#a necessary amount of deceit love
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But real talk time I'm loving the fact that they are trying to take care of each other because Thomas is trying to take care of himself, And the way that both Patton and Virgil started off trying to sort of force the good days the way they thought it should work, but also realized when what they were doing wasn't working and switched it up for Logan and Roman had me 🥺💖🥺💖😭😭💖
And can we talk about the fact that Janus knows Remus so well that he actually managed to keep Remus happy AND distracted him from anything he didn't immediately love?? They are friends and they love each other and no one can convince me otherwise
And like even though he rushed through it, all of Patton's choices for Logan were things he'd really actually enjoy and be able to relax doing, like Patton really just pays attention to what makes everybody happy, he's way smarter than anyone gives him credit for
And Virgil specifically picked the kinds of things he and Roman have bonded over before because the whole point was to give Roman quality hang out time and attention, and then at the end he really tried to give Roman the reassurance he needed even though it went against his own instincts, the Protector!Virgil agenda lives
Anyway, I immediately need part two where Patton, Virgil, and Janus get nice days and I *will* write it myself if I have to and that is a Threat™️
#tss spoilers#sanders sides#sanders sides spoilers#logicality#prinxiety#dukeceit#ish#a necessary amount of deceit love#the protector virgil agenda#patton is so good actually
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How do you think (Yan or non-yan) Chrollo would react to finding out through Neon in the York New arc that -reader- is their soulmate/the person they are supposed to fall in love with? I'm planning on perhaps writing a fic like this in the future and I'd love your input.
(Of course! I'm always happy to help out another writer! Thanks for the ask, and to anyone else reading this, don't be shy! Send in an ask! And be sure to look at my fandoms list, I don't just write for Chrollo!)
(further requested details for context: Female! Nen user! non-hunter! reader who is similar to Chrollo in that they are skeptical of most people. Strangers to lovers! I wrote for Regular! Chrollo, but it could also be interpreted as Yandere.)
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There is very little that someone can do to shock Chrollo. But...this. This does it. A soulmate? No. He is incapable of a love like this. How does he, of all people, have a soulmate? He thought that it was for the select people who wanted love, who sought it out. Has he ever pondered something like this before? Yes, but that was it. A flimsy thought before.....this.
The paper in his hands from Neon's ability that he stole...how? He had to be reading too much into this. He was well known for reading into things much more than necessary.
Humans are curios creatures by nature. They are afraid of the unknown. Which is why they crave answers. To prepare themselves for a haunting truth. But sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction.
Which is exactly why the fortune he wrote out to plan ahead for the next step of his life shocked him. No warnings about a chain user, nothing about a clown. But... someone else. But no amount of warning could have prepared him for this astonishing news he held in his very hands.
'The night rises and falls. A spider and raven meet at last. Both curious of one another, The Spider's head ponders raven's past.'
'Stars burn bright, with cupid's might. A match made in dark, A bond will spark.'
'Time ever flows, The soulmates dance. Here, the spider shows It's in a trance.'
'The night rises and falls. The spider in the raven's nest, Though it could weave webs of deceit. This love was something it could not best.'
...Was he really to love someone? When? Where? How? Truthfully, Chrollo did not take himself as someone to love. Someone who could love. And this raven...would they accept him as he is? His true self, whoever that is, as the Spider's head?
The raven...
He felt his lips quirk up slightly. A part of him wants to avoid this person. After all, this is someone who he would love, given he meets them. He knows his line of work would be dangerous. Then again, would he really fall for someone who couldn't protect themself? He thinks not.
Why fight it? If fate has set for him to have a lover, who was he to deny it? It's not something he could control.
A heavy gust of wind blows the paper out of his hands. Rather than holding onto it, he lets it flow with the wind. He inhales deeply, enjoying the cool, crisp air brought by the gale. He looks up at the night sky, stars shining brightly beside the full moon. Trees sway, creating a peaceful ambiance. The park bench he sits on is cold from the nightly temperatures. He closes his eyes and listens....then he hears it.
The crow of a raven. He opens his eyes and sees a hooded figure in all black walk past along the concrete path. How did he not hear her footsteps? No doubt, she was someone special. Chrollo was an observant man. He knew exactly who this was.
The raven...
The spider quietly rises from his seat and approaches the walking hooded figure. "What brings you to this place at a time like this?" He inquires.
"I have my reasons. I'm pretty sure you do, too. Go about your night as I will mine." She says coldly. There was no emotion to her voice.
"Do you believe in fate?" He asks suddenly.
"...Why are you asking me? Don't you have places to be?" She spoke with an icy tone, yet again. She whipped her head around, allowing for him to get a good look at her. Her eyes, skin, hair... He quickly took in it all. So, this is what his soulmate looked like? Funny...he never imagined having one, and yet here she is.
He stoically stares up at the moon. He breathes in another breath of cold air. "Hm...that's quite the question. No, I don't have anywhere to be, other than here. So, the answer is both yes and no at the same time. It's rather interesting how that works, isn't it?"
The girl stops and looks at him, confusion written all over her face. But Chrollo can read people beyond the surface. The eyes are the windows to the soul, as they say. He can see intrigue, as well.
"Who are you?" She demands. Chrollo looks back at her and quietly chuckles to himself in a manner he would had someone challenged him to a fight after losing his Nen.
"Who are you?" He smirks, scanning her for any reaction. She isn't afraid. She isn't upset. No, she's completely calm.
"I asked first." She countered. Her face was made of stone as she said this. She showed no emotion during this entire encounter.
"Chrollo." He finally answered, smiling. He was enjoying this. Was he in love? No. That would, inevitably, come with time. But was he drawn to interest? Most definitely.
"Hm. Goodbye, Chrollo." She hummed, walking off.
"You didn't give me your name."
"I know."
The raven...
'Humans.....are so very....interesting.'
#i write for you#chrollo#chrollo x reader#yandere chrollo#yandere chrollo x reader#writing for you#This was fun to write#I've had an idea for a soulmate AU#but it's completely different from this#But I like skeptic reader#very different :)#But thanks for the ask anyways#Thank you and goodnight <3
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Now that the drama is over, I wanted to post a little post of appreciation for FL's painter friend, aka Broccoli, because this character was yet another way in which L&P deviated from cliches.
When we first meet him, before the flashback, I was thinking he was going to be a typical secondary male lead - interfering and clingy and irritating. And then...no.
In fact, he's not really a part of any love triangle whatsoever and it becomes clearer and clearer as it goes on that he is a good friend to FL who actually is not in any way interested in chasing her romantically. He would be happy to have her as a permanent live together platonic bestie, no more no less.
He is of the "right class" and instinctively snobby (his warning to FL about ML back in college days, when he met the man for three seconds, is completely based on that - he doesn't otherwise know LX) but he is a supportive friend who is also capable of changing his opinions. He helped her through her depressed abroad period, he's completely not judgmental about her choices (he made his opinion known once, she decided to proceed anyway, and he actually went 'you are an adult, your choice, I can help if you like' - the reaction you'd expect and want from her family, she got from him.) In fact, when she orchestrates that huge and lengthy deceit of her awful fam in order to work with ML and help him get the company back, he is the one who backs up her lies and is her knowing and willing excuse.
And, the best thing is, he is not doing it because he's in loooove with her, and is hoping his being supportive will open her heart or even because he's so in love because he can deny her nothing. He's doing it because they are friends and he wants her happy and sure he'd enjoy continuing to hang out in a chill fashion but he is not pining and has zero interest in chasing her romantically. He is actually as platonic with her as Li Xun is with Ren Di. I honestly think if ZY ever told him she fancied him, he'd be taken aback. (Any marriage they'd have, they'd only have sex the minimum amount of times necessary to have kids and that's it, that's the vibe I get.)
He, I think, learned a lesson from how hard she broke after Li Xun went to jail - if you care for her, you want to make sure she is happy, whatever that happiness means to her because he sees what happens when she breaks. He doesn't have to like Li Xun himself and clearly he and Li Xun will never be besties (though they've both mellowed towards each other by the end), but he wants ZY happy and functional and if it means Li Xun, fair enough, especially since he doesn't really want her the same way himself. I mean - he never lies or does anything else that would hinder the OTP; in fact he's the one who bluntly tells LX about ZY's depression because he's angry on her behalf and he wants to get through LX's thick skull for ZY's sake (and it does get through, it's a hugely helpful to the OTP thing he does.)
And I really really love his exit from the story - it's basically summed up as "well, can't say I am shocked you are not going back with me overseas, enjoy your company and your dude, who's actually not as terrible as I thought, see you later when I am back in the country sometime." I can see him in the future as a bit of a chill art uncle to any kids the OTP have, enjoying a very small dose of the chaos before peacing back out.
Anyway, I really liked what they did with the character, and what they didn't do.
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Opinions That Aren't Mutually Exclusive:
"Sonic should be allowed to tell stories, and the dismissal of story in Sonic because it's a video game series is silly"
and
"It's still a video game series first and foremost, so the gameplay part is still the top priority, meaning anyone who doesn't like a game because they didn't like the gameplay is perfectly valid"
"Sonic is a Japanese IP, and no amount of western adaptations will change that"
and
"It shouldn't matter where in the world the people handling a Sonic product are from, as long as they're competent and humble"
"Alternate gameplay styles can exist in Sonic"
and
"You can't just do anything willy nilly, it should make sense for a Sonic game in some capacity, even if it's another character"
"Sonic's world should feel like a place that people could live in"
and
"It should be creative, inspiring, and not emulate the real world at the cost of everything else"
"Sonic does not think like a typical superhero, nor does he go out of his way to redeem villains if they show no remorse"
and
"Sonic is a compassionate person who is quick to befriend others if they're not evil or if things have mended between them"
"Sonic is the namesake character, and his influence in the world around him is key to the series"
and
"Other characters should be allowed to exist beyond Sonic, and not have their every decision and contribution dictated solely by Sonic's influence"
"Tails should have childlike traits"
and
"Tails should have agency, and not be useless or a submissive yes man"
"Tails' outburst in Lost World and his moment of weakness in Forces could have been handled better"
and
"The solutions fans come up with are often nonsensical and would only make things worse"
"The Master Emerald and Angel Island are important to Knuckles"
and
"His entire existence should not revolve around them"
"Amy's love for Sonic should not be flanderized to the levels of the mid-00's"
and
"Amy should not be a Strong Female Character™ who's too cool for mushiness"
"Eggman is a funny guy"
and
"He is also a huge piece of shit"
"Eggman doesn't do things for the evulz"
and
"He does things for himself, and his evil is not any lesser because of that"
"Other villains can exist"
and
"When two decades worth of upstagings have happened, no shit I'm going to be cautious and give every newcomer the side-eye until they're confirmed to NOT drag Eggman through the mud"
"Shadow can be aggressive if he has to"
and
"Shadow is never an arsehole for the sake of being an arsehole"
"Shadow's backstory is necessary to the context of what made him who he is as we know him"
and
"He's already confronted it and should be allowed to move on without having Maria's memory dangled in front of him at all times"
"Rouge is not in Sonic's immediate group in the same way as Tails, Amy, Cream, etc"
and
"Rouge is not a villain, or even that morally grey, since despite her jewel thieving tendencies, the amount of times where she's helped the heroes far outweighs the number of times where she hasn't"
"I don't think Silver is an interesting character, and he was artificially shilled at Sonic's expense in '06"
and
"IDW Silver is a deceitful portrayal of who Silver actually is"
"Elise was not used well"
and
"She did not deserve the hate she received, and is hated half the time for dumbass reasons"
"Metal Sonic's identity crisis is an intriguing idea"
and
"You can convey that idea without him usurping Eggman and becoming another dime-a-dozen giant monster, you can't use insanity as a handwave to throw anything at the wall to see what sticks, because the good and bad ways to establish insanity always depends on who that character is"
"Some of the IDW characters had potential"
and
"That potential was swiftly thrown out in favor of flanderizing them, turning them into Sally clones, or turning them into Eggman Usurper #59"
"Sonic shouldn't be infantilized as a series, like Sonic's portrayal in Prime"
and
"It also shouldn't be edgy for edgy's own sake, like the zombot arc in IDW"
"The games are not perfect, with some of them having much more inexcusable flaws and baffling decisions than others"
and
"The games are what started the franchise, and the cartoons/comics/etc would not exist without them, therefore you can't pretend the latter are the centerpiece of the franchise even if you prefer them"
"SA1 is one of my favourite games in the series"
and
"The direction shift from Classic to Adventure may have had understandable intentions behind it, but by making said shift so vocal instead of more graceful and seamless ala 3D Mario, ultimately it was responsible for creating one of the biggest divides in the fandom since SatAM"
"Shadow the Hedgehog is not a good game"
and
"But it is a funny one, so I can't hate it too much"
"Sonic '06 is over a decade old, and reviewers should stop bringing it up in every review where it's not relevant"
and
"It's worth remembering what '06 did wrong so that its mistakes aren't repeated, which is especially crucial in the wake of fans choosing to retcon it as an underrated masterpiece"
"No game in the series is perfect, not even your favourite one"
and
"Literal perfection is impossible to achieve, and would be highly subjective even if it was, the flaws shouldn't cancel out your fondness for the game"
"I respect Yuji Naka's contributions to the series"
and
"I don't necessarily like Yuji Naka as a person"
"SEGA of Japan have not had a flawless track record"
and
"It's still their IP, and SEGA of America, as well as fans and creators, need to respect that"
"I've not been that interested or impressed with Daniel Barnes' output in the series so far, and the mantra of ___ Can Do No Wrong is a dangerous slope that leads to egos like Flynn's"
and
"I respect Barnes' integrity that other IDW crewmembers have not shown"
"I favor adaptations that are faithful to the source material"
and
"I can like adaptations that do their own thing as long as it doesn't go against the core of the franchise/characters too much"
"We're on our way to the ARK"
and
"So I guess that means we're going too"
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2022 BL ROUNDUP PART 5
Hey y'all, I've seen everyone doing their top 22, 20, 15, 10, and 5 BLs of the year and I didn't want to do a ranking! I just want to do a quick rundown of everything I watched and how I feel about it now! This is gonna be multiple posts! But I'll post them all at the same time.
LAST PART
Thai BLs I watched in 2022 that I loved
KinnPorsche the Series. Saved my summer! It was the most exciting series I've watched all year. Toxic ships never sailed so well and so far. I loved the action, the drama, the lies, the deceit, the mystery, and the raunchiness. 10/10. BUT I DON'T WANT S2 IF THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE WRITERS OF THE NOVEL! THAT AMAZING CAST DESERVES THE WORLD!
Love in the Air. PAYURAIN FTW. PRAPAISKY FTW! I'm still thinking about my boys to this day. I loved our little weather boys. I loved both couples a lot, PayuRain a bit more. I love how different both storylines were and how they tied together. The chemistry between both pairs was *chef's kiss* we were given such an amazing cast. I hope to get more FortPeat and BossNoeul in 2022.
Secret Crush on You. A mess of a series and yet so well written. I think next to Not Me and the Eclipse, it was the most socially relevant series I've watched this year. They focused on a lot of real life issues that not only queer people deal with but also young people. The amount of green flag characters in this one series was astounding. If you can get past how over the top Toh was in ep 1 then the rest of the series is a treat.
Triage. Oh my gawd. What an exciting series. It's the BL version of the Butterfly Effect. I didn't think they would be able to properly showcase Tin and Tol falling in love because of the small amount of time covered in the actual time loops but gotdamn they did that. It was such a great watch, had me on the edge of my seat til the very end. Also I was not expecting a TaeTee series after OG 2moons played us.
My Ride. It was just a wholesome series. Both mains were just literally great people and green flags all around. It was a sweet strangers to friends to lovers series. The slow burn was good. Hated that Tawan had to deal with a cheating boyfriend but Mork was there for him. Loved Mork's uncles, they gave the BEST advice and Mork's moped friends were hilarious. Wish the one guy had a storyline with the Trans woman instead of the actual side couple we got. ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT MORK DECIDING TO GO GET HIS DEGREE TO OPEN HIS OWN GARAGE AT THE END OF THE SERIES?????
Ghost Host Ghost House. Wasn't expecting to love it so much. Loved the ghost storylines. That family had me CRYING! ESPCIALLY SEE NAM! I WANTED HER TO BE HAPPY WITH PRIM! PRIM LOST SO MUCH! Kevin and Pleum were perfection. Their chemistry was insane and it was clear they vibed the second they met. My friend and I had a discussion about why we think they waited 3 years to reunite and was it necessary. I honestly think they both needed that time to grow, they were both just out of highschool and dealing with death and trying to figure out life. They needed to grow up and let's be real their glow-ups were amazing.
Big Dragon. Was never expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Yai did annoy me a bit because he was a brat, but he was so cute. I loved Mangkorn a lot. I loved that all of Yai's plans backfired and how his biggest enemy turned into the love of his life. Mangkorn on the other hand was just waiting for the right moment to prove himself to be the best choice for Yai because he was in love with him from the beginning. I'M PRAYING S2 IS NOT ABOUT CHEATING AND JEALOUSY!
Honorable Mentions because they're still ongoing:
Between Us. WINTEAM FTW. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND HAVE BEEN WAITING 3 YRS FOR THEM. THE SERIES HAS BEEN DELIVERING FOR ME AND I AM SO THANKFUL FOR IT. 10/10.
Gap the Series. Not a BL but a GL. Sam and Mon are clearly vibing but Mon thinks she's still idolizing Sam and can't tell she's falling in love. Sam has an overbearing granny and an appointed male finace who she can't stand because he's male. I'm hoping TeeYuki is still a thing because I want them too.
#thai bl#kinnporsche#kinnporsche the series#love in the air#love in the air the series#ghost host ghost house#between us#between us the series#gap the series#big dragon#big dragon the series#my ride#my ride the series#triage#triage the series#scoy#secret crush on you#secret crush on you the series
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Would you like to describe the personality of Howard Stark? And understand what kind of person he really is. I think he is hiding behind a mask... (sorry, english is not my native language)
Hi! First of all, no need for apologies, I get what you're asking! <3 <3 Long post ahead!
So, as it is known, I really like Howard for similar reasons why I like Tony. They're scarily similar and I can never stop thinking how much Tony would not like to hear that. I have a few Howard posts where I describe what I think of him here, here, and here mainly. Anyways, onwards!
See, there are different Howards to consider here. The one we see in CATFA and Agent Carter and the one we hear about from Tony, Fury, ect. I like talking about Agent Carter Howard the most because he's just so interesting.
Is he wearing a mask to hide his true emotions? The fastest answer is yes, but I think it's more complicated than that. It's that questions (something I sometime apply to Tony as well) "How long does it take for the mask become who you truly are?" Because there reaches a point where the person you constantly project isn't just a coverup. I think Howard's bravado, occasionally asshole-ish ways, womanizing, deceit, ect - all those less savory aspects are a piece of who he is, but it's not all he is of course. He has a ton of great qualities, usually shown in his friendships.
I've said before that I think Howard is an incredibly fractured character. I think he knows exactly what he's feeling most of the time, but never knows how to deal with the emotions he feels. He's obsessive to the point of self-destruction, and when he does self-destruct (or ends up hurting other people), he feels incredible amounts of guilt that never fully goes away. Instead, he uses that guilt to fuel his next project that will surely fix all his problems (until it actually ends up causing more messes).
I don't want to woobify Howard because I don't think that's what's going on with him. I do think he shield his emotions from others - not really from himself, but he does dampen them. I don't think Howard knows how to process heavy amounts of feelings in a proper way. Unless he's cornered, run down and essentially forced to. And he does have a few vulnerable moments we see in Agent Carter. When Peggy confronts him about lying about Steve's blood (he breaks down, basically declares his love for Steve, and talks about how deceit is how he was able to get anywhere due to his origins), when the villain captures him and threatens to blow New York to shreds (he tells them that they can do whatever they want to him and begs them to leave innocent people out of it), when we hear about what happened when the military got their hands on his failed experiment (he punches the guy in charge and locks up all his more dangerous inventions), the plane scene (Howard feels immense guilt over Steve crashing and dying, and desperately wants to find him and bring him home). These are all moments of genuineness we get from him...albeit moments where there is no other option but to be vulnerable. Regardless, this is 1000% mask off, last ditch effort Howard and I love that.
Of course there's like, an incredibly huge gap between Agent Carter Howard and the Howard we hear and see from Tony, Fury, ect. I suspect that Howard did undergo a pretty dark change in how he conducted himself sue to various things...starting with being the head of SHIELD during the end of WW2-Cold War. Could you imagine? Lol. And we already established that Howard doesn't deal with guilt well. In fact, I'd say that when it came to him taking "necessary sacrifices" he probably shut down his more...inconvenient emotions off as long as he could before he drunk himself into a stupor...then onto the next day.
When it comes to Howard and his family, specifically Tony, well, I don't think there's much I can say that I haven't already said. Howard loved Tony. Howard missed Tony when he wasn't there (Maria's words). Howard was also a bad father because he neglected Tony. Howard saw a kid that was too similar to himself and that seemed to be one of his biggest fears going by what he said in Endgame. I don't think he knew what to do with that whatsoever. Maybe he thought the less he had to do with him, the less Tony would turn out like him. Maybe he thought he could cut down the influence. Maybe all the dark things he's seen, done, ordered, ignored convinced him that he had nothing to offer in being a father, or that he'd make Tony worse. Maybe he thought Obie, Maria and Jarvis had Tony set straight well enough. Who knows really. Every loving thing Howard has said about Tony was told to Tony by a third party (Fury, Maria).
Howard is kind of an enigma, except not really. We don't know specifics, but it's so easy to put together his character with canon, context clues and US history. I like Howard, a whole lot. I don't get many opportunities to talk about him unprovoked so thanks for this ask!
#sometimes I wished I knew how to insert gifs on this site to illustrate my points better#anyways#howard stark#trash gremlin stark#agent carter#post office#thank you anon
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Book Demerzel was male in the past too! She is Gender.
Ooh, okay, so I guess my understanding of things is kind of impaired by the fact that I'm still on Edge (I went in in-universe chrono, though--I mean I did the Empire books all jumbled because I read Pebble ages and ages ago and then the other two came in as holds from my library in the wrong order hahah--so I started the Foundation novels with Prelude) and have yet to read and Earth which I think he returns in? So I might be missing a huge amount of context regarding his presentation/interpretation/etc. etc.
Most of my ideas about Daneel's complication regarding gender mostly conform to my understanding of him (any pronouns apply 🥰🥰 but I'm used to he so I'll just go with that for now) as a fundamentally resolved, instrumental thing--though cornered of course by minimalism and limited knowledge--who has the luxury (?) of more readily identifying the contextual applications of gender, combined then with millenia of insight into the fluid/arbitrary drifts of social and cultural mores, plus his own schematics of prioritization and internalization... I think he is on like extradimensional levels of gender, internally, and I hope there is canon basis for him taking upon himself some gendered aspects in a functional/teleological manner (as he takes on other aspects of personhood! even Demerzel himself is an adopted aspect!) because I think that even if that goes uninterrogated (as so many things in these novels do GRRR!) it has even more necessary implications for his internal cognitions of gender!!!!
That said I DO also think there's something to be said about the amount of gendered socialization he gets in his most formative years (especially from his Earthman who knows his sociological formulas but does not have a very sophisticated or unblemished understanding of gender politicssdbfkdj)--which is undercut by his state of subjection and perpetual qualification and Othering from people who do know his true nature, and then the implication of Deceit (not what I believe him to be doing--at least in the context of gender/lack thereof but definitely how it would be interpreted by towards people who don't know what he is which like. very transgender existence tbh being considered inherently deceitful) but this all just makes it more texturally complex and interesting and makes him even better at being soooo gender. Love that thing!!!!
#TLDR SORRY I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT ANY CANON GENDERISMS ASIDE FROM THE VAGUE IMPULSES SHOWN BY VARIOUS CHARACTERS TO DEMEAN AND FEMINIZE#HIM . BUT I HAVE OPINIONS ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL STATUS OF GENDER AS IT RELATES TO DANEEL AND HIS PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES IN CONJUNCTION WIT#HIS PARTICULAR STYLE OF COGNITION + COMPARTMENTALIZATIONS. and I'm invested in the kind of conclusions I imagine he would come to.#do feel free to tell me though just um don't spoil anything big for me if you don't mind sdfhjd#i agree though she's so gender <3#ask#daneelsolivaw#text#asimov chronology#i think those are all my indexing tags#sorry also for the multiclausal sentences when I get excited I lose control of that . hh. i hope that made sense#thank you though for coming by. to get excited with me over Demerzel <3 <3
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Tales of Nature - 300+ Followers Event!
Hello!
As thanks and to show my appreciation for everyone I have decided to host this event! It will run from the 4th of September until the 18th of September.
The requests will be written as either drabbles or short fics and there will be no limit to the amount of requests I’ll take. You can find both my rules for requesting and fandom/character list here!
To request simply choose a flower/plant and a character, in example: “Could you do Dazai and apple blossom?”
You can also mix prompts, for example: “Could I please get fern and tansy with Childe?”
Feel free to be more specific or keep it simple! You may also specify things such a genre and time period, though it’s not necessary.
Requests for this event are now closed, thank you all for participating!
Masterlist
Prompts
-> Green Willow - “False love”
-> Asphodel - “My regrets follow you to the grave”
-> Honeysuckle - “Devoted affection; bonds of love”
-> Spindle Tree - “Your image is engraved into my heart”
-> Astragalus - “Your presence softens my pain”
-> Sticky Catchfly - “Invitation to dance”
-> Diphylleia - “I will show you my true self, clarity, honestly”
-> Zinnia - “Thinking of you, sentimentality”
-> Tansy - “I declare war on you”
-> American Cowslip - “You are my divinity”
-> Thorn Apple - “Deceitful charms”
-> Narcissus - “Unrequited love, selfishness”
-> Purple Heather - “Solitude, admiration, beauty”
-> Gorse - “Love in all seasons”
-> Hydrangea - “Heartfelt gratitude for being understood”
-> Clovenlip Toadflax - “Please notice my love for you”
-> Fern - “Magic, enchantment”
-> Cypress - “Mourning, sorrow”
-> Star of Bethlehem - “Atonement, reconciliation”
-> Fungus - “Loneliness, disgust”
-> Thistle - “Warning”
-> Scabius - “Unfortunate attachment, I have lost all”
-> Coreopsis - “Love at first sight”
-> Cornflower - “Please be gentle with me”
-> Poppy - “I am not free”
-> Apple Blossom - “I prefer you before all”
-> White Lily - “My love is pure”
#Tales of Nature - milestone event 🌷#reblogs are appreciated!#Why flowers you may ask? Because I absolutely adore them#bsd#bsd x reader#bungo stray dogs x reader#bungo stray dogs#genshin impact#genshin impact x reader#dazai x reader#fyodor x reader#childe x reader#zhongli x reader#moss' navigation
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I've been wondering this for a while seeing a lot of your anti-Edelgard posts: what do you think of the events in the CF chapter Lady of Deceit? Edelgard continuing to lie to her friends about the Slitherers is the point of no return for me personally, after the chapter I had to nearly force myself to finish the route (well, from a story perspective. Field of Revenge and To the End of a Dream are great in terms of gameplay, and I admit I find the "stop fighting/no you" dialogue exchange between El and Dimitri so ridiculous it loops around to being good).
Are those posts really anti posts?
Anyways, I liked it, because it's fairly coherent with the character we've been presented.
IIRC in her version of Chapter 12 - when we attack GM - as soon as Emile pops up, Billy is shocked and she promises she'll tell them later on why Emile is on our side now...
But she never reveals a thing to Billy.
It's actually Hubert who does, in his paralogue, explaining why they had to side with Uncle and his pals, etc etc.
The Jpop song of the game explains it in better words, but Supreme Leader during her academy days was hiding with a mask and lying about her feelings, and even in Tru Piss, when we're not in Academy Days anymore, Supreme Leader is still hiding her feelings with lies. As you pointed it out, is it because she knows her "allies" didn't chose to side with her, but followed Billy? Or because she doesn't deem necessary to reveal the "truth" about her fight to her BESF comrades?
I ultimately think she knows her alliance with Uncle'n'pals sucks, just like Baldo and Waldi who are never ever mentionned in the War phase of the game, and most likely believes her "friends" of the BESF would ditch her the second they learn about it.
(and as we discover in the other routes, they actually don't! Ferdie doesn't mind fighting side by side with a "war asset" when he protects the bridge!)
Still, I must say the Jeritza thing irked me more when I played this route, because it was before the update where you could play with him! So it was just "hey it's that random we fought against who joins us as a green unit for this map", and then he is never re-used lol.
I loved Field of Revenge - it has the perfect amount of absurd double standard (see how the kingdom knights's transformation is portrayed and compare it to, again, Ferdie not minding fighting side by side with a "war asset"), Hubert dissing Dimitri for not fighting "fairly" and not saying them "hello" before the fight, the beheading scene, Dimitri and Dedue having a scene as they fight side by side when Dedue dies first, as opposed to any other vassal/lord relationship - and the plothax "Rhea and her forces were late because her sandals aren't water-proof and apparently rain prevents her from transforming in a dragon".
But yeah, even if some quotes are, uh, well, there lol, I really liked this map!
#zevfern#replies#i'm so out of touch with what counts as an anti post or a critical post lol#like is saying FE4!Hilda hunts babies is a anti post or a critical post or just a post on FE4!Hilda?#I liked those last two chapters tbh#actually I liked a lot of chapters gameplay wise from this route#the attack Derdriu map was also cool#the game reuses so much maps so anything new is a welcome addition#I nearly reseted for the last map lol the pegasus knights reinforcments kept on killing the frail Linhardt and Doro units#tfw you have to rush a final map#and the Wilhelm Golem kept on crit'ing Edel#talk about a familial disagreement lol#FE16
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i'll never fear death. i know what it feels like. i've died before and in my fading memory i caught like a precious humming-bird in the bowl of my two open hands a single second, a grain of sand, ingrained in my dreaming mind of what that bliss is.
first of all, you, the conscious you, never tells the difference. i know the numbing pain of adrenaline. i know how therapists try the hardest make you acknowledge your feelings and hurt. but in reality, in front of your blank canvas, retinas, life and seconds move without you without emotion, or meaning, thought. the car takes an abrupt turn. the gun aims at you. you speed up and hit something. something falls somewhere anywhere anytime we are subjected to anything anytime. none of this happens with a purpose. your retinas are subjected to the registering of this new information. you must see. see it. you are not necessary. you are disposable. i find that thought comforting.
second of all, you accept it with open arms. it's not like capitulation, or kneeling before a titan. it's an embrace, and a loving surrender. a thought that comes not from your thinking mind but your dream-like intuition. you know. you've felt it before. you're meeting with an old angel. there is a sense of child-like play and familiarity. there is no place for fear or seconds. it's it. click.
let me tell you about the moment. now it's caught in a web of memories of other memories of other memories that distort my original image, which i promised to keep intact but the marching stance of seconds distance me from it with every moment and every word i try to vocalize about it. so: death is darkness. blanket of silence embracing you softly. death is a feeling of deja-vu. maybe you caught it like a fallen feather in the sense of odd familiarity with a dark street or a dream matching with the image in front of your eyes. it's nothing. but not like nothing where you still register specks of light behind your eyelids. it's nothing absolute to multiply to infinity. infinity extended so much that it amounts to zero. death is absence of absence and feeling like everything at all times. maybe because when you die you become everything - nothing. you become dark. you become just one and it's always been yourself. but such a self extended that you are whole with the entire expansion of space. such a dark and such a feeling of deep rest of your entire drudgery through life. when they woke me up abruptly only now i remember how upset i was, behind the confusion.
life is the spectacle, it's all contingency ruling, randomness and chaos. there is space for laughter or wailings of torture. children and illness. ill children. ill adults trying to live with dignity. healthy adults killing themselves over time. life means anything. life is happenings over seconds and in space. like an atomic bomb. boom. no time to react or suspect. extending over space in seconds. we fool ourselves with our wordings and inheritance of symbols. death is not anything, it is everything whole and intact like a womb. death is one. death is the letter "I" expanded on both sides until it reaches the elipsoid form of our known explored universe. an atomic bomb having eaten everything and so, tired of all forms and shapes and colours and possibilities, thoughts and feelings, dreams and aspirations, regrets and deceit, sadness and despair, in its becoming whole with each new of these forms of matter and action, overcomes them and lets them behind. and becomes the one, the whole. the nothing. soft surrender, death- rebellious resistance, life. my two muses both of whom i have fallen in love with.
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I’ve been thinking about my parents a lot lately. Now that I’m considering moving far away from them, it’s making my decision to not talk to them feel a lot more final. Part of me wonders if cutting them off is just taking the easy out. If I'm avoiding doing the work to repair our relationship by just leaving the relationship altogether. But then I think, what would be the goal of talking to them again? I want them to be loving and supportive, but I don't think I can just talk them into being that for me.
They never showed much care for my emotional needs. I'm not saying my parents are inherently incapable of providing love and emotional support, but it seems that a long time ago they decided that it just wasn't very important. They treat their role as parents more like being parole officers. Just make sure I follow the rules and everything else is my problem. My emotions were always my responsibility and I was very rarely offered any help or support with them. They just don't see that as necessary. And I don't know if I could convince them to start now.
I just mourn for what could have been. I cry that I never felt emotionally cared for. But my parents don't view this as a shortcoming. There was a complete devaluation and contempt for emotionality in that household. Having emotions was seen as weakness, an impediment to logic, reason, and obedience which were the things that really mattered. I remember distinctly how they would audibly scoff whenever a character in a movie decided to "follow their heart". Being true to yourself and honoring your emotions was a fool's errand and whatever harm came to you would be your fault. It all stems from their theology. I can't tell you how many times I heard "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
I guess in the end they were just two emotionally scarred people who didn't know how to live honestly with their emotions in a way that wasn't painful and compromising so they threw them all away. I'm sad for them because of how far down this cold isolated tunnel they seem to have wandered. And that makes me come full circle and wonder if I should be the person to try to help them emotionally heal. It's crazy because that was my duty in the household growing up. I was the emotional regulator. The calmer. The peacemaker. They told me that all the time. I was the third parent. That burden should never have been put on me and now I'm expected to play that role again on the largest scale possible just so I can convince my parents of my humanity so that maybe I can convince them to love me? I can't. That's a years-long, life-encompassing, soul-draining endeavor. I've already had so much of my life taken away by them, I will not give them more just in the hopes that they will repay me with the love I should have received the moment they decided to create me.
But I want their love so badly, I feel its lack so deeply, that sometimes I think all that work might be worth it. Sometimes I think that because their love was what I needed so desperately in my childhood, receiving that love now would fill some deeper need that couldn't be fulfilled through receiving that same love from someone else. This is probably true to some extent. It would feel so good to hear my parents say how sorry they are, that they understand how harmful their actions were, and how they are committed to being there for me how they should have been all along. But that wouldn't repair the damage done to me by all those years of emotional neglect. And ultimately, I don't think this potential outcome, thought it would be extremely cathartic, is worth the massive amount of emotional labor it would take to get there. Especially given the very significant possibility that they may never see the error of their ways and they may never understand my needs.
I will find people who fully love and support me in the way that I wish my parents did. But regardless of who might become that in the future for me, it will have to be built over time. And I'm not going to start that process by spending immense effort to deprogram someone who thinks I'm delusional and doesn't believe that I know the truth about myself and my experiences. I deserve these deep loving relationships and I will do the work to build them. But it won't be with my parents. At least not as they exist right now.
When I said goodbye to my parents, I told them I was willing to try to rebuild our relationship. But first they had to acknowledge that neither they nor their religion know better than me on matters of my personhood and experiences. I'm not willing to drag anyone to the starting line so we can build a relationship. I think there's a voice that comes from others and lives in my head that says because they're my family I bear some responsibility to work harder for that relationship. But I don't owe that to anyone. Genetics don't give you a waiver for fundamental respect.
I hope someday they can reach that point. I so wish they were in my corner. But after the way they treated me, it's up to them to change.
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Ok ok that was fantastic I loved it so much I may never get over it BUT... I *need* to see the other way round now. Specifically I have a mighty need to see what kind of activities Remus might inflict on poor Janus 😂😂
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The Daily Discernment of Healing or Not ~ 5D portal
When there is not healing, to the inner space, mind, body, spirit, you continue on same cycles and expecting the same; but what is a challenge is when you choose to not make your healing priority and those around you choose to heal and move on; stepping off the karmic cycle is unique and specific to each.
There is a process for healing, and staying in karmic cycles and expecting everything to stay the same and others to stay on the pain cycle with you, trauma, and bread crumbing, gaslighting, living in toxic ways, is not a narrative any would want to be with - comprising your light, life to get back into negative energy - is literally dangerous and when you are finally out, away from the fog, mental, emotional, spell casting chaos, lust-filled densities and confusions, manipulations - is not a world of healing - and all have responsibility to do what is right for themselves and let no one deter you to heal.
Your life, your evolution, your light, your future timelines, your children, and their timelines, all is necessary and beyond all - set everyting aside until you feel better about your design, your energy, your design of potential, direction, and focus of you -
All are here with their own experiences to heal, and those before them; to take a higher knowing of who you are, to know you are within complete ownership of the reality you see, exist within and doing so with force, control, fear, manipulation will show you all and things, and results - or you can choose to heal, and act, behave from a loving space and see what shift and those will be before you -
Individuals and companies, and business of all sizes will be faced with the same refinement and realignment opportunities and there is no way around this - we are, as a collective not going back; light is light and it will continue - the light will bathe what is not working, what is corrupt and not aligned with greater good, working for the all
- and will be seen, known, coming out; trump for instance and how many get paid off to be silent and all have to carry that karma for no amount of money will be worth the selling of your soul to be quiet for corruption and play the foot washer for the corrupt and those with empty souls that care 0 about humanity and life within the sacred systems of gifts that is all that GOD IS - God blesses all - and the world of 3D superficial is being shown - what is true value?
NEW HIGHER ORDER
We are within universal and galactic order, laws, and it is love; if you choose not operate in love, healing within and knowing the law of Oneness - it will be a path that will be obvious until you seek within and sort, suss out the wounding - hurt people hurt people and it is time formal to take accountability - all can be healed - all is ONE.
If there is such work, energy, focus on the corruption, just think what would, could be created in doing so, being so as light?
It is simple; create systems that treat others, hire others that respect and free will honour is bar none above all - alignment of our world is everything and there are those of us chosen that have been prepared vibrationally with proper insight; not false insight to see through the illusions and deceit, and those that abuse such;
We are ascending - all within our fabrics of social becoming must be broken up and remade in higher integrity - it will occur with or without people like me; light will bathe it all - it misses none.
You cannot act and be, vibrate from a self-harmful, self-degrading, ego-unhealed and disrespected space and expect a loving being that is balanced and at peace, to want to be in a pain state with you -
ALL HAVE THEIR RIGHTS - Move on and heal and allow all to sit in what they have created and been given infinite opportunities to heal, to move away, and to take accountability and ownership - all have their rights - and all must learn to respect; the innocent will no longer be dishonoured and abused.
As old leaders, old ways, the old bosses, Gods, will be faced with the new and light bringing in change; it is our right, our birthright - to ensure that no further people will be harmed in the selfish gain of those that simply don't care; I am one that cares; and why the past is forever closed; take ownership and heal.
Become great for you - none other have your back - only spirit, God, and the Source Creator are your guide, designer. Time for all to level up and grow up, mature, and do the healing to be better for you - your future timelines, and what you walk into next.
There are various stages of psychosis, inner wounding, inner shadow, or inner child, plus the wounding imprints of the lineage and Akash - this is a multi-dimensional - there is a process, and it is sacred; why?
BECAUSE YOU ARE SACRED --> it is worth doing the inner work and asking of such for your business - for your clientele and customers are awakening, and all will ask, seek higher vibrational good will and pure intentions - all can be felt.
The innocent will be blamed, shamed, and tormented simply because we see, we tell, we remain in our pillar of truth and power to know there are better, higher, more vibrational alignment that can be brought for all - there does not have to be corruption, harm, negligence, violence; all is healable - and every person have their free will to not be in abusive situations and corrupt arena's ~
5D earth is respect for all. Ⓒ
COLLECTIVE LEVEL UP --> Social and Personal Justice
All healing within our own individual life is and always begins within, and how to simply do what you know, feel is best for you, and in your own temperament that is the voice of your spirit, your inner child, and not harming of another - will be that of following universal law; and we are not all perfect in this, but learning along the way; for many are simply not mature, young souls, and not taught how to manage and express through their emotional body, and live with stunting of such through ignorant dogmatic systems and lineage - all are which possible to overcome and transcend -
All companies, all businesses, as we stated a year ago; will be offered opportunity and spiritual heeding to align with the higher order laws;
Right Use of Free Will and Harm to None, Interfering to NONE
Law of Balance
and those of us that are here to discern issues, see through the chaos, fog, illusion, and falsity and begin offering light, wisdoms, and steps to bring a greater and higher truth;
Whether it be business and corrupt systems and those within it messing with truth tellers, platforms, and being the catalyst for all to level up- it begins with self love and self honour for setting new standards of truth, standards of honouring and respect of all creative expressions that are simply truth and not being false to placate the corrupt and dishonest t- all play a part and there will be karma to what you are not standing up for, within yourself and others if that is your destiny
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The energy of awakening, will not want, nor care, nor waste energy and time being with those that choose to not heal; it is not a judgment, it is truth, and fact; energy is everything, vibration is everything, and the non-care of self vibrates to all - thus bringing that light down; and none would want to choose this.
Protect your fields, chakra's, and bodies, and so on ~ so that you don't have to put up with the constant harassment of those that cling on to your light, energy, and potential of receiving goods; for them to swoop in and take and steal - send all away, block have the Heavens step in, and re-route - none have authority as you daily and hourly choose yourself, none will write, or take, or have driver mastery over you - none.
Send all away that want to dominate and take power over you - these are false and lower vibrational energies that play on the unhealed emotions to play, dramatize, cause chaos;
deceit, guilt, blame, shame, humiliation, scarcity, punishment, enslavement, entrapment; all are negative emotions and beliefs that cycles of karmic, and patterns behave within - so discern - you are the one that chooses what you allow and what you behave within.
Stand your ground and release all that pull you down, hold you back, and know you have human, spiritual rights for your peace, safety, protection;
You are your reality - no one, NONE are responsible for your reality -
You are your own driver, healer, maker, and designer -
You can call judgment on what is not healthy for you in your life, and you are the one that chooses a new self love way to live, behave, and release all that is not of respect of your self of love;
You set the tone - rely on none; you and if it means being alone; would you not rather be alone than with those that are superficial, false, fake, misguided, empty and not healed in any way; why would you want emptiness for title? Why would you want those that are 'ok' with slight of hand, and fake life, fake and seeking outer for who you are - go with and know yourself.
Control is a fear attribute; what are you afraid of?
Do the healing and know none have power, control, authority over another - do the inner healing - look at who you are and heal; none can force anyone to be with them after they were mistreated.
Simple truth; life, all are sacred. The body is sacred, the mind is sacred, the emotional realm is sacred; healing is knowing, moving, and alchemizing what goes with all experiences to know you can clear and cleanse karma and what was chosen, to become wise and choose anew;
When you treat life as such, yourself as such, then you receive it equally - that is the universal law; abusing your gifts, talents, or power, will return the same - it will be taken, emptied, and backfire; that is the universal law, take accountability or not, you create it all - all are and have access to create anew; there is no escaping what is truth before you - you create it all; heal or continue to punish, blame others - take from others or see them as your issue; the wound is within you --> the wound is why you behave in the way you do
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Loving behaviour is a vibration and can be felt as authentic and pure
Anger, Hate is a behaviour and vibration, and can be felt - we either are firm and knowing of who we are through the inner 'getting to know ourselves' and feeling what needs to be felt, and move on, affirm anew; this is the healing process; 5D is this portal -
All affects the all - and why
Truth is truth.
When you are truth within - none can shake you -
Know thyself
Who are you?
Move through the emotions of healing - do the healing -
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Tantrums are not necessary - simply heal.
Do the inner work dear ones, all of creation and realms, every dimension will be bathed in light and old ways will simply no longer be,
#ascension #ascensionbooks #enlightenment #awakening #spirituality #5Dnewearth #5Dbusiness #5Dhealing #healinghumanity
You are worth the blessing to go within - heal.
Know thyself - truth is a vibration and it will re-write our world in every way,
Life is ascending - all will be bathed and vibration, truth, all will be known,
Blessings,
Joanna
~ DONATIONS - see our PayPal link here; paypal.me/JoannaLRoss
#healinghumanity #healingtools #healingourchildren #healingcreation #5Dhumanity #humanpotential
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Kaeya Alberich - Yandere Profile
YES I love my eyepatch boy!! I really like him as a yandere, because he's definitely got several traits and behaviors that would make him a very unconventional/different yet absolutely terrifying one to have. Him or Diluc as your yandere is basically like playing a game on maximum difficulty. He's so arrogant dammit why does he have to make it hot
More importantly, someone take the ability to write n/sfw away from me I s2g... I go from trying to make serious content to nasty weird kinks and completely feral in .002 seconds the moment I add that readmore
tws: gaslighting, manipulation, yandere, mentions of mutilation
tws (below cut): noncon, a good deal of sadism, mentions of an*l
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What are they generally like? Lucid, aware? Obsessive? How do they behave?
He's actually one of the worst yanderes you could have in almost every regard, for two very simple reasons: his crippling psychological issues, and his intense selfishness. The first manifests as severe abandonment issues. It's the origin of his unhealthy feelings, most likely. Kaeya doesn't like the instability of people - based on his backstory, people always leave, or die, and even if they don't intend to, somehow it feels like abandonment, and he resents it. People leave him all alone and afraid and uncertain. That's generally all he knows, and despite the smug exterior, he's actually pushed people away quite a bit, keeps everyone at arm's length to ensure they can't become someone too important for him to accept their sudden absence. He can't care about someone, because that someone is fated to inevitably leave him, no matter who it may be.
That's why, once you manage to worm your way into his feelings and heart despite his best efforts, once he finally caves to acknowledging the feeling, he's aware. Painfully aware, because be can't stop worrying every waking moment about you, your well-being, your location. It reaches a point where he can't go about his job because he's simply too consumed with his worry.
The solution that kept him safest in the past was to avoid developing emotional attachments, but when he does, he's terrified of both your safety AND you intentionally abandoning him. Really, the latter would hurt worse, since he can't fault you for dying, but to abandon him? It would break him.
And, to some extent, he's developed a lot of prideful anger about it, deep, deep down. He feels that he doesn't deserve to be abandoned, doesn't deserve to just be left behind under the guise of some greater purpose, and he'll be damned if he just lets you toss him aside like he feels others did. Even if you reject him, he won't accept it. You don't get to reject him. He won't allow that. What has he ever done to deserve everything that's happened to him? Nothing. You're the one person who has stayed with him, and you're going to continue to be with him. Forever.
That being said, he's still somewhat confident because he's got that arrogance about him. He doesn't perceive rejection, because he's always gotten a lot of attention for his looks, even if he's never actually followed through on anyone else's attention out of those same fears. He'll write off any perceived rejection as being for some other reason, something besides an actual rejection, and he'll seek to eliminate whatever he feels is keeping you from just accepting him.
Honestly, one of the most likely to have a full blown, classic-yandere-style psychotic breakdown. He can be driven to a snapping point, if there's enough stress or obstacles, and in case of that, he'll be a lot more willing to kill, and a lot more willing to hurt you, but it's a point that would still take a lot to reach.
But what's really terrifying about Kaeya is his delusions, primarily his ability to mentally justify everything he does without hesitation. Even most delusional yanderes struggle - they feel like it's wrong, they know it is deep down, and they take time to convince themselves of their delusions, tell themselves it's ok over and over, beg for reassurance, and get defensive when called out because they know they're in the wrong. The same isn't true for Kaeya. He automatically justifies his actions by default, and has absolutely zero doubt or hesitation to do so. He doesn't even need a complex reason for justification - it's a simple one. He deserves what he wants. Anything necessary to achieve that is fair.
How likely are they to kidnap their darling? How quickly will they do so?
Highly likely and very quickly, right up there with Diluc and Razor. And he's absolutely remorseless about it. It ties back into his delusional state and ability to justify anything he does - this is what's best for you. If you don't get that, that's your problem, not his.
He's another one to not want to pull some barbaric move like knocking you out, rather, he'd rather just trick you into walking right into your new home. He gets that you'll be upset about it, but to him, that's just part of the process. Not that he'll tolerate it for too long. 12, maybe 24 hours is enough time for you to reasonably be upset, but if you're still trying to fight him on this after that, he's going to get snappy about it, thinking you should already be over that by now.
How difficult is it to escape from them? How do they keep you restrained? How do they deal with attempted escape?
You're not leaving.
It's not worth trying, really. How he manages to do it is a mystery to you, but he'll manage to keep you locked in right there at the headquarters with him. How Jean and Lisa haven't found out about you being there, how he convinced all of his guards to be on his side of things, you have no idea. Realistically, if you get out, he's likely to make you out to be some kind of criminal that needs to be found -- just not to hurt you in any way, so goes the order, and the knights know better than to question why.
He has eyes and ears everywhere, it won't take them anytime at all to find you. He's so confident in that, and combined with his pride, he doesn't feel the need to go get you himself. No, it's a lot more satisfying to sit back and watch as they drag you through the doors of the headquarters, slowly pull you to the end of the room and drop you down at his feet, where he can look down on you with that closed-eyed, artificially wide smile that tells you that you have seriously fucked up.
Escape attempts aren't going to be met with a single shred of mercy, really. The thing about Kaeya is he's ultimately a selfish, selfish bastard with a lot of deep-seeded, highly repressed emotional issues, and he has absolutely no problem with keeping you bound hand and foot, or maybe even make some permanent modifications to your body if that's what it takes to keep you. It's not a wise idea to even try unless you're absolutely certain to succeed, otherwise you may find yourself never getting the opportunity again. You don't really need those Achilles tendons intact, you know. And your ankle bones are just so fragile, they'll snap with just a little twist. Actually, that wouldn't be too bad, giving you more reasons to be grateful when he's doing everything for you.
He's not one to just let it go, either. No, escape attempts are the one unforgivable thing for him, the one thing that will make him totally and completely snap. You don't get to do that. You're the one thing that doesn't get to just disappear out of his life in a flash. Half the reason he sends the knights to get you rather than going himself is to give him some time to let the rage settle down, otherwise he knows he might not be able to control himself and might end up hurting you even worse than he intends to. He's not going to buy any excuses and won't go any lighter on you if you beg and grovel or anything. But you will apologize -- you get to choose how hard it is. You can apologize the easy way, or, if you don't want to, there are many ways to force it out. But by the end, he'll get an apology, and a promise to never try again, out of you, no matter what that takes. It's by far the worst state you'll ever see him in, and really, once is enough to dissuade you from trying again.
How easy are they to trick, deceive, or manipulate?
You'd have to try pretty hard. He doesn't have the sheer amount of years of life experience like Venti or Zhongli, but he's not the captain for no reason - he's perceptive, and highly intelligent.
Rather than simply mastering reading human voice and facial expressions for telltale signs of deceit, he's good at learning individuals in particular - memorizing the patterns of thought and action of a particular individual, and predicting how they will act. He can do it with everyone else with ease, how much more, then, with the object of an obsession? If you're trying to formulate some plan to trick him, he'll already predict what you'll do, if you lie, he already knows. It's creepier than the others, really, because it's not just that he can tell when you're lying, but rather he already knows you're going to lie or try some scheme before you do it. It feels so tailored and personalized to your thought patterns, it almost feels like an invasion of the privacy of your mind, which, really, is the one privacy you thought you had left.
He's great at gaslighting himself, too. He's a very good liar, and can make you believe anything he wants. He'll target your fears and paranoias, make you believe you're going crazy, and he'll do it all so perfectly you'll never suspect a thing. You'll end up coming to him for protection and guidance, exactly as planned.
How lenient are they? What privileges can you have, and what will you be denied?
Pretty strict. He doesn't let you have any outside contact, and you're limited on what you can do when he's gone. He'll bring you some books, maybe something to draw on -- no sharp writing utensils, though. In his mind, that should be enough to occupy you.
You won't get outside walks or visits. It's just too risky for him, and he really doesn't like seeing other people look at you. If you really, really beg, and you've been on amazing behavior, and you're well into your relationship, maybe a few months or so, there's a chance he'll take you out at nighttime, or sunrise, but at the slightest sign of intentions he doesn't like, you'll be dragged back, and you won't see the sun for a long time.
You'll have a very limited wardrobe, he doesn't see why you even need to wear anything, but if you're going to be stubborn, he can get you something simple, like an old shirt and some underwear, but that's about all you can have. Any requests for actual clothing are going to be denied. It's ridiculous for him to spend money on something you don't need, and besides, he prefers it this way, y'know?
What kind of rules do they have? What kind of punishment would they use?
Generally, it's a simple one: obey. You do what he tells you to do, and you don't do something if he tells you not to. This stems to similar rules that develop: be submissive, don't be argumentative, don't be defiant. Follow those, and you can both be happy, and that's what you want, isn't it? It had better be - he's not very lenient, and will harshly punish even small offenses. As for that punishment... most of it isn't going to be sfw. That's just how he is.
What he will do is emotionally manipulate you, and he's rather good at it. You wanted to escape? Ok. He'll let you have your way, let you be alone. All alone. All by yourself, in a little room, with no one at all, which is exactly how you would have left him, had you succeeded. He knows very well how that kind of loneliness bites. He's not totally cruel, though, and he won't withhold affection from you by the time he returns -- he doesn't need to, you'll already be crying and apologizing, which is exactly what he hoped for. Not that he won't briefly mock you for it.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're crying like that because you actually missed me. Oh, you did? Being all alone isn't particularly fun, now is it? I'm sure you understand that now."
How do they deal with rivals, or perceived rivals? Will they get rid of them? Will they kill them themselves, or find another way?
Kaeya's an insanely jealous person. It doesn't show on his face, but it eats at him internally. It doesn't matter if it's a love interest, a platonic friend, even a family member. It's all the same -- people who want to take your attention away from him, people who you smile at that aren't him, people you love that aren't him. He's not one to delude himself into thinking everyone secretly loves you romantically, rather, it doesn't matter. Romantic interests are the worst threat, sure, but friends and family aren't much better.
He sees himself as above killing, though. He has people to do that for him, and he likes knowing that he has that much power. He's not going to dirty his hands with it, and frankly, they're not even worthy of his time and effort to kill them. Knights and other connections can take care of it just as well.
How easy is it to make them mad? What does their anger look like?
As somewhat previously discussed, the primary form of making him mad is attempting an escape. That's on a whole new level of anger because it strikes at a very deep, wounding insecurity. On a normal day, though, he's more easily exasperated than angry. He gets frustrated somewhat easily, especially if you're trying exceptionally hard to be a brat. He has very clear warning signs. His signature little smirk drops, he gets quiet, he balls his hands into fists and digs his fingernails into his palms. At that stage, he's irritable and might snap at you, but won't get too angry until you ignore those signs and push it.
If you do push him, though, he gets genuinely mad, which is a very quiet anger at first -- he doesn't talk much when he's mad. He acts. You'll know he's snapped when he puts down whatever he's doing, and just silently stomps over to you, face completely empty and flat, looking down at you with a cold expression. It's enough to put fear in you, but at that point, even if you apologize, you're not getting out of whatever he's planned.
So they see you as above them, beneath them, or equal to them?
Strongly in the "below" camp, a rather unusual stance for a yandere. Like many things with him, there's an inexplicable duality going on there. You would think that if you loved someone so strongly you'd kidnap them, kill for them, and potentially suffer consequences just to have them, that you would really think highly of them. On the flip side, you would think that if you really saw someone as lowly, you wouldn't care for them, you'd see them as disposable.
But neither is true for Kaeya, no, he balances both obsessive love and complete narcissism regarding you. You're not disposable, no, he can't live without you, he needs you. But at the same time, you're not gonna be on any kind of pedestal. No, if anything, he sees himself on one, more like a throne, and you on the floor before him, how things should be.
He has a similar mindset to Zhongli or Albedo - you're fragile, you're dumb, you're incapable, and you need someone to care for you, protect you, guide you, someone who knows what's best for you, since you clearly don't. However, he's lacking in the attitude those other two have -- there's no seeing you as an angel here. There's no viewing himself as being absolutely honored to take care of you, or viewing protecting and caring for you as some kind of privilege that they're blessed to do, the way those two do.
No, as much as he loves those things, he'll never admit it, not even to himself really. Rather, his mentality is that you should be grateful. Here he is, a very highly respected, accomplished, capable person, and you...? You have what to offer, exactly? That's right, nothing, really, only cuteness and obedience, the latter of which you refuse to give him even though you really ought to. He's taking on the burden of making sure you don't get yourself killed, and how do you repay him? By getting mad about it, throwing a fit like some little kid? He puts up with your tantrums, which are really undeserved, by the way. He puts up with your disobedience and repeated rule violations, your sheer determination to defy him when he's going out of his way to do what's best for you.
One day, he thinks, you'll mature a little bit and understand why he does what he does, and when you do, you'll come groveling and sniffling about how sorry you are, how you'll never defy him again, how you'll be good and obedient from now on, and he'll love every second of it. He looks forward to that day quite a bit.
"Sigh... you know, you're pretty lucky I love you so much. You could stand to show me a little thanks, don't you think?"
How determined are they for you to love them? How hard will they try to make it happen? Or are they content just having you?
He's strongly determined, and yet... doesn't do much to try. It goes back to his mindset that really, you're the one who should be grateful for him, and eventually, you will love him. He's not gonna grovel to you or try different ways of making you love him, no, he's far too proud for that. But he's a smart man. He knows the effects that complete and total isolation other than one other person can have on someone. He's just going to sit back and wait for that effect to kick in, and slowly watch your fragile little mind deteriorate until you're desperate for affection. At which point, well, he can use it against you.
"You were so mean to me before, weren't you? You fought me every step of the way, and now you're just going to turn around and act like that didn't happen...? Well, if you're really sorry, I'll forgive you. But how am I supposed to believe you really are...? Maybe you can think of a way to prove it, hm?"
Bonus: Is there anything that makes them unique, in comparison to other yanderes?
Probably the severity of his degradation. As aforementioned, most yanderes, even the more confident or cocky individuals, either worship the ground their beloved walks on and sees themselves as beneath them, OR sees their darling as some sort of fragile, angelic being, and they are simply a protector or caretaker to that being.
It's a bit different with him, ever the narcissist. It's a strange duality born out of a rare mix of neediness, obsession, and pride. You're more like a toy, or a pet - an invaluable pet that he could never part with, but a pet nonetheless. He certainly looks down on you more than the average yandere - he mentally associates you as naive, fragile, even dumb like a lot of the aforementioned protector/caretaker types, but without the reverence to make up for it.
It's a bizarre duality that not even he fully understands - don't think for a moment that that means he'll ever tire of you, or view you as disposable. No, he's actually one of the most obsessive ones, yet very demanding of attention and praise, rather than giving it.
He frequently tests you - things like leaving the door unlocked, waiting outside just to see if you'll try it. Seeing you open that door, watching your face go from ecstatic excitement and drop to wide-eyed terror, it's priceless.
"My, my, you didn't waste any time at all, did you? Why do you look so surprised...? You should know I wouldn't slip up that badly."
Pet names, but in the most infuriatingly condescending way, and uses them more often when he's mad and trying to warn you that you're pushing his limits. Particularly fond of "sweetheart," especially with a low warning tone and clenched teeth.
General perverseness: how sexual of a person are they? What’s their drive like? How touchy do they get? Do they have any reservations about sexuality?
Horny fucker, all the way. The man has a lot of stress and frustration in his life already, that much more if you're... less than compliant with your new lifestyle. Sex, especially rough and hard, is a fantastic stress reliever.
Very little reservation. He's not crude about it, but he tends to make subtle innuendos very frequently, and laughs at your embarrassed reactions. Definitely the type to pull the whole shtick in which he says something with a blatant sexual undertone, then elaborates in a way to make it sound like having meant something else, follows with that smirk and says, "Why? What did you think I meant?" It's something he really enjoys doing, and loves to get embarrassed reactions out of people, particularly yourself.
"Touchy" doesn't begin to describe it. Pretty much from the moment you meet him, he's got his hands somewhere on your person. He grabs your shoulders when he stands behind you, he wraps an arm around you from the side when he walks up to you, he's always pressing his hands on your back and sides whenever you're navigating the streets, walking through doorways, wraps an arm around your waist when sitting next to you. It's highly uncomfortable, but really, he's just got something very subtly, but very strongly intimidating about him. You almost don't want to confront him on it. If you do, he'll laugh it off, and stop -- for maybe 48 hours or so, and then he'll be right back at it.
To the surprise of, well, everyone who's ever met him, he doesn't actually live up to the rumors of having been around the block, so to speak. His experience is actually little to none - that kinda happens when you push everyone around you away. Not that he'd ever let you know that, of course, and will probably lie if asked, but you can gleam a little bit of truth from slightly awkward movements and a bit of noticeable shakiness.
How forceful are they? Do they care about your willingness?
Kind of like Razor, the issue is that he loves you, and what better way is there of expressing love? He's not much for gift-giving or words of affirmation - no, he's a lot better with words of degradation, it comes more naturally to him. And he's certainly not one to enjoy acts of service -- well, not doing them, he'll gladly take them as a sign of your love, though. No, he expresses love through touch. It's like how, when you hug someone you really love, someone you missed, you squeeze them extra tight - the love manifests as a physical urge for some strong expression. Humans are physical about their emotions -- we punch walls when we're mad, we jump up and down when we're happy, and when you love someone, sometimes you just really, really want to pound them into a mattress as hard as physically possible. That's normal. That, and really, he's got his vices. He's actually fairly weak when it comes to resisting temptations, and prone to give in to urges for physical sensations like drunkenness and sex.
Is another one to be convinced that, with time, you'll come around. And is absolutely the top candidate to be one for using your own body against you - if you get wet, if you whimper, if you cum, that's just proof that you really do want this, that you're just being difficult because you enjoy being a brat, and he'll be sure to tell you that.
What sort of kinks or fetishes do they have, or would they fill?
This is nearly indistinguishable from punishment, sadistic bastard
D/S dynamics
Arrogant fucker wants to be served and worshipped, you could see it coming from a mile away. Anything that puts you beneath him is going to make him happy - anything where you're where you're supposed to be. There's a lot of options, but it doesn't really matter, as long as he feels like he's in control and ownership of you in some way, and as long as you act accordingly.
He wants it to be something that’s not just for sex, but rather, he’ll end up carrying it over into normal life, whether you like it or not. If you just went along with it in hopes of getting it over with once he cums, you’re going to be in for a treat when it starts to carry over. He gets a little too used to being worshipped, and decides he likes that submissive attitude on you enough to want to see it all the time.
Petplay/Collaring
It really helps that he sees you as something of a pet already, but really, the collar is the selling point. Even if you never go outside, there's something unbearably hot about the possessiveness of it all - really, it's there to remind you of your status as property. He wants to own you, and for you to be forced to acknowledge that he owns you, and there's really no better way to do that than something with his name on it. It's even better with a leash, one he can pull on when he's fucking you to pull you back onto him over, and over, and over, hearing it choke you the more he shortens it.
But really, having you crawl towards him on all fours and obey little commands so simple they're humiliating is pretty nice, too.
Impact pain/painplay
There's really nothing quite so powerful feeling as watching you cry and squirm from it, y'know? He's another one that just likes the marks his hands, belts, or anything else can leave all over the skin of your ass and the back of your legs. The thing with him, though, is it's not even always a punishment, he just does it for fun, and that makes it unpredictable. Will definitely make you count, it's a sadistic torture for your mind and body.
Throatfucking
May be used as a punishment measure, may just be because he's craving it, either way, even if you have a gag reflex, you won't for very long. He'll train it out of you gradually, grabbing the back of your head and just slamming all the way down into your throat, holding you there, making you choke - it's a beautiful sound, really, listening to you gag, all while your throat spasms around him, it's the best feeling, really, and will definitely be used as a threat if you need incentives to behave.
Choking
Ties into the dynamics, but really, there’s not much to say on this one. He likes the power trip from having his hands wrapped around your throat, seeing you struggle, watching your face go red, hearing those little choking noises. It puts power over you into his hands, and if you get pleasure from it against your own will, that’s even better.
How do they feel about pregnancy or babies? Do they want them?
Absolutely one of the ones to use it as a tool. If you have a baby, you'll be so much more bound to him. You'll need him more, you'll want him around more, you'll be much less likely to leave, and in a way it feels a little bit like a sign of ownership over you.
That being said, he's also acutely aware of his jealous tendencies, and realizes he would also be very likely to become jealous if he felt like you loved a baby more than him, or gave it more attention and affection than you do him. He doesn't like the thought.
So ultimately, the latter side prevents him from willingly trying, but if you really, really have defiance issues even after he's tried everything he can to break you help you adjust, he might consider it.
What kind of (nsfw) punishments would they use?
If it's mild enough, he can just take the route of extremely rough fucking - it gets rid of the frustration, he likes hearing you whimper and squeal, and he can leave lots of little bruises as reminders of what not to do in the future.
But, again, he already gets off to putting you in pain - it'll be that much worse when you've done something to deserve it. Harder hits, no mercy whatsoever, and he just loves all your little cries, wiping away your tears and smiling at you, right before bringing down whatever instrument of pain he's chosen again. If you really, really make him mad, and he really wants to make you cry, he's not above fucking your ass, either, watching you cry and beg, but you'll learn with time that begging doesn't ever get you out of anything.
What body parts of their darling do they like the most?
Definitely an ass man. Likes fucking you in doggy, seeing the ripple every time you bounce back off of him, pulling your hair or arms to add some force. He likes seeing all the little red marks that his hands and belts and anything else will leave on the skin, views it like marks of possession. Grabbing, beating, fucking, it's all good.
#Jesus take the wheel im too nasty for this#yandere x reader#yandere genshin impact#yandere kaeya#tw: dark content#tw: noncon#tw: non/con
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Don’t Make Me Be The Bad Guy
Pairing(s): Pre-romantic Moceit
Warnings: Dystopian future, implied torture
Characters: Janus Sanders, Patton Sanders, Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Remus Sanders, Virgil Sanders
Summary: After seven years of fighting, Patton and his superhero team finally capture the super villain known as Deceit. But when Patton discovers evidence that sheds a new light on their nemesis he starts to wonder... Did he do the right thing?
Word Count: 9411
Author’s Note: For @dramaticsnakes, who’s a wonderful reader and writer. And special thanks to @rainbowbutterfrosting who helped me finish this when I almost wanted to give up.
(Also, as always I upload and edit the mistakes out after, so bear with me)
Read on AO3
In the end, it had been Patton who had struck the final blow.
It had been mostly a matter of luck, really. One moment where Patton managed to break through the henchmen’s defences. One moment where he saw that their nemesis’ back was turned to him. One moment where he made a split decision.
One moment. And that moment had made all the difference.
He didn’t quite realize he had thrown one of his famous lightning bolts until it hit square between his enemy’s shoulder blades. He stood there, paralyzed, as Janus Lyre (alias Doctor Deceit) crumbled to the floor. The battle around them grounded to a halt as well, as the henchmen saw their leader unconscious at the feet of their enemies. His teammates froze as well, looking up at Patton in gaping disbelief.
When time finally seemed to start again, everything went by in a blur. The henchmen managed to escape, unfortunately with the super weapon Patton and his team had come to destroy. But it didn’t even seem to matter.
“By Odin’s beard, Padre!” Roman lifts him up in a hug. “You did it!!”
“I… I did?” Patton confusedly asks, still feeling a little dizzy.
“You got him! You actually got him!” Roman puts him back on his feet with a giant grin on his face. “We can finally put him away!”
“But the weapon-!”
“Forget the weapon! We’ve got the bastard, Heart!” Virgil grins. “After seven years we finally got him! It’s over!”
“Well, not exactly,” Logan pipes in, although he can’t seem to stop grinning too. “There’s still the matter of rounding up the rest of his organization-”
“Technical details, my friend!” Roman dramatically waves Logan’s objections away. “We got their leader! Not a henchman, not some lackey, their actual leader! How long do you think until their little League of Losers falls apart?”
“Even so,” Logan says. “Better not celebrate until Doctor Deceit is safely behind bars. You three search the building. Who knows, maybe some of his henchmen are still hiding somewhere,” Logan throws a scornful look down at the unconscious Janus at their feet. “I will stay here and stand guard.”
“Ah yes, I was just about to suggest that!” Roman says as he flips his hair proudly. “Great intuition, Nerdy and the Brain!”
“Yes, sounds like a good plan!” Patton quickly squeaks as Logan gains a look that says he’s about a minute away from using his telekinesis to throw Roman across the room. “How about you call in our superiors, Logan? We need to put this villain behind bars!”
“Excellent idea, Heart Shock.” Logan says gratefully, while ignoring Roman’s protesting noises. Roman loved making the calls on jobs well done (which to be fair hadn’t occurred often lately).
“Great!” Patton grabs the hand of the still protesting Roman and pulls him along. “Come on Prince!”
Roman pouts and grumbles, but allows Patton to pull him further into the dark lair. He catches a glimpse of Virgil’s grin before he turns a corner.
“Bet you I can find something cool before you do!” Patton smiles up at Roman. His teammate’s grumpy face instantly brightens.
“Oh, you’re on Padre!”
Dissolving into giggles Patton and Roman run down the halls. Roman could easily outfly him, yet he chooses to run alongside Patton for now. Giddily Patton runs towards a promising looking door at the end of the hallway.
Throwing it open he however sags in disappointment as the room they found only holds a couple cardboard boxes.
“Bah, nothing of importance,” Roman says as he kicks over the boxes and nothing but rusty spare mechanical parts fall out. “I suppose even villains need a trash cupboard. Come Heart!” Roman levitates from the ground. “Let us find something more dastardly!”
Before Patton can say anything Roman flies out of the room. Judging from the clanging sounds he’s already searching in a room further ahead. Patton casts one last glance around the room before he shrugs and turns to follow.
He pauses.
Uncertainly he turns around again. Something about the room doesn’t feel… Right. He knows it, yet he can’t put his finger on it why exactly. His powers crackle in his veins, sensing the off-ness in the air.
Cautiously Patton walks around the room, circling the walls slowly with one hand trailing amongst the bricks. The sense of wrongness only increases until…
In front of a seemingly bare wall he stops. There it is. He feels an unusual amount of electricity clustering behind the stone, yet the wall shows no outer signs of being anything else than… Well, a wall. Curiously Patton puts both his hands on the bricks and closes his eyes.
The world behind his eyelids lights up in bursts of electricity. His power hums in tune with the wires inside the walls, stringing all over the building and mapping out the lair in his mind’s eye in perfect detail. Patton only takes short notice of it before he calls his powers back and focuses it all on the wall before him. Yes, there it was. His powers outline a door in the wall, carefully hidden behind a buzzing security system.
Well, no match for him! Patton only needs to concentrate for a few seconds to have the electricity revert and change directions. Flexing his fingers and furrowing his brow he wills the electricity to move into the opposite direction, to change their route, until finally he hears a click. Patton opens his eyes. He pulls his hands back as the wall shifts and a door opens, so seamlessly hidden in the brick it was invisible to the bare eye. Patton allows himself a proud grin. Oh, he was on a roll today!
Patton steps into the room, his footsteps echoing in the darkness. He searches for a light switch, but he can’t find one nearby. No matter! With a soft snap small lightning bolts dance on his fingers, revealing rich red walls which somehow complimented the flickering lightning in his hands.
The room is mostly bare, apart from a table in the centre of the room. It’s covered with various maps, some showing population size while others showing outlines of cities, roads and shops. There were some pencils and pens in the middle of the table, most sharp and pointed while a few were so dull that they couldn't be used anymore.
Patton noticed only one chair at the table. He only looked at it, remembering the times were Logan lectured him about not touching the crime scene unless absolutely necessary. Still, the chair seemed comfortable, the black leather clearly in great condition.
His eyes drift slightly downwards towards the cabinets under the table. They all looked the same to him, a spruce colour with a silver handle that could be pulled out. He crouches as he tries to pull open the drawer without ruining the possibility of getting fingerprints. What kind of horrors would he find in there? Knowing Janus it was probably something awful, like torture devices, or puppets of them with their eyes crossed out, or… Or…
Not able to take it any longer, Patton pulls open the drawer. He draws back, covering his face with his arms and waiting for poisonous darts or something to strike out and hit him. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Patton carefully peeks over his arms.
Inside the drawer... is just files. No cyanide, no razor-sharp knives, just... files. Patton lowers his arms and opens the one next to it, with more haste than the last one, only to find more files. Huh… That’s… Not what he was expecting? He honestly didn't know what he expected to find. It's not like the files were bad to find, it just didn't give him the rush of putting in the last piece to a puzzle. Capturing Janus almost felt like that. He knew he should have been more proud of himself, but this wasn't even close to the end of it. There still were all of Janus' accomplices and the propaganda he spread throughout several cities to take care of after all. Maybe the files had the names of his accomplices in them?
Forgetting Logan’s warning about contaminating the crime scene Patton grabs one of the files from the drawer and absentmindedly flips it open.
A scream echoes across the halls. Patton jerks up, forgetting the papers in his hand as the sound of struggle trail toward him. He jumps up, stuffs the files in his jacket before he runs back to where they left their enemy tied up.
It appears that backup had arrived, and in that same time their enemy had woken up. Several soldiers struggle with restraining a livid Janus, who trashes in their grip as they try to drag him into an awaiting prison van. They had managed to gag him before he woke, a muzzle strapped to his face to protect the soldiers from the venom of both his words and his fangs. He fights wildly, but in the end he is still one man against too many. As they finally wrestle him to the ground to clap him in handcuffs, he and Patton make eye contact.
Despite that he just knocked the man unconscious, despite that Janus is currently lying on the ground restrained by ten men, Patton instinctively takes a step back from the pure fury in those mismatched eyes.
Janus looks at him like he singlehandedly doomed the world.
One soldier pushes a taser onto his neck. Janus’ eyes roll back in his head as he convulses on the ground, muffled cries coming from behind the muzzle. When the taser withdraws Janus slumps to the ground, unconscious once more. Finally the soldiers can drag him into the prison van.
“Haha, yes!!” Roman yells. “You shall taste justice now, villain!”
Roman laughs, but it is only when the doors of the van close and they drive off that Patton feels like he can breathe again.
--
The press conferences were always Patton’s least favourite part. To stand next to their CEO, listening to a briefing of yet another failed mission while the people in the crowd shook their head in disapproval had always been torture. The longer the years went on the worse the pressure to actually defeat their villain became. To come back to the cameras every time Janus escaped became worse and worse as the years went on. The disappointment of not only the AEP, but of the people… That alone felt worse than any punch he had ever gotten in battle.
Now however Patton felt like he could just burst from all the excitement. He could barely stand still enough for his stylists to brush his hair into a tamer shape. He peeked behind the curtains to the gilded ballroom beyond. The AEP had chosen this specific ballroom to announce the big news on purpose. Just two years ago Janus and his horrid crew had crashed a fundraiser being held here and had stolen all the people’s so graciously donated funds for a new hotel. They hadn’t been able to capture him. It had been an awful night!
To be here again was to show that villain they were not afraid. That they could claim back the spaces he so rudely invaded. Seeing all the people in their beautiful evening gowns and best jewellery now made Patton want to burst out from behind the curtain to yell at them that they were safe!! He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, wanted to yell at the entire world!
You are safe! We rescued you! I defeated the villain, I did, I did-!!
“Here are our heroes of the day!”
Distracted Patton looks back to see their CEO has come backstage. Bentley Ceund is a man in his late fifties, with a bleach blond hair dye job that does not quite hide away his grey roots, as always dressed in a stylishly expensive suit. He was the one who had founded the AEP, or An Endless Peace organization, all those years ago. Yet outside of press conferences they did not see him often. And even when they did, it were often meetings filled with harsh words and bitter disappointment.
“Have I wasted all my money on THIS?!” Their CEO had bellowed at them the last time they had seen him, when Janus had destroyed several important construction sites. “On FAILURES who can’t even capture ONE MEASLY MAN?!” Angry spit had hit Patton in the face as he struggled to hold back tears when Bentley had moved in close and screamed in their faces. “You’re a fucking EMBARRESEMENT to ME and the company who RAISED YOU FROM BIRTH!! UNGRATEFUL, WORTHLESS WASTES OF TIME!!”
Their TV and leisure time privileges had been taken away from them for quite some time back then.
That screaming man from last time was a far cry from the smiling one that approaches them now however. No, he in fact gives the others a joyful hug and praise. Roman and Logan beam, and even Virgil smiles hesitantly. When he turns to him Patton nervously fidgets for a moment, but Bentley gives him the possibly the grandest smile out of all of them.
“Heart Shock!” Bentley laughs as he draws Patton into a hug. He never uses their real names, even though he knew them by those well before their superhero names. “Well done, my boy!”
“T-Thank you sir!” Patton says excitedly, almost melting into the hug despite the overwhelming smell of body spray. He can’t help it. It wasn’t often he was the one who got most of the praise. That was usually either Logan or Roman. “I couldn’t have done it without the others though-!”
“No need to be so modest,” Bentley draws back from the hug, put keeps his hands on Patton’s shoulder. “I’ve read the report. You are the one shot down that son of a bitch!
“Oh, well,” Patton flusters. “Anyone could have done it-!”
But in the end it was you.” Their CEO chuckles, almost fondly. “Be proud of yourself, son. Thanks to you…” Bentley pats him on the shoulder. “The company is safe again.”
“And the innocent civilians, sir!” Patton helpfully says.
“Hmm? Oh yes, those too I suppose.”
Patton frowns lightly, but before he can say anything Bentley’s PA interrupts.
“Mister Ceund? The program is about to begin.”
“Ah, yes! It’s time boys!” Bentley grins towards his superheroes. “Let’s tell the world what we have achieved today!” He gives Patton a pat on his cheek before he turns and walks to the curtains, waiting for the moment to make his grand entrance. Patton frowns, but he doesn’t have the time to think for long. Their CEO walks onto the stage where thunderous applause greets him. Eventually Patton just shrugs and stands with his teammates, dismissing the uncomfortable thoughts.
As the applause slowly grows to a halt, Bentley takes centre stage. “Today is a momentous occasion,” He says into the microphone. “After seven years of making our streets unsafe, the villain known as Doctor Deceit has finally been put behind bars!”
The crowd erupts into applause, filling the gilded ballroom with cheers and cameras flashing. Beside him Virgil flinches from the sudden noise. Patton discretely slips his hand into Virgil’s and squeezes. Virgil gives a grateful squeeze back.
“Today, history has been made. Today this organization has finally achieved that which we have promised you, all those years ago…” Their CEO pauses for a second, before proudly continuing. “An Endless Peace.”
The crowd applauds again, laughing politely at the reference of the company name.
“But of course, we did not do it alone!”
Patton and the others took a deep breath. Right. Time for the show!
“Please welcome your heroes! Here is Prince Charming!”
On that cue Roman flies up from behind the curtains and the crowd erupts into cheers. Roman flies his usual round over the crowd, occasionally sharing a high-five with an audience member and flashing his fans a million-dollar smile. Several men and women giggle and blush behind their hands as he flips his hair and blows kisses to the crowd.
“Show-off…” Virgil silently scoffs beside him.
“Come now, Virge,” Patton whispers back. “You know Roman loves the cameras! Let him have his fun.”
Virgil rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but still a fond smile curls up his lips.
“Next, give it up for Brain Teaser!”
Logan purses his lips and sighs, but makes his entrance from behind the curtains anyway. Virgil and Patton exchange a knowing look. They’d listened to plenty of Logan’s rants about how ‘utterly illogical’ the serious man thought his superhero name was. Unfortunately the public was by now too familiar with the name to even suggest renaming him.
“Let me hear you for Stormcloud!”
Virgil supresses a shudder yet he still reluctantly dematerializes, only to rematerialize on stage in a cloud of shadows. While the crowd only grows in volume Patton winces in sympathy. The EAP knows how much Virgil can’t stand loud sounds, but for the audience he has to bear it with a smile. It was a weakness their enemies had exploited frequently. Janus would often blast high-pitched noises at such a volume Virgil would crumble where he stood, allowing him to escape over and over.
Well, Patton thinks with a tinge of pride, he won’t harm his friends ever again now.
“And of course, last but certainly not least… The man of the hour! The hero who struck the deciding blow! Put your hands together for HEART SHOCK!”
The curtains are drawn and Patton is momentarily blinded from the hundreds of cameras flashing and deafened by the crowd cheering. Squinting Patton stands in the spotlight, dizzily smiling at the onslaught of praise that is directed his way. He walks forward- Although it feels like stumbling is a better word- to the front of the stage to where the CEO waits for him with a smile. Journalists crowd the stage as they shout questions.
“Heart Shock!! Heart Shock, over here-!”
“Heart Shock, how do you feel-?”
“What was going through your head?”
“How did you take the villain down? We want all the juicy details-!”
“Everyone, everyone! Please!” Bentley laughs. “One question at a time, please!”
Patton yelps as Bentley puts an arm around his shoulders and pulls him into a side hug like he’s a proud father. The cameras around them go nuts as their CEO smiles and poses with Patton.
“How are you feeling, Heart Shock?” One journalist manages to yell over the cacophony of questions.
“W-Well…” Patton stammers into the microphone. “I-I feel quite proud-!”
“A well deserved pride, my boy!” Bentley says jovially as he squeezes his shoulder.
“Yeah… I suppose it is-!” Patton smiles.
“Heart Shock! How do you think the villain will react to his status as prisoner?” One journalist yells, a question that is met with gaudy giggles.
“I guess…” Patton says with hesitant excitement. “He’ll find it…” He snaps his fingers, lightning dancing over his hands as he finger guns at the audience. “Quite shocking?”
To Patton’s bewildered delight the entire audience erupts into laughs. Even Bentley next to him laughs, while he had always disapprovingly glared before when Patton made a pun. Patton can’t stop the grin that spreads on his face even if he had wanted to.
The rest of the evening goes by in a haze. As the press conference part of the evening ends and the superheroes must mingle with the guests, the praise just keeps on coming. Patton gets patted on the back, hugged and complimented. The sheer amount of attention is dizzying. Patton can’t stop smiling throughout all of it. It might just be the best evening in his life.
It isn’t until he’s in bed, still glowing with pride and from all the praise, that Patton remembers the files in his jacket.
His superhero jacket lays thrown into a corner, cast aside earlier as he quickly got into a clean, more sleek version of his hero outfit for the press conference. Giving it a glance from where he sits on his bed he’s almost tempted to leave it until next morning. His handlers had actually given him hot chocolate and two cookies before bed! Two!! That was a treat he didn’t often get! He just wants to enjoy them in peace.
Still… Perhaps he could hand them over tomorrow, announcing all the wicked plans that are undoubtedly in the files that he had also stopped when he captured Janus. Grinning at that mental image Patton gets up from and retreats back into his comfy bed with the files, munching on a cookie as he lazily starts skimming through the papers.
An hour later his hot chocolate has long run cold and the second cookie lies forgotten on its tray. Patton sits straight up in his bed, the files open on his knees and his gaze firmly locked on the wall in front of him. His first cookie feels like lead in his stomach.
It couldn’t be the truth… It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be!!
Abruptly coming back into motion Patton stuffs the files under his mattress and turns off the light to sleep, determined not to even consider or think about what is in them anymore. Yet it takes him until the first rays of dawn to finally fall asleep, and even when he does sleep his dreams are filled with mismatched eyes that look at him with a gaze that burns, burns, burns…
During the days of the week that follows he’s fine. He can smile and take the praise that he’s still showered with daily, with the files only a distant memory.
During the nights, however… Patton can’t seem to shake the image of those eyes. Furious, loathing mismatched eyes, looking at him like he singlehandedly doomed the world. The files underneath his mattress seem to burn a hole in his soft bedding, demanding his attention.
It is only a week later when he awakens from yet another nightmare plagued by those accusing eyes that Patton realizes this can’t go on. He has to know what it all means, or he might go mad with the questions that swarm his mind.
--
The next night Patton foregoes his bed in favour of slipping out of his room into the quiet halls of the facility, the files tucked away in his jacket. Sweat beads down his forehead, the familiar thrum of electricity inside the walls only a faint comfort. Although he only needs to make the barest effort to make the security cameras divert from him, the action still makes his hands shake. As he sneaks into the elevator at the end of the hall he inspects the buttons. You need a special pass to go to the very lowest level. But Patton only needs to send a pulse of electricity into the elevator to make the security system think he’s been granted access. As the doors close Patton swallows. No going back now.
The elevator ride feels both too long and too short. When finally the doors glide open to reveal a long hall Patton fastens his pace. He passes other closed cells, some of which he hears murmurs from behind their closed doors, but he does not slow down until he reaches the door at the very end of the hall. Door 409… Holding the highest level of security prison cell they have.
He glances backwards for a second, before he takes a deep breath and places his hands on the door. He feels the electricity answering as he redirects the flow. It’s hard. Harder than the vault in the lair, harder than tricking the elevator had been. Sweat starts to bead on his forehead, as he carefully has to divert his powers through layer upon layer of security, careful in case he triggers an alarm somewhere.
He isn’t quite sure how much time passes, but at long last the door finally, finally opens. Patton enters, and quickly slides the door closed again. His heart hammers in his throat as he presses his hands to the door and listens for the sound of the alarm going off.
It doesn’t come. He had done it. Exhaling a shaky breath Patton leans his forehead against the metal door, cooling his flushed skin.
“Well, well, well,” A smooth voice drawls behind him. “Look what the cat dragged in…”
Patton’s shoulders tense. He had hoped to never hear that voice again. A part of him is tempted to leave, but the files pressed against his chest still burn. So he gathers all his courage and slowly turns around.
The cell in the middle of the room is a monstrosity of glass and metal, bare apart from a simple bed. The security system surrounding it buzzes with the sheer amount of electricity it needs, making it dizzying even to Patton. It is only a small distraction however from the person all that electricity is holding prison, standing in the middle of that glass cell with his arms crossed at his back. Like he had been expecting him.
“My sincerest apologies for the mess. I wasn’t expecting such important company,” Janus grins. “Should I feel honoured that the famed Heart Shock is visiting little old me in my cell?”
Patton swallows. He had hoped that the villain would have been less frightening now, pulled away from his usual shadows and dragged into the light for once. He wasn’t. If anything the simple white prison grubs he wore instead of his usual black suits and the bright LED lightning only enhances how alien, how otherworldly he really is. The green scales trailing down his sharp face, the fangs glistening in that all too familiar mocking grin, the tall willowy frame that nonetheless packs a surprising amount of strength… The man in front of him is more monster than human. Patton wonders for a second if he ever was human to begin with.
“Oh, look at you,” Janus chuckles softly as the silence between them stretches on. “Like a frightened little mouse in the snake’s den… Whatever will he do now?”
Patton puffs out his chest indignantly. “I’m not afraid of you!” He says, ignoring how Janus raises an eyebrow with an amused smile. “I’m not! You have no power here! You’re our prisoner!”
“Really?” Janus mockingly drawls. “Well, pardon me for not believing you whilst you look like that.”
Patton belatedly realizes what kind of picture he paints. Pressed up against the door, as far away from the glass as he possibly can. Not exactly the fearless superhero everyone expected him to be.
Closing his eyes for a second, Patton takes a deep breath and steps forward. Cautiously he approaches the cell, his footsteps in sync with Janus’ until they both halt at the glass, right in front of each other. Patton stares up at his nemesis, more confident than he feels. Right into the mismatched eyes who have haunted his nightmares for almost a week now. He swallows, clenching his fist to hide that they’re shaking.
“While I’m definitely thrilled to have you here,” Janus smirks down at him. “I’m afraid I’m a very busy man, and don’t have time to have a staring contest with you. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Patton opens his mouth to ask what the heck he would be busy with, he’s a prisoner, but stops himself. That’s a discussion that would lead him nowhere, and he came here with a purpose.
“I’m here to talk with you.” He says instead.
“Congratulations, you just did,” Janus yawns, a forked tongue lazily flicking out from between sharp fangs. “If that was all, darling-”
“No! I mean-” Patton zips open his jacket and pulls out the files. “I’m here to talk about these.”
Janus’ eyes narrow when he spots the files, the only outward reaction he shows. Yet the temperature between them seems to drop to freezing level.
“I’ve never seen those before in my life.” Janus says airily.
“I found them in your lair!” Patton counters. “In a hidden compartment in the wall!”
“Did you now? How interesting.” Janus lazily inspects his fingernails. Patton frowns as he spots Janus’ left arm is completely wrapped up in white bandages. He can’t recall that they gave him an arm injury. He opens his mouth to ask, but shakes his head. He had to focus on this.
“These are your plans!”
“No they’re not.”
“Oh yeah?” Patton flips open the files. “Then how do you explain your name on top of these papers?”
“Can I help it that ‘Janus’ is such a popular name?”
“These are all written in your handwriting!”
“Preposterous. My handwriting is much neater.”
“All your old plans are in this, and some future ones!” Patton shouts exasperatedly.
“Pure coincidence.”
“Stop,” Patton grits out through clenched teeth. “Stop denying! I know these are yours!”
“If you’re so sure, why ask me at all?” Janus disinterestedly brushes away some invisible dust from his shoulder. “Why haven’t you immediately shown them to your superiors, like the good obedient lackey that you are?”
“Who says that I haven’t?” Patton responds heatedly.
With a growl Janus suddenly throws a fist against the glass, his eyes flashing dangerously. Patton jumps backwards, his throat squeezing shut before a startled scream can escape him.
“Don’t. Lie. To me.” Janus spits. “If you had shown them, you wouldn’t be here chatting with me in the middle of the night. Admit it.”
“I… No.” Patton finally shakes his head, gripping the files tightly between his hands. “No, I didn’t…”
“There we go…” Janus draws his hand back and crosses his arms again behind his back, his easy smile back. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Heart Shock. Have your masters never told you it’s bad to lie?”
Patton bites his lip. It was true that he’d be in so much trouble if his superiors ever found out that he lied. But surely they would understand him lying to their enemy, wouldn’t they?
“You’re one to talk!” Patton says instead. “You lie all the time!”
“Says who?” Janus drawls with a mocking smile.
“Says me! You lied every time we fought, you just lied multiple times to my face-!”
“No I didn’t.”
“-And you lie in these files!!” Patton shrieks, waving the files in front of the villain’s nose. Janus’ smile falls and his face darkens.
“Oh? Pray tell, Patton.” Janus sneers, and Patton snaps back in shock at hearing his actual name coming from the villain’s mouth.
“H-How did you-?”
“Why exactly would you think I lied in these files?” Janus tilts his head. “If I wrote them, that is.”
“Because... Because-!” Patton flips angrily through the files. “Because these files say you used the money you stole from the hotel fundraiser two years ago to finance black market medication research!”
The hero looks up triumphantly, expecting Janus to laugh and simper about how gullible he is for believing such an obvious decoy. Janus however doesn’t laugh. He shows not even a hint of his mockery as he silently listens. Patton’s triumph falters, and he flips once more through the files to avoid that calm gaze.
“A-And here!” Patton pulls another paper from the file. “In here you claim that you kidnapped the scientist Emile Picani because the AEP made him design weapons, not new mental health robots!”
Still no response. Patton scowls as he holds up another paper. “This says you destroyed a construction site for a new factory because the output would pollute the town’s only water resource!”
“They were also exploiting the builders,” Janus finally interrupts. “Forced them to work under horridly unsafe conditions for barely a quarter of the salary they needed to support their families.”
“Yes!!” Patton throws the files down with frustrated force, making the papers fly everywhere. “You… You… You keep lying in these files, making us appear like the bad guys! Is this what you tell the people? To brainwash them into joining your stupid little gang?”
“Me? Brainwashing? HA!” Janus shakes his head. “That’s a laugh and a half…”
“I’m onto you, Deceit!” Patton proudly puffs out his chest. “I see right through your tricks!”
“Oh, of course you do,” Janus smiles down at him like he’s a child who just badly solved a puzzle game. “Nothing gets past you. Truly, I’m so impressed.”
Patton’s certainty wanes. Villains who just got their plans exposed should look angry, not like they’re secretly laughing at you.
“Well, if you’re done spouting wild accusations, would you mind closing the door behind you?” Janus stretches his arms above him. “I want to get my eight hours of sleep in before I get thrown into the next torture session tomorrow, thank you very much.”
“Torture-? Oh, haha, very funny!”
“Not joking, unfortunately-”
“Why do you do this??” Patton has to resist to stomp his feet in frustration. “Why do you keep on lying?”
Janus lowers his arms, his smile falling away. “I don’t.” He says. The seriousness of his voice throws Patton off, but even so he scoffs.
“Yes, you do!”
“I really don’t. There’s not a single word in those files that isn’t the honest truth.”
“Yeah, right,” Patton crosses his arms. “Tell that to the people outside! Or to my superiors!”
“Oh, by all means, bring them in,” Janus says seriously. “Bring them all in! Your precious masters, all my supposed victims… I think you’ll find that they’ll all agree with my side of the story.”
Patton opens and closes his mouth a few times, uncertainly. The rigid seriousness of the other makes him more nervous than he hopes he lets on. He was so used to the dangerously charming smooth talking Janus that he had no idea what to do with this calm, somber Janus. Oh, why hadn’t he taken Logan with him? He would have known what to say!
“Oh really?” Patton eventually says, sounding more sure of himself than he actually was. “What exactly is ‘your side of the story’? Go ahead, I could use a laugh!”
“You want to know, little mouse?” Janus says, and just like that the dangerous smile was back. “You really want to know?”
Patton swallows, but tilts his chin up defiantly. “Yes.”
“Well, you asked for it…” Janus hums thoughtfully, gathering his thoughts for a second. “My side of the story is about how years ago a small company gained interest. Funded by the richest of the rich of the world this company created unwilling abominations. Children reared only to use as weapons to hold the world hostage. So that those richest of the rich could create a planet where the lowest of the low were forced to work for them. Leeching of the world’s natural resources like parasites, while the rest of us peasants suffer as a result. Of course, that was the system even before these children became their shiny new atom bombs, but now… Now they had safeguard. A safety net that ensured no one would ever dare to rebel against them. Well…” Janus smiles. “Almost no one…” Janus inspects his fingernails casually again. “Of course, to make sure they wouldn’t be bothered by such things as icky morals, they justify their actions by saying it was for the greater good! By saying this system created…” Janus raises an eyebrow at Patton. “An Endless Peace?”
A silence falls between them. Then Patton lets out a disbelieving laugh.
“Really? You think I’m going to believe that? I’m not dumb, you know!”
“Dumb, maybe not,” Janus shrugs. “Naïve, however…”
“I don’t believe you!” Patton says proudly.
“You were born and raised at AEP, weren’t you?” Janus asks. “Told from a young age you were born to be a superhero? To help people? Tell me Patton, have you ever been away from this building for anything else than superhero business? Or talked to anyone who isn’t approved by EAP first? Anyone at all?”
Patton tries to think of an answer, but comes up empty. “The people in this building protect me,” He answers instead. “Protect me from people like you, who would exploit my powers for evil!”
“Trust me honey, you’re not the one who needs protection out there…” Janus mutters.
“I don’t believe you.” Patton repeats, a bit more uncertain this time.
“Fine. Don’t then.” Janus shrugs. “I don’t need you to believe me for it to still be true.”
The absolute confidence in Janus’ voice infuriates Patton, anger bubbling up in his chest.
“EAP is a good company! We actually help people, unlike you!” Patton yells, now actually stomping his foot. “You stand there trying to tell me you’re so noble, when you have NO PROOF for anything you claim!!”
“Proof?” Janus growly lowly. “You want proof? Fine!” Angrily he grabs the edge of his bandages and starts unwrapping his arm. “I’ll give you proof!
Patton inhales a sharp breath as Janus unwraps the last bandages. His arm is completely raw and swollen, oozing with barely healed wounds. His stomach turns at the sight of angry deep black burns strewn over any flesh that got spared.
“They tore the scales off my arm,” His cool façade finally shows cracks as Janus’ voice shakes. “One by one they ripped them off my skin. Even when I finally talked they didn’t stop. They continued on until my arm was bare, and the iron they placed in the fire was white hot. That’s how I got these…” Hovering his fingers over one of the burns he swallows. “Obviously I told them old hiding places, long since abandoned. It will keep them busy for a while, but when they realize I’ve given them old information…” He rubs his jaw absentmindedly. “They said they would take my teeth next. Too bad... I’ve grown quite fond of my fangs.”
“They…” Patton shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from Janus’ tortured arm. “They wouldn’t do this…”
Janus’ eyes turn cold, his collected mask back on. “Obviously, they did. Or do you think I would do this to myself to gain sympathy points with delusional so called ‘good guys’?”
“B-But-!! We are the good guys!! The people, they love us-!”
“Oh, please,” Janus rolls his eyes. “The only reason the ‘common’ folk sing your praises is because they’re too afraid that their ‘beloved rulers’ send you to destroy their homes next.”
“T-That-! That’s NOT true-!!”
“Do you know what they call your little ‘hero’ group outside of the little circle of rich assholes you protect?” Janus says with a nasty smile. “They call you ‘The Executioners’. Because the minute someone refuses to obey, to fall in line… They send you. To make sure the people know who’s in charge. To destroy any ounce of happiness they scraped up and make an example out of the corpses you and your friends leave behind in their wake!”
“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!” Patton shakes his head, covering his ears in a vain attempt to block out that damned smooth voice.
“Face it, kid. You’re no hero. No… You want to know what you are?” Janus continues on mercilessly. “You’re a tool. A sharpened axe the elite of the world hold over the necks of the common people, so they continue working as proper frightened little drones. Nothing like a good threat to keep their servants from revolting against them.”
“YOU’RE LYING!!” Patton screams as he throws his fists against the glass, the lights above them flickering in sync with his outcry. His powers bursts out of him with a force he hasn’t experienced since he was a kid. Electricity climbs over the glass cell in living lightning, framing the villain like a cursed portrait. But Janus barely blinks as the electricity crackles around him.
“If you are so sure that I’m lying… Why are you still here?” He asks thoughtfully. “Why come here at all if you truly think I lied in these files? Unless…” Janus says slowly, understanding dawning on his face. “Unless you’ve already seen the cracks in their pretty façade. Is that it?”
Just as quick as his power had acted up it retreats. “I… I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Patton stammers as he pulls his hands away from the glass, the bright glow of the electricity dying in his fingers. He steps back but Janus follows, like a shark that smells blood in the water.
“Oh, that’s it, isn’t it?” Janus breaths out a disbelieving laugh as he shakes his head. “When did you start to notice the holes in their logic? Started to taste the bitterness in their pretty lies? How long have the doubts been eating at you, Patton?”
“That’s not…” Patton starts weakly, but any other rebuttals wither and die before they can leave his mouth.
“You’ve seen glances of their true faces,” Janus continues. “And you hoped that I would what? Comfort you? Deny everything and let you wallow in your own self-denial? Be the so-called ‘villain’ you think I am so you can continue feeling good about yourself?” Janus chuckles, lowly, the sound wrapping around Patton’s throat like a noose. “Come now darling… Did you really think I was that kind of person?”
It distinctly feels like something inside him breaks. The pretty wall of his superhero persona crumbles and crashes down, leaving Patton with only the ugly truth that wall had kept hidden from him. The pride and praise of the past week now suddenly tastes like bitter ash in his mouth.
He hurt people. He hurt the world. He did he did he did he did he DID-!!
He can’t take any more. Patton’s legs give away beneath him as he crumbles in front of the glass, his chest heaving with sobs. Pulling his hands through his hair he buries his face in his knees, tears dripping down his cheeks. Janus says nothing while Patton’s sobs echo in the room. He only stares down at the shattered hero at his feet with a distant kind of satisfaction.
"What do I do...?" Patton eventually whispers when the tears finally slow. "What can I do to make this right…?"
Janus grins, kneeling down to look the hero straight in the eye.
"You could start," He purrs. "By getting me out of here."
--
Patton walks through the halls he’s walked through a thousand times. His heart hammers a mile a minute in his ears, almost deafening him. Yet it can’t keep him distracted from the person currently running after him, sticking out amongst the grey walls like a sore thumb in his bright white prison grubs. They halt at an intersection, pushing their backs against the wall and holding their breath as soldiers run past in the next hallway.
“I’m going to need your phone.” Janus suddenly whispers, making Patton bite back a yelp.
“I-I don’t have one-!” He stammers. Janus gives him a long-suffering look.
“I’m not surprised, yet somehow still disappointed.” Janus sighs as he impatiently moves past him. Just as Patton wants to ask what he’s planning, Janus darts out of the dark corridor, as quick and ruthless as the snake he is and grabs the last soldier in the platoon that passes them. He gives her no time to alert the others in front of her as Janus covers the soldier’s mouth, drags her back into their corridor and sinks his teeth into her neck.
“What are you doing?!” Patton hisses.
“Making sure we can get out of here!” Janus hisses back as he pulls his teeth from the soldier’s neck. The woman’s eyes are already drooping, despite her effort to raise her voice in alarm. By the time Janus lowers to the ground she has fully lost consciousness.
“You can’t do that!! She’s just doing her job!” Patton furiously whispers as Janus searches her pockets.
“Yeah, well, currently her job would be to shoot me on sight, so excuse me if I would rather not die!” Janus finally victoriously pulls a phone from the soldier’s pocket. Grabbing the soldier’s hand for a second to make her unlock the screen, he then furiously starts texting.
“What are you doing??” Patton repeats, just as frantic.
“Arranging our getaway ride, if all goes well,” Janus says as he finishes the text and hits send. “Now we just need to get out of here and keep hidden until they can come for us!”
“Right… Right!” Patton nods. Oh, why did he do this again?? “I know how we can get out of here! We’ll have to follow-!”
“Patton?”
Patton freezes at that familiar voice. Turning he comes face to face with Virgil, wrapped in his favourite hoodie and sleepily rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. How could he have forgotten his teammate’s insomnia? Or his habit to wander around until he got sleepy??
“What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Virgil yawns. “Do you want a lecture from Logan about proper sleep schedules? Because trust me, they’re not very-”
Virgil freezes as Janus rises to his feet behind Patton. His eyes dart between him and Janus, gasping as he finally spots the unconscious soldier on the ground.
“You…” Virgil’s voice turns dark, the shadows behind him moving on his unspoken command. “I don’t know how the FUCK you got out, but you will step away from my teammate RIGHT NOW and get back to your cell, or you’ll regret it!”
“No thank you,” Janus smirks. “While I thoroughly enjoyed your hospitality, the room service here is positivelyabominable. Not to mention the horrid excuse you call cuisine. I don’t think I’ll return here soon.”
“Oh, we’ll see about that!” Virgil growls, gathering his famous shadows in his hands.
“Virgil, NO!!” Patton screams and steps between the two before Virgil can throw his attack.
“Patton, get out of the way!”
Patton shakes his head. “No! You have to let us pass, Virge!”
“What do you mean-?” Virgil stops, furious disbelief etching across his face. “…It was you… You helped him escape-!”
“I…” Patton swallows and nods. “Yes, yes I did… But Virgil-! It’s not what you think! We’ve been lied to, Virge!”
“Yes, by HIM!!” Virgil points at Janus, who wiggles his fingers in a mocking wave. “You know, the enemy that we’ve tried to capture for literal years??”
“No, not him! The AEP! They’re the ones who lied to us! They’ve been using us, Virge! They used us to… To attack innocent people! We’ve hurt the world instead of saving it! We have to set this right!!”
“What the hell are you talking about-??”
“Virgil, please,” Grabbing Virgil’s hands in his Patton gives his teammate- No, his best friend- a pleading look. “Come with us! Help me take down the organization! They’re the bad guys, Virge! It was never him!” Patton gestures to Janus.
“Oh that’s fine, just talk about me like I’m not here.” Janus mutters.
“We can fix this, Virgil. You and I!” Patton says, fragile hope growing in his voice. “Please, trust me on this! Let’s run away together from this place and actually help!”
Virgil stares at him, the tense silence stretching on in the hallway like a wire slowly growing taut. Virgil’s eyes flicker between him and Janus indecisively. Patton hopes for a brief second that maybe, just maybe-
His stomach drops when Virgil’s gaze remains on Janus, and just like that the wire snaps.
“You…” Virgil snarls. “I don’t know what lies you fed him-”
“Virgil, please no-!!” Patton pleads, but Virgil shoves him aside.
“But I will not let you get away with it!” The shadows behind him move again, answering their master’s call as they gather around him. “I will take you down for this!!”
“Must we?” Janus sighs exaggeratedly before he straightens himself and grins his lengthening fangs bare. “I suppose I have time in my busy schedule to teach you some manners, Stormcloud.”
Virgil growls and aims his hands towards Janus, the shadows behind him brewing and moving in dark colours without hesitation. Patton doesn't think. Later on he wishes he had. He doesn’t remember moving, yet he sees his hand grab onto the back of Virgil's neck. He doesn't want to see the sparks fly out of his hand, making the Virgil’s body go rigid before promptly becoming weak in his grasp. But it doesn’t matter what Patton wants, as Virgil's body hits the floor with a thud quieter than it should've been.
Paralyzed Patton makes eye contact with Janus over Virgil’s unmoving form. The other man stares at him dumbfounded, uncertainty and shock fighting for the same place on his eyes. Patton looks down, trembling.
Oh god what had he done.
For the second time that evening Patton felt his knees give way beneath him as he fell next to his friend.
“Virge…” Patton whispers, pained regret shaking in his voice.
“Patton-!” Janus walks up to him, putting his hands on his shoulders but Patton barely feels it.
“I’m s-so sorry-!!” Patton sobs over his friend’s unconscious body.
“Patton.” Janus says, his voice so calm that Patton’s muddled mind readily clings to it. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
“I-I c-can’t j-just leave him h-here-!!”
“You must. The commotion must have alerted someone. This place might be crawling with guards soon. We have to go.”
Patton looks up in Janus’ eyes, their mismatched colours strangely grounding him and he nods. Janus helps him to his feet, and after one last look towards Virgil, Patton turns and they run.
Much later Patton would look back on this night and barely remember their escape. He leads Janus through the facility on automatic pilot, only managing to avoid capture because of Janus’ vigilance and sharp hearing. In the end Janus has to take out only one additional guard, who had been watching the emergency exit that Patton had lead them too. This soldier went down much easier than the first one. Patton supposed he hadn’t expected anyone to come to the quiet, halfway forgotten exit. But how could Patton forget it? He and Virgil had used this door as kids to escape from training once in a while.
Virgil…
Janus hastily runs through the emergency exit with Patton closely following behind. The cold night air finally shakes Patton's mind awake, away from the phantom feeling of Virgil's neck and how his hand tingles slightly. He almost wishes the tingle hurt.
They run loudly on the pavement, aiming for speed over secrecy. Patton’s breath comes in heavy pants and his lungs prickle, yet he dares not to stop or to look back. When they reach the high fence it takes Patton’s every bit of concentration to stop the electricity singing in the fence, guiding it away from Janus as they climb over it.
The sirens start as they safely land on the other side of the fence.
With the alarms blaring behind them Patton follows Janus to where the concrete leads into worn-in dirt, and where that leads to sticks, leaves, and not many traces of society. Patton's breath hurt in his chest, but knows he can't stop for a moment. He doesn't bother looking behind him either.
After what feels like hours but were more likely minutes, Janus skids to a halt, his breath forming clouds in the cold air as he leans heavily against a tree. Patton leans his hands on his knees, catching his breath. In the distance the alarms continue blaring.
“D-Do…” Patton gulps, exhales. “Do you think we’re safe…?”
Janus looks at him. “I don’t know…” He says, and Patton hates the raw honesty he hears in his voice. He suddenly much prefers the smooth lies his former enemy could spin at a drop of a hat. If they’re caught, he'll suffer Janus' previous fate or worse. Patton doesn't want to think about how it could get worse.
Just as he’s about to sit down, resigned to his new fate, a bright spotlight illuminates their spot in the forest. Patton can’t stop the startled scream as spots dance in his vision at the sudden brightness, the rumbling of an aircraft above them finally overpowering the sound of his wildly beating heart. They had found them already??? Or…
“Ahoy down there!” A nasally voice shouts down over the intercom as a rope is lowered from the aircraft. “Did some clown order a clown car??”
Patton puzzlingly frowns, but besides him Janus grins.
“Hold on, Heart Shock!” Janus grabs the rope with one hand and throws his other arm around Patton’s waist to hoist him up close. “Our ride is here!”
Before Patton can form some kind of protest the rope is hoisted up. A high-pitched shriek tears from his throat as the ground falls away beneath them. Patton never liked flying or heights in general. No matter how many times Roman took him for a flight he never got used to it. So he throws his arms and legs around Janus koala style and buries his face into the other man’s scaled neck.
He dares not to peek as they dangle above the ground until he feels hands grab him and Janus. Excited voices ring in his ears as the hands drag them both into the aircraft. As they land on the metal floor with a heavy thud a blush creeps in on Patton’s cheeks when he untangles his arms and legs from Janus’ frame.
“Snake Daddy is in the nest!!” The same nasally voice shrieks over the roaring engines. “HIT THE GAS!! GO GO GO!!!”
The door behind them slams closed, and the aircraft flies off with a speed that throws Patton backwards, making an inelegant roll on the hard metal floor. Janus on the other hand sits up his knees, giving the man that runs up to them an exasperated look.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that?” Janus sighs. The man gives him a grin that makes his moustache curl up mischievously. Either Patton’s eyes are deceiving him, or the man resembles Roman to an uncanny degree.
“And I told you to get used to your new codename, Double-D!” The man joyfully says. “Deal with it!”
Janus rolls his eyes, but nonetheless grabs the hand stretched out to him. As he’s pulled to his feet Janus throws his arms around the other.
“Remus, you absolute insane wonderful man you,” Janus breathes shakily. “How the fuck did you get here so fast?”
“Are you kidding me??” Remus eagerly returns the embrace. “We’ve been hiding around here for five days now!”
“You what-” Janus reels back, grasping Remus by the shoulders “Why??”
“To rescue you, of course!”
“Oh for fuck’s sake- You promised that if I ever got captured you would continue where I left off! Not risk everything by trying to rescue me!”
“Yeah, well,” Remus shrugs. “You promised me that I would get to watch you use the president’s head as a football some day! And god fucking dammit, you are not getting out of that promise, no matter how hard you try!”
Patton flinches at the gruesome fantasy, but Janus only wetly laughs and draws Remus back into a hug. Over the whole aircraft relieved and excited voices ring, welcoming Janus back.
Amidst the excitement Remus halts as he finally spots Patton, who still sits quietly amongst the excited rebels.
“No fucking way…” Remus breathes. “You actually got us a hostage?”
Patton freezes. As all eyes turn to him, he suddenly remembers again that he’s surrounded by people he previously thought as his enemies. And to them, he still was the enemy.
"Double-D, you should've warned me you would bring a hostage! I would've brought the rougher rope with us!" Remus pulls away from the hug and quickly moves towards a container, which once opened Patton could see was full to the brim with rope of various colours, each appearing thick and rough enough as they were.
Janus dramatically sighed. "He’s not a hostage."
Remus stops rummaging through the container and quirks an eyebrow. "But Heart Attack or whatever is one of those stupid guys! Wait.” Remus squints suspiciously at Janus. “Don't tell me you're breaking up with me and joining his side."
“Not quite,” Janus says as he extends a hand to help Patton to his feet. As he stands Janus lightly places his arm over Patton's shoulders. A shield against the suspicious glares from the rebels around him. "You see, my darlings… He's joining ours."
#sanders sides#sanders sides fic#moceit#janus sanders#patton sanders#roman sanders#logan sanders#remus sanders#virgil sanders#superhero AU#eat the rich if this fic doesn't make that clear enough
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dangerous liaisons.
♡ summary — Some part of you, the childish part, the stubborn part, when his calm gaze found yours from across a sea of unfamiliar faces, from trolleys and cereal aisles, even with the lies and deceit and heartbreak, relief washed over his strained expression in an instant, as to convey a wordless I thought I almost lost you, wanted it to mean something. Just this once.
wherein, caught in a game of hearts, you think you've always understood what it means to love.
♡ pairing — lee know x gender neutral reader.
♡ genre — angst + eventual explicit mature content.
♡ alternatively — to sum it up..a really unconventional take on rich kid tropes. sort of enemies to lovers???
♡ type — series.
♡ note — please comment or send me asks off anon if you want to be added to the tag list!!! also please read the prologue or this chapter won’t make sense.
♡ based on — les liaisons dangereuses by pierre choderlos de laclos and shakespeare's the taming of the shrew and the song ‘heroes’ by david bowie
♡ music inspiration (I recommend you listen to heighten the reading experience) ➝ paris concerto viii in D minor rn 127: III Allegro, dangerous liasons by fara effect.
chapters will be added on a spontaneous schedule (bst) 💖
Prologue. 1.
The most difficult part of growing up is coming to realise the separation between one's parent and their status of being not just a parent, but a faulty person.
Minho used to have this glorified image of his father, a perfect man with a perfect job and a perfect family. In his head, just like any other child's, his father was incapable of doing wrong. He was this metahuman man who pinned his kiddish drawings to the fridge and as he grew older, provided him with a necessary doze of tough love, pushed him beyond his limits to become the man he was when he was Minho's age. So even if the expense was taking on absurd amount of stress, the young man concluded that it was all worth it if he could live up to his superhero's expectations.
Until one day...his whole world had come crashing down.
But see, it’s all good. Lee Minho has the idea of balance embedded into every fibre of his being. In other words, he is particularly vengeful when he wills himself to be. Especially in stances he grew to let his anger get the best of him. And really...in the long run, this very temperament of his was practically engineered to be the root of his demise.
Not once did it fail to reduce him to someone who failed to apply reason when it was most necessary. What was it — an awful argument with his father about how he'd simply never amount to anything or that he'd found the only person he'd looked up to was conforming to the whims of adultery for a girl just a few years older than his son? Or rather, it was just those little frustrations accumulating into an enormous ball of rage inside his belly, he was sure he'd simply explode at the seams had it not come to this.
A part of Minho knew that the niggling inside his chest upon hearing half assed excuses his father provided for his absence at the anniversary party was not a resultant of needless doubts. And yet, when he turned the winery's knob, he'd hoped to God that it would be locked from the outside, that he could go back and conclude the strange cluttering as something simply misheard.
But the lock turned effortlessly. And there was no difficulty to realise what the detestable sight entailed.
Who was this very man to lecture Minho on morality and deservedness? If he didn’t know any better, he’d have swung right at that bastard then and there.
But Minho’s resolve lingered.
He hadn't had the heart to upset his mum. Not when her toothy smile made a rare appearance as a consequence of them finally getting along, even if they both simply were trying to make her happy.
Minho's mother had always been of that design. Even when he was little, he sensed that he always needed to protect her. Her heart was too big. And the world was too harsh.
What was worse, therefore, was the possibility that she'd known all along, suppressed her desperations for her son's sake, for the life he has, for everything he aspires to be. How ironic would it be if he was the cause of her hurt when he had desired to prevent it all along?
Whatever it was, however it was, he was going to give her back everything she'd lost.
And what better way was to seek vengeance than to injure what matters to them the most?
"What? You don't think I'll do it?"
Minho pressed his palm against the fogged up glass. It felt cool under his skin, just a haze of red where the party goers' faces appeared only to be a fuzzy image. No, that wouldn't do it. A layer of perspiration gathered on his digits as he swiped his line of vision clean.
And there you were, awkwardly holding up a glass to your lips to hide a goofy smile whilst the homewrecker in question, wrapped her lengthy arm around your shoulder. He was in luck, he mused, because he already knew you were siblings.
It was going to be a piece of cake.
"I don't know—" Han sighed, pegging that this was just one of those funny things Minho said when he lost his temper. Completely unbeknownst to the latter being dead fucking serious, in faint disinterest for the chat, he examined a strange looking liquid he was harbouring in his wine glass, not red enough. Too much water. "Will you?" It sounded like a challenge to Minho, an extension of his previous scoff followed by Minho unveiling his plan. Which was rather simple and not to mention, bordering along stereotypical nonsense, he was going to break your heart. He was going to take something from her just as she had from him. An eye for an eye. Tit for tat. Measure for measure. You name it.
There was not a speck of doubt in his mind pertaining to the department of success.
When your squinted gaze met his elevated one, just for a second, as if to check if Minho was really staring, thoroughly amused, he chuckled.
"With pleasure."
#kwritersworldnet#kwordsmiths#lee know smut#minho smut#minho x reader#minho fluff#minho angst#minho fanfic#lee know fluff#lee know angst#lee know fanfic#stray kids smut#stray kids fluff#stray kids angst#stray kids fanfic#skz fluff#skz angst#skz x reader
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