#who cares about questing when I have a resort

[aro-pancake]

The Settled systems: chaos, on the brink of another war, Terrormorphs are a problem again, the Starborn want me dead, there's a bazillion creds bounty on my head by the Crimson Fleet, even more sidequests and activities to do all over the galaxy...

Me and my space cowboy husband, on Porrima II, at the Paradiso Resort and Hotel:

[collecting-dustbunnies]

The longer I play Obey Me, the more I feel like Obey Me is a story about how the MC, in their quest to seek acceptance by the people they care about, ends up destroying themselves in the process and losing the very thing that made them so special and loved in the first place.

In the beginning of OG, they started off as just a normal human who got whisked away to a weird ass world where literally nobody respects them. Despite this, they recognised from the beginning that these demons and angels were not so different from humans. MC's ability to see the demons as actual people and not just beings controlled by their sins was what allowed them to form close bonds with them. They had good intentions to reunite the demon brothers who had undergone centuries of misunderstanding, resentment, and pent up grief. Even though they were excessively nosy, MC's unique position as a complete outsider allowed them to see just how much love the demon brothers had for each other, and how they can become closer if everybody would just better communicate with each other. Serving as the bridge to better improve the brothers' relationships was what convinced the demon brothers to also see MC as a member of their family.

But as the MC became more involved in the Devildom's problems, they started to adopt the same toxic traits that had created wedges between the brothers in the first place. From relying heavily on their pacts to subdue the brothers, to allowing a curse to control Barbatos (even though they had the ability to break it), to going along with the brothers' manipulative scheme to trick Satan into reconciling with Lucifer when Satan ran away to the human world -- it's almost like MC has unconsciously picked up on some of their loved ones' behaviour. Gone are the days where MC brings in a new perspective to problems. Now, they just embrace the chaos and their more darker traits, for that is what is expected of them to survive in the Devildom. And since everyone within their circle puts them on a pedestal, this further affirms to the MC that this is how they should be.

Dealing with the affairs of the Devildom had also caused the MC to grow more apathetic. In the beginning, they had been actively taking steps to form pacts with the brothers and were generally very invested in freeing Belphie from the attic. They remained true to themselves and insisted that they form a pact with Satan based on mutual trust and understanding, and not just as a means to smite Lucifer. Despite being in a helpless situation, MC never refused to give up their agency. But the longer MC gets involved with these shenanigans, the more they grew... numb to everything.

Solomon bringing me back to the Devildom unannounced? Oh, sure. Diavolo and Solomon hiding the reasons for my sudden return? Not my problem.

Simeon facing a problem to the point of having a quarter of the cast acting as his bodyguards? Eh, I'll just ignore it until I can't anymore.

Watching and waiting. That's what they have resorted to doing.

And that mindset of kicking problems down the line until it lands on MC's doorstep and they have no choice but to act -- that's exactly how they have been acting when they were stuck in NB, hasn't it? MC didn't bother forming pacts with the past version of the brothers until they were given an ultimatum, and even then, they simply relied on the convenient timing of each brother struggling with an inner crisis to swoop in, resolve the situation and tick them off their checklist.

MC in NB seems like an unfortunate culmination of everything they faced so far. They're too apathetic to care about getting sent to an unfamiliar place once again, too desensitised to life in the Devildom to reclaim their agency, and too desperate to earn the love of their former family to even think about anything else. They became so co-dependent to the demon brothers that they seem to think they cannot live without them or their affection, even if the ones they are living with in the past are different people from the ones they grew to love in the present.

The phrase "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" fits way too perfectly for the Obey Me MC. After all, MC keeps getting rewarded every time they try to get themselves killed (or even when they actually got killed). Maybe that's the only way they know how to resolve problems.

So if they can't die as the hero, they'll just learn to live as the villain.

[tobiasdrake]

Could you tell us something underrated about Bulma? For being around since literally the very beginning, I find she’s not talked about as much.

Bulma is the scariest person in the Dragon Ball universe. The anime softens a lot of her edges. And, like, she's not a total monster; She cares about things like people not being killed by genocidal assholes too.

But she is such an asshole and I love it. Bulma is the character I relate to most in Dragon Ball.

(Also she has an unshakable faith in Goku and he'll always be the number one martial artist in her eyes, and any man that wants to be with her needs to respect that.)

For starters, it's worth noting that the naming convention of Bulma's family is called out as weird even in-universe. Nobody bats an eye at characters being named after fruit or vegetables or rice or the Dairy Special Forces but they draw the line at underwear.

That's weird, Bulma. Your name is weird. Your father Briefs is weird. Your sister Tights is weird. Your son Trunks is weird. Your daughter Bra is weird. Why is your family like this?

Nearly every single person in the cast is someone who Goku initially had to fight in some way or another. Bulma is no exception, though their battle took place as early as issue #1.

When shooting a 12-year-old in the face with a gun failed, Bulma resorted to manipulation and subterfuge, and thus the most important relationship in the entire Dragon Ball universe was born.

Though Goku would not be the only person whose arm Bulma twisted, as this initial journey also sees her enslave a sentient being to do her bidding.

Despite ironically filling the role of a Buddhist monk in the original Journey to the West, this opening arc lays a lot of groundwork for who Bulma is. She tricks Goku and enslaves Oolong to coerce assistance in her quest to conjure up a magically-generated boyfriend (or infinite strawberries).

...then again, Tang Sanzang imprisoned Sun Wukong in the original so maybe Bulma's a better adaptation than I gave her credit for.

Point is, Bulma's a fireball. Even Goku sees it.

In the first arc, we also see her get accustomed to calling on Goku like he's her Pokemon.

Bulma is not a martial artist. She knows next to nothing about the implicate complexities of the art. Though she does enjoy being on the outer fringe of it and watching from a distance.

Well. Not from that much distance, because she always has the best seats in the house. Courtesy of inappropriate violence with firearms.

Not only is Bulma complicit in this - they clearly discussed it in advance, based on Oolong's remark and Bulma's knowing smile - but in the 23rd she actively makes it happen.

Sitting in the nosebleeds is for peasants; Bulma is a princess.

I should probably note that after Lunch moves on and leaves the group, Bulma doesn't lose access to violent backup. She just trades Lunch out for Chi-Chi.

The Battle of the Soccer Moms is the best part of the 25th's Junior Division. There's only room for one Alpha Bitch in these audience stands.

Notably, it doesn't take long for her relationship with Goku to grow into a genuine friendship. Following this first arc, Bulma goes out of her way to hang out with Goku when she can and is always excited to see him.

Fun fact, despite the fact that Bulma's boyfriend Yamcha is actively living with them at the time, Bulma's dad ships her with Goku.

No love for Yamcha in this house. Notably, when they're six years older and it's not fucking weird, Bulma herself starts to agree.

But it's honestly best for everyone that this never became a romance. Bulma would have been even more miserable with Goku than she was with Yamcha, and having them hook up would deprive us of one of the greatest platonic male/female friendships in anime.

I'm not saying Vegeta is a replacement goldfish for Goku who got married and became unavailable this same day.

...but I'm not not saying that.

So far as martial arts go, her practical knowledge of the art is simple: Goku is a) invulnerable and b) infinity powerful, and that's all she needs to know. Nobody matches Goku. Ever.

You might think that this unyielding confidence in Goku as the Supreme Warrior would cause some conflicts for Bulma. Her boyfriend Yamcha is one of Goku's rivals, and has his eye on the Tenkaichi Budokai medal.

You'd be wrong. Bulma knows exactly who she's rooting for.

It's Goku. It's always been Goku. It's always going to be Goku. Bulma watches Yamcha and Krillin gush over how well they plan to do in the tournament and her takeaway is "LOL Goku's going to school both of you clowns."

This attitude makes it really funny to imagine what her relationship with Vegeta must be like, I gotta say. That Goku will always be #1 in Bulma's eyes can't be doing good things for Vegeta's insecurity.

But I digress.

Bulma is an exceptional scientist who comes from an exceptional scientific background. She's from one of if not the richest families in the world courtesy of her father inventing revolutionary shrinking technology that changed the entire nature of how products are transported.

You can put anything in a Capsule Corp. hoi-poi capsule. Throughout the series, we see not just vehicles stored in these capsules, but portable homes, weapons, and her father's pornography collection.

For her part, Bulma's a chip off the old block. I've spoken at length in the past about Bulma's invention of the Dragon Radar, trivializing what was meant to be a holy quest of virtue and turning the miracle dragon Shenron into her own personal plastic surgery vendor. She was 15 years old when she made that.

One year later, she extrapolated her father's shrinking technology into a portable device that safely applies its principles to people.

But both of those devices pale in comparison to the greatest invention of her life.

No, not the kid. Though he's cool too.

In a sense, despite being out-of-focus for most of it, the entire Cell Arc is Bulma's masterpiece. It's a proxy war between two mad scientists over the fate of the Earth. Seeking to kill Son Goku and avenge the Red Ribbon Army, Dr. Gero destroyed the world with his Androids.

Bulma took exception to that. And by "took exception", I mean she bent the time-space continuum over her knee and spanked it.

Trunks's journey through time is the culmination, both of Bulma's impossible super-genius and of her unyielding faith that Goku is the answer to any problem that needs to be solved with violence.

Dr. Gero's master stroke was to flood the world with murderous Androids. Bulma's response was to load a bullet named Goku into a gun named Trunks and fire it through time to put it between his eyes. Everything that transpired from there was the consequence of their two plans colliding.

The happier future we get to know in the Buu Saga is the world that Bulma made happen. Because the woman who would make a personal assistant out of our Great Green God's greatest miracle had the audacity and the irreverence to violate causality itself.

[kekaki-cupcakes]

Request for Nico di Angelo!

Hello! If it's okay, may I request Nico with a (GN or male) reader whos got like, super serious mommy issues? Like, they'll be in a bad mood during the last day of summer solely because of the fact that they have to see their mom once they get home. And it's not even bc they're a misbehaving kid, it's just because their mom absolutely sucks. Maybe where their mom has a bunch of pointless rules, too. Like, nothing to do with cats, praying every morning, going to church every Sunday and church school every Monday, etc. And readers just done with life during the year. They'll purposely go on quests the last week if they get the chance just so they don't have to go home, too. Lmao, just realized this is sorta venting in a way, so sorry. It's alr if you cant do my req. Take care and have a nice day/night!

this is a short one but I really like it, so... and by the way, if anyone ever wants to just vent in my inbox please feel free too, there's no judgement on this blog and you're so strong <3 <3 <3

You don't have to be sorry for doing it on your own---Nico x reader with a shitty mum [fluff, dw] »»————-　★　————-««

-Nico would be that person who’d offer to kill anyone you hated

-But he would be completely serious

-Like, no fucking around. He knows how much you despise your mum. But it’s so very hard to hate parents because they're still your parents. Godly parents are a whole different story, but the mortal ones are hard to loathe without feeling shit about it inside, so it becomes this sort of silent resentment. 

-Nico knows that. Sort of… well, from knowing you, really. And he may have planned out your mortal mother's death in a very excruciating way, with a few backup plans just in case.

-You shut that down when he mentioned it subtly, so he went back to rubbing your back and bringing your favorite snacks from the stash Cecil had secretly [everyone knew] imported from the mortal shops, then hissing at people like a rabid cat when they asked where you were. 

-He’s very good at scaring campers off.

-You’d be eating shitty junk food and sweet red strawberries in your cabin and listening to Harry Styles’ song Matilda [Hazel had bought you his record for your birthday last year] pretending your head wasn’t spinning with thoughts about how much you wanted to run away from home, and then the shadow’s by your bed would thicken and your boyfriend would just launch himself onto you.

-You’d gotten pretty used to it, obviously, and now you were pretty much immune to jumpscares. 

-It was a handy skill to have considering how many horror movies you and Nico would watch together. He liked to critique how realistic the deaths actually were, and you liked to watch his nerdy face and tease him for jumping when Ghostface crept out from behind a doorway. 

-But sometimes, mainly the days before you had to return to your mother and the house filled with crosses and rules and arguments and not enough pet cats for your liking, not even movie marathons and picnics in the strawberry fields could help your mood.

-So, Nico would resort to his back up backup plan [not the murder one, the happy boyfriend one], which was cuddle piles. 

-It had taken him quite a while to get used to touch, but between Jason’s ‘how to ask out that random dude you're obsessed with’ classes [you were the random dude] and the fact you liked to hold his hands, he would say that he was quite the expert on hugs now. So he’d wear the biggest jumper he could find, probably one of Hazel’s flowery ones, and drag you into bed. 

-Thankfully his bed was no longer a coffin [they had been turned into bookshelves] and was big enough for you both to squish in. So he’d stroke your hair and nod understandingly when you scoffed about how stupid it was to send a literal child of a Greek God to a church. 

-It wasn’t even a nice church, apparently. It smelt like socks. 

-He had a very good speech for these complaints, which you both knew the words to by now.

One day, very soon, you’re gonna get a job, or a smart person class at college, and you’ll never have to go to Sunday school again. We’re gonna get our own house too. With lots of tea and toast. And rescue cats. And we can name them after your favorite famous people and book characters and we’ll have a huge squishy couch too we can watch horror movies on. 

There’ll be lots of posters on the walls and no one will tease you about being a little kid and you can wear whatever clothes you want. Maybe not orange ones though. I think we’re all sick of oranges. 

And all of our friends can visit whenever they want to, and we’ll have all of their snacks as well. And toothbrushes.  

And we can have Christmas there, without all of the bad stuff. We can decorate the tree really badly. You don’t have to invite your mum. At all. And if she shows up, her coffin will be shaped like a fish. They’re a real thing, you know, fish-shaped coffins. 

You’ll never have to see her again. We’ll have our own place. I promise.

You can throw a party full of everyone you know, and not invite your family, 'cause they never showed you love. You don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up.

I promise. 

»»————-　★　————-««

[missycolorful]

I know there's often complaints about the c!Syndicate and how they didn't really do a whole lot, that their existence almost felt pointless because they didn't do anything. Not even regarding how Techno's condition and then his passing severely affected this storyline, I think these complaints sorta misses the point of what the Syndicate became and why people like this group so much.

Like, yes c!Techno initially created it in the aftermath of Doomsday, a way to ensure no governments were being formed or used to hurt or corrupt others. He gathered others who shared the same beliefs. They had even gone to Snowchester to ensure that nothing suspicious was going on. And before his passing, cc!Technoblade had wanted to work on that plot involving Cyberknife, to give the Syndicate story a bit more meat. Which would've been great, yes.

But then you look, and you have all these moments of them just... they're just bonding; if not as a group, at least in sections: the streams of Technoblade and Phil connecting with Ranboo, Techno and Ranboo becoming mentor and mentee, Technoblade's birthday party. And then you hear how the Syndicate really mattered to these characters: how Niki was beginning to heal around those who made her voice feel heard, Ghostboo saying that Phil and Techno did care for and love Ranboo, Technoblade outright stating he had friends now thanks to the Syndicate.

And then there's the last Syndicate stream, which I think also sums this up well. There's no Syndicate meeting, no talks of taking down any governments. It was Philza and Niki making a cake. It was Philza panicking over hearing voices, and Niki being a physical presence for him when he seemed to be lacking one at the time. It was Kristin finding the members of the Syndicate and taking them someplace safe. The Syndicate made it to the End, alive and not necessarily okay now, but someday.

And it's just... yes, I would've loved to see more concrete stories of the Syndicate combating corrupted governments and tyrants. But just because they didn't serve their initial purpose as much as we anticipated, does not mean that this group coming together was pointless. If anything their story is a solid example of fighting against a constant narrative in the server; the cycle of power and revenge.

Cause I think about Las Nevadas. People who banded together who, for the most part, did not make deep connections or find comradery. Or even if they did, things fell apart (only Foolish really stayed with Quackity by the end of the Las Nevadas lore). All because Quackity lost himself in his quest for, well, power and revenge. Las Nevadas could've been more than Quackity's need for control and power, but it was never able to reach that point.

Then you look at the Syndicate. Where from the start of the Syndicate's creation, Techno made sure everyone in the Syndicate was equal, that no one was in control of another. Where they never sought violence, wanting to only resort to drastic actions if they believed a location was a threat to others. Where they celebrated Technoblade's birthday and took pictures and had cake and were just friends. I just think there's something a bit profound, intentional or otherwise, in how the Syndicate may have tragically been underutilized, but the group wasn't just an anarchist group. It was a group of people hurt by a nation coming together and not actively seeking any goal toward gaining power or control over others. Yes, they wanted to fight against power. But they also wanted to just... be.

Just something I think about when of the few who managed to survive the Dream SMP, the ones who managed to escape with their lives were the ones who formed this anarchist group, a group that people say didn't do much, and... yeah, they're right, but isn't that a good thing?

[vigilskeep]

did you watch all the personal quests and would you rank them for our entertainment?

1. blackwall. it’s a great plot, i love that the war table options for it are two thirds unhinged, and the way blackwall talks back to the inquisitor about it all is really refreshing. i like that they let blackwall say fuck and that the romance version is deeply insane. no notes. this man belongs in a better game

2. cole’s seemed kinda fun! i love a spirit companion. i would’ve killed that guy though

3. sera’s i have actually played. i like when she kills that guy. like a lot of these i don’t think it really addresses anything major about the character it’s just like hey remember how this character is this character. and then gives you the opportunity to throw her out (again)

4. varric’s was fun it didn’t seem very interesting to play but i quite liked bianca actually. are there any consequences about the entire red lyrium thing being because he told his ex or

5. solas is alright i guess. another one i have actually played. i guess it’s what you can do when you can’t reveal who the character is yet?

6. demands of the qun is fine and krem’s existence upgrades it a few levels. i like krem he’s nice. conceptually i like the idea of a quest silently setting up a betrayal later. but i just don’t care for how the qunari are written ever so it kind of does nothing for me

7. i didn’t rewatch last resort of good men because i watched some dorian videos a while back and i vaguely remember it being fine. i don’t think it really offers a moral dilemma? oh i just remembered he can be convinced to talk it out more with his father i think. why

8. vivienne’s is. well. it’s very short and relies on it being a surprise that she’s a human being with feelings. i also don’t get the weirdly judgemental misdirect abt it being a youth serum and why they wasted other character moments on it like in here lies the abyss. it was a bit funny when her guy just immediately died

9. cassandra. oh nooo the seekers are bad people. who could have predicted this. am i supposed to be gasping

[lavendermin]

what is up, it's your boy, 🔥 anon (please let me be 🔥 anon), come to climb through your window with a stack of notes instead of limiting myself to method acting a little bitch at the foot of your front door

so crazy self-indulgent idea I just had BUT hear me out. hear me out on dreameater!reader AU

say they're originally some sort of metaphysical species like the heliobi, but somehow sustained an injury and decided to seek treatment at the luofu as a last resort. it ends with an experimental solution with someone who'd gotten info about the experiments of the sanctus medicus (like how in the quest, dan shu wanted to get immortal bodies from phantylia so bad but they'd exhausted all other means of artificially producing them—and then some clown disposed of the records badly like an IDIOT)

and it kind of works ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) !! reader's form is tied to and sustained by the new body like an extremely codependent version of heliobi-possesed ingenium, but it requires the consumption of 'dreams' to support itself. mara is an overload of memories that morphs the mortal form when it hits a max output, so what if some other form of memories, aka dreams and the emotions that they come with can be changed into a source capable of sustaining a mortal form? dreameating is definitely not a form of vampirism haha what? this was totallt not inspired by your previous posts about vampire jing yuan no siree i have no idea what you're talking abou

but anyway. they meet after a battle of some sort where jing yuan gets bonked so fucking hard he gets coma-ed. maybe a side of possible mara onset because if I was a disciple of sanctus medicus you can bet everything in your blog that mara would be the first thing I'd turn to to fuck people over

maybe this is my fate as a self insert. half aha half yaoshi follower of a SM member that is an unwitting plot device and a but who the fuck cares that's not the point rn

sure would be crazy if there was someone around with the ability to seep into people's dreams huh

sure would be crazy if they decided to just ,,, slip into the general's mind to try and see what's going on there, after overhearing the healers working on him whispering among themselves that they don't know what's wrong with him, don't know how to fix it at all

,,, they'll just figure out a way to anonymously tip the healers off, if they figure anything out from their little venture into his head ! pardon the intrusion, dear patient °՞(ᗒᗣᗕ)՞° ,,,

- bonus points if the fact jing yuan is an arbiter-general just floats in a detached bubble, somewhere in reader's mind, because their job is to be a healer !! to live up to the person who'd saved them in their time of need's ideals !!!! who has time to worry about getting caught as being a weird ahh amalgation if they can save someone's life amiright !

I didn’t think about the dream sequence in detail, but what I do know is that jing yuan's subconscious (possibly the actual consciousness too?) would briefly interact with dreamwalking!reader. the natural instinct to having something poke about in your mind in a vulnerable state is to crush it like a cockroach, no shit, but what do you do when it really doesn’t seem to have any malicious intent, and somehow seems to be ,,, helping?

(but their brand of dreamwalking isn't meant for harmless brushes—its meant to devour, to rip sustenance from a mind no matter how guarded it is, to patch the endless yawning abyss that hungers for dreams to keep reader's body from failing on them. reader hasn't been gorging themselves or taking as little as possible because they understand that some things are unavoidable, that they can't keep themself or their patients alive if they're teetering on the edge of frailty all the time. some things have to be done, and they refuse to feel any guilt over it.)

but yeah !! me when I fuck up and accidentally fall into someone's dream, and have to play along with the disjointed imaginary going ons to drag said someone out of it without destabilising everything enough to immediately flashbang them with mara.

me when they wake up but still remember bits and pieces of what had happened in their dream because they're a fucking ARBITER-GENERAL with all the mental fortitude and skill required of one, especially bc they've lasted numerous centuries in that position

me when I suspiciously fall ill right after the patient in a coma wakes up ("guys it's just a cold trust *doubles over like they just got kicked in the crotch when their fellow healer unexpectedly opens a window and now there are spikes of pure light stabbing into their brain oh god oh fuck*")

that's all I have so far, unfortunately ,,, ╮(￣▽￣"")╭ thanks for reading all the way to this point if you did, though !! I'm considering making a new account to moot you, one for hsr content because I like my fandoms separated :D

more notes:

- reader probably has a history of being good with mind related ailments despite always having denied credit, half the healers they're friends with consider them a lucky charm for these matters, the other half think that reader is definitely doing SOMETHING but hey, people get fixed all the same so who gaf. them being a pretty decent coworker who's a hardcore grinder on the job and dedicated to the point that overwork ceases to exist half the time (dreameating has its perks) probably leads them to not mentioning it to anyone else, in case it causes reader trouble.

but who's to say that a certain general won't happen to catch wind about his mystery saviour?

- reader has been on the luofu for quite a while too, their legal documents file them as being a xianzhou native—which would be backed up by the biological makeup of their false body on a surface level ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و ̑̑

​

Let 🔥 anon cook!!!! This was such a treat to read during brunch bc there’s so much you can explore with the dreameater concept plus a highly perceptive and seasoned arbiter-general.

What would the feeling of having your dreams eaten feel like afterward for the victim? Sort of like with a vampire bite that could leave a physical wound, dull or searing ache, effects of blood loss etc etc.

Could a dream being eaten, since it’s not a simple and easy procedure, cause some sort of ache or short term problem for the person? Maybe it’s leaves a short period of a few days where the person feels like they’ve forgotten something that they’re sure they should have remembered. Like phantom limb but for a dream perhaps. Like a dull headache that isn’t severe but annoyingly present for a few days as the mind tries to cope with the loss of something that was supposed to be processed. Maybe these kind of issues can only be seen in Jing Yuan due to his mental fortitude and strength or bc he was still under whereas your usual patients undergo a different process to prevent these. Dire times and desperate measures to ensure the general is saved.

And the dream walking would be interesting too! How would the reader handle it? Is there a game plan? If most dreams will have strangers we may have seen in our peripheral during the day, will you try to play it smart and blend in as a filler person in the dream? Trying to blend in?

Perhaps your targeted dream eating of sequences in his mind that may be contributing to mara even has repercussions for you afterwards. Maybe like how you mentioned you get ill afterwards like when eating something of poor quality (due to mara effects). A necessary sacrifice that you aren’t quite sure why you felt inclined to do. Perhaps it brings your body vessel at risk since it is one of xianzhou natives’ qualities. Would it be susceptible to being mara-struck?

I can yap on and on

Anon if you ever write this pls pls pls tag me or send it to me bc I would looove to read your explorations on this. It’s delicious for a plot!!!!! Mwah mwah 💗

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Angsty fight/venting alternate ending

(Part two to this)

For @guiltyscarlet and @aceauthorcatqueen who asked for the angsty ending

CW for major character death. I’m not sure if this counts as dark!Arthur but there is murder scene so mild description of injury. There’s also self destruction from Merlin, possibly self harm, I’m not sure where it falls, and a mental breakdown or two here as well. Also canonical character death right at the end but it’s not graphic.

You’ve all been warned. You’re responsible for your online media consumption so take care of yourselves and don’t read if you think this will negatively affect you.

(Click more for angsty shit.)

I imagine this version to happen around season 5, if it was the hurt/comfort version, I’d say between season seasons 2/3 but the angst needs more time to have the full effect. Merlin is worried because of Mordred and the disir and everything else going on.

After Arthur says “Really. All you do is follow orders. It’s not hard.” Merlin looks over, angry and upset, but when he sees Arthur’s attempt at caring, tears start pooling in his eyes.

Arthur looks startled, unsure what to do, when Merlin looks away, shakes his head and whispers brokenly “Fight me” and it sounds so defeated, like really the last words of a man who’s officially given up. Arthur doesn’t move, and Merlin looks up again, something pleading in his eyes, as he begs, “Fight me. Please.”

Arthur’s in new territory now, their fights have never had anything other than frustration or anger or irritation, occasionally jealousy after that one time where he thought someone was flirting with Merlin Arthur would never admit to. But Merlin seems like he’s just going to use it to get beat up and hurt more. It goes against what they do, and he’s seen Knights fall to similar fates after such things got too far. So Arthur is terrified, he doesn’t want to lose Merlin and doesn’t know how to help so he can keep him.

So he asks “What’s going on?” Breaking the script and throwing Merlin off. Which definitely isn’t something he needs, while he’s that close to a breakdown all he really wants is to remember that the world will keep going forward so he can figure out how to keep going forward too, he really just needs a constant that he can rely on. Arthur’s attitude tends to be a pendulum swing between an array of things depending on multiple factors out of Merlin’s control so he can never figure out what side he’s going to get. So he’s resorted to their fight vents. It’s also not what he needs, but it’s consistent. He can shout or scream, throw a punch, take a punch or two, and then focus on the ache in his muscles instead of the pain in his chest and head.

Merlin doesn’t reply to Arthur’s question, instead he stands up and drops his stance, telling Arthur again to fight him. Arthur knows he isn’t going to get anywhere so he stands up too and as soon as he’s on his feet, Merlin is throwing a punch at him. Arthur manages to partially dodge, taking a hit to his shoulder instead of his face.

It’s right over the questing beast scar, if anyone’s wondering. If I was properly writing this, I’d have a parallel between Arthur’s scars from times Merlin’s saved him and where Merlin is hitting. Probably something about all the times Merlin saved him and how because they’re two sides of the same coin, destroying himself is destroying Arthur too.

Anyway.

Arthur realises how much it hurt, and how Merlin really isn’t pulling any punches now. He starts fighting back, properly defending himself while Merlin dances around him. With each punch there’s choked back sobs or hitches in his breath.

Arthur realises Merlin is crying and tries to help him with something of their normal routine. It helps Arthur, so hopefully it’ll help Merlin too. It doesn’t, of course. But he does try.

He tries taunting Merlin into talking about it, “don’t cry, your fighting skills aren’t that bad.”

Merlin growls through his tears, biting back, “Why? Not worth my tears?” As he attacks viciously and relentlessly.

It confuses Arthur, because that’s what he said about the dragonlord years ago. “You can’t cry over every fallen soldier.” Arthur bites out, dodging a particularly harsh punch aimed at his jaw. And he’s known that lesson for a long time, he kept it with him when he lost young knights while he was still a prince, all his fallen comrades, his best knight, his brother in law, all of them.

“He wasn’t a soldier!” Merlin screamed as Arthur felt his head snap to the side with a punch to his jaw. It’d definitely bruise, but he could blame it on training. “He wasn’t supposed to die!” Another punch knocks Arthur over, “I was supposed to save him!” Merlin jumps on him, and Arthur can barely process that, only just rolling out of the way from instinct alone. Merlin doesn’t move away to come after Arthur, just crumbles on the floor, punching the stone weakly while sobbing.

“It’s my fault.” He says brokenly, “I couldn’t save them, how can I save you?” His body is wracked with sobs, he can hardly see for the tears blurring his eyes, and Arthur is behind him unsure what to do.

Merlin gets a ringing in his ears, sharp and piercing and he can hear his heart beating, breath comes short to him, images of Mordred thrusting a sword into Arthur’s middle playing over and over in his head.

“I- I couldn’t- I can’t-“ he’s clutching at his throat, trying to breathe, trying to think of anything to say, as he scrambles at his neckerchief, he can’t get it off. In a moment of clarity, he desperately cries out, “Arthur?”

Arthur is there, ripping through the fabric and rubbing up and down Merlin’s back to get him to breathe.

“Why is it your responsibility to protect people better equipped to handle dangerous situations than you are?” Arthur asks quietly, not fighting anymore but Merlin shrugs him off.

“They aren’t knights.” He’s gritting his teary and the words have a bite Arthur knows means Merlin isn’t done. “Will, Freya, Balinor, they weren’t knights.” Merlin gets angrier and angrier as he’s speaking, “and I’m not some hopeless wimp like you think I am, Sire.”

Merlin pushes himself up and paces the length of the fire place. “It’s my duty to keep you safe.”

“You’re not a knight!”

Arthur stands up too, yelling in frustration at not understanding what’s going on with Merlin. He’s frustrated at Merlin for being stubborn and at himself for not knowing what to do. Clearly, Merlin wants to fight. Both times he tried letting him speak, Merlin went back to biting and anger and whatever else was left as a result of his pain. Now he’s hopelessly letting Merlin lead him but Merlin isn’t in the mental state to know what he needs.

It’s a new situation for them both, and they’re struggling.

They argue some more, Merlin shoves Arthur back a few times when he’s unintentionally insensitive. “Balinor wasn’t even necessary for defeating the dragon!” “I can protect myself just fine without you cowering behind trees ten feet away!” “William was a sorcerer!”

At some point, Merlin snaps, shoves Arthur back again though not hard enough to fall, and yells that he has magic. Arthur, feeling betrayed and already frustrated from their fight not working, throws a full force, vicious punch. Merlin palms it, and starts yelling about everything he’s done.

Arthur’s getting angrier, and angrier, and angrier. And he isn’t truly angry, he’s hurt, betrayed, confused, lost, afraid, and a billion and one other emotions all at once. But anger is easier to feel, so he defaults to that.

Arthur stars really fighting Merlin, yelling about the lies and “how could he keep this a secret? Why would he lie for ten years?” Merlin doesn’t even have a chance to reply, too busy dodging or minimising the damage Arthur can do. It’s reversed at this point, and Arthur is the one trained to kill with hand to hand.

Merlin is struggling to keep up.

His nose is definitely broken, he’s covered in bruises, his muscles are burning and he’s more focused on just getting Arthur to calm down.

It doesn’t work, and at some point, Merlin ends up pressed against the wall with Arthur pinning him by the throat. Arthur’s still yelling his questions and accusations about Merlin’s magic. It takes a while, he’s pinned and loosing air for a few minutes.

It never even crosses his mind to use it to get away when Arthur starts pressing too hard against his windpipe and Merlin’s vision starts blurring and fading darker.

Arthur notices this and yells at Merlin to defend himself and fight back, Merlin only rasps out, “won’t hurt you,” before going limp. Arthur steps back, and Merlin crumples to the floor.

It’s at that point that he sees Merlin bleeding from a gaping head wound and notices his knuckles broken from where his rings have shattered them during their fight. He panics and pulls off his shirt to press to the head wound.

Arthur is left trying to stop the bleeding, he scoops Merlin up, calls for guards and grabs the first aid kit Merlin made him keep in his rooms a few months after working for Arthur (after the Sophia incident) the guards come in and he immediately sends them to Gaius, starting to stitch Merlin’s head and doing everything he can.

Merlin’s breath is fading and his heart rate is sluggish at best.

It takes another five minutes for Gaius to get there, by that time it’s too late and Merlin is going to die.

Gaius knows this, and the most he can do is give Merlin pain killers, but even if he survives he won’t wake up and he’ll have a few weeks at most of being comatose because of medieval medicine. (This is not historically accurate, but I can’t be arsed with research)

Arthur can’t accept this. He keeps trying to stop Merlin’s bleeding and covering his head in honey to fight infection and anything else that isn’t doing anything. Gaius tries to pull Arthur away but he refuses, and threatens Gaius with execution if he stops Arthur from saving his Merlin.

In the end, Arthur is working on Merlin’s head for two hours before he stops breathing and his heart gives out fully and half an hour after he’s died. Gaius declares Merlin dead and Arthur can do nothing but scream. It takes four knights to hold him down so they can take Merlin’s body away.

Arthur still doesn’t understand why Merlin wanted to fight him, and it takes him a long time to remember anything Merlin said about magic, or Balinor, or protecting Arthur. By the time he remembers, Gaius has left Camelot in his grief so he has no one to ask for answers.

Arthur goes mad, seeking answers from Druids and other magic users, all the stories about Emrys make him believe people are lying to him because Merlin couldn’t be the most powerful sorcerer and not tell him about it. After Merlin lied for ten years, Arthur closes himself off and doesn’t trust anyone. He’s paranoid and in his Paranoia, he’s killed by Mordred who’s angry that Arthur killed Emrys, the golden age doesn’t happen and magic fades from the land.

The end :)

—

Thoughts?? Hope you enjoyed :)

I tried to keep it as mild as I could, if I wrote this properly it’d most likely end up a lot more graphic and with a lot more character analysis and emotional shit. I don’t know what I’m allowed to post on here but this is about as mild as I can make it without loosing any of the important bits.

I could easily write 20-30k of this but I’m not starting anything new at the moment. I might come back to it at some point to turn it into a full fic but it won’t be for a while yet. I’ll see what the dopamine decides when I have time and energy for another project.

[ghostdiva]

My Prediction for Episode 2 of The Amazing Digital Circus

heads up, this is purely my own theories based on what I know of the trailer, as well as gooseworx's tumblr posts. this can easily be interpreted as a guess to the plot of the second episode, that said, if any of these guesses are correct, then I'm sorry for the spoilers.

let's get into it.

we start the episode with what I assume to be a dream sequence for Pomni. which makes sense considering what happened in episode 1 (aka the pilot). it wouldn't surprise me at all that her run in with the abstracted kaufmo was traumatizing. Watching that abstraction later get thrown into the cellar, and realizing that abstraction is the digital world equivalent to death, is also a pretty rattling experience. so it would make sense that Pomni would have a dream about abstraction as she tries to wrap her head around it.

that said, her dream sequence starts in the main area of the circus tent, where it is presumably the next day and she's with the gang waiting for Caine to show up and drag them all into an adventure of some kind. And either when Caine shows up, or while they're waiting, something happens that is disturbing to Pomni. what that is, is very much unknown. but this reaction doesn't just naturally happen, it's triggered by something.

so she sees something horrific, and in this dream it seems to start to push her to her breaking point, existentially.

Pomni looks down at herself and her horror grows. part of her is abstracted. Pomni feels a bit of fear and confusion not knowing what to do, and scared about going in the cellar. Caine doesn't care about that though, and upon seeing that she's "abstracting", does the same thing he did to kaufmo. opening a hole in the floor and throwing Pomni in the cellar.

Pomni tries to grab for anything, desperate not to join the fully abstracted. she yells "no", almost as if to plea that she wasn't insane. that there was no need to lock her away just yet.

then Pomni wakes up with quite the start.

I think anyone would be disgruntled with a wake up call like that, but nonetheless, Pomni gets up and joins the others at the main stage area.

Pomni waits with Ragatha and Gangle, asking questions she didn't really get to have answered in the last episode.

now, I have no way of knowing what kind of dialogue the characters will be sharing between each other during this episode, so I don't know what is said until the episode airs. all I have are the episode 2 quotes that gooseworx dropped on their page.

so broadly speaking, Caine gathers the rest of the gang, Zooble opts out of the adventure, and Caine shoves everyone else through a portal into the Candy Canyon Kingdom!

Yippee!

now in this episode we have 3 characters (technically 5 but I'm counting gumigoo and his gang to be all 1 entity here). the list is loolilalu, gumigoo (+max and chad), and the fudge monster. Princess Loolilalu, I believe is the sort of quest giver of the adventure. I think loolilalu will send the gang to deal with Gumigoo, and his compatriots, chad and max. who are bandits, and make a bit of a habit of stealing from loolilalu's subjects, even resorting to violence to get what they want.

Princess Loolilalu simply can't let that stand, and sends the circus crew (minus Zooble) out to apprehend them. giving Ragatha a Key in the process.

now a lot of people speculated that it'd be a key to the kingdom or something like that, but that doesn't make sense considering pretty much all the shots outside of the celebration on their arrival take place outside the castle walls. No, I think that the Key is for a truck, specifically the truck the circus crew use to chase Gumigoo and his gang with. -this also makes sense to the degree of "how would Caine know the visual difference between a door key and a car key? they're both just keys to him"-

also quick side note: during the celebration as the circus crew arrive at the candy canyon kingdom, one of the audiece NPC's is seen absolutely booking it at Gangle, and I think that the NPC is going to run into her, breaking her comedy mask.

anyway, the Gang piles into the truck, Gangle driving, Pomni, Kinger and Ragatha in the backseat, and Jax getting shotgun...

... -ahem- anyway, through a series of whacky hijinks, the circus crew and gumigoo's crew end up in an intense car chase, with Pomni somehow getting on top of Gumigoo's van in the process.

However, something happens to the truck the circus crew are in, that makes it have to either slow down or stop. rather that's a tire falling off or something else entirely is still up in the air. this normally wouldn't be too bad of an issue.

but Pomni is still on top of gumigoo's van...

this is where the circus crew splits up a bit, as Pomni is left to Gumigoo and his gang while the circus crew figure out how to get the truck up and running at full speed again.

So Gumigoo and his gang try to get Pomni off their van. However, Pomni is a survivalist at her core, and a resilient one at that. So the gummy gators have a hard time getting Pomni to let go of their car. they have such a hard time about it that they start doing doughnuts in an effort to spin her off the car.

what happens after is pretty up in the air, but I'm pretty sure Pomni ends up getting flung very far after loosing her grip and literally flying off.

Meanwhile, with the rest of the circus crew. Ragatha's upset on Pomni's behalf, at the fact that they left her with the gator gang. Jax brushes it off, which only upsets Ragatha more.

The circus crew pull over and assess the damage to the truck, which could be anything from a flat or missing tire, to complete engine failure. what needs to happen to fix the truck is unknown, but the truck needs fixing regardless.

-a moderate amount of chaos later-

the circus gang has fixed the truck and started back on the road again, however they are all completely lost. and end up accidentally wandering into the fudge monster's domain... oops.

Ragatha probably tries to reason with the fudge monster in order to not get eaten. it'd be a bit fucked up, but maybe the gang offers to feed some gummy gators to the fudge monster in exchange for freedom? idk, it's anyone's guess.

anyway, after the crew is done getting harassed by the fudge monster, they decide it's time to harass the gummy gators, and set out to find them.

seek and ye shall find, and find the circus crew did. not only do they manage to catch up to the gator gang, but they manage to tie up Chad and Max, leaving Gumigoo by himself.

this is also where the sweet sweet Jax angst is, as we see him just picking at the floor while hugging himself a bit. Not behavior you expect to see from the lanky bastard that makes his existence everyone else's problem. it might also be that he's a bit disheartened that Pomni was not with the Gator Gang, who knows.

anyway the gang start searching for Pomni, and uh...

I think they found her? honestly that small dot flying out of the water could be anyone, but Pomni was the only one missing from the group for a prolonged period of time. so it only really makes sense that it'd be her.

last but not least, we have the most confusing clip of the trailer.

now, strap on for this theory. so I think that this happens after gumigoo's companions are captured (chad and max). now, I think gumigoo was coded as an extrovert of sorts, constantly checking back on chad and max to make sure they're there and stuff. and now that they're gone, gumigoo doesn't know what to do. like his code doesn't have anything for when his compatriots aren't around, and the lack of his friends is maddening. because that is a look of existential dread and shock. and while specifically WHAT happened is a mystery, I do have a few theories as to what it could've been.

maybe gumigoo ended up running into a border of the world and that's what that blue grid is. him accidentally peeking beyond a world border to see a grid with lines and lines of code. maybe this event happens to cause gumigoo to gain a level of sentience, coming to the realization that once the gang is done with the adventure, his world will cease to exist. that all he was, is, and will be are just lines of code, moved around by another AI that is above him (caine). maybe gumigoo just experiences the existentials surrounding the mindset of "I am just a blip in the cosmos, a small insignificant spec in the grand scheme of things". which can ultimately lead to depressive lines of thought. Goose did say this episode would be about depression, I wouldn't be surprised if they also threw in something existential for funsies, or just to hit the point home.

and then the gang finishes the adventure and gets a lovely prize!

some MPPED!

[wlwaerith]

wheres the essay u coward

@veshialles @margaritalaux-antille since u both asked as well :3c

so, a big part of why the mage origin will always be my favourite is because of how creepy kinloch hold is, and the fact that it’s the only opportunity you get (excluding witch hunt) to explore the lowest recesses of the tower, which is imo the creepiest part of it.

i think a big part of this creepy factor is the way that the tower is kind of deceptive. on the surface level, yeah, it’s bad — there are no windows until you get to the very top, it’s quite cramped, you get this feeling of being packed in like cattle — but that’s not really the worst of it. you have a huge library spanning two floors! you are surrounded by people who seem friendly! (mages. this refers to mages.)

but then you look a little closer and see the piles of dirt in the corner, the squalor the mages live in (because the dorms that the apprentices in particular stay in are disgusting). the way that the harrowed enchanters’ quarters do not afford you any privacy. you have ,, maybe a wall to separate yourself from the open door (iirc some rooms where mages sleep don’t even have doors) and your roommates. it’s this absence of privacy, or perhaps denial is a better word, that makes you start to realise that oh. okay. these people aren’t treated or even seen as people, are they.

then this factors in with the location of the tower. the conditions are bad. you have essentially the magic police leering over you at all times. you aren’t allowed outside unless you have unique privileges and exceptions (fresh air is a privilege. a privilege.) and the only windows are so high up that to attempt to climb or jump from them is suicide. and then there is the fact that you’re on the middle of the lake and the only way back is a boat (which is always on the other side. you are not taught how to swim), and the boat is guarded by a templar — the ones who are always looking for an excuse to put you down like the animals they think you are. and it dawns on you how utterly cut off and isolated you are. and that’s still not the worst of it.

enter the lower levels, specifically the roundabout back way you have to take to get to the repository. there are discarded garments rotting away in cells and i’m pretty sure one cell has a bloodstain on the floor or the wall, if memory serves. there are sectioned-off rooms full of deepstalkers that look alarmingly like makeshift laboratories. which makes you wonder what the hell they’re getting up to down there. this is where your eyes get ripped open if you weren’t already freaked out and you realise that there is something very, very wrong with the tower.

then there’s the matter of the veil, which is so thin that it’s easily ripped open, subjecting the mages within to these horrific transformations. it makes you wonder if it was deliberate, if it was set up this way in the hopes that the veil would be torn so there would be an excuse to kill all the mages. greagoir, for one, seemed all too keen to put them down during the broken circle quest. this is kind of partnered with the way that less skilled mages seem to be manipulated from the sidelines (i.e. jowan) into resorting to blood magic so that they can be removed rather than trained. one less mage, as it were.

on the surface, it seems a little ick at worst, and generally not at all terrible given that irving seems to care about amell/surana at least. but then you take all of this into consideration and you realise it’s very dog-eat-dog, because when you grow accustomed to existing in a space where your so-called “protectors” are also your jailers who are always waiting for an opportunity to get rid of you, what creeping dread you may have felt beforehand begins to morph into horror.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Okay so a thing that has bothered me ever since I first watched Chat Blanc was Bunnyx and the general time travel stuff because tghis makes no sense. In the Chat Blanc time line, after Chat Blanc destroyes the universe, everyone is dead. Including adult!Alix aka Bunnyx. So the Bunnyx fron the Chat Blanc timeline doesn'rt exist anymore, meaning that the Bunnyx fron the episode is from a parallel timeline where Chat Blanc didn't destroy the universe. That however raises the question why she would even care about that other timeline. Is her quest to assure victory over Monarch in every single timeline because that sounds exhausting as hell. I also don't understand the deal with her leg disappearing while she witnesses the fight between LB and CB, it has no reason to, because LB defeating CB doesn't have any effect on Bunnyx because, as stated earlier, the Bunnyx from that timeline is already dead! And honestly, the fact that Lb even had to fight CB makes no sense. They could've just went back in time 2 minutes so LB can erase her name from the letter (or just be quicker so Adrien doesn't see her) and CB doesn't happen in the first place!

Like, genuine question, what was the point of the whole thing? I mean other than the concept is cool and the writers wanted to give LB trauma (which never really plays a significant part in the overall story anyway??)

Sorry for rambling so much, I don't know if this makes any sense, the episode was really confusing to me and idk if it's just because the episode actually doesn't make sense or because I just don't understand it bc time travel is really confusing. Would really love to hear your opinion!

You're fine and you're not missing a thing. The episode simply doesn't make sense nor am I sure why it even exists. I know a lot of people love it, but I really don't get the hype. It runs off of nonsense logic and makes most of the characters look really bad.

Let's start with the lore.

The canon lore is that Bunnyx only travels through time, not universes, so it makes no freaking sense that an adult Bunnyx would be able to stop Chat Blanc since the existence of Chat Blanc should stop her from existing. It's a total paradox that goes against everything we'd been told about her powers. Of course, she's also supposed to be the hero of last resort, yet we hear about her hanging out with famous historical figures and the season five final sees her acting as a substitute for the horse miraculous even though the people she portals in don't do a thing to help with the final battle, so it's not like Chat Blanc is the only time her powers and role get ignored. Any time I use the rabbit, I have to completely rework its lore because canon is just so bad at time travel. I like Alix and her adult design is awesome, but any time Bunnyx shows up, I expect to be annoyed.

Also, I will never forgive her for just dumping Ladybug back in our time without so much as a word of encouragement or any reassurance that the Chat Blanc stuff was only a maybe. And Ladybug was the one to figure out how to fix time!!! Alix, you suck at your job! Or this is just another case of the writers refusing to let someone other than Marinette save the day even though the poor girl really needs a day off.

As for why this episode exists? I don't even know, dude. It makes no sense. Back when we thought it was going to be a driving force in the season four conflict - an assumption that was backed up by Marinette's nightmare in sentibubbler - the episode kinda made sense in spite of its flaws. But we're two seasons past Chat Blanc and the only person who is apparently traumatized by it is Adrien.

Yes, the writers actually said this. No, you didn't miss an episode where Adrien learned about Chat Blanc. They were talking about the nightmares from the final:

Mélanie says that he "could become Chat Blanc" and the others add that even though he does not remember and has never lived it, Chat Blanc still has an influence on his actions.

Yes, this is embarrassingly bad writing. The character who never saw or even heard of Chat Blanc is somehow the one who is traumatized and effected by it while Marinette's trauma has nothing do to with Chat Blanc or the events of the season four final. Instead, it's random BS that was never even hinted at until season five. I just... what?

In case it wasn't obvious - which I guess it isn't given that professional writers missed this - the logical way to write this to have the season four conflict be about Chat Blanc from Ladybug's side. After the conflict ends, she reveals everything to Chat Noir who becomes terrified of hurting people with his powers. This is only exacerbated by the events of Destruction. But then the show would have had to let Chat Noir have a character arc that didn't revolve around Ladynette and the series seems allergic to that as a concept, so instead Adrien gets magical trauma that keeps him from the final fight. And I thought the Derision retcon was bad!

Other issues with Chat Blanc in no particular order:

It cements Nathalie as just as bad a Gabriel since she's the one who tells him Adrien's secret identity and we then see her do nothing to try to protect Adrien.

It makes Gabriel irredeemable by showing him gleefully hurting his child. Dude punts his son across the city with a smile on his face!

It makes Adrien look slimy since he asks Marinette out without telling her that he knows her secret identity. This one is in a bit of a grey area for me because the secret identity stuff is complicated, but Adrien has never been the one who cared about secret identities AND he's the one who has been directly turned down in hero form. The episode takes none of that into consideration with its writing and it really needed to for Adrien to feel like he had a valid point of view here. As is, he's taking advantage of a situation and putting his Lady love at risk for his own wants.

The pillow sniff scene makes Marinette look unhinged.

It spits in the face of The Power of Love by having Adrien's love fail to be enough to stop him from killing Marinette.

Marinette's parents should have gotten involved after Gabriel threatened her. There is no way in hell that I'd let my kid go over to the Agreste mansion after that. If the writers were once again determined to not let Tom and Sabine parent, then the threat should have come when Marinette was alone.

Why did Ladybug even need to go to the future if Bunnyx could have just gone back in time and stopped Ladybug from leaving the present for Adrien? Why did Chat Blanc even need to be defeated? What did Ladybug's ladybug actually fix when she cast her charm?

This is minor, but it bothers me: Chat Noir should not have been smiling and happy when he was freed from his akuma. That boy should have been in the middle of a breakdown.

I know people forgive some of the above because Chat Blanc is sort of an AU and I'm not going to say that's wrong, I just can't look at it that way because there's nothing that sets Chat Blanc apart from the normal timeline. The Paris special gives us an AU. Chat Blanc (and Ephemeral) are what the writers told us would happen in the canon timeline if Gabriel ever discovered his son's secrets. Canon Gabriel was the one doing those things and would have done them again if given the chance. This is who the writers said he is. Same goes for all the other characters who come across less than stellar here.

There's a reason why I love a good Chat Blanc rewrite. It's an idea with a lot of potential, but canon capitalizes on almost none of it.

[genshin-side-piece]

I just read “Love Me Tender” and I’m obsessed with the way you write yandere Neuvillette and his darling. He’s one of those yanderes who are just so soggy and pitiful. I love the idea of a powerful yandere utilizing their power and connections to keep you. The melusines would DEFINITELY watch over you per Neuvillette’s request. And even if they knew he kidnapped you, they wouldn’t do anything about it. Not out of any malice, but because they, like Neuvillette, genuinely believe it’s what best for you. I love non-human yanderes because you can explore the potential of them not understanding humans being a reason for their yandere-ness

I love, LOVE the idea that a darling being submissive or cowering like prey turns him on. I love yanderes who take pride in being gentlemen but then silently salivate at the sigh of your legs. Also, I wish this was included in more fics, but I love the idea of a darling absolutely refusing to be near their yandere. Even if they have to resort to sitting in the corner instead of the comfy chairs by the yandere. I love darlings who try to hang on to the last semblance of autonomy and independence you have.

If you ever write any more yandere Neuvillette in the future I would love to read it!

❤️❤️❤️

Awwww TY Nonny! I'm so glad you liked it. I almost didn't publish this because of how hard I struggled with it. I was considering waiting until 4.1 just to be sure I had his personality right. Ray Chase wasn't kidding when he said Neuvillette was complex AF. It took me a minute to figure out if this was really even plausible for him and what his motivations would and could be. Thankfully the stuff with Childe at the end of the 4.0 archon quest showed Neuvillette could be pushed into action. So the idea that he's happy with observation until he deems there's a threat seems logical. Considering there is a mafia of sorts in Fontaine, and the whole serial k*ller business, it only adds to Neuvillette's mindset. Darling vanishes while he isn't looking and the kill bill sirens go off.

I think he would go deeper in terms of filling a caretaker/protector yandere role. I couldn't work it in fully here, but I believe he would be the type to fuss over your nutrition, your exercise, and your general well being. Not to the point that it's invasive, but enough to where he insures you are being cared for. God help Fontaine if that man ever feels derelict in his duty. The difference between him and some of the other protector yanderes, is in my mind Neuvillette owns the fact that he's the source of you misery. He does what he can to fix it, but he won't deviate from any of his previous actions. He can't.

I love my power hungry yanderes, but it was nice to write something soft for once. His pining and yearning coupled with his own self awareness was an interesting challenge. I would like to get to know Neuvillette better. Like I said, he is a difficult one to get right. I have another one that I am working on for him. I'm just struggling with the end on it. There's a third that I started before he debuted that I'm going to have to completely revise, maybe. He's a bit sterner in it than what he is in the game and there's a slight abuse of power, so I'll have to see. He has that side to him, but I'd like to see more of it for actual research purposes. 4.1 will do a lot for that one, especially considering Neuvillette is willing to manufacture charges in the correct circumstances.

But thank you so much for your lovely comment. I really do appreciate it.

[archoniluthradanar]

The Siege of Volterra : the Vampire war no one knows about

The Siege of Volterra : the Vampire war no one knows about

Aro and the Volturi must decide to engage the invading German army or flee their centuries-old home.

Aro's POV-1944, Italy, occupied Volterra

I was inspired to write this after reading some Tumblr people questioning if the Volturi helped out Italy during the second World War. This is my response as a one-shot and it's kind of long over my usual one-shots.

* Some locations have been made up. Research about Volterra's history during WW2, not easy *

oooooooooooooooooooo

When the Nazis invaded Italy in 1940, I assumed Volterra might eventually become an occupied city. I wasn't happy with that thought. The Volturi had held control of this city for countless hundreds of years. Who were these Saxon mongrels to think they could take our home away from us. Marcus, Caius, and I called for a meeting with the entire coven to discuss what actions should be taken. We would have to decide whether we would hide underground, leave the city entirely, or fight against this impudent invading army?

When the occupation finally happened, the mood of the city completely changed. No more weekend gatherings in the piazza with music and dancing. No more festivals. The humans were virtual prisoners in their own homes. Now we had no choice but to make decisions, both for their protection and ours. I would not tolerate the Germans locking us down as well. Our bi-weekly meal deliveries were at stake. Without that, we would have no choice but to feed off the humans within our walls, something I hoped we would not have to resort to.

Our symbiotic relationship with the Volterrans had been beneficial for us all. The city's human leadership turned a blind eye to rumours about us, deflecting any prying into our business. We paid them well for their aid and loyalty, with the threat of death hanging over their heads and those of their families as insurance. The Mayor, the Chief of Police, and the Bishop of Volterra were a few of the more important humans taken into our confidence, and they had served us well.

First, we had to decide how important our home was. Moving to another location would take time and effort. Right now, most of Europe was involved in the war, and there were few places the Germans and their allies had not already occupied. Marcus spoke up first, wanting to keep our home here in Volterra. He didn't care how that would be accomplished.

Caius agreed. "I prefer to fight rather than hide or run like cowards. These are just humans, after all. I say we fight." He had a point.

I readily agreed, but how would we fight the Germans without revealing ourselves to them or the rest of the city? Caius was willing to set up plans of attack. The idea of killing humans excited the former commander, as I knew it would. An offensive by the Volturi would not only protect our home, it would also protect the city. These foolish humans, however, deserved whatever we gave them. They were disrupting the peace of our city in their quest for world dominance. For once, I felt humans needed to be controlled and by whom better than us.

The most important block to quick defeat was there were more human invaders than there were Volturi. Jane and Alec would be important in any vanguard that would move against these Nazis. Jane's gift incapacitated vampires, but it could kill a human if the illusion of pain was intense enough. Alec's gift would make that easier by blinding, deafening, and silencing the humans first. After so long, I trusted Jane. She worked well with no supervison, and with her brother Alec at her side, I knew they would make short work of the Nazis.

We decided we needed intel, the more information, the better. Since an all out assualt was not feasible, we would pick off the humans one by one. They expected no resistance, therefore more soldiers were kept in key locations, while fewer stood as guards. By day, their presence was more intrusive. They would eat at the cafes and shop at the stores, some genuinely enjoying mingling with the Volterrans. But after darkness fell, small groups of four to five soldiers would walk the streets at night, enforcing curfew and making sure no one was out committing sabotage.

One night, our sharp ears heard the sound of gun shots. When I called Mayor Guiseppe to find out what had happened, he explained several young men had tried to steal a jeep being used by the Germans. They had been shot without ceremony. I strongly advised the mayor to make it illegal for citizens to harass the Germans. He agreed, making it clear he would tolerate no one bothering the invaders. He didn't want to see any more of his people die at the hands of the Nazis. The fact the city remained quiet for weeks after the order was issued, indicated his warnings had worked, and that was to our advantage.

I sent Felix and Demetri to find out where the Nazis were based, the silent speed of the guards making this an easy task. I had wanted to keep an eye on their positions. Was there one main headquarters, or several locations where soldiers kept vigilance over the city's population. They returned a few hours later with plenty of news.

"Master Aro, the museum that was the Palazzo dei Medici is where the Germans have set up their headquarters. A Colonel Friedrich Mannheim is in charge of the city's occupation force," Felix said. "They have approximately 400 soldiers based there while another 100 or so are constantly monitoring the streets. They're using the rooms of the villa as quarters while Colonel Mannheim has exclusive use of the Blue Room."

I knew the Blue Room well. Royalty had slept there over the centuries. Once, I had been invited to the palazzo during the 1760s, and as an honoured guest, I had been afforded the use of one of the prettiest servant women while staying in the Blue Room. I pleasured myself with her body for a few hours, before slashing her throat and slaking my sudden hunger. I hated killing her, but the scent of her blood was too much. Sadly, it made me thirsty. I had to hide the body and make up some story to my hosts. It was so long ago and of little consequence, but some memories linger longer than others.

Of course, the human military leader would choose the very best for himself. The fact that particular castle was chosen would make it easy for us to plan an attack. I knew the floorplan, and helped Caius map out every level.

Demetri gave his report next. "There are five satellite stations scattered around the city, each manned by no more than twenty-five humans. There are two check points, one at the old city gate and one along the newer roadway into the city. Everyone is heavily armed." He smiled, knowing their weapons would have no effect on vampires. "There's no danger for us there. Even if they get a chance to use them."

"We have to consider the humans who will be backing us up, Demetri," I reminded our tracker. "For now, we will act alone. But I trust there will be human volunteers who will gladly help us when we are ready to attack the Palazzo dei Medici. I plan to call Chief de Luca to see how many he can gather." I looked over at Caius who smiled and nodded.

Later, I spoke with the chief of police, Angelo de Luca, in person. He knew about our nature, but he and his small police force were well paid to stifle any rumours about us and to make sure we were left in peace. Losing Volturi protection and financial support was not something anyone wanted.

"Angelo, my dear friend. We find we have a common enemy in these Germans, but we have the power to do something about it. It may mean the sacrifice of some of your people. Would they be willing to fight alongside us, not knowing what we are, of course." I knew from past experience that some humans were indeed brave and capable of fighting well.

"Master Aro, I know my people would willingly sacrifice their lives if it meant freeing their families from this scourge. Are you planning an attack soon?"

"Caius will be in charge of that. We're going to concentrate on killing those manning the city gates and outposts, and the groups of city sentries. The Germans are headquartered at the Palazzo dei Medici. We will take care of that last." De Luca listened raptly as I detailed our plan. "We haven't enough guards to replace those killed, so we will need some trusted humans to do that for us, wearing their uniforms and pretending to be Germans. I just need to know that your people can be ready when called upon."

"Of course, Master Aro. I will gather the best fighters Volterra has to offer, and wait for you to let us know when we're needed."

I knew I could trust the chief of police, as I had trusted his predecessors and would trust his successors. The entire city benefitted from the patronage of the Volturi, that was well known.

I stood, giving the human a smile, and held out my hand. He took mine in an affirmation of our long-time partnership. "We will free our city, Angelo," I assured him. "For both our kind."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When the guards had returned from their first mission to take back the old city gate, I read each in turn. I saw, with satisfaction, their actions that led to success.

Heidi had worn a deep red dress, emphasizing her hour-glass figure, but she eschewed her gloves, the darkness of night making that possible. She styled her hair and applied her make-up just so. It was only window-dressing since her allure would take care of distracting the Germans, and once she was upon them, it would be too late for the humans.

The plan was for Felix, Afton, and Santiago to swoop in and assist Heidi in dispatching the hapless soldiers. A few lower-level guards would then take their uniforms and put them on, so to the curious, it would appear the gate was still being guarded. These guards were fluent in German, and would easily fool anyone, as long as they weren't called out as strangers. In that case, they were ordered to kill the humans, and do what they must to hide the bodies.

As she sashayed up to the jeep where several guards sat, her walk showing off her curvy hips, Heidi flashed a dazzling smile at the men. "Guten abend, meine Herren. Es ist eine schöne Nacht."

One of the soldiers jumped off the jeep, and smiled back at Heidi, his eyes revealing his admiration for her beauty. "Ja, Fräulein, das ist es in der Tat." He unconsciously licked his lips. "Du solltest nicht so spät draus sein, schöne. "

Heidi reached up to play with his uniform collar, all the while flirting not only with him, but every man sitting in the jeep, such was her irresistible vampiric allure. The man whispered something in German, and setting down his rifle, he drew Heidi into his embrace, nuzzling her neck.

At that moment, the three waiting guards jumped from the top of the brick arch overhead to land atop the soldiers still sitting in the jeep. Fingers grabbed hair and twisted necks, while teeth sank into soft flesh so fast, no screams emerged from the humans.

Heidi turned her head to bury her face into the lead soldier's neck, biting hard and swallowing as much blood as she could manage in so short a time. She may not have even been thirsty, but we don't refuse blood if the opportunity affords us an easy kill.

I released Heidi's hand and spoke to the four guards. "You all have done very well. The gate is ours. We will now look to the front entrance of the city and take that back. Once the city check points are under our control, we will go after their sentries, the individual guard stations, and lastly their headquarters. Soon, Volterrans will take our places, freeing us up for the main attack on the Palazzo dei Medici."

"Humans, Master Aro?" the tracker asked, confused.

"Yes, I spoke with the chief of police, and he will be gathering volunteers to help us with ridding ourselves of their guards, so we're able to go into the German headquarters. This is their city too, Demetri."

"Of course, Master Aro. I understand."

"Good. Caius, would you join the guards for the attack on the front gate?"

Caius' eyes gleamed as he slowly grinned. "With pleasure, brother."

With Marcus busy seeing to the attack plans in Caius' absence, he worked with Jane and Alec, instructing them on handling the sentries outside the headquarters, allowing the rest of us easy access into the castle. Then the twins would join us, disabling any who might fight us.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The chosen group of guards, led by Caius, headed out to the forefront of Volterra under the cover of darkness. I waited in the throne room with Marcus now, wishing there were some way to see what was happening, but we would have to wait for their return. I paced the marble floor. Perhaps I should have gone as well, but no, I knew Caius was the best leader for this mission.

Several hours later, Caius returned with our triumphant guards. I quickly took my brother's hand and saw what had transpired on this latest mission.

Our people approached the human guards walking the length of the road they had been assigned to watch. Santiago and Afton began to speak to them in German, confusing their prey. Once they were close enough, they attacked. Heads were twisted, while some used only their teeth as weapons. Caius shouted orders while our guards easily defeated the humans. Soon, silence permeated the air. Caius told the lower guards to don the uniforms of the German soldiers and walk along the road as they had seen them do.

"So we now have the front city entrance as well," I said.

"Yes, Aro. Now we go after the city sentries and replace them with our people."

"I will check with De Luca to see if his people can take our places once these locations have been secured. I would prefer they not be present when we do attack the Germans."

When I called the chief of police to ask for his assistance, he agreed, saying he had 50 ready and able men willing to replace our people at all the gates and outposts currently manned by us. Once night fell, they would do that, freeing up the guards to join us at the Palazzo dei Medici.

I had ordered our kind to wear contacts when around the humans. When their volunteers approached, Felix greeted them and gave them their orders. Just as one human began to remove the uniform off a dead soldier, another who was not quite dead, turned to pull a gun from inside his jacket and pointed it at the man. Felix sped between them, deflecting the bullet before he finished off the soldier.

"Thank you. My name is Sergio," he said, his hand out.

Felix took the man's hand with his own glove-covered one and shook it. "I'm Felix. I couldn't let him just shoot you."

Both human and vampire laughed, before getting back to work. It pleased me to see our peoples working side by side. If our nature were to be discovered by any human, we would have no choice but to kill them. I hoped that would not be necessary.

The work contunued, and it wasn't long before every vampire had been replaced by a human.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It had been days since we had destroyed the Nazis serving outside the palazzo, and the entire coven was now ready and eager to attack. Several of the vampire guards speed-scaled the walls of the castle until they reached the windows, smashing the glass and jumping inside whatever rooms they found themselves in. They eliminated any Germans they ran into as they headed to the lower floors and the room I had ordered everyone to meet us.

Soldiers aimed their pathetic weapons at the advancing vampires, shooting them, surprised when seeing the bullets bouncing off them harmlessly. In a flash, the vampires sped to them, pulling the weapons from their hands before they could react, and destroying them. Then the vampires killed the soldiers.

Marcus, Caius, and I entered the palace through the front entrance. Alec blinded the Germans, then Jane imagined pain in each soldier we met up with. Some died from the intensity of the pain, others found themselves immobilized and writhing on the ground.

By the time we five had reached the Blue Room, Colonel Mannheim had already baracaded himself inside, surrounding himself with as many soldiers as he could muster in so short a time. Felix pushed on the twin doors, easily forcing them open. Bullets began to fly at my executioner, none harming him as he went into attack mode, his visage dark and frightening. He was followed by Demetri, Santiago. and others. Uniformed bodies flew across the room, while Mannheim attempted to hide. So the leader of the invasion force was a coward at heart. True commanders I can respect, but cowards deserve the worst of deaths.

Jane and Alec entered the large room and stood by, waiting for my order. Soon, every last soldier was lying around the room, dead. All save for Mannheim. I wanted to save him for last.

When Mannheim attempted to run, I gave Alec a nod. He sent out tendrils of dark grey smoke, catching up with and surrounding the human, blocking his senses. He stood still, unable to see a thing.

I turned to Jane. "Go ahead, my dear."

She merely stared at the human, when he suddenly cried out in pain and dropped to the floor.

I reached down and picked up the human by the throat. He had four inches on me, but my strength made it easy to ignore his height. I grinned up at him, feeling pure hatred. "You are nothing but a coward, and should die like one." My eyes focused on Mannheim.

"What are you?" he asked, his voice shaky. So he noticed my eyes, now dark red with anger.

I could reveal myself to him, since these were the last few minutes of his life. "I am a vampire. Your kind attempted to take our city from us. For that, you all must die. You will be my last kill. I'm telling you the truth about us, before I rip your throat out."

He struggled to speak, my hand gripping his neck tightly. "My men...where...are they?"

"Gone, all of them. The invaders of our town have been vanquished."

I saw abject fear in his eyes now. This spurred me on with a great deal of satisfaction.

"And now it's your turn." I clenched my fingers tighter, the nails digging into soft flesh. I felt the warmth of blood dripping down my hand. The colonel's eyes bulged, his hands attempting to pull mine off him. His head began to tilt awkwardly to the right as his eyes went dead but still open. Then his head fell to the floor, blood splashing around us to pool on the marble tiles. I had let his body fall on top of his head, hiding his fearful expression.

"Felix, get some others and clean up this mess. I don't want to leave it for the humans to manage. Burn them all. Then return to the castle."

Marcus and Caius returned with me to the castle, where I sat in my office and called our allies to let them know the city was ours again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The citizens of Volterra celebrated their freedom from the Nazis with music and dancing in the streets. The Mayor, the Chief of Police, and I met, the humans who knew about us expressing their gratitude to me for our work in ejecting the occupation forces. The coven members who wanted to join in the celebration were given permission to do so. Wearing regular street clothing and contacts, they readily mingled among the humans. I had given everyone a stern warning to behave and leave the humans alive, or face immediate punishment.

When the guards met up with the singing crowds, the warning was unnecessary. Everyone was jubilant at their success, human and vampire alike.

I saw Felix across the road, a human male walking up to him. It was Sergio. I could hear him as he slapped our tall guard on the arm, expressing gratitude to him for saving his life. Felix looked down at the man, smiling back, telling him it was unnecessary to thank him, as they walked off together, talking while grabbing some drinks being handed out to people gratis. Felix took a bottle, toasting with the other humans, but he did not drink, of course.

"I never imagined that vampires would one day be our saviors, Master Aro. We owe you so much," Angelo said

"My friend, we have worked beside your ancestors for centuries in keeping the city safe for humans and vampires alike. I will not allow this war to disrupt it now. Come, let us join the others in the celebration." I gently clapped my hand on his back as we walked to join the crowd.

Stories later circulated among the Germans that the city of Volterra was haunted, and no one wanted to send any troops there again. I found that humourous while I looked out my upper floor office window down to the streets below. The city was vibrant with life again. Everything was back to normal for us and for the humans who fought beside us.

A/N : I like to write stories many writers don't think of. I hope my readers liked this one. No human mates, no romance, but we see the Volturi in a new light as defenders of their home, Volterra.

[naisilla]

The Emperor's New Muse Part .7

Odyssey Kayn x Reader

content: Yasuo takes the crew out for Karaoke, Someone else is also there...

It has been a while since you last saw the Ordinal Kayn. You weren't sure whether to feel grateful or uneasy about it. At every stop on a new planet, you would double check the ship's radar or constantly look over your shoulder when on foot.

In the meantime, the Morningstar has been going on adventurous side quests across the galaxy. From monster hunting to retrieving ancient artifacts, you were beginning to get used to the life of a space pirate.

Yet despite the air of normalcy, there was still the underlying threat of Kayn and the Demaxian empire. Wherever the Ordinal was, you knew he was hunting you down and he would never stop until he found you.

Kayn was a major threat to the universe, He was a brutal, merciless, and an insane Ordinal. But what really made him dangerous was that he was both insane AND intelligent.

Of course he was, the man was a military tactician before ascending to Ordinal status. Making him THE final boss of this endgame.

It was too risky to confront Kayn in any way. There had to be another way to resolve this, surely there was something or someone that could effortlessly stop Kayn in his path. Wait. There was someone.

"What if we went straight to the King to stop Kayn." You abruptly blurt out, The entire room goes silent at the sound of your proposition.

"And I thought I was crazy" Jinx remarks before returning to "Practise" her medical training on Malphite...with a blowtorch.

Yasuo chuckles and nods. "There's no way the King is going to listen to some space pirate. He's too self-absorbed and cowardly to ever step into the fray himself. Haven't you forgotten that I'm a wanted man for murder?"

"We're all wanted! In the eyes of the Empire, we are all criminals on the run!" You turn to look at Sona who remains quiet, her eyes look apologetic.

"Sona, you must agree, right? We should at least try mediating first."

The Templar solemnly shakes her head. "King Jarvan has allowed the empire to become a brutal force, it is by his decree that their expansionist ways continue. It is because of his actions I believe he is inconsolable and unreasonable."

"Why does (y/n) care about being diplomatic anyway? I thought you were all about destroying the empire." Malphite nods at Jinx's point.

"(y/n) don't want empire destroyed now?"

Why did you suddenly change anyway? What has made you want to be more peaceful all of a sudden? Did you care about the empire now?

HA! How foolish, you couldn't just redeem the empire by having a heart to heart with the King. Sona was right, if Kayn was doing all of this while being the faithful right hand man to the King then it was clear that Jarvan must be as evil as his Ordinal.

But what if you were able to change the empires ways? You always dreamed of being a revolutionary icon, right? Perhaps instead of the destructive vigilante tearing down the empire by its foundations, you could be something more noble.

Well, you could only dream about such fantasies.

For the following days, your mind constantly pondered on how this would all end. The rest of the Morningstar could not agree with which tactic to take when confronting Kayn, but the longer you all argued the closer you were to being caught vulnerable and unprepared.

After another week of quests and no sign of the locus armada on your trail, Yasuo felt it was safe enough to treat the team to something special.

Jinx had just landed the ship on Kómmatos, a major resort planet well known for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife.

Yasuo leads the team off the ship and into the city. The city streets are bustling with activity, the atmosphere is electric and brimming with a sense of anticipation as people gather around to indulge in various entertainment options.

"Where are we going?" you ask, taking notice of how familiar Yasuo, Jinx, and Malphite seem to be with the area.

"Oh you're going to love it" Jinx exclaims, beaming at you as she skips alongside Yasuo who also can't help but smile. They continue to lead you further into the city.

"...A Karaoke bar?" You look up at the building titled "K-Zone''. Malphite and Jinx nod their heads vigorously with wide smiles, like excited children.

"Isn't it great?"

"Uh yeah I guess if that's what you enjoy. I don't really sing-"

"Oh come onnnnn" Jinx insists grabbing your arm as she drags you inside.

So this was Yasuo's idea of recreational activities. You wouldn't put it past him if he proposed singing anime songs. But maybe doing something that's both fun and harmless would put your mind at ease. Even if you still thought the fate of the universe should be the main priority.

You had never been to such a place before, the idea of entertainment was foreign to you back in Zaun. Karaoke? Arcade games? The most fun you had back home was finishing your shift as a janitor early.

Yasuo had rented the crew a private room, so at least you wouldn't have to sing in front of strangers. Not that you planned on singing at all.

Jinx was eager to go first, dashing to the machine so she could have first pick of music. Literally, no one was racing her.

She grabs the mic and hands the other one to Malphite as a pop punk tune begins to play. You take a seat on the couch with Yasuo as Jinx goes first.

"Come and Join me~

Wanna play~

But I might shoot you, in the face- HEY!" Jinx's singing is halted as the song immediately cuts off. The culprit gives Jinx a silent glare, Sona is clearly not pleased with the tone of the lyrics.

Jinx glares back and immaturely sticks out her tongue while crossing her arms. "Well, I don't see you making an effort to sing." Sona rolls her eyes and takes a look at the Karaoke machine curiously scrolling through a few titles. Her face grimaced at some of the vulgar song titles before selecting a song, taking the mic from Jinx, and bringing it to Yasuo.

With a soft smile, Yasuo takes the mic and looks at the screen as "Burning Bright" begins to play. What could've been a cute moment was instantly ruined by the sound that escaped Yasuo's mouth.

Never had you experienced your body shrink into itself as a visceral reaction to the flat tone of Yasuo's singing. Bro had no harmony in his voice, just a painful dissonance that made your insides coil. At least you felt a little better about your own singing voice now. Sona didn't take long to put an end to Yasuo's turn either.

"Alright rookie you're up!" Jinx says as Sona hands you the mic. Ok whatever little confidence Yasuo had given you instantly evaporated. "Uhh actually I think it's Sona's turn". Sona crosses her arms and shoots you a sassy look. Ok so that was a stupid excuse.

Sona selects a song for you and you wait in anticipation for the monitor to load the lyrics. That's when some generic early 2000's pop beat comes on and your stomach drops as the first verse of the song loads up. "THIS IS A STUPID SONG!"

"DO IT" Jinx urges you, Malphite chants along with her and Yasuo smirks in amusement as the intro counts down for you. Panicked you lock in place and shakily sing out the first verse, your face feeling hot from the embarrassment.

"Sweet little bumblebee

I know what you want from me

Doo-bi-doo-bi, doo-da-da

Doo-bi-doo-bi, doo-da-da

Sweet little bumblebee

More than just a fanta-AAAAH!" You shriek midsentence as Jinx suddenly begins to torture you but poking and tickling your sides. You helplessly let out squeals as Jinx relentlessly attacks you to the other's amusement forcing you to sing the entire song.

With your pride squashed you shamefully walk back to the couch, relieved your turn is finally over.

Sona continues to explore the Karaoke machine with curiosity, her golden eyes sparkle with wonder when she discovers a button titled 'DJ mode'. After pressing it a new interface pops up on the screen that allows the user to create beats using music samples, drum kits, and a synth keyboard.

You all watched intrigued as Sona began to test it out, layering beats of samples until the Templar was able to create a loop that actually sounded good.

"Yooooo DJ SONA in da house!" Jinx cheers and the rest of you join in chanting "DJ SONA". Turns out Karaoke was fun.

After having your second turn you needed to use the bathroom, you excused yourself from the party and left your room to explore the rest of the place on a quest to find a bathroom. The first part was easy as you eventually found the restroom, it was finding your way back that ended up being a problem.

Maybe you should've asked Jinx to come with you because you were aimlessly wandering through the halls trying to find which karaoke room was yours. You already had made the mistake of walking into the wrong room twice, one being extra awkward as you were sure what the patrons were doing inside was more suitable for a hotel room...

You had messaged the others letting them know you were fine just lost, they responded by letting you know that they left their door open so you could avoid any more awkward encounters. You were a big girl you could figure this out, just simply keep walking around until you got your bearings.

As you passed by the many karaoke rooms you were able to hear the muffled music blasting from each of them. You were doing your best to avoid peeking through the door windows when one room in particular made you pause.

Your steps came to a complete stop, and your eyebrows raised as you heard the faint hint of a familiar voice coming from this room at the far end of the hallway. After several short seconds, you began making your way towards the door. Your heart was pounding out of your chest as you slowly pressed your ear up against the doorway.

It was hard to hear over the pop music that blasted behind the door but you had to make sure. So you leaned harder against the wall forcing your ear to flatten against it in hopes of hearing better. Instead, the door gives way and you fall into the room collapsing to the floor.

You were lucky enough that the loud music covered the sound of your clumsy entrance, however, you were unfortunately right about who you suspected was in that room. Towering above, with his back faced towards you stood the very Ordinal you had been avoiding all this time.

Which was more shocking? The odds that Kayn was here or the fact that the Ordinal was a good singer? The absurdity vanishes immediately when Kayn snaps his head towards you. An awkward silence hung in the air, you stared up at him from your pitiful position on the floor and he stared back one hand holding Rhaast and the other holding a microphone.

The tips of his ears and cheeks burned in a pink blush from either drinking or the embarrassment of being caught. You exchanged several awkward moments of eye contact, his single green eye staring into yours. You still remained on the floor, your mind racing for what to do. Should you deescalate the situation with a distracting, witty line? Or do you just take him out while he's caught off guard?

Take him out.

From your flattened position on the floor, you spin yourself and knock Kayn down with a sweeping kick. That was twice you've caught him off guard now. While Kayn is stunned you scramble up off the floor. Without missing a beat he stands back on his feet revealing an amused grin on his face. His green eye gleams with a dangerous rage.

"The crew of the Moningstar! Here and ready to die!"

Kayn immediately swings Rhaast at you, the blade missing as you dodge, lodging itself into the adjacent wall. With a hefty wrench Kayn pulls the scythe free before slashing at you again and again. You jump back almost slipping on the second dodge. Kayn had gotten a lot faster since you had last seen him.

Immediately Kayn goes back in to attack, striking at you downwards. The blades reach managing to get a good cut down your collar, effectively damaging you and making you slower. Great now you had to be extra cautious, you intensely stared at Kayn ready to anticipate his next move.

Kayn doesn't waste another moment before dashing toward you, slashing at you while spinning before returning to attacking with basic strikes. You barely managed to avoid being hit, each time your dodges slipping with your reaction time.

"Let's get you some new scars." Kayn snides.

"Oh, please, spare me the cliché threats. If you want to impress me, come up with something original. But I guess creativity isn't your strong suit, just like your fashion sense."

"She's right. An empire that spans galaxies. And you still can't afford a decent haircut."

"Oh shut it Rhaast not you too." Kayn barks.

You take this brief moment to contact the others using the holo communicator watch Yasuo had gifted you. Your fingers fumbled with haste as you typed out the most typo-ridden emergency message.

(Y/N):"Kagn is her escaoe now Ill gey otu ASAP"

You weren't even sure you pressed send when another attack from Kayn knocked you back, the force slamming your body against the wall behind you. A message from Yasuo blinks on your watch's face.

Yasuo: "???"

Even glancing at your holo watch proved to be a bad move as Rhaast's blade lodges into the wall, his blade just missing your neck.

"Drag me across her throat! I want to hear her scream!"

Kayn pulls the scythe back continuously attempting to stab you, each thrust scarcely missing as you elude him by maneuvering just fast enough to escape Rhaast.

Incoming Call Yasuo ...

You accepted the call, not daring to take your eyes off the Ordinal. "(Y/N)? Is everything ok? You've taken a while to come back and your message-"

"Yasuo get everyone and get out immediately."

"What's going on?"

Kayn continues to attack you relentlessly, bringing the scythe down over and over again chasing you around the Karaoke room as the pop music continues to blast from the subwoofers.

"Kayn is here, we need to get out now"

You dodge another reaping slash.

"Where are you!? I'm coming right now-"

"No Yasuo! we've already gone over this, now is especially not the time! Just get everyone to the ship."

Kayn snatches your wrist, bringing the holo watch to his face.

"Captain Yasuo what's the rush? We can make a game of it. You try to survive..."

"And we'll slice you in half."

You had managed to break free from Kayn's grip and made a run for it, the goal was to make it to the Morningstar and take off before Kayn could summon his fleet to take you all down.

"Don't run! I hate that!" Kayn's growls.

Clutching your injured torso, you limped down the hallways of the Karaoke center as fast as your legs could drag you. But Kayn was much faster, he was barely stunned after you somehow kicked him off of you and you could already hear him tearing his way toward you.

You had to slow him down, there was no way you were outrunning the Ordinal this time. Your eyes catch the stairway door and you run toward it, ripping the door open and throwing yourself inside before slamming the door behind you.

The sound of Kayn gaining on you makes you jump into action, sliding the lock and running down the stairway. Kayn would still be able to kick down the lock but at least it would give you some time to get away from him.

"Boo".

You involuntarily let out a scream as Kayn whispered next to your ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down your spine. You turn to look at him, adrenaline pumping through your veins and the blood dripping from your cut.

To your horror Kayn was right behind you, somehow getting past your barricade without even touching the door. But you didn't have time to wonder how that is even possible you needed to get away, now.

You try punching Kayn at the center of his chest, but he effortlessly catches your fist with his free hand. You don't hesitate to swing with your other arm but he merely deflects it with Rhaast.

Before you can retaliate again one of Kayn's chunky boots slams into your chest as he kicks you down the stairs. You tumble back until you reach the bottom of the flight landing in a painful position. Yasuo's worried voice calls to you from the holo watch, you can barely make out his words over the throbbing in your head and ringing in your ears.

"(Y/N)?....(Y/N)? Where are you? We're at the Morningstar and we can already see multiple Locus Armada ships coming into orbit."

You can barely let out a groan from your lips while you're slumped against the wall. Kayn stalks closer toward you, each descending click of his boots echoing in the stairwell.

Kayn towers above you the sterile lighting behind him casts a shadow that engulfs you beneath him. The light glints off of Rhaast's blade creating a beautiful shimmer of blues and purples. A beautiful yet deadly weapon that Kayn is drawing back, ready to slice you in half with.

You began to squirm, trying to get to your feet, kick back, or do anything. But Kayn silences your pitiful attempts to fight back by crushing your torso against the wall with his boot. The Ordinal grimaces as your blood trickles onto his shoe.

"Looks like I win". Sneers Kayn, a victorious look gleaming in his green eye.

You sputter, blood drooling from your lips as you lay beneath Kayn helpless. But your glare remains defiant. You can barely breathe and your vision begins to blur. You can hear the distressed voices of your friends coming from your holo watch. They call out your name arguing about coming for you, but their hands are tied up with the Locus Armada closing in on the Morningstar.

"Yasuo...get everyone out of here."

"We can't just leave you behind-"

"Just do it!"

Yasuo sighs with reluctance, nodding to his watch, and walks over to the cockpit. Jinx screams at him to not do this, even attempting to wrestle Yasuo away from the control wheel. Yauso nods for Malphite to hold his friend back while he pilots the Morningstar to take off. Just in time to get away from the empire's fleet with hyperdrive.

You look at Kayn, forcing yourself to smile. "You failed at getting Sona...again". He growls and hoists his scythe up ready to slice you down the middle but halts. You can hear Rhaast whisper something to the Ordinal but you're too out of it to make out what the scythe was saying.

The fierce scowl on his face melts into a smug smirk, Kayn lets out a dark chuckle before leaning down and grabbing you by the fabric of your shirt. "Change of plans, you're coming with me."

You are hoisted back onto your feet and forced to lean onto the Ordinal who walks you through the Karaoke center. You try your hardest not to black out, to keep your awareness around Kayn but it's hard when you're bleeding so much. But eventually, everything goes dark as you're left at the mercy of Kayn.

Part Eight Here

[buqbite]

ok so!!!! i have. so many thoughts about penacony. aventurine the man you are...... his obsession with facades and masks... his future self shit talking him.... 2.1 truly delivered. his dynamic with ratio is also so interesting.... the contrasts... aven not taking care of himself at all vs ratio the self care king........

there's so much unexplored potential for a friendship between acheron and aven... their similarities as people who lost everything ... how acheron works in the shadows and aventurine flaunts himself yet acheron is much more willing to be... openly vulnerable about her past? as compared to aven..... i care them both dearly anyway!!! i have many thoughts on 2.2 but i don't want to intrude or make this too long ajshldfkjasdjf but yes!!!! im having a good time so far (though i'm kinda fed up with the sunday boss fight) and !!!! looking forward to meeting aven again (myriad celestia trailer!) + seeing what other adventures the astral express goes on...

I FORGOT TO REPLY SORRY

aventurine is just such a fun guy. i become attached to characters who try to sell a specific image of themselves pretty much immediately, because the gradual detachment from their own identity and struggle to properly connect with others is always a delight to see. and aven does it so well! he's completely out of touch with himself - kakavasha and aventurine are practically different people by now.

i care deeply about depictions of cptsd in media, particularly when they acknowledge that it really isnt just depression + anxiety + flashback induced panic attacks in a spot the person you ship them with can conveniently find them in and calm them down. such a big part of it is the way it can completely fuck up your self-concept and worldview cuz yknow. your brain structure is altered. it's the key factor in that disconnect that i just talked about. and that constant sense of impending doom and emptiness are a part of that, which often leads to stupidly reckless behavior. i don't even need to bring up aven's whole gambling thing here, do i?

(also please do note that, as i wrote this bit, welt was even further on the forefront of my mind than he usually is. because of course he would be)

him and ratio are also a fun match, because ratio does not care for the way aventurine flaunts himself (to pretend he has his shit together) in the slightest. he'd do a good job at getting aven to just... slow down, and wouldn't allow their relationship to develop into something unhealthy either.

(its one of the reasons i like avenpaz + ratio, bc aven and topaz on their own would most certainly enable each other's bad habits. they have a bit too much in common in that regard.)

AND ACHERON. ACHERON...

miss raiden bosenmori mei i love you so damn much. she does the "oh, i'm doomed? my struggle was meaningless? well if nothing matters then i will do what i want" thing so well, and every dynamic she has with the other characters is fascinating to me.

one really big thing to consider is that, since acheron's whole backstory is essentially the bad ending of honkai impact 3rd, she's already seen all of this dreamscape shit. she's been living in the waking world for a long time now. in the quest "when the sacred ginmill closes," her and welt talk about kevin kaslana, someone who used his last resort to try and save humanity from the uphill battle against the honkai and plunge all of humanity into a dreamscape (etc), robbing it of its future.

a big part of hi3 is the direness of the situation, and the way people push themselves to go further and further in hopes of reaching this unattainable peace. it's an absolutely sisyphian task. and acheron let go - she defeated her version of kevin (why would you name him that) and let her homeworld be enveloped by the nihility.

so acheron's been there. she lost the people she loved, struggled against a meaningless end and was changed so irreversibly that she's not even human anymore. and there's a lot of potential for her to properly guide aventurine out of the nihility (i mean that's kind of her job?) and onto a path that's a lot more meaningful to him.

also, i'm saving a lot of my acheron thoughts for when i actually finish hi3, but there's a few dynamics that i could pick apart and think about forever. my favorites being aventurine and his whole (gestures at this post) stuff, black swan as someone whose whole being consists of memories while acheron perpetually erases them, welt as someone who shares the same experiences and black hole related powers, and firefly, who exists in the moment because she can't dream in the first place, and chooses to fight against the inevitable without being afraid of it.

...also also also i fucking love black holes and i love how it's connected to sun imagery and i think the idea of icarus reaching the sun only to discover a hopeless abyss beyond it is my favorite hsr symbolism thing ever. black holes are like THE thing to show hopelessness and meaninglessness and emptiness and a point of no return, because they devour everything and leave nothing. we don't truly know what lies within a black hole!! we might never find out!!! there are so many suns out there that will end up as black holes but we can appreciate their beauty nonetheless, can't we??? ive never seen a character with black hole (or sun) imagery that didn't fuck severely. a person who will figuratively consume you in your entirety if you get too close. they can't even help it. it gets me every single fucking time. can you guys tell that interstellar changed my brain chemistry when i first watched it as a kid. i need to punch a wall

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

New Fic alert!

I have been writing this in my head for over ten years. Actually sitting down and putting it on paper has been more emotional and fulfilling than I could've ever imagined. Meet Angie Jackson, a 14-year old who finds out she is a demigod and gets more than she ever asked for. Thrown into a world of monsters and gods and titans on the brink of war, with her twin brother (who she had no clue about) MIA from his Quest, she must learn quickly how to become the hero everyone expects her to be, before its too late.

This is a retelling of Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian where Percy isn't the only child of Poseidon, and doesn't have to shoulder his burdens alone.

I love Angie, and her story, dearly, and I have poured so much of myself into her. I hope you fall in love with her and her story as much as I have. Originally, I created Angie to play a very large role in the Heroes of Olympus series. However, I realized it made more sense for her to come in halfway through the PJO series. This fic (Daughter of the Sea) is the prequel work to the core of Angie's story, which is in HOO. In this story, you will see as Angie learns who she is, comes into her own, and becomes inseparable from her brother. In the next, you will see her become the hero she is fated to be. Without further ado, I welcome you into the world of Andromeda Jackson, Daughter of the Sea.

Chapter 1: I Walk into a Fireplace (Read on AO3 here)

Look, I didn’t know I was a half-blood. 

Growing up, a lot of adults would always call me special . They would gush to my adopted mom at parent-teacher conferences about what a hard worker I was, how I was creative and a great student and always ahead of my classmates. Apparently, I was a pleasure . To the other kids, though, I wasn't precious or special. I was just weird. A freak. A teacher’s pet and goody-two-shoes. So I got used to a double life of gold stars and straight A’s while getting pushed off the monkey bars. 

Recess was always the worst part of my day, and now that I was older, so was lunch. That was the only time I would ever get in trouble, even though I tried my best to keep my head down and stay calm when the other kids would pick on me. Sometimes I just couldn’t help it, though, and I would lose control and end up in the principal's office for giving my bully a bloody nose or ripping out a chunk of their hair. When asked why I had resorted to violence, I would reply with something along the lines of, 

“Suzie said my mom wasn’t my real mom,”

Or,

“Ally said ‘no wonder your real parents didn’t want you, freak!’” 

The principal would then give me a sad, almost sympathetic look, write a referral, and I would cry the whole way home. 

I knew what those kids said were lies—I knew my mom was my real mom even if she didn’t give birth to me. She had raised me ever since I was a baby and was the only family I had ever known. I knew she loved me, she told me so all the time. 

But I always had a nagging feeling that some part of the taunts were true. What if my birth parents really didn’t want me? What if they saw me and decided after a month or two that I wasn’t what they wanted, or that I wasn’t good enough, or worse, that they just didn’t love me? 

I always knew that I was adopted. My mom, Hannah, always told me that my birth parents did love me, very much, but they just couldn’t take care of me. She said they didn’t want to give me up, but they knew I would have a better life with different parents. 

I tried to believe her, but as the years went by, the voices of all those mean kids constantly ringing in my ears made it pretty difficult to hold onto that hope.

But maybe she was right–my life with my mom was pretty good (not counting the constant bullying and strange, scary creatures that only I could see).

Oh yeah, I haven’t mentioned that yet. 

I’ve been this way ever since I can remember. The earliest memory I have is from when I was around three, playing in our backyard. I was creating a concoction of mud, grass, and seeds when I heard a loud noise coming from the roof. When I looked up, I saw, clear as day, a beautiful white horse with black-speckled wings sprouting out of its back, just looking at me. Next thing I knew, I was climbing up a tree in an attempt to get onto the roof, causing my mom to rush out from the house in a panic, pulling me out of the branches while I screamed and cried that I wanted to see the pony. My mom then said that there was no pony on the roof, but I knew she was wrong. 

And that was just the beginning. 

I didn't see them all the time, maybe once or twice every month or so. Despite the infrequency, the sightings never stopped and I eventually just got used to them, learning quickly to keep them to myself. I couldn’t even share what I had seen with my mom, who would just write them off as my imagination, and I got called crazy by the neighborhood kids one too many times. I thought that after years of seeing creatures that looked like they came out of a sci-fi movie would prepare me for anything, but I was wrong. 

It was a hot day in early June and the heatwaves bounced off the boiling pavement and played tricks on my eyes. I had lived in Tucson, Arizona, for fourteen years, my entire life, so you would think the 120 degree summer days wouldn’t phase me anymore, but they were still horrible. It was the kind of heat that sucked every bit of moisture out of you and dried out your lungs. It was unbearable. Still, it was home, and I was riding my beat-up bike back from my best friend’s house, who luckily lived in my neighborhood. At 5pm it was cooler than it had been in mid-afternoon when the sun was at its height, but it was still far from comfortable, and I could feel sweat begin to trickle down my back, the low sun blinding my eyes. 

‘Only a few more blocks’ I said to myself, trying desperately to pedal as fast as possible. I couldn’t see the road well because of the heatwaves and sun, which wouldn’t normally be a problem except when an old woman is standing on the sidewalk directly in my path, which just so happened to be the case. She seemed to appear out of nowhere, and I slammed on my brakes, turning my handle bars hard, causing metal to screech and my tires to skid along the sidewalk. I stopped inches from the grandmother, and when I finally got a look at her face, I wondered if I had ever seen someone who looked so old. 

“My my, going a bit fast, were we?” The lady’s voice was slow and gravelly, her dour tone matching the look on her face. She wore a brown dress that was almost as wrinkled as her skin. 

“Sorry, ma'am, I didn’t see you. The sun–” 

“Ah ah, we mustn't go blaming others for our shortcomings. Right, Andromeda?” 

I stared at the woman in shock–I was sure I had never seen her before, but somehow she knew my name. My real name. 

“Right, sorry.” I straightened my handle bars and told myself she was just a crazy snowbird neighbor who must've heard one of the rare times my mom called me by my full name. “I’d better get home.” The way she was looking at me was starting to make me uncomfortable, and a feeling like an itching started in the small of my back and somehow I knew it meant I needed to go.

To my surprise, she put a wrinkled, leathery hand on my handlebars and gripped tightly so that I couldn’t move them. 

“Oh, my dear,” the itching moved up my spine to the base of my neck, “it’s rude to rush off.” 

“My mom expects me home for dinner and I shouldn’t be late.” The old woman’s platitudes were starting to annoy me, and it showed in the tone of my voice. I attempted to make a break for it, but she held on, stopping the bike. She was surprisingly strong. 

“Andromeda Jackson,” My eyes went wide–I never used my birth surname, and there was no way one of my neighbors would know it. I began to freak out and that itching feeling was getting worse and something deep in my gut was telling me to get out of there. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go just yet. There’s something I still need to know.” 

It was then that my ride home went from bad to really bad. 

The woman changed before my eyes, sprouting large, brown, leathery wings from her back and growing talons from her hands. She looked like a terrifying cross between a very large bat and a very old woman. I was too scared to scream. 

The creature was so close I could feel it's horrible breath on my face, and then it swiped at me. I reacted quickly, diving onto the ground onto a strangers front yard, the rocks digging into my skin. I hoped whoever owned the house wasn’t home, and by the time I rolled over to look for the beast, it was on top of me and I was sure I was about to die. 

My mind went to my mom—my wonderful, hard-working, loving mom-–and a new energy surged through me. My fear and confusion met with my anger and determination and I could feel a tension building inside of me, threatening to bubble over and spill out. I felt a tug deep in my stomach right behind my belly-button, kind of like being on one of those drop rides at a carnival but 10x more intense and way sharper, and I let out a yell.

The monster started to laugh before both she and I were pelted with water that sprayed from an out-of-control hose that had been lying in the yard. The water was more intense than it should've been, like the water from a firehose, and there was a split second where I thought the spray should be hurting a lot more than it actually was. It was the creature’s turn to scream, and something about the spray of the water on my skin gave me the strength to shove it off of me and roll away. I scrambled to my feet and held my hands up defensively, now ready to fight. But the monster just glared at me and growled. 

“My master’s suspicions about you were correct, Andromeda Jackson.” she surveyed me uncomfortably. “He will be most displeased. You’re lucky my orders weren’t to kill you—this time.” With that, she beat her large bat wings and hovered a few feet in the air. “I’m sure we will meet again, young one.” And with a final large beat of her wings, she soared away, flying low over me and messing up my hair with her talons as they barely cleared the top of my head. 

I stood there in shock for a few moments before jumping back on my bike and racing home as fast as I could. I ran into the house breathless, my face red and sweaty, leaving my bike strewn on the rocks in my front yard instead of putting it away. My mom jumped up from where she sat by the fire—why she had a fire going in the middle of an Arizona summer I never knew—but as long as I could remember, there was always a fire going in the house. Whenever I asked about it when I was young, my mom would say something about how important the hearth was to the heart of the home , and eventually I just stopped asking questions. After fourteen years, I was used to it. 

“Angie!” It was clear she could see that something was wrong. “Did you fall off your bike? Have an accident?” 

I stood staring with wide eyes and slowly shook my head. What could I tell her? 

“I–” My mom moved to me with concern, her hand gently going to my forehead. I pulled back in pain as she touched me, and when I saw her hands, there was blood on her fingers. The monster must've scratched me when it flew away, and I didn’t even notice. 

“What happened, love?” 

“You wouldn’t believe me.” My voice was small and I barely recognized it as my own. 

“Trust me, I would.” Something in the way she was looking at me made me want to trust her—but how could I?

“I…I can’t explain it.” She nodded as if she understood, which I didn’t understand. 

“Come to the hearth, I’ll put on a kettle and fix you up.” Sitting by the fire and sipping tea was always moms way to make everything better. The last thing I wanted was to be any hotter, but I listened and moved toward the flames. Strangely, as I sat on the ledge, I didn’t feel any heat. I let my eyes get lost in the fire, allowing myself to be mesmerized by the dancing and flickering oranges and yellows, and for the briefest moment I could’ve sworn I saw red, glowing eyes and a kind face looking back at me, but when I shook my head and opened my eyes again, it was gone. Maybe my head was hurt worse than I thought. 

Soon enough, I had a mug in my hand and a bandage on my forehead. My mom sat down and looked again at the fire beside her. 

“Angie,” her voice was gentle, “you saw something you can’t explain, didnt you?” 

I nodded, my eyes still fixed on my ocean-blue mug. 

“Something like a monster?” 

“Yeah.” 

Instead of acting surprised, she just sighed. “I knew this day would come.” Her words finally made me turn my head and look at her. 

“What?” 

“It’s hard to explain, but you’re…different.” 

“Yeah, I’ve known that for a while.” Let me tell you, it didn't feel great to have the woman who raised you call you different. 

“No, I mean…” She rubbed at her temples, as if the words she was about to say gave her a headache. “You’re not like other kids, other people. You’re–you’re not mortal.” 

I stared at her, not understanding. “How is that possible? What do you mean?” 

“Listen, everything I’m about to tell you is about to sound completely insane, and you’re going to think I’m crazy. But it's all true, and you have to believe me.” 

“Okay mom.” 

“I need you to promise you’ll believe me.” She held out her pinky and I considered it for a while. If any other person did this, I would push their hand back at them. But this was my mom , and something inside whispered for me to trust her. 

“Okay, I promise.” I linked my pinky with her, and she relaxed. 

“There’s no easy way to say this, so here I go—you’re a demigod.” 

“A demi-what?” 

“Demigod. It means you’re half-mortal, half-god.” 

“I know what it means, I’ve seen Hercules. I just didn’t know it was real .” 

“All the Greek myths are real. The gods, monsters, heroes. All of it.” I felt like my head was spinning, like my world was crumbling around me but also falling into place somehow. While everything was confusing, everything also was starting to make sense. 

“How do you know this?” I was gripping my mug so hard my fingers hurt, desperately trying to hold onto something solid. 

“That’s a long story,” she glanced nervously at the flames, “and I don’t know how long we have.” 

“Please, I need to know.” My mom sighed and then tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. 

“Someday, dear. Soon. But for now, we must move quickly. Now that you know who you are, more monsters will come—at least that’s what she told me.” She stood up quickly. “You have to pack.” 

“Pack?” My heart began to race. 

“Yes, and quickly. There is only one place you can be safe now, and it's time to show you.” She offered her hand and I took it numbly. “Take only what you need.” My mom pushed me toward the hallway and I walked slowly to my room, feeling like everything was in slow motion. I let my fingers trace along the walls and I wondered absently if I would ever see them again. My entire life was just flipped upside down, and now I had to pack? I wanted to scream and cry. I heard my mom mumbling to the fireplace, as she often did, and for the first time in my life I truly wondered why. 

It didn’t take me long to pack my life into a suitcase and a backpack. I only took the essentials, as my mom said, which ended up being some clothes, shoes, toiletries, a few trinkets, my favorite books (reading could be difficult, so I tended to read the same ones over and over), and my ADHD meds. When I walked back to the main room, my mom looked like she had been crying, and my heart sank. 

“I’m ready.” For what? I didn’t know. She turned to me and smiled the way parents do when they know they won't see you for a while. A lump formed in my throat. 

“Look at you…all grown up.” She walked to me and put her hands on my shoulders. “The place you’re going to is called Camp Half Blood, you’ll be safe there. You can train and be with other kids who are just like you. They’ll explain everything else you need to know when you get there.” Her eyes were glistening and she pulled me into a tight hug. 

“Why are you talking like this is a goodbye? Aren't you coming, too?” 

“I can't, honey.” Her voice caught, “I’m not like you, although I can see more than most mortals. Even so—it’s against the rules. I’m sorry.” 

Now tears started filling my eyes. 

“I won’t go, then.” 

“Angie, you have to. You’re not safe here anymore.” She pulled away and cupped my face. “When I took you in all those years ago, I promised her I would keep you safe. If anything happened to you while you were under my care I’d never forgive myself.” Tears were now falling down her face, and I could feel the same wetness on my cheeks. “Please, do this for me. Be brave–we will see each other again.” Her eyes were glistening but her smile was warm. I could feel the hot tears running down my face as I looked into the eyes of the woman who raised me, the only person who had ever truly been there for me. The only person who loved me. 

And as much as it hurt, I knew I had to go. We had made a pinky promise to be honest, and if she said Camp Half Blood was the only place I’d be safe, then I trusted her. That tingling returned to the small of my back, and I knew that also somehow was telling me to go. 

“Okay.” I said finally, my voice shaky. “How do I get there?” 

My mom let out a sigh as relief flooded through her body. Then she said something no mother has ever told her child. 

“Get in the hearth.” 

I stared at her in shocked silence for a moment before my words came back to me, “I’m sorry?” 

“Trust me, you’ll be safe.” 

“Mom, I don’t think—” 

“Here,” she cut me off and walked to the kitchen, grabbed a loaf of bread, and handed it to me. “Put this in the hearth and then repeat after me.” She looked at me expectantly, and I tossed the bread into the fire. As it blackened, my mom continued, “Oh Hestia, receive my offering.” 

“Hestia?” 

“Just say it!” It was clear I had limited time to do whatever it was I was supposed to do. 

“Fine! Umm, oh Hestia, receive my offering.” 

“Good. Now: I request your aid as Goddess of the Hearth.” 

I repeated her. 

“If it pleases My Lady, let me pass unharmed through fire and be safely delivered to Camp Half Blood.” 

I finished the ritual and for a scary moment, nothing happened. My mom stared at the flames expectantly. And then suddenly, the flames went from yellow and orange to a cool blue, flickering with green and purple. Now, I’d always been told that blue was the hottest fire, but my mom seemed to be satisfied. 

“Okay sweetie, grab your things. It's time.” 

I swallowed hard. 

“How do we know it worked? What if I get burned?” 

“Angie,” my mom took my hand and I wondered how long it would be until she held me again, “you have to have faith. Hestia has been protecting you your whole life, she will not fail you now.” 

“But I don't understand—” 

“You will, all in the Fates timing.” She gave me another tight hug, letting go quicker than I wished. “Now get your things.” 

I did as she said, putting my backpack on and gathering my suitcase. 

“Oh! I almost forgot.” My mom exclaimed as she rushed to our big bookshelf and grabbed the largest and heaviest tome. I recognized it immediately–a book of Greek myths. They had been my bedtime stories growing up, and I knew most of them by heart. While other kids got Cinderella and Charlotte's Web, I got Jason and the Golden Fleece and Princess Andromeda (my favorite, of course). “Take this, it will help you.” I had to hold it with both hands, clutching it to my chest. 

“Thanks, mom.” She nodded and looked to the flames, which were still flickering blue. 

“You’d better go, it's best not to keep the Goddess waiting.” 

I couldn't believe what was happening, but it was as if an external force was guiding me along when my feet could not. I stepped to the large hearth, and, feeling no heat, took a deep breath, thought here goes nothing , and stepped in. 

I closed my eyes and winced instinctively, but after a few scary moments I realized I wasn’t being burned alive. Sure I felt the flames, they were warm, but they didn’t hurt. I laughed in relief, but my mom didn’t look surprised. 

“I’m proud of you, Andromeda. I love you, and you always have a home here—remember that.” 

It was rare my mom called me by the name given to me at birth, and for some reason, hearing her say it now was confirmation that I was doing the right thing. 

“I love you too, mom.” 

And, almost as if on cue, a golden shimmer filled the hearth and obscured my vision. I felt like I was falling, like I was being pulled through time and space at a speed humans were definitely not supposed to travel. In a moment, I was forcefully pushed forward into a bright room, coughing and covered in soot, my hands gripping my suitcase and my book.