. Miss Colette didn't seem to regard this as strange, taking the coins from the pouch and weighing them on a small scale. Satisfied with the amount, she handed him a contract to sign.

"Now, if the transaction is complete," he said, "please leave so I can discipline my spawn and my thrall."

"Of course, sir." Miss Colette filed out of the room immediately.

Fitz's protests and his screams died in his throat, along with his desperate impulses to flee anywhere. He was under his new master's power again, frozen in time. He'd never escape, of course, but it still hurt to not even be allowed to try first, to be trapped in a treacherous body that wouldn't obey even his smallest commands.

"Lily," he said, approaching her, and Fitz realized that Miss Lily was holding him in front of her as though Fitz could shield her from her sire. "This thrall has an excellent bloodline and potential. Why did you train him improperly and allow him to make an embarrassment of you?"

"He's a performer by nature, sire, as I'm sure you can see," said Miss Lily, and she sounded as subdued and fearful as Fitz was, a far cry from her confident nature when enthralling him. "He is fully trained and obedient. I simply thought it was amusing to allow him to continue to perform, sire. Plenty of vampires would desire a thrall for entertainment. I don't think he's an embarrassment. It took skill to render him obedient while keeping his personality intact."

If Fitz could move, he would be nodding vigorously, appreciative of Miss Lily's defense.

"Yes. Performance is his nature, that much is true just by looking at him. But you need to be in better control of the thralls in your care, not allow them to preen and pose on the auction block." He reached past Fitz to touch Lily's hair, tucking loose strands of her hair into her bun. Fitz could feel her hands tremble. "Oh, child, I worry that I am too lenient on your soft heart. I don't understand what I did to be cursed with two spawn so gifted and yet so foolish."

"Thank you for your patience with us, sire."

"Indeed. And because you do often delight me, I will allow the punishment to be light."

"Yes, sire. Thank you, sire."

"Here. Take my knife." The Maestro held out a silver knife in a white-gloved hand, and Lily let go of Fitz's arm to take it. "You will find an unoccupied bathroom. You will remove your dress so that you do not bloody it. You will cut out your tongue. You will clean yourself and your surroundings thoroughly. You will then put your dress back on and join my other wayward spawn in the parlor."

Fitz's eyes widened at the description of the punishment, the only movement he could manage. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. He couldn't do either. Miss Lily let go of his arms, and as she exited the room, head bowed low, he had the desperate, irrational impulse to stop her. True to her advice, she showed no sign of defiance, even when her sire was asking her to do the unthinkable -- as a "light" punishment. From the hard look in her eyes, he had no doubt that she was going to do it.

The door clicked shut. And Fitz was alone with his master.

The strange power forced Fitz's head up to look into the Maestro's eyes as he drew near, like a puppet on strings. With a surprisingly gentle touch, a gloved hand reached out and ruffled his hair, then hooked a finger under his chin and inspected his face from each angle. A soft finger traced down his neck and exposed collarbone, but there was no indication from his heavy aura that the vampire wanted to feed. There was no indication of any desire at all. Just control. Pure control.

What could he do to sway a man like this? He recognized his look, the man who was used to being the most powerful in the room, the kind who couldn't spare a scrap of tolerance for anyone else. No humor, no imagination. The kind of person Fitz usually avoided, or brought up on stage only to tease and get a response from the audience. On stage, Fitz held the power.

His new owner was center stage, now, and not one to relinquish the spotlight easily.

"Fitzwilliam de Hastings," said the Maestro in that musical voice. "You will answer my questions honestly. First -- do you fear me?"

Fitz felt his tongue loosen. This, at least, was an easy question. "Yes, Master."

"You are correct to. At least you are not that sort of fool. Now, tell me -- did you wish for my spawn Alexander to purchase you?"

He recalled the pathetic, fleeting hope he'd had when he'd flirted with Mr. Alexander in the showroom. Yes, yes he had, but he suspected that was the wrong answer. What had worked on Mr. Alexander wouldn't work here -- he needed to work a new angle. "I did think that at first, Master, but then you made that impeccable entrance. You're clearly the vampire all other vampires respect -- it's an honor to have been purchased by you."

The Maestro nodded, then removed one of his gloves.

A percussive crack rang through Fitz's ears, and it took his brain a moment to catch up and realize that he had been slapped hard across the face.

"Do not ever lie to me, child, and do not insult me with your cheap flattery. This is your only warning," his master said, in precisely the same tone as before, not betraying anger or disappointment or any emotion at all. "Try again. Did you wish for my spawn Alexander to purchase you?"

"Yes, Master," said Fitz immediately, praying that he wouldn't incur any further punishment. His tongue. He'd ordered Miss Lily to cut out her own tongue. And if his master wanted to do the same to him, there'd be nothing he could do about it, his very body out of his control.The thought of being permanently rendered mute, unable to joke and flirt and tease and perform --

It hadn't settled in before, had it? What it truly meant to be in thrall to a vampire. Between Miss Lily's mesmerism and his own hubris, he'd imagined himself getting out of this by charming the vampire, carving himself a better life through wit and charisma, as he'd always managed. But these vampires were so much more powerful than him and always would be. What good is wit against a creature who can control your body on a whim, or take your mind away with a word?

He couldn't save himself. No one was coming to save him. There was only him and his cruel new master, and he was unable even to express the despair bubbling up within him. A fate so much worse than death, inescapable.

The re-gloved hand stroked Fitz's cheek gently in the place that was still stinging from the slap. "Despite your ill manners, you have potential, Fitzwilliam. My darling Lily saw that in you, no doubt. A born performer with a compelling presence. Sharp minded. And so, so beautiful. A pity about your headstrong nature," he said. "But you needn't concern yourself. I only need to patiently carve away your imperfections. And I am a very patient vampire."

"Thank you, Master," said Fitz, who had never been more frightened of so-called praise in his life.

"More importantly, I believe you are the key to finally breaking my Alexander's will."

"...I don't understand, sir."

"Thralls aren't meant to understand, child. Thralls are meant to obey. And I have decided what young Alexander's lesson will be." He drew his hand away. "I will give you to Alexander."

Fitz couldn't help but furrow his brow, confused. That couldn't be right. 

"It will be a test for him. One that he will fail."

The Maestro pulled a small metal cylinder from his coat. He carefully lifted the glass from the lamp sitting on Miss Colette's desk, beckoning Fitz forward. Fitz felt himself sleepwalking towards his master, even as the Maestro dipped the metal object in the lamp's flame, even as Fitz realized with growing dread what was about to happen.

"He will forget you belong to me. He will desire to possess you, cherish you, perhaps even love you. He will believe he can rescue you from me. He will be incorrect. I will allow him to believe this, then I will take you from him, and I will break you, and suffering will be a teacher to you both."

Fitz's heart pounded.

"Kneel."

His puppeted body gracefully knelt upon the carpet, the crushed red velvet of his dress cushioning his legs, as he looked up in terror.

With a calm, unreadable expression, the Maestro pulled down the neckline of his ball gown and pressed the burning metal to Fitz's flesh, just below his collarbone.

He couldn't scream. He couldn't flinch. He couldn't fight or back away. He couldn't do anything but feel his eyes filling with tears as the white hot pain seared through his body.

Fitz barely even noticed when the brand was pulled away, because the pain hardly lessened. His master was examining his handiwork, and, seemingly satisfied, made Fitz's body stand.

There was no way Fitz could be standing through the shock and the pain, but the puppet strings controlling his every move made it so, forcing him to walk on weak and shaky legs.

"Now show your gratitude for my precious gift."

Fitz's body curtsied low. 

But Fitz's mind, flooded with pain and endorphins and magic, was traveling far away. Away from here, anywhere but here, anything but this. Anything but an inescapable descent into hell.

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Well, wasn't that fun.

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist @xx-adam-xx @ivycloak @irregular-book @whumpsoda @mj-or-say10 @pokemaniacgemini @sowhumpshaped @whumpsday @morning-star-whump @shinyotachi @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @pirefyrelight @theauthorintraining @whump-me-all-night-long @anonfromcanada @typewrittenfangs @tessellated-sunl1ght @cleverinsidejoke @abirbable @ichorousambrosia @a-formless-entity @gobbo-king @writinggremlin @the-agency-archives @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @enigmawriteswhump @foresttheblep @bottlecapreader @whump-on-a-string @whumpinthepot @cinnamoncandycanes @avvail-whumps

[the-saltiest-saltine]

Could you write a Chrollo x kidnapped Reader where he just gentle noncons her after being held captive for months . She just really doesn’t warm up to him as he imagined it to considering she is shy and insecure👉🏼👈🏼

Thank you and I really love your work❤️

I’ll be 100% honest I was not expecting that as my first request lmaooo

I think I went a lil off topic sorry 😭 +  implications are my specialty

Anyways, thanks for the support! Hope you like it <333

Warnings: non/dub-con (implied), yandere

——

There’s nothing for you to be afraid of. You know that.

Well, in the physical sense, at least. Since your first morning waking up in his presence, you’ve been verbally assured of Chrollo’s lack of desire to hurt you. You can’t say that he’s completely lied about that.

Chrollo has never hit you. He’s never pushed you, never slapped you, never grabbed you by the wrist, even when you tried to run away from him.

You’ve only ever attempted that once, many months ago. You’d seen your opportunity and taken it, smart enough to know that the bustling crowds in the heart of York New City are useful tools of both obstruction and disguise.

You weren’t smart enough, however, to understand who you were dealing with.

You’d ditched your iced tea at him - a move that surprised both of you, considering your nature - knocking over the outdoor café chair as you sprinted away into the busy streets. Your limbs moved on impulse, motions imprecise as you expected him to appear in front of you, ruining your chances of freedom before you even had a chance to get your hopes up.

Instead, Chrollo chose to calmly follow you through the city streets with his hands in his pockets. You’d taken a gambling glance over your shoulder once you’d thought you’d created enough distance between predator and prey.

To your horror, he was only about twenty metres away, his fur-lined coat unmissable. His nonchalant attitude was unnerving, to say the least. He was just being an ass, right? That was the reason for his unfazed demeanour.

Narrowly missing an opportunity to stumble over your own feet, you continued your escape.

You took another glance.

Phew. He wasn’t catching up, still the same distance.

You put even more power into your legs, running faster than you’d ever run before. Another glance. Still the same distance. So he’s not catching up, what a relief.

Wait. He wasn’t falling behind, either.

No matter how fast or slow you ran, he was always behind you.

Unlike Chrollo, your endurance had a limit, eventually slowing yourself to a stop by an ice-cream parlour, panting and sweating and wheezing. You neither had the energy nor the gall to fight back as his arms snaked around you, sealing your fate.

He didn’t hurt you. But he hasn’t taken you outside for months, save for your last move into your current residence, a suburban house on the outskirts of Yorbia.

Perhaps he should’ve revelled in your touch more when he collected you. Since then, your anxieties have evidently only increased, shying away from all his touches, no matter how gentle, no matter how necessary. You won’t let him hold your hands, nails bumpy and bitten, or put an arm around your waist, shoving it away as he attempts to squeeze the soft flesh there.

His kisses don’t hurt you. His lips are delicate and his movements are gentle, a stark contrast to the man you know he truly is. Every time he tries, however, you move back on impulse. You can’t help it.

You’re nervous. It’s something he has to consider. If you were outspoken and sassy, he could just gag you. Forcing someone else to speak is leagues more difficult than simply cutting out their tongue. Frustration burns inside of him - you’re obedient in every sense, except for this single obstacle. He wants to touch you without having you back away, frightened out of your mind.

It’s unfortunate it has to come to this, it really is. But alas, you’ve both learnt that you can’t get what you want all the time. 

He stands up, taking precise steps towards you. There’s terror in your eyes as he towers over you, shrivelling yourself up on the sofa. You don’t know what he’s going to do to you, but you know it’ll be horrid. Maybe he’ll kill a family member in front of you for your rejection, or threaten you with his Ben’s Knife, or maybe he’ll even slap you.

Chrollo does not do any of those things.

Instead, he crouches in front of you, caressing your cheek with his hand. Your eyes squeeze shut, trying to relax into his gesture, but your heart beats out of control.

He leans in, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips, unreciprocated, before pulling away. It’s not enough. It never was.

You squeak as he throws you over his shoulder, carrying you to your shared bedroom, placing you down on the bed eagerly. He’s never been this rough with you, but there’s a first time for everything.

He peppers more kisses over your face, whilst you lie there, frozen in horror. As his kisses trail downwards, along your jaw, you manage to muster a few words out.

“Chrollo, please, st-”

“Just relax,” he coos, voice threatening to waver with anticipation.

You’re whimpering like a beaten dog, pathetic little thing you are.

Your eyes squeeze shut again, tears rolling. “I-I don’t…I can’t…”

“Yes you can, darling,” he coos as he plants delicate kisses up the length of your neck, the soft sensation of his lips adding to the conflict in your chest and mind.

Your words get clogged behind the lump of horror and fear that forms in your throat. Furiously shaking your head, a frantic last resort, you feel your jaw get caught in the web of his splayed fingers. Your eyes open as you feel his warm breath envelop your ear.

“You know what I promised you,” he purrs, “and I intend to keep it. I swear to you, doll, I won’t hurt you.”

[jazeswhbhaven]

I've been dying to ask this, if possible I'm curious to know how would the kings react to a femMC that doesn't get off to penetration and she likes using toys to help her reach her "peak" wheater she does it with a human or a devil it's still a bit challeneging to get there. Cause it's such a common thing, and I feel like they would have interesting reactions.

HOLD UP HOLD UP c( O.O )ɔ I had to get sidetracked by this request...because this is actually pretty common despite everyone being into penetrative sex as the norm. I know for certain that the bois would have workarounds and interesting ways of helping this MC.

Satan: When he's informed by MC that she uses toys to get off and that penetrative sex isn't her thing, he's confused at first because that's all he's ever really known. But there's nothing he can't do and this challenge is something he's willing to take. However, it's a massive learning curve. He seems to be averse to the toys a local store has available and reluctantly has to ask for help (from Asmodeus). Once he's recommended a toy, which is a specialty wand, he asks for MC to sit back as he uses it. What makes it special is that it's powered off by Satan and MC's level of horniness. The more they get hot and bothered, the higher the speed goes. It can also change shape to pinpoint an area, such as clit only stimulation, or overall external stimulation. What really helps MC get there, is the fact that Satan has his chest pressed to her back, she squirms against his cock, and he loves how her breathing is getting unhinged, the speed increasing, building with both of them as they lose themselves in the moment. Mammon: He's a devil that's exceptional with his hands, and this is something that's up his alley when MC explains her need to have toys to get off as opposed to penetrative sex. He has a custom-made toy, but it throws off MC at first because it's just a simple finger vibrator. Couldn't he have bought one of those from a store? But this finger vibrator requires no batteries and no recharging. All Mammon has to do is channel his demonic energy to it, and it powers up. The nubs that are attached to it vary from soft to firm, and this can change depending on what MC requests. It's a perfect fit on his dominant hand/finger and he has MC sit in his lap. The first time it's used, it's a bit of a learning curve, but he finds out what works for MC. The settings change based on where they are, and there's even an underwater function for when they take baths together. But it's really Mammon's reaction that helps MC get off faster, how his face turns red, how he breathes heavily in response to MC's moans and grinding against his hand. And most importantly, how MC tells him he's doing a good job in pleasing her.

Beelzebub: There was no way that Beel was going to get upset over being told that MC prefers to use toys to get off instead of penetrative sex. At first, though he thinks she's joking, perhaps giving him a hard time, but he then takes it seriously after the first two times of teasing her. It appears that his approach to external only, is a vibrating tongue ring that he crafted and pierced himself. And our devil...is an expert eater. He's careful not to dip his tongue too deep inside her but traces just the outer part of her entrance and other sensitive areas such as her clit/mons. What helps MC get to her peak is how well he controls the vibration, and how the slick flicks and swirls of his tongue work with the added stimulation as if she had a rose toy. Alternatively, if MC agrees to it, he pierces her sex, and the specialty jewelry he used to respond to a spell he casts, so he can have it vibrate from afar. He could be sitting on the other side of the room and have it activated, sending MC into a frenzy as she tries to hide it in public. The spontaneity is what gets both of them off at this point, and even when he's sitting right in front of her, this technique drives both of them wild.

Leviathan: He doesn't like using toys on MC. He feels he should be good enough for her and doesn't like that a toy is the one to bring her to her peak even if she needs help from him. This is most difficult for the two of them because he also is upset that penetration doesn't do it for her. With a lot of patience, MC works with Levi on this, and they both find a toy that could work for them. A thigh-riding toy. Levi can strap it on himself, and MC grinds against it, and while she does so, she has access to choke him with a color-matching collar that responds to her arousal. The closer she gets to her peak, the harder it tightens around his neck. What really makes MC go wild is how desperately he grabs her hips, guiding her to ride his thigh faster, and how they both stare at each other in bliss until the explosive end.

Lucifer: Now, this works out for both of them because Luci is simply just too large for MC. Seeing the size of that thing further solidifies that they need to use a toy together. Lucifer is perfectly fine with this and even anticipated it, taking her to his closet of various toys that he has set aside for things like this. It's quite literally a mini sex toy store as most of the items are unopened. If MC is unable to choose, Lucifer does and it's a textured cocksleeve that vibrates. His approach to this is fucking MC's thighs, the outside of the sleeve stimulates MC by hitting all the good spots, all without having to enter her. At the same time, it vibrates which stimulates both Luci and her, combined with the grinding that slides the sleeve slightly against his shaft. His hands also aid by stimulating other places on her body, holding her close, bringing her to ecstasy. But his goal is having her reach overstimulation so tears stream down her face, and that's when he's able to come, that is after having her cum more than a dozen times already.

[felice-jaganshi]

His Pet

Alastor X OC

Chapter 13

(Content warning: Valentino attempts to SA someone. Nothing graphic, but proceed with caution.)

Everything was normal and chill for the few weeks Valentino was reforming. Alastor and Zariah would cook meals together and be found dancing together all the time, they looked like a proper happy couple! They'd occasionally go visit Rosie for tea and chat, and he'd even introduced her to mimzy, who was immediately jealous. They even had new guests at the hotel!

 

But, all banquets must come to an end…

Zariah went for a walk with Nifty one day, and didn't come home at their scheduled time. Alastor immediately went to Angel, insisting he call Zariah, since Al didn't possess a cell phone. Angel tried, but it went straight to voice-mail. This had Alastor very troubled. “She never turns it off when she's out. This is bad.”

Angel looked at Alastor, “We need to get a search party going asap.” He then ran off to get Charlie. Alastor himself went into the shadows to search the streets as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

Meanwhile, Zariah woke up tied up in red rope. But where's Nifty?! She looked around, the place was strange and unfamiliar, mostly blue with a giant fish tank with sharks behind her. She found Nifty beside her, still asleep and also tied up. Suddenly a door opened on the other end of the room.

 

“You'll love this present, I've captured Alastor's little lady love~. Now we can both get our revenge on that stupid radio demon. Too bad Velvette is too busy with her fashion show across the ring to join in.” Valentino laughed, excited to show off his gift for Vox. Zariah's ears laid flat on her head as they both approached. She decided to try to use Alastor's advice and forced her ears to straighten and point forward, then put on her most confident grin.

“Heh, you're the idiots! He's just been playing with you till now! Once he sees you've taken his favorite pet, he'll slaughter you both!” She was proud of how well she kept her fear down. She just kept picturing his face, he said he'd protect her. He promised, he made a deal!  

Vox approached her with a smile of his own, “Oh you'll be fun to break, won't you?” He reached out to her, only for Nifty to suddenly lunge at his hand and bite his finger clean off! Vox screamed and pulled back his hand. Nifty quickly turned and cut Zariah's ropes with her knife she'd hidden up her dress. “Run! I'll take care of these Bad Boys~!” She giggled and lunged again. Zariah got up and ran a full sprint! Luckily, speed and agility were her specialty. Valentino chased after her, beginning a game of cat and mouse throughout the entire building. 

____________

The others were going crazy scouring the city for any sign of Nifty or Zariah. Until Charlie managed to find one of Nifty's heels outside the Vee's tower. She called everyone else to her location, having Angel try to find Alastor to inform him of their lead, so Angel could potentially avoid dealing with Valentino.

The rest of them entered the tower and tried to sneak their way through, only for emergency alarms to immediately go off.

 ___________

Zariah ended up cornered, baring her fangs. “Haven't you heard, Mothman, a fox is at its most dangerous when backed into a corner.” He only chuckled and used his smoke powers to try and chain her hands up,

“And just what are you going to do about it, pretty little thing? You're in my house now.” She hissed and growled before lunging at him, she clawed and bit at him, drawing blood.

___________

The rescue squad tore their way through the tower's defenses, making their way to Vox and Nifty. Seeing the reinforcements, he growled, “fuck this shit!” He retreated and made a solid escape, completely abandoning Valentino.

 ________

By the time Angel found Alastor, it had already been an hour, “Al! Fucking christ you're hard to fucking find, we found her! Get your ass to the Vee's tower, asshole!” Angel was out of breath and had tears in his eyes.

Alastor's eyes glowed for a second, “Vox…” He fell into the shadows and raced off.

When he entered the building, he destroyed every camera in his wake, killing every sinner that crossed his path until he finally found Valentino raving and screaming, “Augh, where did that bitch get to now?! I'll fuck her till she can't move! Then I'll let that radio bastard see the broken mess his little pet is in before killing her.” He chuckled darkly. 

Alastor growled and his tentacles came out, lashing at Valentino.

“As I said before, she's not for your lewd videos. She is pure as fresh snow and shall stay that way.” His voice was distorted as hell and filled with pure fury. Their fight was vicious, eventually the others showed up to help. Alastor ended up stealing Vaggie's angelic spear and the fight ended with Valentino's head on it like a pike. He offered it back to her once he was certain Valentino was dead for good. He gave an empty smile to Charlie, “Tell Angel he's out of a job.” He then walked away, searching for Zariah. He summoned her chain and followed it. He needed to see what state she was in. 

 

When he eventually found her, she was curled up in a wardrobe shivering and hiding behind her tails. He breathed a sigh of relief,

“Zariah, darling.” He reached out to her only for her to scratch his hand and hiss. Her hand that had popped out from behind her tails was covered in blood, both red and gold.

“Ah! Dear, that was very uncalled for.” He wanted to be mad but… She was clearly not herself right now, he couldn't blame her for protecting herself. 

“Nothing's gonna harm you, darling, not while I'm around…” He started to sing the song from the other day.

“Nothing's going to harm you, no ma'am, not while I'm around.

Demon's may charm you with a smile, for a while,

But in time…

Nothing can harm you,

Not while I'm around…” Her shivering stopped and her hand retreated. He took the chance and pulled her tails down from her face. Her eyes were dilated into thin slits, and her face was covered in red, with a thin trail of gold down her cheek. She also had a rather sizable chunk of Valentino's wing hanging from her mouth. He smiled fondly at her, his own heart fluttering.

“Now dear, that is in no way the quality of meat you deserve. Drop it, and I'll give you something far more worthy of your refined palette.” He reached out and took the furthest end of the wing and tried to pull it from her, only she held it in a death grip. “Dear. I said, Drop It. ” It was a stern command, she would obey him.

She slowly released, letting it drop from her mouth. He threw it across the room and placed his own arm in front of her face. “Here, if you desire flesh, try a bite of mine~ I'm guaranteed to taste far better than that disgusting insect.”

She didn't move at first, but… after a moment, she leaned closer and sniffed his scent. She then pulled his arm closer to her, making him fall over into her space and crowding her. “Ah, dear! Careful now, I'm bleeding quite a bit right now.” She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his neck, closing her eyes and purring. She began to heal him before gently biting his shoulder.

 

“Mine…” She whispered, starting to come back to herself. “My person, mine mine mine.” He felt a little uneasy from her claims… but he'd let it go for now. He scooped her into his arms.

“Alright, my darling, let's get you back home and all cleaned up.”

“Al… I love you.” She whispered.

 

“I… know you do. And I care for you too. More than anyone else in hell.” He turned to find all of the hotel staff standing in the doorway, Nifty bouncing excitedly, and Charlie looking misty eyed. Until they noticed all the angel blood on Zariah. Charlie was the first to speak up,

“Oh my…fuck! She's secretly an angel too?! Did you know? Did anyone else know?!” She was distressed over having this happen to her for a second time!

 

“Not the time for that, Charlotte.” Alastor said sternly. “I'm taking her to her room. No one is to disturb us. I am going to help her heal. Only Angel Dust may come check on her.”

[targaryen-realness]

Witchling Chapter 2

Title: Witchling

Pairing: Osferth x Druidess!Reader

Warnings: Canon depiction of violence, mention of slavery, wounds and scars, magic, historical innacuracy (sorry medieval Scotland is not my specialty), talk about faith and christianity. The reader is fem but there is no physical description except for the fact she is a scot from the Highlands.

Summary: As they are riding away from Winchester, Osferth and Lord Uhtred’s group come across a mysterious woman. She needs help but the power within her is obvious. Captivated, Osferth hopes she will stay, but as Uhtred asks her to travel with them, he cannot help but wonder what is going on in his lord’s head.

For the first time in forever, you slept well and without too much interruption. Your mind was still plagued by the men that tormented you for months, even a year maybe, you had no idea how much time had passed. At the beginning of your captivity, after the death of your brother you wished for freedom. There was nothing you wanted more than to leave this place for good. England had hurt you too much already. Then, after weeks of abuse, of being forced to use your powers against your will and even more, you had wished for death. You had never been scared of it, well aware that like every being you were a part of a greater cycle. Death was never the end, but you wished it had been yours. After, you wished for revenge. This need for retribution had guided you through this nightmare. The prospect of one day killing every man that had wronged you, to avenge your brother, was what kept you alive. It was that same feeling that got you up that morning to kill Baltair, your third captor. You still remembered his blood gushing out of his neck as you slided it open. The look on his face, surprise and terror. You spate on his face before running as fast as you could. You knew you could not kill them all today. But it was only a matter of time. You ran as fast as you could until your feet were bleeding, your muscles sore, until you could not feel your body anymore. They still caught up on you pretty fast, of course they had horses and hounds. You wouldn’t be caught alive though. The moment where you decided to jump in that river was brief, a second or so, that ended in chaos. 

This morning it is the cold that woke you up. There was some light outside and you could still hear the breathing of the others. It was oddly calming. You turned around to see who was lying next to you and without a surprise it was the young monk. He had led you to the room where everyone was sleeping just after your bath. He wished you a good night with a smile and left. You did not hear him come back later, you must have slept deeply. You stood up as silently as you could and left the room. Lord Uhtred was already up, eating something at one of the tables. His witch was glued to his side and you could not help but cringe at the sight. You had never met a danish witch but you could tell she was bad news. She was dangerous. A pretty face was most of the time enough to mess with the minds of men. Adding magic abilities to that was an assured disaster. You knew what you were talking about. You never manipulated any men, you could not cloud their minds like she was doing. If you could, you would have done it a long time ago. You belonged to no one, and no one except yourself could use your powers, now you were sure of it. Your captors did not have access to most of your abilities because you did not want to. Now you were free and ready to fight. 

“Well, look who is up! Come here seer. Sit down.”

“Thank you again for the clothes.

-Do not worry. You were not going to stay in your”, he marked a pause smirking “dress”. 

-Do not worry. You were not going to stay in your”, he marked a pause smirking “dress”. 

You smiled and accepted the plate he was giving you. You ate in silence, still conscious of the eyes of the other witch on you. You did not know why this lord was so kind to you but there was one thing you had learned. Nothing came for free in this world. You knew that too well and you were ready to pay for it. You were just nervous about not knowing what price you were going to pay. 

He could see you were curious about who they were talking about. 

“Aethelflead is the daughter of Alfred, king of Wessex” Osferth said to you. 

“Aethelflead is the daughter of Alfred, king of Wessex” Osferth said to you. 

You looked at him surprised. He already felt bad for even thinking of trying to ignore you. 

“You all know king Alfred and his family? 

-Yes of course. 

-Sorry, I don’t know much about what has happened in England lately.” you said trying to make the situation a bit more humorous. As if it was not because you were a slave that you didn’t know any of this. 

“I worked for Alfred for a bit. We have a complicated relationship.

-I see. Kings are complicated anyway. 

-But you know girl, you don’t need to go to Winchester to meet the blood of Alfred” said Finan, already laughing. Osferth looked at him internally praying for him to shut his mouth. His prayer fell in deaf ears apparently. 

“This boy right here.” he put his hand on Osferth’s shoulder “Is Alfred’s bastard”

You seemed genuinely surprised. You looked at him, your mouth slightly agape.

“You are the king’s son? 

-Just his bastard. 

-That is crazy. So Aethelflead is technically your sister? 

-We- We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

You hummed in understandment. You did not insist more simply asked:

“Where are you going now?

-We are joining Alfred at Eashine. The rest of my men are joining us right now.”

They left soon after, and to Osferth delight, you were riding with him this time. Apparently it was because Finan needed to be free of his movement if there had to be a problem. There had been no problem, the ride was long but calm, so much so he had all the leisure to enjoy the feeling of you pressed against his back. You had kept quiet most of the ride except for the sweet laugh you let escaped everytime one of the men said something silly. He could feel it, the rumble in your chest before he could hear the sound so close to his ear. He politely asked you if everything was alright from time to time and you simply hummed in response. You even put your chin on his shoulder at some point trying to see what was in front of you. He could now see the fortress of Eashine in the distance, catching up with Finan and Sihtric in the front. Lord Uhtred stopped on his horse as they kept going, the danish witch still at the front of the retinue. 

“I think she may have got herself inside his head” said Finan, not letting her out of his sight. 

Osferth felt you move, turning your head toward Finan surely. 

“He should kill her and be done with it.

-That will not kill the curse” answered Sihtric. 

“There is no curse” 

The words came out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He could feel your eyes burn at the back of his head. 

“And if I say there is no Christian God, does that make it so?” answered the danish man next to him. But Osferth simply said:

“There is no curse Sihtric.”

Sihtric moved on his horse looking back at Osferth. 

“I’ve seen women throw a curse and the next day a man is dead”

As he said it, his eyes moved slightly from Osferth to you. He could not see your reaction but he felt you move your head slightly. He wondered for a bit, if you had ever cursed a man. Was this magic even real? You did not answer. 

“Right, that is enough talking. To speak of it makes it stronger” said Finan, putting a term to the discussion. They arrived at the gates before the night fell completely. Before the entered, he heard Finan say to you:

“You are going to meet Alfred, for your own good, do not mention what happened to you, where you are from, what you do, and hide those marks and that necklace of yours. If they ask you, you are a christian.”

You didn’t answer but you nodded. He felt your hands fist his cloak harder, maybe from anxiety and he wished he could have comforted you more. You were now officially in enemy territory. 

You were expecting a lot of things when you arrived at Eashine but not to attend a war council as soon as you stepped off of your horse. You had no intention of speaking of your gifts or where you were from but Finan’s words confirmed your fear. Christians should not know who you were and for that you should make yourself as small as possible and not speak at all. Your accent would make it too obvious. You intended to stay glued to Osferth’s side, being near a monk would maybe help you pass for a good christian. Sadly he had been invited to that gathering with the king of Wessex, his non bastard son, and a man called father Beocca that Uhtred had mentioned earlier. You decided to sit next to Sihtric, his very obvious pagan aura could maybe hide yours. You hide your ogham necklace inside your robe and with the cloak Osferth gave you before entering the room you tried to dissimulate the marks that punctuated your skin. You were trying to make sense of what they were saying, but your mind was elsewhere. It was on the witch outside of the room. You knew, from the moment you set your eyes on him, that lord Uthred was cursed. It only became more obvious when you saw her. You had no idea why you were here this morning but you started to get why Lord Uthred was keeping you close. The price you will have to pay was getting clearer. You just did not know if you would succeed in paying it. Even more now that you realised the kingdom of Wessex was at war. You obviously knew of the danish invasion. Inverness had been attacked numerous times, and you knew there were countless danish settlements where you were from. Your father and brothers had all fought against the danes. Wessex seemed to be their favourite though, and apparently the king was not ready to face the war. He was dying, anyone could see it, but just by looking at him, you knew the sickness that plagued him. Alfred of Wessex would not see another summer. The way he would die was still uncertain. The king would probably die in his bed, but you could see a distant future, where he could be slayed on the battlefield. You did not need your gift to know that the kingdom could fall with his king, you just needed to look at his son, the legitimate one. He looked eager but lost in the shadow of his father. 

“They will not attack here. 

-Why not ? The king is here. That would be a good occasion to get rid of him. 

-This is a fortress, Blood hair will not come to sacrifice his men for nothing. -What if he just decided to burn the place down?

-He will not. Not now that we have his woman.

-Who is she? Is this her?”

You felt your heart skip a beat. 

“No it’s not. This is” Uhtred looked at you and you could see the question in his eyes. 

“Mary” blurted Osferth. 

Everyone looked at him including you, surprised but grateful. 

“Mary is travelling with us for now.”

You could feel the eyes of the king on you but he did not say anything else. 

“This is about the other woman then. 

-Yes, she is his sorceress, a seer.

-The simple mind of a Dane believes in signs, Edward. If a bird flew from their camp to ours, they would see it as a sign and follow. They would march into battle all because a seer caught sight of a bird.”

You wanted to laugh. There was no pride like christian humility. You wanted to say to this man that you saw his death, and not  because a crow travelled east today, but you hold your tongue. Sihtric next to you felt you tensing, but he did not say a thing, simply side eyed you to see your reaction. You must have mastered the art of looking innocent because he soon returned his gaze to the fire in front of him. 

“Sigurd is blind. There can be no battle.”

You were bored. Men and their wars, their battles. If you asked them, they would tell you they were doing it for peace, for unity, but you knew the truth. You saw the real colours of men’s hearts. They did not desire peace as much as they enjoyed the act of war itself. You kept listening, knowledge being power. You would not be thrown into a conflict completely blind. You knew that some men probably were wondering why you were there, in a room full of soldiers, in the affairs of men. But you held your tongue, and tried to look as clueless as possible. Soon the discussion was over and you were back outside. Uhtred was obviously in a disagreement with the king, as he thought that attacking first would avoid greater evil. You were not sure of it, sharing the same opinion as king Alfred on the matter. What you were more suspicious about was the fact he wanted to see Skade himself, so you stayed at a distance when Uhtred walked him toward her cell. 

“What are they doing? 

-Alfred said he’d like to hump the witch. No word of a lie”

You had to put your hands in front of your mouth to contain your laugh. Finan smiled back at you. 

“Are you alright? It was not a pleasant encounter for you I suppose”, Osferth asked you. 

You smiled sheepishly, getting closer from the fire. 

“It’s alright. Christians exist even in the kingdom of Alba. 

-You really saved the day, baby monk, right Mary? 

-Yes! Thank you for that actually.”

You saw the blush creep on his cheeks as he averted your gaze. You wanted to thank him properly but you were scared he would combused on the spot. 

“I panicked actually. It was instinct mostly. I thought of the most christian name possible.

-And you did right! But when are you going to tell us your name? We can’t call you Seer in front of those people, and you do not look like a Mary.” Finan said, his voice quiet enough so only the four of you could hear him. 

You looked at Osferth, tilting your head on the side playfully.

“You could have told them my name, you know. 

-He knows your name? 

-I told him yesterday after my-

-We met in the corridor after supper.”, he said, his eyes round with panic. You smiled at him and he looked away quickly. 

“Stop with the mystery! Tell us. 

-I fear you will be disappointed after all those expectations. 

-You would never disappoint me little draoi.”

You could hear the flirtatious tone he used but it was the gaelic that made you truly smile. 

“It’s Y/n” 

You smiled as Osferth said it. He looked so bashful all of sudden as he wasn’t looking at you when he said that but at Finan. 

“Little Y/n! And for our ears only!”

You laughed. You haven’t laughed that much in what seemed an entire lifetime, and you loved it. You knew you should not. You were supposed to be cold and revengeful. Focus on your goal. Sad. You were supposed to mourn your brother and the life that was stolen from you. But you weren’t. You were on your way toward happiness, new people creeping their way into your loving heart. 

“Aren’t you wondering what Alfred is doing ? Why does he want to see her?”, you asked, wondering why the oh so pious king would want to see a danish witch, the embodiment of what he despised with such ardour. 

“Told you he wanted to hump her. 

-Maybe he just wants to see her up close. He is curious. 

-I don’t know. I think it’s more than that.”

You marked a pause, wondering if you should keep quiet. 

“Maybe he is going to ask her a question. 

-You mean that he would trust the opinion of a seer? 

-I think that desperate men can do a lot of surprising things” 

The moment you said the words, the king came out of the cell and with him the scream of the witch. You almost jumped out of your skin as her voice elevated in the night sky. A sinister cry for her master to come save her. The night was going to be short and agitated. 

“When can I bind her mouth shut?” asked Sihtric, expressing the need of everyone around. You were becoming more uneasy by the second, the words of the witch reverberating in your very core. The world was shifting, the balance of nature disturbed by her words. You had a part of yourself that was admirative. She was powerful. You would always admire powerful women. Especially when you witnessed the ardour with which men would slaughter each other for them. But there was darkness within her. In her powers. You were seeking your abilities from nature, from the gods themselves, you were not sure she was doing the same, as even if she was clean of it, her very essence reeked of blood and viscera. 

“Let her sing.

-That is not singing” answered Osferth. 

Even though you did not want to make him uneasy, which seemed to be the result every time you were near him, you still chose to stand close to him. You were feeling calmer, his tall and lean body shielding you from Skade on the bulwark. He had even given you a fur to put on top of your cloak, courtesy of lord Uhtred apparently, but he was still the one who gave it to you. 

“Here is a bit of a loose talk for you”

You had not seen the man approached and you understood why when you looked at him. He was plain and had the same energy as a rat. Sneaky and bringer of disease. Without a word, he stood next to Uhtred sure that you would be interested in this conversation. 

“Sigebriht there, son of whoever, would like to rip the innards from young Edward’s belly. Would you like to know why?”

You screamed “no” inside your mind so hard you feared they heard it. Uhtred seemed as uninterested as you all were because he said no, already looking bored out of his mind. 

“Edward, the non bastard son of Alfred”, he looked at you when he said that and you wanted to throw a rock at him. 

You had grown up in a wealthy family, both your parents had been married for years now, and your father had never had any bastards that you knew of. You were from a big family anyway, you already had plenty of siblings to care about. It was  something that was non important anyways. But this stranger was mean. He just wanted to remind Osferth that he was a bastard and that during his entire time here, his father had ignored him. It was full of disdain and you hated that. 

“He has whelped twins on the girl whom Sigebriht did love. 

-And does Sigebriht still love this girl?” 

The words of Osferth put an end to the conversation thankfully. But sadly as he looked at you and you at him, you did not see the man coming closer. 

“We have not been properly introduced, my lady. My name is Aethelwold. I did not quite catch yours?”

You hesitated for a bit. If you spoke, he would know, and you felt that if there was one person you should avoid revealing too much, it would be this one. 

“Mary”, you said simply, trying to imitate the accent you heard until now. 

He looked at you with suspicion but did not say anything else to you directly. You saw the smile that appeared on his features as he turned around. 

“If she is to be passed around, send her to my room first”

You stayed calmed, but in your mind you were already murdering him. You said nothing, only shifting closer to Osferth who was now shielding you from Aethelwold view. Finan came out of his corner too, his impressive build and his less than sympathetic look was the last straw because you saw the rat start to walk away. You knew you should not have, but you still did. As he was strutting away, you muttered a few words in gaelic. Your gaze focused on his form, your words came out of your mouth, and he slipped on the ground falling on his back. You heard instant laughter but turned around before anyone could see you. 

“This just made my night so much better”, said Sihtric, finally coming closer. 

You did not miss the eyes of Uhtred on you as you took a step back. 

Finally lord Uhtred had given the order for the witch to be put back into her cell. Osferth felt agitated, and not only because of the lack of sleep or the screams of the witch. He damned Aethelwold internally for what he had said to you. He wished he could have had the courage of standing up more for you, but he felt it was not his place. He still checked on you after, and you assured him it was okay. You seemed sincere and he thanked the lord for that. Soon  they found themselves in a more isolated part of the court. Lord Uhtred had given the order for them to seek for food and that’s how they got around the fire with no one around. 

“Why get away lord? 

-We need to talk. 

-And we could not do this where we were before? 

-Not if I want to ask our dear seer some questions.”

You looked up from your bread focusing on them. 

“What do you want to ask me exactly? 

-I think you already know. 

-Yes, but I need details.”

Osferth was lost, and apparently so was Finan and Sihtric. Did you two have a discussion without any of them knowing? 

“Ask away.”, said lord Uhtred, taking a big sip of his drink. 

“When did it happen? 

-A few days ago.

-What did she say exactly? 

-About the curse? 

-Yes, her exact words.”

They all looked at each other trying to recall.

“She said he was cursed. That she holded his heart in her hand and she would squeeze it and break it, I think.” answered Osferth trying to remember the scene. 

“She was holding a priest’s heart.”

You looked suddenly deep in thoughts. You were frowning, obviously displeased by what you were hearing. 

“What do you think?

-I think you should have closed those doors and burned the entire church with her still in it”, you said, squeezing your own hands in an anxious motion. 

“Please tell me something I don’t already know. 

-If it is reassurance you want, I can already tell you that every curse can be broken. You are not doomed Uhtred Ragnarson.”

Everyone finally breathed again, probably realising that they were all holding their breath collectively. 

“But how?

-It is the complicated part. You won’t be able to break the curse if the witch is not with you, so I would advise you to not trade her just yet. 

-You can’t break the curse for him.”

You shook your head, closing your eyes. 

“No, the curse is only lifted by the one who is cursed. 

-I need to keep Skade. 

-Yes. To be completely honest, I don’t think you would be able to stay far away from her for long. It is a curse. She wants you and the more you will resist the more you will lose your mind. 

-Can’t he just give her what she wants then?

-If he wishes to lose himself completely, yes of course.”

Lord Uhtred looked suddenly very tired and Osferth felt really bad for him. He was scared. His lord was strong, the strongest man he knew for sure, but would he be able to free himself from that witch’s hold. 

“I don’t know how exactly you are supposed to free yourself. But I have a way to know. 

-How?”

It was the word of a desperate man, Osferth realised. Even though he was himself curious about how you would be able to learn such a thing. 

“I need to ask the gods.”

The silence that followed was heavy. 

“Do what you need to do.”

He didn’t say please, but Osferth understood and you seemed to do the same. You nodded and said you would start tomorrow to collect what you needed and that you would need their help to stay discreet. No one should know what you were doing and what you were. Osferth did not talk to you for the rest of the night and even if he wanted to, desperately, he could not. Even when you sat next to him on the bulwark, your body closer, seeking some heat. You ended up closer to Finan, and instant regret plagued him. He knew he was travelling with pagans. His relationship with his own faith was complicated since he left the monastery all those years ago. He still believed in god, he still believed in heaven and hell. He could not just fathom how anyone could think of pagans as monsters when you were one yourself. A heathen. One that holded his heart in her hand. Maybe he was as cursed as lord Uhtred. He could only hope you would have more mercy for his soul than Skade.

[monstaxdirtywonk]

Heaven is a place in hell with you pt. 6

Member: San as Hades X Persephone reader

Plot: it is loosely inspired from the myth but with some changes to fit what I had in mind

Genre: Fluff, Angst, eventual smut

It's been two weeks. Two long weeks without hearing from you. He was growing impatient but for the most part he was worried. What if you said something to Artemis and she couldn't control her rage. What if Artemis threw you out and you were wondering around the forest. But if that was the case, you'd surely come to him, right? Maybe Artemis tried to change your mind and she made it. Now he'd have to mourn his love for you that never had the chance to blossom for the rest of his life. That's an awfully long time. He doesn't have the luxury of death to make him forget about you.

Even Thanatos wasn't his usual bubbly self, sympathizing with his master after seeing that all the jokes he pulled weren't making the atmosphere lighter.

"You won't go for women hunting?" Hades asked noticing how his friend has been avoiding to leave his side for the last week.

"No I'm fine. I'm over it to be honest. It feels nice to flirt and stuff, but it gets repetitive after some time and you grow tired of it".

"I'd never grow tired of being with her. If anything I'm grateful I'm immortal so I'd have more time to be with her than mortals do."

Thanatos sighed. He wanted to say a white lie to make his master believe it's not such a big deal but Hades made his mind already about how crucial his love for you was.

"I'll be right back". Thanatos bluntly said and left through the now hated portal.

He had to check on you because his master was going insane and he couldn't sit there and watch. It didn't take him long to find the area of the forest in which nymphs lived.

Elpenike, an old flame of his, widen her eyes when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" She said after running towards his side.

"We are dead if Artemis see you here".

"Well, that's my specialty" Thanatos smirked.

"You aren't funny." Elpenike deadpan.

Thanatos had to find a way to find you without specifically asking for you because this would cause suspicion. He was someone that always respected boundaries and never used his hypnotizing abilities to get what he wanted but there was no other way for that to happen. Thanatos' black eyes turned golden and he stared deep into the poor nymph's eyes. After seconds, her eyes matched his color wise and she was gonna obay him without a second thought.

"Where is Persephone?" He asked.

"She is in her room. She's been there for days due to her high fever".

"Get me to her".

Elpenike started walking and she stopped outside the third house Thanatos could see from where he was standing. He followed her suit and entered the room after taking a glimpse from the window to make sure Artemis wasn't inside.

When he opened the door, he saw you laying in bed and another nymph attending to your needs. You looked tired and a faint blush was adorning your cheeks, the result of your fever.

"Who are you?" The nymp asked, very clearly defensive but her stance was more dynamic than yours had been when you first met him.

"Thanatos..". You said when you saw him standing at the door step.

"Come in and close the door, I don't want anyone to see you here".

He did as he was told.

The nymp spoke again.

"Thanatos? Hades' side kick?"

"Yes" you replied.

"Hey! I'm not the side kick. I'm a whole main character actually".

You laughed at that. He did make a place in your heart at the end.

"What is it? Did something happen to Hades?"

Oh you were just as whipped. You, a fragile little human that was currently sick, felt worried over a powerful God's well being. Love is crazy indeed.

"He is fine physically. But he misses you a lot. He doesn't know I'm here but I wanted to check on you because he's been so worried he's gonna lose his mind".

You smiled and felt like tearing up after learning about Hades' caring feelings for you.

"I've been sick that's why he didn't hear any news from me yet. When I'm gonna feel better, I'll come visit him. No matter what my decision would be. Please tell him what I said"

Thanatos nodded.

"Does she know?" He gestured to your friend.

"I have a name actually...."

You laughed at Nefeli's hot temper, always ready to defend herself or others.

"She does. She is the only one that does."

"Ah. So I guess you are Persephone's side kick then". Thanatos looked at Nefeli in a playful and mischievous way.

"You said he was kind of annoying but that's annoying annoying and I've been in his presence for 10 minutes".

Thanatos gasped but you and Nefeli laughed.

"You told her I'm annoying?"

"I said just a little bit. In a cute way. Like little puppies".

Thanatos liked being compared to a puppy so he could let that slide.

"I'm gonna accept that because I'm cute indeed".

Nefeli side eyed him and you loved how funny those two were being. It made you escape your misery for a bit.

"I think you should go. It's late and Artemis might come to check on me. Please before you go, take this shawl with you. Give it to Hades".

Thanatos took the piece of cloth and he left in a hurry. He felt so relieved you were well, he did grow fond of you too. He couldn't wait to tell Hades the good news.

~~~

"She gave me this and said I should give it to you". Thanatos gave the shawl to his lord and Hades took it in his hand and a smile was formed on his handsome face.

"I'm so happy she is well! Is she very sick?" He asked worried.

"No she wasn't. She said she is feeling better already. She'll be back to you in no time, I'm sure".

Hades couldn't wait for that moment to come, till then he was gonna sleep holding your shawl.

Thanatos came closer and patted his lord's shoulder.

"I mean I've never been in love but I've heard that it helps when you share your feelings with someone else. Would you mind if you shared them with me?" He asked and took a seat without waiting for a response because he knew that Hades was gonna accept.

"You know how you can be seemingly so different with someone but deep down you are made from the same kind? I feel like we can relate on a deeper level, both restricted by our very own nature, trying to break away from it and find our deepest desires. But at the same time she reminds me about a part of me that I forgot about, the vulnerable one. There's nothing more scary, to the living or the dead, than being that. But it's like vulnerability is all she knows and she makes this typically powerless state, her greatest strength. Her pure intention too. There's so much drama in our world, but when I see her I feel like she doesn't hide anything from me. An open book, if you will. You know how much I love my books after all. I could go on for hours praising her. Even if Eros couldn't find me in the deepest parts of the world, I'd fall for her on my own. When we say falling in love it sounds a bit passive, but that's not how i feel. I'd actively choose her again and again."

Thanatos was positive at this point, his master was whipped. It was sweet and he was happy for him because he knew-although Hades never outwardly said it- that he wanted a companion, a love to call his, for a long time. But at the same time, he was worried. He knew of your position, and he knew it was a big decision to come to Hades and change your surroundings and friends for a life of darkness. It was such a big sacrifice that few were willing to take. He didn't know if you were among those. But he did wish you were, for Hades' sake.

Next chapter:

[satansapostle6]

love and blood | killian jones

The course of history is changed forever when a ruggedly charming pirate’s fate is intertwined with that of a dark sorceress more powerful than any he had ever encountered.

Warnings: Violence. Mature themes/language. Sexual content.

IV. Dark Ones

V. The Witch’s Champion

Killian Jones watched with curiosity as Gorgon the supposedly Invincible rose to his feet as he offered his services to the Blood Queen.

“Thank you for your allegiance, Gorgon,” her silky voice responded. “It will not go unrewarded.”

The sorceress slowly waved two bejeweled fingers in front of the man, as, just for a split second, all of the veins in his body seemingly glowed bright red with magic. Gorgon gasped in surprise, looking upon his savior with an almost naive sense of wonder.

“What have you done?” he asked her.

“It would appear I’ve removed that nasty blood curse of yours,” she provided, only to be met with confusion. “I have a knack for that sort of magic,” she explained.

“I don’t understand,” Gorgon breathed, “No sorcerer, or sorceress, of course, has eved been able to find a cure for the curse placed upon me.”

“Like I said; blood magic is kind of my specialty,” Carmilla remarked coyly.

“An understatement,” the man stared. “Your gift is quite remarkable.”

“And now, you, too, are free to use your gift,” she reminded him.

Hook instinctively looked to his companion for an explanation, not knowing much about this Gorgon character.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Gorgon told her.

“Back when those hunters were stalking you… You took the form of a pheasant. That blood curse that was placed upon you, it made it so that you were unable to control what form you take, or when. I’ve made it so that not only are you free of that curse, but you’re free to harness your ability to take whatever shape you desire,” she answered.

“My fair lady!” Gorgon gasped. “If what you say is true, I owe you more than I could ever repay!”

“As I said before. You owe me nothing,” Carmilla promised, “Except, of course, your services as my champion.”

“Anything,” he nodded quickly. “Now. Tell me more about this for that plagues you.”

Hook stood by Carmilla’s side as the bird remained perched on her shoulder, anxiously awaiting the development of this particular endeavor. He was slowly growing tired of Gorgon and his relentless flattery.

“The man I wish to defeat is a very powerful sorcerer; the most powerful,” she replied. “He holds the title of ‘Dark One’.”

Hook watched Gorgon’s reaction and realized this meant nothing to him. This should be interesting, he thought.

“His powers are unique?” Gorgon considered.

Carmilla nodded. “Very much so. He is, as you’ve probably gathered, a conduit of darkness itself. He’s powerful, immortal, and can only be killed by one weapon.”

“And where do we find this weapon?” Gorgon asked readily.

Hook could tell Carmilla was loving his vigilance on her behalf. It was very convenient.

“That’s the tricky part; he keeps it safely guarded,” she stated, “He’s never far from it.”

“And there’s no other weapon that can kill him?”

“Even if there was, it’s imperative you kill him with his dagger,” she emphasized, “Because if you kill him with that dagger, you take his place as Dark One.”

Gorgon considered this for a moment, processing everything he’d just heard.

“I’d be immortal?” he asked her.

Carmilla nodded. “You’d be more powerful than any sorcerer in all the realms. Including myself.”

“Forgive me for asking, my lady,” he began, “But I don’t quite see why you need me. Would it not be better if you simply killed this ‘Dark One’ yourself, and took his place?”

Hook raised an eyebrow as he turned to Carmilla, fully aware that whatever she was about to tell this man was a complete lie; Carmilla needed a champion to kill Dunstan for her and take the mantle of Dark One purely because even she knew, in all her vindictive and power-hungry glory, that the title of Dark one was not one to be coveted.

“You see, Gorgon, I’ve already come quite close to achieving immortality, as well as eternal youth,” she explained, not yet lying. “I’m over a thousand years old, for starters.”

Gorgon was at the point of shamelessly open-mouth staring at her.

“Y-You’re a thousand years old?!” he blurted out.

“Yes, I am,” she nodded, “You see, I chose to seek out a knight in shining armor, so to speak, because I have already harnessed my power. Now, it’s your turn. To become the fearsome shapeshifter you were always meant to be, and to fulfill your destiny as the next and final Dark One,” she finished with a sweet, deceptive smile.

The enticing look on her face was completely foreign to Hook. He even started to wonder if Carmella truly was completely honest with him solely because it seemed this is what it looked like when she lied.

“‘Fearsome’?” he wondered. “I could truly become Gorgon the Invincible?”

“You can, mate,” Hook nodded. “All you have to do is come with us.”

Gorgon thought for a moment, never having been faced with such a choice in his life.

“These shapeshifting powers… They’ve never made the others see me as any sort of champion,” he thought. “I’ve only ever been an outcast; a monster, or a weakling.”

“That all changes today,” Carmilla promised. “Now that your curse is lifted, you don’t have to live in fear. You don’t have to be the helpless pheasant anymore; you could choose to be whatever you like. A flighty hawk, a noble steed, or even a fire-breathing wart hog; whatever it is your heart desires.”

“A fire-breathing war hog?” Gorgon pondered.

“Sky’s the limit,” Hook nodded.

It only took him a moment to side with Carmilla.

“I will do as you ask, my lady,” Gorgon announced with resolved, hand over his heart. “I will become the next Dark One.”

“Oh, I know you will,” Carmilla agreed, grinning uncontrollably.

*****

After a bit of coaching, Gorgon was able to used his newly discovered magical abilities to transport himself, Carmilla, and Hook to his home in the blink of an eye in a cloud of emerald green smoke. He had insisted upon preparing a meal for her his guests, which left Hook and Carmilla to sit at his table, which was large enough for four but was used to sitting one.

“Might I ask you something, Carmilla?” Hook piped up after a moment.

“If I said no, I’m sure you’d just ask anyway,” she reasoned pointedly.

“Fair enough.”

“So ask,” she said impatiently.

“Back there, in the forest,” he began, having been contemplating for a while. “You were able to rid Gorgon, a shapeshifter, of his curse.”

“I was.”

“So, why were you never able to cure Col?” Hook wondered.

He watched Carmilla’s jaw clench as the raven cawed quietly, head turned towards her. This was one of the moments where Hook particularly wished he could understand the bird. Carmilla lightly cleared her throat before speaking.

“The witch who cursed him knew my magic well,” she answered, surprising earnestly.

There was no petty irritation or sarcasm in her words.

“She knew that if she cursed him using blood magic, I would never be able to undo it. No matter what I did. The magic she was able to do was, admittedly, impressive. Even to me. Powerful stuff,” she confessed. “Not only did she make the curse impermeable, but… she managed to tether it to his life force.”

“How do you mean?” Killian asked quietly.

He watched the discomfort appear on her face for a split second before she composed herself.

“Even if I did find a way to break Col’s curse…” Carmilla told him.

He frowned sympathetically.

“He’d die.”

Her story finally made everything make sense to Hook. Now, it made even more sense to him. Carmilla, the all-powerful blood magic practitioner, couldn’t break the curse that plagued her husband because he’d die if she did. She kept him alive in his cursed raven form only because it was better than losing him altogether. The story, he thought, truly was a tragic one.

“So now you understand,” Carmilla read the expression of pity on his face, “Why his curse is the only one I cannot break.”

He nodded sadly, trying to come up with something better to offer. He looked at her, with Col sitting perched on her shoulder. The bird refused to look at her now, and even though to him it was just a bird, Killian Jones still knew the look of a man who resented his wife.

“How about we digress,” he suggested, his demeanor more playful once again, “And I ask you the other question on my mind.”

“By all means,” Carmilla allowed, seeming somewhat withdrawn.

“Why, pray tell,” Hook leaned in as he stared into her dark eyes, “Wouldn’t you, a powerful sorceress, jump at the opportunity to become the Dark One?” he murmured.

Carmilla just laughed at the idea. “Why, pirate?” she said mockingly. “Do I not frighten you enough?”

“Oh, you frighten me plenty,” he assured her. “I just don’t understand why that kind of unlimited power, and unbridled dark magic wouldn’t appeal to you.”

“Simple,” she murmured, careful to make sure Gorgon wasn’t in earshot. “I’m powerful; perhaps one of the most powerful practitioners of magic in all the realms. I’ve lived for over a thousand years all on my own. Becoming the Dark One would make the dagger my weakness, and I simply don’t need one of those,” she replied simply.

Hook understood her point, agreeing that it was prudent of her not to choose to become the Dark One, as convenient as it would be for him in his quest to exact his revenge upon the current Dark One in their time, Rumplestiltskin.

-

[ultraericthered]

Kingdom Hearts Divergence, the Hearts In Chaos Chronicle

THE GOOD GUYS

Ephemer - The main protagonist of the saga, debuting as a dual MC next to Sora in KH4 before Sora's Keyblade of Light chooses Ephemer to be its new wielder. Ephemer's background is opposite of Sora's in that he's always known of other worlds, Keyblades, powers of light and darkness from the heart, Kingdom Hearts and all that because he's actually a member of the Dandelion Guild who comes from the distant past, having been thrust forward in time after running afoul of a conspiracy being set in motion by the then-current Guild Masters. Ephemer is a kind-hearted, empathetic and curious youth who wishes to solve the mysteries of the World, such as the Book of Prophecies and what exactly transpired between the Unions of the Dandelion Guild that caused Keyblades and Masters to become scarce. Much hard-hitting and less easygoing than Sora, he can be a bit cocky when he fights but is also known to be hesitant when he is unsure he's up to a big task, particularly true for becoming the next Keyblade Master, but he gradually starts to grow into the role. Ephemer is voiced in the English dub by Michael Johnston.

Skuld - The series' new female lead is quite special, as she's come to the present timeline from a far off future. It's never confirmed outright where she hails from and who her family is, but it is strongly implied that she's the future daughter of Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly, with similiarities in hair, fashion sense, and even the use of a sort of "Gunblade" as her weapon of choice. Skuld, like Riku, has dabbled in the powers of Darkness and can now uses abilities derived from the twilight in-between. Despite being something self-serious, driven, and something of a loner at first, Skuld cares greatly for her friends and doesn't like seeing others fighting and getting hurt, which is why she tries to carry the burdens all by herself. As she befriends Ephemer and begins to loosen up, we see she is every bit as empathetic as him and willing to take great risks to protect others.

Skuld is voiced in the English dub by Cristina Vee.

Brain - A young man living in the present day's Daybreak Town, Brain (pronounced BRYNE) is a cool, laid-back, and studious person by nature. The first person befriended by Ephemer when he lands in this timeline, Brain becomes protective of the boy like a big brother. He is very clever and tactically gifted, good with analytics, deduction, and making plans to be implemented in times of conflict. Brain was also hesitant about becoming an adventuring, world-saving hero, believing himself incapable of fulfilling the role, but resolves to perform his duties to prevent another war from breaking out. It is later revealed that Master Luxu's heart cast itself into Brain's and melded with it (akin to Ventus with Sora), so the Luminous Vanguard seek to recruit him into the Lost Masters, but Brain fights to assert that his heart is his own and he "makes himself" who he truly is. Much like Organization XIII's Zexion, Brain's weapon of choice is a magic book.

Brain is voiced in the English dub by Max Mittelman.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck - In the year between KH2-KH3 and KH4, Donald's triplet nephews underwent a growth spurt and got even more deeply involved with being entrepreneurs under their great uncle Scrooge's mentorship, finally deciding they were ready to take on adventures of their own across the galaxy. As fate would have it, their first such endeavor leads them to Ephemer, and from them on they are inseparable from him. The Nephews act as a constantly rotating unit. In some worlds Ephemer can switch between which Nephew he wants to have fight along with him, but in select worlds, only one nephew will be available. Their specialty is utilizing magic like their uncle, but through high-tech gear rather than staffs.

The Nephews are voiced in the English dub by Danny Pudi (Huey), Ben Schwartz (Dewey), and Bobbi Moynihan (Louie).

Max Goof - The estranged teenage son of Disney Castle's lead guard, Goofy, Max is a squire still in training whose tastes tend to differ from his doofus dad's, including his belief that the best defense is a good offense, which is why he fights with a very shield-like blade. When Goofy and Donald accompany Sora to look into the rise in blight power and the Demi-Deterged, Max steals away on his own to prove himself, running into Donald's Nephews and Ephemer in the process. As one of Ephemer's constant companions, Max fears being as clumsy as his dad or being seen as needing of constant supervision and help, but eases into becoming a knight on his terms.

Max is voiced in the English dub by Jason Marsden.

Timothy Mouse - A mouse who used to be a big name in show biz but has since fallen to the wayside and become homeless. Timothy accompanies Ephemer and his friends on their journeys. The whole joke with him is that as he is a mouse and he's joined up with ducks and a Goof, Timothy believes himself a potential successor to King Mickey himself only to find himself the new Jiminy Cricket instead.

Timothy is voiced in the English dub by Chris Edgerly, who also voices the role of Cid.

King Mickey - We all know who he is by now, and of course he was going to involve himself somehow. Following KH4, he gets seen much less in the plot, making it a big deal whenever he does pop up.

King Mickey is voiced in the English dub by Brett Iwan.

Figaro - A stray cat from Disney Town who tags along with Max and with the main party, being attracted to Ephemer, Skuld, and Brain's monochrome colors they wear that match Figaro's own fur.

Figaro is voiced in the English dub by Frank Welker.

Chirithy - The Chirithy were the ancient predecessors to Moogles in the World, but only one such Chirithy remains in the present day.

Chirithy is voiced in the English dub by Lara Jill Miller.

The Blue Fairy - The very same Blue Fairy who brought Pinocchio to life, it's her magic that draws Ephemer, Brain, and Skuld together, as she fills Yen Sid's old spot as the primary magic-powered mentor.

The Blue Fairy is voiced in the English dub by Rosalin Landor.

Merlin - Speaking of magic-powered mentor, Merlin is still very much around, still working with the Committee, still in possession of the Winnie The Pooh book, and still offering magic training to any who need it. He becomes particularly close with both Brain and Max.

Merlin is voiced in the English dub by Jeff Bennett.

Scrooge McDuck - Donald's uncle and the great uncle of Huey, Dewey, and Louie who mentored them in the ways of big business. Uncle Scrooge is still around the hub worlds, always doing his thing.

Scrooge McDuck is voiced in the English dub by En Reitel.

Wreck-It Ralph & Pals - First obtained as summonable allies by Sora in KH3, Ralph, Vanellope, Felix, and Sgt. Calhoun are allies in their own world in KH4 and become recurring aid to Ephemer's party.

They are voiced in the English dub by John C. Reily, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch.

Kermit The Frog - No one quite understands what Kermit's deal is, but he was displaced from his home world when it got torn up by blight, so now he seeks application with Leon's Committee in KH4. Later reunited with his Muppet friends in KH5, Kermit continues to help out while also serving as the host for entertainment venues and mini-games. He's generally good-natured, but not good at handling frustration, and has next to no combat capabilities besides dodging.

Kermit The Frog is voiced in the English dub by Matt Vogel.

Elrena, Lauriam, & Strelitizia - The resident "Hayner, Pence, and Olette" of Daybreak Town, this trio is unique in that there are two girls and one guy this time! The three of them were in the very last remnant of the old Dandelion Guild and like a family to one another, but Strelitiza tragically lost her heart in an incident a few years ago, with Lauriam and Elrena losing their hearts to the Heartless when they invaded their world. Now fully restored to life, the trio become loyal allies to Ephemer upon learning his ties to the Dandelion Guild.

Elrena, Lauriam, & Strelitzia are voiced in the English dub by Shanelle Workman-Gray, Keith Ferguson, and Madison Davenport.

THE ENEMIES

The Demi-Detergered - A truly bizarre and unexpected evolution has occurred within many of the Heartless that still roam the worlds. Powers of light, light stolen from the hearts of others, have entered their veins and changed them from within. Rather than be attracted to the darkness of people's hearts with the instict to prey upon those hearts, these Heartless seek out darkness and attack it in ways that prove dangerous to hearts and destructive to the fabric of the World. Called the Demi-Deterged, this brand of Heartless and the "blight" they possess is exploited by the Luminous Vanguard in their quest to purge reality of darkness and re-organize it around eternal light.

Neodarkness - An entity made of pure raw darkness who's become ruler of the Dark Realm, ensuring that all dark beings like Darklings, Heartless, Unversed, and Nightmares return to the World. In his previous existence, Neodarkness was Vanitas, the dark half of Ventus who served Master Xehanort. In accepting his nature, his dark soul was able to evolve into something else. Pure evil as he seems, Neodarkness doesn't always disturb the peace and finds himself frequently acting on the defensive against beseiging blight.

Neodarkness is voiced in the English dub by Haley Joel Osment.

Pete & Duke Mortimer - While Maleficent plays the chief antagonist role in KH4 along with Judge Frollo, she's brought down and sapped of all her dark magical power in the end. Unable to act anymore, she tasks Pete with tending to all her tasks and searching for a way to restore her power to her, and knowing that her chief flunkie is hardly reliable on his own, she inducts a new flunkie into her service: Duke Mortimer Mouse, King Mickey's rival from Disney Town who debuted in KH4. Creating a faux Keyblade for his use, Mortimer also comes in handy for slaying Demi-Deterged as he and Pete travel the worlds.

Pete and Duke Mortimer are voiced in the English dub by Jim Cummings and Maurice Lemarche respectively.

The Luminous Vanguard - A clerical society of white mages made from what used to be different unions for the Dandelion Guild. While their seven masters entering stasis in time made the group unable to function for ages, it has finally reactivated and is out to achieve its leader's vision of a reconstructed Kingdom Hearts whose pure light can spread to not just all worlds, but all Worlds, and burn away all darkness so that all hearts will be forced into obedience to the light. Having eliminated the ability for hearts to unite with Keyblades in frequency ages ago, the Vanguard abhors the very existence of the Keyblade, believing such a weapon to not be fit for human hands.

Master Narix - Founder and leader of the Luminous Vanguard. Narix has long believed that the majority of hearts are naturally weak and susceptible to darkness that begets dark powers that defile the World, and that only the strongest and purest of hearts should set the course for the World and its denizens. Envisioning a reality where darkness no longer exists, light conquers all Worlds, and he reigns supreme as the light's oppressive guardian, Narix arrogantly looks to use blight to tear down and reconstruct Kingdom Hearts from within its innermost heart, and will eradicate all that would get in his way. The road to the deepest darkness is paved with good intentions.

Master Narix is voiced in the English dub by Johnny Yong Bosch.

The Lost Masters - The six Masters who accompanied Narix in forming the Luminous Vanguard were Avali, Fura, Gorgeyo, Jelus, Ecaed, and the now deceased Luxu. Aside from Luxu, the only truly prominent Master is the young Avali, whose pure heart and convictions to doing good by others for the cause of light enabled her to become one of the new Princesses of Heart. More than the others she has doubts about the rightness of the Vanguard's course, but tends to quickly dispell those doubts and show why a pure heart of light can be incredibly dangerous if exploited by the wrong crowd.

In the English dub, Avali is voiced by Jenna Ortega, Fura by Travis Willingham, Gorgeyo by Matthew Mercer, Jelus by Katelyn Gault, and Ecaed by Adam McArthur (and Luxu by Hector Elizondo).

Justice Minister Frollo - Having lost his authority in La Cite des Lumieres, Judge Frollo was beckoned out from his world by the Lost Masters, who annointed him as Minister of Justice to lead the test run faction of the Luminous Vanguard, with the leftover Nightmare energy Frollo had attained granting him the power to control and exploit the Demi-Deterged. Gladly compliant with the Vanguard's mission to purge the World of darkness but holding himself in such esteem that he frequently changes the course of plans without the Lost Masters' imput, Frollo's broad defining of what is sinful sees him seeking the destruction of many Disney villains and Disney good guys alike, as all this grows and enhances his own heart’s darkness yet he remains ignorant or in denial of it due to his sense of self-righteousness.

Frollo is voiced in the English dub by Timothy E. Brummud.

Evanesse' - A very different sort of adversary Ephemer finds himself faced with later in his quest. Created as a Hollow Replica by the late Xehanort, he's inadvertedly found and given life by Ephemer, making him a Xehanort replica whose essence is but a pale copy of what came from Ephemer's heart. Calling himself Evanessé, he seeks to find his own aim and to define his place in the World, but plagued by self doubt that he can live up to his own expectations for existing and by the specter of Xehanort, he comes to resent life and decides he just wants everything around him to disappear into nothingness...

Evanesse' is voiced in the English dub by Dylan Sprouse.

[innytoes]

Dinosaur and Magic AUs apparently 😁

Okay so world where everyone has one magic gift. Some of them are really cool (levitation), some of them are very destructive (that awkward moment when you learn your toddler's magic gift is Fireballs), usually they're nothing special. Like you find out your magic gift is always being able to pick avocados that will be ripe exactly when you need them, or you're a necromancer, but only for overwatered cacti.

Julie's magical gift of being able to see ghosts and bring them back to life with the power of he hugs is a little bit of a shock. It's a powerful gift, considering Rose's magic of Summoning Car Keys and Ray's gift of always knowing exactly how someone takes their coffee.

She's only done it a few times, because she really needs to love that person for it to work. But let's just say Grandma Molina lived to see 130 before she patted Julie's hand and told her she was ready to go. Which, considering she didn't come back as a ghost and crossed over, was pretty clear, even though it was heartbreaking.

(It meant her Mom came back to her, though, and maybe that broke her friendship with Carrie because she wasn't able to bring her mom back when she and Carrie were both six. Just because something is a gift, doesn't mean it's always a blessing, her Mom explained.)

Still, when she met this dreamy ghost called Luke and fell in love with him after a few months of him haunting her Mom's studio and she brought him back, the Pattersons did call it a blessing. Luke was grateful for his second chance, even though he was kind of upset when he realised this meant he had to go back to high school.

Thankfully he makes friends pretty quickly at his new school. And drags them into a band with Julie, because who can say no to Luke's puppy eyes? (No, that's not his gift, it's summoning knit beanies. Not very useful in LA.)

Alex, their drummer, can turn into a cat, which Reggie, their bassist, is very, very jealous of. He shrugs when they ask him what his gift is. "Dogs really like me?" he suggests. Some people never really figure out what their gift is, or only very late in life. Like Tía Victoria, who only found out she was able to turn snow into powdered sugar after a very disastrous ski trip to Aspen with her college girlfriend.

It's not until he shows up at band practice one morning holding a box and looking very nervous that they find out what his gift is.

Which is... summoning tiny dinosaurs.

Real live dinosaurs, just teeny tiny. The biggest one, a long neck, is about the size of a chihuahua.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" he asks, desperate. "I just woke up this morning and they were in my room."

"Well first," Flynn suggests, reaching her hand in despite Alex' nervous protests. "Maybe call a museum or paleontologist or something because I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be feeding a stegosaurus donuts for breakfast."

"Yeah, I don't know, man," Luke agreed. "I can call my dad and see if anyone at his old university knows anyone with a specialty in dinosaurs. They look pretty real to me, but who knows. Maybe your power is just summoning creatures you imagined."

"Quick, summon a tiny unicorn!" Flynn said, and Reggie screwed his eyes shut. No unicorns appeared.

"I don't think I created them from my own imagination," Reggie said. "Because like, I never really knew velociraptors had feathers."

Nobody said anything. In fact, they looked concerned, and then panicked.

"Oh!" Reggie said, slinging his backpack off his shoulders and zipping it open. "Meet Chompy. I couldn't put him in the box with the others, he kept trying to eat Humphrey." Chompy, true to his name, snapped at them, before going back to devouring what appeared to be half of a beef jerky. His plumage was rather bright and gorgeous.

"Okay," Alex said, faintly.

In the end they called Mister Patterson, as well as Rose and Ray and Tía. This was an All Adults On Board kind of situation.

Carlos was delighted with his new pet brontosaurus for his birthday, though.

[everynicorobin]

what are your absolute favorite robin panels from each arc/island?

This got so long that I hit the image limit, so this is part one of a five part post!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Whiskey Peak

Chapter 114

This is the first time we have a clear full-body shot of Robin! She barely moves from this point on until she leaves on her turtle friend, not even raising a finger to take down the Strawhats.

Chapter 114

I like how cheeky she is here, not only stealing Luffy's hat but putting it on top of her own :)

Alabasta

Chapter 170

An absolutely iconic panel. She's just showing off her power here to mock Pell and Vivi.

Chapter: 173

I enjoy this one simply because it kinda looks like she has two weirdly long and skinny legs. Milkwalker

Chapter 200

This is just delightful. It's the first time she's laughing and smiling without being sarcastic or mocking, and it's because of Luffy's stupid "Water Luffy" move.

Chapter 217

Another iconic panel. She's just beautiful here - look at how her hair flutters in the wind. Ever since she showed up as a surprise stowaway for the second time, she's been smiling.

Chapter 218

Godddd just look at her... look at her smile...

Jaya

Chapter 219

Robin rarely performs hands-on archaeology, so this scene is very cool to see. She gets to show off her smarts, too, by figuring out how the person died and using the hole in his skull and the ship's cargo to estimate how old the ship was.

Chapter 221

After the moment where she states that her specialty is assassination, this is one of the first times she and Usopp become a comedy duo, and one of her first morbid comments after joining the crew.

Chapter 229

She's just very cute here and the reading pose is #relatable

Skypiea

Chapter 239

This is one of the first times she starts to realize what the Strawhats are all about, and when just being around them gives her a new lease on life, psychologically instead of literally being dragged away from death. She's not joining in the romp, but she's just happy to watch her new crew have fun, and I'm sure this was the beginnings of when she fell in love with them.

Chapter 253

And speaking of falling in love with the crew...

Chapter 255

Not only is this hilarious, it's a cute moment between Robin and Chopper :)

Chapter 268

This is just a nice scene. She's spent a couple hours now not only searching for the lost city, but fighting off enemies on the way and literally digging into the ground to get there. She deserves a break.

Chapter 296

Another moment of her loving her new crew, whether she wants to or not. No matter how much the Strawhats might bicker, they follow Luffy to the end.

Chapter 301

Another wonderful smile from our favorite Robin

Long Ring Long Land

Chapter 307

Very amusing to me that she somehow keeps a book in that outfit, and that she's taking the time to read it while there is a dire situation on their hands

Chapter 312

Women supporting women we love to see it

Chapter 319

This is the first time we see Robin really vulnerable in front of her crew. This whole scene is a great moment for her character, showing the normally calm and collected woman suddenly so scared she's fallen down and frozen in fear (though not literally just yet), and it does a good job setting up her character growth in W7/EL.

Chapter 320

Related to the previous one, this is another great look at Robin's character. Here she's already willing to sacrifice herself if it means everyone else will get away, just like she tries to do in Water 7, and I suspect she attacked Aokiji to goad him into focusing on her instead of Luffy and the others.

Chapter 321

Once again we're coming back to Robin and her newfound love for the crew. She's perfectly fine here, but according to the next chapter, it appeared to the rest of the crew that she recovered a little after Luffy, leaving the room after he did. I wonder what she was thinking about while resting - was she worried about the fact that she could no longer leave of her own free will, having become attached to them? Was she preparing to give herself over to the WG should Aokiji alert his comrades? Was she contemplating suicide in order to free the Strawhats from the perceived burden of having her as a crewmate?

Water 7

Chapter 323

Yes we are once more coming back to the "Robin loves the Strawhats so so much" hour. Look at her smile!

Chapter 325

The introduction of a fantastic and iconic outfit, and she's hanging out with Chopper :)

Chapter 340

This is an interesting scene. Robin is telling this to Sanji and Chopper to try to keep them away from her - she's clearly stating that she's leaving the crew, and trying to emphasize that she herself is dangerous to have around to make them stay away. But even though she loves them, it's apparent that she doesn't know them well enough yet, because this only makes them more worried about her and desperate to go after her.

Chapter 340

A continuation of the above - despite that she's trying to drive them away from her, she can't help but leave them with kind words, and thank them for everything they've done for her.

Chapter 347

She's trying so hard to play the part of the villain here, deliberately being vague with her wording to make it sound like she's sacrificing the Strawhats for her own dream when in fact it's the other way around. I'm not sure if it's because she has trouble being vulnerable with people at this point in time, or if it's because she correctly thinks that the others won't accept her actual reason.

From Chapter 359, I had to include this whole sequence because. Augh. Augh. We finally know the truth, that she loves the crew so much that even though they brought back her will to live, she's ready to die all over again just so they can keep going. She can't betray them so she can live this time - it seems like she never even considered that possibility despite doing it so many times in the past. And she just has to tell someone the truth. She might not have said anything if Iceburg hadn't accused her of being on good terms with the government, and insulted her dream. aaaaaauuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhhhh

Chapter 370

We return to the comedy abruptly! Endlessly amusing how serious and calm she is here while Sogeking is doing goofy things with his arms for truly no reason.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

[sednonamoris]

hang ‘em high

Pairing: John Marston x gn!reader

Summary: A high stakes bank robbery forces you and John to confront exactly how close - and how far - you are from one another anymore.

Warnings: Canon-typical GUN VIOLENCE AND GORE, strong language, hostage situation, stand-off/shootout, arguments, horrible people doing horrible things, the most fucked up declaration(s) of love you’ve ever seen

Word count: 2,918

A/N: Why did the gang have to flee the West so dramatically and why did the law chase them so furiously?? Read to find out the ghost story version 🥰 (better notes on AO3 but i don’t want to spoil everything up here!!)

Series masterlist • AO3

—

“Ghost, kindly relieve these people of their valuables,” Dutch orders from behind the black bandana pulled snugly beneath his glittering eyes. 

Your own bandana hides a wild grin, all adrenaline and greed. Something savage in your eyes and the way that you move makes these smalltown folk afraid. The little of your face they do see is enough to have them emptying their pockets in short order. 

You like it.

Never do you feel more powerful than when pulling big jobs like this, ones even Dutch is in on. This bank will be emptied before the law can scramble together enough men to try you. You’ll all be gone, smoke on the wind, making off like the bandits you are. 

“Mr. M, take care of these vaults for us,” Dutch says to Arthur while holding the quaking teller at gunpoint, then jerks his head to direct John to the back entrance. The Callanders have the front of the building covered between them. 

You continue to work the cowering crowd. Sun streams in from high windows and paints them all in unforgiving noontime light. It glints off of their valuables. A woman in splotchy rouge clutches heirloom pearls to her throat for a wide-eyed, gaping moment before handing them over. A man in faded tweed tosses you his antique watch. Gold inlay. Initials etched on the inside. An older gentleman relinquishes silver cufflinks embossed with some sort of crest, faded from where they’ve been rubbed for luck over the years.

One by one you take their treasures, stuff them in your pockets ‘til they’re fit to bust, and then keep stuffing. You have no idea exactly how much it’s all worth; give you some good horseflesh and you can list off prices all day long, but this sort of work has never been your specialty. At a guess, it’s at least a hundred bucks. At the devastated, teary-eyed looks on the faces before you, you’d think it was their whole world. 

But what do these people know of the world? Of survival? 

One of the women glares up at you. She’s staunch and sturdy, middle-aged and measured. Furious in a suffering sort of way. 

“This is a hanging town,” she says. “When the sheriff gets his hands on you we’ll all watch you swing.”

You lean in, close and sudden, and kiss the barrel of your gun to the skin just beneath her dimpled chin. Her sharp inhale is barely audible over the commotion of Arthur blowing his way into the vaults in the next room.

“If you’re not careful, you won’t live to see much anything, Miss.”

Your grin grows wider for every inch she shrinks back in fear. Then, because you can’t resist, you call out to the boys on perimeter in your smuggest Van der Linde voice, asking if anyone’s seen hide or hair of this sheriff you’ve heard so much about.

The Callanders jeer their not here’s mean enough that you remember to pause and be grateful they’re on your side. You wait for a smart remark from John, raspy and rude, but none comes.

You try not to let it get to you - he’s been strange towards you ever since his return. Some days it’s like he never left, and others like there’s this vast, unknowable distance between you. This is the first big job you’ve worked together in almost two years now, and it’s not even because he wanted to; Dutch asked. 

Just as you let out a deprecating sigh and move to your next victim, the back door bursts open with a bang.

The whole of smalltown law marches in with John at gunpoint. The look in his eyes is equal parts fury and shame, and it burns when he meets the wild, cornered-animal look in yours. This isn’t supposed to happen. They aren’t supposed to even know you were here yet, let alone spring traps. Without thinking you snatch up the nearest person. Gun to their head, body covering yours, they are both hostage and shield. 

“Put the woman down,” the sheriff says, “and have everyone step out with their hands on their head.” 

His voice is thick with authority, but the light catches on beaded sweat dripping down his brow. His revolver is white-knuckled at John’s throat. 

“You first,” you sneer. “I promise, one hair on his head comes to harm and I’ll kill everyone here, starting with this bitch.” 

They all shift uncomfortably, trigger fingers itching to take the shot. They must know they’ll never beat you on the draw, and surely they can tell you mean every word. Only one man can break the stalemate, and he doesn’t leave you waiting long. 

“Well, gentleman,” Dutch interrupts smoothly, causing every head to snap in his direction, “looks like we’re at an impasse here.”

He steps out from behind the counter with a casual sort of grace, but his pistols are pointed, ready to fire. Over the ringing in your ears you can hear Arthur bagging the last of the money, and the sound of the Callanders coming in behind you with their own guns raised. 

“My friends and I are not unreasonable,” Dutch continues. He steps slowly and deliberately backwards toward the front doors, until he’s safely behind you. Arthur follows soon after. “If you let our man go, we let your people live. Simple as that.”

“I think we both know this ain’t simple,” the sheriff says. “The West is civilized, now. If you put down your weapons and hand over the woman I’ll see to it you all get a fair trial.”

You snort a disbelieving laugh. “Way I hear, it’ll be a mighty quick one. Your little lady friend tells me the gallows ‘round these parts stay busy.” 

His gaze hardens when you mention his take on justice, and you realize this isn’t going to be an easy out. Goddamnit.

“You boys get on out of here,” you tell Dutch. Your voice is quiet, but you could hear a pin drop in this bank right now. He opens his mouth to protest, but you shake your head to cut him off. “Trust me.”

The sheriff tells them to stop, while they still can, while he’s willing to let them live, but occupied with John he’s helpless to raise his own gun, and his men can’t make one move for fear you’ll dispatch your hostage. She quakes in your arms but makes no sound. 

With a firm clasp of your shoulder in thanks, Dutch, Arthur, Mac, and Davey back their way out the front doors the sheriff was cocky enough to leave unguarded. Chalk it up to too much faith in a backdoor plan and a failure to understand just who exactly he’s dealing with; The Van der Linde Gang might have started small, but Dutch has dreams bigger than this wild, uncharted West. Bigger even than the fluttering pulse point that beats against the barrel of your gun. 

The sound of hoofbeats galloping away lets you know the boys have made their escape, and you know that now, as ever, you’ll do anything to save John. Anything. And damn the consequences. The sheriff must see it in your eyes, or the way you hold your prisoner of war, because something snaps in his demeanor. Scaffold screams open, rope swings taut, snaps.  

“I’m going to count to three,” he threatens, digging the barrel of his gun into John’s skin until he flinches, “and if that woman ain’t freed your friend here dies.”

One…

A split second of understanding is all you need. Please let him understand.

Two…

John’s grey eyes are flint sharp. You try to memorize the color just in case this goes wrong. If you didn’t know better you’d say he was doing the same. 

Three.

At the same time you squeeze the trigger, John stomps down hard on the sheriff’s foot. His wiry body twists away in time to miss the bullet, but the woman in your arms is less lucky. It’s a baptism of blood and brains. Your eardrum bursts with the gunshot. If you listen carefully, somewhere between the muted screams and pitched ringing might even be the voice of God, but you wouldn’t know the difference.

In a blink, John’s shoved himself off the sheriff and tackled you to the ground. The rest of the men to open fire. The sheriff roars for them to take you alive as you scramble to help one another to your feet and run. You stumble over yourself and the rest of the bank-goers still frozen on the ground in fear, but still you almost make it out.

Then, just as you reach the doors, blinding pain blossoms in your thigh. You fall forward on your knees and cry out in pain, a sound that stops John in his tracks. He tries to double back and half-carry you to the horses, but one moment of weakness is all it takes for the law to catch up with you. Kicking and screaming, they tackle and separate you both. Someone must hit you over the head with the butt of their gun, because all you remember is the scratchy, warped sound of John screaming your name and a world gone dark. 

—

You wake to a dull, throbbing pain in your leg. Blinking past crusted eyes and dried blood, you try to piece together the events that led to being dumped on the hard wooden floors of a one-room jailhouse. More importantly, you try to figure out where John is. It comes slower than you’d like. 

“Good,” an unfamiliar voice says, “you’re awake.”

You look up to find the sheriff lording over the cells from behind his desk. The dim lantern and late evening light cast strange shadows over the pockmarks in his face. His ginger sideburns and mustache, though impressive, do little to hide the redness of his face, burnt to a crisp from harsh living under a harsher sun. You chance a glance over to John, but his grim expression doesn’t do much to reassure you.

“I didn’t realize we had such celebrities in our midst.” He whistles lowly. “Mean Johnny Marston and the Van der Linde Ghost, formerly of New Austin. There’s quite a price on the two of you.”

“Make your point,” John says. 

He flashes his teeth in a double-edged smile. “When I got to this town it was lawless - open murder in the streets, people acting like savages. A disgrace. I’ve brought order here and I intend to keep it. The only reason the two of you are alive right now is because you’re worth more that way. Once I wire the capitol, we’re all gonna watch you swing for what you’ve done.” 

 John opens his mouth to say something nasty, but you warn him off with a glare. In your experience, there’s nothing more immovable - or dangerous - than a principled man. 

It takes only an hour more for the sun to finish setting. You sit in painful silence up until the moment the sheriff closes the jailhouse door behind him and locks it, promising he’ll be back at first light with news of your impending execution. You doubt he’s even made it down the steps before John starts in on you. Faster than you can respond he starts firing accusations like what the hell was all that, and were you trying to get killed back there, and can’t believe they shot you, and can’t believe we’re still alive, and then, finally, can’t believe you killed that woman like that.

“Really?” you say, and the bitterness in your voice surprises even you. Your wound aches. You want to scratch your skin off. You stare at him like none of this is true. “You want to go down this road?” 

“Matter fact, I do.” Mean Johnny Marston bares his teeth, hackles raised and ready for a fight. “Since when do we kill innocent people in cold blood? Ain’t we s’posed to be better than that?”

You laugh. It’s a harsh, terrible sound. “We’re all killers, or have you forgotten?”

“My memory’s just fine. But Jesus, Ghost, she was unarmed!”

“That sheriff sure weren’t! In fact, I recall his gun was held right at your empty head after you let yourself get caught!” you volley back, and his face shutters closed. “Sure I killed her. I’d kill her all over again. You look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t, if I was the one he’d got. Tell me you’d spare a stranger to watch me die.”

“Fuck you.” There’s a savage kind of hate in his eyes and his voice as he says it.

Your chest heaves with emotions too wild and strong to restrain. “Fuck you, Marston.”  

 After everything, how could he think you’d let him die like that? Right and wrong are pretty ideas, but you’ve always known that the moment John’s life is in jeopardy you’ll dig your own way to Hell and drag everyone down with you. No amount of distance, time, or estrangement will change that. Not ever. 

The two of you sit in that charged, vicious silence for what could be minutes or hours. You should be sleeping, or at least resting, but you just sit on opposite ends of your cells and glare at each other. 

“How’s the leg?” John finally asks.

You look away. “Not infected yet.” 

“...Good.” 

—

The second day in that jail is infinitely worse than the first. The sheriff comes swanning in before the first fragile rays of light make it through the lone window of the building. He doesn’t have his telegraph yet, but the second he does you’re dead, he cheerfully reminds you. 

Time scrapes by at an excruciating pace between the lack of food and water and the parade of townspeople that come through to stare at the spectacle of two infamous gunslingers caught in their smalltown cells. Your head splits with a headache that only worsens as they leer and jeer and spit on you from the other side of cast iron bars. Your leg is worse today, too. It’s hard to mask while the sheriff and his deputies circle like vultures, but you don’t dare show weakness. 

Neither you nor John opens your mouth to speak until night once more has fallen, and you’re alone in the moonlit dark.

“You sure that thing ain’t infected?” he asks. 

You peek under the dirty strips of torn clothing you’ve used as a makeshift bandage and grimace. “It ain’t infected, but it sure ain’t pretty. Could use Ms. Grimshaw right about now.”

“I’m sure Arthur ‘n Dutch will bust us out soon.” He doesn’t sound sure. “But Ghost, listen, if they can’t get us out, I want you to know—”

“It’s fine,” you cut him off with a wave of your hand. “You don’t have to understand why I did it, just know I’ve got your back. Always.”

“Sure,” his voice cracks on the word. “And I’ve got yours.”

You let out a wistful sigh, ignoring the uncomfortable, embarrassed flush crawling up his collar. “Us together used to be easy as breathing. Feels like all we do now is fight or pretend there’s nothin’ to fight about.”

“I don’t like fightin’ you,” he says. “I think we’re just…”

“Just what?”

“Scared. ‘Least I am,” he finally admits. “I don’t think things will ever be the same as they used to. Different could be good, though. Maybe. If you wanted to try.”

“Yeah?”

He shrugs, trying and failing to act casual. 

Your answering smile is a fragile, hopeful thing. “I think I’d like that.”

In a tiny cell in a little town in the newly settled American West you shrug the weight of lost time off your shoulders and meet John Marston all over again. He tells you what he got up to during that missing year. You share the same - minus the letters, of course. He tells tall tales of all the jobs he’s been on since his return, ones he wanted to ask you on but never could. You reenact your most recent experience selling stolen horses with Sean, complete with accents, and laugh until your sides are sore. 

It finally feels like you’re friends again. It feels like coming home. 

—

You wake from a nap the next afternoon to strangled cries and the thud of bodies hitting floorboards. 

“Word on the street is you two are meant for the hangman’s noose,” Dutch says. There’s a warning and a thank you in his dark eyes when they meet yours.

“Pair of fools, pullin’ a stunt like that,” Arthur gripes from behind his bandana. 

Dutch crouches and snags the keys off the sheriff’s belt before tossing them to him. Both cells are open in moments.  

You limp over the sheriff’s fallen body towards the back door where Dutch waits with the horses. John pauses. Arthur tells him to hurry but John shakes his head, crouches low to pick up the sheriff’s holstered gun, and shoots the unconscious man point-blank with it. 

“What the hell, Marston!” Arthur seethes. “You want the whole damn town to kill us?”

John ignores him completely, joining you at the door and then helping you onto your horse like he hadn’t just done the very thing he damned you for earlier. His face is freckled with blood. The revolver in his hand reflects red. Even the slate grey of his eyes hold a bloodstained promise:

You and him. Forever. Always. And damn the cost.

[syn4k]

can we please talk about tucker's blood magic in s2? i feel like we need to talk about it because ok.

(put under a cut bc this post discusses self harm which is a huge thing with the blood magic mod)

so mianite s2 is modded minecraft right? right. it has roughly 100 mods in the pack and one of those mods is Blood Magic, a fantasy-esque magic mod in which you can exchange your own blood for things like cool armor, weapons, etc although i dont know the specifics because i don't know too much about it.

the various champions all kind of specialized into their relative mod magic specialties, although most are at least somewhat proficient in all of them- sonja went the thaumcraft route, jordan took tinker's construct, waglington got into ars magica, tucker took blood magic, and tom is basically just interested in whatever can get him the coolest armor/weapons/whatever.

however, what i'm most interested at the moment is the fact that tucker decided to get into blood magic, which is probably one of the most powerful mods on the server, but it comes at a price: the only way you can get the materials required for it is to give yourself damage to take blood, or self-harm. not only that, but you can go too far and kill yourself if you try to take blood that you don't have

i'm just thinking about the implications here both design-wise and headcanon wise. if we go with the idea that scars stick with a player even after they respawn, this means that tucker's arms and thighs etc have got to look like a battlefield by the time he gets the blood armor, and i'm not even a third of the way into the series yet! does it also morph into a coping mechanism down the line as well? how many times does he draw too much blood by accident and run back down to the room where he has everything set up, annoyed and grumbling under his breath? the less blood u have the paler your skin is in general. theres gotta be rumors in the town that tucker's a vampire by now at this point.

not only that, sonja's whole Thing this series basically is thaumcraft, specifically driving back the Taint using Ethereal Blooms, which with my very limited knowledge puts her into the role of healer. does she heal up tucker's cuts often? how much does she worry about the whole blood magic deal, if she worries at all?

theres just Implications here that im thinking about

[spacehostilityy]

Part 3 of my nnt rewatch ep 13-18

I'm trying to watch it in latam Spanish but I just rlly love the English voice cast >:( I'm doing it for most scenes anyway tho🤪 I do love español!Elizabeth's voice tho !! I maintain that English!Ban is the best voice tho

Do we know why meliodas loses his emotions in this form?

And what form even is this? We never see it again if I remember correctly?

Helbram's magic lowkey cool as fuck

I want to see ban and Elizabeth interact one on one more often, as the two people closest to Meliodas (aside from Merlin, but she has secrets) I want to see them together, yk?

MelBan is just so good like they beat the shit out of each other to show love and I think that's beautiful

I know a lot of ppl ship lancelot and tristan but I ship their dads🫣 el oh el

Elizabeth should be way more powerful than she is and that is what polishes me off the most in all of sds honestly >:(

Also I'm back on my howzer x diane bullshit 😔

La voz del español!Meli es tan profundo, pienso que es la voz más diferente de las versiones, es extraño

Mi teoría sobre la voz de meliodas solo existe en las versiones de inglés y japonés I guess

King and Ban training together is so fucking cutee

I love how we just never rlly find out anything abt the trumpet of cernunos lol

How is ban's jacket too short but his pants aren't? Not complaining, that's just silly lol

Also him defending Meli even tho he obviously knows he's a demon is so🥺

Meliodas splitting the mountain with the branch is one of my fave scenes, we get to see that there's so much more to him and it hints at his coming power

I forgot how tragic Gil and Margaret were that's a good storyline damn

Ep 14 time !!

Is helbram... hot?

YESSS roars of dawn time !!! Slader is so babygirl I love him sm

Guila is such a girlboss line yaasss kween kill those children !!

Why the fuck does meliodas own so many slutty women's costumes HMMM? is he... you know... 👀💅

Gowther introducing himself to Hawk as oinkity oink oink is so real, I love their bond

I love that will Elizabeth feels insta love and Meliodas has BEEN in love for 3000 years

Slader is like if demon!meliodas, ban, and hawk had a baby and that baby was a slut

Seeing genuine surprise from Meliodas when "gowther" was going to be defeated is so weird, like mans was sad he lost his friend and had no idea that wasn't him

The roars of dawn are all hot and that's a good thing

Poor Dale. He just wanted to protect his family. And he was hot too😔

Ban flipping King off while Meliodas revels in Chastiefol's softness is such a representation of all three of them

Meliodas straight up using hellblaze to fight the armored giant/Dale is so funny, it's like baby isn't ur biggest secret that you're a 3000 year old demon prince?? And hellblaze is your specialty demon power?? This does not seem inconspicuous

Also might do a ramble on hellblaze later 👀

Also ban using a whip is kinda 😳

Indiana jones type drip (I am both attracted to and find gender envy from Indiana jones)

The girls are fightingggg

Also this title card is so cute !!

Meliodas straight up being the holy knight grand Master of danafor is so funny to me

He looks so cute in his danafor outfit😭

Also I wonder where meliodas gets the groping thing from because 3000 years ago he was def not like that, though the groping does get less frequent as the story goes on and that's when the holy war arc is so maybe nakaba just forgot abt it lol

Also slavery being canon in nnt britannia is crazy when you think about it

The only reason meliodas didn't carry a sword being he would kill too many people is just a litttleeee bit funny

But also Cain saying that he is both too violently destructive and "too gentle a soul" is painstaking ahaha🥲 literally the best descriptor for him

Gowther carrying King on piggyback is so cute😭😭

I think the moment Meliodas finally kills Dale is a real turning point in the series. Before this, he had not killed a single opponent. He just fought to disarm and incapacitate. Just the next episode, he tells ban and gowther to "go straight for the kill" against the holy knights. As we see throughout the rest of the series, even before his emotions get caught in purgatory, he no longer feels hesitant to kill. He only becomes more and more like himself from the time of the Holy War (post 10 commandments). This is why I love his character sm, a corruption arc (even if he is never truly evil) is just so rare and one this good and angst filled is even rarer.

Ban continually stealing the same 1980s glamrock red leather set with studs bc he keeps getting murdered in it is the foundation of his character fr

Gowther and Elizabeth being the only ones who are not alcoholics is so real

Also all of them just sniffing king kills me😭

Diane being 30 feet tall means the world to me

Also gowther is so pretty, esp without his glasses

Long hair!Dreyfus is also ridiculously pretty

Ban just letting Gowther squish his tits is so hashtag real, mans gives no fucks

Hug🥰

I don't think I've seen this episode since the first time I watched nnt bc I totally forgot Arthur was introduced in it lol

LISTEN howzer rooting for Diane when they're on opposite sides of the battle is just rlly cute look how flustered he is🥺

so in English, after gowther uses rewrite light, the holy knights say "Meliodas! There you are! Ban, I really missed you man!" BUT in Spanish they call Meliodas mijo (meaning my son/my kid) and Ban hermano (brother)😭😭

THEY CALL GOWTHER MI QUERIDO (my love/dear/beloved) AKKSLDLDLT

Howzer and Gyula being the first ones to publicly stand up to dreyfus and hendy means so much I love them

Hendy was so hot😭😭

Wait how did I just realize that fraudrin was the one to break gowther's nightmare teller

Wait I also juT realized that Dreyfus is Gil's uncle. Gil is dreyfus's nephew. How did I not comprehend that

King, sobbing: why can't I ever protect the people that I care about?😢😭😓 Helbram: it's because you're consistently late🤨😐🙄

Helbram's eyeliner game is almost as good as Ban's

Is Howzer's hair supposed to be green or blond? Discuss.

On that note, we always say Elizabeth's hair is silver, but it's def mint green

Anyway,that's episode 18! Can't believe I'm already about to be on my last part of season 1 !!

[dante-winning-archive]

I feel like the only I'd be Even Remotely okay with Sparda coming back is like if some evil alchemist or something brought him back through necromancy, possibly as part of some Take Over the World (or Hell) scheme. Like, he died before Eva and the twins were attacked by Mundus' forces, and then after DMC5, some necromancer fucker built him a new demon body and shoved whatever was left of his soul (probably harvested from the Underworld) into it to try and use him as a meat puppet, but that uh. Did Not Go Well for them, and Sparda broke free.

Sparda doesn't just waltz back into his sons' lives, either: he knows he's got a lot of apologizing and making up to do, even if he didn't leave them on purpose. He'd be devastated to find out what happened to Eva and to his sons after his death, but also so happy that they're both alive. Apologizing wouldn't be enough to make up for everything that happened, and neither would letting them punch him in the face, but he'd try it anyway.

Having a grandson would be a pleasant surprise, at least until Sparda found out the poor boy had been raised in a cult that worshipped Sparda as a god, in which case Sparda was just like, "Ah. Another descendant that I'm obligated to let hit me. Alright, Nero, go ahead. Don't hold back. I'm so sorry."

As for how Sparda died originally:

I've got a personal theory that he died for the same reason we see V's body breaking down after Vergil uses the Yamato to split himself in 5- when Sparda separated the Human and Demon Realms, he also split his soul. It just took longer for his body to "degrade"/break down because he's all demon, whereas Vergil is half human. Sparda further splitting his soul into the Sparda, Rebellion, Yamato, and the Perfect Amulet, and then the amulet halves, also didn't help things.

As for why he didn't just re-absorb them and live for another idk, 2000 years:

My best guess is that it wouldn't of been enough to save him because his body was just too far gone by that point, like how you can only stretch something so many times before the elastic just wears out too much and the whole thing just snaps and falls apart. And, if we go with this theory, maybe he thought leaving his sons the swords/powers that he did was more important, since if he was going to die anyway, the least he could do would be to TRY and take care of his sons. I think he just wandered off to die, too, somewhere where any "vultures" that were drawn to his corpse (or whatever was left of him) wouldn't be anywhere near Eva and his sons. This means Eva and his sons might not of had any remains to bury/ashes to scatter, but he did TRY to keep them safe for as long as he could.

As for why a necromancer alchemist brought him back NOW, instead of earlier in the timeline:

-Doyalist explanation is because otherwise the plot would be different and I don't wanna think about that rn, but anyway.

-Arius and Agnus were able to create fully artificial demons*, and before them, the only other person (as far as we know) that could do that was Mundus himself. Which is horrifying, since it means that alchemy (or at least alchemy focused on creating and controlling demons and demonic energy) has officially reached the level where normal human beings can play God with the souls and lives of men and demons. Hence the whole Sparda/necromancy clusterfuck.

[*= Human shaped demons in Aruis' case, and ones that had a certain amount of free will and sentience, like Lucia and the Secretary demons, although Lucia was considered "defective", presumably because she had too much humanity/free will. Agnus had a specialty in constructs powered by demonic energy and piloted by a person or persons' soul(s), and turning humans into demons via his Ascension Ceremony.]

Anyway, mainly, I'm just fine with Sparda being dead, tho I would like more info on his. Some archive of his past or something, y'know? Some flashbacks from the twins, or Matier. More info on Eva would be nice too, tbh, given we know even less about her than Sparda.

Sorry I took so long to get to this!

This scenario kind of falls into "came back wrong", which I'd be okay with. Maybe the necromancer was successful, until they pit Sparda against his own sons. Somehow Sparda is fine and it's one hell of an awkward reunion.

I like your theory about how Sparda died, how he was essentially weakened from all the soul splitting. Wouldn't it be something if Vergil had inadvertently followed in his father's footsteps?

I'm not sure I vibe with Sparda just going off to die. It seems more fitting to me that it was an honest attempt to defeat Mundus' forces and he died in the attempt. It's more tragic to think he always meant to come back, always wanted to come back. And I like that sort of tragedy, I guess. When you try your best and you don't succeeeeeeeeeeed....

I'm gonna wrap this up here bc it's raining and losing power for a second is a definite possibility and I'd be real pissed if I had to write everything again lol

[demon-master-zero]

Ask game time!^^

Each asks is technically meant for everyone, but you can also go with a character of your choosing or two if you feel like this is getting too long lol

Anyway hope you have a great day/night!^^

General Info 04 What kind of magic do they possess? If they can't use any, do they have magic potential slumbering within them?

General Info 05 Which deadly sin best aligns with them? Which one do they embody the least?

Concept and Design 05 Do they have any physical attributes that set them apart from others?

General Info 04 What kind of magic do they possess? If they can't use any, do they have magic potential slumbering within them?

Zeke: My default MC is psychic! His empathic ability to sense emotions and to read auras is very well developed even before coming to the Devildom. Also he sees and speaks with the dead, classic. After coming to Devildom he learns more traditional magic from RAD and Solomon.

Valentine: The only magic that Val seems to possess is the fact that he's immortal and will eventually heal from any injury, no matter how severe. This can take a long time depending on how much damage was inflicted.

Tobias: Toby can't use magic outside of very specific blood rituals unique to werewolves in my universe. However, he is physically as strong as greater demons (i.e. most of the brothers) and he is almost immune to magic in general.

Silas: Also a blood magic user, although much more varied and stronger than the blood magic Toby uses. Guess that should be a given since Silas is a vampire and all.

Zenith: Spatial and shadow magic is his specialty. Teleportation in the form of stepping from one shadow into another. He can hide inside the shadows of other people or objects, can use a shadow to spy on people via watching and listening while unseen. Shadow puppets or familiars can break off from his own shadow to fight for him. He can create his own pocket dimension inside a fixed shadow.

Wren: Fae wild magic, healing and nature-based! He makes flowers grow and bloom faster, brighter, and longer.

Ashe: Obviously as a phoenix he's very proficient with fire magic. His fire is blue where his twin sister Cinder has traditional red/orange fire. I didn't include her on the list because she isn't really a key character in any of the fics Ashe features in. Ashe is also a dark phoenix, so focuses more on chaos and destruction. He can use healing and resurrection magic though.

Damon: Very potent infernal magic! He's only half-demon but it really hasn't held him back much.

General Info 05 Which deadly sin best aligns with them? Which one do they embody the least?

Zeke: Given how polite and soft-spoken Zeke can be, it might be surprising to say his primary sin is Wrath. He has a lot of anger and resentment buried in him. Least is probably Greed. Prior to coming to the Devildom he lived a very spartan lifestyle. He just doesn't put a lot of value in material things and doesn't want all that much.

Valentine: I would say Pride is probably his most prevalent sin. Least is probably Envy.

Silas: Gluttony is probably his biggest sin, or maybe Lust if you count Bloodlust. Least is probably Wrath. Even when he's insatiable for blood it's never about rage, it's just hunger.

Ashe: Lust, and Wrath are both very strong in this one. Envy is probably least.

Concept and Design 05 Do they have any physical attributes that set them apart from others?

Zeke: Zeke has purple eyes, which most humans don't have as you know. Also they glow the color of the sin he's channeling when he uses the brothers' powers through the pact.

Valentine: At the "present" Val has quite a lot of scars, and walks with a cane because one of his knees is not fully functioning.

Zenith: Think more Eastern than Western dragon. In dragon from his body is long and covered in soft, black fur - mane and tail tuft are silver, and his eyes have no pupil and glow silver as well. He doesn't have horns, but more like antlers that are decorated with delicate silver chains with moons and stars dangling from them. He wears a silver moon bangle around the end of his tail too.

Wren: His ears are slightly elongated and pointed because of his fae father. Also has dark red hair down to his waist and bright blue eyes with flecks of green in a starburst pattern.

I did all of the characters for the first question and only four on the other two questions. It's gotten to be a long response. Thank you so much for your questions! I had fun answering.