#where you can see how the characters feel fighting
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,, Love Quest ''
Background character male reader x Protagonist oc
Tw/s: dub-con at the start, dacryphilia, rough sex, semi-public sex, overstimulation, multiple rounds.
In a world where everyone's assigned a role they have to be, you were one of the many unlucky yet common ones to get the role of a background character. One who couldn't even interact with the protagonist if you wanted. The way it works is through the system. There is a system that essentially controls the world. This system can create scenarios, assign roles, etc. This whole world was built by it. Everyone has to obey it, excluding the protagonist themself, that is. Some even say it's possible for the protagonist to control the system itself but, that's just a rumour.
Of course, the role with the most power is the protagonist. Anyone would dream to have that power. To be the protagonist and have everyone fawn for you, throwing themselves at your feet, worshipping your every step. Not only that, his love interest is the best of the best, the prettiest girl you'd ever be able to lay your eyes on, the one you'd never be able to get with if you weren't the protagonist. Just like any other previous protagonist in this world, the current one is an extrovert, River Sterling. He's a perfect guy in every way. He's very well known due to being the protagonist, but also, he is very talented. It's as if there is nothing he can't do. He's even the top 1 on campus. Very rarely is he seen getting anything under an A+. Despite everyone constantly praising him and falling at his feet, he remained humble.
Just like any other day, you enter the building with books in your hands. You had to return these to the professor after borrowing them for a day. No matter how much you studied, you always remained top 2, and because of that, you were annoyed by River. Of course, it's not his fault that he's the protagonist, but you couldn't help but still feel negatively towards him. Going up the many many stairs, you overhear a girl yelling, maybe at a guy? You're not sure what kind of situation it is, but you guess it is a fight between a couple. "You never even spend time with me! Am I not enough!? Destiny binded us together, and yet here you are, doing nothing to please me, your girlfriend!", it sounded like Aria, the protagonist's main love interest. "Aria, well how would I be able to spend time with you when I feel nothing towards you", River says with a nonchalant tone, shocking you a bit, you've never heard him using that tone before. You stop in your tracks, right in front of the door, where you can hear Aria yelling at him. "Y-you...what!?", you can hear Aria say in disbelief. "H-how is that even possible! I'm who you're supposed to be with, I complete you, I'm your other half!", even without being able to see her, you can tell she's tearing up, probably with a red face. Though despite her crying, you don't hear River comforting her. Which is again, very out of character for him.
Next thing you know, you hear a very loud slap accompanied by running sound towards the door. Before you could even react, the door swings white open, a blonde haired girl running out of the room, knocking you down in the process. You stare at the direction she runs to. "Who are you, why did you eavesdrop", you turn back to River, looking down at you, glaring, even. His once gentle eyes seem to be clouded. You don't even recognize him. "[N-Name]", you gulp, you felt as if the man in front of you was going to eat you whole if you said the wrong thing. "[Name]..? I've heard of you, the top 2, right?", he asks in an almost curious but borderline mocking tone. You remain seated on the floor, books scattered everywhere. "Are you not going to explain yourself?", he raises an eyebrow, walking towards you. Taking this as a sign to get the fuck out of there, you quickly grab the books and try to run off, only to have your shirt grabbed by the tall guy.
"Running off are we?", he looks at you with a questiong expression, why would you avoid him, he wont eat you, will he? With the clock ticking, both of you know that soon, this hall will be packed with students, fortunate for you, unfortunate for him. He doesn't want you to go before he can pry some information out of you.
Thinking of a plan, he quickly drags you to the room, shutting the door behind him so you won't be able to run out without him stopping you mid-way. With his hands crossed, he asks you once more, "Why were you eavesdropping?", his tone even more demanding. "I was on my way to the professor's office, I just overheard some things. Can I go now?", you give a quick explanation, wanting to get out of this situation as quick as possible. Though, he wouldn't allow it. "How much did you hear?", "not much, please let me go now," you walk towards the door, turning the door handle only to see it's locked. It shouldn't be. The door can only be locked from the inside, and by the looks of things, River didn't have time to lock the door.
[System: Love Quest]
In order to proceed, please engange in intercourse.
And just as the system suddenly appeared in their face, a percentage bar appeared in the corner of the room and it stood tall, at 0%. With one look, the both of you knew what it wanted. "What the fuck!?", you yell, looking at the window and then at the protagonist who clearly isn't phased. He only sighs, rolling his eyes, as if he was annoyed by this notification. "This shit again", he whispers, loud enough for you to overhear on accident. He's gone through this before..? is what you were thinking. You've almost never gotten a window from the system, let alone one with any sexual themes. If River wasn't shocked, that means it's probably a common occurrence for him.
The two of you stare at one another for an uncomfortable period of time. As if time stopped for a moment. "This is getting real annoying", he says, sighing and stepping towards you. You back away until your back is pressed on the door making you unable to escape as he grabs your chin, lifting it up and looking at you. "You'll make do", he says before pressing his lips onto yours. Out of shock, you try to push him off, wanting to yell at him. How could he, a protagonist, be kissing someone like you? You're what others would perceive as not worthy of being in his presence let alone be kissing him. Yet here you are, getting your mouth explored by the man himself. Your eyes were opened from shock but you closed it after a few seconds, wanting to savour this moment. His hand made its way to your cheek. He was very gentle with both his hand and lips, making you lean into his touch. Before long, you felt as if you were running out of breath, how long can he even kiss you for!? Fortunately for you, he let go of the kiss, panting and trying to catch his breath after that incredible make out session. "We're not done yet", he says, pointing out the elephant in the room which is the percentage bar which still stands tall at 0%, no progress has been made, making the room inaccessible from the outside. The doors being magically locked also kept anyone from getting out before the goal was met. You knew you had no other choice but to do this in order to get out, as much as you were annoyed by the guy as a student, you couldn't deny his charm, the way his eyes looked into yours, the way his grazed his thumb over your lips. Who wouldn't fall head over heels for him? Anyone would die to be you at this very moment.
Without any hesitation, you managed to gather the courage to pull him into another kiss, you could feel him smiling into the kiss as he reciprocated. Moving his hands to your hips, trailling down to your clothed butt. Gropping and fondling it before he eventually unzips your pants, letting them slide down to your ankles. Leaving your bottoms almost bare if not for your briefs covering your private part. "Ahm...agh", the both of you moaned into the intense kiss before letting go. "You're a good kisser", you comment, gasping for air once more. He smirks, "of course, I'm not the protagonist for nothing", he chuckles a bit. You felt hands slipping into your briefs, making its way to your ass, gripping it even more now. He really seems to be enjoying gropping you. You felt his fingers move closer and closer to your hole before he inserts a finger into you, causing you to grip his arms in shock. "A-agh..!", you let out a surprised moan, his finger wiggling around, trying to get your hole to relax a bit, "you're so tense, [Name], loosen up a little", his inserted another finger, making you unable to keep your composure no matter how much you try to.
You feel his fingers thrusting into you, as if trying to get you to cum from his fingers alone. His long and slender fingers were quite deep in you. It wasn't long before he added another finger. And now that three fingers aregoing in and out of your hole, you feel as if you're aboit to reach your climax. You close your eyes, moaning loudly. He took notice to this and immediately stopped his fingers as if knowing you were about to cum. You're now puzzled by his actions, why did he stop? "I don't want you cumming from just my fingers, that wouldn't be fun now would it?", you then hear the sound of pants unzipping, realizing it was from him. He pulled his hard cock out of his briefs. You stared at it for a while before he snapped you back to reality, "eyes up here, angel", he teased, giving you a pet name while he was at it. "What? Have you never seen a cock this big?", you definitely haven't. It wasn't just long, just looking at the girth of it made you shiver a bit, how will that even fit. It was befitting of a protagonist, he's perfect in every way, even in his physical attributes. "Enough staring, angel", he says as he suddenly picks your legs up. You instinctively put your arms around him tightly so you don't end up falling, "hey!", you yell, this wasn't a pleasant surprise, you could've fallen, "relax, you're quite light", he is very strong afterall, he's joined almost every single sport available at this point.
You decide to put your trust in him, he's able to hold you up for over a minute now, there's no way he'll suddenly drop you, that'd ruin the moment on top of you getting hurt. After the shock wore off, you notice something poking at your hole, "hm..?", you let out a hum of confusion, turning your head down only to see his cock at your entrance, wanting to be inside you. "Are you ready to be filled up like you've never had before?", the now cocky-like protagonist asks with a slight chuckle at the end. You nod and immediately feel hus cock thrust up inside of you, almost halfway in already. He grunts at how tight you are despite him having prepared your sweet little hole for his cock beforehand. Trying his best to get his cock all the way into your hole as you moan out in pain and pleasure, "relax why don't you?", he gives a teasing smile. Leaning in for a kiss, he manages to get you to relax and without another word, thrusts the rest of his cock into you, shocking you once more. You accidentally bite his lip in the process, drawing a bit of blood. "Agh!", he pulls back, tapping his finger on his lip and seeing that blood is coming out of the wound. He focuses on you once more, as if signifying he's about to move. You give a slight nod and he starts to thrust in and out of you, slowly and sensually at first. "You're really warm inside", he comments while thrusting into you, looking into your eyes as you manage to keep them open.
After a while of the sensual and slow fucking, he gets tired of it, wanting to thrust into you quicker. And so, he does as he wants. Thrusting into you quicker this time, rougher. You close your eyes and tighten the grip on his upper back, scratching his skin through his shirt. Your moans are no longer considered quiet, you're full on moaning your head out. That was before you realized the bell had rung, students were on their way to class and they'd pass by this specific room. You bite your lip in order to muffle out the moans, keeping it somewhat quiet in order to not get caught. River on the other hand, didn't like this one bit. He wants to hear your delicious and sweet moans, you should let them out for him to hear. "Stop biting your lip, angel, let me hear you", something in his voice made you want to obey his words, and for some reason, you find yourself no longer biting your lip, now you're just letting it all out, moaning and crying out for him.
The faster he went, the more you felt like you were about to reach your climax. He also seemed to be close. The both of you sweating, moaning, grunting. "I'm, agh, gonna cum...!", he says as he shoots his load all in you, coating your inner walls with his seed, some even dripping out. At that moment, you also came, releasing your juice all over your stomach. With the two of you now panting and gasping for air, River carries you to a nearby table, letting the two of you rest for a while. Just then, the door swings wide open, "Who the fuck was making all that noise!?", a teacher yells into the room, seemingly staring straight at them. The teacher looks around in confusion, "huh...I was so sure there was someone here...", He then turns his heels and walks back out, closing the doors on his way. You who were covering your face due to this, looked in the direction the teacher was in confusion, "did..he not see us..?", you ask River, to which he replies, "the system did that, probably", as if the system heard the man, it dings and the both of you turn your heads towards the bar of percentage now sitting at a solid 30%, "huh? 30%?", you say out loud in even more confusion, "it wants us to have sex and get it up to 100%", River says without missing a beat, "ready for round two?"
———
"Agh..! To..oo big, ahghh...", you try to say in-between moans, overstimulated by his cock and the way he bites your nipples. "You're taking me so well", at least he's enjoying it, a lot. You even wonder if he has an infinite stamina, but of course your thoughts were drowned by the time he came in you for the third time. How many rounds has it even been? The bar has been stuck at 99% for so long, when will this end..You're so overstimulated at this point, River's cock has been relentlessly fucking you dumb. You can't even think anymore, nor can you let out any coherent words. It's been at least a couple of hours since the both of you started this, why hasn't it ended. Your cheeks are wet, wet from the tears which had been and are still rolling down your face. He loves witnessing your debauchery. Your clothes have been discarded to the side by now, you don't know where but they're on the floor somewhere. His thrusts get faster and faster, you didn't even know he could go this fast but here he is, fucking you with inhuman speed. "C'mon..ah..come with me, my angel...agh", he moans and grunts while saying this. Then his thrusts stop and you feel even more liquid filling your already over-filled hole, making it impossible to be kept inside and most of it dripping out your hole and onto the floor which has a pool of both yours and his cum. At that very moment, you feel your whole body give out as your vision blurs until you eventually black out.
———
What happened in the room stayed in the room. Your life went on as usual, the normal schedule. Though, one thing has definitely changed. That is the fact that you are now dating the protagonist despite still having the role of a 'background character' . Everyone was shocked but learned to accept it. Who are they to defy the protagonist's wishes? One person in particular wasn't happy about this. None other than his ex, Aria. Everyone saw that coming from a mile away, though, so nobody paid her any mind. After that, River took any and every class you took. Science? You'd see him sit there with an empty seat next to him, looking up at you and asking with a big smile, "come! Sit here, angel!", while patting the seat next to him to signal for you to sit. PE? He'd always get you into his team no matter what. No matter how bad the other team wanted you on theirs, they'd never have you as you now belong to River. Being in the same class as you had its advantages. That is, being able to fuck you in class without anyone noticing. To be frank, the both of you found it out on accident. It was during class when the both of you got a new love quest. You thought of leaving the class to finish but the system didn't let you. It wanted the both of you to do it at that very moment. When he took the initiative and pulled your shirt up to bite your nipples, not a single student nor the teacher had any reaction, it was as if the both of you were protected by an invisible bubble that allowed the quest to take place. That, combined with the fact the teacher couldn't see the both of you the first time, confirmed your suspicions that they were indeed unable to see you.
From that day forward, the two of you almost always got a love quest every single day of school. The session would last at least 2 hours, leaving both of you a hot sweaty mess once it was over and done with. You'd always be embarrassed and extra tight during these. The way you felt eyes on you, it was as if they could see you, but in reality, they really can't. You'd tighten up at the thought of them watching you, making River grunt even more due to your tightness. He'd smirk and ram even harder into you once this happens. "Naughty boy, you get off to the thought of people watching, huh?", he'd always tease you. These love quests would be random, though. Despite it happening every day, the two of you could never predict when it'd occur. It could be very early in the morning, in class, or even during an activity. It was always random, so why would you always see River getting hard even before the love quest appear...? It's probably nothing. You're just paranoid.
☆☆☆☆☆
Apologies for the wait. My schedule's been real hectic lately. This is not proofread, so please excuse the probably many mistakes/typos!
I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions/reqs, please do send them my way!<3
#male reader#oc x reader#lgbtq#gay#x male reader#oc x male reader#oc#top male character#bottom male reader#oc smut#「 by the hands of xin 」#Xin's River Sterling ☆
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As a way to celebrate the end to the first arc of the ASL Gem AU, here's a couple of headcanons and things I put in the story that I was proud of. Also, some shitty memes I doodled and thought were funny. I put all the headcanons and neat things under the read more because there are spoilers for Keep It Simple, Stupid in there.
Luffy actually got poofed four times throughout the events of the first chapter. Two of them were depicted on screen, but the other two were when Ace got him caught in a landslide in their first meeting and when he came back to the bandit hut on the wolf and broke a hole in the wall getting tossed off of Kebab. Ace could've sword that landslide would have poofed Luffy and, I mean, he's not wrong.
Whery told me BTS that Sodalite's hair remains suspended in air as if it's flowing through water at all times. He's got mermaid hair, everyone. Love this guy.
The reason Sodalite struggles to unfuse is because... 🥁 🥁 🥁 He has a hard time unfusing when his components feel unsafe. That doesn't stop anyone strong enough from poofing him (A la Garp) or Sabo and Ace having such a strong disagreement that they come undone (a la the argument before the final fight with the wolves or when Ace post-getting-Luffy'd has conflicted feelings about ditching Luffy with Amethyst and co.).
In the process of plotting this, I wasn't sure how to translate the money-saving-schemes into this AU for the boys. The general layout of the plot is similar to canon, but I wanted to mix things up a little. That led to the parts scrounging aspect, which led to Ace and Sabo having their own waterfall cave instead of having a tree that they keep things in because I didn't think a tree could properly hide most of their junk from sight that close to the Kindergarten.
Sodalite never actually introduced himself to Luffy. (Cursed with Ace's tendency to never make a good first impression.) He learned Sodalite's name when a few gems and people were yelling in panic at their first meeting.
There's another nod to Sodalite inheriting Ace's bad first impressions when he first "meets" the bandits when literally dropping Luffy off after saving him and also when he meets Woop Slap and Makino.
Also continuing Ace's penchant for bad first impressions, he really did get put through the ringer with Makino when he first reformed. I gave him hell this whole arc, didn't I? Poor guy.
Herc and Agna are my contributions to the Dadan Family. I wanted to flesh their numbers out a little bit since we only ever know the names of Dadan, Magra, Dogra, and Pochi. I hope you like them... They're silly. (And probably in love tbh.)
Speaking of them, they made a bet on whether Luffy killed Ace in the beginning of the third chapter and you can see them exchanging money in the sixth chapter when it's revealed that Ace isn't actually dead.
I also added Woop Slap's baker brother, a Beryl to the Azurite crew who stood around while Luffy got his ass electrocuted, and a couple of random characters here and there with no canon version just for the hell of it. Got the chance to flesh this out a little bit thanks to focusing on a small sequence of events compared to the Odyssey that is One Piece canon.
In the second chapter, there are a few things that Sodalite and Luffy say in a couple of the conversations post-saving Luffy from the Azurite Pirates that get called back to.
Sodalite: You can’t be brave unless you’re scared. And if the first hint of danger has you sniffling and running away like a chicken, you’ll never be brave.
This one is a little more obvious. It gets reflected back in chapter 5 when Luffy is in the process of trying to help Kebab out from where he's trapped. Luffy is a bit of a coward and a crybaby when he's younger in canon and in this story. He builds up confidence with being rubber (Though I replaced his rubber body helping to protect him with him being able to reform quickly), having two older brothers to protect him, and eventually his own fighting skills in canon, but I wanted to add a little more oomph to it.
Luffy: I'm not crying, you're crying!
Sodalite: That's not how tears work, squirt.
This one reflects the flashback to when Ace and Sabo fused for the first time. I figured it would help soften Sodalite up to Luffy with the little nod.
Ace: I'm not crying, you're crying, stupid.
Sabo: That's not how tears work, idiot.
There's another point that gets called back to in a conversation between Luffy and Sodalite, but this is the conversation when Sodalite starts to refer to Luffy as "Luffy" mentally and not just Spinel.
Sodalite: Free and kind, huh? Free how?
Luffy: Free to go where I wanna go. Do what I wanna do. Be who I wanna be.
Sabo thinks back to this when he's poofed and trying to figure out what he wants to look like. Freedom is hard to get used to when you're used to a regimented lifestyle. I think it's called choice anxiety, but even though he wants freedom, he still has to learn how to be free, if that makes sense.
Speaking of that conversation between Sodalite and Luffy, I tried to switch up what he was called in the narrative based on whose POV I'm talking through. In the beginning, when Sabo, Ace, or Sodalite are thinking about Luffy, they consistently refer to him as "Spinel." When it's Luffy's POV, Luffy only referred to himself as "Luffy." Eventually, after the heart-to-heart they have in chapter 3, Sodalite, Ace, and Sabo also only refer to Luffy as "Luffy."
Prior to the narrative, Sodalite didn't have a lot of room to grow or a lot of interaction with people outside of battle or when he's alone when Ace and Sabo needed comforting. Being around Luffy and the circumstances of which they can't unfuse gave Sodalite the opportunity to become more of his own person.
I used he/they pronouns for a lot of the story to reflect the Sodalite-not-being-completely-his-own-person as even Sodalite still saw himself as Ace and Sabo and not just Sodalite. He's aware he's a fusion, but he's only now settling into the idea that he is a new person as well.
Ace thinks that Dadan and the bandits don't care about him for most of the story and they don't help things by pretending not to care that he's "gone" when Sodalite's around. However, at the beginning of the fourth chapter, I tried to give a little nod to Dadan being worried about Ace with her sometimes smoking late at night on the porch and staring into the forest. She was looking for Ace and worried about him, but Sodalite can't tell because Ace is blind to kindness. Dadan was losing sleep over you, you dummy.
True to canon fashion, I tried to limit how much I used Luffy's POV as in canon he doesn't really have a lot of internally kept thoughts as much as he doesn't have a filter between mental reaction and physical reaction. Thus, when I did have to use Luffy's POV, I tried to switch it to another character as soon as I could.
Whery once posted an animatic wherein they used the Ben 10 clip of Kevin saying, "You have to treat a car like you treat a woman," and I pretty much used that to shape Sodalite amd Makino's dynamic in my head which led to the way Sodalite and, by extention, Ace feel nervous around Makino, but the nerves just make it harder for them to say the "right" things.
These four posts gave me psychic damage and were the kick in the ass that got me to write K.I.S.S. to begin with. Literally got so wrapped up in them that I wrote a whole fanfic. I was originally going to just write the Luffy and Sabo reunion in Dressrosa. A couple hundred words in, I realized I should probably just start in the beginning to fluff it up with some history. Then I fell in love with Sodalite and underestimated how much I would get into the AU, so now we're here.
Y'all can take Ace being nervous around Makino however you want, but my intention was that kind people throw him off his game. This was meant to reflect how he's a mama's boy in canon and the pedestal-ing he did with his mother. (Rouge is a goddess, though, so like... he's not wrong.)
I tried to write it so Ace Literally Does Not Know how to be anything but a scruffy and snappy little kid since he was raised by bandits and Garp isn't the picture of healthy communication. With the Makino interaction post-reforming in chapter 5, I wanted her to nudge him into realizing that there's another way to handle disagreements and not every time he fucks up will lead to violence or yelling. Easing his toes into the water.
I went back and forth for a while on the scene in chapter 6 where Ace is about to run away. I was very iffy on if it was in-character for him to leave behind his only friends and everything he ever knew. But I also remembered how he acted in canon when people were putting themselves in danger for him and, yeah, pushing people away when people might get hurt """"because of"""" him fit well.
Is it weird that my favorite scene to write was in the 6th chapter when Sabo and Luffy knock a gem into a barrel and run away? I just felt my heart get full being able to write them getting closer and being chaotic together... Can't wait to write these three being chaotic together more.
It was very cathartic for me personally to write the scene where Sodalite first plays guitar for Luffy in chapter 2 and the scene in chapter 6 where Ace bursts out laughing when they fall over.
Sabo and Ace met when they both stumbled upon their cave and started having a turf war over who it really belonged to. They eventually became friends, but naturally, it took a minute and some fighting before then.
Most of the people and gems around don't care one way or another about fusion. Garp, as a gem higher up, cares based on principle and because he's old as dirt and was around when the "No Fusing" rule was more radically reinforced.
Fire Agates were "made" to be demolition gems (AKA why they have the fire going on and are typically very strong). Due to this, Ace can keep more items within his gem that can vary in size. Sabo can keep some things in his gem, but they typically have to be small to medium. Luffy could theoretically keep a lot in his gem, but I genuinely don't think he thinks about it unless he's storing food.
Luffy eats and sleeps because he first formed around the mixed population of humans and gems in Foosha Village and just thought it was neat. Now, he has sort of programmed his gem so he sleeps at night like people do, but he doesn't need to. He just likes it. Silly lil guy.
Ace was initially put off by Luffy wanting to use a different name than his gem type because he struggles with his own identity as a Fire Agate. Using a different name feels like running away from the realities of your gem type. Ace is plagued by his own gem type and feels like he can't run away, so Luffy so casually giving himself a name was foreign to Ace and made him a little bit jealous tbh.
Sabo similarly wasn't willing to call Luffy by his name because he felt cursed by his gem type. He's less touchy about it than Ace, though because he understands Luffy's desire to want to be his own person-- whoever that may be.
I changed Sabo's gem type from Labradorite to Moonstone because he has had some really neat fanart made of him that was Moon themed, and I thought that was really cute. There's some more to learn about Sabo that I've been hinting at, but y'all will find out sometime later.
Shanks was the person who made Luffy realize that he could have whatever name he wanted. I might write it out someday, but it basically went, "woah, I wish I had a cool name," "You can call yourself whatever you want. What, did you think Makino's name is her gem?" "... So what if I did?!" *whole crew laughs at Luffy* "Well, what do you want us to call you?" and the rest was history.
Ace and Sabo will eventually be able to bubble things. Ace can make bigger ones, but Sabo's are less likely to burst when messed with. Luffy could theoretically create bubbles, but I don't really think Luffy's the type to want to capture things in bubbles outside of beetles, and that's easy enough to make Sabo or Ace do.
I took some very vague inspiration from Zuko from ATLA and Ruby from Steven Universe when thinking about Ace's fire abilities. I wanted him to have pyrokinetic abilities, but struggle to use them thanks to some internal turmoil. Thus, his powers come from strong bursts of negative emotions and typically just sprout out around his body. (Yes, he has caused a forest fire before.)
Sabo can create light constructs similar to how Pearl does in Steven Universe. Thinking about Sodalite getting a little more showboat-y with his music and doing light shows? Eventually, fire blasting out of places like some bands do at concerts. That would be metal as fuck.
Sodalite literally always radiates warmth wherever he's at. He's a space heater. You can see a little bit of this in the 3rd chapter when he sits near Woop Slap to keep the old man warm.
Luffy still has the stretchy abilities of a Spinel, but he's still new to using them. In the first chapter when he's got an arm wrapped around Kebab the wolf, it only happened because he got his hand stuck on a spike and Kebab the wolf rolled around trying to get him off. He also has a lil toon force action going on. I tried to show this with a couple of scenes here and there. (When he falls into the ravine, when he runs into a tree in one chapter, the Luffy shaped hole in the bandit hut when he gets flung off Kebab into it, etc.)
I don't even know where the nickname idea of "Squirt" came from. I just thought it would be a funny nickname (derogatory) and it kept reoccurring in my brain and in the writing until it became squirt (affectionate). Who doesn't get called dumb names by your older siblings?
That eventually expanded into Sodalite handing out derogatory nicknames. You mostly see that with Garp. (Bootlicker, marble muncher, etc.) Sodalite is teaching Luffy how to be an even bigger little shit and I love to see it.
I didn't originally plan for the wolves to show up outside of the couple of times they appeared in the first chapter. Then, when I was writing the third chapter I needed a reason to have Garp escort Makino and Woop Slap to the bandits and then I wanted a reason to get Luffy and Co. to go to Foosha Village, so tada.
I especially didn't plan for Kebab to become Kebab. However, I wanted each of the brothers to take out a wolf in their own ways and Luffy just isn't prepared to fight creatures 1v1 right now, so I cooked up the idea of him becoming a pet thereafter.
Damn, that was a lot. Thanks for reading! Go check out @where-does-the-heart-lie for all the cool art they did for this AU, but please don't bother them for more art. I'm pretty sure they're not all that into the AU anymore, but they do have a lot of other cool posts and a comic they're working on for the boys if you need more ASL bros content. They also made a post with several drawings they wanted to do after reading that correspond with several events in the story if you wanna check that out.
That's it for now! Good luck, y'all. I'll be back with some kinda writing soon-ish.
#one piece#one piece au#portgas d. ace#flame emperor sabo#revolutionary sabo#monkey d. luffy#asl brothers one piece#one piece fanfiction#k.i.s.s. gem au#ao3 fanfic#my art#Fanfiction#Headcanons#Gem AU#Steven Universe AU
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I truly want Eddie and Buck to fight.
Mainly because I have wanted Buck to blow up at someone from the 118 for years. I get that apparently there were off-screen apologies but the way every single member treated Buck when he got a lawyer, the way everyone has dismissed Buck's trauma before that, the way Buck was literally punshed by Chim, the way Buck's has (nearly) died multiple times and the trauma of that is never really acknowledged, the way Buck was sexually assaulted and everyone joked about it, the way Buck has had so much shit just put on him unknowingly sometimes by them, yes, I want Buck to snap.
I want Buck to finally stand up to someone and tell them that it's not okay, that what he went through wasn't okay and that he needed his family with him when they weren't.
I need Buck to finally see "I deserved better" and have someone show him he deserves better (aka Tommy.)
I need someone to finally be in Buck's corner, to tell him that what he went through wasn't okay and that he doesn't need to get over it because you just don't get over some traumas.
I need Buck to finally have a moment where he is allowed to be angry, where he is allowed to feel his emotions, where he is allowed to hurt and someone is immediately there to catch him, to be beside him.
I need Buck to finally be allowed to be proud of his work, to finally understand how much he has done as a firefighter when he didn't even have to, to understand that he can be more, that he is allowed to want more.
I need Buck to finally be allowed to go on a pathway up the FD ladder because he deserves it, he has earned himself the opportunity to get a chance to prove himself.
I need this season to finally lay the groundwork to Buck's full potential as a character, as a love interest, as firefighter. I need this to be the start of his true growth where he is finally allowed to want things and to get the things, the happy ending, that he always wanted for himself.
I need this to be a turning point for Buck where we finally see him settle into himself and I truly believe that for that to start he needs to let go of some unspoken things, he needs to be allowed to feel and to be angry at his family without knowing if he will have support.
And I need Buck to be the one to finally make Eddie realise how incredibly toxic and dangerous his behaviour is because no one else will probably get through to him. I also need Buck to understand that healing Eddie, that helping Eddie, can only go so far and that this is something that he can't fix because it's not his to fix.
I need Buck, the one person who always wants to help, who does everything to help, who will do anything to try to fix something, I need that Buck to be held and to be told that not everyone can accept his help. I need that Buck to be loved while someone tells him that Buck matters too, that Buck can not destroy himself for someone who might not even be ready to heal. I need Evan, the kid who always felt like something was wrong and that he had to make up for it, to be looked at and to be promised that he is enough, that just being him is enough and that he doesn't need to be more than that.
And yeah, if I think that Tommy can do that, then yeah, I need Tommy to be there while Buck is slowly realising that he matters too, that he deserves to be happy too.
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Also, just saying. Canon!Regulus having Kreacher's abuse by Voldemort be the catalyst to his spiral tells me he likely wouldn't have stood by and watch half of what fanon!Sirius goes through — the typical shit fanon!Regulus supposedly... Just watches and lets be.
Which tells me about how different the abuse might have been within the Black Family (still abusive though). Which tells me Regulus was much, much more closer to standing up for and/or leaving with Sirius OR finding his own way than we usually think.
Sometimes... SOMETIMES it feels so weird seeing Regulus generally be taken as this person who can live with seeing Sirius violently abused every single day of his life, especially in fics where it's outright torture porn!!!! And it's all so very strange. So very strange. Canon!Regulus wouldn't have stood for half the shit fanon and fic Sirius goes through, when Kreacher coming back once, hurt, was enough for him to start questioning things. And mind you, he didn't change sides right immediately when he saw Kreacher, he endeavored to learn more about Voldemort, he let himself be spurred on by his doubts and let the information take him to where he needed to be. Regulus was brilliant in his own way.
I don't know if this makes me feel better or worse. The idea that Regulus was way, way in too deep to be saved. Or that Regulus died when his kindness made him so much more closer to the truth which he never saw until it was too late. Maybe none of it matters.
It really speaks of his naivety and blundering ignorance (one can be kind, smart, and cunning while still being ignorant), yes, but also of how he actually cares about those who he considers family.
I feel like these days I'm much more aware of the things the fandom uses to draw contrast between the two brothers and find that so much of it takes away from Regulus' integrity as a character. In this case specifically where the brothers are compared for their bravery and it usually goes like this: Sirius is a brave victim of abuse and is willing to get hit just to say his piece. Regulus is too scared to not only stand up for himself but also stand up for his brother who he watches bleed and get beat up constantly.
I just want to say before i continue that kids shouldn't be vilified for freezing up in the face of abuse, whether of their own or of others. Regulus freezing up and being scared of parental violence is him being a victim too.
But i do think that this ^^ depiction of Regulus can be considered quite a significant detraction from what can be inferred from canon!Regulus.
Seeing his brother brutalized the way Sirius is often portrayed would have been just as, if not more, important and shocking to him. And yes, just as book Regulus was decisive — he would've been just as decisive in doing something about his brother's abuse. Would he have gotten in front of his parents' wands? Maybe not. But he would've gotten Sirius out of there. He would've done something about it. He fucking would've.
And he'd have started questioning things really fast just as he did with Kreacher. There wouldn't have been a horcrux to steal but there would have been a brother to fight for.
Regulus has always been decisive despite his naivety and his ignorance. He was decisive about joining Voldemort. And he was decisive about stopping him. He was decisive when he went into the cave.
#regulus black#regulus headcanon#the black brothers#sirius black#marauders era#hp marauders#sirius and regulus#my writing#canon regulus
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Hey hey! If you're taking requests could i request headcanons for sakura, kiryu, suo and sugishita(if its too much you can chose just two of these characters) reacting to their s/o confessing they used to be apart of a gang and that they can fight really well.
Thank you!
It's not headcannons but short stories but I hope it's still fine.
It was so fun to write. Just imagining how badass the reader could be and the dynamics between the reader and their previous gang members.
Haruka Sakura, Mitsuki Kiryu, Hayato Suou, Kyotaro Sugishita x prev Gang Leader! reader
Haruka Sakura
You were supposed to meet up with Haurka a few minutes ago but well there were some more pressing matters you had to take care of. The moment you came near your meeting spot you heard an argument, a pretty loud argument and then the glass shattering.
Immediately you ran toward the sound turning the corner into some alley and your eyes were met with two groups fighting with each other. Your eyes widened slightly when you recognized the jackets of one of the groups as your previous gang.
One of the guys saw you and cried your name in excitement before being punched in the face and you flinched at that almost feeling it. The sound of your name brought more attention to you and you didn't think twice before jumping in the fight to help your friends from the gang out.
At the same time, Haruka came to the meeting place late and he was surprised to see you were not yet there. He looked at his phone but there was no message from you either. He was about to call you when some young boy came running to him.
"Hey, you're from Bofurin, right?"
"Yeah, what? You got a problem?" He asked ready to defend himself but the frightened look on the boy's face got him alerted.
"There's a fight going on. I think they are from some gangs but they might move to the streets soon." The young boy spoke quickly grabbing Haruka's sleeve and dragging him in the direction of the brawl.
Your partner ran, quickly taking over the shorter boy, and turned into the alley where he heard grunts coming from. He expected a lot of things but you punching some guy, twice as big as you, was not one of them. Haruka stood frozen watching you expertly beat up the guy before throwing him over your shoulder and kicking for good measurement.
When the last guy was on the ground the few guys dressed in similar jackets yelled happily crowding you and patting your shoulders singing praises.
"Y/n, what the hell was that?!" Your boyfriend yelled running up to you and you pushed some of the guys away to have a clear view of him.
"Oh, Haruka don't worry we already took care of everything." You said trying to calm him down but he was more concerned about you fighting and possibly getting hurt.
"Are you alright? Any bruises?" He asked stepping closer to you and looking over you checking if you're alright.
When he saw you weren't injured he processed what you said before his eyes glared around you and on the several guys surrounding the two of you.
"Who are these guys?"
"Oh right. Guys, this is Haruka Sakura, my boyfriend." At these words, several oh's and ah's echoed around you, before you rolled your eyes at them and moved further with the introductions.
"Haruka these are my friends from my previous gang." You said nonchalantly smiling at him at the thought of your past with them.
"Gang? Wait yours? Like you were a part of gang or-" He was cut off by one of the gang members.
"(Y/n) was our leader before they left." The others nodded confirming the statement and Haruka's shocked expression made you scratch your cheek while laughing awkwardly.
"You were a gang leader." Your boyfriend thought saying the words out loud would help him accept it was true, as well as seek confirmation from you.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you, surprise." Your smile was forced and you hoped he wouldn't be mad at you for omitting confessing something like that before you started dating.
When Haruka didn't say anything but just stared at you, your hand reached toward him and pinched his arm. In return, he slapped yours lightly frowning at you.
"Ouch sorry don't hit me. I really forget to tell you." You told him once more and he sighed deeply before turning away from you and mumbling.
"When we get back you'll tell me all about it."
You smiled softly happy he wasn't that mad and nodded.
"Sure I will."
Mitsuki Kiryu
It was getting rather dark outside when you decided to finish your small date with Mitsuki and go home. You left the small establishment with his voice filling you in on the new game that was releasing in a few days.
Suddenly something, or rather someone, bumped into you trying to run past and push through the crowd, a few people behind him. Your quick reflexes would be useful if they worked fully as you didn't fall down but your bag got ripped from your hands and met the ground.
Your gasp was accompanied by one of the guys pushing you away and almost stomping on it.
"Move it!"
The voice sounded very familiar to you and when you looked at him you noticed one of your friends from the past. Mitsuki tried to grab and stabilize not to let you fall but you moved away from him and grabbed two of the guys stopping them.
"What the-" "Ey!"
Their yells alerted the three others as they came to a stop and ran back to them. They were ready to throw hands but when they saw your unimpressed face glaring at them they gasped and stepped closer to you.
"Oh (Y/n), long time no see." One of them happily greeted and the others nodded set on hugging you.
But what they received was different. You sighed before smacking each of them on their head as they yelped. Mitsuki stepped closer to you curious about your strange behaviour but also prepared to protect you if they decided to punch you.
"Why are you running like that idiots, can't you be more careful with people around?" You said your voice firm ready to lecture them while you crouched to grab your bag before dusting it off.
"Sorry boss, we got a call from Tachizo to get there for the meeting." The tallest boy said and another added.
"We had to be quick."
For people around you, it seemed like they were explaining themselves to their parent who was scolding them and they wouldn't be far from the truth, as during your gang times you felt like a single parent of unruly kids.
You pinched your nose looking at them and some of them gulped ready for another lecture but you just sighed again.
"I see then be more careful from now on." You said and they nodded.
"And greet him from me." You added as they got ready to run along to their meeting.
"Got it, boss." They called before disappearing trying to move more carefully through the crowds.
"(Y/n), are you a yakuza by any chance?" Mitsuki asked reminding you of his presence.
"Yakuza? No, I was a leader of a small gang and these were some guys from the team before I left and Tachizo took after me." You explained turning to him.
"You were a gang leader?" He asked taking your hand in his and moving in the direction of your home.
You were worried he might take it the wrong way but seeing that he didn't really mind it brought you immense joy.
"Yes, just before we started dating, but it was taking too much time from me and I wanted to spend more of it with you." You explained and Mitsuki tightened his hold on your hand smiling at you.
"So you want to tell me my partner used to be a gang leader?" He muttered to himself and you quickly confirmed.
"Yes."
"That's so cool, did you have some cool jacket or some band." He asked and you the whole walk home by talking about your past with the gang.
Hayato Suou
Suou stood in front of you trying to protect you from some thugs that as soon as they saw that he wore Bofurin uniform went wild. Your boyfriend took a protective stance keeping you away from them and gracefully beating them up.
Suddenly one of the guys came from the side while his friend was still struggling with your partner. He thought you would be an easy target seeing as the only thing you did was stand behind and observe what was happening. Little did he know, you did so only because Suou was very worried about you and you didn't want to disturb him from his fight, causing him more stress if you were to fight beside him.
He rushed for you swinging his fist in your direction. You stepped back grabbing his forearm and pulling him to you. Your right hand quickly turned into a fist as you took a swing and punched him in the stomach. He bent over and you used this opportunity to kick his leg making him stumble. Your foot curled back as you pushed his shoulders and he hit the ground.
As you sight and corrected your tousled hair, you heard a groan behind you and turned to see Hayato finish the other guy. He looked at you with a glint in his eyes as he observed you the whole time from the corner of his vision. He was ready to help you but you surprised him positively and he walked closer to you with a grin forming on his face.
"Where did you learn how to fight like that?" He questioned as he moved his head left and right to check if you were hurt.
Hayato still worried even though he saw you expertly take the guy down.
"Were you secretly some part of a gang?" He asked jokingly not knowing your past as you didn't tell him previously.
You didn't really want to tell him yet, as you were still unsure about how he would react, but it was now or never, it seemed.
"Actually yes." You sighed your hand moving to the back of your neck as you started feeling nervous.
"The small gang in the suburbs have you heard about it." You added deciding to confess about your past.
"That's funny, (Y/n)." He replied petting your head and you groaned at him trying to swat his hand away.
You expected a lot of things from him, but denial wasn't one of them.
"It's true, we were a neighbouring gang and some elders still recognize me, as I was the leader."
"Mhm.." He hummed and you sighed.
You grabbed his hand your fingers tangling into his as you stopped him and turned to face him.
"Really, I'm not joking. We used to be together but when we went to different schools we decided to disband." You tried to convince him.
His eyes bored into yours, his head tilted slightly and he nodded once.
"Fine, I'll believe you." He replied kissing your forehead before starting to walk your hand still in his as he pulled you after him.
"You better-" You muttered as he cut you off showing you his grin.
"But you need to show me some more of your moves"
Kyotaro Sugishita
Kyotaro followed after you to your room and you left him to look around while you went for some drinks. When you came back he stood in front of your wall where several pictures were pinned.
You placed the drinks on your desk and he took notice of you turning to you before looking back to the image that interested him the most.
"Is that you?" He asked pointing at one of the photos you had hung on the wall.
You came to stand beside him and looked closely at the picture he pointed.
"Oh that's a picture from almost two years ago, I was a part of the gang in my town before moving here." You remembered smiling when you saw your younger self with the rest of your gang all of you wearing your iconic one-coloured bandanas around your arms, yours being the only exception as it had your gang initials sawn on it.
At the memory, your thoughts went to the said clothing and you moved to your wardrobe taking it out and handing it to Kyotaro.
"Huh?" He asked taking the bandana in his hands and his gaze moved from it to the photo.
"They gave me the band after I left to have like a reminder of being the leader." You explained.
"Leader? Like Umemiya?" He asked curiously and you laughed at that.
"I was far from being such a good leader like Umemiya but we had fun, and the guys write to me from time to time to ask how's it going." You said fondly looking at the photos and didn't notice Kyotaro's gaze stuck on you as you started thinking back to the time when you were the "boss" of your little group.
You picked one of the photos off the wall and showed it to him pointing at your beaten-up face and the others, who didn't look better.
"This one is from when we tried to catch some thieves and jumped through the fence into the garbage can." You recalled the memory behind the photo and chuckled to yourself just thinking about the situation and how troublesome it was for the younger you.
"Did it hurt?" Kyotaro said softly looking at you, showing his soft side reserved especially for you.
"Yeah, but I got over it, and we did catch them so all ended up good." You responded joyfully your fingers running through the photo.
Suddenly you straightened up and put the photo away before turning to your boyfriend.
"Actually I got a scar because of that, here." You said rolling up your sleeve and showing him the scar present on your arm near the wrist.
His gaze fell down and he looked worriedly at your hand. The next moment, he took it in his hold and moved closer kissing your forearm just where the scar was.
"Oh, you.. Kyo?" You flushed trying to grab the hand away from him but he only leaned closer.
"You were brave, I think you were a great leader."
His words almost gave you a heart attack and you felt so accomplished and grateful for them.
Taglist: @misticbullet
#wind breaker (satoru nii)#wind breaker (satoru nii) x reader#wind breaker#wind breaker x reader#haruka sakura x reader#mitsuki kiryu x reader#hayato suou x reader#kyotaro sugishita x reader
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"You're such a dumbass. My own little dumbass." With Rhea?
No need to be jealous
General Masterlists | WWE Masterlist | Rhea Ripley Masterlist
Requests are: OPEN
Characters: Rhea Ripley, Reader
Prompt: "You're such a dumbass. My own little dumbass." With Rhea?
Author's note: I'm deeply sorry for taking so much time, but here you are! I hope you like it and thanks for the request.
Ever since Rhea and Dominik started that story keyfabe, you feel jealous each time they have an interaction.
The gazes which they share, the sweet words, sweet touches, make you feel worse each time. You know fully that you shouldn't doubt Rhea's feelings towards you, that what they are doing is keyfabe, but you can't help it.
The time you snap and leave the room, is once where Dominik was hurt against Gunther and he had started moaning "Mami" in pain. As part of the Judgement Day as well, you had to stay there and watch, but you focused on the camera instead of those two, wishing that they would hurry up, so you could disappear and stay alone for a bit.
You just storm out of medical's room, not really sure where to go, your locker room surely not being a good idea. You can hear footsteps chasing behind you, but you can care less, until that person catches your arm and forces you to turn and face them.
"Y/N! What is wrong?" Her hold is steady on your arm and even if you could get away, you don't fight it.
"Nothing. I'm... Fine." You can't look at her in the eyes.
"Come on, look at me." Rhea moves a thumb on your cheek, trying to get your attention. "Something is wrong, is it because of Dominik?" She asks softly and gently.
You sigh heavily and look at her. "This whole storyline with Dominik is getting on my nerves."
"You are a dumbass. My own little dumbass." She says lovingly, smirking. "Are you jealous? You know you don't need to be, because I am only yours and you are only mine, Y/N."
You blush, pressing your cheek against her thumb. "Yes, I am jealous. I know it's keyfabe, but I see how he looks at you."
"You are part of Judgement Day as well and he knows fully that we are together. He is exaggerating so much only for the fans." Rhea reassures you, before cupping your cheeks and kissing you gently.
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Hades 1 vs Hades 2 Designs
● Hermes besides Hypnos was first character that made me think when i saw him oh some time has passed since Zag's escapes indeed, makes you feel that time skip. In this particular debate between those i'm really digging both but if needed to say which i prefer would go with second. I feel it should be said he sure rolls nicely with longer hair i would say darker outfit too but that's probably because pallet that's used for levels.
Ps. I saw post that mentioned how his ring is the same as ones Charon is wearing in first game and if it's a hint at something i'm here for it!
● Zeus for this god specifically there is discourse about how his pose is less dynamic and oh boy if i don't agree with that so much. In first game you see him and his look makes you think yeah this is the king of gods while in second game man is just there with posture i take often because i'm useless gay that don't know what to do with my hands and feels like they took all this might and put it into chiseling his nipples & abs into his golden chestplate. Not to mention the detail of missing the iconic bolt! Don't think it needs to be said but 100% would pick Hades 1 design out of those options.
● Poseidon the King of the Sea another example in my humble opinion where they went with flattening that dynamic looks exchanging it for man that just standing there chilling which is good for him but where first screams cool uncle second one goes uncle that wants retirement. I really like how we can see the trident now tho and need to point out his outfit sure got more print on it. When it comes down to pointing out which one is the winner in my eyes it would be 2020 one.
● Aphrodite if she wasn't the one that got thrown into drama because people double standards and hypocrisy. Design from first game and the pose straight up makes you think of love, lust, seduction all the things that are associated with said goddess. As for Hades 2 version i have no clue why it feels like this considering it's actually the opposite because we can see armor on her legs now but she feels less covered for me, do i find it negative or in any way problematic? Not one bit let the woman show off all her assets all day long! Really love the adds of her weapon and shield makes you immerse in the store of oh fights are happening around these parts. From seduction to i stand here at the ready kinda vibe and i'm really digging it.
Ps. Another post i read was about fact that her war paint i will call it (not 100% sure if that is it or just line for the giggles) is reference to Ares and considering her myth i really like that touch!
● Hypnos was the first OG i saw and was like man not only catching up on his sleep but also got such glow up i absolutely adore the design. Not to say he looked bad in Hades 1 but there it was like okay nice to Hades 2 like Damnnn and his lil helpers that keeps him up! Love the fact that of all things they made him be tucked into his cape like burrito.
Ps. I really do hope by the end of the game we get to wake him up so he can try out that nectar that we all leave there waiting.
● Chaos so many things to say and at the same time silence says it all. Seen people focusing on fact some out there call them he or how it's a downgrade from previous but don't even elaborate why they think that because everyone has right to have their own preference but at least put it into words instead of going trash next..there was also notion how they resemble Meg and while i see where people get that idea from for sure before reading that my mind didn't went there at all. I think both designs really work with someone who is primordial originator and how time goes so can their form. I find it very fascinating that they put old skeleton with new one and adore galaxy under suit makes me think of Nyx right away and how they're connected. Can totally see how between those two gamers got major stance that left reminds them more of male and right of female beings but at the end of the it chaos is chaos. Gotta take chair routine from Meg while they at it! The face on the shoulder surely throws me in loop tho fits? Sure. Does it disturb me in micro scale? Yes. About frames and poses don't have much to say cause both caption the essence of i mind my business everything unrelevant until i say so.
Ps. I know it's about physical aspect but let me say Chaos roasting Mel about how her brother is amusing one out of two Hades spawns is living rent free in my brain.
#Hades 2#Hades 2 spoilers#games#I know i'm missin Demeter and Artemis but those ladies do be hating me with showing up since i planned to make this post#Funny enough they both don't want to show in Hades 1 now lol#will add them when i finally manage to grab ss of said individuals but in short i like Demeter better in H2 while Artemis works as is#in both games#Hades Zeus#Hades Hypnos#Hades Aphrodite#Hades Chaos#Hades Poseidon#Hades Hermes#while all that is said it's just purely my preference and i think in both games they're looking to use such lame expression good#so i ain't hating on either#I keep dying to sirens so there is probably more i haven't seen so if i catch anythin besides those i will update as it goes#i downloaded Hades again just for that rip my disc aint got any space lmao#feel free to come yell about Hades into my dms i only doin it to void at the moment which is tragic yall
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Analyzing the Dethklok boys and their relation to Gods
So I've recently gotten into Metalocalypse and was kinda upset that no one in my vicinity has either not heard or cares about this show enough to yap and analyze it with me but then I remembered that I have a Tumblr just collecting dust and this is a perfect place to just...talk.
But anyway going back to the whole purpose of this post I wanted to touch on the boys pretty literal godhood presented in the show and how it reflects on their character and their backstories starting with...
Toki Wartooth
Starting off with one of the easiest to analyze since he arguably has the most lore present to the viewer. Throughout the series, toki is presented as the most childish as well as the most emotional of the group with parallels to the angle of death sprinkled everywhere. It's prophesized that anyone he loves or finds dear kicks the bucket with the boys being an exception (since IMO their prophecy and own godlike powers kinda cancel it out). Whether it is that child fan whom he was unironically doing the favor of declining her until the last second or his own father- everyone he loves either dies or never progresses in life (i.e. Dr.Rockso). By nature he is a bad omen who particularly gets canceled out by another member- I'll get into that shut up- but also has weird relations with the big man upstairs, Jesus Christ.
His appearance is even similar to that of him and in scenes of his childhood where he's being heavily abused by his parents, you can see parallels of the lashings on his back. When being tortured by Magnus alongside Abigail they are crucified and put into the position Jesus once was in.
[Also, sidenote I find it interesting how he deals with stressful situations either by tweaking or age-regressing by having Pickles be his caretaker. Since you can see him slowly regress through the series (no he did not regress all of a sudden after being saved you can clearly see how he regresses throughout the series, and I stand on that bruh) but regresses hard during the aftermath.]
Skwisgaar Skwigelf
Being the adonis he is, I think Skwisgaar represents life to counter Toki's roots in death. His appearance replicating common ideals of angels paired with his height and canonical attractiveness, Skwisgaar is truly a seductress of all sorts. To the point, I get huge Zeus feelings from him (hell it was kinda pushed into our faces during the episode showing how many children he's fathered). His learned skill contrasts itself with Toki's raw talent and has a constant clash- going back to the fact that they represent death and life respectively.
I think their constant fighting kinda represents the back and forth between life and death, and those small tidbits where they do show compassion towards each other are a display of how one couldn't exist without the other. It's the fear of Toki possibly getting better than him that pushes Skwisgaar to be on top of shit and it's Skwisgaar's superiority complex and constant snubbing of Toki that pushes the other to battle for the same position.
It's another interesting thing how they both deal with their traumas differently. as I truly believe Skwisgaar is prolly hypersexual due to being constantly exposed to well.. sex. And when he's not pondering on that aspect of his life then he's parading around his guitar skills as another coping method. I mean his guitar is LITERALLY part of him 24/7.
Nathan Explosion
Saw a bunch of discussions/debates on what Nathan could be, ranging from power, love, and rage (tbh that's more William than anything). And I think it's a mixture. Nathan is the only member of Dethklok to actually seem to have a stable background out of all of the band, also being the only member consistently in non-one note relationships. And while he does divulge himself groupies he seems to be genuinely interested in having long-term relationships as seen with him getting ready to propose to Abigail (which I honestly think he didn't really want to, he just felt something was missing and hoped a woman he had something with could fulfill that purpose). All of this makes me think he has some domain/relation to love as well as power seeing his influence of thousands being the head of Dethklok.
His power is so insanely strong that whenever he doesn't deliver or even when he does via performances the area goes to shit and he strikes up chaos. A little part of me wonders if that's because all of the boys performing is like some Leviathan event but I digress.
And in this role, it is Nathan who counters...
William
William arguably has the least info bout his background other than how his two parents died and how he was treated harshly in school, there's not jack about him. However, I do feel like he has domain over hate, pride, and chaos. I mean this man's hatred is so intense that it extends to every part of himself and is an essential part of Dethklok's sound. Without him, they are positive, which funny enough is pretty reflective of the role of bass in a band. It's the link between the drums and everything else. So no matter what the rest of the instruments are doing at that moment the bass sets a tone and is fundamentally dictated by him.
He's a mean, vulgar, and brash force that in a weird way counters everyone a tad bit. (love lil bro for that tho).
Pickles
Quite literally being dubbed the mother of the group by fandom and cannon I think Pickles represents the maternal figure of the group kinda. But at the same time he neither counters nor has a specific role in the group that isn't being the drummer. (though drummers act like the temporal glue i.e. wrangling his stupid bandmates to the right path) He takes on this id personality yet also acts brash. The closest thing I could compare him to being a Dionysus figure. Specifically how he represents overindulgence which can be seen in his multitude of addictions but his insanely high tolerance, other than the relation to alcohol Dionysus also has 2 sides just like pickles. One minute he is the most stable and mature of the group and the next he is thrown into a jealous or petty rage. (which can be seen in fatherklok of with Abigail and Nathan)Most often being spurred on by his family history of being the scapegoat for all their problems.
And if you subscribe to the pickles is trans propaganda (which I fully am fucking down for) then the weird parallels between Dionysus's split presentation between femininity and masculinity interacting with each other is interesting to see. Especially when he becomes a maternal figure for toki, Skwisgaar, and William- but a pseudo partner for Nathan who also kind of represents the patriarchal power in the home.
Paired with Dionysus having domain over theatre and entertainment is interesting with his roots in glam metal being the frontman for Snakes and Barrels.
anyways little shitty rant is OVER! I love this series so very much and I'm sad I just got into this fandom.
#metalocalypse#pickles the drummer#william murderface#toki wartooth#skwisgaar skwigelf#nathan explosion#character study#professional yapper#character analysis#RAAAAAAH LOVE THESE FUCKS#i could also go into how they rep different types of metal#AHHHHH'#grinded writing this listening to MF DOOM gfvgx
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First < Season 2
Ok, so I got an anon about a Batfam Actor AU and now I can't get it out of my head. I'll probably make this multiple parts or something, but I'll go season by season probably.
Ok, so Season two starts off with a Certain Someone with a Red pill helmet and a popped collar falling into a vat of acid, and Bruce obviously going down a guilt spiral. Somehow he ends up at the circus, bada bing bada boom, he ends up with a child.
We're gonna make Dick Grayson 10/11/12, just because this is live action and it's hard to see an 8 year old fighting crime.
A lot of the season is the push and pull between Bruce and Dick, and finding Tony Zucco, while also building up the more known and iconic rogues gallery in the background, like the origins of Two-Face and Scarecrow. And also, the Joker being a silly goofy guy, but his crimes turning more and more Homocidal. There's a lot more flirting between Selena and Bruce, and there isn't as much Talia or Ra's but there's still flashbacks to Bruce's training while he's training Dick.
The season finale in Dick fighting whatever rogue of the week with Batman as Robin.
The Fandom Absolutely loves Dick. They love his character who's this snarky little kid, but also, his acting is amazing for a 10/11/12 year old, with the way you can see and feel this kid work his way through his grief. He's a literal prodigy. I personally believe he would be a slight nepo baby, his mom would be an Olympic gymnast, and his dad would be a director or screenwriter something.
He's, um, he's also a kid running around on screen in green short shorts and a yellow cape that barely makes it past his butt. In a show directed predominately to adults. We've all heard of "Quiet on Set"
During the press tour, he has a Finn Wolfhard moment where the interviewer makes an innapropriate joke, and Talia's immediately chewing out this interviewer, but in a subtle cunning way. Selena punches the interviewer at the end of the interview.
But Dick still has a countdown. Which really fucking sucks.
On a lighter note, Bruce's actor and Selena's actor are Dating. And they seem pretty serious. Though, the fandom swears that all four of them (Bruce, Selena, Talia and Harvey) are dating and Bruce and Selena were just the only ones to have gotten caught by the press
Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and Ra's Spill the Tea interview was about Dick showing off to Bruce how he could do a triple flip, and then Bruce tried to do it, but fell flat on his back.
#dc comics#batman#bruce wayne#dick grayson#alfred pennyworth#ras al ghul#commissioner gordon#selena kyle#talia al ghul#harvey dent#brulena
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the moment i started shipping kabumisu (spoilers ahead for chapters 45-62)
okay. this is gonna be a long one.
you'd think i'd be reasonable and start shipping these two characters from the moment they spend time alone in the dungeon, right? wrong. like the unreasonable guy i am, i saw them both placed a certain way and my brain went "shipped." let me explain.
chapter 45. this is the first time they interact. i wasn't thinking much at this point, but i just wanted to point out this frame because it looks damn cool (and i wanna maybe trace it on paper)
chapter 54
mithrun notices kabru has skill for the first time. at this point i didn't think much more than "oh he's looking at him."
kabru notices mithrun (or maybe he's just shocked about the water; i decided nonetheless to add this.) not much to report yet either on my personal feelings at this point.
and then this happens.
first off i was thinking about kabru saving others without thinking but that's another subject. then i saw mithrun was LEANING BACK on kabru whilst between his legs and the gentle way he held his wrist for support i was like huh??! am i supposed to be getting homoerotic subtext from this? i was... intrigued. a little ship bell went off in my head, but there was no ripeness to it yet. not ready to be plucked.
like look at this in closeup please
then can we get this whole ass frame. where we clearly see how close they are physically. from that point on i thought "lol if this goes on i might crackship them haha blush"
i mean their body position makes them look like they could be on a casual date
(hands on thighs hands on thighs hands-)
and then THIS
pat pat head yes good boy smart boy i see how you have excellent perception skills, let us work together to fight this monster do what i say now
also just situationally i was kinda awed because not a moment ago they were kinda distrustful on edge but here immediately mithrun makes a plan involving kabru (no, not the other elves, but kabru) to take down the monster together & puts trust in him & idk i think two characters fighting together always feels intimate to me in a way (not necessarily romantic or anything); like characters are familiar with each other
"pat"
chapter 55
nothing special but i like the way they look at each other here even if there is no romantic or erotic tension or anything. maybe i just like the art of this.
i mean i know they're on a pillar but look at how close they are
just look at the way mithrun is being held and tell me that if taken out of context these images don't scream homoeroticism. and yes, this is the moment i decided to ship them.
(again, taken out of context) mithrun looks like the husband silently threatening whoever kabru is arguing with
and now this. this. look at this beautiful piece of art. look at how falin holds sissel(thistle). there is tenderness in that grip; protection.
then above them you see kabru's self-protection in holding mithrun hostage yet the picture as a whole immediately made me think of "the lovers" archetype. duality. being held. idk. but seeing this was powerful.
mithrun tries to free himself from kabru's grip, the way he is held is constricing. yet if you changed the way you look at it, it could be perceived as holding on to a lover for dear life as you both tumble to your death.
is that what the mangaka intended?? i am not one to usually read much into symbolism or stuff if i'm just casually reading - and i certainly don't know anything about art or literary symbolism - but all these thoughts immediately sprung out to me. these panels made me feel something so intense. (exquisite art, really!!)
so this is how i started shipping kabumisu.
once i got to chapter 61 and realised "oh DAMN they will actually be spending one-on-one time together?" i was pleasantly surprised and knew i would not be alone in shipping them.
that is all :3 thank you for reading if you got this far!
#kabumisu#dunmeshi spoilers#dungeon meshi spoilers#dunmeshi#sprt.tag#meta#i guess#but also just ramblings haha#imagine how loud my ship bells were ringing once kabru was all 'no dear you need to take care of your body let me just remind you to go to#the bathroom and to sleep and all that'#mithrun
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would deregan ever do anything with cnc? Otherwise I want to see how Derek gets off when he's alone please :)
yes, they would! this takes place in the Angel on the Wall AU, long after Logan's recovered enough to speak and he and Derek have had time to rekindle their relationship.
CW: explicit NSFW, CNC (consensual non-consent), blow jobs, blindfolds, bondage, references to past abuse and captivity
“Stop,” Derek said, for all the times that he couldn’t.
Ten years. Ten years of suffering in silence, holding his tongue while the angels abused him. Ten agonizing years of holding onto his pride while the angels tried to break him down, with chains and whips and the blood of his brethren on his hands. But not anymore.
Now, it was ropes instead of chains binding his arms behind his back.
(He knew he could snap them easily.)
Now, he couldn’t see because of a blindfold over his eyes, not because the cage they locked him in as punishment did not allow any light to come through.
(It was a silky blindfold too; Logan thought it looked pretty on him.)
Now, instead of a whip flaying his skin, there was a hot mouth around his cock. A tight, wet heat that was hard not to thrust into, but Derek kept his hips down. He wasn’t supposed to want this with his captors. He didn’t want this with his captors.
(He wanted it with Logan though, and that made it okay.)
“Please,” he begged, not hiding his desperation anymore. “Please, don’t do this, I don’t want this–”
A low moan choked off his pleas, torn from his chest when his cock touched the back of his captor’s throat, and it fluttered around him. He could have sworn there was a softer moan in response.
(He wondered if Logan was watching him, eyes lidded and shiny with tears.)
It went on like that for some time, his captor sucking him off while Derek’s pleas went ignored. He expected them to, of course. He knew his captor wouldn’t listen–
(That’s what they agreed on, after all.)
–but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that the demon could say no. He could cry out and come apart instead of numbing himself to the humiliation, refusing to ever let himself cry knowing he was being watched at all times. He could fight back. He could struggle against his binds–
(Not too much, or else he’d ruin Logan’s rope work.)
–and let out all of those pitiful whimpers that he would have rather died before letting any of the angels hear, or the other demons in the same predicament as him. Derek Bornachi was a proud demon, but right now? He was allowed to be a victim.
He ended up finishing in his captor’s mouth with a strained cry, shaking with the intensity of his orgasm. As the high wore off and the fantasy faded away, he slumped against the chair while the ropes were untied. When the blindfold came off, he saw the face of an angel who was once his captor. Who he once called Master.
Derek called him my love now, in many different ways.
Logan’s face was flushed, a pretty pink that complimented his amber eyes. Sure enough, there were tears in the corner of them from taking all of his boyfriend’s sizable dick in his mouth, and his voice came out as a soft rasp. “Feeling okay?”
Derek smiled before kissing him. “More than okay,” he said, pulling the angel onto his lap. Logan must not have gotten off at all; he was hard where his dick rubbed against Derek’s belly, and Derek could feel how wet he was between his thighs. “How about you? Want me to take care of you now?”
“Mmm…I dunno.” The angel was teasing him, rolling his hips in a clear yes. “I’ve gotten into character now. Wouldn’t be very captor-y of me to let you do that.”
The demon smirked. “Well, if you want to keep up the roleplay,” he said, settling his hands on Logan’s hips, “we could always do the reverse.”
Logan grinned. “I can work with that.”
my writing x my whump x angel on the wall au x ko-fi
#whumplr#whump writing#emmett whumps#whump tag#<- because of past whump#and it being a whump series#emmett writes#answered writing prompts#Angel on the Wall AU#Angel on the Wall AU (writing)#emmett ocs#derek oc#logan oc#dergan (ship)#NSFTS#emmettsin
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Stop trying to bait us. All you do is make endless posts about how much Elucien and Gwynriel suck, trying to get one of us to respond so you can argue with them. Too bad nearly every single mutual I know has blocked your account, and for good reason. You're toxic as hell
???
LOL, you think I make Elriel posts to bait antis into fighting with me??
Pls, heavenly father, give me patience to deal with this troll
Every single one of my posts is tagged #antielucien (except one post where I was trying to ask a genuine question, not trying to start anything). Not even #anti elucien - so they algorithm doesn't even have a chance of putting it in the Elucien tag. How am I trying to bait people when I literally tag everything properly?
And before anyone even comes at me for the #elain #azriel tags - I see plently, PLENTY of elucien/gwynriel posts with Elain and Azriel tagged. But if I see it's #anti-elriel , I don't respond. I know it's not meant for me. And yet, I see so, so many antis commenting on Elriel, #anti E/L or G/A posts just because they see #lucien or #gwyn tagged. They know it's not for them, and yet, here we are.
Also - I can literally count on one hand the amount of times I have gone onto an anti-elriel post. The first time was when I was brand new and didn't realize this ship war was that serious (have learned my lesson since). Another time when I was defending another Elriel who got bombarded with Elucien trolls. The other 2-3 times I have commented on an anti post have been because the OP indirectly or directly referenced me, specifically.
It's funny you say that, because I haven't gone onto Elucien & Gwynriel blogs to rile them up in their comments/reblogs. They're the ones who start fights in my replies/reblogs. I simply respond to them, matching their energy. If they come onto my blog with a genuine question, I answer it sincerely. If they come looking for a fight, then they'll get a fight :) Because I don't tolerate personal disrespect when we're debating fucking fictional characters.
So it really does not change my life in any shape or form if the Elucien/Gwynriel blogs block me. I don't look at their posts, comment on them, or even go on their pages. It literally makes zero difference if they block me, and in fact, if they really can't stand to see a post with a different opinion than theirs, then I highly encourage that they block me. I'd enjoy being able to post my thoughts without any drama.
I usually just scroll past a post if I don't agree/don't like it. And I don't follow any tags, including elriel, so I see a LOT of anti-posts every single day. It's a little thing called self-control, feel free to exercise the right to have some. And if you really, really, don't have any, then feel free to block the Elriel tag too.
Hope this helps :)
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Batfam headcanon rants 18+
Wow not me posting twice in 24 hours... I hope you like this, maybe ill write more for my fav DC characters.
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Jason fucks you like a man. And not in a misogynistic man way but in a way that makes you feel like a god. He fucks you like he is just a mere mortal graced to be in the presence of the divine. You couldn't see why though, Jason is far more than just a normal man at this point, the pit giving him second life and more-than-human abilities made him one of Gotham's most feared. Not to mention him being built like a fucking unit. So when he comes home from a long night on patrol and decides to bend you over and worship your body you can't help but feel like the roles should be reversed. Anyways, your not one to complain about the way your boyfriend fucks you, as long as at the end of the day he finally feels safe in your arms.
Being Kate Kane's girlfriend can be difficult. Batwoman, while being an absolute icon, can be hard to get alone. She’s busy and you understand that and obviously appreciate the fact that she makes your city a safer place, but you miss your girlfriend. Not even on a sexual level, just intimacy-wise, you sometimes resent the Batwoman title being number one in Kate's life. You miss falling asleep together wrapped up in her arms. You used to lay your head on her chest and listen to her heartbeat slow as she drifted to sleep. Your relationship has been rough lately, with an influx of crime in Gotham being the literal culprit behind your spiraling thoughts. You go for a walk, a habit you picked up years ago, to clear your head. Your music so loud you didn't hear her until your scooped up and swung up to the rooftops, your scream cut off by the air in your lungs. You are mad at her for scaring you up until she calls you baby and kisses you softly. You think you can forgive her this time, as long as she doesn't stop kissing you. Maybe taking more walks will get you the attention you want.
Dick Grayson is a simp. Yeah, you said it, and you hold fast to that truth. You expected becoming Grayson's girlfriend would bring extra security. You are dating a crime-fighting, ass-kicking, cop by day vigilante by night, circus freak, but damn if he doesn't follow every order you give him. Your going for groceries? Dick will take care of it on his way home. Your craving a certain dish twenty minutes away from where you both live? Expect it on your table in ten. Some nights you even catch the blue of Nightwings uniform making sure you get home safe from work. And not even to mention how much he loves following orders in the bedroom. He loves to make you feel good and if he does so on his hands and knees even better. You love watching the blush creep up his handsome face after you whisper “Good boy” in his ear. Yeah, Dick Grayson has a praise kink, and yeah he totally simps for his fucking hot girlfriend.
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I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU…. MY SPIDER-MAN REDESIGNS!
starring the lovely... the iconic... COFFEE BEAN GANG!!!
These are my go-to designs for the Spider-Man characters, but I also have my own AU just for them!
When I was redesigning the Coffee Bean Gang (again), I ended up conjuring a whole new plot. So, I present to you: the Spider-Delinquents AU! I have also dubbed this universe Earth-3974.
Synopsis:
The government is overly corrupt and controlling. Peter finds himself wrapped up in legal troubles and gets sent to New York’s Holly Springs Institution of Correction, or just Holly Springs Reform School, after an accident involving Oscorp, Harry Osborn, and a fist fight. There, he sees how unjust the system is, and he and his newfound friends (Harry, Gwen, MJ, and Flash) work to put a stop to it.
Under the cut I have a little backstory for each of the characters leading up to how they got sent to Holly Springs Reform School!
Peter:
After a trip to Oscorp, Peter starts to feel woozy. As he’s stumbling around trying to get home, he runs into Harry Osborn, literally. Harry pushes back, and the two get into a brawl that completely destroys the location they’re at. Unable to pay his debts and marked as a troublemaker by the government, Peter is sent to Holly Springs Reform School.
Peter starts out at Midtown High, where he is, of course, bullied by Flash Thompson. He doesn't have any friends while at Midtown, not because he's a nerd, but because he has a superiority complex and thinks he's too good for the kids who have the same interests as him, and nobody likes him because of it. Actually the closest thing he has to a friend at Midtown IS Flash, yeesh. Once he gets humbled, schooled by Uncle Ben, and surrounded by the people he thought he was above, Peter learns to be a better person and actually make friends. He will now die for those friends. Also Peter has heterochromia for no reason other than it looks cool. He says he's a skater boy but homeboy has no clue how to skate.
MJ:
MJ grew up with an abusive dad and an unstable mother. By the age of 5, both of her parents lost custody of her. Instead of an orphanage, the government enrolled MJ in a reform school to “prevent her from turning out like her parents.” She is the kid who has been there the longest despite doing nothing to get sent there. Since she grew up there, Holly Springs is the only place MJ knows as home.
I always see complaints about MJ adaptations and how they're so distant from how she is in the comics. WELL, sorry to all the MJ purgers, but in my AU, MJ acts the most unlike her comic book counterpart. Instead of an extroverted, smooth, cool gal who slays the day away and can get any man she wants, this MJ is a shy, clumsy weirdo with little to no social skills. Since she wasn't around her parents for too long, MJ does not fear romantic relationships; however, being raised in a reform school, MJ has problems connecting with anyone in general. She can be described as the neighbor's kid who no one wants to play with because she's weird, but she's actually really nice. She has an undying optimism and hope that even the worst people can become good. Her personality is similar to Marina lida from Splatoon if that helps get the point across. While MJ and Peter become good friends, they do not ever feel romantic attraction towards each other in this AU. MJ is, however, a chronic piner and has a huge crush, you'll never guess who.
Harry:
Harry was minding his own business (actually, tending to his FATHER’S business that he was assigned to do) when all of a sudden, he’s shoved to the ground. Looking around, he finds the culprit. Surely, this guy does not know that Harry is an Osborn, and Osborns do NOT get pushed around. Harry lunges back at him, and a fight ensues. After destroying the entire location, Harry is sentenced to reform school, and while his dad could easily pay off the judge, Norman thinks this experience will make Harry into a man.
Harry is an entitled rich kid who doesn't really know how to make friends. He hasn't really had to try since he's been able to entertain himself just fine with the money he has. Harry loves his dad and tries to do everything he says, but he usually falls short of Norman Osborn's extremely high expectations. Plus, he's starting to question if everything his dad says really has any merit. Regardless, he doesn't want to let his dad down and tarnish their family name, so he'll keep trying to become the man his father always wanted him to be.
Gwen:
After not getting enough attention from her dad, Gwen starts to feel a defiance toward law authorities. This defiance only grows upon learning what work keeps her dad from coming home at night. Using her intellect, Gwen commits petty crimes in abstruse ways just to mess with the cops. She becomes particularly skilled with mechanics, metalwork, and chemicals. But, even the most careful artists make mistakes, and Gwen gets caught. Her dad, who surprisingly looks sad, has no choice but to turn her in.
Gwen and Harry do NOT get along. At all. It's probably because Gwen is a goth and Harry is the textbook definition of a prep. They're forced to get along but ooooh they do not like each other. They still become great friends, but the goth vs prep hostility is always there. Gwen dates Peter in this universe, but she breaks up with him before she can die. People know not to mess with her because she is very capable (another reason why she does not die), and she WILL haunt your nightmares. Everyone finds her creepy and scary besides MJ.
Flash:
Actually, Flash doesn’t attend Holly Springs Reform School. Flash goes to Midtown High, Peter’s previous school. Though Flash bullies Peter, he doesn’t actually mean him any harm. So, when Flash hears Peter is being sent to H. Springs, he’s worried he tipped Pete over the edge. This scares Flash, worried he’s become like his father, and leads to him bettering himself. Little does Flash know he’s not done with Peter just yet.
Flash won't tell anyone this, lest it tarnish his bad boy persona, but he worked hard and bought his car with his own money. Since his no-good father is out of his life, Flash realizes there is no reason for him to be like his dad and pick on others to make himself seem better, so he starts his journey of improvement. Basically, Flash is in his healing arc while everyone else is in their "going thru it" arc. Flash's healing arc is interrupted by being dragged into whatever mess the rest of the gang's got themselves into.
#I REALLY ENJOYED MAKING THESE. IT TOOK FOREVER BUT I DID IT AND I AM HAPPY WITH IT!!!!#these guys and their story have been in the works since like november of 2023#i love spiderman can you guys tell#spiderman fanart#spiderman au#marvel#marvel fanart#coffee bean gang#coffee bean gang fanart#spiderverse#spiderverse fanart#spider delinquents#earth 3974#peter parker#peter parker fanart#mj watson#mary jane watson#mj watson fanart#mary jane watson fanart#harry osborn#harry osborn fanart#gwen stacy#gwen stacy fanart#flash thompson#flash thompson fanart#spiderman#spider man#ack#draws
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Lost Boys
Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Superfam
Summary: After Jonathan Lane Kent wipes himself from existence by canceling his own timeline, he finds himself stuck in the afterlife where he meets Jason Todd. He still wonders about the life un-lived on Earth, and how his parents would've felt about him.
Jason Todd, who is making the most of being dead, struggles with the reality of what he's left behind. He has one wish and one wish only: to send his family one final message.
Chapters: 3/?
Characters: Jonathan Lane Kent (Laney), Jason Todd, Catherine Todd, Boston Brand, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, John Constantine, Raven, Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake
Relationships: Platonic JayLaney
Additional Tags: Angst, Platonic Relationships, Magical Jason Todd, Resurrected Jason Todd, Queerplatonic Relationships, Canon Divergent AU, POV Multiple
Chapter Three: Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Laney Kent's POV)
I was so excited to go to the dance with Jason that I let it slip to Catherine that I didn't know how to dance. I just wanted to impress Jason, and I didn't realize it then, but talking to Catherine was probably the best decision I ever made in my life.
I didn't know her very well. I just knew that she was Jason's mom and that she was dead just like we were. She put on some music and started to dance.
"Doesn't matter if you can dance or not. You have to feel comfortable with yourself first," Catherine explained. It was easy for her to say. She was a good dancer. She took my hands and spun me around to get me to loosen up. I didn't want to laugh, but she eventually won that battle. Once I loosened up, it didn't really matter to me if I could dance or not. I didn't even notice that Jason came in from outside.
When I finally turned to see him standing there, I could feel my whole face heat up, and I turned my back to him. "For someone who's never danced, you're pretty good," Jason complimented before going straight to the kitchen.
I sat down at the table next to Catherine, and she looked at me for a moment as if she'd found something out about me. I shrank down in the seat and took a breath. "Jason, remember when you were little and your dad—."
Jason shook his head at her, and that was that. I didn't know anything about his birth father, and that was the first time I'd ever heard anyone mention him. Catherine opened her mouth to apologize, and Jason smiled and shook his head. "It's okay... I just don't want to talk about that," Jason reassured her, "Ma, why don't you come with us tonight? It'd be nice to see you get out of the house." I agreed with him.
She shook her head. "No, I couldn't—."
"Please? Catherine, it'll be fun," I interrupted. She finally gave in and said yes. I was a little relieved to know that she'd be coming with us. I could see Jason lighten up a little bit too. His shoulders dropped, and he came around and sat down with us.
I sometimes wondered if my mom would've loved me like Catherine loved Jason. I sometimes wondered if she would've loved me at all. I think, in a way, that scared me more than the concept of having to tell my father all the horrible things I'd done. I was so busy thinking about that, I didn't hear someone knock on the door. Catherine got up, and I blinked hard. She stepped outside and closed the door.
Jason gestured at me to look at him, and he mouthed, "Who is that?" I shrugged and went to the window to look, and I saw a ghost-like man in a red costume. "Well?"
"Some guy in a red costume with a 'D' on the chest," I explained. Jason stood up, and I grabbed his wrist. He looked like he was ready to fight someone, and it scared me to see him so angry. "No," I pleaded as I tried to hold onto him. He was stronger than he looked.
He wriggled loose and opened the door.
"What do you want with my ma?" Jason asked. I followed behind him and took hold of his wrist again. I was too scared to grab his hand. I looked at Boston and then at Jason, who had his fists balled up.
"Jason, it's okay. Boston was just asking me to the dance," Catherine reassured him as she brushed her knuckle against his cheek. "It's okay." Jason didn't move, and Catherine leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "It's okay, Sweet Pea," she whispered, and he relaxed his shoulders and went back inside.
I never thought he could be so hotheaded. He plopped down in his chair at the table. "Jason?" I whispered.
"She's gonna say no, right?" Jason asked. "She was gonna go with us. She doesn't need a date."
I opened my mouth to speak, but I realized Jason didn't want to hear my opinion. I went back to eating as I sat and listened to what he had to say. He stormed out before Catherine could come back, leaving me alone with her when she got back. "Where's Jason?" Catherine asked.
I frowned and took a sip of juice. "Why's he so upset?" I mumbled. Catherine sat across from me.
"I don't have the—. A lot of men in our life have hurt us. He's just being protective," Catherine explained, "He'll be okay once we talk."
"You aren't gonna go with him, though, right?" I questioned.
"Laney, I'm going to go with Boston, but not because I want to hurt Jason. Jason will always come first, but I have to have my own life—. Death? Afterlife? I have to have my own afterlife, Lane," Catherine replied. I fidgeted with my hands. "It'll be alright."
I started to worry after an hour passed and he didn't come back. "I'm gonna go to the lake and find him," I whispered. Catherine took a deep breath and nodded. I went out the front door and walked down to the lake, where Jason sat skipping stones with Boston.
I watched them from behind a tree. "You're not my father," Jason mumbled. I thanked whatever being responsible for super hearing. Boston looked down at Jason and nodded.
"Yeah, I know... And I'm not trying to hurt you. I just think Catherine's a real special lady," Boston whispered, "I'm not gonna hurt nobody, Jay. I can promise you that. Even if it doesn't work out, I promise I won't hurt either of you." Jason didn't look at him. He took another stone and skipped it across the lake.
Jason turned his head discreetly and looked directly at me. I froze and just stood there, staring back at him. He didn't say anything to me, but I could tell Jason knew I was listening. He flashed a smile, and I let out a breath of relief. Everything was going to be okay.
#fic#superfam#batfam#Jonathan Lane Kent (Laney)#Jason Todd#Catherine Todd#Boston Brand#Bruce Wayne#Clark Kent#Lois Lane#John Constantine#Raven#Talia al Ghul#Ra's al Ghul#Dick Grayson#Tim Drake#Laney Kent#Platonic JayLaney#Angst#Platonic Relationships#Magical Jason Todd#Resurrected Jason Todd#Queerplatonic Relationships#Canon Divergent AU#POV Multiple#lost boys fic
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A Laurance Zvahl Character Study
Just a fun Laurance study I slapped together of his life before becoming a Shadow Knight, the final section being a sort of a optional ending, as I thought up the scene and really wanted to include it.
Please enjoy!
Dissension
“Do you have a dream?”
It’s dark, nothing but the cold light of the moon peeking through the pulled back curtains along each of the windows lining the large room. The slow, rhythmic breathing of the other sleeping children is the only sound that fills the silence that lurks between me and my bedmate.
I tread that fine line just on the cusp of sleep, yet my mind entirely too busy to finally catch some shut eye.
“We all do.” I whisper in response, peeking my eyes open to peer at the girl next to me, her name entirely lost to time. I can hardly make out her face, only a lone, disjointed voice in the depths of my memory. There are too many orphans to keep track of, so many that we often share beds to accommodate.
The younger ones don’t mind it so much, thinking it to be an eternal slumber party. Little are they aware of how sick you can start to feel of it the more the time goes by. But, whatever. It's likely they’ll be adopted long before they can feel the discomfort—the restlessness of it all begin to seep in. Before the grounds of the orphanage engrave themselves on the back of your palm, like a branding that never quite leaves.
This girl is young, easy enough to tell by the way she slurs her words and that sweet, high pitch of her voice. I can’t help but wonder what’s kept her awake this long.
“But, do you?”
“Of course I do.” I answer easily, knowing too well what to say. “What’s yours?”
“Mine?”
“Yes. Yours.”
“I… I want a family.”
Isn’t that always the case? Ask any orphan around the place, and surely enough you can piece together their answers, just to find that their wants meet back in the same place where it all began. A longing for what was taken from them so young—a lone call in the dark starless night. A frightening notion that we will always be alone.
She’ll likely find her family soon. And if she doesn’t, then she’s welcome to join the club. She’ll find she’s met with whispered gossip amongst the workers, and worry that is useless in meaning. He seems so grown for his age. Do you think he’ll be here until he’s an adult? All in good nature, I’m sure. Doesn’t seem to sting anyless, though.
“You have one right here.” The words find me, spoken so often on my tongue that I’m beginning to imagine they have a flavour—something bittersweet. No matter how many times I say it, I struggle to believe it myself. Perhaps, that's merely a testament to my selfish way of life.
“You really think so?”
Clever girl. She sees right through me.
“Of course.” I turn on my side to face her properly, just barely able to make out the curve of her large, doll-like eyes in the dark. I reach out a hand, estimating where the top of her head is before I pat gently at her hair. “We’re all family here.”
“What about your dream?” Sleep seems to overtake her words, exhaustion finally catching up to her.
I pause—sucking in a deep breath through my nose, slow and steady. The truth sits itself in the palette of my mouth, stuck, never able to quite find the right words to capture every emotion that locks itself away in the facade of a warm expression and a stupid smirk.
Even if it's only a small girl asking it of me, likely to forget my response by morning.
“What I want..?” I repeat softly, as if to remind myself what the word dream entails. To be an orphan is to be a dreamer, the two seem to go hand in hand. A dream is nothing more than a want that seems so out of reach, that you feel the need to kiss it into shooting stars, and hope Irene herself hears it.
I want a family too.
“I want you to sleep.” I chuckle, tugging the girl into a warm embrace, hoping to lull her off. She doesn’t fight it much, snuggling up and getting comfortable before murmuring out one final time as her breathing slows.
“I hope… You find one too.”
I spend the night staring at the wall behind her—sleepless. Rolling her words over in my head again and again, as if there were another way to read them.
There isn’t.
By morning, I find myself being adopted.
—
“Cadenza! Don’t just run off like that!”
The summer heat of Meteli is sweltering, sun glaring down on my shoulders as I pant, attempting to catch up to the girl who is so fond of scurrying about. The air is always thick when the heat picks up, a trait that comes with the village being situated in the marsh. The adults tend to complain the most, no good solution in place to the stench that tends to radiate off of the murky waters, and the cry of the cicadas at night when summer hits its peak—but the children can’t be bothered, taking the first chance they can to sink into the cool waters of the river hidden just down a cobblestone pathway behind the village.
“It’s not my fault you’re too slow, Laurance!” She giggles, hands grabbing at her dress, tugging it upwards as her feet dip into the running water. From behind, she’s nothing but a head of fiery red hair, curly and frizzy amongst the humid weather.
“You’re older than me, you know?” I whine, sweeping back brown hair doused in sweat. “I’ve been training all day too.”
“You’re really becoming a guard?” By now, she’s found herself a spot to sit, keeping her dress perfectly dry with her feet submerged underneath the waters. Irene forbids she ever get her clothes dirty.
A wooden sword fills the scabbard at my side, just having started training as a guard. An idea that still perplexes me. As if picking up a blade was nothing more than a thoughtless task, perhaps I really am just bored. I had started practising on my own in secret, having snatched up a sword from the rack in Joh’s home, thinking he’d never notice one gone from the plethora he’d amassed. Still, to trick a Lord was a difficult task. To trick your own father, an even greater one. It didn’t take long before he caught me swinging at nothing in a small clearing in the forest, arms too weak and wobbly to properly hold the sword I had chosen.
Of course—a few slaps on the wrist were expected.
"A real sword?" My adoptive father questioned incredulously, and all I could do was sheepishly grin back up at him before I received nothing more than an admonishing sigh.
“Boy, tell me. Why do you swing this sword?” Joh held the polished blade in his own hands, keeping it from my reach as he towered over me. He gripped it with a practised hand, always ready to pick it up and fight, to defend himself. Yet, his posture was always relaxed—too relaxed. Perhaps, that was what made him most intimidating.
To grow the son of a Lord, I had learned two things.
One, the role of a Lord is vital to the village. They are who keep the village alive, and running. Without a Lord, a week is all it would take for a village to descend into disarray.
Two, the role of a Lord is minacious. Nothing more than sitting cattle should they let their guard down. Lords tend to cycle in and out rather quickly, never staying the same for too long in smaller villages that dot the outskirts on the eastern coast of Ru’an. A Lord’s life is always in danger.
“I want to protect everyone,” I answered with what I thought he’d want to hear.
“You cannot protect everyone if you are a guard. Who will you point your sword on then?”
“I…” Warmth bloomed across my face as I glanced away from his gaze. The truth was simple, yet it seemed too selfish to speak aloud. Yet, my adoptive fathers gaze burned into me, neither of us would leave before he received that answer.
“Who is it you wish to protect?” Joh questioned once more in a sharp and steel-edged manner that I’ve only ever seen him use with the trained guards straight out of the academy, bowing their knees and requesting to become his soldier.
“Um…” I sputtered, “Innocent people?”
There was a moment of pause—and it was times like those where I could never quite read what was going through his head. His gaze lingered on me, as if to peel away at me, to unveil my truths and lay them bare himself. For I was an orphaned child, trust would never come easily. Even to the man I called father. The truth would always find itself stuck between my teeth, thicker than the sweet taffy that Cadenza snuck from her fathers home and shared with me.
Joh knew this.
“Try again.”
“Huh?”
“Your answer isn’t sufficient enough.”
“But I—!”
“Then come back to me when you have a better one.” Joh turned his back, blade in hand as he began his march back down the path he came. With a pause, and his back facing me, he spoke once more. “For now, use the training swords in the guard house.”
Not sufficient enough…?
I struggled for a few moments to wrap my head around the implications of his remark. Mulling over his question, I began to frown. Swept beneath a rug—not good enough. It irked me, made my blood boil beneath my skin as his words ran me for loops, as if spoken in a foreign tongue.
“—rance… Laurance!”
Cadenza’s calls tear me from the thoughts I hadn’t realised I had gotten entirely lost in. She glares at me, expectantly—Cadenza hates being ignored. Perhaps, it came with her upbringing, cherished and coddled by Hayden. Of course, the reason she sought out my company of all people was due to our similarities. Her and I both orphaned and adopted, many of the other children would never understand the severance it brought with it. That thick, heavy feeling that plagues us at night, urging us that we ought to grip our blankets tighter should we wake up in another bed by morning.
“What were you asking?”
“Seriously? I asked if you’re really becoming a guard.” She frowns at me, and perhaps a part of that frown is her worrying over my safety. She really should look after herself—a flower of a young girl. She’s likely to be sought after endlessly once she’s of age.
I shrug, kicking off my own leather shoes as I approach the river bed. “Probably.” I respond, sinking my feet into the cold water, holding back a shiver that dares to creep up my spine. “Then I’ll be able to protect you.”
“So romantic, Laurance.” She rolls her eyes, but a smile dances on her lips. “The ladies will surely love you if you keep that up.” She’s clearly teasing, but it pulls a bright smile onto my face, unsure how else to respond.
“I’ll be a heartbreaker before you know it.” I continue the bit, hands dipping into the water and launching some at her—only for her to shriek as it hits her.
“Ugh! My dress!” She moans, thoroughly drenched as she hastily stands from her spot to follow him deeper into the river. Clumsily, mind you. Almost slipping on the rocky stones beneath their feet. “You’re such a ladies man!” She returns the favour, dousing me generously.
This version of Cadenza is my favourite. Broken free from her expectations of a dainty little girl, staying docile and pretty in hopes to find her place in the home that Hayden has provided her. She seems to forget just how much the man cherishes her, losing this spark whenever she roams the village. Happy, free and feral. It's a look that suits her. I can only hope that she will one day learn to embrace this side of herself.
I laugh and laugh. Soaking from head to toe, the wind is cool against my skin, but the sun is burning overhead. Her laughter reaches my ears as well as I toss more water in her direction. I never want this moment to end.
Joh's remark from earlier lingers.
“Boy, tell me. Why do you swing this sword?”
A reason? Yes, I suppose everyone has a reason for what they do. I must as well.
It's later that night that I approach Joh, having finally understood his question. He seems to know what I’ll say—a newfound resolve found in the stride of my walk as I enter the Lord's house.
He asks again.
“What do you wish to protect?”
I answer something along the lines.
Moments like these.
I wish to protect this family of mine.
—
“Easy now…”
A low sound rumbles in the beast's throat, wounded and abandoned in the forest behind Joh's home. Its eyes dark as coal but deadly, ready to bite my head off my shoulders dare I take a step too close.
Alas, this is no ordinary beast. Anyone would only need one glance to know this creature is otherworldly, covered in golden scales. With its long snout that holds sharp teeth, baring them in my direction. But, the trail of blue blood dotting the grass up to its spot is indication enough that it's injured. It seeps from one of its large wings, left unfolded against its side, likely stinging with an aching pain at every unnecessary movement.
A wyvern.
It's said that none have been spotted for hundreds of years, yet here is one in my own father's backyard.
Its black, beady eyes burn holes into me as I slowly take a step closer, and then another—gently, gently, gently so as to not scare it. As if approaching a wounded dog, although, this creature would do much more than any dog could ever.
“Let me help you.” I speak in the softest tone I can muster, wondering if it even understands my words. I reach into my satchel, pulling out the lunch Cadenza had handed me earlier, chiding me for practising all day without any food on me. It's a sandwich, not much really, but it's a peace offering I give, holding it out to the wyvern with a steady hand.
It observes me for a second, the low trill of its growl dying out for a moment as its large eyes stare down at my hand.
Until it turns its snout to my lunch.
“No good?” I chuckle, wrapping the sandwich back up and placing it back in my bag. Still, even without the food, its demeanour has shifted. It seems a bit calmer, sniffing at the wound on its wing before snapping its attention back to me the moment I attempt to take another step closer. My heart crashes against my ribs, nervous down to the tips of my fingers where they buzz with life.
For a moment, I’m reminded of the time Cadenza chastised me for being oh so horrible at dealing with stray cats around the village.
“Like this,” She had sighed, taking my hand herself and holding it out towards the cat. “It will come to you when it's ready.” I had stared at her for a few moments, her own eyes trained on the cat in front of us. And yet, before I knew it, I felt a small tickle against my skin as it had begun to rub its face against my hand.
I wondered, if perhaps, I too were like a stray cat in her eyes. If she had used such tactics when drawing me in and tearing away at the walls I had placed between myself and everyone else once I had been adopted. Always a hot head, I was stubborn, lonely—afraid. Perhaps she saw a bit of me in every stray she beckoned, and even a bit of herself as well.
I find myself absentmindedly following her advice once more, reaching out my hand with a twinge of hesitance. Realistically, I’m nothing more than prey in this moment, pinned down beneath the heavy, deep black of its eyes. Pits in its skull, as vast as the space between stars that splatter the night sky—attempting to drag me in. Still, I dare not look away. Our eyes meet, still as the surface of a lake, hard as crystalline diamond.
I suck in a deep breath, and wait.
It waits too.
We wait and wait until my arm begins to grow tired, and I find myself wanting to laugh at how foolish I surely look. And it's only when I close my eyes for the slightest of moments, the glare of the sun becoming a bit too overwhelming, do I feel cold scales brush against the skin of my palm.
my heart reaches my throat, thrumming wildly as the beast presses its snout further into my palm, quiet—submissive. At least, that's what I assume until I open my eyes to meet its gaze once more, audacious and cautious. Ever so familiar, it's a look I once held in my own eyes—still do.
Wordlessly, it speaks to me—snagging onto a bit of my soul.
You and I are the same.
His name is Ungrth.
—
Sasha sinks into the magma before my own eyes, her face frozen in an indescribable agony that surely rips across her entire body, burning her down to the bone—and then some.
All I can do is stare for a few baffled moments, the sword at my side so new I can still hear the rhythmic clang of the blacksmith hammering it down into a blade. The air of The Nether is impossible to breathe, sweltering heat practically melting my armour off. My heart pounds against the drums of my ears, head on the verge of bursting.
I’m petrified.
As if it were my own life flashing before my eyes, my mind wanders. It wanders and wonders, back to a time where Sasha had slapped me across the back the moment I had returned to Meteli from the guard academy, dragging me into my first night shift with her down by the docks.
“Are you ready?” She questioned, her eyes trained on the lone moon. Its light fit her complexion nicely, she had always been a beauty of the village. Hair as pale as porcelain, eyes as deep as obsidian. Steady, calm, but ever elusive.
"For what?" I responded.
She looked at me, knowingly with a gentle smile. She knew I had the answer, competent as I was. So, she refused to respond, instead, holding her hand out for a moment towards the moon, a golden band adorning her ring finger. A pledge of love.
She would marry her fiance soon.
Her question resonated once more in my head as I stared down at the calm waters.
Are you ready?
Or, perhaps.
Are you willing to put your life at stake?
“Go!” She cries at me, her voice mangled and raw—attempting to rouse me from my stupor. It takes Ulrich grabbing me by the arm and dragging me away from the sight before my legs find feeling once more and sputter to a momentary stop.
“No! We can’t just—”
“She’s gone.” He reasons sharply and pulls at me until I give, not an ounce of emotion in his voice. Yet the set of his face says a thousand words. He had watched her grow as a young girl. He would be the first to break the news to her fiance.
Sasha’s groans of agony reach the cusp of my ears, and the purple firmament of the portal barely brushes my nose. Ulrich tugs me past the film, and I snap my head back to glance at her one final time.
A figure cloaked in red stares down at her writhing form, nothing but a head of black hair from what my eyes see.
Until the world yawns back into existence.
—
“You want me to dye your hair?”
The wound of Joh’s death still lingers in the pit of my chest, festering and bubbling into an unending black maw that drains and drains. I feel an ache in the same spot the arrow had pierced him, as if the tip had shattered and taken root in the centre of my own heart.
It’s my fault.
“Yeah, just… Do whatever you want with it.” I glance up at Cadenza, sitting down on my bed. Surely, she sees the bags under my eyes, yet she says nothing, only looking at me similarly as she did the day we returned from The Nether without Sasha. She reaches into her own deerskin purse, pulling out a small wooden comb she’s kept on her as long as we’ve known each other—a keepsake from her mother's vanity before she was orphaned.
She sits herself down on the bed next to me, reaching for my unabashedly dishevelled hair. I haven’t brushed it since—
“Do you want to cut it?” Cadenza hums, beginning to work her way through the knots in my hair. It's moments like these where she feels like the mother I’ve never had. Yet, it's bold to call her such with no point of reference—so instead she remains my sister, even if not by blood. She has no qualms in the matter.
“No…” My eyes trail down to where my hair ends at top of my chest, I hardly remember why I grew it out so long in the first place. It must have been cut last on the day I left for the guard academy. Joh had sat me down with a pair of scissors and snipped it off himself. One of the few moments I can recall him being something of a true father.
The memories ache like bruised skin, a feeling not unfamiliar, stinging more the further I press on them.
We sit in silence for a few moments, nothing but the sound of her comb, occasionally catching on a knot where she gently tugs at it until it comes free.
“So, what will you do?”
“I told you, do whatever you—”
“Not that. You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
I bite at my bottom lip, brows setting in harsh lines against my forehead.
“It's not your fault.”
But, her reassurance means nothing. Not when I had sworn to protect him. The Lord of Meteli. The man who had adopted me. My father.
“Then who am I meant to blame?” My voice catches with emotion, agony—longing. A wish to turn back time that will never be fulfilled. “I’m not fit to be anyone's guard. Not even yours.”
“Nonsense.” Her hand pauses for a moment, and her tone finds a sternness she rarely takes with me, “You are one of the most capable guards in this land, Laurance. But, you are only human.”
Only human…
“Must I become something inhumane then to finally feel like I’m enough again?” The weight of my words fracture me like glass, scattered down to the depths of my soul. Yet, they are better spoken and set free than left to decay me any further.
“No, Laurance…” I can hear the frown in her voice as she reaches to hug me close to her chest from behind. Cadenza doesn’t say anything else for a long while, but I somehow know the sentiment that echoes in her mind.
You will always be enough for me.
—
Aphmau… Aph-ma-u… The name seems to linger on my tongue as she walks towards Hayden's home. Something about it is uncanny, in the same sense that water does not flow upwards, nor does your reflection wear a different expression than your own.
She seems ambitious enough, beautiful in a way I can’t quite place. It's not the slope of her nose, nor the shape of her eyes that draws me in. No, not even the plump of her lips. It's her entirety that's alluring in a way I almost want to describe as otherworldly—unnatural. All this I’m aware of, yet I have fallen still.
Enough so to make a blundering fool of myself with nothing but un-noteworthy words of grandiose and corny invitations to dinner. It is all I know to do, a familiar face I’ve adorned when speaking to women of the village. No one likes someone who is too pushy. It's the best I can do to avoid their machinations.
I want to study her, want to know what draws me towards her like no one else ever has. Peel away at her for as long as she allows me to—which doesn’t seem to be very much—just so I can find the root of this feeling festering in my chest. For her countenance is entirely ordinary, yet I have become a moth to a flame—for she is like the sun.
She returns the next day, tension high in the village, my own mind spinning circles around the disappearance of Cadenza. I cannot move from my post, fearing Kenmur and Hayden may rip each other's heads off should I leave, already at eachothers throats attempting to claim the position of Lord—Cadenza’s absence only adding fuel to their fire. So, Aphmau is something of a godsend when she agrees to search for Cadenza in my place.
One of many favours I will be indebted to her for.
—
Okay, okay…This isn’t good.
Scratch that.
This is awful.
The smell of The Nether, charred and burnt—brings back enough memories to turn my stomach—yet the urgency of the moment wills me to push forward. Now is no time to freeze up, not like last time.
I just need to get Cadenza and leave.
Sasha…Sasha, she’s alive somehow. Or is alive even the right word to use? I saw her with my own two eyes in Pheonix Drop. Yet, mere moments ago I had passed the spot she had sunken into the magma on that fateful day. Tried my best not to stare at it, a battle both in front and behind us, Aphmau’s voice beckoning for my help (she hardly even needed me), but I stuttered only for a moment to glance.
Surely enough, there was nothing to see but bubbling lava.
“Go, Aphmau! You need to leave!” I urge her—the spectre of The Shadow Lord pounding against the barrier Castor had quickly scrambled together.
“What?! I can't leave you here, Laurance!”
“Take Cadenza and leave! Now!”
Castor, of course, grabs Aphmau by the arm and begins to drag her down the stairs in which we came, Cadenza in hand. I just need to buy them some time, and then I’ll make an escape—surely.
I wonder how Sasha felt in her final moments as the lot of us sprinted to the portal, leaving her behind. She was already gone, I know, but I’ve spent nights mulling over the image. Her figure haunts me in my darkest dreams, cold, dead, ghastly fingers gripping at my shoulder, alongside Joh. A reminder of the weight on my back. The duty I serve.
So, this is the least I can do, right? The highest honour a guard can receive is to sacrifice themself. Well, that's what I was always told at the academy. Battered and bruised every morning and every night, they’d remind me what I’m fighting for. What they believed I was fighting for. The guard academy never questioned its students why they were there, everyone had a reason. All they assumed is that you’d chase honour just as the rest do. To a guard, there is nothing more important. Whether or not I fully agree with it… Whatever, surely now isn’t the time to dwell on it.
I can hardly breathe by the time I escape the fortress, the heat cooking me from the inside out. A group of mindless Shadow Knights skirt along my heels as I push past what my body deems capable in a full sprint towards the portal, and soon enough it comes into sight.
I made it. I—freeze to a halt at the sight of another man by the portal. His eyes are a striking green, much like my own, and I can almost make out something of an apology in them as he reaches to tamper with the purple warp that would guide me back home.
“What are you…”
It shatters. It shatters into a million pieces, as if it were the thinnest glass tempered. The portal lays there bare and empty, my exit gone.
Something within me fractures—slowly, at first. So slow, until I begin to feel the gaps between myself as if they were beneath my own fingertips, hardly noticing that I’ve been dragged off away from the portal, back into the fortress.
…
It’s difficult to piece together the moments of lucidity from that point on. I taste nothing but blood in the back of my throat, as pain finds its way onto every inch of my skin, stinging—burning. They bleed me out onto the warm, deep red floors of the fortress, and my mind begins to wonder where my blood ends and the ground begins in flash seconds of clarity. It's a miracle my heart still beats.
The fractures widen.
Sasha visits me in the prison alongside another man, my eyes bleary and mind disjointed. I can’t piece together how long I’ve been here for, how long they’ve tormented me.
“Just get it over with, Gene.” She glares at the man next to her, Gene, and he smirks.
“What? Can’t stand to see him this way, Sasha? Feeling sentimental?”
“No.” She retorts, jangling a key in her hand which presumably will open the door to my cell. “His blood is stinking up the place.”
“Do it yourself then.”
She scowls, unlocking the door to the cell and waltzing in. I’d move if possible, but more bones in my body are broken than I can still count. So, I simply stare at her. Watch her every move with sluggish eyes. Whisper her name in a broken plea. As if she were the Lady Irene herself—I beg for salvation.
She doesn’t seem to hear it, or perhaps, she doesn’t care to.
She pulls me up from my slump by the hair, taking a moment to glance me up and down before a bemused smirk finds her lips.
“You look awful.” It’s difficult to tell whether she’s talking about the orange hair, or the countless gashes across my skin.
I muster enough energy to spit blood at her face, leading her to recoil and drop me back onto the floor. My mind howls, yet my lips barely twitch.
“What? Wanted to look a little bit more like Cadenza?” She snickers in disgust, wiping my blood and spit from her cheek before digging her shoe into an open wound on my thigh. “Mommy can’t save you now, Laurance.”
No matter if this woman wears her face, this isn't the Sasha I once knew.
Further and further apart, the space between the shards reflect back a darkness in me I never knew.
"Shall we proceed then?" Gene questions from behind her, and Sasha takes a step to the side, generously lifting her foot off my wound, to allow him passage. "Looks like you won't hold out much longer if we just leave you here."
He crouches down to meet my gaze, and what I had assumed were black pits for eyes reveal themselves to be a deep, cerulean blue. For a moment, bleeding in sepia, I imagine myself back by the docks in Meteli. The fresh air, and the scent of salt wafting along the wind and through my hair. Reminded of the cool stream of the riverbed, Cadenza's figure perched along the grass, toes dipped in the water. I take in a deep breath—suffocated by the heavy, hot atmosphere of The Nether.
"Let me ask you, Laurance, why did you become a guard?" Gene questions, a menacing, blood tinged greatsword in his hand. The tip of the blade rests against my chest, right above my heart.
Every nerve in my body lurches, begging me to move. I can't.
"What's it… To you?" I muster out, voice hoarse, throat torn and dry.
"Just thought a reminder would be nice."
I stare at him for a few moments, perplexed. Until something about my gaze is so hilarious that he can't stop himself from laughing.
"Oh, no, not for me." He grins, "You're the one that's going to need it."
It's nothing but a moment of sharp pressure against my skin before the blade wedges itself into the centre of my heart.
And it stops.
What was once whole now shatters, two sides of one mirror—split apart. A few lone pieces scatter off into the abyss, memories and fondness that will never return, forever lost. The nothingness seeps in to fill the gaps, and the world itself is rendered to an absolute—agonising, euphoric and finite. The corporeal slips away, and the mind splinters down to the soul. A severance so deep that it cuts through the ligaments, separating the body from the spirit. All to make room for a new found darkness in the hollow space where the heart lies caged between the ribs.
And it starts.
Your body feels wrong. Every inch of your skin, every bone beneath. Every cell in your blood, every beat of your own chest. Its rhythm is wrong—you are wrong.
“Do you have a dream?”
So, so many. Yet they’re nothing but blank canvases once you glance back at them.
“Boy, tell me. Why do you swing this sword?”
You… You can't seem to remember.
"Are you ready?"
Have you ever been? Knowing this would be your fate, what answer would you have given her then?
“Must I become something inhumane then to finally feel like I’m enough again?”
How ironic to think back to that in such a moment. You have always been the nostalgic sort. But, most cruelly, a lone voice swims in the pits of your mind, so familiar, so soothing. Her voice that of a swan song. She sings her response which you never heard to begin with.
"You will always be enough for me."
Cadenza is safe, far far away from The Nether. For that, you may at least be proud of yourself.
Ah, right… That is why you swing your sword. To keep her smiling in every shining memory. Protecting your loved ones, a task you deemed to be ever so noble as a small child. To covet those moments, safely locked away in the soft spot of your heart.
Cadenza… Aphmau… The prospect of her alluring beauty somehow a guiding light in your disembodied mind. A lone dove in the darkness, a white, pure feather. Ethereal, delicate—intangible.
She would be prettiest pierced by the edge of your own blade.
.
.
.
Rest.
For this is only the beginning of your neverending strife.
—
(Time passes.
So much time passes.
You hardly recognize the person you started as before the entire journey began.
The world has shifted fifteen years. The trails you ran along as an orphaned boy now grown over and forgotten, the river you played in now dry, only its husk remaining. The town you once called home now a desolate ghost—an inconsolable wasteland of your once cherished memories.
Yet, you struggle to cherish them the same as you once had all those years ago.
So when Aphmau (Irene bless her lost soul) approaches you, asking for your advice in this war as she had done so before, you no longer have the words that will solve her issues. Not a single solution finds your tongue—for you are a wanderer, a mere rabid dog, leashed by devotion, just itching to bite.
The gaps you feel within yourself never seem to close up, no matter what you do.
All you can tell her is that you have no clue what this war will bring, and what devastation it will cause, but that it can only end in bloodshed.
Anxious, always on the tips of her toes, and eyes constantly over her own shoulder, her weariness begins to bleed in. She's exhausted, she dares not admit it—yet her eyes will never lie to you.
She asks you why war seems to always follow her.
You tell her that war will always wage, no matter where she goes or where she looks. Should she eradicate every threat that taints this land, there are other wars to worry of.
"Where?" She questions.
However, her face shifts in a painful understanding before you can even utter a word.
She seems to have found the answer herself.)
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