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#you: how many creatures live in this lake
glambots · 1 year
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After you went to cancel the missing person report on your name, the three month search for the sirens began, which admittedly gave you time to get back to fishing.
You can’t help but wonder if you accidentally forced them to hide or move, or worst of all, potentially gotten them killed. There’s no one proudly parading a siren corpse around town, which is a good sign, but you’re still feeling guilty.
You cast your reel with some cod as bait, out on your favorite fishing spot. It’s a warm, sunny day, with sparse clouds, a pleasant breeze, clear water, even the birds seem to be enjoying themselves. You sigh, realizing that you’ll probably never see any of them again.
You get a bite, and quickly begin reeling-Jeez, it’s sure putting up a fight-OH GOD-
On the other end of your line is, unexpectedly, an alligator. It tugs your line and you frantically look for the scissors to cut it free. Catching and releasing baby alligators is fine and dandy but you’d prefer to keep adults out of your boat.
You cut your line, and the alligator swims away, content with its prize but probably with an unexpected piercing. You pant, feeling relieved.
Maybe fishing just shouldn’t be your thing in waters like these…
As you’re heading back, there’s a soft knock on the side of your boat.
You, every time you're fishing and something just Has to happen:
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multific · 1 year
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All You Wanted
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Ultimate Predator x Reader
Read Part 1 here. Part 3
Warnings: human x alien relationship, incorrect description of pregnancy and birth 
Summary: Maybe being pregnant wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but having your strong and big mate close did help.
You felt so sick at times you couldn't even move.
You felt so sick at times you couldn't even eat.
If it wasn't for the huge Yautja telling you that you need to eat something, you wouldn't have.
You know he was worried.
He liked to plan everything ahead. It is what he was created for after all, to plan and to execute. 
And as your pregnancy progressed, it became more and more difficult to plan. As your belly began to show, you grew weaker. You could barely sleep or move.
But you weren't broken. Oh, not one bit. You knew you needed to be strong for both of you. You wanted this child more than anything.
You were glad that your Mate often checked your and the baby's health. It at least gave you an idea of what was going on, he also tried to explain everything simply so you would understand.
Then, one day, almost everything changed.
You started to crave the food you couldn't keep down for weeks. Your energy was back and you could sleep a lot easier.
It was strange, but you didn't complain. 
Then one evening.
"I wish to be in water." you said suddenly and you could tell the translator had issues.
He looked at you before pointing at the shower.
"No. I need a lake or something." Lake. On that planet? You must have gone insane.
But there was a small pond close by.
He found it not too long ago when looking around the planet. His dog kept you company while he left.
And so, when you requested for water, he brought you there.
You wanted to enter as soon as you arrived but he put up an arm, stopping you.
He entered the water, and soon you understood why he stopped you. He was waist-deep in. Which meant the water had to be very deep, thankfully you did know how to swim. 
While he knew the water wasn't toxic, he checked if there were any creatures living in there which could hurt you.
You had a rather comfortable cloth wrapped around you, you usually slept in that but you thought it would be better not to be naked in the water. Even if there were no creatures on this abandoned planet.
When he found nothing, he put his arm up, you took his hand as he lifted you towards him, slowly, he eased you into the water.
It was cold, which did make you hiss a little, it made him flinch as he pulled you back up out of the water. You placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know it was okay, and so, he put you back into the water.
As you slowly swam around, thankful for the water and how easy it made your movement.
He walked out of the pond, clicking something to the dog as it sat up. You watched as he walked away. You assumed he had to check on something.
You were leaning against the stone when you heard a shuffle behind you.
You turned and saw your mate, moving to join you hopefully. 
"It is a lot better like this." you told him as he sat down behind you across the small pond. "The little one keeps moving and I can't get comfortable though." You knew he wouldn't understand, you didn't have any means of translation. 
You turned back, and with your back to him, you moved slightly, leaning against the ground.
Your mate slowly got back into the water as he walked over to you, slowly pulling you closer to his chest. One hand on your belly as he moved you. 
"Thank you." you said with a slight groan as you felt another kick against your husband's hand.
The yautja slowly turned you in the water. 
You slowly moved in the water, feeling weightless. You placed your hand on top of his hand which rested on your belly. 
You felt the little one move and by the twinkle in his eye, so did he.
You smiled as you looked around, you weren't outside the home that often, while the planet did have many trees, or at least what you would call trees, and plants, it was fully abandoned. Noone lived there only the creatures which roamed the green planet. 
This planet was a lot like your mate, you noted.
This planet reminded you a lot of the elements, survival of the fittest and your mate was certainly that, a survivor.
An outcast but still a strong male.
You slowly relaxed against him as he held you. His rough skin actually felt really good against yours. You often found yourself running your fingers down his scales. 
Suddenly, he moved you to his other side as he walked to one side of the pond. He let go of you, leaving you there as you watched him walk across before turning. He put on his hands out, motioning for you to go to him, to swim.
"Alright." you simply said as you slowly started to swim to him, although you were tired, it did feel nice to move a little. Each time you reached him, he moved to the other side, or while you were swimming, he moved and you followed. You really enjoyed the water moving around you as you swam. You could tell it also calmed your little one.  
Once your little work out, was completed, he scooped you up and walked back to the house.
You let him change your clothes before he put you to bed.
---
You had a suspicion that your pregnancy wouldn't take nine months.
Deep down, you were preparing every passing day. 
Yet, somehow, you were still not ready when the pains started.
There was no point in hiding it, you were about to give birth. You might not be ready, but your baby and your body certainly felt like you were.
Not even the pain was the worst part.
Not even the fact that you were about to give birth to a completely different species. It was the fear of you doing something wrong and it would affect the baby in a way you can't correct.
It is all you could think about as your mate hooks you up to all these machines. You heard two heart beats, your own and the baby's.
He even gave you some pain killers. Making sure you were comfortable before you had to start pushing.
You lost a lot of blood during giving birth. You fainted in and out of consciousness twice before he hooked you up to another machine. 
The third time, you heard cries before fainting, knowing you did it, you gave birth to a little boy and you could finally rest, it was as if your body shut down.
You woke up hours later.
It was so quiet and you were back on your huge bed, covered in furs.
You were so disoriented you didn't know what was happening. For a second you panicked when you didn't feel your baby bump anymore.
Then you noticed something in the room with you.
Not too far from you was the small bed which he made during your pregnancy. 
And in it was your babe, sleeping. You looked around, but couldn't find your mate.
You slowly moved in the bed, everything hurt but you needed to see the little one.
You slowly stood up, falling back on the bed as your legs could barely hold you, you nearly groaned out in pain that hit your abdomen. But you still wanted to see the little baby.
So, you tried again.
This time, you were able to stand but your legs were shaking as you couldn't take a step.
The little crib was so close to you, yet so far.
So, you needed a plan.
You moved back on the bed, shuffling as close to the little bed as you could before standing, this time you were able to catch a glimpse.
Your little one was sleeping on his belly. From what you could see he looked more alien than human.
You did fear you would give birth to a creature so bizarre, but from what you can see, his little face looked just like your mate's. 
His sight gave you some confidence as you were able to take a step closer, then another before finally arriving to the crib.
And there he was.
Beautiful little one. Rather big but he looked healthy. And you knew if he wasn't he probably wasn't sleeping here with you. You placed your hand on the crib before slowly walking back to the bed behind you. Positioning it right next to you so you could take a better look at him as you sat down.
You wanted to hold him. Your arms were itching to hold him but you couldn't wake him. 
Instead, you put your fingers through the bars and ran them down his little back.
He had scaly skin, and adorable little mandibles, he already looked annoyed much like an older version of a yautja and yet he looked so amazingly cute. 
You wondered if he had the same yellow eyes you had grown to love.
You wondered what, if any, human did he have in him. He certainly didn't look human. 
But he didn't have claws. Or at least not yet. his little fingers found yours as they wrapped them around yours. 
You counted all five, five little fingers and five little toes. 
Then he flinched a little before slowly waking.
You watched in awe. And something in you switched. 
All your long nights of worry, fearing if you would be a good mother if you knew what your baby needed, all boiled down to right here and right now.
He was about to cry, you knew he was.
Your body moved on its own, slowly lifting him out of the crib and putting him against your chest.
Slowly bouncing him as you kissed his forehead. He calmed down rather quickly. Not even making a sound as you moved in the bed. You moved to sit up against the pillows and be a little more comfortable.
Now that you had him in your arms.
You had a feeling Yautja women didn't raise their children this way. But you were no yautja.
You wondered how you would be able to feed him, given his mandibles were small and he had no teeth, maybe it wouldn't be a problem.
Then the door to your bedroom hissed open and there he stood.
Your eyes locked with his as he stopped in the doorway.
For just a second you worried you weren't supposed to take the babe from his crib but then you saw it in his eyes, it wasn't that.
He clicked something and the translator that he installed in the home did the trick.
"How are you feeling?"
"A lot better now that I am holding him." he waited a second for the translation before nodding. The door closed behind him as he walked over to the bed. Slowly sitting down next to you.
His huge frame didn't scare you anymore. You fit right next to him like a puzzle. He moved one of his arms behind you, pulling you to him as he looked down at you and the little one.
"Is he healthy?" you asked and he nodded.
"Strong, healthy and cried his eyes out to be with you." he said. "It isn't true yautja custom. You having to hold him. Most don't hold their children, while others do. It is to ensure the son is strong warrior." he said.
"I will hold him until I can't because he is too big." you said.
"I figured. I know human traditions. You hold him, feed him and love him. More than yautja does."
"He is beautiful." you said looking down at your sleeping child.
"He has your eyes. Human DNA inside him, but Yautja DNA more permanent, it is why he looks more like me."
"I don't mind. As long as he is healthy." upon hearing you say that, he tightened his grip around you a little bit.
"I'm proud." 
"You should be, you have a son."
"No, proud of you. Human gave birth to Yautja, strong one."
"I had good DNA to mix with mine, you said smiling up at him."
He soon let you lay back as you slowly fell asleep. You placed your baby back into his crib before moving back to your favourite position, being the little spoon as his huge body wrapped around you like a second blanket.
This was your life know, with your mate and son.
And you wouldn't change it for a thing.
After all, this is all you ever wanted.
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Part 3 
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yns-world · 1 year
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lion & lioness
title: lion & lioness
pairing: erik killmonger x fem!reader
summary: erik takes the heart-shaped herb and sees his lost lover.
word count: 1k
warnings: reader death
a/n: i’m now taking requests for killmonger so feel free to send in your requests <3
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As the new king of Wakanda, it is ritual for Erik to drink the essence of the heart-shaped herb and to speak with his ancestors. But as the searing power of the herb ran through his veins, he felt himself arriving at a place other than his childhood home. 
When he opened his eyes, Erik found himself at the edge of a lake, in a forest that he recognizes. The creatures of the night sang their songs-- crickets and insects chirped, the nocturnal birds trilled, and the wind lapped at the lake water. The night was full of life under the illuminating light of the full moon. 
Erik craned his head back to take in the sight of the moon. A soft breeze blew past Erik, and a scent caressed his nose-- a familiar scent. 
A moment later, Y/N materialized a few feet in front of him, wearing a sheer gown made of white silk. 
“My King.” Y/N beckoned, with a proud smile on her face. Erik’s eyes filled with a mix of love and heartbreak. He broke the distance and pounced on her, wrapping his arms around her in a bone-crushing embrace. 
His tears were seeping through her translucent gown, and Y/N ached at the sight of his pain. 
Y/N pulled back just enough to see his face. When she cupped his cheeks with her hands, he noticed that they were not cold, but they held the same warmth that they always did when she was still with him. This fact only made him cry more. 
“You’ve come so far, N’Jadaka. You’ve done it.” 
It was true, their whole lives were spent fighting for this one moment-- the moment where Erik was crowned king of Wakanda; where he was revered as the true Black Panther. 
But before he was the Black Panther, they were Lion & Lioness. Hearts and souls bound as one.  
“I need you by my side.” Desperation laced Erik’s voice, his eyes pleading with her.
“As long as the moon is out, I am with you.” She momentarily took her eyes off him to gaze up at the moon, and the moon reflected in her wide eyes. 
Erik’s expression shifted from one of despair to one of bitterness.
This was injustice-- his whole life was an act of injustice-- and Erik swore to avenge each and every action done to him, starting with burning the sacred garden of the heart-shaped herb.
Y/N knew that face, she knew exactly what it meant when Erik’s eyebrows furrowed and his usual scowl deepened.
“If you burn those flowers, you cut off our connection.” 
Immediately, Erik felt a moment of pain that he would feel if he did burn those flowers-- it was scorching pain, like someone took a rod of fire and ran it through his chest before dragging it down his torso and cutting him in half. But that was only the start of the pain, what came next was indescribably worse.
After the initial wave of hell, he was left hollow. He was an empty shell of a man.
He did not remember happiness. He could not recall love. 
He couldn’t even remember the original reason for why he became king in the first place. 
In that single, simulated moment, Erik was no longer himself. He was merely a ghost. 
The feeling washed over him as quickly as it came and he was brought back to the present-- his arms around Y/N as she stared into his eyes, experiencing every emotion with him. 
Erik was silent, but he knew better than to burn those flowers. He wouldn’t dare cut off a connection like theirs.
“Secondly, your heir…” Y/N’s words trailed off and she brought a hand to her stomach. Erik’s eyes followed her hand and was stunned. He gently kneeled in front of her, and placed his hand over her stomach. He pressed a kiss on the baby bump.
He then got back up, asking how many months she had left.
“Soon.” Y/N smiled a bit wider when she saw Erik’s impatient expression. 
Before he could get another word in, Y/N gave Erik a chaste kiss on his cheek.
“Good luck, N’Jadaka. Your story is only beginning.”
---
Erik’s body shot up, his chest heaving as he attempted to regulate his breathing. 
---
Months would pass since that night and there was a significant shift in Erik’s ruling. What was once a war-hungry dog, has now turned into a protector of his nation. 
But recently, something has been eating away at Erik. A gnawing feeling was twisting and churning every moment he was alone. He was restless at night and was suffering from insomnia. 
It was another night in a string of sleepless-nights, but this time he was called to the window. Erik looked up at the indigo sky, a full moon gazed back at him.
Tonight was one year since Y/N’s passing. 
Erik closed his eyes and bowed his head towards the moon. 
“Rest easy, my Queen.”
When he opened his eyes, he witnessed a shooting star race across the sky-- it flew across the moon and seemed to be inching closer and closer towards the castle.
Erik’s body acted before his brain could catch up and he bolted down to the castle entrance.
Outside the entrance sat a baby wrapped in white silk. Erik picked up the swaddled baby and recognized the texture of the cloth immediately-- it was the same cloth Y/N wore when he last saw her. 
Holding up the baby in the moonlight, Erik was able to see the striking resemblance to Y/N.
As he was admiring the baby, a name was whispered in his ear.
Leona. 
And that was what the heir to the Wakandan throne was called. 
Leona Stevens; Lion at heart; born of royal blood. 
The next day, the royal courts would rejoice at this news. The elders were not appalled by the appearance of this heir, they were rather fascinated that they have lived long enough to see this phenomenon happen in front of their very eyes. 
Kings come and go, but nothing could ever dispute Erik’s bloodright of being king since he has been gifted by the gods with an heir. 
Leona’s birth would be celebrated for the next week. She would be revered as the Snow Leopard, for her rare birth and the even rarer occurrence of having an heir blessed by Bast herself.
“Leona!” Wakanda chanted. “Daughter of King N’Jadaka and Queen Y/N; Princess Leona, the Snow Leopard!”
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serxinns · 3 months
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Yandere class 1a x mocha bunny reader: Bunnynapped
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Yandere class 1a x mocha bunny reader
It was a nice day for a picnic so you and koda decided to head off on your own picnic basket in hand and blanket whenever you needed a break from all the overwhelming attention from your classmates you always headed to this secret spot to clear your mind and to play and chat with the small animals
You placed your blanket while Kota placed the basket down taking a breath it smelled like freedom you endured the beautiful and quiet nature there was a lake nearby the pond just in case you felt like swimming everything was perfect quiet and peaceful
"I'm gonna go get something to drink and berries at the lake koda!" he nodded "B-be careful tho there are big predator birds that will mistake you as a snack," he said while taking out the food and his favorite book read you nodded and ran off into the "Safe" forest, you made it to the lake glazing how the fish gracefully swam into their destination and the frogs leaping catching the bugs you grabbed your basket and went deeper into the woods until you saw a blueberry and a shiny red raspberry bush you grabbed your basket and started picking them unaware that someone was watching you
A teen with yellow eyes with messy space buns was observing you watching every move that you made like a hawk waiting for it's prey she watched you were were picking berries off the bush and putting them in the basket while also eating some as well "that bunny look so cute! Oh she's gonna be my little pet when I catch her" the blonde carefully sneak up behind herb making sure she wouldn't make a noise when her hands was just hovering away from you She quickly snatched you up and threw you in the sag
You struggled and struggled to try to turn into your human form but it was no use you squealed in discomfort and fear while the girl tried cooing and hushing you like you were some baby "Shhh ahh it's ok! I won't hurt you at all just gonna take you to your new home" you panicked even more when she said that you tried struggling and struggling but it was no use you were trapped hearing crunching of the leaves and dirt the girl happily hummed satisfy with her catch
Kota was getting worried about your long absence you shouldn't be gone for that long he looked around hoping you would come back until a panicked bird flew quickly on Kota's finger chirping in distress and panic kota gently comforted the poor animal by stroking its feathers and body the bird was calmly panicked but calmed down "Now tell me what's the problem" he said quietly and gently the bird chirped a few times and kota was shocked
You were taken...By toga Himiko
He needed to get the others even his teachers
"im back!" toga happily skipped along inside the Bar twice happily waving to her and Dabi completely ignored her focusing on the drink Kurogiri gave him but Shiggy was furious "Toga how many times have I told you about going out, especially in the day WITHOUT A DISGUISE" he said while scratching his neck toga scoffed and paid attention to the bag and giggled "I'll be fine nobody saw me plus I got myself a goodie!" she said shaking a bag a little and out came a squeak everyone's attention turned to her now curious of what she brought
"Woah toga did you bring a living snack nice!" Twice said excitingly reaching to hold the bag but Toga blocked his hand "No it's a.." she reached into the bag and pulled out the helpless creature (aka you) "A bunny!!" she squealed petting the distressed bunny's soft fur until she heard a poof and you turned into your human version now everyone was shocked "I'm not a bunny you phyco im a human! Just with a bunny quirk" you angry said not pleased with the "Suprised adoption"
Everyone was speechless for a second still in shocked while Toga's eyes sparkled brightly "EEEEEEK IT A BUNNY HERO" she tackled you with a hug squeezing you very tight you could barely breath nuzzling her head on your ears
"Well look what we have here..." Shigaraki darkly chuckled slowly walking up to you and circling you while observing the little bunny trapped in the cage but Toga shielded you "No shiggy I want them as a pet!" "A PET?!?" you and everyone else yelled in shock "I don't wanna be some villain pet!" toga completely ignored you kept going "Please take good care I'll feed them wash they'll put them in pretty outfits I promise I won't even get as much blood promise!" she pleaded with shigaraki and Dabi looked at him and chuckled "I mean I pet wouldn't be bad plus once we break them they'll be kinda useful," Dabi said with an evil sly smile shigaraki thought for a second and decided his answer "Fine we'll keep them BUT if they pissed me off and start to cause trouble im killing the rodent" you gulped nervously while toga and twice cheered "I just wanted a nice picnic..."
"Guys! Guys!" Koda ran into the common room trying to catch his breath everyone stared at him in shock and looked to see where their bunny darling was "Kota kun! What happened where's y/n?!" Mina said her voice filled with worry "They were taken by Toga she took them to their lair!" Everyone was in a panic that their precious darling was stolen away from them they were beginning to plan to save them until Aizawa stepped in "Nobodys going nowhere im going to inform the pro heroes it's dangerous to do that anyway" the class tried protesting but Aizawa quickly shut that down immediately and all told them to go to bed upset they were they had to go to bed sad and enraged that they couldn't do anything
During your stay with the LOV wasn't even that bed honestly except for the constant cuddling and her dressing you up into frilly and girly dresses and outfits and putting so many bows and accessories on your hair but you tolerated it you made sure not to say any snarky remarks due to shigarakis warning toga would twirl you around and dance with you while twice joined in doing embarrassing dancing while toga laugh but gave you 2nd hand embarrassment dabi was annoyed like an older brother always picking on their little siblings enough to make them tell their parents teasing you about how your not getting out of here and picking on you pulling on your ears until you squeaked until toga came and comfort you while being scolded by her
Kurogiri Was kind to you whenever you had enough he would always tell Toga, twice and Dabi to back off a bit and make sure you were ok he would give you healthy and actual edible food then just fed carrots and grass all day so he was the most decent out of all of them in your opinion next was Magne was another decent one but was just like toga she was adored about your features always petting your hair she wouldn't try and force you into your bunny form like a toga but whenever she gets the chance she always pets and brushes your fur which you enjoyed it a bit
But all things had to come to an end when an explosion was heard and a large hole filled with pro-heroes police, Aizawa was here as well kurogiri quickly formed a portal for them to go inside everyone went but you struggled out of the togas strong gripped, and fall on the ground she called your name until the portal was closed good riddance, you were questioned by a bunch of police and pros and we're checked to see if you had any injuries or tracking devices they put it felt like hours until they finally let you go
When you got back from the dorms everyone crowded around you cheering for your return There were a bunch of hugs from everyone even Shoto formed a small smile but Bakugo lectured and yelled at you about being reckless and how you should be careful you were gifted with a lot of stuff and the girls invited you to a sleepover you wanted to complain but you were just glad you weren't with the LOV
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sserpente · 9 months
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Chasing Nix
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Synopsis: You are a mermaid from the Upside Down, stranded in Lover’s Lake after the earthquake hit Hawkins. Dustin finds you and promises to keep you safe. He takes you to the community pool to hide and has Eddie Munson look after you while he searches for a more permanent place for you to stay. You like the gentle metalhead. Quickly overcome with the urge to be with him and protect him rather than feed on him, you panic when a boy named Jason finds him at the pool and starts to hurt him. So you jump out of the water and attack. In the aftermath, you notice that something is different, that your tail… has turned into a pair of legs…
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Words: 6206 Warnings: violence, blood, feeding, mermaid!Reader
The water tasted different here. Less… sulphuric and somehow… somehow sweeter too. You were yet to decide whether you liked it. You didn’t know how many days had passed since the earthquake. Since your world and their world bled into each other.
You’d been too slow, too weak to resist the pull of gravity sucking you into a dimension that was not yours. There were trees all around you. Life of all kinds. The grass, the leaves, the bushes, animals with fur… it was all alive. And as long as you were not certain any of those living things posed any threat to your survival… you would remain hidden in these waters.
You were hungry. And you were getting hungrier every day. Every now and then, humans would come to the lake. They’d swim in it for fun, to cool down… and it took all of your willpower not to drag one of them underwater to feast until you were sated, for once you did, your location would be known to them. Humans were social creatures. And if you killed one… others would come to investigate.
The air tasted different too. It was crisp, fresh… there were no particles swirling around, none that you could see. You took a deep breath as you heaved yourself onto a rock. You only did so once it was dark—once the last humans had disappeared from sight.
“Holy shit!” Whoever he was, he shone the light coming from the metal cylinder directly into your face. You squinted your eyes and dove back into the water panicking.
“No, no, no, wait! Are you… can you understand me?” the boy asked. You blinked, hesitating. Then, you nodded. Yes. You understood him.
“What… what are you?”
You tilted your head. The words did not quite want to leave your lips. It was almost like your vocal cords had not yet gotten used to the air in this dimension. Furthermore, you were terrified. Any wrong move could result in your immediate demise, and just because this boy looked innocent, there was no way of knowing if he was a predator.
Finally, he lowered the light and brought his free hand to his chest. “I’m Dustin… don’t worry, you’re safe. Are you… are you from the Upside Down?”
You frowned in response.
“Like… another… the other dimension? Did you end up here after the earthquake?”
You nodded quickly.
“Okay… okay… well, you can’t stay here. There’s other humans who might try to hurt you if they find you. Are you… friendly?”
Friendly? You were selective with your prey, you were very well familiar with the concept of morals, good and bad deeds. You only killed to survive. So you nodded again.
“Alright… I’m gonna believe you.” Dustin didn’t take his eyes off of you when he pulled a metal box from his back pocket and started speaking into it.
“Steve? Steve, do you copy?”
You gasped when a voice, likely belonging to another human, came out of the box. “Yeah? Yeah, what is it?”
“You need to come to Lover’s Lake right now. Do you still have that broken freezer in your trunk? The one Robin asked you to throw away for her?”
“Yeah… why?”
“Bring it. We’re gonna have to fill it up with water.”
“What the hell are you on about, Henderson?”
“Just do it!” Dustin yelled. “Over and out!” Before the other human—Steve—could respond, he tucked the box away again.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you somewhere safe. I have an idea!”
Needless to say, you weren’t particularly fond of the idea of swimming into a white container filled with water. Steve was taller than Dustin and you assumed that meant he was older too. As soon as you realised that he was helping you though, you warmed up to him.
He arrived in a huge metal box on wheels only a short while later and eventually, they attached the white container to a rope they ended up dragging onto a smaller set of wheels attached to the metal box… once Dustin has persuaded you to swim into it. A car, you had heard Steve say. That’s what the big box on wheels was called.
They drove you away from the safety of the lake soon after, leaving you with a sickening feeling in your stomach. Had it been a good idea to trust this human boy? He could have been lying, after all. But… no. You were good at reading people, good at detecting their intentions. Dustin was pure, not depraved, not like Henry Creel.
When the car stopped, you froze. The water you were floating in stilled then, and Steve opened the metal bit that had prevented the container from sliding off onto the road. Together, they pulled you toward a rectangle-shaped body of water. It was a little mucky and dark and it smelled horribly chemical. Your nose was not used to the chlorine. You gagged when they tipped the container over and you tasted the artificial water. There was a rather large broken stone pillar that had fallen into the water, separating the indoor pool right in the middle. And it was dark. Despite the horrible taste of the water, you felt safer here not being surrounded by living things—even if you preferred the lake over this standing collection of chemicals.
“Dustin? Why are we here?” The boy who came barging in only a short while after had dark skin. His eyes widened when he spotted you. Right behind him followed another boy, a really skinny one with light skin and dark hair. You retreated. So many humans… Dustin had brought you to safety. He was kind, a compassionate human. What if those other humans hurt him? Baring your fangs for a moment, you splashed water as you swam away from the edge. Dustin must have called for them inside the car on your way here. Why?
“Holy… shit. Dustin… what is that?”
“That’s, uh… Nix!”
“Nix?” The other two boys said in unison.
“Yeah… you know like Nixies. The mythical creatures? She’s basically a mermaid so… Nix.”
“Let me guess… she’s from the Upside Down.”
“Obviously!” Steve exclaimed, arms akimbo.
Dustin turned to you, noticing your discomfort. “Hey, it’s okay! These are my friends! That’s Lucas,” he pointed at the dark-skinned boy, “and this is Mike.” He pointed at the other boy. “They’re gonna help me keep you safe, okay?”
You hesitated but eventually… you returned to the edge of the pool. Lucas and Mike were equally weary of you.
“What were you thinking? The community pool? They’re gonna start renovations here soon!” Mike said.
Dustin put up his hands. “Yes but I know that they’re not gonna be draining the pool until next week, until then, we’ll figure something out and she can hide here.”
“I guess it’s better than the police finding her,” Steve added. The police? What was a police? And would they hurt you?
“Can she speak?” Lucas asked.
“She hasn’t said a word to us yet but she nods and shakes her head. She understands us.”
“So she’s mute.”
“Kind of like when we first met El, remember?” Mike asked. The boy with the dark skin gave him a glare.
“She’s from the Upside Down. If anything, this is gonna be another Dart situation. What does she… eat?”
“I’m about to find out. I came prepared in case I came across a Demogorgon.” Dustin knelt down and opened his backpack, revealing raw chicken breast in a plastic bag. He poured the contents out before you and then took a step back.
You blinked. It was clear to you he meant to feed you but what was that? You sniffed and recoiled. It was dead. Raw flesh from a dead animal.
“Huh… I thought that would work. If she doesn’t eat meat, that’s a good sign, right?”
“Not… necessarily,” Lucas responded.
You wanted to speak. Let them know what you fed on, how you fed. But even when you opened your mouth, not a single sound escaped your lips. It was like your mind was preventing you from sharing your voice with this dimension.
Dustin sighed. “How’s Eddie?”
“Holding up. I mean, Hopper is working on it but the whole town still thinks he worships the devil.”
“Where is he right now?”
“In my basement,” Mike said. “Holly made him host a tea party with her dolls.”
Lucas snorted—laughing. He was laughing. “I’d give a lot to see that.”
Once again, Dustin pulled out the metal box and started speaking into it.
“Eddie? Do you copy?”
“Henderson?” Your lips parted. You liked that voice.
“Eddie, I need you to come to the community pool.”
“Right now?”
“Right now. It’s urgent. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”
“Alright… copy that. I’m on my way.”
“Is that a good idea?” Lucas asked. “I mean… Jason was released from the hospital today. What’s your plan?”
“Eddie’s gonna stay and hide here, with Nix, looking after her.” You frowned. You didn’t know Eddie. You didn’t want Dustin to leave.
“I don’t think she’s very fond of that plan.” Lucas pointed at you with his chin. “She looks jealous. So what are we gonna do?”
“First of all, we need to tell Hopper and Nancy and then we’re going to the southern edge of town.”
“The southern edge? What for?”
Dustin packed the metal speaking box away. “You remember that old water tank they stopped using a few years ago?”
“Yeah… but how the hell would we get her up there?”
“I don’t know, that’s what we need to find out.”
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There was no such thing as pretty in your world. You were covered in grime and slime, there were webs between your fingers to help you swim and your eyes resembled what humans would likely refer to as reptiles in this world and your tail with the spiked smaller fins was of such a dark green it was almost black.
And yet… you wished the older boy who came walking into the roofed building would take as much interest in you as you did in him. You liked his hair. It was long and curly, framing his face perfectly, and on his fingers, he wore pieces of silver. You realised quickly he must have done so for aesthetic purposes, much like the holes in his black trousers.
Was that Eddie? Was that the human boy they wanted to look after you? Dustin seemed to rely on him and you were quite certain you didn’t like that. Dependence was dangerous. It left you vulnerable. Especially a kind soul like Dustin.
You hid when he came closer, diving under the fallen pillar and emerging again on the other side.
“She’s, uh… a mermaid, basically,” you heard Dustin say.
“Jesus H. Christ, she is what now?”
“Yeah… I called her Nix. Nix?” Nix.There it was again.Your lips parted. Oh… he had given you a name. He was calling you. “It’s okay!” you heard Dustin shout. “Eddie is nice! He’s my friend! He’s gonna look after you while we’re gone, trying to find a more permanent place for you to stay, alright?”
“Does she look… human at all?” Eddie asked.
“See for yourself.” You emerged by the edge of the pool, looking at Eddie curiously. He was even prettier up close. Oh. You liked him. He had a good heart, a kind soul, much like Dustin. He was… soft. Your eyes met and somehow… you found yourself being unable to look away.
“Can you… understand me?” Eddie asked.
You nodded. You were almost disappointed when Dustin turned his attention back to him to tell him about their plan in detail.
“So you want me to stay here with her…” Eddie concluded.
“Exactly.”                                                                                
“Alright… yeah. I can do that.” You could have sworn you heard him mutter “A fucking mermaid” under his breath but you weren’t sure.
You watched him pull up what must have been a chair made from a very light white material from a stack nearby and sat down—within a safe distance of the pool. As if you couldn’t reach him if you wanted to…
“Are you gonna be okay with her?”
“Yeah, man… I’ve been through worse.”
“Alright… call if there’s any problems at all, okay?”
Eddie smiled bitterly. “Will do.”
The remaining boys nodded. They gave you one final glance before they left and Eddie and you were alone.
The silence was loud, it almost hurt your ears. But what irked you even more was this weird feeling that kept spreading in your chest. You wanted him to like you, wanted his approval… and you just couldn’t figure out why.
“Hey… Nix,” Eddie finally said. You nodded at him. Hey. What would you give to be able to speak to him…
“So… so you’re from the Upside Down then?”
You tilted your head and nodded.
“Are there more like you?”
You nodded again.
“Wow… what… what do I call you? I mean, what are you? A mermaid?”
Mermaid… you had heard Dustin use the same term. You shrugged. Why not?
“Alright then… we have mermaids here too.”
Your eyes widened.
“Oh, no, I mean… we have stories about them. Books and movies and shit. And they’re in Dungeons & Dragons, that’s a fantasy game. I play in a club, called it the Hellfire Club. Yeah, we have a band too, we play metal,” he rambled.
You looked at him with intrigue. Music? Metal? Band? Dungeons & Dragons? You only understood half of the things he was telling you about but you could tell that he was passionate about them, tilting your head when he started talking more about the mermaids in this fantasy game, mermaids that looked similar to you.
“They usually live for up to five-hundred years in the game and they can shape-shift into humans.”
Shapeshift into humans? You tilted your head.
“They usually have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or something like that and they can always choose to take ten on a Swim check, even if they’re distracted. It can use the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line but…” He trailed off as you blinked at him. You did not have a clue what he was talking about and you were certain he had just realised that. Your heart sped up when he smiled. What was going on with you?
You rested your forearms on the edge of the pool, practically glued to his lips as he calmed down a little and then told you about his favourite music groups like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Dio and finally, the music that he was making music himself.
“I play guitar in our band. Gonna play stadium tours with Corroded Coffin one day, you’ll see.” He grinned. You had no doubt whatsoever that he would be successful. Men like him always were. Pure souls received only kindness after initial hardships. Somehow… somehow you knew that.
Your gaze fell to his stomach where a small strip of skin was visible between his ripped trousers and his washed-out band t-shirt. You caught a glimpse of what resembled a scar before you followed your yellow eyes down to where his skin was on display and tugged it down quickly.
He must have been injured before—badly. Scarring only occurred when the human body was unable to heal back to its original state… right? You bit your lower lip. Did it have something to do with your dimension? The Upside Down? None of the boys had been particularly fazed about seeing you. Surprised, yes… but there had been no genuine shock. You liked that more than you would like to admit.
“Maybe I’ll bring my guitar next time. Play you some tunes…” he offered timidly, one of his hands playing with his curly hair. You nodded eagerly. You would love to hear music from this dimension, it sounded wonderful. Perhaps you could also—
“Munson! I know you’re here! Say something, freak!”
You flinched. Whoever this voice belonged to, they were not friendly. Eddie’s eyes widened. He tensed up and jumped up from his chair, his brown gaze darting over to you. “Hide! Quick! He can’t see you!”
You nodded and dove underwater, watching the situation unfold from below the surface. Luckily, it was dark and the water was mucky enough for you to remain unseen.
“Well, well, well… there you are. Fucking knew I saw Harrington’s car in the parking lot.” A blonde boy stepped in sight. He was pale, sweaty—and he had a downright murderous expression on his face.
“Jason, man… hey. Out of the hospital, I heard? Glad to see you’re feeling better, man. Past weeks have been crazy,” you heard Eddie say.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Munson, you’re the reason our town is going to shit in the first place.”
“I’m not…”
“Shut up! Now I know the police won’t lock you up until they have evidence that you killed Chrissy and the others but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep investigating on my own. I’ll give you one chance to come with me.”
The reason? Locked up? Killed? Did this Jason blame Eddie for the earthquakes? How would he be responsible for them? This was Henry, those were his murders that tore at the very fabric of the dimensions…
“Listen, Jason, you got this all wrong, man. I didn’t kill anyone. I just got dragged into this, alright? I promise I didn’t do anything.”
“You turning yourself in or not?”
You couldn’t make out Eddie’s response, perhaps because he didn’t give one. Instead, you watched Jason start at him, pushing him so hard he lost his balance and fell on the wet tiles with a groan. He inched back helplessly but not fast enough. Jason towered above him and grabbed him by the collar before he could even think about escaping, next thing you knew, his fist connected with Eddie’s face. You gasped for air. Again, and again, and again.
Eddie was flailing. He was fighting back of course but Jason looked like one of those humans who were exceptionally strong due to repeated physical activity. Eddie’s orientation bled out with every single punch Jason threw, blood disfiguring his beautiful features. He let go of Eddie’s shirt, knocking him back and then, he kicked him in the stomach—right where you had caught a glimpse of freshly healed scars.
Eddie groaned and moaned, unable to fight back anymore. With his strength fading and the pain taking over, you could only imagine the torture he was enduring. You clenched your fists, anger flowing through your veins like liquid fire. You’d watched this long enough.
With a hiss, you whacked your tail and jumped out of the water, latching onto Jason’s back. You bared your fangs, yanking his neck back to give yourself access, and bit down as hard as you could. It was surprisingly easy to break human skin. His blood gushed into your mouth, fuelling your instincts to drink him dry. He was yelling, of course, screaming in pain. You were not being gentle. There were more discreet ways to go about feeding but Jason, whoever he was and whatever he blamed Eddie for, deserved the pain.
So you kept drinking, sip after sip after sip until somebody yanked your head back and tossed you on the ground, too far away from the pool for you to slip back into the water. Eddie? No, it couldn’t have been Eddie. You glanced over to him, spotting his curled-up form on the wet tiles.
It was Steve. Steve had come back, he’d been the one to drag you off of him. Jason was unconscious. Steve had wrapped Jason’s arm around his neck, barely able to hold him up.
“Shit, are you okay, man?” he called over to Eddie. “Someone’s gonna have to stay with… with her.” You didn’t fail to notice that he did not call you by the name Dustin had given you.
“Yeah…” he grunted. “I’m alright… I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yepp… I just need a moment.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll be back as soon as I can, alright? I’m gonna tell him a wild animal attacked him or something like that…”
Your tail was tingling. You didn’t like the fresh air from this dimension enveloping it. Steve left all the while you wiped the remaining blood from your chin and turned over. You froze. Something was different. Something was… off.
You attempted to whack your tail, desperate to get back into the water. Every instinct, every fibre of your being was screaming for you to get back in, to get back to safety… but you had to make sure that Eddie was okay.
You looked down and… gasped for air. You had… legs. Real legs with knees, calves, feet, and toes… both jerked when you tried to move them like your tail, using your core strength like you normally did. It didn’t get you very far at all.
Eddie groaned again. You took a deep breath, frustrated at your lack of understanding. How were they supposed to work then? How were you supposed to move? You had to get to Eddie, you had to… another groan.
You flipped over again, ignoring your legs completely and inched yourself forward with your hands, crawling and entirely relying on your upper body strength until you reached him. Eddie’s brown eyes widened when he realised how close you were, hovering above him. His breathing quickened, his expression full of horror… scared. He was scared. Scared… of you?
No… no, you had only wanted to help him, to save him! Gently, you lifted your hand and brushed your fingertips over his right cheekbone. His nose was bleeding and his right eye was a little swollen from the punches Jason had landed.
“Oh… oh.” He realised that you did not mean to hurt him quickly, his body relaxing a little. Relief flooded your veins. “I’m okay… t-thanks. You really…” Eddie tried to sit up, moaning once more in the process.
“Shit, you’ve got legs! Jesus H. Christ, you have legs! And… oh… you’re… you’re, uh…” He blushed. You were naked. Without a shadow of a doubt, that was what he was going to say.
You breathed out. Yes… yes, that. Even so, however, you were still covered in grime and the slimy residue your skin produced to keep itself moisturised. It could not have been a pretty sight.
Eddie scrambled to his feet. He almost bent over when another wave of pain hit his stomach—and you wished for nothing more than to stop his suffering. You knew you could. All you had to do, it was… you bit your lower lip as you watched him take off his leather jacket and wrap it around you, covering you. It was warm, soft. It was comfortable, made you feel safe… and it smelled like him. It smelled like smoke.
“Alright, let’s uh… can you stand up? Can you do that for me?” Stand up… he meant… like him? You nodded, trying your best to mimic his movements. You made it to your knees after some initial struggles but then, as soon as you attempted to lift just one leg, you lost your balance. Eddie was by your side before you could even blink.
“Whoa, hey… careful there, I got you… let me, uh…” Your lips parted when he kneeled down himself and hooked his left arm under the back of your knees, the other wrapping around your middle, and then… he scooped you up.
“Would you like to take a shower?”
You tilted your head. A what?
“Oh, uh… a shower. Like… rinse down? Get washed up? You’re probably not familiar with that concept in the water.”
You shook your head. You clearly weren’t. But you did indeed want to wash all that slime off of yourself. You looked down at your hands, spreading your fingers. The webs between them were gone too.
Eddie took you to an adjacent room. Several showerheads lined the wall and when he turned one on, the water came gushing down like a little waterfall. It was almost a little fascinating… turning the flow of water on and off in this dimension, just like that… how did they build that?
Eddie used his foot to pull another one of those light chairs toward the running showerhead and sat you down, removing the leather jacket from your shoulders so it wouldn’t get wet.
“Can you, uh… do you need my help?” he asked. You shook your head. No… you’d manage somehow. As you began to rub your skin under the running water, Eddie pulled out the same little metal box Dustin had used to communicate with his friends.
“Dustin? Dustiiin… DUSTIN! Come on, man!”
The box gave a static noise and then, you could hear Dustin’s voice.
“Eddie? What’s wrong, are you okay?”
“Has Steve been in touch with you yet?”
“No… no, why? He dropped us off at the water tower and left, where is he?”
“I, uh… we might have a situation here, man.”
Silence. “What kind of situation?”
“Jason found me. I’m alright, Steve made it here in time, he got him out but uh… there’s something you’ll need to see.”
“Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Dustin exclaimed. “Did he see Nix? Did he hurt her?”
“See, I told you it was not a good idea to send Eddie out there!” Lucas exclaimed in the background.
Eddie looked at you and you blinked. No. You did not regret what you had done to Jason.
“She saved me, man, she attacked him. Bit his neck and drank his blood like a fucking vampire.”
“Holy shit! Okay… okay, we’ll… I’m calling Steve, we’ll be right there!”
Eddie covered his face with his free hand. “There’s something else.”
“What? What is it?”
“She has legs.”
“What?”
“She has legs. She jumped out of the water and she didn’t go back in and… now she has legs.”
“Eddie, don’t take your eyes off of her. Don’t let her run!”
Eddie looked at you sitting there on the plastic chair and attempting to move your feet one at a time. You were hardly successful but at least, the running water felt nice on your skin.
“She can’t even walk, man…”
“We’ll be right there, okay? Give us like… ten minutes! Over and out!”
Eddie sighed and put the metal box away. He jumped into action, moved you away from the shower stream, and retrieved a soft piece of fabric from a shelf nearby. He also took one for himself, cleaning up the blood on his face.
“Here… you can dry off with that.” Oh. Of course. You did as you were told and then breathed out in relief when he returned his leather jacket to you. It was so big it almost swallowed you whole. In the meantime, Eddie turned off the shower and then leaned against the wall, his face distorted in pain as he put his palm flat against his stomach.
What if… what if the wounds the creatures in your dimension had inflicted on him had not yet healed off properly? What if Jason had hurt him more than he’d planned? What if… what if you helped?
You opened your mouth, desperate to speak but apart from an audible breath, not a single sound escaped your lips. So you decided to let your body speak instead. You reached for him, leaning forward. Gosh, you couldn’t even walk over to him… this was pathetic. You felt so helpless… so vulnerable. And you’d had no idea your tail could do that, adapt to your environment to let you… walk on land. Well… if only you knew how to use them. Perhaps Eddie could teach you. They all made it look so easy.
Are you okay? you tried to say. You looked at him expectantly, relieved when he caught up.
“I’m alright… I’ve taken worse,” he said with a grin. You wished you could return it. But you were concerned. So you pointed at his stomach.
“That? Yeah… long story. You ever come across those gross bats with those creepy ass tails?”
You raised an eyebrow at him.
“Not that you’re creepy!” he quickly corrected himself. He laughed, clearly a little embarrassed. “They use their tails to choke people, that kind of thing… yeah, they, uh… they got me pretty badly.”
Your lips parted. The bats had done this to him? Had caused those scars? You leaned forward even further at the risk of falling over, a sly attempt to lift his shirt. You couldn’t help with those scars but whatever injuries Jason had caused…
“Eddie! We’re here!” You breathed out, leaning back and clutching the leather jacket when Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Steve came in sight. They all stared at you as if you’d grown a second head instead of a pair of legs.
All of them were out of breath. It was hard to believe they’d hurried this much because of you.
“This day is so messed up…” Lucas muttered.
“Tell me about it,” Eddie gave back. He turned, wincing in pain yet again. Overcome with the urge to hug him, you gasped for air. You decided there and then. You were going to heal him.
“Eddie… are you alright?” Dustin asked. He nodded in response. “Good. Okay. So. The most important question right now is, where do we take Nix?”
Mike took a step back. “I can’t hide her in my basement…”
“What about Rick’s boathouse?” Eddie suggested. “You said the police already searched the place so they’ll have ruled it out. We head back to the lake and hide there.”
“That could work. Nix would be close to water just in case too…” Dustin added. Eddie nodded. It was a good idea. You did prefer the lake over the standing water at the community pool anyway.
“Back to Lover’s Lake? So why did we get her away from there in the first place again?”
“Because, Lucas, she had no idea where she was and if anyone had found her there before us… that could have ended badly considering what she did to Jason.” Oh yeah… you still didn’t feel bad about that one.
“So… you said she can’t walk?” Steve asked. Eddie shook his head.
“Had to carry her,” he said.
“Okay, let’s get her to the car then. At least I don’t have to drag a fucking freezer around anymore now.”
You gasped for air when Steve lifted you up. You didn’t feel unsafe but you would have preferred Eddie to carry you again. But then again… it was probably for the best, given that he was in pain. With a deep breath, you calmed yourself down and let Steve tuck you into the car. Confusion struck your face and you froze when he fastened two straps of leather across your body to keep you from moving. You squirmed. Was he tying you up?
“Oh no, don’t panic, alright? See this?” He pointed at the red piece of the buckle holding you in place. “It’s a seatbelt. If you press down here, you can get out. It’s a safety thing, alright?”
You nodded—relief, however, only washed over you when Eddie got in the car as well and sat down next to you.
“We need to get her some proper clothes,” Steve said as he started the engine and pulled the car out of the parking lot. “I’m gonna give Nancy a call.”
“What about Robin?”
“Visiting family in Iowa. She won’t be back until Friday.”
“Right…” Dustin sighed and then… silence spread in the car as if someone had draped a sheet over you all. You scooted closer to Eddie. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, right? You’d seen it in those beautiful brown eyes.
You waited, patiently, when Steve finally stopped the car again. Eddie unfastened your seatbelt for you and then, Steve was carrying you again. You clung to his shirt until you reached the boathouse, looking around in awe.
You liked the atmosphere here. It was dark and gloomy and it smelled like water—the water of the lake. Eddie had been right, you did feel comfortable here.
“Put her there.” Steve brought you over to the old and battered sofa Eddie pointed to. You shivered. Ugh, you were not quite sure you liked having legs. One thing was for sure—you did not want to be left alone but now that this Jason was after Eddie for some delusional accusations, what if he left?
You reached for him, holding his hand. Dustin chuckled.
“I think she doesn’t want you to leave, Eddie.”
“Oh. I’m right here, sweetheart. I’m not leaving.”
Sweetheart? That was an endearing term, right? Did that mean he liked you? You nodded, pulling up the corners of your mouth. Smiling.
“She’s smiling!” Mike said. In an instant, all eyes were on you. But yours… yours were on Eddie. You shivered again, unable to control the trembling of your body. You’d never been cold before. It must have had something to do with those stupid legs.
“Hey, hey, are you cold?” Eddie put his other hand on your shoulder and you nodded.
“Alright, let me, uh… get you a blanket or something.”
Reluctantly, you let go of his hand to let him find one. You watched as he frantically started opening the cupboards and drawers in the boathouse.
“She’s from the Upside Down and lives in water, how can she even be cold?” Lucas whispered. “I thought whatever lives there doesn’t like warmth.”
“Maybe it’s because she has legs now? I mean, that must have messed with her somehow,” Dustin answered.
“Right, right…”
It was then Eddie returned with a blanket and wrapped it around you. You practically leaned against him when he sat down on the sofa with you.
Dustin clapped his hands. “Alright… back to work. Steve, are you sure Jason is out of the picture?”
“I dropped him off at the hospital, he was in pretty bad shape.”
“It’s kind of ironic he was only just released today,” Mike added.
“We’ll bring over some food first thing in the morning tomorrow, and clothes for Nix.”
“Sounds good.”
You pressed yourself even further against Eddie as the group said their goodbyes and took their leave. He winced when you accidentally came in contact with the exact spot Jason had been kicking him. Your lips parted. His injuries…
“Jesus H. Christ… you gave me quite the scare back there, you know?”
You smiled apologetically.
“You’re not gonna bite me, are you?”
Quickly, you shook your head. No… of course not. And if you ever did, if he ever let you feed on him… you’d made sure it wouldn’t hurt.
“Those your, uh… gills?”
Eddie’s hand came up to stroke the bump right below your eye, concealed well by your hair. You gave him a quizzical look. Your what?
“I mean, do you breathe underwater with these?” Oh. Yes.
You nodded, opened your mouth, took a deep breath…
“Eddie…” you whispered.
The boy’s eyes widened.
“Did you just… did you just say my name?”
Your smile grew wider. “Eddie…” you croaked again, louder and more confident now.
“Shit, you can speak!”
He grinned—and it truly was the cutest sight to look at. No more delaying now. You leaned forward, cupping his face in your hands and kissed him.
Gently at first, you moved your lips against his, your eyes fluttering shut when a sensation unlike anything you had ever felt before spread throughout your entire body. He froze at first, unsure of how to react, what to do. Perhaps even taken aback or disgusted a creature from the Upside Down would kiss him…
A moan escaped your lips when he started kissing you back instead, his arms wrapping around you. It was your cue—your cue to start humming.
“What… what are you doing?” he whispered against your lips. You couldn’t allow him to break the kiss, not now.
“Healing…” you whispered back. You kept humming, moving your lips against his ferociously.
You could practically feel his frown and yet, he did not pull away. He trusted you—and that felt so empowering you were confident you would be able to walk around now.
“W-what…” Eventually, you allowed him to break the kiss. His lips were swollen and so were yours, both your breathing heavy.
Eddie felt his face first and then his stomach. There was no pain, there were no injuries left, only the scars you were unable to will out of existence.
“You… you actually healed me?”
You nodded. Little did he know that this meant that he was yours now, in a way. You didn’t give this gift freely, not to just anyone but only to the purest of souls. The Upside Down had been pure too once before Henry Creel had polluted it with violence and reckless murder.
“Thank you, Nix.”
You smiled, cuddling up to him. Perhaps ending up in this new dimension had not been so bad after all. Not with Eddie Munson by your side.
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A/N: Check out my blog for more Imagines and my original novel(s)! ♥
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Winterstorm
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For @turbulentscrawl
Rated Mature | Warnings: Age difference between Reader and Ithaqaua, Manipulation, Rumors
A/N: ngl i was playing stardew while writing this lolol
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It was a stormy winter night when his mother found him. It was a stormy winter night when you found him wounded after killing a group of hunters in the forest.
In the hazy of his hallucinating mind, he saw his mother calling out to him, for him to wake up. He reached out to that image not realizing he was reaching for his new savior.
When he woke up after the storm passed, he was under blankets that felt warm and in a room smelling of spice and wood. He jerked awake and got up, he touched his bare chest finding someone had patched him up. Cloth bandages and stitching for the deeper wounds. The Night Watch knows his body aches, his body protesting as he gets up carefully not to make too much noise. He wills himself to endure as he grabs his shirt and coat from the chair by the window, he swears to rest but not here—Not where he will be left further vulnerable!
He struggles to get his shirt on so ops for his coat only stop when the door opens. He grabs his weapon but stops as he hisses in pain.
You come in with a small bed tray of food, his stomach growls at the scent, “You're awake.” A bit surprised given his wounds, “Oh, if you want to leave I can help you dress.”
His eyes narrow as takes in the sight of you, his eyes sometimes glancing at the simple food you made. “Leave.” You move to go back out, “Food stays.” That made you happy though.
The boy, because to you he is a boy, was in bad shape when you found him. Malnourished, wounded, and you are surprised he did not succumb to hypothermia. You Luckily had your cart from gathering wood before the storm hit severely after you brought him home.
Listening with your ear against the door, you can hear him going to the bed and eating the simple porridge you made, shuffling after and you hear your bedroom window being opened then closed.
You do not expect to see him again, you did your good deed and that was that.
Until you see him again while you are foraging for some mushrooms and roots in the Icy Forest. There in the distance, he stands staring at you from a distance. Piercing blue irises watching your movements for who knows how long until you notice.
“Hello,” He stares silently, “Have you been taking care of yourself?” You step closer, “Do you need more food?”
A snap of twigs draws your attention from him to a deer roaming around. When you look back, the strangely dressed boy is dashing away.
“Wait!” But it is too late.
That will be the first of many interactions with the creature you have no clue is called the Night Watch.
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“Good morning, Ithaqua.” He hums at you as you start preparing breakfast, “Going out?”
“Yes.” His arms wrap around your waist as he rests his head on your back, “You should stay home today.”
“The weather is nice today, we should go see if the store in town has any fabric.”
“Or we can go see the lake instead.” His hold squeezing slightly, “You like the lake better than the store.”
You sigh, he does not like you going to town. You figure it because he lived in the forest for so long alone that interacting with others is stressful.
It took a lot to gain his trust, you figure there is a reason for the way he is but never push to talk about it. Everyone has their past.
“Ithaqua, we need things around the house.” Reminding him both of you cannot survive by using the vegetables in your garden. Other things are needed. You worry about him, worry about how he is quick to isolate rather than try to, at least, see the use of being around others. The little town is not so bad… Even if the rumors about you can be cruel.
No one sees the real dynamic between you and the boy— Because they all see him as a boy rather than a man— Who lives in the woods, but now he practically lives with you, hunting and gathering for you to earn his keep— Though you told him he does not need to do so.
They think you are manipulating him, using him as he is young and lacking social experience…
He finds that amusing how little they think of him, a poor little sheep none realize is a wolf under the wool.
“I can get them.”
“Are you sure? I do not want to bother—
“You are not bothering me. I want you safe and you say we need supplies, I will get them.”
You stand there unsure but nod in the end, maybe you can finish your plowing of the garden while he is away, “Okay…” He hums at your agreement, his hands rubbing the fabric of your apon as you go back to food prep, “I'll make us something warm to eat.”
Ithaqua is young, not a child, but young. You are older, much older, old enough to be a parent to him.
At first, you treated him as such. He seems receptive to it as he soon became a part of your life.
But something changed, you did not notice it until it was too late and you are sheep held down by the wolf's paw.
Only a handful of times has Ithaqua been to the town, if you could call it a town as it is a bit bigger than a village but smaller than an actual town. The few folks that did see him feared him, he looked strange with the mask and the stilts. They kept their distance, and you had to assure them he was just a mountain man, not a creature.
Something about a Night Watch but no one has ever seen that thing.
The town's people already are wary of you, you who live alone on the outskirts of town. You try to socialize but they turn you away until they need something. The irony, Ithaqua finds this ridiculous, you are often looked to in times of need because of your garden. You always plant things that do well in wintertime, planting and growing bundles to give away on Sundays after church service.
He swears they are all idiots, at least the pastor is sensible and grateful for you.
The new problem the town has with you— Rather than the ones who act like pompous dogs— Is you are using this poor boy. Funny, in reality, Ithaqua is not using you but he is slowly having you become more and more isolated from those fools.
This problem did not start until he was approached by one of the young women in the town. The mill's owner's daughter. The annoying thing, he saw in the Icy Forest once and would have killed her if he was not busy bringing meat to you.
It was the spring festival and you asked him to help you with the decorations and to hopefully get him to be social.
All you asked of him was to not wear the usual outfit he wears. Instead, you gifted him your father's spring festival attire. He looked handsome as he wore your father's clothes, tailored to fit his thin frame. You thought this would be a great step for him!
You told him at any time he is welcome to go join in the festivities, especially the flower dance. He knew what you were trying to do, he only humored you.
You stayed at the stall talking to the town mayor as he complements the decorations you have made this year.
People are fools, Ithaqua hates them but likes you, he did not talk while wandering around the festival. A few tried interacting with him, he permitted it for the moment at that time for your sake. How stupid of them to assume so much about him when all they know about him is as much as he allows them to know.
A young man named Ithaqua, a wild man who sticks to you like a boy to his mothers— They assumed the relationship from the beginning. You did too.
“I love (Name), I don't want you.”
Cold as ice water.
The woman was bitter and the rumors had added to many others about you.
Ithaqua could care less about what others think, they are the ones who beg you for help when someone is sick or needs extra food.
You are like a mother to them, yet they act ungrateful.
Winter is getting closer and closer, they will look to you for help and Ithaqua grins as soon they will find you gone by next spring.
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When he returns with the wagon of supplies, you greet him with a hug. The Night Watch knows you are trying to be affectionate to him but you hold back, you never kiss him or allow him to indulge in your flesh. Just hugs and kisses on the cheek, you poor thing thinking he changed his stance on wanting you.
You accepted this relationship, and he knows you did it out of maybe some misplaced sense of guilt, he has you in his grasp. All you need to do is stop caring about what others think about you.
A problem soon to be solved.
Once everything is put away, he has you cornered in the bedroom pinned down on the bed with him above you with nothing but pants on. You stare up at him then look away.
“You don't need them.” Leaning down to kiss your cheek then moving down.
“Ithaqua, we talked about this.” You try pulling your wrists out of his grasp but it holds firm. For such a small build man, he is surprisingly strong. “They are just nervous people.”
“Nervous people? They are hateful people, (Name), stop making excuses for them.” His eyes narrow and he bites at the top exposed part of your neck. “They rather burn you at the stake than admit they are wrong about you.”
“Ithaqua…” That is not true! People are people but not all of them are cruel.
“Think about it,” Licking the mark as you had flinched from the pain at first. “The mayor doesn't help you yet you do so much for the town. The pastor preaches but no one listens. The doctor's monthly checkups are just to see if you sprouted horns and a tail.”
“Please. Not tonight.” Begging him. Those words are painful, he knows these talks are causing doubts as you are becoming more aware of the bitterness these people have towards you. 
After the spring festival, you… You sat him down. Talk to Ithaqua as much as you could that evening. Your words twisted against you, you are too trusting with him. His metaphorical claws raked through your wool but never pierced the flesh of the sheep. You are trapped but loved.
Ithaqua enjoys this more than you ever will know.
It was too late to stop the rumors when those feelings were reciprocated, you… You are lonely and though Ithaqua is much younger than you… He is an adult, far more mature than the men at your age too.
Twenty-one winters, he told you, he should be married by now. He wants to marry you.
Guilt. A lot of guilt. You slip from under him when tries to grind his lower half against yours.
“How about I make your favorite tonight? I got some extra tomatoes–” Stand up beside the bed while Ithaqua sits there with his legs wide open.
“I'm not a child. We should leave before they hurt you, there is no need to put on a brave face for me.” He is going to devour you but you need to stop running from him! “We can leave. They are not grateful to you.” You shake your head at his words, he stands up and holds your face, “It will only be a matter of time before they hurt you.”
He smiles as you crumble, holding you as you fall to your knees and covering your face as you cry. This home your family built and lived in since you were born. The blood, sweat, and tears; the memories, the love within this home.
“Ithaqua.” He cradles you as you turn to cry into his bare chest.
A small crack, he chips away at you, the others were fools to think you were manipulating him.
Laughable given you had tried hard to get him to meet those of his age.
Why bother?
He likes you, older and experienced, you give him the care of a mother and the love of a partner. No one his age could give him that, they were all too free-spirited and reckless.
The Night Watch wants someone to greet him upon his return home, shower him with love, and if the mood strikes him— Lay with him as accustomed for partners to do.
“(Name),” Rubbing your back, “I love you.” You told him he is too young to understand the weight of those words. “I will take care of us.” Making promises of taking sole responsibility is not fair, you told him yet you do it all the time.
When winter came followed by another snowstorm and the people looked to you for your winter’s crop that Sunday, you were not there. Nor were there the many Sundays after that. The pastor with two other people went looking for you, only the pastor cared to check in on you.
The house was buried in the snow, the garden destroyed. There is no trace of you or the mysterious young man who came into your life. There are no bodies found, it is like you were there and are now suddenly gone.
Maybe you left, the pastor hopes you found a better place.
Or maybe the Night Watch claimed another victim.
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asmoslverboy · 5 months
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To love the devil; Dottore x GN!Reader.
He is who he has always been. Despite the centuries he's had to accept and embrace his darkness, though he claims otherwise, he can't help but try to hide away from you. Neither one of you's a saint, but through his eyes, you're an angel. CW! Angst, immortal × immortal, Dottore is referred to as "Zandik", self sabotage on Dottore's part♡, dottore being emotional (ooc tbh, im self projecting on him)??
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Dottore has many sides to him that he'd rather hide off from you. For someone so egotistical, so full of pride, you'd never expect him to be ashamed of who he is, who he has become. And he's not— shame, embarrassment— those aren't emotions that he's familiar with.
But fear, now that's a whole other conversation. It's not like you don't know what he's done, the things he's guilty of, his list of crimes, and of unethical desires he's tried to fulfill. It's not like you haven't personally seen him drown in sin over the 400 years of knowing him.
"Zandik, did I upset you?" You ask him as you're sitting on top of his desk while he's in his chair, looking up at your figure. He's been quite distant lately, more than usual. You could easily assume that he was having one of his isolative episodes, but he doesn't seem to be avoiding anyone other than you.
"Hm?" That's all you get from him, accompanied by a raise of his right brow, but his focus soon goes back to his notes, going over them, rambling about how he needs his next project to be the embodiment of perfection. Creating an aranara, was it? Some things, it seems, never change. He was so obsessed with the idea of capturing one of those little creatures of nature, back when the two of you were still students.
The next few hours pass by in the same cycle of events. You try talking to him, he shrugs it off and continues digging his head deep into his research files.
Do not expect any more of him for the next days, weeks even. It's like your existence no longer matters to him. All you see is the man that you've been with throughout basically your whole entire lives, acting as if you were a mere accomplice. He has repeated this type of scheme in the past, more than once, but it never lasted as long as it did this time.
Each of your attempts of getting a simple response out of him, one that requires actual words instead of some grunt or hum, has gone to waste.
You're unsure of what to do. Should you be more worried for him or for yourself? Is this the time it all ends between the two of you? Should you really just give up on him at this point?
"Zandik," you called out, but not to him, nor to anyone else. Sitting by a lake, all by yourself, no one to your company, other than the thousand microorganisms that lived and thrived in the waters. "I wish you would just speak to me."
It's not like you lack friends to confide in. But would anyone be as understanding towards him— the one who was labeled a monster, by all who've known him and by himself first and foremost— after you tell them about his present behaviors?
You laid your head on the cold, wet grass. Surrounded by nature, the collective of existence. You could never be alone in this world, not as long as you believe that everything around you is as alive as you are.
But are you truly alive? If, in the past, your definition of the word was to express yourself in every way, to feel and to be felt, would you consider yourself alive at this very moment?
Another day has come— it seems you had fallen asleep on the ground. You awoke, a couple ducks quaking as they poke you with their beaks. They didn't mean to hurt you, though. And if you think about it, your beloved is much like these ducks. He does what he thinks would best help you. Even if it has opposing effects.
"You shouldn't stay," he told you, his tone felt like it could cut through metal. You were back at his office again, figuring you could at least help him out at work, if unable to help his inner world. He was taking off his gloves as he was done inspecting some ancient Khaenri'ahn technology items. "Do you want me to—"
"I've given you every reason to leave. Yet you still cling to me like a bloodthirsty eel." He cut you off. He has never spoken to you like this (not whilst he was sober, nor whilst he was in his right mind). He was calm, but he spoke as if you were an object to be dismissed.
"Do you not love me anymore?" You wanted to ask him so, so desperately. But the potential answers to that question shook you to your very core. So you dared not speak.
Such conflict within you. Shall you leave him be? Shall you listen to his words instead of pursuing him any further? You're painfully aware of his nature; to push you away when he needs your presence most.
But it's been going on for far too long, has it not? If he's not allowing you to help him, then really, what else is there to do, if not fend for yourself?
"You deserve better," he wrote to you, in a letter that'll never reach your sight. "Your love should not be limited to one who can not accept, nor react to it," he wrote again. But who is he trying to fool? He knows that this piece of paper, along with all the other ones he's tried to write, will be crunched up and disposed of.
Not even once, for the sake of the person who's loved him through it all, will he allow himself to be heard.
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dailyadventureprompts · 2 months
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Adventure: A Draft Through the Door
An unnatural gloom creeps over the countryside, the shadows grow long and the dawn seems slow to rise. The townsfolk grow increasingly listless, and have asked your party to investigate the mage's manor across the lake, which seems to be the origin of this miasmic melancholia. Your journey will not be an easy one, as the landscape grows ever more eerie, and things are seen to move in the drifting banks of mist.
Of the many reasons that wizards take on apprentices (passing down knowledge, having a sounding board for new theories, an extra pair of hands to prepare spell components and do the sweeping up) one of the less discussed ones is how vital it is to have a second pair of eyes on lookout for when something magical inevitably goes wrong.
It makes sense when you think about it, a proper wizard's mind is too full of brilliance to bother with things like making sure that week's batch of potions don't boil over in the cauldron or that the stacked tomes of lore present a firehazard if they're not put away.
So it was with the mage Milghram Brightstaff and his precocious apprentice Adaline, who lived a quaint existence in the manor by the edge of the lake filling their days with scholarship, experiments, and attending to the problems brought to them by locals visiting from across the countryside. That was until mage Milghram decided to pop off to his extra-dimensional storage unit by way of a shadowfell portal in the manor's basement. He thought he'd only been gone a few hours, but neglected to apply the protective charm required to spare himself from the memory-sapping defences guarding his vault. now Milghram wanders the land of shades in a perpetual state of "why did I come into this room?" while the essence of that dread dimension leak back through his unclosed portal.
Adventure Hooks:
The party might've been sent to seek out the wizard, or visit town on their own buisness. Either way nothing's getting done so long as the countyside is blanketed in memory erroding fog and creatures from the shadow realm stalk through the murk. After several nights worth of exposure the town's defenders have had the wost of it, having forgotten what they're guarding or why they've established barricades.. it'll take some guile or calm negoitation for them to let the heroes past the gate.
When the party eventually gets to the manor they'll not only find the place locked, shuttered, and in many cases barricaded, but also protected by a slew of arcane defences ranging from animated objects to teleportation traps that will hurl them out into the lake. Two thirds of the way through their magical B&E and likely expecting a mad wizard to emerge from the shadows and begin a villain monolog, they'll instead find an exhausted teen running through the manor hurling heedless spells at a fleeing bug-thing demanding they help catch it before it gets too big.
For a girl of only fourteen winters beset on all sides by living nightmares Adaline is handling herself marvellously. She's activated the manor's wards sealing the worst of the cursed mist in the basement (or atleast she had until the party chopped their way in) and has been using a borrowed wand to hunt down most of the shadow creatures that have begun to infest the manor grounds. She's deeply worried about her teacher however, and blames herself for the series of distractions that led the old man to forgetting to throw on his protective charm. Depending on how they play it, they can either have her charm them and venture into the portal looking for the errant mage, or attempt to distract her long enough to close the portal themselves and leave the old wizard for dead.
Art
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yestrday · 1 year
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–BLUSH BLUSH ! anemo | hydro | geo
⤷ yan! hybrid! kamisato ayato, childe, xingqiu 
summary ! your aquatic hybrids are just as playful as the ebbing tides of the sea, and very much in love with you. the prime residents of your manmade lake just behind your house, you foolishly trust them enough not to question why the water’s surface grows red when they submerge into its depths.
content ! inaccurate demonstrations of their animal’s physical traits; any science majors this is the time to not read any further lest you want a headache; mentions of murder; thoughts of corruption; sadism; mentions of a leash; toxic behavior
notes ! uh wow did not notice theres like only 3 hydro men and yet it took me five business days to write this lmao.. anyways enjoy
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AYATO scares you the first time you meet. on that particular day, the sun is bright and makes the man-made lake behind your house glisten ever so beautifully. it’s a sad attempt on your father’s part to appease your loneliness, but you can’t deny how happy you are when you find out about it. riding a rowboat into the center of the lake, you enjoy the wonderful weather as you relax under your parasol, alongside the tea and biscuits aether has prepared for you…
that is, if the tea hadn’t ran out when you weren’t watching. you swear there was tea in the thermostat just awhile ago. as you ponder in confusion about its sudden disappearance, you spy a pair of glowing eyes peeking at you fro just under the ripples of the water. when you try to lean in closer, you scream in shock when the creature’s head pops out from the water and nudges your head. “hello~” the creature, covered in glistening blue scales and sporting a coy grin, greets you even as you jump back. “my, that’s not how you greet a tenant of your lands, do you now?”
AYATO helps balance the rowboat when you almost tip it over from your shock. in fact, he actually helps push the rowboat towards the shore so that he can finally have a proper conversation without you almost falling into the water every now and then. now that you’re on stable ground, you can finally get a good view of him– inhumanly white skin tinged with the undertones of blue, and shiny blue denticles covering his limbs and temples. and when smiles, it’s rather… deadly, if the sharp rows of teeth have anything to say for themselves. he leans casually on a rock, and lets his fin (your anxiety increases when you begin to realize it’s shaped like a shark’s) rest under the sun.
you quickly find out the sawshark hybrid has been living in your lake just a bit after it was finished building. he was busy running away from something, and he wasn’t about to pass up a good lake. it unsettles you when he tells you that he was there from the very moment your father’s driver dropped you off at the mansion and could even recount the day you met aether. his shark’s grin grows larger when you shudder.
when you bring him back to the mansion, everyone is on their guard against AYATO. his eye smile seems cunning, and he touches you a tad too flirtatiously for everyone’s taste. the only one who seems happy about his appearance is thoma, who apparently has a shared history with the man, and they quickly adapt a master-servant relationship. thoma seems to be at his every beck and call as he is at yours, and sometimes you wonder if you’re sharing the title as ‘master of the house’ now.
AYATO seems to have a strange fondness for teasing you. as his long fingers trail your cheek and lift you by the chin, he delights in seeing you all flustered and stammering. he finds you adorable, like one would do a pet. he finds it fascinating how so many hybrids, both mythical and normal ones alike, have become so subservient to you. he understands them though, really– after all, how could one not fall for a human as sweet and genuine as you? you take care of them even though you could easily exploit them, and you have no ulterior motives like the rest of your folk.
AYATO likes to watch the events of the house unfold from the shadows. he’s not one for actually being part of the drama, but if there’s something going on, he’s sure to know about it. in fact, some of them may even be orchestrated by him. but whenever the involved hybrid angrily comes up to confront him, all they are left with is a coy smile and the very damning fact that they have no evidence on him.
if you’re thrusted into the elite life, you can come to AYATO for guidance, but do be wary when doing so, though. in his home country, he was one of the more important elites, so he’s well-aware of the trickeries and betrayal that comes with this sort of lifestyle. he finds it very amusing that your loaf of a father would push a greenhorn like you into such an intricate environment. it’s like he wants to see your downfall. but no worries~! mature and responsible AYATO is there to guide you!
beware though, AYATO is very strict when it comes to your training. after all, you are sort of his master, no? and he can’t have an incompetent buffoon for a master. he’ll make you repeat and repeat his lessons until you’re crying and your hands are sore from raising the teacup the right way. at his side, thoma wants to come forward and soothe you, but all it takes is a knowing glance from ayato to make him stop. tsk tsk… come on, master. you’re the child of a billionaire as well as the beloved human of sooo many hybrids. these trials are for your own good…
or so he says, with a sadistic grin on his face. his blue eyes shimmer as you rub your tears away and continue on with the training. ah… you really are quite the adorable pet. sharks don’t easily bow their heads to anyone, you know? much less filthy, corrupt humans. he doesn’t understand why your hybrids are so eager to lay their head at your feet, when you’re soooo much prettier with a leash around your neck ♡
RELATIONSHIPS: ayato is never seen without thoma by his side, and many of the hybrids actually seem to pity the dog hybrid as he’s the number one victim of ayato’s pranks. the inazuman hybrids are actually quite respectful of him, minus itto who has no sense of wariness and just ropes ayato in whatever game he has in mind. sometimes, he manages to involve aether in running an errand for him, much to the chagrin of the catboy.
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AJAX shows up at your house as he’s tagging behind a disgruntled aether. you swear you could mistake him for a fox hybrid had it not been for the pointy horn (er… tusk?) on his head. he just… gives off that aura, like the coy smile on his face and the fluffy ginger hair. from what aether tells you, they met while aether was out for a walk and the man just immediately pounced on him and challenged him to a duel. judging by the injuries, it was a close fight, but aether ultimately came out the victor. you catch aether sending wary glances towards the narwhal, who ignores this in favor of smiling at you.
AJAX immediately greets you, a friendly and curious look on his face as he inspects the master of the hybrid who bested him. "hello there~" he's intimidatingly tall, and a closer look at him lets you see the faint shimmer of the mottled skin from his neck to around the edges of his face. "you wouldn't mind sheltering me for a liiittle bit, won't you? i can't seem to rest until i've bested my comrade over there! that, and–" his eyes glint with a crude expression as the shadowy eyes of your hybrids glare from the corners. "– you've got a pretty interesting cast here."
when AJAX joins your crew, it seems like there's a plus one headache for aether. he's challenging every other hybrid he comes across, but he seems like he's pestering aether the most. he always gets his ass beaten, and though he isn't actually upset about it, he uses this as an excuse for you to comfort him. he comes running to you with fake tears and rushes to hug you— much to aether's chagrin— whining about how your cat was bullying him (not minding the fact that you've been watching them from when AJAX challenged him out of nowhere). hugging you from behind, he fake sobs into your neck, all the while locking you into place with his thick thighs.
AJAX takes good care of you, like how an older brother would. when he's not purposely irritating the other hybrids by being overly clingy with you, he's gentle with his touches. he's also a good help with chores and he'll make you your favorite foods! it's quite obvious that he loves to dote on you, and that's one quality the others can respect. oftentimes, however, you become too adorable for your own good and he can't help but squeeze you in for a hug! that's when the other hybrids swoop in to pry him off you.
he finds the thought of pretty little you sequestered away in some mansion away from the cityscape somewhat… romantic? or more appropriately, appealing. his sick perversion convolutes your pitiful situation when he thinks of how easily he can just take you for himself. those with similar delusions may want to preserve your innocence, but AJAX fantasizes about how far he can corrupt you. did you really plan on staying quiet in this lonely mansion all your life? are you not angry at how easily your father can abandon you? you’re the heir to multimillion corporation, for goodness sake! you deserve more than this!
AJAX is more than willing to bloody his hands for you, should you ask of him. in fact, he already does so without you ever asking for it. he truly cares for you, and he can eliminate any threats to your life and position while laughing as he does so. if you’re a bit more innocent and sheltered, he won’t really let you know about his doings. however, if you’re the one who explicitly ordered the strike… well, AJAX will definitely seek your praise. clinging all over your, soaked in the blood of your enemy, he near grinds his body against you as he begs for your sweet, sweet praise… although it’s also sexy when you ignore his pleas.
RELATIONSHIPS: zhongli and ajax are a strange pair often seen together. while they talk over tea together, there is a stifling atmosphere as they passive-aggressively one-up each other. xiao is wary of him and is only second in beating him up. aether, of course, takes the number one spot, as ajax holds him in high regard than anyone in the house.
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a rare trip to a lake– not your lake, but another one– greets you with disaster. the wind blows too hard, and your boat is swayed by the wind until you topple over and crash into the water. your hybrids are on the shore, none of them too adept at swimming, and strain as you might, you find that your underused limbs aren’t strong enough to pull you to shore. but suddenly you feel a pair of arms embrace you, before quickly swimming back up.
your savior drags you to shore, where your hybrids fuss over you while you cough up the water in your lungs. when you turn to meet your savior, you don’t know why you’re surprised when you meet another hybrid– an otter, he introduces himself, if it wasn’t evident enough by the long, fur-covered tail on his back. XINGQIU greets you with a gentlemanly smile, and you find yourself gaping at his pretty face before you suddenly thank him and call him your hero. XINGQIU is pleasantly surprised at this— so pleased, in fact, that he decides to come home with you.
seeing your collection of hybrids, XINGQIU is excited at the thought of meeting so many mythical as well as heroic entities. not only that, but he’s plenty delighted at your personal library. he’s usually engrossed in fiction about heroes and whatnot, and more often than not you’ll see the boy cuddled in the library’s sofa with his nose in a book. if he’s not in the library or playing another prank on chongyun, then he’s at the lake, floating contentedly on the water or reading a book on the riverbanks.
just on the foot of the hill your mansion sits on top, XINGQIU is well-known in the local village for his chivalrous deeds. it’s a quiet rural town, and he delights in its simplicity. when he’s down at the village for the walk, he’ll catch thieves and turn them or pay for the food of a hungry group of children. he’s among the well-liked hybrids of yours, and is a favorite by the local mothers. he’s not so much a favorite back at the mansion though. him being cheeky as well as prone to mischief has made the other members grow wary of him, even his best friend, chongyun. all this he laughs at, and continues to play pranks when other’s aren’t looking.
XINGQIU often shows an eagerness to do what’s good— for humanity, for his friends, and for you. while he’s a bit lazy when it comes to actually helping with the housework, he won’t stand for any sort of injustice that happens to you. whether you are falsely slandered or attacked by paid assassins, XINGQIU makes it his mission to save you. he’s so caught up in the thrill and pleasure of being your hero— the day you first called him that replays in his mind over and over again.
he’s so caught up in playing your hero that XINGQIU willingly blurs the line between chivalry and self-serving. is he really doing this because your opponents are unjustified in attacking a naive and defenseless person like you? or is he doing this because he enjoys you clinging to him and thanking him, singing his praises as you call him your hero over and over again.
XINGQIU loves you, that much is true. he loves you the point of never wanting to let you go, and he truly means to become the chivalrous hero he reads about in his books. but his more… playful (?) side wants to see you tear up a bit more, as you sit dazed on the floor with your attacker’s blood all over you and him at your front as he slices them up in the name of justice.
RELATIONSHIPS: he and chongyun are best buds, but it seems that xingqiu always has the upper hand in their relationship. zhongli sometimes acts as a mentor to the both of them as he trains them in the martial arts. he tags along with aether when he makes grocery runs down the village, as well as shows off his training to him every once in a while to show how much he’s improving.
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tags: @probablynoposts​
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idkfitememate · 2 months
Text
Got bored, got too many brainrots and obsessions rn and wrote this “super fast” just to prove a point *AHEM*
(Also you kinda have a “set” look in the beginning, but that’ll change! It’s for stories sake I’m sorry-)
((Also also, I’m so sorry guys… you start off as a Texan I’m so sorry-)) [Fun fact I have a slight southern accent and it’s wild when I hear it-]
Yes this is the Adam/Eve!Reader x Obey Me. It has been rotting my mind for months I’m not sorry-
The Garden of Eden.
Never was it, nor its human counterparts spoken of in a negative light in the Celestial Realm.
Talk of trees that grew above the clouds and lakes so crystalline that you could see every grain of sand under the perfectly glowing sunlight flew out of Angel’s mouths, some even admitting small amounts of jealousy at how finely those mortals were living.
It interested Lilith.
Youngest of seven siblings and one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues - that Virtue being Patience - she was of high status and importance among those lucky enough to live under their Father’s light and guidance.
She wanted to know more than what those baseless rumors and tales could offer her, so one night, beneath the many star like moons of her home, she flew down beneath the clouds but above the stony bridge that would have snatched her away, down into the depths of the Devil’s Realm.
Her wings, as pure as a dove, flapped endlessly to carry her over gorgeous mountain ranges and wide plains of golden grass, over the bluest of oceans, to find this fabled Garden.
And finally? She came upon it.
Landing gracefully on the emerald green grass, she took in the sight. She supposed this Garden truly was what one would get if you took a piece of The Celestial Realm and placed it in the Human Realm.
Colorful birds filled the sky with trees of every type surrounding her. Animals she had never seen before lunged around her. Feeling giddy, she began to run with the multiple groups, eventually taking off.
She flew over a lake, lowering herself right above it to gently grace her fingers over the top, ripples feathering out and creating small waves behind her. Fish kept from the water around her in grand arks, and with a giggle she pushed herself higher with a great flap.
Liliths giggles bubbled into loud laughter, as she soared over tree tops with beautifully colored birds, spinning and diving with no one to tell her no.
She felt free.
That was, until she didn’t manage to catch herself in a dive and crashed through the treetops.
She slammed into the grassy floor of the forest, dragging through the dirt as rocks flung out of her way, eventually being stopped by a tree. It took her a moment to really get her bearings, but when she did she was suddenly all too aware of her surroundings.
It wasn’t nearly as bright here as it was out there.
The shadows of the trees were long and bird song was suddenly silenced. The winds picked up and branches shook harshly, leaves being pulled from their trees.
She could barely make out the sun, clouds blocking its path, and the lack of other creatures was deafening.
Something was watching her. Not unlike the gazes of her elders when she made a small mistake on a document or once again had a day where she stole her closet brothers away to just have fun.
Its gaze was attached to her back, and she curled into herself. She was wrong, this gaze was worse.
It wasn’t scrutinizing her, it was observing her. Watching her movements. Taking her in.
She felt something she couldn’t identify. She hadn’t felt it before. Something crossed of anxiety and that feeling when someone was angry with her.
She was… scared?
That word flew through her mind. She heard it scarcely with fellow Angels. It wasn’t something usually felt in her home, as it’s wasn’t truly necessary. They were supposed to be happy in the Celestial Realm, and fear was not positive, it was a negative, something Demons would usually deal with.
So why was she…
A branch snapped in the background, echoing through the empty forest around her. She jolted upright, grabbing her knees and wrapping her arms around them.
Her breath grew heavy as she began to look around wildly, her wings puffing up as she curled into herself tighter. Her knees to her chest, she instead took her arms from her legs and wrapped them around her head.
“Whoever is there… please…”
Her voice was weak. She shook in the breeze, the delicate flowing fabrics of her gown dancing wildly in the wind with her hair. Her sniffed, trying hard to hold the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes at bay.
“Please…”
Suddenly, she heard footsteps, fast and steady, rushing towards her. Her head shot up as they grew closer, fight or flight kicking in immediately. She jumped up, arms cradling her chest.
“W-wait!-“
Deciding against talking, she ran.
She hadn’t thought she’d have to fight, so she saw no need in bringing her holy weapon. Her bare feet pounded against the earth. Wildly thrashing through branches, leaves and sticks got stuck in her hair, scratching her face, ichor slipping from the wounds. She pushed through the forest, looking for a space to take off. She heard the footsteps growing closer and faster, nearing her with animosity.
Finally she burst from the forest line and down a hill, tumbling down and landing on her wing awkwardly, causing a dull pain to scream through the joint. White feathers flew as she fell, small screams falling from her throat. She finally rolled to a stop, tears and ichor mixing on the ground. Her shaken sobs making her body shiver on the ground.
She turned and laid eyes on mask, painted with gold and black accents.
Long flowing golden hair trailed behind them as they walked towards the fallen Angel. A tight black top clung to their chest, sleeveless and cut off right below the pecks. A pure white sash wrapped around their shoulder and down onto their waist, a bow on their thigh tying it together. Large, black flowing pants with golden accents ended at their ankles where their feet were wrapped in bandages. Armor clung to their arms - black with golden trimmings - one arm having slimmer armor that ended at the wrist, revealing an archer’s glove, the other arm ending in a gauntlet with sharpened claws for fingers. A small amount of the same armor rested on their waist, held together with a golden chain. A white scarf that flowed behind them covered the bottom part of the white mask with golden inlays that hid their face from Lilith.
What brought it all together were the feathers that attached to one side of their mask. A large golden one, two pure white ones on either side of it, and a small row of black feathers behind them.
A bow rested on their back, large and black in color with golden accents, made of the same metals that made the armors that covered their skin. A long sword rested on their back as well, under the bow. A circular shield rested atop the bow, though from the angle she lay at, Lilith could not see the design on its front. The sheath was beautifully decorated with golds. A quiver rested on their hip, filled to the brim with arrows begging to be used, surrounded in smaller bags and satchels. And finally, in their hand, was a large and imposing spear. Long and thin, yet it looked to be made of a strong metal, one light enough to glide through air if thrown.
They slowly and antagonizingly made their way towards the fallen Angelic girl, who in a last ditch effort shot a weak burst of light from her palm. It was hot, but if not hot enough to injure then it would be bright, to blind. Though unfortunately, the person just smacked it away with their spear.
They made it in front of the still downed Lilith, who was preparing to prey to The Father for safety, before they crouched down and kneeled before her. They both stared - Lilith assumed they were anyway - at each other for a moment. Then, the clawed hand came to their mask, and slowly pulled it above their head.
Lilith’s eyes widened.
“A genuine Angel..? Here..? Well, I do apologize for our horrid meeting. Hadit been in my hands I’d’ve had you land safely into m’ arms, pretty lady. Now, what can this a-humble human do for a graceful lil’ thing such as yourself? Father got any new messages f’ me?”
Soft (e/c) eyes stared back into Lilith’s with a soft smile as well. A hand was offered to her as well, which she took. The spear in hand was safely placed on their back as they pulled her up gently, their un-clawed hand gently wrapped around her waist.
“Oh! Where are my manners! S’cuse me, but I’m The First. Eh, heard from the last Angel that visited that ya’ll might call me Adam? Or Eve? Couldn’t really tell. You can pick though, pretty lady. Speakn’ of, what’s your name dove?”
They gave her a toothy grin as she stared wide-eyed at them. They were… Adam… and Eve? Looking at their body they looked neither feminine nor masculine, a perfect mix of the two. As did their face.
“L-Lilith…” “Well nice to meet you, Lilith! As I said, Adam or Eve I don’t mind neither, course you could come up with somethin’ of yer own!”
Lilith continued to stare at the human-you as you walked her through the forest she just ran through. Taking her through a small yet visible path into a small clearing, sat in the center was a small little hut of wood with a high standing brick chimney.
“Oh! Darn, yer wing! Ah, my apologies Lilith, I assume this happened when ya took that real big tumble down the way? Now, I ain’t ever heal no Angel wing before, but I’d be a fool not to try for you, dove.” Their hand brushed over her wing gently, smoothing down some feathers. Lilith looked at them, taking in their features once more. They looked… young.
“How long have you been here..? Alone..?” The looked at her with widened eyes, before turning back to the hut.
Silent with a thoughtful look on their face, they opened the polished, wooden door and showed Lilith inside first, closing the door behind them. With a flick of their wrist, a flame enveloped their hand, and with another, shot out of their grip, startling the Angel.
It flew to different corners of the house, bouncing off walls and other surfaces until they found their placement in various lamps around the room, bathing the small house in a warm glow.
“How did you… you spoke no words-“ “Yeah, been doin’ things of that sort for as long as I can remember. Didn’t mean to startle you. But to answer your other question… I don’t know, truly. Been left with my thoughts for ‘bout as long as I’ve been alive, not countin’ the few Angels that may come down with a message from The Father anyway.”
They sat her down in a small chair, and she really took in her surroundings.
It was all one room really, only a wall separating what she assumed was the kitchen from the living/bedroom. The kitchen had the bare minimum, a wood fire stove and a couple small chests and cabinets. In the living room was the base of the chimney, a fire having been lit inside it with a large pot rested against it. In front of it were two wooden chairs, each draped with thick woolen blankets. Behind the chairs was a bed that took up a large corner of the home, pressed to the wall next to the door. A small window rested above it, as well as a shelf with small pots containing various flowers of different sizes, shapes and colors. Beside the small kitchen area was a small circular table - where she was sat now - with four chairs surrounding it. It sat in the corner opposite to the bed, with a window beside it as well and a potted flower in the center.
It was small, but cozy. As she looked around, Lilith barely noticed as the human, who had placed their weapons at the foot of the bed and mask on a hook next to it, took a look at her wing, gently flexing it and feeling up the joint to get a better feeling for the injury.
“S’nothin’ too bad. Pulled a muscle, might be a sprain. I’d say stay off it for a bit, maybe ‘bout a… week?” Lilith looked at them incredulously.
“A WEEK!?! I NEED TO BE BACK BY TONIGHT!!! I can’t stay here… I need… I can’t-“ She kept up from the chair, causing it to clatter against the floor. She flinched as it fell but the human simply stared.
“Is there anything you can do?? I need to leave, this was a on a whim trip and no one knows I’m here-“ “No one knows?” They interrupted.
“Well now dove, ain’t that a bit irresponsible of you?” Lilith sighed with a grimace.
“Well… yeah. BUT I WAS CURIOUS!! I couldn’t help myself! I just had to see the Garden of Eden. It sounded to pretty a magical and and… oh isn’t there anything? I’m not the greatest at healing magic, my brothers usually take care of all my cuts and scrapes…” The human smiled at her while gently rubbing her back.
“Now don’tcha worry your pretty lil’ head dove, ya interrupted me ‘fore I could say that’d be if I couldn’t heal it, which I can. So you just sit back down an’ led me work my magic, alright?” They picked back up the chair she had knocked over and sat her back down.
“Plus, a week ain’t that bad compared to what it woulda been f’ me. I’da been outta commission for at least a month. But with y’all’s fancy Angel bodies, healing is all quick like. Notice here? Ya face scratches are all gone dove.” Lilith gently placed a hand on her face, noticing the dull throb of any of the scratches she sustained in the chase were gone.
“I-I guess I never noticed, considering we don’t regularly get hurt in The Celestial Realm…” She mused. The human chuckled.
“Heh, wouldn’t expect y’all too. Anyway, gonna have this wing fixed up faster than double-struck lightning.” The Angel looked that them.
“What?” “Eh?”
They both stared before the human chuckled.
“Don’t mind me, let’s just get this here wing fixed up. I’m gonna count to three, and then you’re gonna hold ya breath, alright?” She was confused, but Lilith nodded.
“Alrighty, one…” She closed her eyes and took a breath.
“Two…” She felt the humans hands wrap around the injury.
“THREE!” A loud *SNAP* sounded through the room, and her eyes shot open. Before she could scream or anything of the sort, a cooling sensation flowed through her wing, the dull pain she felt washing away. She sighed in relief and leaned into the touch of the human. She couldn’t see it, but a sweet smile crossed their face.
“Thank you… so much…” “It’s no problem, dove. My fault you even got hurt in the first place. Again, my apologies f’ that.” Lilith huffed.
“No, it’s my fault for even getting in this situation in the first place, I shouldn’t have left without permission. Maybe I would’ve known where your dwelling was and could have made a safer landing.” That human chuckled and gently pulled her up.
“Now now, don’t go gettin’ your knickers in a twist over this, alright? Here, we both take blame.” “No no, I did more harm in the long run-“
They placed their hands on her shoulders, mindful of the claws on their single gauntlet.
“Nope. Not hearin’ you out ‘bout this. Anyway, you best be getting outta here now dove. Wouldn’t want’cha getting in no kinda trouble just cause you came down and visited this mortal. Come one now, let me show you out.”
A arm wrapped around her waist, gently leading her back to the front and out the house into the small clearing.
“Next time ya come ‘round here, make sure ya got some kinda permission, alright?” They asked. Lilith blushed as she looked back, an embarrassed chuckle following.
“I will. Promise.” The human smiled back.
“Alright then. Now then, it’s time f’ you to swap spit an’ hit the road.” The Angel looked back, aghast.
“It’s time for us to WHAT?!” She screamed, leading the human the lift their hands in surrender and laugh.
“Sorry, I just meant it’s time for you to leave, dove.” Lilith sighed and chuckled with them.
“Alright, thank you again! I will visit, I hope you know that!” They nodded and she smiled.
With a final smile, she leapt into the air, wingbeats echoing through the landscape. As she cut through the sky, she took a glance back and noticed them enthusiastically waving her off with a big silly grin, causing her to grin.
Yeah, she’d be back.
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
Belphegor had begun to notice Lilith’s absences were increasing.
It wasn’t odd for the youngest of the seven to go missing on one of her little adventures, but for them to be happening so often?
And on top of that, she seemed happier. Now, don’t get him wrong, Belphegor loved seeing his sister so happy, but the thing was he couldn’t tell what exactly was making her so happy.
Also she called him “as pretty a peach”??? Whatever that means??? What even was a peach???
Anyway, he was determined to find out what it was, especially since last night she came home THREE HOURS after dinner all giddy and stuff.
Today was the triplets day off and with Beel out for the moment and her in her room, Belphegor figured this would be the best time for questioning.
Knocking on her door and waiting for the muted ‘come in’, he entered the room and closed the door behind him.
“Yeah, Belphie?” Lilith was sat on her bed on her stomach, legs swinging above her. Her head was resting in her palm as her other hand held a letter.
“I just had a question, nothing serious. May I sit?” Belphegor asked from the door. He pointed beside the laid down girl who giggled.
“Yep! Go right ahead.” She said, rolling over and sitting up. Belphegor sat by her feet and looked at his sister.
“My question is… what’s been making you so happy lately?” A sour look crossed the man’s face as Lilith only stared… Before bursting out into laughter over his expression.
“PFFFT- WHAT KINDA QUESTION IS THAT BELPHIE???” She laughed. Belphegor coughed into his fist to hide his now embarrassed expression, causing Lilith’s laughter to only grow in volume.
“W-Well I only ask because you’ve been so... so… Giddy! Lately! Like your head has been in the clouds!!” Belphegor defended, Lilith’s laughter quieted.
“Well for one, aren’t our head technically always in the clouds?” Belphegor stared at her as she grinned. With a chuckled, she continued.
“Besides, it’s nothing super important. I just maybe… kinda… might think I’m in love?” Belphegor did a double take.
“You might be… what?” “Okay head me out Belphie-“ Belphegor shook his head in shock. His little sister? In love? With who? What were they like? Likes and dislikes? How old? So on and so forth. Questions ran through his mind a mile a minute.
“Before you ask ANY questions, they’re younger than me, super nice and take my wants into consideration, cares for nature, and is just the sweetest person I’ve met. They even cook and clean and can sew and even crochet! Isn’t that just amazing…” Lilith immediately looked away from her brother, clutching the letter she was holding to her chest.
Belphegor figured the letter might be from the person in question, so in a moment of selfishness - to which he knew he would pray about later - , grabbed the letter from her, causing a gasp from his sister.
She immediately complained, pushing at her brother to get it back, but he stood up and held her back with one arm, reading the letter aloud.
“- Don’t worry about the bruise, it isn’t nothing to worry about. Anyway, those Celestial flowers you brought me are doing wonderfully. You were right, all they needed was a bit more sunlight than the regular flower, like a sunflower. Might show you the sunflower field I found the other day if you want. Don’t feel rushed to come back down, however. And please say thank you to Yael for making the trip to and fro. Glory to The Father, may he smile upon us. Goodbye, my dove.
- A.E.”
Belphegor looked at his sister who was flushed in embarrassment. She had given up fighting in the middle of his reading the end of the letter, and was sitting on her heels on her bed.
“A.E.? What kind of name is that? And why are they acting as though they don’t live here? “Those Celestial flowers you brought me are doing wonderfully.”? That’s not something someone who is here would say, Lilith. Just who is this?” Belphegor looked to his sister whose blush had disappeared by then.
She sighed as she looked to her brother, gaze clouded for a moment before huffing again.
“If I tell you… promise to not tell anyone?” Lilith’s voice was uncannily soft compared to her usual loud and outgoing self. A little uneasy with her sudden change in tone, Belphegor nodded.
Lilith hesitated and opened her mouth, then shut it, then thrust her hand into her brother’s chest, pinkie out turned.
“Pinkie promise?” Lilith’s eyes held… worry? Fear? Belphegor couldn’t read it well but whatever it was it immediately sent signals off in his head.
“Yeah… yeah of course.” Belphegor held out his hand with pinky extended, wrapping it around hers.
“I may have… gone to the Garden?.. And talked to a…” she hesitated, “human..?” Belphegor looked to his sister with now widened eyes.
“You went to… the Garden? Like, THE Garden? Of… Eden? Where the… humans live?” Belphegor spoke their name like a taboo, which made Lilith cringe.
He knew why, humans were still relatively new and were more or less a hot topic. Either you never spoke a word or they were all you could talk about. They were something of a passion project, as was rumored. Something that was aloud to have varied results, and more importantly:
To make mistakes.
The was the supposed “beauty” of what would soon be humanity.
Or so Belphegor was told, anyway.
He never got it, as the Virtue of Diligence, it was literally ingrained in his being to always be alert to any mistakes and correct them as quickly as possible, to ensure everything ran smoothly. Sure, sometimes a mistake could prove to be beneficial, but more often than not, that was untrue.
So how an entire race could be conceived from the idea of mistakes propelling them was… Belphegor just couldn’t understand.
So to hear his sister, LITTLE sister mind you, had gone down and… interacted with those things?? He was a little upset but… her eyes.
Lilith’s eyes shined with a wonder he hadn’t seen in them in a while, life finally growing bland after their millions of years of existence. She had something new, and it clearly brought her happiness. Who was he to take that from her.
In the grand scheme of things it didn’t affect her work to much, and Father had never explicitly told them to stay away…
“Does this human seem to have any intentions of hurting you?-“ “NO!”
Lilith raised her eyes and flinched back in indignation at the words, looking offended, a hand landed on her chest.
“They would never! I’m impressed you’d even say such a thing!” Chuckles rung from her as she began to kick her legs slightly, covering her mouth with a hand. Belphegor smiled.
This may not have been his favorite predicament, but she was happy. Perhaps he could give these humans a chance.
This would be his first time making a “mistake”.
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
Years went by and Lilith’s visits to you didn’t stop.
Nearly every weekend was spent with you, sharing stories and otherwise. You’d taught her a few tricks of your trade as well, such as sewing and wood carving.
All was well.
Of course, until it wasn’t.
Yael, the Angel you and Lilith had trusted to take your messages to and from each other, had “crumbled under the pressure” and told a higher up. Who told someone higher than them, who told someone higher than them and well…
You hadn’t seen or heard from Lilith is weeks.
You were getting worried, but you had no way of getting to the Celestial Realm to check on her. So you waited.
And waited…
And… waited…
Lilith, meanwhile, was trying her hardest to convince the others to allow her back down into the Garden.
she had been forbidden, Angels weren’t meant to meddle in the affairs of mortals unless explicitly instructed too, after all. The Realm was still figuring out the logistics of Guardians, so no one Angel - without permission - was allowed down there.
Lilith begged and cried and sobbed, doing everything in her power to convince them that she deserved to go back down. That nothing had truly changed or happened. That’s she hadn’t fully interfered with the mortals.
All it took was an image of your now sullen face staring at the sky awaiting her return for the council to agree that she would never again be allowed to see you again.
She had exposed you too much.
You’d most likely not move on for years.
And she sobbed.
Her brothers had never seen her cry like this.
She fell to her knees and sobbed and pleaded with the council to reconsider, to give her another chance;
To at least allow her to say goodbye.
All requests were denied.
And her brothers were forced to watch her fall into something they had only heard from Demons, a “Depression”.
No longer did she go on spontaneous adventures, nor did she make jokes or try anything new.
It was simply work, eat, sleep, and staring longingly at the gifts you had given her.
Her colors dulled as time went on, and she slowly lost her glow.
Lucifer just couldn’t take it.
He tried to reason with the council. Asking them time and time again.
Always getting denied.
He only got more desperate as days past and she got duller and duller…
And finally he snapped.
Lucifer didn’t know how it happened. Once second he was asking peacefully.
The next he was chocking someone.
He let go after regaining control of his body, breathing heavily and palms shaking. After which a shouting match broke out.
And soon after that meeting, things only got worse.
Chocking turned to punching, punching turned to full on fighting, and fighting turned to the first angelic death by angelic hands in history.
Then the declaration of war.
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
The days seemed to pass like a blur to you.
From days filled with planing of what new thing you could introduce to Lilith and where you could take her, now filled with the monotony of what like was before.
Farming, hunting, animal watching.
Barely did you touch your loom or carving tools, only when you needed a new utensil or blanket.
You hated it.
You missed her smile, and her laugh.
You sighed as you polished off another deer skull, taking a hammer and smashing it across a rock. Picking up the pieces, you take them to a small plot of land and begin to bury them beneath the tilled dirt.
though your eyes immediately met those of a dove, and you smiled.
“I’ll wait as long as you need, dove.”
It fluttered softly onto your upturned hand, cooing softly at you. Your eyes softened and you ran your free hand through the feathers on its head.
“As long as you need.”
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
Years passed without much thought.
You remained oblivious to the war raging on above you.
Angels blood was technically on your hands and you couldn’t be the wiser.
Masses fell into their graves, simply because you needed to morn.
And now here you were, staring into the sky in shock as you watched the body of the woman you loved streaked across it, obviously mortally wounded.
You cried, and with a yelp, leapt into action, rushing behind her as she fell.
Your weapons discarded, you ran through rivers, jumped over rocks and basically glided through fields, all to catch her.
You barely noticed when you left The Garden.
Rocks dug into the skin of your feet but that was the least of your worries as you screamed her name, begging the Father to wake you from this awful nightmare.
Your arms raised high to catch her, begging her to please land in your grasp, barely paying attention to the cliff before you-
You fell.
You had never fallen from such a hight before.
Your long hair billowed through the wind with your clothes as you watched through tears as she hit the earth.
Then you hit a cliff.
A *SNAP* rang through the air as you landed on your back, head over the edge, perfectly positioned to see her and her… brother?
Two other men came as your breathing shallowed, a conversation you were too far away to hear taking place before you, before the man with the leathery wings performed some kind of spell, and her body ignited in a flame.
Your vision grew blurry as blood seeped from your mouth, coughs mixed with crimson bubbles escaping your lips as she disappeared. Her brother - who you realized was Lucifer, though his color pallet was much different than what she described - kneeled before the men.
With what little strength you had left, you clasped your hands together.
‘My Father who art above, please heed this prayer. Let be me reborn and find my love once more. Let us continue to be the star crossed lovers we believed ourselves to be. Please Father… and if one must be punished let it be me, for I had forsaken her from your land when my mortal lips met hers. Allow me this repentance and… let me… see… her once… mo…r…’
Your thoughts were silenced as you slipped away.
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
You hated that prick in the sky.
You had given Him your everything, pledged yourself to Him.
You thought He was merciful, well apparently not.
Hundreds of thousands of fucking years.
You’ve had to watch her descendants live their lives, always finding a way to bump into them.
If this was His idea of a cosmic joke, then you wanted to bash your fucking skull in.
I mean, you’ve tried but he made you immortal on top of everything.
You had been reborn, as you asked, then to find that she’d been reborn as a human too. Great! You even had all your memories so you assumed she had her and…
…And then you were getting invited to her wedding as her ‘best friend’.
Never did you ever think you could’ve experienced a pain like that, like your soul shattering and being crumbled into dust but there you were. Watching her get wed off.
And have children.
And die.
You grew numb after a while, because why wouldn’t you. Seeing them grow became a past time, seeing where they ended up and then how many people attended their funerals.
Morbid game but it helped pass the time.
You got to watch as humans evolved and took over the planet, eventually coming to a point where they might destroy it if they aren’t careful.
You’ve watched technology grow and tack over and magic users be forced into hiding.
You’ve watched kingdoms rise and fall, nations grow and shrink, the belief of Angels and Devils become lesser and lesser.
You remember when Solomon, the big bitch of magic users and demon pact collector extraordinaire, was born. That was fun.
You remember when The King of the Devildom went to sleep, that was also neat, though you’re pretty sure that happened just a while before you died… time was a blur.
And naturally, you remembered when the brothers officially became “The Demon Brothers.”
You never forgot.
When out with “friends” - they were more people you surrounded yourself with to numb the pain of life - you just said you had Hyperthymesia, which led to more questions and other shit you couldn’t be bothered with.
The Father only know how many times you’ve gone through Highschool and Collage for the hell of it, there was shit else to do and at this point you were a hidden billionaire with how long you lived, plus it was nice to stay up to date on current affairs.
You had cut and dyed your hair same near every color under the sun at the this point, now at (h/c) for the time being.
One of the shittiest parts, however, was your morals.
The Father must’ve thought he was the funniest fucker in reality because he basically singed the Seven Virtues onto your soul, the on top of that made you the living example of the Seven Sins.
You couldn’t do shit without feeling torn apart.
Couldn’t spend large amount of money on yourself without feeling the need to give it away, but when you did you just wanted more money.
Never got a good nights sleep anymore because part of your brain would want to stay up to make sure nothing bad happened.
Couldn’t gouge yourself on a mountain of food without wanting to hurl halfway through because it “was enough”.
So life was shit in every way.
And then, the fucking cherry on top?
When a friend - who you knew full well was a decadent of her - got a letters from the Devildom about some “exchange program”. They tossed it because they thought it was a scam, which was fair.
You only read it out of curiosity, and when you say your jaw dropped? I mean it fucking dropped.
You knew all about Diavolo’s little “re-connection” thing, had since he announced it really, but to see it actually coming to light was… an experience you weren’t expecting.
Honestly you didn’t want them to go.
This descendent, MC was their name - such a weird fucking name - was one of your favorites. They were a chaotic little shit and you lived for it. Unless you had to pull them from a problem they caused. Then you didn’t.
But soon you got involved with their shit and completely forgot.
And there you were when they got sucked to hell, hand in hand…
… Also handcuffed but we don’t talk about that-
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
“AW FUCK-“
“SHITTY TITTES AUGH-“
Both you and MC gripped each other, them screaming and you gritting your teeth with arms around them to protect them.
It took a second for them to stop and you to finally look up.
Before you was a judges seat with eight seats, five of which were filled. Though, a man stood beside the tallest standing seat.
Wait…
Orange, blond, strawberry blond, ravenette, red head - literally, and deep blue to teal?
Oh fuck-
The man in the tallest seat began to speak.
“Welcome to the Devildom MC… and friend?”
Diavolo looked down at the two of you, MC looking confused and you well… you looked uncomfortable but not unknowing.
“We can deal with that in a moment but, pardon my abrupt introduction. Feeling a bit shocked, I’m sure? Well that’s understandable, you’ve only just arrived, after all.”
MC looked around at the men confused and obviously scared while you just sighed with a hand pressed to your forehead. MC tried to stand only to trip back when the cuffs holding you both together. You noticed some of the brothers staring at you two, but you looked away. Diavolo seemed to ignore you both, however.
“As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom.”
“What the fuck is a Devildom-“ MC was cut off by a glare from Lucifer.
“Haha! Calm yourself Lucifer they were just asking a question! Now, before we introduce ourselves, who are you?”
You glanced over at the male and glanced at everyone else. Tugging on your shirt and running your hand through your hair, you finally met Diavolo’s eyes again.
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
“Now I call you dove, you ain’t got any kinda name f’ me?”
You both were sat on a cliff you had just recently found overlooking your home with a great view of the sky and sun, which was setting at the moment. She was sat beside you, head on your shoulder with you both in the grass. A small wind blew through, making your hair wave like a sea of gold. She ran a hand through your hair, you humming at the feeling.
Your easygoing grin made Lilith’s heart melt, but she focused up back on your question after a moment, humming.
“Well… I want it to mean something.” “Dove means somethin’!” Lilith giggled.
“Oh yeah, and what would that be?” “Well you’re an Angel… n’ doves are connected ta Angels n’ stuff…” you groaned after, shoving your face in your hands, causing the Angels laughter to grow.
“Don’t laugh at me! It was cute how you reacted when I first called ya it!” Lilith continued to laugh, you whining and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling close and placing her head on your chest. Then, you grabbed her face in a huff. You forced her to stare at you as she bit her tongue with blush on her cheeks.
Finally you both broke out into laughter, her falling onto you. You both fell back into the grass giggling. She laid on top of you and you both breathed and took the moment in.
“… I think I have an idea.”
You glanced at her. Wrapping your arms around her waist, you pulled her up and rested your head on top of her hers. She nuzzled into your neck.
“Idea for what, dove?” “A nickname.”
You smiled and looked down at her, causing her to look up.
“Well then get on with it, I’m excited as a cow to a good wooden post.” “A what… to a what?” “Heh, nothin’ dove.”
She smiled and snuggled into you.
“I think you deserve your own name. Not what they call you up there. Something like…”
‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧‧꒰˚ʚ🎀ɞ˚꒱ ‧
You stared Diavolo in the eyes, and smiled somberly.
“…(y/n).”
WOOO FINALLY I FUCKING FINISHED IT WOOOOOOO-
This has been sitting in my drafts for fucking months :)
Yes this will be getting a part two this is for me I’m the target audience-
My fucking hands man… they hurt-
Please god tell me someone appreciates this-
… is this my longest fic?-
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Note
I was thinking about this earlier so what about (Jason Voorhees, Thomas Hewitt, Michael Myers, Vincent Sinclair.) With like a mermaid siren creature! Reader and like how they first meet and what their relationship is like. I just thought it would be cool, you can ignore this if you want ☺️
Me tryna find every information about mermaids and sirens: 😎🫳💻
Also the scenarios where the reader is captured is because although I think mermaids/sirens are stronger than the average humans I don't think they have enough strength to break through things such as metal or stuff like that. (Correct me if I'm wrong) And the deranged people other than the slashers here are using metal items.
Warnings:
Relationship: romantic!
Slashers x mermaid+siren! Reader
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Michael
Michael wasn't a man who believed myths. One of them being mermaids or sirens.
And a large body of water had never piqued his interests either. And he just never really went there.
He heard lakes were quite popular amongst people, and plus it wasn't far from where he was. He walked his way over to his destination, planning to ruin another thing for people in his town.
Disappointedly he didn't find anyone, but decided to just stand by or sit somewhere to enjoy a breeze of silence. Just when he had enough and got up to leave he heard the most angelic enrapturing singing he heard. He didn't really listen to music. Just occasionally stands by if he hears one he thinks is tolerable. But this voice, It almost sounded inhumane he couldn't think of anything else other than the sound of that singing it's got him hypnotised. He feels calm, he feels nice.
He suddenly broke into thought and confusion as he heard a gasp and the sound of water splashing. Although it felt like a second he noticed he was several feet away where he previously was.
This disturbed Michael, what the hell just happened? He looked in front of him and saw a slight figure against one of the many big rocks. Michael assumed this was the person who did this to him, power walked towards them. Ready to slash them but abruptly stopped in his tracks as he saw the person frantically move. They had one leg? Except it wasn't really a leg, it looked more like a huge lower part of a fish... A mermaid's tail?
He would've assumed they were fake but the scales and fins seemed pretty real and they were moving so fluently and like an actual fish. And the creature had a fade between its abdomen and the tail.
The creature froze at the sight of him, giving him a better look at their appearance. Its entire eyes was pitch black and it had sharp teeth but its features could only be described as interestingly attractive.
He crouched down. Unsure of what to do. He noticed their chest was bare and their tails were f/c. He saw a scale on the ground. Picked it up and walked away. Leaving the aquatic humanoid creature confused and scared.
The next day the creature came back on the shore, around the same time where they and the mysterious man met. Wanting to know more about him and unknowingly the mystery man reciprocated the same eagerness.
---------------
Dating the man was... Interesting.
The first months of your relationship he just kept observing staring at you. You realised the part he gawked at the most was your tail, you couldn't tell if he liked it or found it weird. But you'll move your mystically shining tail around like you were trying to dance and he looked pretty pleased. Except for when you'd splash water on him. He didn't like that part.
He would sit on the rocks with you (on good days.) And surprisingly without his weapon which made you feel less threatened and then have a silent blast together as you sit with your quiet murderous boyfriend.
Michael didn't understand why you didn't wanna live in his house, what do you mean you don't wanna live in his bathtub forever? He eventually gave up on that idea though.
He loves your sharp teeth ngl. Thinks they're freaky in a good way. (Can you bite him?)
He's less worried about you when he's away. You would be deep under the water and people won't spot you that easily and also will probably run away at the sight of you.
Touches your gills. Adores everything about you.
After a few long months you get carried by Michael into his house with a cold water filled bathtub and after he left, you squirm your way around the house and find the old scale that came out when you first met. You decide to say nothing. (He interrogated you about why his floors are wet.)
7/10
Jason
He heard tales of them a few times. But he had no reason to believe they were real.
Too clouded in his old pure rage that has yet to be dulled. How could he sit around and ponder about humanoid aquatic creatures when there were horny disgusting drunk bastards in the graveyard of he and his mother?
The sound of distant laughter and talking somewhere deep in the woods snaps him in guard. Sighing slightly in frustration, he reaches for his machete on the wooden drawers, Stepping out silently and walking his way somewhere near.
Staring at the people who made a 'grave' mistake coming to camp crystal Lake, this time was a little different. Instead of usual teenagers Or young adults instead he had caught sight of multiple men who appeared to be fishermen.
The more he stared, he noticed a huge squirming bag over the shoulder of one of the more bulkier men. It was way too long to be any normal large fish, and he swore he could've noticed a flash of something poking out. Something similar to human hands.
Realising his thoughts were going off somewhere else instead of his initial plan, he mentally bashes his head on a tree and focuses on getting rid of the nuisances.
Observing the men more he sees them throwing the bag into the lake, what was inside the bag had squirmed weakly as it seemingly disappeared into the depths of the water.
Undoubtedly angering him even more. Who did they think they were? Throwing whatever they want inside his lake?
Deciding not to delay any further, he waits just for a bit before he starts digging his weapon in their necks and worthless bodies.
---
Just after he's done ending the life of the last fisherman he hears the sound of chains rattling and the tearing of something. He looks over and for the first time in a long time he felt something other than anger and longing.
He saw a person with damp h/c hair slowly crawling their way to the shore. What he was surprised about the most was the f/c tail with scales. They were... quite beautiful.
Marching his way over to take a good look at the mysterious person he sees their hands are tied with chains, now figuring out their earlier struggle. Their fingernails were long with a darker tone than their usual skin tone at the tips and ends of their fingers.
Their features were a dark beauty. One of one horror but pleasantly beautiful. Pitch black eyes with sharp teeth and pointy ears
He stood frozen as the creature made a prolonged eye contact with him. A sea creature and a zombie. How hilarious.
He didn't even think thoroughly before he started walking towards the person. The half human half fish cowering back in panic and fear. But luckily Jason was quick enough and started untangling and prying off the chains of the person. Their hands felt cold but alive. Getting the job done, he got up from his crouched position and slowly backed away. Observing the person.
The person no longer held an expression of panic. But they still had a slight distrust.
He kept watching as the aquatic person slowly went back into the lake. Deciding to go after a few minutes of gazing at the ripples of the water fade. He was sure to get to know more about the scale tailed person.
-----------------
One of the most endearing relationships you could've ever had.
Mostly just sits and rests at the wooden docks and sometimes the waterboat while watching you swim around him.
Has you in his arms while tracing his fingers along the scales and edges of your tail, sitting together in silence or if you like (can talk) talking. He doesn't mind either one.
He does get pretty hesitant to get you out of the water. Thinks you'll die if you're outside water for more than like 40 seconds-
Since the lake is pretty large and it's pretty nice (except for when you're minding your own stuff and then you see a decomposing corpse somewhere down. Then you get the chills realising you're just bathing and swimming in dead people.) There's not much to complain about anyways.
Doesn't know wtf you eat but will try to the best of his abilities to give you what he can get and your cravings.
He'll be over the moon if you decide to help him in his 'getting rid of' little thing he does when someone other than you two enters the camp. (Via you drowning trespassers by holding them down underwater when they get too close.) If you'd like to stay away then he doesn't mind either.
He loves you. But sometimes his anger can get the best of him and he has days where he's acting out in anger and frustration at the fact you can't be outside of water for too long. And your tail is pretty much like a disability in land.
He sulks in embarrassment and sadness later and you see him sitting on the ground. Dragging yourself out of the water, you hug him when you get close enough. He's a bit startled but hugs you back ten times tighter. Kissing his mask where his cheek and then where his lips would be, you smile and just stay like that for the past hours.
Anyone who sees sight of you or manages to get away from you will be ensured death. And anyone who harms you will be guaranteed instant death.
He honestly just loves everything about you in every way. (Plus you got approval from Pamela.)
9/10
Vincent
Well this would be rather... Complicated. Considering Vincent's probably ever only been in Ambrose and it's basically a ghost town
Vincent had never put much thought into mermaids and sirens. More likely he's never even heard of them before. All his life resolved around really was wax, masks made of wax, art, dealing with Bo and Lester and turning people into wax.
He admits it's not really the best lifestyle but it's better than nothing I guess.
Spending some time of solitude and thoughts to himself, a sharp sound knocking him from his train of thoughts coming from above. Gesturing that new tourists have arrived.
Bo didn't really have to do this every time. Vincent would instantly know the moment they step foot in the House Of Wax, or when he's outside and spots them. But usually he does it when a rather large group, Possibly about four or more appear. A sign that both Vincent and Bo should be well prepared and careful.
After long minutes of waiting, he hears voices. Voices, tones and comments and remarks he's heard all too well and all too much over the years.
Voices that are high, voices that are deep. Those that are loud and the ones that are sometimes really low. They always contain of two tones though. Either way too happy sounding, sounds like they don't have a care in the world and the other which are full of reluctance and wary. Cautious of everything. But the remarks and comments seem to differ regardless of how happy or wary they sound. And one sentence catches his ear.
"Are you sure we should just leave it in there? In the car I mean."
"Well it's not as if it could break out and escape, it has a tail for Christ sake. Even if it did break out, I'm sure they wouldn't get too far trying to squirm away. And pretty sure the jackass in the gas station would shoot it or something."
What's it? And jackass at the gas station? Bo??
"Okay, but are you sure you want the dude to shoot and kill that thing? We could get rich and really popular if we catch it alive and sell or show it to the media or something. Like a museum."
"You're right." The soon to be dead man sighed.
Vincent didn't really have the slightest clue what in the world they were talking about, but he was guessing they caught a rare animal and were thinking of exposing it publicly.
"Well even if nobody believes it's real we could either get hella rich considering it's some sort of mermaid or something."
"It's freakishly weird looking."
Mermaid?
He didn't know what this mermaid thing was but it really has piqued his interest and curiosity.
-----
Setting the last man in the chair and turning on his mechanics to start spraying wax onto the paralyzed man, he thinks in the meantime where he wants the guy to be in. The man was quite dandy. Probably next to miss Ambrose?
But then a thought erupts into his head. That mermaid creature... He guessed the group put it in their vehicle, possibly in their conveniently large trunk.
He walks over to the wax caked guy. The guy who called Bo a jackass, fear evident in his eyes. Something Vincent had seen every damn time. Before he could do anything, his bedroom 'door' opens and the voice of Bo calls out to him.
"Vincent, there's something I want you to come check with me."
Vincent's head practically snapped to look where Bo was. His voice still remained of the cool rough voice but had a lingering small wave of urgency.
A rare occasion where Bo would ask Vincent to partake something with him in... Anything! So obviously it must be something really serious.
-----
The both of them stood in silence watching and listening to the growls and short screaming as well as the angry and loud banging of something inside a locked box. A box that was about the size of a coffin. Maybe a little shorter.
The two men reluctant to do anything. They don't know what's inside that damned box but it sounds as if it could absolutely tear them apart.
Bo's gripping on the crowbar he has in his hand. Prepping himself for anything that's about to be thrown at him
Vincent is unsure of what or how he should act right now. This 'mermaid' thing sounds dangerous.
Then in an instant the locks in the box break and fell way louder than it should've had. The top burst open and a humanoid looking creature sat up from it.
Its hair looked partially wet. Their face had weird patterns on them. They had gills, pitch black eyes. Pointy ears and webbed hands, almost like a duck's feet except it had sharp and long claws. And more odd patterns along their shoulders and other limbs
Although it might've been a terrifying sight for some. Vincent felt as if he fell in love with the aesthetic and features of it.
"What the hell...?" Bo uttered. Way too confused and feeling distraught from the sight before him.
Now Vincent notices their sharp teeth when they scowled and got in a defensive pose. Then noticing their scaled tail. It was shining beautifully and had a wonderful f/c color, it was sundown currently. So the sight bestowed upon him was astonishing. The person were a sea creature.
Vincent instinctively stopping Bo from doing anything to scare the person away from them, he thinks of a plan to get to get the beautiful scaled person to trust him.
-----------------
It was rather complicated. But Vincent tries.
Making you a huge wax pool or area. (With the help of Bo and Lester)
He absolutely cannot take his eyes off you. Thinks you're the most breath taking thing, ever. Sometimes wonders if he's hallucinating the whole thing this entire time.
You bet he mini wax sculpts you. Like a lot. He loves imagining and sculpting your fish tail and face features more than anything physically. But what he adores even more is when the both of you would spend all nighters gazing at the stars or do some activity. All alone, quietly and at peace.
Or you both could spend tender nights together, verbally appreciating each other and whispering the sweetest nothings about how you both are able to accept one another even when they're the way they are. Every moment forms a tighter bond between you two.
Absolutely thinks you two are meant to be.
Sometimes it gets on Bo's nerves when he sees the both of you dilly dallying being a couple. It never ends well, but you can shut him up for a while when you remind him your strength is not that of a mere average human.
Tries his best to hide you from anyone else other than him and his brothers, it's not that he's embarrassed of you he's just scared that a tourist might act on impulse and start attacking you.
He takes you somewhere other than the town and into somewhere that has a large body of water (seeing how we saw a river of some sort with stones sticking out in the movie near Ambrose, I'm guessing there's a lake/big pond nearby.)
Will make sure you live your best life as a beautiful creature with gills and a fish tail. He'll be absolutely saddened if you tell him how long your kind lives. His mood will be off for the past few days knowing that you'll be able to live far longer than he will and that he can't always be there for you. But that's precisely why he wants to make your experiences with him the best as he could make it.
Just gawking at whatever you do. Doesn't matter if you're combing your hair in the sun set or you're choking a victim to death. He just thinks everything about you is majestic.
He tries to learn his best about you and refrains from asking any questions that might seem a little personal. He just respects you so much.
He could make art of you a thousand times more.
9/10
Thomas
"AHHHH!"
The girl kicks and screams as she's being dragged into that horrific house. A house or place she should've never ever stepped foot upon. Tears streaming down her face as her voice was bringing the attention of no one, not even the attention of her boyfriend who was lying down lifeless with his torso sliced in half outside of the house. An expression and look of a face she'll never forget as long as she's alive. She closed her eyes for a second, praying to God or whatever higher being there was to at least let one person live.
Thomas who is growing more and more visibly irritated by the woman's cries of despair. It's been a long hell of a day, he throws her into the floor of the kitchen and revs up his chainsaw.
Before the girl could beg and plead anymore. The fast spinning sharp blades and spikes of his weapon piercing the middle of the chest her eyes couldn't help but stare at the large amount of blood coming out of her chest and as the weapon strikes even deeper, her long blonde hair being coated with red almost black liquids. Her scream lasted a second before blood went exiting through her throat and practically choking on her own blood, the feeling and predicament was too overwhelm to comprehend as she passed out.
Thomas didn't stop for a few moments then pulled out his chainsaw. He stood silently looking at the bloody mess he created out of the girl. Then he turned around to catch the other person the blondie was talking to.
'What are you!?' That's what she said before she noticed Thomas and shouted,
'You people are such a bunch of weird fucking freakshows!'
Clutching on his chainsaw in anger. These people... They can't speak of anything other than hate and disrespect about he and his family from the very start. Especially him.
But still... Despite that, he still hopes for someone other than his family members to be accepting of him. That's all he could ask for currently.
Shaking himself out of his fantasies, he composes himself and prepares to cut whoever there was left.
After stalking around the forest quietly he hears the quiet splash of water and an uncomfortable whimper. He steadily and silently makes his way over to the source of the sound and sees a person in the water.
Though it was quite dark, he could still clearly see a person. Running towards them with a chainsaw in hand the person's head whips around and he came to an abrupt stop and almost tripped over nothing.
He lowered his weapon and proceeded to stare at the person in front of him. Their pitch black eyes with sharp teeth that he would've missed if it were any darker, tips of their ears were weirdly pointy and they had some sort of weird lines on their ribs. Their sharp claws that were held up to their chest were like an extra cherry on top of their appearance. And the most astonishing of all was their lower body, he didn't realise it instantly but what was supposed to be a pair of legs was one long oddly shaped of what appeared to be shining scales and a fish tail.
He didn't even know what to say or do. What was he supposed to?
If he was honest... Right now he hoped he wasn't dreaming, he doesn't know why or how they look like this but he was really intrigued by it.
---------------
It was safe to say an odd life. Living with a man and a family who ate other people like them was... Quite an experience.
But ignoring all that, your lover was a big sweet heart. Always by your side whenever he could and never stepping out of boundary. He would always look at you with a heart melting adoration very visible in his eyes.
Considering your aquatic natures, living in a bathtub or some sort of tub wasn't exactly ideal. But better than that swampy pond you were in when you first met him, it was absolutely horrifying.
Luckily though the family made some adjustments and builds after a while to at least make you live a bit more comfortably since you'll be living with them forever now. (Not that you mind as long as you have Thomas.)
Thomas sometimes wonders how such a pretty creature person like you managed to like him?
Being a half fish half human in the house, you sure are bound to get stared at a lot. But worry not they're not from disgust. Fear because some of these are from mischievous malice and unwanted mockery and jokes from his other family members. That your dear loving Thomas always protects you from, it's why he's so hesitant to leave you alone. As much as he loves his family he knows how upsetting they can get.
When he's hanging out with you he's staring at every part of your face, how your expression changes to different topics and subjects. How your eyes and lips look when you smile.
He loves how everything about you is so unique and so... Ethereal. He's lowkey crazy over you.
If anyone makes a mean Or not very innocent remark about you, you bet your ass Thomas will put that person back in their place.
He's just so happy someone like you managed to accept him as who he is.
9/10
I'm sorry if the last one was cringe and short. I've been writing this for over two hours and I'm so tired.
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thatscarletflycatcher · 9 months
Text
There's something that has been gnawing at me since I saw some comments on the look-how-they-massacred-them poll for Daniel Sousa -with which I didn't want to engage then and there because I really didn't want to pick up a fight with another Daniel fan, there's few enough of us, but also because the argument was very difficult to articulate.
It is difficult to explain how Daniel Sousa is screwed over by Endgame without making it look like either "he deserved Peggy as a prize" or "he was the perfect prize for Peggy", because it all begins by understanding the experience of WWII and the building of the morale of WWII. Something that Markus and McFeely seemed to perfectly understand in Agent Carter, which inclines me to believe it was specific insistence of the Russos, whose concept of narrative and storytelling is at the level of a belligerent and not very bright 4 year old, that gave us that mindblowingly stupid "happy ending" for Cap and Peggy. Or maybe Markus and McFeely are just arcane creatures, at times intelligent and at times really dumb. Anyways.
Point is that both CATFA and Agent Carter understand that for these characters, fighting WWII is a matter of "each doing their bit", of, as Steve put it in The Avengers, to lay on the barbed wire so the one that comes after you can pass on. And in the process of doing that, you have great loses and suffer great grief. The price of war is immense, and for these people the price of war is the price of freedom (yes, that celebrated Steve speech from CATWS is also sharing in that same spirit. It's kind of impressive how until that awful mess of Endgame, the perspective of Steve as a character from movie to movie is one that addresses how some 1940s things are outdated, but how many others are still relevant and inspiring. It is a surprisingly nuanced take on History, that of course the Russo "Cap is an outdated relic that belongs in the past and should stay there" brothers don't seem to have what's needed to grasp).
In that context, the most coherent tone for Steggy is tragedy. Because that is what happened to many, many, many people during the war. You meet, you fall in love fast, because there is no time. And then suddenly the other is gone, never to come back. And all the promises of youth and life and future the other person represented, are gone with them. People who lived through 2020-2022 have some idea of what it is like for projects, opportunities, and years of your life to just vanish. Now you make that five years, eight months, and to mention "just" the British, 1 out every 100 people live in 1939, dead, and over 350.000 permanently disabled. If you were 20 in 1939, your life would be practically on hold till you were 26. It's a whole lot of grief, and an intense grief, that you don't solve the way you solve a random missing connection in a romcom like Serendipity or The Lake House. Doing so is cheapening and bastardizing the grief and trauma of a whole generation of people in different countries.
So, Agent Carter. Here we have a story focused on a group of people, spies, who, in different fronts and with different outcomes, made it through the war and are now facing this new world they are living in, and all the grief of their respective losses. The focus of the story is Peggy, a woman who, like many others, was allowed a wide range of action during the war, and is now subconsiously perceived as a threat by many of her male coworkers. It's a desperate bid to "go back to the way things were before", and her presence is a constant reminder that they can't.
Sousa occupies a very similar position to Peggy's: he's also a reminder that the war happened and that there is no way back, no magic solution, no pretending. And that's why both are ignored, and displaced, and why both struggle to prove themselves in a subconscious way while living by the continued principle that they are doing their bit. That is their lifeline that keeps them sane and working all throughout s1 of Agent Carter.
That's what we mean when we say Peggy and Sousa are equals, and that Sousa is contented with letting her have the spot; not because he's her inferior or her dependant, but because he's her equal -in intelligence, in ideals, in resourcefulness, in loyalty, but also in their relative positions in the power ladder- and does not feel threatened by her because of it.
(It is in this context, btw, that Peggy's rebuke of Daniel's "rescue" of her in the first episode must be understood. Because she was once treated like any other officer/agent of her same rank, she has knee jerk reactions to both being demeaned and being protected. It's also an important theme of that beginning of the series that Peggy needs to learn to let her friends in, and that she needs their help, and that that doesn't make her too weak to protect and defend them.)
But also, in another way, when we talk about Sousa becoming Peggy's husband, it has to do with the sentiment Krezminsky expresses in the series:
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The ship of Steggy had sailed and was gone forever since the moment Steve became the legend in the ice and Peggy "Cap's Girl", this embodiment of the ridiculous damsel in distress we hear in the radio drama that plays on one of the episodes: Peggy fell in love with Steve when he was a scrawny, sickly lad, because she loved the man he was inside, but now forever for the world she is just another superficial, weak girl lusting after the handsome godlike rescuer, the picture of the eugenic dream of the übermensch. In Daniel Peggy loves and finds all the same things she found and loved in Steve, but in a different light, because Sousa is a different person, with a different life story, plus something else: they have both gone through war and its loss and grief, and come to the other side in need of rebuilding and finding new meaning in life and hope for the future.
In a world where the Dark, Tall and Handsome Hero of the Six Pack, Alpha Dominance and Endless Stamina reigns supreme, Sousa as a love interest is a remarkable and -sadly- bold statement about the things that truly matter in finding one's life partner.
So I think here is a reasonable point to start talking about Sousa in Agents of SHIELD. Because here's where someone would rationally say "well, but you see, there he's also chosen as a love interest!", and the reasons why context in AoS changes everything are multiple, so let's go there.
But before that, let me make clear that I do wholeheartedly believe the writers of AoS meant to honor Sousa, and sincerely tried to do their best with what they were given. That doesn't change what the end product ended up doing and saying about him.
Like Peggy is the main character of Agent Carter, so Daisy is the main character of Agents of SHIELD. As much as you can say all the team characters are important and get the focus, Daisy is the one which the narrative insists on making the focal point, as the arcs of several seasons hinge on her, and we are expected to sympathize with her first and foremost in any situation in which she is personally involved. But unlike Peggy, Daisy is a superpowered individual. She's more like Steve than Peggy; she's practically a demigod. She is capable of ripping Earth apart with just her hands. Where Peggy and Sousa were equals in the power ladder in-universe, in AoS the distance between Daisy and Sousa is abysmal. That imbalance is the first thing that leads to Sousa being put in the position of Daisy's Boy. The fact that he ends up in space with Daisy's last minute sister who is ALSO an inhuman does not help things.
As a side note, there's something to be said about futuristic prosthetics in AoS and how they interesect with disability. But I'd rather not get into it because it is a thorny subject and I don't feel qualified to speak of it.
In a different way, Daniel being Peggy's love interest in Agent Carter is balanced out by his having a life of his own and many interactions with other characters throughout the series. He pursues his own lines of investigation, he conducts interrogations of his own, he comes up with plans, he teams up with Krezminsky and with Thompson and in s2 he has downright made a life for himself as chief in California with a fiancé and all. There is a clear sense that he exists as a character outside of pining for Peggy.
In AoS, the opposite happens. Part of it is owed to the writers writing themselves into a corner: to take Sousa out of his timeline, they have to do it in such a way that his disappearance is inconspicuous, which means killing him. They do it the best way they can think of, honoring his alertness and intelligence, by making him realize HYDRA is infiltrated in SHIELD decades before anyone else does. But as a consequence, Sousa becomes the man out of time: there's no future for him, because he has died, and unlike Steve, he's not being brought back because he himself is required. They just save him because they take pity on him and the tragedy of his life. So he has no mission and no significant previous connection with anyone on the team. One of the concrete things in which this is evidenced the most is with the switch from being addressed as chief Sousa to Agent Sousa. He was chief, but between that SHIELD and this SHIELD there's not such a connection by which he can claim that title. There's no subordinates to manage. So he's sort of default-called agent without really being a proper agent.
So the writers choose the fish-out-of-water concept for him. Which is far fetched. This guy lived through wwii in a high spy setting where intelligence has knowledge of powerful interstellar aliens. He's most definitely not bewildered by phone cameras, guys. He would quickly adapt... if, again, you know, he was brought back for a mission. But the reality is that from a Doylist POV, he was brought in to be Daisy's love interest, and the only thing he can offer to her, in this huge power imbalance I have pointed out, is chivalrous manners and quaint WWII style references like when he tells her "Agent Johnson, we are going home"; both can be very charming to a modern woman, but they are things that highlight the cultural and psychological distances that separate them, and make it glaringly obvious that they have barely anything in common.
The series tries desperately to give them common ground in the time-loop episode, with this idea that Daisy is like Peggy because she sacrifices herself for others and to protect others all the time. Which is laughable because, again, in Daisy's condition of beloved main character that embodies the tortured, quasi byronic heroine that we understand to be the hallmark of about one half of the contemporary superhero type, the narrative and the characters in it bend all sorts of ways to accommodate her, not the other way around. Peggy's type is different because it is rooted in that WWII morale/frame I was talking about at the beginning of the post.
As a consequence of all of this, Sousa barely interacts with anyone that isn't Daisy (he has of personal scenes, what? one or two with Coulson, the scene where Jemma gives him a new prosthetic, and then he's given an idea to give to Mac in the finale. I don't remember any other non-Daisy ones), has no unique role to fulfill in the mission (specially because so much of the plan is entwined in Fitz and Jemma's rescue plan that was NOT counting with Sousa) and no personal goal to achieve, which weakens his standing as a character outside the romance plot, and when it comes to the romance plot, he has nothing in common with Daisy, and he brings nothing to the partnership other than... narratively forced love, and chivalrousness.
In the end, Daniel, who was a character and a person of relevance in Agent Carter, is nerfed and turned into a prop for the rushed happily ever after of the main character of AoS. And that, in my books, is being screwed over. That's what makes his becoming Peggy's husband and building a life and a future with her a much better and more preferable outcome for Daniel; he gets to build a life of meaning by his own significant work and significant connections, in his own time and place, with a wife who is his equal and with other people that have lived through the same collective experiences of trauma and grief he did.
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megyulmi · 1 month
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➠ Sukuna, the ‘shunned’ child and the demonisation and worship of ‘unwanted’ children in Japanese folklore:
[long read. trigger warning: referenced folktales and practices depict themes of infanticide, religious rituals and child exorcism, demonisation and worship of children, ableism, suicide, implied sa, and period-typical outdated social views. they are not a representation of my personal beliefs. please read with caution.]
New revelations of Sukuna’s past in Chapter 257 made me look deeper into some of the tales and customs from Japanese folklore about children deemed ‘abominable’ in the eyes of society that I had previously noted down and I decided to share as I think they could offer a better insight into Sukuna as a character and what might have inspired Akutami Gege’s depiction of him.
It would be better to start with a bit of the social background of Japanese folklore. I will use the Emishi (an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region) as an example, the oral tales of whom later blended with Shintō and Buddhist religious concepts and heavily influenced Japanese folklore. It is believed that many of their tales were shaped by the region’s difficult history of natural disasters, famines, and geographic isolation. In the Tōhoku region, infanticide was sometimes used as a form of ‘birth control’ due to repeated famines. The bodies of ‘unwanted children’ were often disposed of in rivers or lakes.
Another important source of such folklore is the city of Tōno in Iwate prefecture, known particularly for Kappa, tales of which could offer a good basis for the beginning of my intended analysis.
Kappa, a green, amphibious, child-like creature with a yellow beak for a mouth and a turtle shell on its back is one of the most popular Yōkai from Japanese folklore. Some researchers say that the darker aspects of Kappa tales in Tōhoku may be an echo of the region’s tragic history of famines and the high rates of infant mortality caused by a harsh climate, natural disasters, and the tax system that was paid in rice. Similarly, many people in Tōno (which is part of the Tōhoku region) believe that tragic history is one of the origins of the stories of Kappa. The Kappa of Tōno specifically are said to be red in colour rather than green, which may allude to the Japanese word for infant - akachan, which derives from aka, the word for red. From this perspective, Kappa are creatures born out of social challenges and disasters. They may not seem all too relevant to Sukuna, but the need to mention them will come up in the later part.
Moving on, at the beginning I mentioned that ‘unwanted children’ were often disposed of in the rivers and lakes, which is also found in the Japanese creation myth. I discussed the variations of the myth in this post about Sukuna previously (you do not need to read it for the moment, but please note that it has many variations), but somehow I did not mention their first ‘inadequate’ child. According to the myth, before they had Kagutsuchi, Izanagi and Izanami had a child as a result of their first attempt at a union, but the child, known as Hiruko (‘Leech Child’), was born deformed. The mistake was attributed to a ritual error on the part of Izanami, who, as a woman, should never have spoken first (i.e. initiated the union). Considering the child inadequate for a diety, they set him adrift in a boat in hopes he would die at the sea. This myth reflects how women and children who were born ‘different’ or seen unable to serve their ‘purpose’ were treated.
Continuing from the myth, Chapter 257 made me think of the tale of Katako, in which the protagonist is born half-human and half-oni. What is Sukuna’s true nature we cannot know for certain. We know he was a human once, but we do not know enough of his past to assume if there was more to him (how and why he as a human might have come to be called the King of Curses will be explained in the later part), but the tale still has the potential to give us insight into Sukuna and his mother’s relationship. The tale has various versions with different endings, but it generally could be summarised as follows:
[A long time ago, a man encountered a man-eating ogre (from here on referred to as oni) while working in the field. He told the oni how much he loved mochi (rice cake), jokingly adding that he could even trade his wife for it. Taking his casual banter seriously, the oni treated him to mochi. The man ate his favourite food to his fill and happily went home only to find that the oni had taken his wife in exchange for the treat. The man searched everywhere and finally found his wife on the island where the oni lived. The man and his wife managed to come back home with Katako (meaning ‘Half-Child’), a child born of his wife and the oni on the island. However, Katako was always ostracised by his human peers (in another version, it is said that he had an insatiable appetite for eating humans). At ten years old, tired of being ridiculed, he asked his mother ‘to cut the oni part of him into pieces’ when he died, and then committed suicide.]
In the tale, Katako’s relationship with his mother seems to be of trust. He is cast out of society by humans and despite his mother being one as well, he does not harbour hate for her, he trusts her enough to leave his final wish upon her. We do not know much about Sukuna’s relationship with his mother, but the manner he referred to her in the last chapter makes it seem that he also harbours no hostility toward her. This tale also shows how children deemed ‘different’ were treated.
In past ages, children, being considered closer to the gods and the Other World, also played the part of intermediary between humans and the gods in Japanese society. This task of mediation between two separate worlds fell to them because they were regarded as incomplete persons (until the age of seven it was considered uncertain whether they would live or return to the Other World: a belief related to the challenges indicated at the beginning). While considered sacred beings different in nature from adults, they were at the same time looked down upon and referred to as kodomo (where ~domo has a negative/belittling connotation), gaki (hungry ghost or demon; brat), or jari (lit. gravel).
Back in the day, people referred to the killing off of ‘unwanted children’ (mabiki or ‘culling’, a common old slang for infanticide) as ‘sending a child back’, and a dead child was given a special non-Buddhist funeral. The various rituals surrounding birth and the child’s upbringing were intended, through communication with the Other World, to transform the child into an earthly being. This aspect of the ritual made me think of Sukuna’s mask and how that part of his face resembles a burn scar (note: i am aware the nature of his ‘mask’ is still not clear and whether it is really one) in some of the official illustrations. It is known that rituals of purification included fire and water magic. Exorcism of demons, aversion of disasters, and other rituals for the removal of pollution were frequent. A katashiro (paper cut in the shape of a man) symbolising the disaster would be burned or floated down the river as well. Personally, I see the possibility of Sukuna’s scar (if it really happens to be one) being from one of such rituals.
Continuing, there is a term - Goryō used to refer to the spirits of those who had died violently (e.g. by murder or execution) and have become gods. It also included those who had died untimely deaths and therefore had been unable to fulfil their purpose in this world. Some notable gods such as Hachiman, Tenjin, and Tenno were once considered powerful Goryō. Great natural disasters and social unrest were attributed to them; rituals designed to appease them were performed, and a cult of such worship evolved. It was (usually) as a result of belief in Goryō that particular individuals came to be worshipped as gods. At times when public unrest threatened the social order, elements estranged or excluded from the ‘normal system/order’ were assigned the status of Goryō and worshipped as such. The cult was intended to purify and renew society. Manga has given us a similar glimpse of Sukuna’s past, where despite being feared (and despised), people were ready to serve him (and pray in his name) for their own well-being. I think Akutami intended to echo this very aspect of society through the scene.
I mentioned that children were considered closer to the gods and the Other World, but not all children were treated equally. One version of the origin of Kamadogami (additional post on the parallels between Sukuna and Kamadogami after Chapter 258) in the Tōhoku region is that he was an ‘ugly child’ from the Dragon Palace who had been killed and was thereafter worshipped at household hearths. Zashikiwarashi, who often inhabits old houses and is said to bring good fortune while he remains, is another household god in the shape of a child or, in another version, the spirit of an unwanted child who, having been killed off, became the guardian god of houses. I mentioned Hiruko at the beginning as well, who was set afloat on the boat in the sea. Despite that, he is in some Shintō shrines identified with Ebisu, the patron of fishermen and tradesmen. Their worship was for the purposes indicated in the previous abstract, to avoid their wrath. Sukuna has not been ‘killed off’ like these children were, but such worship shows us the general psyche of the public.
The ‘ugly child’ who appears in the story of the origin of Kamadogami has parallels in Yokenai, Untoku, Hyotoku, and Hanatarekozo, children who brought good fortune and prosperity to the house in return for offerings to the Watery World of kadomatsu (pine-branch gate decorations for the New Year) and firewood. But despite that, their ‘ugliness’ and names were used as an indication that these children did not belong to this world. It is important to note that socially inferior and rebellious beings were treated in the same manner (here is where the point connects to Sukuna, continued from the next part in depth). Such children were often associated with the colour red. For example, Zashikiwarashi is described as red-haired and red-faced. Kintaro, Shutendoji, and other children born in unusual circumstances (but may not have been considered an ‘ugly child’) and brought up in the mountain wilderness are also said to have had red bodies and were endowed with superhuman strength. I also mentioned that Kappa from Tōno were depicted as red. We see Sukuna often associated with the colour red, particularly, his eyes are red. I believe the above-mentioned could be the reason for that.
I indicated that socially inferior and rebellious beings were treated similarly in the previous part. The character Dō of Dōji (童子, meaning child) once meant ‘slave’, tattooed on the forehead, and was closely linked to notions of personal status. It signified one who was not a complete person and also one who had not yet been initiated, in other words, one who did not belong to the order of this world, one who was in this world but not of it. They were despised, feared, and avoided by ordinary people for their strange appearance and magical powers. In some cases they even formed separate ‘child’ villages (dōji mura), calling themselves ‘descendants of oni (demons)’. Since they played the role of demons during the rituals, they were shunned by the nobility as if they were real demons. Could this somehow connect to Sukuna’s title? I do believe there is a possibility this could have inspired his being as the King of Curses.
Personally, what we know of Sukuna and his past seems to echo these folktales and practices as the foundation of his character. He was a ‘Demon’ for being an ‘abominable’ child, but he was worshipped for this same reason as well. Whether he was born that way after eating his twin in the womb or something happened to him later in life cannot be known yet, but it is clear his ‘abominable’ appearance could have warranted the same treatment from society. It could also explain Kenjaku’s ‘fascination’ with him as a being. We do not know what relationship they had or how exactly they came to know each other, but there is clearly a reason why a being such as Sukuna would ‘work’ with them. We do not know much about Kenjaku either, but it could be possible that they (Kenjaku) once were either (1) one of those ‘priests’ who performed exorcism to purify ‘demon’ children or (2) someone who offered such children refuge (perhaps and more likely, for their own personal gain). It would also relate to the variations of Ryomen Sukuna’s story that inspired Akutami Gege.
[Disclaimer: This post does not intend to demonise Shintoism or Buddhism, but to tell folklore and practices for analytical purposes. Additionally, English is not my native language and this is only a personal interpretation as just another reader that I am sharing in case someone finds it interesting or can use the information for better analysis.]
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hanzajesthanza · 3 months
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a lot of the “haha geralt is so annoyed by his friends!!” talk reduces the relationship of geralt & co. to the events of baptism of fire—baptism of fire geralt is very enjoyable to read, but lady of the lake geralt is the final evolution of a beautiful development of character. we really ought to talk more often about how his relationship with his company developed over the next two books and how by the end of it, he felt entirely responsible for their fates.
it can’t really be said that the hanza didn’t mean a lot to geralt and he would have chosen ciri & yen over them no problem. by the end of it he really valued their friendship and company. he literally identified himself as their leader, embraced his role as their leader. only with their company, he was finally able to fully ascended to what he is at heart and who he was meant to be, what his character was created to be: a hero.
he never liked to play sacrificial games. the entire reason he shunned (the majority of) the company (sorry cahir, he took extra issue with you) was that it was too dangerous of an undertaking, and he did not want to risk the lives of anyone else for his personal matters, sticking their necks out for him. it wasn’t just because he’s an old grump and sourpuss—he literally tells this to dandelion and milva multiple times, that he doesn’t want them dying because of him.
he decided against anything that would have put milva in danger when she was pregnant, refusing to risk her life or her unborn child’s life—remaining adamant that he would not sacrifice her child’s life for his own. and similarly when codringher presented him the hypothetical of pawning a decoy girl off on emhyr, he was disgusted at the thought of trampling the life of some innocent girl for the safety of his own.
virtuous to a fault, geralt abhors stepping on another to lift himself up. he won’t even kill innocent creatures to make a quick buck—they have to be real dangers—which, of course, makes him not only poorer and hungrier, but fighting, you guessed it, more dangers. this makes geralt unlike many of the other characters we’re presented with, who, even though they may not want to, agree to make sacrifices for their personal interests or the greater good (though, what’s the difference—the lodge and emhyr called their personal interests the greater good. that’s a big point of how the decisions of those in power is deconstructed in the saga).
i don’t think geralt would have sacrificed his company, given a choice.
but he did choose, of course, despite not being given a choice. it was a necessary sacrifice, though geralt, being the man he is, would never have made such a choice given the option (like the trolley problem—he’s impossible, he would continue to insist that neither of these choices are good and he doesn’t want to choose). i don’t want to kill either shrike or stregobor, i don’t want to take a side in the war, i don’t want to ride to cintra and claim my destiny. the whole saga is about how no matter if you decide to choose or not to choose, destiny still makes you choose. even if you think you can deny and avoid the choice. and after such denial, it stops asking you nicely. death dogs his footsteps, but death couldn’t catch up with him (for a while, at least), so it had to settle for others… the hanza are another, perhaps a final, manifestation of this lesson—calanthe and cintra being the first victims.
he and cahir dragged milva’s dead and bleeding body to safety, risking their own lives in the hail of arrows which rose again once she had fallen. his noble and virtuous heart still looked for cahir and angoulême in the corridor after the fighting had ceased, waiting for them to come out of the empty hall, before ciri shook her head to tell him no one would be coming down it. his scream rung in the air with regis’ as regis was being torn apart. and he, in pain and exhausted, remembered him, to yennefer when she asked, as a friend, and managed to utter some beautifully kind words in his memory.
i don’t think someone like geralt (feeling responsible for deaths of innocents whether they’re even his fault or not) would ever truly get over the loss of his company. after having, with ciri, buried them, by the foot of stygga castle, having to drag the bodies out one by one, close their glassy eyes, mound the wet and cold earth over them. and regretfully glance back at the melted stone column he cannot bury. he was woefully dreary after stygga, and kept returning to their memory as they retraced their steps into the sansretour valley. reminding himself about the sword of destiny with two edges… and again at rivia mourning them with the dwarven company.
we can at least sigh with relief that destiny allowed him to keep dandelion. it had to, because he is just, after all “like a burr on a dog’s tail”—destiny did not quite manage to slip its noose around his neck, for he did not touch destiny, but instead tagged alongside it. (plus, the cameraman never dies). if dandelion died, it would have broken geralt well and truly. it was the longest and deepest connection he ever had. the same goes for the reverse, of course 😬
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lilislegacy · 3 months
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you may have gotten a similar ask before, but I'm new to your blog, so i just wanted to ask: what do you envision Percy and annabeth's post-college life to be like? how many kids? girl/boy? names? (If they have kids at all?) their jobs? where do they live? what does their house look like? do they have pets? what are their relationships like with the other demigods? This might be a lot for one ask but you seem like you can literally dive right into percabeth's minds so I just thought I'd ask 😅
ok. you have just asked me a question that i instinctually want to answer with a 3,000 word essay. so i am going to keep this as short as possible (which is not short at all.) i’m also open minded, so my headcanons can be changed if i see a take i really love. but these are my own beliefs
i think they get married. definitely after college. i know some people think they don’t marry because of hera, but i can’t stand the thought of them not doing what they want because of a god. (i also have a hc that they kinda blackmail her lol. as in she goes to them needing help - a quest - and they say they’ll do it only if she swears on the styx to never interfere with or harm their marriage)
i think they both do a lot of things over the course of their careers. annabeth is an architect, but she does multiple things with that. she creates some big famous attractions, she designs a greek version of new rome, aka “new greece” or “new athens” or something, maybe she builds hideouts for demigods (suggestion from a previous asker), etc. and for percy, i think he definitely does something that involves helping marine animals. he can literally speak to them - something no one else can do. he also is very protective of all sea animals he encounters in the books. so he needs to be doing that. personally, i love the thought of him becoming an aquatic vet. but there are several other marine animal related jobs that he could do in replacement of/in addition to that. i also see him doing several things throughout this life, and i made a big post about my thoughts there. i’ll link it at the end of this post.
they definitely have kids. no doubt. they’ve been thinking about having kids together since they were 16. i love the thought of them having 3, maybe 4. i think their first is a boy with short blonde curly hair and sea green eyes. i also think he has a “p” name, since his dad is named percy and his paternal grandfathers are poseidon and paul. but i don’t have names for any of them. ive always imagined them having 2 boys close together and then a girl later on. but i don’t have exact ideas, you know?
i think they live in a few different places. they probably start off in new rome, then eventually in new athens/new greece, and then i think nyc again at some point, maybe when the kids are grown. but i think they always try and live on/near beaches or lakes, when possible. (for obvious reasons)
they do a lot of traveling throughout their lives. because annabeth loves it, and percy loves seeing her happy.
they definitely have a family dog (look in the linked post for my thoughts on that.) plus horses/pegusi will always be around their place.
i don’t have exact house details in mind.
and they keep in great contact with all their demigod friends. both roman and greek.
all i know for sure is that they remain best friends who are deeply in love. they’re always each others battle partner. and they do everything in their power to not only protect their kids, but to make sure their childhoods don’t contain the same darknesses that their own childhoods did. they’re amazing parents, and they’re gonna do great things. they’re both going to use their abilities to help so many people and creatures. and their lives will never be dull or “normal.” not even for a second. and they love it.
my thoughts on percy’s career: ⬇️
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stygianpen · 2 years
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World Building 101
World building! How many other hobbies or careers involve creating an entire world all your own? Not many.
There’s nothing quite like setting out to create your fictional world. Drawing maps, deciding which civilizations live where, throwing in crazy kinds of solar systems and vegetation if you’re really going all out… it can be a ton of fun.
However, one of the writer’s most exciting tasks is also one of their most intimidating.
On one hand: you get to build your own world. On the other hand… you have to build your own whole entire WORLD?! Where do you even start??
Well, you can start right here. Today I’m going to walk you through some basic pointers to get your world up and running.
World Building and World Building
Right off the bat, you should be aware that there are two kinds of world building. There’s the large-scale fantasy world building which I will be talking about today, and there is also world building that goes into other story genres.
Every writer is going to do some level of world-building, whether you’re painting a verbal picture of the lake your character goes to to get some peace of mind, pulling a reader into an important event and making them feel like they’re actually attending, or creating a whole new planet for your space pirate to fly to.
The Top 6
When you have a massive task ahead of you it’s always best to start by breaking it down. So, let’s take a look at the top 6 features you’re going to be focusing on when building your world.
WHO
Ask yourself: who lives in your world?Most likely there is a variety of species and races. Or, you could decide on a world where every creature is exactly alike — it is of course, your world.
Do the creatures of your planet have different cultures or are these homogeneous?
It will be easiest to start off with your main characters and work out from there. What is their species and race, and what does their culture look like?
For each species in your world, jot down the following:
Species name
Race names
Physical description
Language
Cultural notes
Special abilities
WHAT
Ask yourself: what social structures exist in your society? Again, start with your main characters and work out from there. For each species within your world, you’re going to need to determine how they manage their society.
What beliefs do they have? Are they religious, or more philosophical? Is there a divide between the two? What do their political structures look like? How strict are their laws?
You’ll want to consider trade and economy as well. Do they have a money system? A barter system?
You may not need to go too in depth with every single species in your world, but you’ll want a basic note or two about each in case it comes up in your writing.
For each species in your world, decide at least one point about each of the following:
Religion
Philosophies
Politics and laws
Economy
WHERE
Ask yourself: where does your species exist?Finally, we get to the physical world of your world building. What is the geography like? The biomes? Is your world bountiful with resources or is it a dying planet with species’ in desperate search of new sustenance?
For some writers, they will take years fleshing out the ‘where’ of their world, including the cosmos surrounding it. For others, a map with the basic locations of the story will suffice. It is up to you how in-depth you would like to go.
At the very least, you should outline one or two notes about each of the following:
Solar system (does your world exist near ours or is it completely fabricated?)
Geography (this one can be split per species — forest elves live in the woods, nymphs live near the sea, etc.)
Biomes (split by species region)
Resources (split by species region)
WHEN
Ask yourself: when do the events of your story occur?The story you are telling may be the main focus of your book, but what happened to lead up to it? What has your main character’s species and world been through that is causing the story to occur? Even if the events of the world do not impact your story much, they will have had at least some level of ripple effect that reflects on your characters’ day-to-day. Was this civilization a warring one and the story takes place in a broken society? Or, has their society reached its peak of enterprise?
For each region in your world, establish the following:
Founding events
Defining events
Recent events
(if relevant) Future events
WHY
Ask yourself: why do the species in your world behave as they do?The why of your story will tie in with many of the previous points you’ve outlined, but it gets more to the point in a way that can directly apply to your story and characters. Why are things happening as they are today? What evolution did this society go through? Do they share common goals now or are your characters going against the grain of their people? What conflicts exist in this world, and is your main character involved in those conflicts or attempting to avoid involvement?
A few pertinent notes to take per species would be:
Social evolution
Societal goals
Societal conflicts
HOW
Ask yourself: how do the species in your world solve problems? In the category of ‘who’, you will have outlined your main characters’ abilities. These could be magical or technological or maybe they are super strong, or super smart. Now, you can get deeper into the magical or technological systems of your world. Start with your main characters and work outwards. Is everyone magical here? Do different species and races have different abilities? Is there a human or human-related race, and at what point are they at with their technology?
Figure out the following (for each species and race if applicable):
Magic abilities
Technological advancements
Scientific knowledge
Militaristic power
The World is yours: Command it
An author with a strong command of the world they are writing within will have at their fingertips an endless landscape of possibility. Look to authors such as J.R.R. Tokien or George R.R. Martin — it’s no wonder their works are so successful. They perfectly encapsulate what fantasy readers are looking for in a novel: escapism. The worlds don’t need to be pretty, they need to be fully formed; realistic in their mysticism.
World-building can seem like a lot of work, and it is. But do it bit by bit, and try to keep it fun. Don’t sit down in one day expecting to create your whole world. It’ll take time. But that time spent will be well worth it in the end!
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