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salvagesmha · 5 days

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Some Vain Attempt At Giving Every Member of Class 1-A (plus one more) a 'Nemesis' Pt. 3 of 3 - League of Villains Edition

Finally, we've reached the end. The last six pairings which has the League of Villains paired off against what I feel would make a better Nemesis for them. It's been a long time coming, more than a year since the thought came into my head, but glad can finally put it to text now!

Was super conflicted when it came for the last three pairings, but I'll go deeper into them after you see who got matched with who.

Also to reiterate, this does not have the League who you already know are paired together in canon:

Deku vs Shigaraki

Dabi vs Todoroki

Ochako vs Toga

Twice vs Tokoyami

I feel most people are well aware of their connections by now, so no use in restating why these would be the case here! Without further ado, here are the last six rivalries that I feel work out best!! Enjoy!

Moonfish - Mineta

Now this is a match-up I’ve had for a long while! It’s the tallest League versus the shorters of Class A: Moonfish vs. Minoru Mineta! Now starting things off, why I paired these two together has to involve their main flaws at their core. Both struggle with a deadly sin pretty much driving and often inhibiting their way of life. For Mineta, he’s lustful in both a sexual way and for fame that he feels he deserves. Moonfish’s sin is gluttony, being constantly hungry and desire to fill his gut on flesh when he has a ‘job’ to do. The main idea is that Moonfish is the exaggerated outcome of what’ll happen if Mineta never reigns in his ego and desire.

Mineta’s arc (or I guess his second arc), as one might already take a guess, is basically about him just reigning in his perverted nature, realizing how detrimental it is to both his goal and himself. If the USJ was the start of him learning not to be a coward and giving an earnest attempt at being a good Hero, I want to make it something like maybe the Training Camp, after his peeping attempt goes wrong, is the start of him realizing that, even if does become braver, his own pervy nature isn’t doing him any favors. Perhaps Tsu, in her suitably blunt nature, just states it plain that, while being interested in people isn’t bad, acting like a horndog and not respecting others boundaries is the fastest track for wanting no one to be with you. Which at the moment is pretty much a good chunk of his class. Something that does finally resonate with him, and he thinks back to how many times people have been frustrated or disliked him. Though, when he does ask why Tsu still talks to him, she points out because she still had some hope that he can be better given what she saw in the USJ…..though also pretty much states it clear that such patience is growing thin. This is what starts the change in him mentally…and just in time to meet his Nemesis!

For this, Moonfish arrives!! For Moonfish, I like to image that the reason he became a Villain, is so obsessed with eating people, might have to do with his upbringing. Given his look, I like to imagine he was starved by his family or even community, probably out of punishment for ‘being a glutton’ even if it was for something minor. Something that would eventually lead to Moonfish becoming so desperate for food - for meat - until he wounded up snapping and eating those that imprisoned him…and what led to not only his obsession with human flesh, but also his whole escape artist deal with him breaking out of prison the first time. Also why he’s so loyal to the League and his ‘job’ - he doesn’t want to lose the first people who’ve accepted him in decades and wants to impress them. To be free with them.

In this version of events, Mineta is so scared from the villains at the base camp that he runs into the forest and witnesses Moonfish with Todoroki and Bakugo. Unlike the other two, he’s to put off by the attacker to really help in the defense and so sees Moonfish’s relentless assault, and also his intense cravings. Eventually, Moonfish is defeated by Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow, but Mineta is left both disturbed, contemplative and wishing he could do more as he joins Uraraka and Tsu into going back to camp. In truth, in a weird way, he sees Moonfish’s rambling desire for flesh to hit a bit too close to home with his constant behaviour and ultimately seeks to correct it a lot sooner to become a, kinda reliable/still bit of a ego scaredy cat, Mineta that’s post JT-Training Arc.

As for Moonfish himself, I like to imagine that he took being imprisoned - for the third time now - to not be in the most stable mood. Without his ‘nourishment’ and feeling wracked with guilt over letting down his new squad, he vows to do ‘overtime’ to make up for it. Overtime in this instance is not only switching up his look, but also learning some restraint and patience for when he faces off against the Heroes again. When he gets sent to Okuto island, while he does attack, he does so with intentions of backing up Toga given that, as speedy and nimble as she can be, she lacks the hard hitting firepower to really go on the offensive the High Ends or Moonfish can. Honestly, in that regards, Moonfish being Toga’s kinda pseudo protector just makes a whole lot of sense to me given both struggle with their ‘food cravings’ and perhaps, in this version of events, he’s the reason Toga is able to be found by the Villains again - being entrusted by AFO or going off on his own to get her back and keep her safe since he learned both Twice/Compress were lost by the time he got out of prison.

When Kurogiri arrives, Moonfish is able to escape to Gunga with Toga and join in on attacking the Heroes there. Preventing them from getting to Dabi or doing much to stop the Twice Horde. He’s a real hassle to deal with without Dark Shadow to hard counter him, so Mineta gets an idea. Knowing Moonfish’ obsession with blood, Mineta injures himself or put blood on him to act injured, and begins baiting out Moon with his prime desire. Moonfish genuinely tries to resist, but his hunger wins out and he attacks Mineta. However, thanks to Mineta’s grapes, he’s able to evande Moonfish’ blades and lure him into a trap - one that has Moonfish immobilized by his own teeth. Again, he was defeated by his own gut and it has him crying in defeat.

Both were two people that struggled with what they ‘wanted’ and, in this version, do genuinely try to make steps to reform such behaviour (well in Moon’s own way for a Villain that is). Ultimately, its Mineta having the chance to reform in a healthy environment and is getting the needed reprimand from his allies that gets him to stick with that rehab, whereas Moonfish never got a chance to properly do so. Once the War is over, though, I can see Mineta putting in a word to get Moonfish’ death sentence changed to at least being put in a good hospital for his physical and mental problems. He probably won’t be free from there, but now he’ll have a chance at least be rid of his cravings for good and gradually be able to find peace.

Mustard - Shinso

Remember the title of this series is basically “what rivals the rest of Class A gets + 1 more”? Well, its time for that one more aspect to kick in as its the League of Villain’s AOE expert Mustard taking on another crowd control expert himself: Hitoshi Shinso.

The reason these two were selected was because I found they shared some interesting common ground. That ground being their issues with their Quirk and insecurities towards Quirks in general. Both Shinso and Mustard have instant knockout Quirks that are only effective if certain conditions are met (if they respond to Shinso’s question, to Mustard needing gear to not harm himself), lacks the means to physically fight and has to rely on dirty means/weapons than Quirks for main combat (Shinso’s scarf and Psyche Cords, Mustard’s fucking gun XD), and both have quite the dilemma concerning Quirks themselves. Mustard looks down on ‘one note Quirks’ like Tetsu’s and holds a grudge against ‘straightforward Quirks’ because he believes that they gain more preference in academics. As for Shinso, he had to deal with distrust concerning people thinking his brainwashing was villainous, inspite of his heroic spirit and holds jealousy towards those blessed with different Quirks. It’s a dynamic that I think could really make for an interesting fight.

Shinso’s story arc I feel is actually really well done in the story, so will generally be focusing on Mustard’s deal. I honestly think he works best as a similar Hero hopeful that had his hopes crushed. Perhaps he was a prodigy with his Quirk, which people had dismissed for being so potentially harmful to others and himself, but still tried to enter UA…only to fail because of robots being used in the exam. With his hopes dashed, and now mocked even harder by his peers, Mustard was left quite bitter. He found solace in seeing someone like him make it so far in the Sports Festival, but upon seeing Deku’s power overcome even that, was hit even harder in the insecure section. During this time, Mustard hear of Stain and his cruse against modern heroism, and after one very last harsh case of bullying against those with ‘simpler’ Quirks, he snapped, and used his Gas to knock them out at school. Becoming a thief, he went off on his own to humiliate Heroes who he perceived as being ‘undeserving’ of their status compared to him by poisoning them with his gas. Encouraged even harder by Stain's message. Up until he found Giran and joined the League.

While initially stopped at the camp, it does open up Mustard’s eyes to how much he had been gimping himself by being too comfortable with his Quirk and overlying on gun. Instead, using his juvie’s rehab program, he’s able to learn how to generate small amount of gases and especially make makeshift grenades for them instead. I like to imagine Midnight hear’s about his plight and mentors him herself given their Quirk similarities. While the officers around him don’t see his value, she does and he begins to genuinely show signs of turning around…and then she dies. In turn, the officers responsible for him (out of anger for society being destroyed), beats Mustard severely and blames him for being apart of the organization that caused this mess. Something that sparks the trauma he got from his old bullies and, well, history repeats and Mustard escapes back to a life of crime. Perhaps he meets back up with Toga during her MIA stint and is brought back formally to the villain army later on.

In the Final War, I can see Mustard being apart of the squad of Jaku Ruins that aim to retrieve Gigantomachia. Though, I can also imagine Skully leaving him in reserve in case things go wrong/last resort for a getaway. Ultimately, most of the Villains stationed at the Ruins are defeated…but Mustard sneaks on to Gigantomachia and heads to Gunga. He had no way of stopping the Heroes at the Ruins, but if its just Shinso that he figures he can use his gas to knock out both Shinso and Gigantomachia as well. As such, the duo clashes. Thanks to Shinso’s mask, he’s able to be unaffected by the gas, but is struggling against Mustard’s ability to predict his moves, that fucking gun and Mustard himself learning to keep silent in his miasma. As such, Shinso’s Quirk is useless here - meaning he has to rely on what he’s learned from Aizawa and his binding cloth technique. Well, that and instead of deceit, try to reach out to someone that clearly is hurting himself. Shinso admits it: that the exam for UA was BS against those with Quirks like themselves, and he has thought of giving in and using his Quirk against those who doubted him. But…that’s just giving them what they want, right? Proving them right. And is Mustard really satisfied with just living up to those who expected less of them? Even now, don’t you truly want to be a Hero? After Shinso is shot by Mustard, the gas villain hesitates for a long moment to finish off Shinso…and replies that he still does. Exposing himself long enough to defeated by brainwashing and wrapped up in the cloth, though he finally seems content with himself in the end.

Both are two students who was distrusted and dismissed by society for something out of their control. But Shinso is someone whose own drive to avoid giving into that misconception has him rise above someone that gave in to it. On the flipside, once the war is done, Mustard is finally able to gain someone that really connects with his plight and rehab to become a Hero that he always wanted to be.

Muscular - Bakugo

Now, this is also someone who you could have relatively guessed I was going to pair with, but still could have been kept guessing! Yep, it’s the powerhouse of the Vanguard Action Squad vs one of the tope hitters of Class: Goto “Muscular” Imasuji against Katsuki “ Dynamight” Bakugo!!!!!

Visually, one could get a good reason as to why those two were paired from the get go as they are very, and pretty clearly made to resemble each other from their spiky blonde hair and their intense expressions, to having similar prideful, battle hungry personalities. But the key difference here for their ‘arcs’ with each other has to be self-awareness. Or, rather, the lack thereof in Muscular’s case.

Bakugo’s whole story in MHA is him realizing just how overconfident and ill-prepared he was being at the start of UA and him gradually learning how to not only be better in terms of skill, but with how he treats others as well. He becomes incredibly humbled from his journey and that allows him to become a true Hero in both profession and drive. In contrast, Muscular can be considered kind of like a canon ‘Bad Ending’ for what happened if he never got the lesson he needed to change and also what people might dismiss him for if he never got said wake up call.

A brute that’s a powerhouse, yes, but is ultimately just a bully that believes he’s too strong to ever really bothering to improve outside of ‘more firepower’. That’s Goto’s attitude in a nutshell with Pump-Up Quirk, a mark of him being assigned to be the League of Villains’ own No. 1 jerk. He’s supposed to be a force of nature that doesn’t have an a well intentioned reason or be broken by society as to why he’s a Villain. Muscular is one because he just likes to murder and fight, and he’s content with just being that. If I were to give him at least a backstory, I’d probably have Goto emulate Bakugo initial start. A prodigy being praised for his flashy, strong, Quirk and mastering it, which led to him developing his ego into his ‘what happens, happens’ philosophy back in the Training Camp arc. He doesn’t bother putting in the effort to be better or multi-faceted because he was led to believe his own power was enough to succeed in life as it was. No one was able to change his mind that he can’t just do whatever he wants without any pushback, so it spirals out of control until we get the Muscular of today.

So how do they clash? Well, after being broken out of prison, instead of just throwing Muscular to the wolves, Goto is recruited by AFO to be one of his hired goons to catch Deku. I’ll probably make a separate post detailing that endeavor, but the short version of it would be that Muscular and the Jailbreakers succeed in catching Deku and are holding him captive until they get back to AFO. Cue Class A coming in for the rescue at the Villain’s hideout, which leads to Muscular coming face to face with a target he was supposed to catch long ago. This must be fate, he thinks!! Now, Muscular has learned a bit from his defeat. On caution, and how not to mess around with Heroes from the start. Bakugo is thrown on the back foot and is coming to terms to realize that, on that day when he was kidnapped by the League, Deku was going against so much Hell for everyone’s sake. That’s why he has to repay the favor here.

Muscular is brutally strong and doesn’t let-up. He compares himself to Bakugo and feels that they were kin: lovers of battle and violence as proof that they were the dominating force on the planet. Bakugo doesn’t quite disagree, but does point out that Muscular is clearly not getting something that makes Bakugo just feel pity for him: relentless power without putting it to a beneficial use is a pretty hollow life. During their fight, while Goto clearly has gotten a few tricks up his sleeve, he’s still half-assing even that. Bakugo has been taken advantage of his blind spots to attack him at once location repeatedly - enough so that he’s able to deliver one super attack that is able to pierce through his muscle armor and right to Goto himself to get a debilitating blow. Unable to move, Goto demands that, as kin, Bakugo finishes him off - but Bakugo brushes him off. He’s a Hero that put his money where his mouth was and was able to best Muscular at his own game. If he can accept his loss to Deku, Muscular can accept a loss from him and, from Goto’s own philosophy, the penalty that comes from not being able to make his words reality: going back to prison. In a match-up between prodigies, the victor will always be someone who tempers themselves and improves on their skills, rather than someone so caught up in old successes that they stagnate.

Magne - Kirishima

For this combo, its the League of Villain’s trusty big sister against the broest bro of all of Class A. Big Sis Mag against Kirishima the manly Red Riot!!

Now…these guys were not just paired up together because they both have red hair XD. Instead, I did find that they serve a similar role in their stint in the story. Both serve as the reliable brawlers for their team, capable of throwing dead when needed, but also providing invaluable support in an instant as well with Kirishima’s hardening and Magne’s magnetism being able to send her allies away in a pinch and enemies closer to beat. In personality, while they aren’t THE smartest of their peers, they are both more of the ‘focus on the objective’ types that are very concerned towards those who they bonded with and go out of their way to defend (Bakugo in Kirishima’s case, and Magne with her Friend & worry about the League in general). If I had to place an arc between the two, it would probably relate to insecurity and their role as their groups protector - working their issues on two sides of the Hero spectrum that doesn’t quite value them as they should.

Kirishima’s whole deal of trying to stick out with a straightforward Quirk and be that brave Hero he wants to be (as inspired by Mina and Crimson Riot) was covered pretty well in-story, though Magne’s needs her past cleared up. Honestly, I think something similar to Kirishima’s would work pretty well with what we know of her. Perhaps in the past, despite being trans, she was very much closeted over fears of being rejected from the life she knew…up until she met her friend be who she was, even while shy and some ridiculing her for it. Perhaps, Magne befriends her and gradually grows more confident to be who she is….up until trouble starts. You know Magne’s record, right? Well, a large part of how she got that was from defending her Friend from a gang that was aligned with crooked Heroes and who tended to prey on those who they feel society won’t stick up for - like her Friend. Magne intervenes, but is slandered by corrupt Heroes into going on the run. Forcing her to become a robber (of similar Heroes) on the streets to get by…when she’s not paling around her buddy that is! Still, it was this incident that got her to become free in a sense and wish to create a world where those who she likes are able to be themselves too. As such, Stain’s actions do have an effect on her as well.

Magne and Kirishima will get a chance to interact during the training camp itself, with Kirishima disobeying orders to return to camp to assist Mandalay and Tiger in subduing Magne and Spinner. However, he quickly runs into the issue of Magne being able to just…say ‘no’ and push him away or into someone like Mandalay with her Quirk. It’s this fight that gets him to realize even more of the limitations of his power, while also getting insight into a Villain’s motives. While Magne is happy to act like a classic bad guy in front of a Pro Hero (who has earned her ire in her experience), she does at least soften around someone who isn’t a major threat to her like Kirishima. Snarking at her record to him, and almost daring him to consider that ‘maaaaybe’ there’s something else behind the scenes that got her to where she is today. That what he aspires to be isn’t as ‘chivalrous’ as he once thought. Ultimately, she manages to escape, leaving him without his best friend and conflicted in terms of power & what could be the case. Something that leads Kirishima into trying to open up more to Villains like the Blade Thief, Rappa and even in spin-offs with the K3 Gang. Because he knows what its like to be on the ‘downtrodden’ side before in his story.

Now, in this Magne does survive Overhaul and she would go onto join on the Second War, fretting over the loss of Compress, Twice, Gigantomachia and the League being scattered. Going from solid in confidence, to being very stressed and lacking people to turn to while she tries to cover for them. It doesn’t help that, in the aftermath of the Paranormal War, her Friend’s house was destroyed for her association with Magne - and Magne doesn’t know what happened to her friend. Did…did she end up getting her Friend killed? In despair of that, with the added bonus of wanting to keep what remains of the League safe, and probably feeling quite guilty for letting so many get hurt, Magne volunteers in AFO’s army to get Gigantomacha onto the battlefield. There, she faces off against Kirishima again.

At this point, Kirishima notices how sloppy and overly aggressive she’s being in comparison to her coolness in the first round. How she’s so desperately trying to reach Gigantomachia, and does strike up some manner of conversation as he blocks her. She’s knows this is the Villains last chance - she needs to be there for them and stick up for them. To be that model of reliability and bring a world where they can be okay. Something that Kirishima emphasizes with greatly, especially since he had actually had done something Magne didn’t expect. He did look into a bit of Magne’s record - and there have been some evidence recently showing the corruption of those that essentially ruined her life and made her pal’s a living Hell. He apologizes to her, and how neither of them deserved what had happened in the past. But, in that same vein…he can’t afford to break as his group’s wall either - because he’s also fighting to be there for others just like the true Heroes he looked up to! And, he knows that, in spite of what Magne wants, AFO does not have her desire to protect her companions at all in mind. If what you’re still protecting has gotten you so conflicted, then it’s a clear sign she’s being used and is on the wrong path. In the end, Kirishima’s has hardened to the point of being an immovable wall that her magnetic force can’t push away, and with Magne wavering in doubt of her actions - he is able to make his way to her - ending things in one blow.

Both were fighting to be the pillars of strength others needed, but when it came to toppling the other, the victor is the one who remembers ‘why’ they are fighting the longest. In the end, while Magne is defeated, Kirishima is able to soothe her feelings by telling Magne that her Friend survived…and that she’ll always be rooting for Magne no matter what! Something that has Magne’s heart calmed even in defeat and crying in pure happiness.

Mr. Compress - Iida

Next up are those who fight to uphold a code that they were raised and believe in with all of their hearts! Member of the Iida clan that takes on the title of Ingenium - Tenya Iida! He’s against the great grandson of the infamous Peerless Thief - Oji Horima - Mr. Compress!

Now this was a Nemesishood I kinda brought together on a whim…but realized that these guys had a lot of things in common and contrasting that makes it work. Both are their groups resident rule stickler, with Iida wanting his friends to abide by the rules, while Compress constantly brings up Villains needing to stay in their ‘role’. Both are descendants of famous figures in their society that seek to live up to what they were born in - genuinely believing that they can do such good too. They also hold the role of being equally goofy, as well as acting as wise, caring, older figures for their group. They both even have a flair from dramatics~ Though, on that note, their differences are also pretty blatant. Compress is a rogue magician - something steeped in classics- while Iida has an intentional car theme - modern. While Compress can stop anything in their tracks and relies on trickery to get ahead, Iida is known for being the fastest of Class A and is honest to a fault. With their arcs, I want it to be a case of upholding familial honor and getting lost in living up to that legacy.

With Compress, to flesh his backstory on more, this is a version of him that really has seen the worst of what the over-saturated Hero Society had to offer. Taking on a cover of a harmless street performer, Mr. Compress was a vigilante that kept a watch on what having too many Heroes caused. Seeing them set-up fake villain attacks to increase their fame, work with criminals to swindle money or with shady corporations to enforce unethical regulations, use their status to bully others or even frame them for stuff they haven’t committed - Compress grew up and listened to such acts on a constant basis from his family and others. Thus, giving him his rogue justice and why he was so disillusioned to the concept of state sponsored Heroes. Also explaining how, when Stain got big and his extreme methods bore some results, he accepted that going to extreme lengths might just be what is needed to be rid of Hero Society. And why he might not be so keen of a Hero family lineage. In addition, to better connect with Iida, perhaps Harima met an end thanks to a Hero brutalizing him one day, in spite of his good intentions, thus leaving his family to pick up the pieces in his stead

I like to imagine they sort of meet during the Training Camp, after being given the okay from Aizawa, he’s tasked with going out and retrieving as many downed people as he could to bring back. Though during said trip, Compress spots him and, recognizing him as not only an Iida, but someone who brought about a ‘fellow vigilante’ in Stain, can’t help but use his Quirk to trip up Iida- hurting his leg. Hidden in the trees, Compress scolds Iida for intervening during Stain’s ‘societal correction’. He notes that, while Stain’s actions were a bit too gory, he puts the blame on Hero Society being too stubborn to recognize its bad faith actors and that are any problems at all. He also chalks up their meeting to fate ensuring that ‘descendants bearing duties of olde’ are fated to clash…well, not that he had plans on clashing as Compress dips out.

But his words do get Iida thinking, on how just Hero Society really is without the cameras on people. It’s what eventually gets him to start keeping an open mind for cases of corruption or mistreatment of civilians by Heroes, and could be use to increase his bond with Todoroki who…definitely more than qualifies for being hurt by a pro Hero (Iida is not fond of Endeavor in this version to say the least). I can see him even forming an underground group meant to expose such Heroes, such as having those like Mei help in keeping him aware of such matters via their tech or own means of acquiring information.

They won’t get to meet again until the Second War, when Compress saved Shigaraki and what remained of the League on Gigantomachia. In this new version Compress and Iida face off again. Compress, as one can expect, is not too fond of seeing Iida again, but is aware they have to clash this time around. Bloodied and injured Compress shows himself as being more than willing to hurt himself to see what he finds unjust destroyed…and Iida can’t fault him. He explains his whole dealings to Compress, and how he was very narrow minded when he started his journey to become a Hero. Blinded by vengeance and ignorant to the problems society has. While he can’t condone how Compress, and especially, Stain went about things, to pretend neither was motivated by a legitimate grievance is foolish. So, Iida will fight to ensure proper proceedings are given to those without fail, and those that break them gain the punishment they deserve. But, that can’t happen if everything is wiped out - because what’s good is a clean slate if it means innocents who Compress wants to help suffers because he’s enabling pained anarchy like this? Iida can’t help but wonder if Compress too is suffering from that same tunnel vision of rage he was going through?

Compress laughs it off and attacks, using whatever marbles he has left to try to trip Iida up again. He can’t out muscle Iida, but all it take is one touch to trap him. But Iida has learned from last time and is more than skilled to avoid most bits of measly deception. If Compress wants to win, he has to face Iida head on - and so he does. They reach out…but only one is quicker on the draw. Compress loses and is captured, but strangely? As he sees the League escape and looks at Iida, he can’t help but feel a bit of pride. If the newer generation really is this determined to take the reigns…then maybe the curtain can close on himself after all? For now at least…until the stage calls for him to rejoin the fight once more!

Both were two people that sought to continue their family’s legacy of justice, but in their quest to achieve it, had blocked themselves off from seeing the bigger picture and become unjust themselves. In the end, the one who was able to see just far they’ve fallen and correct themselves, will typically be able to stop not just themselves but those similar from falling further.

Spinner - Tsuyu

Finally, the main duo that sparked this entire series about a year ago and, after a lot of mulling about, has remained to end off this series. It’s a Heteromorphic fight - Tsuyu Asui vs Spinner!!!

Now the first thing that comes to mind for this pairing is that they are both are Heteromorphs - mutants that fill the role of a animal-based support for their groups, being responsible for assisting the heavy hitters of their group in a variety of ways. Though what will be extremely noticeable are two things between them: Quirk efficiency and their attitude. Tsu’s Quirk is pretty versatile for what is - essentially granting her a slew of other abilities wrapped up in one. Water breathing, high jumps, long tongue whip, poison mucus, camoflage - she’s an excellent all-rounder for a reason. In contrast, Spinner is…not as versatile. He an only stick to walls. In terms of attitude, Tsu is known for being the coolheaded, voice of reason for her group - able to think calmly and allowing her to assist her more wound up comrades into doing their best. Spinner, meanwhile, is known for being hotblooded and allowing himself to be taken in by the moment. For their arc, I think their theme should revolve around self-worth, especially when it comes to both being Heteromorphs.

For Tsu’s arc, her focus could a twist on what Shoji’s facing when it comes to Heteromorph discrimination. If Shoji took the brunt of physical violence for his Heteromorphic nature in the boonies, than Tsu had to deal with a level of social discrimination in the cities. Sure, it had been touched up for in the manga, but I think it could be taken further. We know there’s a serious difference in statistics of Heteromorphs being arrested, so maybe had to deal with a similar situation to Shinso, being avoided and rumors spreading that she was a thief or, since people can’t really tell what she’s thinking, she might be planning something nefarious. It’s what made her a target for bullying or why she remained an outcast up unti she met Habuko. Also could imagine that since she’s on the ‘cuter’ side of being a Heteromorph, she also had to deal with people making unsavory comments to her because of her frogginess. So while not beaten like Shoji, her experiences did have her become more reserved and teach herself how to be coolheaded to not give such people her time again. As for why she wants to be a Hero, it’s less of trying to convince people, those who don’t deserve her time, of Heteromorphic worth (she has seen the ‘scariest looking Hero rankins before and how skewed they are to mutants - so not really much on hope heroism changing things), but moreso its proving to herself that, regardless of how people treats her, she is worthy of greatness - and can show others like her, who don’t have much faith in themselves for varying reasons, that they can be something great too.

I feel like that’s a good contrast to Spinner being so full of self-hatred he literally calls himself nothing but an empty cosplayer following a trend and letting himself be filled with desires of what other people want. In this version of events, while Spinner tries to set himself up as being Iida’s Nemesis early on, during his and Magne’s escape from the training camp, runs into a Tsu who briefly tries to snag him. Magne saves him, but being easily bested by another Heteromoprh with a more versatile use, and who is clearly valued by her friends, like Uraraka, leaves him bothered. He even mumbles on how ‘lucky she is’ to be so revered before bowing out. It sticks with Tsu, and her arc going forward is explaining her true feelings more on how she, sometimes, does not feel that way, and how much of an uphill battle it is for her to emote said feelings in her time as a Hero in training. Learning that it’s okay to be heated over mistreatment and act on your emotions, using them as a drive to get even better and truly believe in not just herself that she is great, but also relish in having friends who also appreciate her for who she is as well. Because even support-types like her and Spinner needs that help too, something she believes that he found in the League.

During the Second War, Tsu volunteers to be at Central Hospital since she’s noticed that, for all of the Heroes planning, they weren’t factoring in Spinner as a possible threat since he doesn’t have a flashy/strong Quirk like his comrades. Having heard word of a mutant invasion, she figured she’s bound to run into him there as the Commander of those forces. As such, with Shoji and Koda also being there as back-up and with their own issues to settle, she faces off against the mob. Naturally, she is horrified to see what Spinner has become. A rampaging brute that’s clearly not all there and essentially being society tends to think of Heteromorphic criminals - just rampaging beasts with no clear thoughts or wills behind mindless destruction.

Using herself as bait, while she can’t quite harm Spinner in his state, she does try to slow him down with her paralysis mucus and using her nimble nature to keep him on her. During their fight, we get Spinner being more frustrated. Pouring out how much he suffered for his ‘worthless Quirk’ and appearance, and how someone like Tsu can’t understand with how strong hers was. But Tsu rebuffs it, and reminds Spinner of what he accomplished before he got those added Quirks. How, even when he’s just fighting pretty much Quirkless, he was still holding his own. That he was still making an impact and outlasting even those with stronger Quirks. That he had the determination to still get out and do something. Even if Tsu can’t agree with villainy, she fully understands why Spinner ended up choosing that path and believes he’s stronger than a lot of people, All for One or Heroes, give credit for. He doesn’t need to be lead around by anyone…he just needs to think for himself and what he really wants to do…

Eventually, Spinner’s charge leads both to the Kurogiri room with Present Mic there with him. Tsu’s mucus stuns Spinner long enough to beaten by Mic and Tsu does have him contained for a bit…but ends up having to let go as she sees about to execute Kurogiri. She has to let go of Spinner to stop him, reminding Mic that Heroes don’t kill - especially when everything is under control. Of course, this gives Spinner, whose takes Tsu's words to heart and goes back to normal size, the opening he needs to give Kurogiri that Shigaraki hand - and the rest of the story plays out in canon, with Tsu being transported to Gunga and Mic hitching a ride with Kurogiri and later Aizawa.

While most don’t have control over their lineage, and harassment from others is something no one should have to deal with, people can still hold control over their own lives to be more than what jerks think of them as In the case of Tsu and Spinner, it's imperative that both don’t give in or let themselves be misled by those with nefarious intentions, and the one who can realize that self-worth is going to go far. After the War, I imagine Spinner takes that lesson to heart and works to actually uplift those like him into realizing that message as well.

While Moonfish and Muscular Nemesis pairings were thought of for a while, was really debating on what to do with Mustard. I thought him going against someone like Kaminari, Sero, Aoyama and, for hte longest time, Hagakure, could have been nice? But, it just never fully clicked with me as much as Shinso does.

Now the final League pairings (Compress, Magne and Spinner), was so indecisive that it was unreal!! Mostly because Spinner is such a well developed character he realistically could have gone against Iiida, Tsu or Kirishima and it'd work just as well. Heck, Magne could have also been a great choice for Tsu with both being the coolheaded, quick thinking brawler and support types (as well as wanting their friends to call them by their preferred names) and even Tsu works with Compress' thieving nature and being the voice of reason. Ultimately, the final decision was because Tsu just fit with Spinner's Heteromorph arc so much and his contrast/similarities with her was just the strongest I feel.

In story, I believe wholeheartedly that if Tsu was the one Spinner faced against, and the story focused on her own struggles as a Heteromorph, it would just be a more natural conclusion than making someone so in the background like Shoji just get such a big slot out of nowhere. Not that I hate Shoji or his story, its just his fight against Spinner felt 'undeserving' if that makes sense? Or rather ill-fitting,hence why I gave him a Jailbreaker to throw down against.

As such, this is the end of this little miniseries, sorry for the wait, and I hope this was enjoyable to get through.

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once-ler-ask-blog153 · 8 days

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Credit for the original story goes to @simplydannie on tumblr she she writes cool fanfic go check her blog out!

Link to original story if you want to read it⬇️

😁ok now onto the story!

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Chapter 4

Clare hands the paper back to Sally. “Veneer told me before him and velvet got arrested another security guard took Kaiyo away from them!” She said to her. “I can probably guess who.” Sally puts her hands on her hips. “Kyle“ They both said in unison “but Kyle is the sweetest security guard towards children… he thought he was doing the right thing unless someone told him to take Kaiyo away from… oh DAMN IT MARK!” Clare screamed and huffed angrily.

“Well someone has to tell Kyle! Yes his heart was in the right place but what he did was just apart of a misunderstanding!” Sally furrowed her eyebrows “it’s not gonna be me!” Clare replied. “When it comes to the topic of children being purposely taken away when they don’t need to Kyle gets… a little sensitive.” Sally put her hand on her hip. “Importantly how are we gonna tell him…” Clare shrugged.

“We’ll slowly bring up the topic and go from there” Sally and Clare nod. “Who’s gonna start the conversation when we find him though?” They both think. “We will just think about that when we find him” Clare fidgeted with her sunglasses. “Okay that seems fair enough” Sally responds.

Eventually they both found Kyle finishing up on his lunch break. “Hey Kyle” Sally waves to him then sat across from him. Kyle the brunette haired rageon looked at them and smiled “hey” he replies “Kyle we.. um want to ask you something.” Clare said nervously as Sally took a deep breath.

“Ok so we know you love children obviously it’s a reason why you became a security guard to protect them…” Sally softly rubs the back of her neck “how would you feel… if a security guard took a kid away when it’s not really needed…” Clare smiles nervously as she asked. “Truthfully…. I would be pissed off! If the kids life is in danger in the situation or home the There in is the right time to take them away!” Kyle answered and raised his eyebrows.

“And if mark told you to.. take away a kid from a safe situation… how would you respond?” Clare asked again “i would say hell no! The kid is safe, loved, and not in any danger nor harm!” Kyle nods and crosses his arms “um… do you remember.. a kid named Kaiyo?” Sally bites down on her fingernails “if so… well I recently learned… that his older siblings are his legal guardians….”

Kyle dropped his chopsticks he was using as he was eating his sushi bowl “ex- excuse me what??” He shakes his head and leans closer to them. Sally shows Kyle the paper “it’s still valid… and we put two innocent people in jail/prison…” the male Rageon looked calm for about a few seconds before he himself took a deep breath “pardon my language… WHAT THE F**K! Ohhh just wait till I give Mark a talking too!” Kyle stood up and bared his teeth a bit.

He started to started to walk down to Marks office. “Should we stop him?” Clare asked Sally “I don’t see any rules saying we have to stop him” she puts her hands behind her back “your right!” Sally replied as she also stood up.

“Mark are you aware what you had me do? YOU MADE ME SEPARATE A LITTLE SIBLING AWAY FROM HIS OLDER SIBLINGS!” After Kyle went to Marks office he was just ranting. Mark rubs his temples as he tries too keep his cool. “Not this nonsense again…”

Kyle became quiet for a minute before yelling “YOU HAD US PUT 2 INNOCENT PEOPLE BEHIND BARS!!” The brown haired rageon looked at him before taking a step back. “My respect for you has vanished!” Kyle tells him.

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/With Kaiyo\

Floyd and his brothers decided to visit Kaiyo the young Mount rageon/troll hybrid they were chatting until… an argument broke out between Kaiyo and Clay!

“If you kept your mouth shut about veneer and velvets yachts they would still have them!” Kaiyo glares at Clay and shakes his head. “Just like how you still have some fancy jewelry!” Clay argued back.

“That’s different! My jewelry have sentimental value to me!” Kaiyo huffed. “At least velvet and veneer still have there mansion so that’s a positive” he added. “Yeah that’s a positive!” Clay sarcastically said. “Why can’t you FORGIVE my older siblings they feel incredibly sorry for what they did!” Kaiyo stood up from his seat “they KIDNAPPED Floyd” the little troll was getting annoyed at this point. “Why don’t we just take a step back and breathe.” Floyd said calmly trying to defuse the situation. “I will when Clay admits that I’m right!” Kaiyo points at Clay and glares at him again. “Oh so you are acting like a spoiled brat now!” Clay pushed Kaiyo’s hand away. “What did you just call me?!” Kaiyo bared his teeth and took a step closer.

“I called you a spoiled brat because you are one!” Clay repeated himself. “I’m not a brat!” Kaiyo yelled “yes you are!” The troll replied “no I’m not!” He said back “clay that was a bit harsh….” John Dory walked over to his brother “your getting angry at a kid!”

Kaiyo looks away from clay and puts his hands on his hips. “Very mature Kaiyo!” Clay said sarcastically again. “Guys did you hear something because I don’t hear anything!” He said ignoring clay. “Both of you should try to get along!” Branch intervened as he too was getting annoyed. “Once Clay admits I’m right I’ll apologize!” Kaiyo crossed his arms still facing away from Clay “no when Kaiyo admits I’m right for taking away velvet and veneers yacht!” Clay facepalms himself and tapped his foot waiting for Kaiyo to say something.

Ritz gently grabs clay by the back of his sweater and carries him out of the kitchen to the living room. “Seriously dude! What is your problem getting so angry at a 11 1/2 year old kid!” The blond hair rageon sighed then slowly and carefully on the coffee table. “But Kaiyo also kidnapped Floyd to-“ before clay could finish his sentence Ritz cut him off “But Kaiyo didn’t use Floyd’s talent!” He raised an eyebrow like if he was scolding Clay a little.

“Shouldn’t you be scolding Kaiyo not me!” Clay asked Ritz, Ritz started to chuckle a little “Kaiyo ignoring you was mature! I’m scolding you because you’re acting like a kid! So sit there and think about what you said!” Ritz walked back into the kitchen while clay sat down on the coffee table grumbling to himself.

~End of chapter 4~

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(Sorry it’s a few days late i might also post chapter 5 today to make up for making you guys wait for almost a week for chapter 4!)

#trolls 3 #mount rageous #mount rageons #trolls veneer and velvet #kid ritz trolls #trolls veneer #trolls clay #trolls john dory

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biggerbetterbat · 6 months

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WITH YOU [27] HOME SWEET HOME

Daryl Dixon x OC!Charlie Reed

Summary: After hard eight months Rick's group finally sees hope. T-Dog and Rick put strange thoughts into Charlie's head.

Warnings: language and killing walkers

Song: I'm Born To Run American Authors

A/N: Hello...I don't like his chapter AT ALL. I don't like the prison era so it might be a problem for the next two months....I hope YOU will like it, so enjoy. Thank you for your interactions <3

It had been eight months.

The world continued to grow more dangerous together with Lori's baby inside her belly. The past eight months have been the most difficult time in everyone's life, and the weariness was evident on their faces. Surviving in a world overrun by the undead, with limited resources and protection, was even more challenging for the group which included an elderly man and a pregnant woman. Rick emerged as a confident leader, though some might argue that he was more of a dictator, making decisions for everyone and demanding respect. However, he didn't impose fear on his followers, and no one was scared of him.

Over the past eight months, Charlie grew closer to Daryl as Glenn focused on the early stages of his relationship with Maggie. Charlie didn't mind this, as she enjoyed spending time with Dixon and learning from him. He often took her on hunts that turned into bow lessons, and she found solace in his company. As they spent more time together, Charlie began to understand Daryl's behavior better. He was always there for her, even covering her with his poncho after a rough night's sleep. Sometimes she stayed up to talk with him during his watch. When Daryl was away for a long time, Charlie felt a strange pull in her heart, making her search for him or worry about his safety. Eventually, they became inseparable.

Carl sat down beside her and proceeded to open the dog's food. She looked at it with disgust, and if she had anything in her stomach, she would have probably thrown up. However, she understood that both of them were hungry, so she considered asking the boy seated next to her for some food. But before Carl could even taste the canned food, Rick snatched it from him and hurled it across the room. The boy, whose stomach was grumbling, touched his belly, so Charlie sighed and reached into her bag. She then nudged the boy seated to her left. "Here."

He looked at the bar with oatmeals and dried fruits and then he looked up into her eyes. "You don't want it?"

"I've had so many, that I can't even look at it." she shook her head. "It's good if I lose some weight anyway."

He accepted a gift, but when he opened it he broke a bar in two pieces and gave her one. Charlie smiled down at him and rubbed his back as she placed the bar in her mouth.

"Psst, guys," said T-Dog and it was their sign to leave the house, their shortstop was over.

That's how it was for those past months, that's how it was the whole winter. They were going from house to house, finding supplies, and then when Walkers eventually showed up, they were back in cars - it was tiring, but that's how they survived. On the bad days, Charlie was still thinking if this life had any sense anymore. If surviving like that was even worth trying? But she didn't have much time to think anyway, there was always something to do and other things occupied her mind. The good part about those past months? No one died. The bad part? They were out of the houses to search.

When they stopped in the middle of the road, Rick placed Beth and Carl on a watch, while Maggie placed a map on the hood and they all gathered around it. Charlie sighed as she examined the map and sadly she had to say that they already were everywhere. "We got no place left to go."

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south." Maggie nodded, pointing to areas where they knew herds were.

"What would you say?" Daryl said. "That was about 150 heads?"

"That was last week," Glenn said. "It could be twice that by now."

"This river could have delayed them," Hershel said and pointed at the map, turning everyone's heads to the blue line. "If we moved fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there."

"Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way."

"So we're blocked," Charlie said to him.

"Only thing to do is double back at 27 and swing towards Greenville," Rick said.

"Yeah, we picked through that already," T-Dog said. "It's like we spent the winter going in circles."

"Yeah, I know." Rick snapped and inhaled. "I know. At Newnan, we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet. We can't keep going from house to house. Need to find someplace to hold up for a few weeks."

"All right." T-Dog nodded. "Is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out? Won't take long," he said. "We got to fill up on water. We can boil it later."

She walked around the car, so she was leaning on it, looking at Daryl who was fixing whatever in his bike. He looked up from his task and squinted his eyes. "You look skinny," he said. "And pale."

"It was winter," she said. "But now I can start working on my tan," she said. "And those extra kilos I lost? This belly was never that flat."

"Because you're starving yourself."

"Like all of us." she shrugged.

"Not all of us," Daryl said looking over at Lori who was sitting alone in a car. "Olive Oil is full."

"Because she's pregnant."

"So now to eat you have to get pregnant?" he asked her ironically. "You and Maggie should work on it."

Charlie rolled her eyes and gently pushed him. She had noticed that he didn't seem to like Lori much. Although he never explicitly said it, his facial expression always changed and he became tense whenever he heard her voice. "Don't be a meanie."

"I'm going hunting with Rick." he ignored her words. "When we get back, you better eat the meat we will bring."

"Yes, Dad."

The prison was the largest building in the area, yet the group managed to miss it due to their poor map-reading skills. It was the perfect place for Lori to have her baby if they could clear it of the dead. They cut the wires of the fence and quickly entered. Glenn tied the wire back up to prevent any walkers from following them inside.

As they followed the outer section of the courtyard, connected to the watchtowers, they found themselves right in front of the main entrance to the courtyard. This gave them a chance to see everything up close.

Charlie was in a difficult position as there were at least a dozen walkers, maybe more, in the area. It was like a small herd, and they were clearly hungry, having been trapped there since the beginning of the apocalypse. However, Rick had a different opinion.

"It's perfect," Rick said. He pointed at the opened gates that lead to the building, that's from where the Walkers were coming from. "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers," he explained. "We'll take the field by tonight."

Hershel nodded. "So how do we shut the gate?"

"I'll do it," Glenn said suddenly. "You guys cover me."

"No." Maggie protested and reached to touch his arm.

"It's a suicide run," Charlie said.

"I'm the fastest," he argued.

During the winter, their relationship became a little strained. Although Charlie and his sister were still close, he was focusing his attention on building a romantic relationship with Maggie, leaving his sister feeling left out and upset. She missed spending time with her best friend, Charlie, and this was causing her distress.

"No, Charlie's right." Rick nodded, pointing at the Asian."You, Maggie, and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Pop 'em through the fence." he said and immediately they walked in the direction she pointed. "Daryl, go back to the other tower." he pointed. "Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste." he explained and turned to the old man. "Hershel, you and Carl take this tower." when they disappeared he looked at Charlie. "And we...we will run for the gate."

"Of course we will," she muttered, so he wouldn't hear.

"You ready?" he asked as he turned away from Lori who was ready to open the gate.

Charlie looked at the leader and thought about his question. She wasn't ready. You're never ready to go and risk your life, that's not how it works. But there was no other way to get this done and if Rick trusted her enough to cover his back from that close, to let her go with him hand in hand, she had to be ready. "Let's get this over with."

He nodded and Lori let them inside the courtyard. At first, most of the Walkers were interested in the noise Maggie and Glenn were making, but soon they saw them. She started shooting, but soon the rest of the group joined her and the Walkers were falling to the ground like flies.

His heart stopped for a second as Daryl saw Charlie inside. He didn't know that Rick was planning on taking her with him, he would have volunteered for her if he did. Dixon saw one Walker extremely close to the girl, so he quickly aimed at its head and with content watched as the arrow was going through the skull. His eyes crossed with the girl's, but only for a second as she had to cover Rick- who was almost shot by Carol.

Grimes kicked the Walker that prevented him from closing the gate to the entrance to the prison and with swift motion closed it. Charlie was making sure that they wouldn't get surrounded as their friends wouldn't be able to help them as they were in the blind spot.

"Charlie! Come on!" Rick screamed and pulled her sleeve, pulling her towards the door to another watchtower.

"Oh, shit," she said leaning her back on the doors, they closed in the last moment.

"We did it."

"We did it." she smiled, nodding.

Rick embraced her tightly as they laughed together. The unexpected gesture caught her off guard, but at that moment, she was simply grateful that they had survived. Adrenaline continued to course through her veins.

Seeing her up on the watchtower, smiling and taking out the Walkers, made Dixon feel as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until he finally let it out.

Charlie grabbed a plate and made it her mission to ensure that Daryl had something to eat that night. He was standing alone and distant, once again surveying the area behind the fence to make sure everything was secure. "I heard you ordered dinner, sir."

He looked down at the plate and then at her. She placed the food in the car and climbed on top of the bus that was sideways. He helped her climb, holding her up by the forearm. "You're not eating?"

"I already did," she said. "That's not much, but if I didn't bring you this now, you wouldn't eat."

"Thanks," he said with full mouth. Daryl pointed his chin in the direction of the building. "You like it here?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" she asked. "We just need a place to stay for a while."

"Or for longer."

"It's safe," she said, but at the exact moment, one of the Walkers on the fence hit the fence, making them look in that direction. "Safer."

"You did well before," Daryl said. "I didn't know you're handling guns like that."

She looked at him and smiled. He was eating like an animal because he had a meal like that in forever. He was complimenting her, but his voice shook a little, which meant he was nervous. "What? Were you worried?"

"Surprised." he shrugged. "Glad that you're fine." Dixon pointed at his lips.

"What?"

"You smile again," he said. "I mean...the real smile. Like back in the quarry. This real smile, not the forced one. It's nice to see."

Charlie smiled at his reddening cheeks. She maybe wanted to say something, but they heard steps and soon she heard a familiar voice.

"I'll go," she said and made her way down as Carol was trying to climb up. Charlie still didn't know what was going on between those two, but she never dared to ask.

She didn't see the longing eyes, Daryl was giving her and how he was following her with his gaze. He was following her with his gaze, not wanting to stop talking with her, not ready to be left without her. He was annoyed that Carol interrupted them.

"I wanted to bring you food, but I guess someone was faster," Carol said. "I'm glad she makes sure you eat. You wouldn't eat if not that."

"I hope there's left anything for her." he shrugged. "Little Shane over there has got quite the appetite."

"Don't be mean." she smiled. "Rick's gotten us a lot farther than I ever thought he would, I'll give him that. Shane could never done that."

"What's wrong?" he furrowed his eyebrows, as Carol was massaging her shoulder.

"It's the rifle. The kickback," she answered. "I'm just not used to it."

"Hold on," Daryl said and started massaging her shoulder. That's when Charlie turned and she felt a pang in her chest. Carol was smiling, looking at Dixon and he was kneading her muscles. She turned away the moment she met eyes with the woman.

"Charlie's gonna be jealous."

"Shut up," he mumbled taking a step back, taking away his hands. "Better get back."

"It's pretty romantic." she teased. "Want to screw around?"

He scoffed. Daryl knew that she was joking, but still, it was making him a little annoyed. He squatted to climb down."I'll go down first."

"Even better."

"Stop." he scolded her.

"Oh, right. I forgot that you already have your special someone," she said as she was down. "Charlie's sweet."

"Hmm."

"And she's pretty."

Daryl furrowed his brows.

"She likes you." Carol smiled. "Don't look at me like that! She does." she looked at him. "And she's pretty."

"Yeah. You've already said that."

"You like her too," she said. "You know, better tell her that. She might think that you're not interested."

"You're really strange today." he huffed and walked first.

As Daryl and Carol returned together, Charlie made eye contact with Carol once again. Charlie quickly looked away and tried to smile, but it was an awkward moment. The attention of Charlie was diverted to Hershel who requested his youngest daughter, Beth, to sing. Soon, they were surrounded by the sweet voice of Beth.

Charlie was smiling, but it was the most fake smile she ever had on her face. Even in her TV show her smile was more sincere. It was sweet that she wanted to distract everyone with a song, but this situation made her insides cringe.

"Better all turn in." Rick interrupted while squatting. "I'll take watch over there. Got a big day tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Charlie furrowed her eyebrows.

"Look, I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win. But we got to push just a little bit more." he said. "Most of the Walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early," he explained. "It could mean the supplies may be intact. They'd have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armory?" Daryl asked.

"That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away." Rick nodded. "Warden's officers would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a gold mine."

"We're dangerously low on ammo," Charlie said.

"We'd run out before we make a dent," said Hershel, backing her up.

"That's why we have to go in there...Hand to hand. After all we've been through, we can handle it," he said. "I know it. These assholes don't stand a chance."

After Rick left, she lay down on her jacket to protect herself from the grass. She clearly wouldn't be able to fall asleep, not when they were surrounded by Walkers and looked like a dessert on a plate. There was no way she could close her eyes, with the constant snarling and rattling of the fence. She felt extremely anxious, her nails digging into her palms.

"Mom, dad, Finn, Zach, Will, Pete, Amy, Jim, Jacquie, Sophia, Shane, Patricia, Jimmy, Andrea," she whispered as quietly as she could. "Mom and dad...Finn...Zach...Will...Pete...Amy...Jim...Jacquie...Sophia..."

"What are you doing?" she heard the whisper. She opened her eyes wider as her heart stopped. It was the first time anyone paid attention to her new sleeping method. "Charlie. I know you're not sleeping."

She turned her back and looked up at the sky, something she liked to do when everyone else was sleeping. One thing she noticed during her sleepless nights was that she had never seen so many stars before. Without planes or city lights, the sky was always so dark and clear. "I'm trying to."

"That's why you're saying their names?"

Charlie sighed and looked at Daryl. "You know...I read once that when you wake up from a nightmare, you should solve a math problem. That way, your brain focuses on numbers and you forget about a dream. I focus on them. Sometimes I even name the stars after them."

"Why are you doing this to yourself?"

She just shrugged. "It just makes my brain tired."

He hummed and looked up. Daryl placed his head on one of his arms while the other one he placed next to him, between their bodies. She felt his pinky brushing hers, but she didn't push back. Warmth was radiating from his body and it was comforting.

"What do you think?" Rick asked as they all were bringing their belongings inside.

"Home sweet home," Charlie said as she looked around the block. She never expected to find herself in a place like that.

But yet again, she never expected the dead to walk.

"For the time being."

"It's secure?" Lori asked.

"This cellblock is." her husband nodded.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Charlie looked at their leader.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary," he answered.

"We sleep in the cells?"

"I found keys on some guards," Rick said. "Daryl has a set, too."

"I ain't sleeping in no cage," he answered and walked away. "I'll take the perch."

For the whole of ten months, Daryl had never said anything about his past. She told him about her childhood and brothers, and he told her some stories about Merle - for example one night when they both couldn't sleep he told her a story about fishing with his brother and then rescuing him as he fell into the water. Yet he never said anything about having a job. But seeing his reaction she suspected that maybe he had been in a prison before, or maybe he was afraid that whatever he was doing would take him to the prison. She also suspected that maybe Daryl was working in a prison.

"Can I share a cell with you?" Carl asked.

Charlie sent him a look. "Think about your question one more time and then ask me it again."

The boy nodded, feeling disappointed, and walked away to find his own space in the prison. She found cell number four to be really inviting and didn't mind that T-Dog was already occupying the lower bed. His snoring didn't bother her too much, but the brain on the wall kept her from sleeping. She just couldn't seem to drift off.

A table was completely covered with various weapons. They were preparing to venture into the prison to search for an infirmary, canteen, or whatever else they could find. Charlie knew she needed to go with them because sitting idle would drive her crazy.

"Not bad," Daryl said as he started examining what they had.

"Flashbangs, CS Triple-Chasers." Rick listed. "Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take 'em."

"I'm not wearing this shit," she said as she picked up a helmet, but as quickly she dropped it with a loud bang.

"We could boil them." T-Dog proposed.

Charlie sent him a glance of disgust. "Not enough firewood in the whole forest. No way."

"You would be safer," Daryl said.

Rick, T-Dog, and Charlie looked at him, but all of them with different emotions."I feel safe when you are around. I don't need this." she said and pushed the helmet with her little finger. "Besides, made it this far without them."

Carol entered the room, but that didn't stop Dixon from answering. "I want you to be safe."

"And I will because you will be with me," she said.

"Charlie I might not be able to protect you out there, so just listen to me."

"Why do you think I need protection?" she asked.

"Because you're..." Daryl opened his mouth, and what he wanted to say was that a TV presenter couldn't possibly be able to survive without help. "You will listen to me or you won't come with us."

"And what are you? My dad?" she raised her brow.

"I might have been, so shut up and put this on," he answered, pushing a vest into her chest.

Rick smirked shaking his head. "Let's get Glenn and Maggie, so we can get this done."

"Yeah, you better go get the lovebirds." Charlie pushed Daryl's arm.

He took two more vests and gave her a death glare. "You better wear this when I'm back."

She looked down and took one gun for herself, making sure there were enough bullets, not realizing that she was smiling under her nose. Soon she realized that Rick was looking at her with a small smile. "What?"

"Nothing," he said with a smile.

"You know that you look scary when you smile?" she asked. "Like Joker."

"When will you tell Daryl that you have a crush on him?"

Charlie placed the gun down as her heart stopped at his question. She never had exactly time to think about her feelings...well, feelings towards Daryl at least, because since the beginning of the turn she has been thinking about feelings. So now, under the piercing gaze of Rick's blue eyes, she started to think did she really like a hunter that much to have a crush on him? Her last crush was when she was fifteen probably. "I won't because I don't have a crush on him."

"Charlie..." Rick sighed.

"I feel safe when you're around," T-Dog said imitating her voice. "You will be with me," he said and batted his eyelashes.

"I don't know what this is about."

"Daryl's super into you, dummy." the black man said. "That's why he acts like he actually believes you're made from porcelain."

"Oh? Maybe I am a girl that needs protection because I'm delicate?"

Rick snorted. "You're as delicate as a grenade."

She opened her eyes wider, trying to argue.

"Charlie...we will be having this conversation once you mature enough to admit that you have a crush on him." T said and passed her.

Did she actually have a crush on Daryl?

Dead body on another dead body on another dead body. Blood, brains, and human leftovers. And the smell...Honestly, the worst was the smell. She probably got used to seeing the human insides and the blood, but she was sure that the smell was something she would have never gotten used to. She could describe it as the most disgusting thing that was indescribable with words.

"Go back! Go back! Move!" that was what pulled her out of the thoughts she had standing in the dark hallway.

She began to run towards the sounds of people, unable to see anything in the darkness. At this point, it wasn't just about fear anymore. The lack of light and the echoes made it difficult to determine where the snarling was coming from.

"Come on," Daryl said and pulled her bicep, his tight grip was the only thing she felt and he probably didn't realize how strong it was because Charlie was sure she would have a mark.

Once they closed the doors and were safe for some time, she looked around. Her heart stopped as she saw Rick, T-Dog, and Hershel, but she missed two more people."We have to go back."

"What?" Daryl furrowed his eyebrows.

"We have to go back, we lost Glenn and Maggie," she repeated.

"But which way?" Rick asked.

"I heard the doors closing." said T. "They had to find someplace."

"We won't leave them," Charlie said looking at Rick, knowing that his word was the last one.

It felt pointless. Walking around not knowing where to even start looking. But they knew that they had to find the two, even if that meant getting lost for days. For obvious reasons Charlie and Hershel were the most stressed about their well-being of them, so quickly she saw that the old man was the only person with her.

"Glenn," she said as loud as she could to not draw the Walkers. "Maggs."

Her voice was mixing with Hershel's as he was walking right behind her. Suddenly they heard the third voice, that they waited to hear in the darkness. "Charlie? Daddy?"

"Glenn." Charlie gasped as she heard the girl, knowing very well that right where she was, there was also Glenn, so she followed the voice. She was focused on finding her friends but was careful around the dead bodies on the ground. She looked down as she was passing one, carefully placing her feet, looking at it all the time, ready to cut its head open. She was careful, but fast. "Glenn."

"Mag?" asked Hershel and then his scream spread across the corridors.

Charlie turned and saw him on the ground with the same Walker that she just passed attached to his leg. It could have been her leg, she could have been on this ground with blood running down and pain impossible to bear. She didn't hesitate as she swung her axe and dropped the blade into its face. She heard Maggie gasping, but she was more focused on the old man groaning in pain. Glenn and Rick were fast to pick him up, as his scream attracted other Walkers to the buffet and they were already coming from around the corner.

"Go, go, go!" Daryl was yelling, pushing her back to follow the rest as more and more walkers appeared. He stayed back, covering for them, his crossbow high in the air.

"What now?" Charlie asked. They were stuck as the doors that seemed the only way, were blocked. A thick chain was wrapped around the handles of the double doors. Before she really had a chance to do something, T-Dog pushed her lightly to the side, breaking the cuffs that were making a lock himself.

Once everyone entered the room, Charlie closed the door, and together with T, they tried to hold them. She was holding the surface, pushing back, so no Walkers could even peek inside. Her back was facing the group, but she could hear whatever was happening behind her. Yet still most of her focus was on the door because once she let go, that would be over.

"There's only one way to keep you alive," Rick said. "Charlie give me your axe!"

"What?" she asked even though she knew exactly why Rick needed her axe for. Charlie turned her head to the scene behind her and her blood ran cold once again. Hershel was on the ground, whimpering and wincing from pain, while the bit was getting messier, the only thing preventing the virus from spreading was Rick's belt.

"Your axe, now!"

Charlie swallowed hard and threw her weapon, being careful not to hurt anyone. It hit the floor with a metallic thud and Rick quickly reached for it. As soon as she saw that Grimes had a grip on it, she turned back to the doors, shutting her eyes as if it would make the situation any better. But it didn't. She could hear the flesh tearing and the bones cracking with every hit of the axe. Charlie felt dizzy and her mind started to give her ideas of how the scene would look like. Soon after, Hershel went quiet, indicating that he had lost consciousness.

"He's bleeding out."

"Holy shit." said in an unfamiliar voice making Charlie look to her right with furrowed eyebrows.

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#daryl dixon #daryl dixon series #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x reader #daryl fanfiction #daryl the walking dead #daryl twd #daryl x reader #katniss everdeen gif

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katnaxel · 10 months

Note

Hey so idk ur ocs so just go off about your fave. Talk about em. Gas em up. Talk about them like a parent talks about their child. Embarass them!

I can't pick my favorite because I love them all, but I will talk about Vasyrrin as he's recently finished his campaign!

Vas is the second son of a lesser family to the lesser court of his drow home in our homebrew campaign. His home life was quiet in the sense that any sudden movement might cause an eruption of conflict, but he had no qualms keeping his head down alongside his older brother and just doing what needed to be done within the family mines. Unfortunately for him, his mother had plans of grandeur for both of her sons, and the two were quickly sent to be soldiers due to their large builds. Vas' brother, Vynlar, fell upward and became a crowd favorite in the Pit (or a gladiatorial arena) and was later dubbed Champion of their court. This put a lot of pressure on Vas to preform just as well, if not better. Unfortunately for him, he was never as good as his brother, and this lead him down a road of grueling punishments, isolation, and constant fights in the Pits. He became a brute, armed with a hammer rather than a sword, and grew cold and calloused to those around him.

Fortunately, he found himself on the surface after a mission gone wrong, after he was sent to exterminate an escaped enemy during a clash of the Courts. He and a drow named Valjasna (played by @anna-yells-stuff) were now free of the madness of their home. They were quickly scooped up by slavers, and sold off as exotic goods. A long boat ride later and they found themselves as farmhands in the human nation. This is where the campaign began - they were randomly selected and voluntold to go deal with The Corruption, a 30yr blight that was slowly swallowing the land. He would do what he was told, as that's all he's ever done, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

The early days were rough. Vas was explosive, determined to be respected as a person, not a lesser being. He also hated mages, and the fact that our assigned leader was a High Elf Wizard only created more tension. But, over time, the gang realized that Vas' real problem wasn't the need to feel powerful, but it was the fear of being disposable. The party assured him he wasn't something to be beaten and thrown away if he failed, but that they also needed him to protect them instead of turn on them whenever he was scared. And slowly, over time, he got better. Underneath all that snarling violence was a pretty chill dude that just wanted some peace and quiet as he tried to unlearn years of toxic behavior.

However, that all changed when Vas, and the party, learned about the secret weapon his mother had turned him into. The BBEG arrived, and said "Looking Glass." Vasyrrin was now mind controlled, and a puppet of the enemy for the months that followed (as IRL I had to move across the country tehe)

He was put on the throne of the very kingdom he was once a slave in, a pawn in the game of Arch Mages and Royalty looking to establish their view on world order with the Corruption looming overhead. His party was captured and prisoned, but eventually broke out and managed to help Vas break free of his spell. One crazy fight with a mad mage later, and the party escaped the castle.

At this point though, the party was at a breakneck speed to end the Corruption, and Vas was left with a paranoia of questioning which reality he was in at any given time. The party ranger, Briar (played by @shahenor ) took the time to check on Vas, and the two grew very very close at the end days neared.

And we did it! We fought the Corruption, The Undead Dragon, and the BBEG - which turned out to be the Human King Augustus himself, who was feeding an endless supply of adventurers to the Corruption in the name of immortality. We even met the God of Gods, and made a wish to cleanse the world. The Corruption was gone, and Vas was officially free of his bond with the party, some of which he never really liked. With it confirmed that their mission was complete, he simply turned and walked off. No longer would he be a pawn in someone else's schemes, he was to live his own life by his own rules and finally be left alone. ...Well, alone after one last night with Briar of course...

And that's it! That's the story of Vasyrrin Khalazza!

#katnaxel #Vasyrrin Khalazza #campaign: the graveyard shift #dnd character #dnd art #dnd #dnd 5e #dnd artist #dnd drow

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so-long-soldier-writes · 6 months

Text

One Month Later

kai parker x bonnie bennett

the long overdue sequel to Seventy-Two Hours with Kai Parker (here) (ao3)

summary: one month after the wedding and the bond brings some challenges bonnie's not sure she's ready to tackle. luckily, kai is there to help her through it.

tags: dubcon relationship, love / sex spell, bonding, weird coven lore, panic attacks, pregnancy, small line of kai mentioning su1cide as a solution to his problems, heretic mentions

word count: 3.1k

a/n: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, but I've rewritten it three times and this is the best draft. I'm trying to still follow the original request, while writing up to the expectations of the readers who loved the first chapter, so I hope it's well-liked! Also, this could, potentially, have a 3rd chapter. It was supposed to be a one-shot, then it became 2 chaptered, but now it could be 3. Depends on the will of the people (my readers).😄

A month later, Bonnie’s friends are still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she’s dating Kai Parker, of all people. Damon, especially, is flabbergasted. Elena, Matt, and Stefan are perturbed. And Alaric and Tyler and their respective girlfriends have had trouble speaking to Bonnie at all. On a good note, Caroline did pull her aside once and sympathize with the young witch, reminiscing on her fling with Klaus, but aside from her, no one’s even tried to understand.

The girl can’t seem to get why. She knows his bad past, knows he did a lot of harm and wrecked a lot of havoc, but who in Mystic Falls hasn’t at some point? Since the wedding, Kai’s treated her well. Scratch that, he’s treated her like a princess. He’s had less instances of outbursts and has begun to listen to her when she tells him he needs to calm down. Kai’s far from perfect, of course, but she finds herself growing to love him more and more every day.

Not to mention, aside from love, they have something else that brings them together.

The baby.

Bonnie hasn’t felt movement from it yet - nor has she heard a heartbeat - but she already feels emotionally attached to the life growing inside her.

She can tell Kai is, too, the way he is with her belly, not even showing.

Every morning without fail, he wakes up with his head beside her belly. One palm rests upon her skin, while the other is somewhere else on her, usually holding her hand. As soon as his eyes flutter open, he presses kisses to her stomach, then lets his lips trail upward to her neck, then face. She smiles. For the first time in a while, she doesn’t find herself dreading mornings when she wakes up. Now, she knows Kai will protect her, from both the dangers of Mystic Falls, and from the manipulations of her enemies. And believe it when she says it, there are a lot of instances of that.

This morning, Kai’s kisses are more firm. Rushed, slightly, and pressed deeper into her skin. He’s anxious about something, she can tell.

It takes a moment to get him to talk, but eventually, he spills.

“I think it’s time to announce you to the coven,” he pauses, kissing her again, “tell them we’re together. That you’ll be leading them alongside me.”

“How do you think they’ll take it?”

He smiles. “Not well. Of course, Bennetts are highly regarded by our coven; it’s the me part of it they won’t like. They’ll probably come down on you for being with me, but I won’t let them hurt you.”

“Would they try? To hurt me?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect my father to try to kill Jo when he learned I could escape the prison world, but according to Damon, he did.”

Bonnie tenses, suddenly afraid of the man.

Kai picks up on her anxiety and kisses her stomach again. “He won’t hurt you, I won’t let him,” he repeats. “We’ll make no mention of the bond or the baby, and I’ll put a protection spell on you. Even if he tries, it’ll just bounce off and ricochet back onto him.” Kai then laughs. “That would be pretty entertaining.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Are you?” He asks in return, gaze slightly challenging.

Bonnie hesitates for a second, but then a sharp feeling in her gut has her crying out. “Ah!” She winces in sudden pain.

“Bon? Are you okay?” Kai’s quick to put his hand on her forehead, feeling for warmth. Her temperature’s normal, though, so the symptom must be a side effect of the bond spell, squashing her moment’s hesitation.

“I’m okay,” she says between clenched teeth. The pain eases up slowly. “I think it’s time, too.”

That night, the Scull Bar is closed to the public for a meeting of the leaders of the Gemini Coven. The elders are present, as well as past leaders, and Kai and Bonnie. Liv is there to serve them drinks, though Bonnie knows she’s mostly there to lurk. Kai says she has no business attending unless the matter concerns her, and today, it certainly does not.

When the pair walk in, hand-in-hand, Joshua immediately bites his cheek. But it’s the elder, Jakob, who speaks first.

“Company? You know the rules, Malachai. No one accompanies in attendance unless the matter concerns.”

Bonnie almost chuckles, considering Kai said those words verbatim just an hour earlier.

“Yeah?” Kai challenges back. “Then explain Liv up there.”

They all look up to the curly-haired blonde clearly eavesdropping from the second floor. When she notices them staring, she flees.

“She’s serving us tonight.”

“Sure.”

“Please explain the role of your guest here tonight. You must have a good reason for bringing her along.”

“Yeah, I do. She’s going to lead with me.”

“What?” The elder spits.

Kai’s father steps forward, jaw tense, and Bonnie fights the urge to step back. “State her name.”

“Bonnie Bennett,” he answers, trying not to smirk as his father’s confidence flinches.

“A Bennett witch?”

“Granddaughter of Sheila Bennett,” the girl replies.

“Sheila was a friend of ours,” another stands from his chair, “she helped us put him away. You betray your own grandmother?!”

“Sit!” Jakob yells at the other. “Control your tongue.”

“Apologies.”

“You really choose him, of all people with whom you could marry and grow old?”

“I have,” she states, as Kai told her she’d have to say.

Granted, the wording is definitely different from usual announcements. One that Kai witnessed when he was a teenager was much calmer in the declarations. Much less accusatory.

You have chosen him, with whom you will marry and grow old?

None of this challenging wording that Kai’s not appreciating. As if he’s trying to make Bonnie out to be a fool. His posture tenses.

“And you have realized you will have to produce a set of twins to lead the next generation?”

“I have.”

“And you’ve realized you’re choosing to be with a siphon who could drain and kill you at any moment?” Jakob asks, eyes black.

“That’s not part of it,” Kai starts, getting angrier by the minute.

Bonnie grabs his arm comfortingly. “He’s not going to hurt or kill me. But yes, I have realized he’s a siphon, and that doesn’t change the way I feel.”

The man chuckles. “Alright, then. You have been announced.”

As soon as the words leave the man’s lips, Joshua tugs on his sleeve.

Jakob turns, “yes?”

“Are you out of your mind?! This cannot be allowed.”

“I can’t do anything about it! She has agreed.”

“Malachai is dangerous enough on his own. He does not need a Bennett witch alongside him. Figure something out!”

“I wish I could do something, but I cannot! We must follow tradition, have you forgotten?”

“Tradition is also to kill or imprison every siphon, because they do not have a place within us.”

“Well, unfortunately, thanks to your genes, may I add, the siphon line survived and now your own son has climbed his way to the top. This is your problem now. If he dies, we all do.”

“And to my understanding,” Bonnie interrupts the men, “you need a Bennett witch to do the prison world spell. And I’m the only Bennett witch still around.”

Joshua glares at her. “Your mother…?”

“Is a vampire,” she finishes, “and since there’s no siphons in my line, she’s just a vampire. No more magic. So good luck.”

Kai’s flooded with a sense of pride for her. Her confidence, lack of hesitation, and defiance toward his father. “And might I point out, Jakob’s already announced us. You’re powerless now, father.” He cocks his head. “How does it feel? To be weak? To be underneath someone who holds a weapon over your head?”

Bonnie senses violence and puts her hand on his back. “We can go now. What needed to be done is done.” She starts to lead him out.

“You still have to produce heir, Malachai,” his father calls, “is a soft little Bennett witch going to have the heart to let her children merge one day? And how can we trust you won’t kill the kid immediately after it’s been born?”

The boy turns back for a second. “I know the duties that come with leadership of this coven. Don’t have a heart attack worrying about it.”

◇◇◇◇

On the drive home, Bonnie had started to have a panic attack. By the time they pull into the driveway, she bursts into the house feeling completely sick.

“Hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Kai comes in after her, concerned. “It went well. Better than I thought it would. What’s the matter?”

“I can’t do that. I can’t deal with the merge. I can’t lose a child.”

Both his hands find her shoulders, but she refuses to meet his eyes. “Bon, look at me.”

She pulls away. “I can feel the changes happening in my body. I’ve missed two periods, but I still feel the cramps. I’ve been so tired lately, and my stomach feels bloated, and swollen, and I know what that means. My arms are sore, and my breasts are sore, and this morning, the nausea started hitting me, but then I got distracted and it went away.”

“Bonnie, calm down.”

“I can’t! I can’t calm down. Don’t you know not to tell a woman to calm down?! I- I need- I don’t know what I need… I need to-” and then she finds herself in the bathroom, expelling what sickness was plaguing her earlier that morning.

Kai comes up behind her, sighing, before rubbing her back. “It’s okay, Bon.”

When she comes back up, he hands her a wet towel to wipe her face. She uses it, then leans back against the wall, tears still streaming down her face. He sits beside her, offering a hand that she doesn’t take.

“It’s not okay. I’m too young for this. I can’t handle it. I’m not ready. I can’t lead a coven. I can’t have a baby. God, I can’t have two babies. And I can’t let one die in twenty years.”

“Bon, take a deep breath.”

“I can’t.”

“Try.”

In a couple minutes, she’s finally able to stop crying. Kai reaches for her again, but when she rejects him a second time, puts his hand on her shoulder.

“You can do this. I know you’re young, and I’m sorry for that. But you’ll be a great mom, and a great leader, and we’ll figure out the merge stuff.”

“Kai, I can’t handle it. You’ve gotta figure a way around it.”

“I can’t. I can try, but I feel like if there was a way, we’d know it by now.” He lifts her hand and kisses it. “If it’s any consolation, the bond spell doesn’t promise twins.”

She stops sniffling to look at him. “What?”

“The actual purpose of the binding part is to give her a reason to feel close to him. Something about carrying one’s child that makes them feel a sense of loyalty. In my understanding, the baby could not even make it; it’s kind of a stepping stone. Once you’re emotionally bonded, or whatever, you can go off and make your own kids. But if my ancestors couldn’t find love on their own, in order to impregnate someone to get an heir, they needed a spell to do that part.”

Bonnie’s already bonded-mind completely skips over the fact that he spelled her to make her love him. Instead, it settles on the fact that she could only be carrying one baby. But even more so, on the risk that the spell doesn’t promise her baby could survive.

“It doesn’t?” She asks, in regards to her first thought.

“No, you might just have one.”

“But I could lose them?”

“Hey,” he can sense her rising panic, again, “you said all the right things that come with the first month. All the symptoms sound like you’re on the right track. Remember what I said? First three months, you’ll be a little uncomfortable, a little nauseous. Your baby is gonna be fine.”

“Can you sense them?”

Kai’s body jolts with excitement. “Honestly, I’ve been a bit distracted. Come out here and let me make you some tea. We’ll try it.”

Nodding, she follows him out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Kai sits her onto a bar stool and hands her a tissue for her sniffles, then begins to boil a pot of water.

“Are you making the raspberry tea you mentioned?”

“Mhm. My mom drank this for all five pregnancies after Jo and I.”

“You’re not gonna do that to me, right?” She asks, a little joke in her tone.

“Do what?”

“Five times. I don’t know if I can handle that many pregnancies… or kids.”

“Oh,” he smiles, “definitely not. I come from a big family, and I do not want to make a big family.”

“Good. I was an only child.” She takes a deep breath. “But if this baby isn’t a twin, are we going to have to keep trying? To appease the coven?” She bites her tongue. “I’m not gonna get out of this merge duty, am I?”

Kai swallows hard. “I’m cutting it off at three. That’s the limit. No twins after three tries, sorry!”

She laughs, but then her smile fades again. “I’m serious, Kai. What are we gonna do?”

He’s quiet for a long time. He ponders her question while the water boils.

Kai thinks back to 1903. The heretics, discussing his two options - bond with Bonnie and rule the coven, or kill his coven and become one of the heretics.

(Speaking of the heretics, he totally has a deal with Lily, and sooner or later, has to free them from that snowy, October hell. He promised he’d do it after he could confidently deem the girl pregnant, so that their bond spell was proved effective and true, and then they could help protect the baby. Valerie was especially on board with this plan.)

The option of turning him was presented first, and he almost immediately agreed. But then Valerie mentioned the bond spell in passing, and when he learned he could have Bonnie and make his father crumble under his rule, he quickly jumped ship to that option instead. Still, if what then became Plan A were to fail, Kai would just go to Plan B.

“Kai?” Bonnie asks again, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Well you’re not Gemini blood,” he muses out loud, “even though the bond spell gave you access to Gemini magic, you’re still of Bennett blood.”

“Yes,” she answers hesitantly.

“So if my coven tries to force twins on you, and you don’t want it, I’ll become a heretic,” he decides. Plan B. “If they try to force the merge on you, or threaten you in any other way, I’ll kill them all by killing myself.”

“Kai, that’s crazy.”

“It keeps you alive, and it keeps my family off our ass.”

“But it would kill this baby,” she puts a hand on her stomach.

Kai bites his lip. “I know there’s a spell that could protect unborn Gemini from a leader’s death, I’ll just have to check the grimoires about it.” He reads her increasingly anxious face and pauses. “This is all just hypothetical, Bonnie. Only to be done if we were desperate. I just… I don’t want them to hurt you, and I’ll do anything to protect you.”

“I know… just… let’s avoid that, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Can we change the topic?”

“Mhm.”

“What exactly is in that tea?”

“My tea?” He asks, smiling, and serving her a cup. “Raspberry leaf, a little lemon, and a little honey. If you’re feeling really sick, I can swap the lemon for ginger, but my mother always liked the lemon.”

Bonnie takes a sip. It instantly soothes her nerves and her upset stomach. “Mhm, it’s good.”

“Good.” He comes around the counter to face her. His little smirk makes her heart race, and when he puts a hand on her stomach, she fights the urge to squeeze her legs together.

“What are you doing?” She takes another sip of tea to distract herself from ever-growing dirty thoughts.

“Feeling.”

“I can tell.”

He runs a finger up the side of her body. After a moment, he smiles.

“What?”

“You’ve got something.”

“What do you mean?” Her heart races faster.

“You’re positive.”

Bonnie almost drops the mug. “I’m- seriously?”

“I can feel it. Can’t tell sex or how many, but I can feel the magic.”

“Oh my god!” She finds herself leaping into his arms. Kai catches her around the waist, and she throws her hands around his neck. “Oh my god, I’m-” she pulls away from him to look down at her own body. “You’ve-” Speechless, she can only sit back down and sip her tea. Her smile doesn’t leave her face.

◇◇◇◇

Later on that day, they make the decision to cloak the baby. If Kai can sense it, it’s only a matter of time before one of the vampires detects a heartbeat. Or worse, if his father could sense it, too. (Kai isn’t sure if he could, but doesn’t want to take any chances.)

For the rest of the night, he stays close to Bonnie, bathing in the fact that he can feel his baby’s magic radiating off her. It gives him an unexplainable sense of pride that he can’t help but revel in. She finds herself obsessed with his reaction, too, never expecting Kai to be so happy over having a baby.

In the morning, though, they cloak it strongly and talk about when they would uncloak it for check-ups, both by Kai himself and by a doctor. They also talk, briefly, about their conversation from the night before, but he makes her promise not to stress herself out with worry. Kai recalls he and Jo learned at the young age of six that they were to merge for their coven’s future, and promises he wants nothing of the sort for his baby. At the very least, their kid’s childhood would be a happy one.

Regardless of what the future holds, they have twenty-two years to prepare, and she shouldn’t plague herself with it now. That would only affect her and the baby negatively, and that kind of stress is greatly undesirable. Instead, they will go on with their lives - Bonnie can go back to school, if she wants; his father and the elders will go back to Portland; Kai will lead from his announced and future wife’s hometown; and they won’t have to worry about any drastic change for a couple of months. By then, Kai will have several plans in place to protect his family, and he’ll be able to tackle whatever crazy might come his way.

And with the baby in eight months, and the heretics in three… crazy is sure to come.

#kai parker x bonnie bennett #bonkai fics #bonkai #tw dubcon #tw pregnancy #tvd fanfiction #this is a part 2

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14geckosinatree · 9 months

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Please infodump about Linh and/or Jax!!! Please I need to know about themmmm!!!!

Like literally anything- I have no questions specifically - I just need to know more about them LKJGFDSLKJG

Thanks so much for the ask!

Linh is my OC from an original world in my head but of course I had to give him a place in fma too. He comes from a military family famous for their alchemists and Linh was taught alchemy basically the second he turned seven. Fire always interested him and so he decided to pursue that. His younger years were pretty uneventful except for his younger sister being born and he and his cousin became rivals. At the age of 17 they had him take the test to become an alchemist and he passed! He was given the title “The freeze flame alchemist” and set to work in the west. There he didn’t do much (this was after the war, though not by a lot) and mainly just cleaned up smaller skirmishes. He stayed there for about three or four years and was transferred to Briggs to replace their former alchemist (they retired). Linh kind of floated around the base once again helping and not being much of a stand out soldier. Linh eventually got promoted to lieutenant colonel and was entrusted with some of the more serious battles. Eventually he becomes close friends with a bird/human chimera Rin and lieutenant colonel Zane (the flying strike alchemist). He wasn’t close with many other soldiers but was assigned to guard a mysterious prisoner with alchemy circles engraved in his arms (spoiler alert: they fall in love ;) Linh does not fight in the promised day.

While that is going on he has quite a few skirmishes with his cousin the charred alchemist. They are rivals

Linh’s alchemy style is kind of unique. He has gloves with his main runes carved on them and otherwise just makes them in dirt or snow and stuff. His alchemy comes off as waves of flames and he prefers long range. He can freeze his flames and condenses them to make bomb like explosions. This stuff is still being workshopped btw.

Jax :D

Jax was born in East city to a poor family and had one older brother named Jonathon. Jax’s parents always did what was best for their kids and loved them a lot. They worked three jobs each so that they could attend school and do activists like normal kids. Growing up Jax wanted to be an alchemist and because the Ishvalan war was in full swing Jax and Jonathon got free admission into the military academy. Pretty early on Jax realized that they would rather not be an alchemist and finished the academy as a soldier. Both Jax and Jonathon were deployed in their hometown for the war and Jonathon passed away due to infected wounds. Jax was transferred to the north after the war and quickly climbed up the ranks. Jax had the favor of Olivier and was promoted fairly quick compared to normal. Jax is an excellent sniper and is a pretty good swordsman. Jax was respected by their peers and has a steady head. Before the promised day Jax was a colonel but after was promoted to brigadier general. Jax was part of the group that Buccaneer led and their left lower arm had to be replaced with automail afterwards. Jax mainly works behind the scenes and is a battle strategist.

Jax’s backstory is also very unfinished.

Their birthday is August 13th!

Thanks so much for the ask it makes me so happy!!!

I have a couple more OC’s but I’ll get to them :D

#fma #fmab #fma brotherhood #gecko og #oc #Rant #ask #Jax #Linh #oc backstory

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veinblooded · 2 years

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Cael’s FFXIV verse (draft):

he is a pureblood xaela aura, whose family is respected and quite influential amongst the xaela auri community, and a part of the orl tribe. he was born in the beginning of the sixth astral era when the orl tribe was in the early stage of development, so most of his childhood was spent on martial art training to protect his tribe against its hostile counterparts. unlike his father who was skilled in diplomacy and trading, he took great interest in the art of the lance from the very first moment he laid eyes on it, therefore, devoted practically most of his time to mastering this weaponry. this resulted in rather poorly delevoped social and communication skills; some might even mistake him for a qestir.

the orl tribe, under cael’s father’s leadership, adopted a rather open mindset towards accepting visitors/travellers from beyond the border of azim stepp as well as doing foreign trades and commerce. much like the mol, the orl too was not interested in taking part of the annual nadaam, they instead focused mainly on expanding their business either by travelling to other continents or doing trades with merchants from all walks of life at the stepp. cael’s father was not exempt from this duty even as the head of the tribe.

on one of his travels to coerthas, around 500, unaware of the war that broke out between dragons and men after king thordan committed atrocity, cael’s family was caught in the midst of the chaos. mistaken as kins of the dragons, the ishgardians drew blade against his family, killing both his father and mother despite their pleading cry. enraged by their unjust death, cael turned to massacring the ishgardian troops (a literal depiction of one man vs. an army 👀), which eventually reached the ears of a knight of the knights twelve. he later was bested in combat by the knight (thought neither came out of the battle unscathed) and was then captured as prisoner.

against the relentless marching of the dravanian horde, the fallen ishgardians littered the snowy plains of coerthas like ashes, their home razed to the ground. they soon became desperate, resorting to experimentation as a desperate means to win the war or at least to somehow balance the power between them. with the prime example of king thordan and the knights twelve being able to absorb ratatoskr’s power to enhance their own power, they sought a way to create an army enhanced with the power of the dragons without succumbing to the dragons’ raging aether. cael was their first test subject. they harvested the remains of ratatoskr and implanted them into cael’s body, as well as forcing her aether into his core. this terribly conflicted with cael’s aether flow and even consumed it, causing his body to mutate: one of his eyes bled red and became blind with the dragon’s power, three extra horns protruded on either side of his head and in the middle of his forehead, his scales grew harder and seemingly ate into his flesh. not only was he affected physically, his mind also suffered from the aether corruption— a condition called frenzying. he was bound to lose his mind and made to surrender the control of his body to the dragon within for a period of time, in which he would massacre indiscriminately. there was no telling when he would, or how long it would last before he regained his sanity. after multiple frenzies however, the ishgardians had found out a possible trigger to this phenomenon: blood.

taking advantage of this condition, the ishgardians tempted him with blood then dispatched him into the battlefield against nidhogg’s brood, and locked him up again and left him to rot in the deepest dungeons of the vault once it passed. this torment continued on for the next milennium until nidhogg’s reawakening in 1572. his dragonsong was so powerful that it reached even the pit of the vault, resonating within cael and accelerating his rate of frenzying. during a dravanian attack and the heretics’ assault, as the ishgardian knights came to release him into battles as per usual, he was already frenzied. unaware of this fact, the ishgardians were easily felled by his claws, and with most of the knights gone and only a few remained behind, seemingly occupied with aiding the frontline, cael successfuly breached the vault and escaped into the night.

he found his way to nidhogg, to dravania, and learned to harness his dragon power there. soon, he rejoined the war, marching with the dravanian horde with the sole desire to exact vengeance upon those who wronged him— the vault.

#about. / character study #vii. the half-blooded dragon. / final fantasy xiv verse.#ITS A WIP #IT WILL CHANGE #BUT BASICALLY #THAT #IDK #IM JUST EXTREMELY SLEEPY RN BUT I WANNA PUSH THIS OUT SO IT DOESNT HAUNT ME ANYMORE

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torvik0mtrigeda · 2 years

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about torvi

timeline

born a nightblood Torvi wasn’t given much of a childhood even before being sent to polis, while some parents hid their children from the flamekeepers or handed them over reluctantly Torvi’s wanted nothing more than a trigeda commander. to give her the any advantage possible her training started even before the flamekeepers came.

in the walls of polis Torvi trained along side Lexa, Luna and the rest of the noviciates, unlike the others she hated it. hated being told what to do, where to be, when to speak. being commander never interested her anyway so when she heard Luna had ran she couldn’t be the fool who stayed.

where Luna found her rig and peace along side it Torvi went the other way, she spent her years surviving in the forest killing most she came across. she found a friend of sorts in the form of a trishanakru girl, Ankara.

after Torvi sees the smoke indicating Lexa has passed she asks Ankara about how it happened after hearing about Ontari cheating she heads back to polis for the first time in eight years, she was eleven when she left. she challenges Ontari and since Clarke ran off with the flame she has no choice but to fight. Torvi ascends at Clarke’s capture and holds both Clarke and Murphy prisoner until Pike is brought to polis.

relationships

Ankara kom trishanakru // Torvi isn’t exactly the talkative type so from the outside her relationship with Ankara would seem to be nothing more than an acquaintance, however for a long time Torvi considered her to be her only friend, despite the sexual nature of their relationship.

Lexa kom trigeda // though they were pinned against each other as children Torvi had a respect for Lexa, a respect that played a factor in her return to polis.

John murphy // an unexpected relationship would be an understatement however in the time between Torvi’s arrival at polis to Clarke’s return then to Pike’s appearance her and John became rather close eventually asking him to stay when Clarke leaves. a request he accepts. she eventually kills him believing “love is weakness”.

Gaia kom trigeda // after Titus’s suicide Gaia emerged to carry on the spirit of the commanders. it’s rough going at first but Torvi comes to listen to her.

other

my timeline and plot goes quite off from the shows but Torvi does die before pramfaya. however pramfaya is delayed by a few years and the buildup is also slower since i do not follow the alie storyline.

Torvi is very much considered the ideal grounder in the sense that she believes love is weakness, she is a strong warrior and she is always willing to go to war. however she respects Lexa’s wish to bring skaikru into the coalition, a decision much better accepted by azgeda once Roan is king

#grounder culture #tørvi #grounders

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deltaroonie · 2 months

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Part one, Episode one: "Prelude"

Heaven and Hell have always been recognized as polar opposites for as long as the universe itself can remember..; One known as a paradise, and the other known as punishment for a selfish paradise. Even from the beginning, the two beared arms with one another.

Angels rose to the top with the power divinity and God. Leaving the Demons kicked down into the dust, left to surrender to their divine opponents. Failure after failure, defeat after defeat, never taking their losses into account they kept trying. A constant uphill battle for the Demons, and an easy win for the Angels. Hope faded after years upon years of trying; their willpower slowly began to fade. What most Demons had preached to be their damnation, they would soon be proven wrong.

Somewhere in the 1500’s…; A Duke had been assassinated by his own court. His Iron grip and unfair ruling amongst his surfs, servants, and all those who joined by his side had caught up to him. Committing each and every sin in his life to its respective highest degree. Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, etcetera. Hell had various punishments for him, though none of them were severe enough to keep him suffering.

Through his own street-smarts and sheer will, he found a work around for any issue or problem that came in his way. His limbo soon became miniscule as he gained smarts and power.

However, something that comes to light is, when you’re really good at something, it becomes easy. Easy things that are repeated become boring eventually with each time through and through.

An insatiable thirst for power grew in the man, his greed and envy blinded him. Go bigger, get better, there was always more for him.. Or at least he thought. There was so much more he imagined for himself, something even that the Princes of sin lacked. In the midst of its thoughts, a certain Idol came into its mind. Thus, a revelation was made..;

God was powerful, and he was power hungry.

Though, even if he wasn’t generally the most brightest being, he knew one thing for a fact. One demon couldn’t face up against the ordinances of Heaven alone. This would be an issue, more power sparks jealousy, and he couldn’t risk a betrayal.

This brought up a major dilemma for him, what was there to do? Each day grew more irritating for him as he made no concise plan. Days went by, before he finally settled on an option…;

The “Council” : A group of Sinners that had perfectly embodied their sin, all from different backgrounds and time periods.

Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t do this, though, knowing that they all shared a common goal of a need for power, he was content with the choice. Finding ways to cut them all out from their prisons, he saved them from damnation.

The group was designed to bring the very image and outlook of hell back to Earth, seeing as with each technological advancement humankind made, the regard for religion faded. Who would need to pray when they could fix an issue themselves? Both Heaven and Hell dreaded this, so in some twisted way, it gave the Council a reason to exist.

With each completed project, each sinner sent to earth to haunt mankind, they soon turned heads in Heaven. Normally, the Angel’s smited down whatever wasn’t god, or a direct threat to them, the Council was allowed to exist.

Though that was their cover up purpose, something they still worked to achieve, but not their main intent. Behind closed doors and with covered eyes, the Council sought out to gather their efforts and to take heaven down.

The group worked in unison for some time, eventually getting heaven to turn their attention fully away from them. With the freedom of not being caught, they gained more and more importance and purpose due to the lack of restraints placed on them.

Even with all of their progress, the leader felt as if he had waited far too long for what he believed he deserved. The faces began to blur, the people he somewhat trusted began to seem more sinister to him. With each minute that passed, his mentality on the situation began to click to something new.

The atmosphere grew thick as 6 figures watched with wide eyes. Blood stained the floor as Pride stood over the leader, sanguine staining it's dark skin as it collected itself. Horns and tail sliced off, what a shame. Though the leader wouldn’t be able to pry himself out of this one, he was surrounded. Everything he built in that moment went to shambles due to his vices, now he would truly have to pay.

He was pinned to the stone cold floors as Pride took a mirror, fear grew in his eyes for what felt like the first time as he watched his fate unfold before him. A small incantation was all it took to send him into a violent panic, thrashing and kicking around he begged for one more chance. It was too late for him, his true face was out.

Everything came to a sudden end for him as the spell finished, now forever trapped in a mirror his fate was sealed. The Council now left without someone to lead them, leaving the group in a dire condition. Pride, a more sincere figure than the previous leader, stepped forward. A creature you could take at face value, a thing that showed what it truly was at all times.

The group saw Pride as the idol he could never be, as what they truly needed. Someone unblinded by the riches of life, more of by their own influence over others. The Council would need some time to repair, but now equipped with a better leader their efforts now had more progress to back them up.

However, there was one issue that remained. With their previous leader gone, his responsibilities were left behind. No one else in the group was equipped with the necessary skill or requirements, prompting them to find a replacement. This time, one who would be left without the leadership role.

Just like that, Hell was back to square one. Heaven was back in the lead, painfully so. It's almost as if everything they did was futile in this context. Each try resulted in a bigger loss… but maybe, just maybe, with this new try, something will happen with it. And just as Hell gained someone new, Heaven did too.

#writing #book #Ineedhelpfindingatitle

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kirain · 3 years

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I started playing rdr2 but stopped because like idk but I can't seem to get over the fact that all the women are prostitutes and they don't really have any important roles. Like what's Abigail do? Ooh she's a mother who's always mad? What do the other women do? Oooh they sleep with the gang. What's Sadie do? Oooh she becomes a badly written femme fetale who suddenly becomes a flawless killer. The women are just so badly represented.

I get the feeling you didn't play the game naturally or see any random encounters, because none of what you said is true. There's a lot to unpack here, so let's start with the "all the women are prostitutes" comment.

First of all, none of the women are prostitutes, a fact that deeply irritates Micah. During a coach robbery where he rides with Arthur and Bill, he even says, “Why the hell do we need a gaggle of girls who won’t even fuck you if you put a gun to their head? Is it too much to ask considering they get a piece of every damn dollar I bring in?” Poor baby. He even tries to proposition all of the women (Grimshaw included), but they all insult him and send him running with his tail between his legs. It’s hilarious and I love it. Arthur also responds to Micah with, “Everyone does their share. I don’t see you lifting a finger around camp.”

Now a bit about the girls:

Mary-Beth was a skilled pickpocket, but she ended up being caught by a group of her victims. She mentions this during a conversation with Arthur, where she points out how hard it was for women who came from nothing, and the inequality of it all. RDR2 actually regularly highlights how difficult frontier/outlaw life was for women back then, often pulling zero punches. While fleeing her pursuers, Mary-Beth luckily ran into Hosea, who helped her escape and welcomed her to the gang. You can see Dutch lusting after her a few times, because he's an old pervert, but she always shuns his advances. She was never a prostitute and she was actually underage when she joined.

Tilly was a child outlaw and a member of the Forman gang from the age of twelve. She ended up killing the leader's cousin because he [as is heavily implied] tried to rape her. She was around sixteen at the time and tried to return to her mother after the ordeal, but she unfortunately passed away while Tilly was running with the Formans. Out of options, she eventually joined the van der Linde gang after Dutch saved her from some unspecified trouble. You can find most of this out during one of my favourite side missions, where she gets kidnapped by Anthony Foreman in retaliation for killing his cousin. With Grimshaw’s help, you can rescue Tilly and put an end to it once and for all. She was never a prostitute and was also underage when taken in.

Susan Grimshaw was one of the original members of the gang and one of Dutch's first lovers. They parted amicably and both fell in love with other people (Dutch with Annabelle, and Susan with a doctor who sadly ended up dying), but she stayed with the gang because of their mutual respect for each other. She later became the arbiter of the camp and a kind of surrogate mother to Arthur, John, and the other girls. She was never a prostitute, but rather a rough-and-tumble outlaw.

Karen is a little more complicated. Overall, she was a scam artist (Hosea even called her an “actress”) who sometimes lured men into brothels, then stole from them or picked their brains for leads. That doesn't necessarily mean she was a prostitute; however, it just means she used sex as a manipulation tactic. Out of all the women in the group, she was the freest and most unconventional. She also stood on guard duty and participated in heists. The only man she ever slept with in game was Sean, and his death absolutely devastated her. If you talk to her or observe her interactions, you also discover she’s a raging alcoholic suffering from some very deep-seated issues. She likely did have to do things she wasn’t proud of in order to survive, but in my opinion that makes her one of the most realistic members of the group. She was never described as a prostitute.

Molly was an aristocrat who left her family to be with Dutch. His abusive treatment eventually led her to suffer an identity crisis, where she ended up hysterical and heartbroken. Her story is sad, but she was never a prostitute. If anything, Molly is the best example we have that Dutch views people as items, not human beings.

Abigail is the only prostitute in the game, but by the events of RDR2 she's an ex-prostitute. To say she's nothing more than "a mother who's always mad", I feel, does her character a great disservice. First of all, she left that profession behind to raise her son, to give him a decent chance in life. Unlike John, she stepped up immediately to become a responsible adult. I don't think people realise how impressive that is because, one, she could've easily abandoned Jack at the roadside (which was common back then), two, she could've induced an abortion, and three, she was quite young when she had him; around nineteen years old.

You say the women are "poorly represented", but they're stronger, smarter, and more mature than most of the men. A few of them even become self-sufficient in the turn of the century, something dear old Dutch couldn't even do/accept. Abigail in particular helps Sadie mourn her husband and the two grow very close. Their interactions are both grounded and heartwarming, with Abigail telling Sadie she’ll suffer the loss of her husband, but that it’ll get better if she keeps on living. She takes care of her, and Sadie later returns that kindness. These women are so full of quirks and humour and personality, I don’t know how you missed it.

As for Sadie ... where do I even begin? Badly written? Femme fatale? Flawless killer? Sadie is one of the best written characters. She's not flawless, she's exceptionally flawed, temperamental, and traumatised. It's never expressly stated, but it's implied at several points throughout the game that she was repeatedly assaulted while the O'Driscolls kept her captive. At first, she's petrified and miserable, to the point that all she does is cry and express suicidal ideation. Then, she gets angry. Very angry. Having nothing left to live for, her home and husband torn from her grasp, she throws herself headfirst into danger, which almost gets her killed on a number of occasions.

She's not a "flawless killer", she's a messy killer. She's not an expert death-dealer, and that's made evident from the start -- but she was a hunter who shared the workload with her husband, so it's not as if her skills just magically appeared. You do see how much it weighs on her, however, near the end of chapter six. If you help her kill the rest of the O'Driscolls, she laments what she's become because she thinks her husband would be horrified. She’s extremely complex and struggles between mourning and moving on.

I also can't help but laugh at the "femme fatale" accusation, because Sadie actually defeminises herself, which is understandable considering the hell she’s suffered. She even wears men's clothing, which wasn't illegal [anymore] back then, but it was openly frowned upon. Femme fatales use their beauty and sexuality to their advantage, ensnaring men with their feminine wiles. Sadie never does that and fights side-by-side with the boys. Interestingly enough, that's partially why Calamity Jane, an actual historical figure, garnered so much attention, because of how she behaved/dressed. It’s pretty clear to me that Rockstar might’ve used her as inspiration for Sadie. This was a real woman who lived from 1852 to 1903.

In addition, Sadie plays one of the most important roles, yet she does so without falling into the category of a Mary-Sue. She saves the gang and moves them to a new location when the Pinkertons attack Shady Belle. She hatches the plan that frees John from prison. She helps Arthur rescue Abigail after she gets kidnapped. She tracks down Micah and puts an end to his reign of terror. But most of what she does she accomplishes with a partner--Arthur or John--both of whom she respects immensely. No one, not even Arthur, does everything alone, and when they do there’s usually negative consequences. It's the camaraderie and shared experiences that make these characters successful, and aside from Charles and Hosea, I’d even argue that the women are more well-rounded and fleshed out than the men.

I gather from for comments that you didn't finish the game, so I hate to spoil it, but I kind of have to if you walked away with this mindset. The women of RDR2 are a force to be reckoned with.

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borkthemork · 3 years

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‘Ivy on the Run’, and What Sasha Needs

So, back when I was rewatching Season 2B, I had considered a lot of the tiny details found in prior episodes that seemed to promise massive comebacks later on.

I’m talking about the mossmen, who were alluded to way back in Wally and Anne, who were mentioned later with the mural and the sleepover episode.

We also have stuff such as the ability for Anne to bend light into imagery, which I definitely absolutely believe is one of her powers that will be delved into in Season Three.

With all these details, I decided to really put my foot into the series and see how much could potentially be planted throughout what I once considered to be episodic episodes.

And that was where I had a realization.

Ivy on the Run wasn’t just a Sprig and Ivy episode. It wasn’t just some random episode for the sake of having fun with the characters.

This episode is where the show tells the audience subtly that Ivy Sundew is going to be an important character to the plot when it comes to being Sasha Waybrights’s Sprig equivalent, and I’m going to be talking about why I believe that here.

Ivy on the Run is established with three things in mind: to tell the audience about who Ivy is as a character, how she interacts with her family, and what she yearns for overall in the story.

The first scene showcases her personality through the environment itself.

She has a map of the Amphibian continent to track Sprig’s progress, she has posters that talk about finding your own path in life, and you can see that she is a very action-oriented person with the amount of knives and axes on the throwing board.

This entire episode is mainly about Ivy’s wanting to find adventure. She feels trapped in Wartwood because she saw nothing in her family but boring tea sessions, and continuously does actions that shows she’s antsy for her turn in the spotlight, for her turn to explore and conquer the world in her own way since she’s never been out of the Valley.

And here, the narrative makes sure to highlight the more rambunctious and feisty sides of the family too. With Ivy’s debut episode, we were never really given much information about her that wasn’t just one-dimensional tomboy attitude; there were moments where she showed genuine awkwardness over the whole courtship incident, but it wasn’t until Season Two where we were able to flesh her out more as a character overall.

She hates the rules and regulations her mother does for her, she is very much okay with going against said rules if she believes her boundaries were crossed, she can be pretty adaptable in stressful situations, and it isn’t until the end of the episode — where she sees more sides of her mother being an experienced traveler — do we get to see her become more open-minded and excited for learning about this side of her family that she’s never heard of before.

And when the two Sundews went face to face...

We get a parallel.

These episodes are similar in a lot of ways, but how they’re handled is executed differently.

They both focus on the wanting for communication and open-mindedness in a family dynamic, but what’s interesting here is that Sprig deliberately loses to let Hop Pop return to his role as the head of the house, while Felicia deliberately allows Ivy to win as a reassurance that she knows what her daughter needs.

In spite of Felicia’s strict actions, she pushes Ivy because she knows that Ivy will have to leave the Valley one day, and the ending makes a big promise that her part of the journey is almost ready.

"Ivy, you think I don't see you, but I do. You want to travel the world and I get it. But you have to be patient, because it's dangerous out there, and I just want you to be ready before we go."

Of course, the last part is all about their tea trip outside the Valley, but this perhaps could be foreshadowing to another big event in Ivy’s life that will make her leave the Valley.

Now, let’s talk about Sasha and the theme of nurture in Amphibia.

With Sasha, we have an interesting arc going on with her. She has a promised redemption arc, but the thing with her is that the Season Three opening explicitly promises that she’s going to have to compromise with Wartwood if she ever wants to fight Andrias. And we all know how the town is slow when it comes to the respect department.

This is where we start to get some potential parallels with Anne and Sasha. The thing with these two characters is that they do make genuine connections, however the theme of nurture found throughout the story itself emphasizes heavily on the environment and the support system the girls have.

For Anne, she was dropped into a place that knew boundaries and yet opened up to love instead of doubling down on punishment, and this leads to not only empathy but growth if Anne so chooses to become a good person.

For Sasha, she’s not given that place to grow. It has been confirmed in the show itself that Sasha, ever since she dropped into Amphibia, had been imprisoned in Toad Tower for one month. One month. It wasn’t a surprise that Sasha took advantage of the chaos found in Prison Break, since it was a lot better than having nothing by being stubborn. She played it smart, however, that meant Sasha’s manipulative nature and wanting for control became more noticeable and a key to her own survival. And this environment didn’t get any better in spite the fallout of Reunion.

Now take this angry and repressed teenager, who has no clue how to execute her actions in a genuine and authentic manner, and place her into Wartwood.

This is where Ivy Sundew comes in.

Ivy Sundew is not Sprig Plantar by any means; she is a fierce, no-can-do girl who loves adventure, fighting, ambushes, and won’t back down when it comes to being pushed around. Sprig is very emphatic but this makes him easy to push around if you look at him in Sasha’s eyes; we’ve seen him be desperate at times for the affection of people such as Sadie Croaker, and if Sasha ended up with him then the poor boy was gonna get chewed out eventually.

Sasha has the strength, she really has the capability to do amazing things, but the major factor that she needs right now is a careful guide in showing how she could improve as a person, and that means she needs someone who believes in her first and foremost while not taking her shit.

This is why Ivy Sundew could be absolutely crucial to Sasha’s development.

Sasha right now has learned some tips from people such as Toadie when it comes to listening to others, but she needs more than just one person to make lessons about empathy and collaboration stick.

Ivy is not going to take Sasha when she’s pushy, rude, or plain manipulative. She’ll call her out, she’ll mark the boundaries, she won’t let Sasha just foot around her just because she can — and if you think about it, the Sundews have the same attitude too, they’re all fighters who won’t allow themselves to be pushed around by some external force.

And we wouldn’t have known these specific details at all if Ivy on the Run didn’t air.

#amphibia #sasha waybright #anne boonchuy #ivy sundew #amphibia analysis #amphibia meta #bork speaks

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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years

Note

Prompt - Nie Mingjue's temper is already not great at the Phoenix hunt, so when they haul out men and women, some who look a great deal more like frightened peasants than cultivators he snaps, this is not how you treat POWs, it turns into a riot/battle and Jiang Cheng has had enough of kowtowing to the Jin and he and the new Jiang sect members and Wei Wuxian all rally to Nie Mingjue, does anyone else? Where to the Lan fall? Was nie mingjue's snap directly at jgy or more in general?

ao3

Nie Mingjue was, probably for the first time in his life, tired of fighting.

He’d fought in secret against the Wen sect for years, thanklessly defending the other sects that had refused to even acknowledge Wen Ruohan’s actions for years on end, and yet it had not prepared him for the brutality that was open warfare, for the difficulty of being the general of the entire Sunshot Campaign, for the burden of knowing that so many lives depended on him and him alone. He’d fought battle after battle, won tremendous victories, and yet the last hope had seemed out of reach – he’d eventually resorted to a desperate stratagem that had gone wrong – he had been tortured, mocked, his men killed – and at the moment of when all seemed lost, he was saved.

Saved…only to realize that it was Meng Yao being credited with it, with being their spy, and Lan Xichen had not told him.

He’d limped back to his camp, but they’d chased after him, and the news of what Meng Yao had done got out – not really a surprise; given the man’s ambitions, if someone else hadn’t spread it he would have done it himself – and in the end, politics had meant that there really hadn’t been much of a choice about swearing sworn brotherhood with the two of them, binding them together in life and death, not unless he wanted to risk another war.

Nie Mingjue very, very much did not want another war.

He had still not fully recovered from his injuries by the time the Jin sect had set up a celebration in the Nightless City, with Jin Guangshan using Nie Mingjue’s refusal to take on any of Wen Ruohan’s ridiculous trappings as an excuse to all but name himself Chief Cultivator in the man’s place. Nie Mingjue knew he should have protested then, but he was tired, his sect in need of rebuilding – they had been the ones bearing the brunt of the war, as they always had, and the only reason they were not the worst off of the Great Sects was because of what the Wens had done to the Cloud Recesses and the Lotus Pier – and he’d never really wanted personal advancement, anyway.

After what had happened with his father, he’d had a lifetime’s worth of being promoted.

Besides, as part and parcel of their self-granted promotion, the Jin sect had promised to take care of the worst of the clean-up, including dealing with the prisoners of war, and that had seemed fine, even a good result. After spending half his life doing things for other people, Nie Mingjue would return home to focus on that which matter most to him, and for once someone else would take the lead in caring for the rest of the world.

It wasn’t like the Jin sect couldn’t afford a few more mouths to feed.

It wasn’t like their coffers were anywhere near empty, or that they needed to rebuild; it wasn’t as though they’d ever stopped trade with Qishan or actually led in a major battle or - he should stop thinking about it before he became angry.

He’d been angry for so long. It would be nice to stop for a while.

Of course, it felt as though he’d barely settled in back at home before he was being summoned for yet another celebration hosted by the Jin sect, this time at Phoenix Mountain. A hunt, no less, and it was so pointedly designed as the sort of thing that the Nie sect favored that it would have been impossible to turn down the invitation. Not to mention, the invitation had oh-so-casually mentioned that Jin Guangyao, his sworn brother, would be the one in charge of setting up the hunt, meaning that any disruption or failure cause damage not only to his own reputation but to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen’s, for having sworn with him.

Jin Guangshan would either have his day in the sun or a reason to tear everyone else down - a win-win situation for him, lose-lose for everyone else.

Fucking politics.

Still, there wasn’t anything for it. They had to go, so they went.

Nie Mingjue felt himself drifting back into that disconnected state that had allowed him to survive years of discussion conferences hosted by his father’s murderer. It was a strange sort of state, that allowed him to do the things he had to do to support his sect while feeling as though the world was separated from him by a window through which he watched everything happen. Anything that occurred beyond that window – all sounds and sights and even emotional reactions – was dulled or even muted; he could look Wen Ruohan right in the eye and think to himself of how much he longed to slaughter the man where he stood for his crimes, look at Jiang Fengmian smiling quite sincerely at Wen Ruohan and Lan Qiren bowing to him as if he was a man worthy of respect, as if they weren’t hypocrites that took Wen Ruohan’s money in trade and said apologetically that there wasn’t anything anyone could prove about Nie Mingjue’s father’s death, and yet, no matter how much he hated them all, his body would do nothing.

He would drink tea, and nod, and he would not breach etiquette, he would not bring war down on his sect’s head, he would do nothing.

Sitting in a place of honor at Phoenix Mountain felt much the same: yet another burden to bear, a torment that he could only hope passed quickly.

(It wasn’t healthy, but then again, what was? His entire life was grist for the mill that was his sect’s well-being, shortened by excessive cultivation and stress and endless rage, and knowing it didn’t change anything.)

He saw in the corner of his eye the way his little brother’s eyes flickered to him and then frown – he’d never liked it when Nie Mingjue went quiet and passive, knowing how alien the feeling was to him, knowing through fellow-feeling what it felt like, though perhaps he was wondering why the state had come upon him now again when Wen Ruohan was already dead and gone, even though it had never really just been about Wen Ruohan.

Perhaps because of that fellow-feeling, Nie Huaisang found a conversational interlude hat allowed him to slide over a little closer than politeness dictated, casually putting a hand on Nie Mingjue’s arm as if to beg for something. He knew that Nie Mingjue took comfort in the touch, in the reminder that with his saber at his side and his brother within arms’ reach, Nie Mingjue felt as thought he had everything he valued most in this rotten world close enough that he could try to protect it.

And then the Jin sect – using Jin Guangyao as their mouthpiece, though whether it was because of his skillful silver tongue or simply because they didn’t think he was worth anything more than that, only he would know – announced that they would kick off the hunt with some entertainment.

Nie Mingjue lifted his cup of tea to his lips, feeling pained, and his eyes briefly met with Lan Qiren’s across the hall, no longer in the place of the sect leader but slightly behind, his expression making clear that the same thought was on both their minds – anything but the prostitutes again.

(Surely Jin Guangyao had a bit more self-respect than that…?)

When a bunch of people in chains were marched out, Nie Mingjue had only enough presence of mind to be briefly relieved that the presence of mixed genders meant that they were probably not prostitutes – Lanling Jin abided by rules relating to birth gender and sexuality that seemed nearly as strict as the rules they were always criticizing Gusu Lan over, and according to them no one ever switched or was misaligned or deviated at all, which frankly seemed more than a little bizarre and unbelievable – and then uncomfortable because, well, they were in chains. Weren’t they supposed to be done with war?

And then Jin Guangyao started announcing the rules of some sort of ridiculous archery contest that the younger generation would engage in, and for a moment that seemed almost a relief as well – as a sect leader, Nie Mingjue was excluded from the younger generation despite being only a few years older than the rest of them, and of course there was no point in expecting his brother to participate in any competition of martial skill, and so for a moment it seemed as though this could be another part of this torturous endless experience that he could just tune out.

Indeed, that he was obligated to tune out. No matter how idiotic it was, whatever it was, whatever he thought about it (and he wouldn’t like it, he knew he wouldn’t like it, he’d never liked anything Wen Ruohan – no, that Jin Guangshan, insofar as there was that much of a difference – he’d never liked anything Jin Guangshan had set up in nearly ten years of working together, and odds were good that he wouldn’t like this), Nie Mingjue still had to think first of his sect and the consequences of making a fuss, and that meant he didn’t. He didn’t want a war, and so he had to be polite, restrained, quiet, no matter what he thought.

It wasn’t that hard to simply pull back even further. Nie Mingjue had been suppressing righteousness in favor of etiquette at these horrible conferences for such a long time that it came naturally to him, the way all bad habits did.

Only this time he’d brought Nie Huaisang with him, which he’d always resisted before, and his brother’s hand tightened on his arm to the point of pain.

Nie Mingjue’s first thought, stupidly enough, was to be pleased by the discovery that Nie Huaisang actually had some arm muscle underneath all those prissy frills he favored. His second was concern that Nie Huaisang had suddenly taken ill – with admittedly a bit of hopefulness that perhaps it would be something they could use as an excuse to leave early, as long as it wasn’t that serious – but when he turned to look at him his brother didn’t seem sick.

He seemed – angry?

Not Huaisang, Nie Mingjue thought, heart abruptly seized with an ancient fear. He knew perfectly well what he’d gotten himself into when it came to the saber spirits, had accepted years ago that he would die young, die early, die horribly and alone with nothing but his rage, but that was not going to be Nie Huaisang’s fate, not if he had anything to say about it.

The fear curdled in his chest, and it felt as though a crack appeared on the window that shielded him from all sensation, all pain and desperation forced far away.

No one was talking, other than Jin Guangyao droning on and on about whatever the new entertainment was – Nie Mingjue had stopped paying attention long ago – and so he couldn’t ask Nie Huaisang what was wrong, but he looked at him and furrowed his brow, trying to convey the question silence.

Nie Huaisang caught the glance and understood, and his mouth moved, shaping silent sounds – it’s an execution, they’re going to kill them –

What?

Baxia, lying by his side as she always did during these meetings, shifted a little, her rage nudging against Nie Mingjue’s mind as it always did – sometimes he thought she hated these meetings as much as he did, other times he was sure of it – and the crack in the window got a little wider, let in a little more light and color and sound, and Nie Mingjue found a thread of willpower to force himself to listen to what the entertainment Jin Guangyao was proposing actually was.

He replayed the words in his mind, turned to look at the people in chains – Wen sect, apparently, and though he couldn’t tell on sight whether they were civilians or cultivators, that didn’t matter. Not even criminals were executed like this, by standing at a distance and waiting to die, not even able to hope for an expert aiming to kill quickly and cleanly, but through a misplaced arrow that could strike them anywhere, cause them a lingering and painful death…this was supposed to be a game?

This was meant to be their entertainment?

The window between Nie Mingjue and the world shattered.

And suddenly all he felt was rage.

“What,” Nie Mingjue said, even as Jin Zixuan got up with a set expression on his face to accept a bow from his servant, “are you doing?”

Jin Zixuan paused, looking puzzled – and no surprise, since Nie Mingjue hadn’t said anything beyond the most mundane greetings when he first arrived. “Sect Leader Nie..?”

Nie Mingjue rose to his feet, his brother’s hand falling off of his arm as if he’d shaken him off like a dog. “What are you doing?” he demanded, louder this time. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Da-ge –” Jin Guangyao said, an obvious hint, a reminder of their relationship – Nie Mingjue was the one bound by it, the older brother responsible for setting a good example, and for all that Jin Guangyao was supposed to listen to him and follow his lead Nie Mingjue had never seen a hint that he’d ever planned to do so – but Nie Mingjue didn’t listen to him.

He was angry.

It felt good to be angry – a clean anger, a righteous anger, anger at injustice being perpetrated right before his eyes.

(Something so poisonous as rage shouldn’t feel this good.)

“This is an abomination,” he said, a touch of the battlefield in his voice so that it would be audible throughout the hall, would spread far and wide for all to hear. “Those are people you’re putting on the line.”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Jin Zixun, Jin Guangshan’s nephew, broke it with an abrupt laugh. “Sect Leader Nie,” he said, pretending to smile, “surely you don’t think so little of us to suggest that my cousin would miss –”

“I don’t care even if he does strike true,” Nie Mingjue snapped. “You do not play with the lives of men.”

“Hardly men,” a minor sect leader, closely affiliated with the Jin sect, said. Sect Leader Qin, if Nie Mingjue placed him right. “Perhaps you did not hear, Chifeng-zun –” It was always his title they used when they wanted to avoid calling him sect leader, when they were trying to make a point about how young and angry and foolish they thought he was. “– but those are Wen-dogs.”

“I don’t care who or what they are,” Nie Mingjue shouted, and now he had fallen back into his body, back into the battlefield, because this was a battlefield; it was only that he had allowed himself – through tiredness or shock or a desire for peace – to forget it for a moment. “Is this not a celebration of peace, the end of war? If they are criminals, sentence them; if they are condemned, execute them with a sword. Even a rabid beast deserves to be put down cleanly, not to be used as target practice by children for the entertainment of others!”

There was movement in the crowd, multiple people shifting from one side to the other, the audience abruptly uncomfortable when faced not only with a gory spectacle but their own complicity in it.

“Sect Leader Nie, calm yourself,” Jin Guangshan said. His voice was stern, irritatingly condescending – as if he thought that styling himself as Chief Cultivator gave him the right to act as if he were Nie Mingjue’s father. “You go too far for proper etiquette; will you not give any face to me, as your host? Naturally, if you have a complaint, I will hear it –”

“I don’t recall the moment I yielded to your authority in matters of ethics, Sect Leader Jin,” Nie Mingjue snapped. “Please, feel free to remind me – the last I recall it, you were the one begging me for assistance.”

“Sect Leader Nie!” Jin Guangshan shouted, rising to his feet with his face starting to purple.

Nie Mingjue saw the furious glance he sent at a frantic Jin Guangyao – control him already! – and it makes his own rage surge even higher. It was not that he didn’t know that his sworn brother was being used as leverage against him, but to have it shoved right into his face like that, to think that they thought that etiquette and brotherhood would be sufficient to make him complaisant – to allow Jin Guangyao to run roughshod over his morality – to think that it had nearly worked –

“Sect Leaders, please.” That was Lan Xichen, standing up as well, his hands outstretched. “Is this not meant to be a celebration of peace?”

For a moment, Nie Mingjue thought he was standing up for his sake, supporting him in decrying what was happening in front of them – something he despised as much as Nie Mingjue did, that much was obvious from his stance – but then his eyes flicked from Nie Mingjue to Jin Guangyao as well, silently beseeching Nie Mingjue to remember how his actions could hurt Jin Guangyao’s standing, and Nie Mingjue felt cold.

So much for brotherhood, it seemed. How much was he supposed to bear on behalf of Jin Guangyao without receiving anything in return?

He turned his face away.

If the Nie sect had to make this stand alone, so be it. Even if it meant war, war against the rest of the cultivation world, war that would be ruinous to his sect...

There was no choice. The Nie sect stood for refusing to tolerate evil; to do any less would be to throw off the traditions of his ancestors more wholly than Nie Huaisang’s refusal to train the saber had ever been. Even on a personal level, he had long criticized others who stood quiet when evil was happening, and he would not let himself become the hypocrite that so many others had been.

Nie Mingjue had never before willingly backed away from doing the right thing, the righteous thing, simply because it was hard to do – he would not start now.

“It seems strange that a celebration of peace would begin with death.” That was Jiang Cheng standing up as well, the fourth of the Great Sects. His sister had once been engaged to Jin Zixuan, and she had been invited to the hunt as Madame Jin’s special guest – popular thought had it that the Jin sect would snap her up soon enough, allying with the last remaining sect, and leaving anyone who opposed them to stand alone. But even if that was the plan, it hadn’t happened yet, and Jiang Cheng was putting his voice on Nie Mingjue’s side – Nie Mingjue would have to find a way to repay him for his support later. “Weren’t the Wen sect supposed to be resettled somewhere peaceful? Or was the news I received incorrect?”

“The innocent branch members and civilians were of course resettled,” Jin Guangyao said, and his smile was strained – or was it? Was it actual concern, or some sort of show? Nie Mingjue could never tell with him, not now that he knew how easily the snake changed its skin. “These however are war criminals, sentenced to execution in the manner of our choosing. I hope you all understand: their deaths are in no way comparable to their crimes –”

You would know, having participated in so many of them, Nie Mingjue thought, and levelled a glare at his youngest sworn brother to remind him of that fact. It briefly interrupted the smooth flow of words, making them catch in Jin Guangyao’s throat; at least he had that much shame.

“Can I see?” Nie Huaisang asked in the brief interval, his high voice just as carrying as Nie Mingjue’s shouting – all those music and singing lessons had clearly been worth something.

“See what?” Jin Zixun sneered, stepping forward – and interesting that it was him that did so, while Jin Zixuan, the heir, remained still and silent. His expression was frosty, but he hadn’t yet spoken up in his own father’s defense; hardly filial, but given such a father it was difficult to see what else he could do. “See their crimes? Do you want a list, or for us to drag out their victims to testify? Is this how little your Nie sect thinks of our Jin sect?”

A strong effort on Jin Zixun’s part – it put the burden on them to prove that these were not evildoers and criminals who deserved what was coming to them, made the issue their rudeness and lack of etiquette, made it seem as if they were the ones looking down on everyone.

But for all that Nie Mingjue despaired of Nie Huaisang’s skill at arms, he had never doubted his skill with words.

“You misunderstand me,” Nie Huaisang laughed nervously, hiding his face behind his fan in a gesture of shyness – he made it look as though he were being bullied by Jin Zixun, rather than debating him. “I just meant, well, they’re criminals, right? They must be truly impressive cultivators to fight against the brave soldiers of our Sunshot Campaign…could we see their strength?”

Nie Mingjue knew a cue when he heard one. “Such strength must be considerable to deserve such a fate,” he said scornfully. “Even Wen Ruohan, who killed hundreds, was merely cut down, rather than tormented in the same manner he tortured so many of our cultivators…Or do you think to emulate him in this manner as well?”

“How dare you?!” Jin Guangshan was florid with rage – as if rage would ever stop a Nie. “You come to my home and accuse me with no basis –”

“I do accuse you!” Nie Mingjue shouted, letting his voice trample down Jin Guangshan’s. “But by your own acts you are condemned, by your own callousness and indifference. So much Nie blood was shed to stop Wen Ruohan from running rampant over us all – I would die rather than have spent that blood to buy us nothing more than the same dominion in a different color!”

And then everyone was talking at once, shouting, yelling, and Nie Mingjue took the opportunity to turn on his heel and stride over to Lan Xichen, standing there looking lost. Lan Wangji was beside him, only a step behind, and he caught Nie Mingjue’s eyes as he came over and nodded – he, at least, was with Nie Mingjue in this, and his support gave Nie Mingjue more confidence in what he was about to do. What he had to do.

“Will you abide by your Lan sect’s values and stand with me in this?” he asked Lan Xichen in a low, clipped tone. “Or was my oath of brotherhood only worth the benefits it could get for Meng Yao?”

“Da-ge!” Lan Xichen exclaimed, looking horrified. “Don’t think that, please. Of course I stand with you in this – what they were planning for the Wen sect members goes beyond bad taste and into the horrific.”

He hadn’t meant it the way Nie Mingjue had taken it, then. It must have only been Jin Guangyao’s pleading looks that had led him to take a stand the wrong way, seeking peace and friendship over justice.

“One should not look away from righteousness simply because it would be easier,” Lan Wangji added smoothly, sounding almost as though he were agreeing with his brother and not subtly scolding him. He saluted Nie Mingjue. “You have our full support, regardless of who is on the other side.”

Nie Mingjue continued to look at Lan Xichen who hesitated – no doubt thinking of the tough position they’d just put Jin Guangyao into – but in the end he nodded.

That was fine. Okay, no, it wasn’t fine, but right now he needed Lan Xichen’s support, regardless of his level of enthusiasm; the rest could be dealt with later.

He turned again and went to Jiang Cheng – Wei Wuxian was there as well, having appeared at some point, and he was vociferously yelling at some minor sect leaders. In Nie Mingjue’s favor, at least.

“Sect Leader Nie,” Wei Wuxian said, turning to him before Nie Mingjue could say anything to Jiang Cheng – not that he really need to confirm his support, given the public display from earlier, but it was only polite to come convey his thanks. “There’s something else you should know. I’ve heard some things about the innocent members Wen sect that were supposedly ‘resettled’ – and what’s been happening to them…”

Nie Mingjue glanced at Jin Guangshan, still shouting, and did a quick calculation. “Take Lan Wangji and go check it out at once,” he ordered. “They were supposed to be resettled by the Qiongqi Path. If Sect Leader Jin has been treating these ones so cruelly as this…I’m willing to believe anything right now. But whatever it is, make sure it’s both of you that see it with your own eyes, to make it harder to doubt your words.”

Wei Wuxian saluted him and headed towards Lan Wangji without even seeking approval from his sect leader. Nie Mingjue abruptly felt awkward and looked at Jiang Cheng, but the other man nodded his agreement before he could apologize for commandeering Wei Wuxian as if the other man was still his subordinate.

“At least he listens to you,” Jiang Cheng said, a rueful smile on this face. “Can I convince you to talk some sense into him when all this is done..? I must admit I wasn’t expecting another war so soon.”

“I had hoped we wouldn’t see one for another generation,” Nie Mingjue admitted. “I still hope we can avoid it – it depends on how the smaller sects fall out, and how determined the Jin sect is to dominate the rest, rather than willing to accept equality. But no matter how it goes, we can’t turn our faces away from injustice.”

“Agreed,” Jiang Cheng said with a sigh. “I think we have the better of the argument, and hopefully it sways the rest of them. But have you considered what happens if we win?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sect Leader Jin has been setting himself up as Chief Cultivator. After something like this, even if there’s no actual fighting, that’ll be impossible. You need respect to lead. So who will it be?”

Nie Mingjue experienced a brief moment of horror at the thought of having to take it himself – but no. It was a reasonable solution, of course, but it would also taint the whole thing. It would make his decision to stand up into a tawdry political play, designed to increase his power, rather than a genuine outburst of offended principle.

He might have proposed Lan Xichen as a compromise – he would have, even a shichen earlier. But after that display of weakness from earlier, however brief, he feared that it would somehow end up with Jin Guangyao (and Jin Guangshan behind him) pulling the strings from behind the scenes, using Lan virtue as a cover for their iniquity…no, that wouldn’t do at all.

The only other option was –

Well.

Nie Mingjue had thought to himself that he needed to do something to pay Jiang Cheng back for his support earlier, hadn’t he?

(And at worst, he’d owe him yet another favor.)

Nie Mingjue put his hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “You have my full support,” he said solemnly, and ignored the sudden look of panic on Jiang Cheng’s face. “Think it over before you say no.”

Being Chief Cultivator would do more to restore the Jiang sect to prosperity than anything else Jiang Cheng might do, and he’d put that together himself sooner or later even if the idea of that much responsibility had to be fairly terrible. But before they could decide things like that, they needed to win.

One more fight.

He could do that much.

#mdzs #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #jin guangyao #lan xichen #jin guangshan #lan wangji #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #my fic #my fics #roseunspindle #spectacle

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fanficimagery · 3 years

Text

Hell Takes Riverdale pt. I

Imagine moving to Riverdale while your father has some business to attend to. While there, you meet some people you find yourself growing attached to.

Words: 8.8K Author’s Note: Riverdale AU where FP didn’t go to prison for his crimes and Jughead joined the Serpents because he wanted to. This isn’t exactly Northsider friendly and I’ll be focusing more so on the Serpents, so I won’t go into detail about all the drama the Northside gang constantly puts themselves into the middle of, nor will Jughead be a part of it. I will mention a certain family who lives nearby from another show, but I will NOT be bringing those characters in here. The most you’ll get is what I explain about them in the imagine.

Jughead Jones was notorious for laying low and staying out of the spotlight. At least he was until a murder rocked his small town, Veronica Lodge- along with her criminal family- moved in, and his best friends Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews put together their very own crime solving Scooby Gang. He liked a good mystery every now and then, but the murder of Jason Blossom pointed towards his father's gang and he didn't know how to cope with that.

When FP Jones- Jughead's dad- eventually confessed to the murder, Jughead didn't know what to think. All he knew for sure was that his dad was innocent. So he and his friends did their best to prove Mr. Jones of his innocence, which they eventually did, but given FP's past the police decided to keep him a bit longer.

Jughead Jones was a powder keg waiting to explode, so in a move no one expected, he channeled his anger from the crookedness of their small town Sheriff to the local high school jocks when they decided to target the new girl for laughs. Y/N Y/L/N was a meek little thing, small smiles and small voice whenever called upon. She didn't dress like someone who had money, but then again she didn't dress like she didn't have any either. She presented herself as someone from the middle class which is probably why Jughead felt at ease coming to her defense one day out of the blue.

You're at your locker, putting away your books before you head over to the cafeteria for lunch, when someone shoves their shoulder into your back. You grunt as you collide with the metal in front of you, a few notebooks falling to the floor, and you turn to frown at the culprits. Reggie Mantle and his merry band of jocks laugh at you. "Seriously?" You mumble.

Reggie smirks, shrugging. "I gotta find my entertainment somewhere and what better entertainment is there than the new girl with no voice?" You roll your eyes and bend over to pick up your belongings, only for a sneaker clad foot to kick one of your notebooks away.

"Hey!"

The sound of someone being shoved into the lockers next to you has you looking up, a beanie-wearing, plaid shirt tied around the waist, boy coming to your aide. "What the hell is your problem, Mantle?" Hands fist into the material of Reggie's letterman jacket, slamming him twice against the lockers. "Haven't you ever heard the phrase pick on someone your own size?"

Reggie shoves him back. "Cool it, Jones, less you wanna end up in a cell next to your pops."

He scoffs. "You look real tough picking on a girl. Keep walking, jackass."

Your gaze darts between the two boys, chest to chest with one another, and you practically hold your breath. You can see the other jocks just itching for a fight, but the longer Reggie and your savior stare at one another, the less Reggie seems to be amped up for a fight. He eventually scoffs, smiling. "Whatever. The little mouse isn't much fun anyway."

Reggie goes to walk away, but not before kicking another one of your notebooks further down the hall. You sigh and start collecting your things closest to you once more.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about him. Reggie's a total dick."

You glance at the boy collecting one of your notebooks for you and flash him a small smile. "It's fine. Every school has a bully. I didn't expect this place to be any different."

"Yeah, well.." He trails off, placing the stuff he collected in your locker. "I'm Jughead."

"That's an unusual name," you say. "I'm Y/N."

"Well, Y/N, would you care to join me outside for lunch? I'm kind of alone today and I noticed you don't really sit with anyone either. I'll help keep Reggie off your back," he muses as if his protection would somewhat sweeten the deal.

"Sure. Why not?" You shrug.

Once everything is situated in your locker, you grab the lunch bag that had been hanging from a hook on the inside. Side by side, you walk with Jughead outside and towards one of the concrete picnic tables. He sits down and only then do you realize he had a brown sack clutched in his hand. Immediately he pulls out two smashed sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap, and unwraps them to start eating.

"So as a token of my thanks," you say while taking a seat across from him and unzipping your lunch bag, "have a fruit cup." You toss him a cool cup of mixed fruit and he happily catches it.

"Thanks." From the corner of your eye, you watch as he stares at you until you start eating your own sandwich and chips. "So Riverdale," he says. "Why here of all places?"

You huff a quiet laugh. Of course you'd heard the whispers about you, curious about your move, but you never spoke to anyone and no one dared to ask you before now. "My half sister lives in Greendale, and she and her aunts were having some personal issues. My dad moved us here so he could help them out, but he wasn't fond of the housing situations Greendale had to offer so we ended up here."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." He takes a bite of his food. "So are you and your sister close?"

"Not really." Your nose wrinkles. You eat a bit of your own food before explaining. "She kind of hates our dad because he slept with her mom when she was married, but instead of villainizing them both for their mutual decision, she puts all the blame on him."

Jughead shakes his head. "Well that sucks."

"Yep. But she obviously doesn't have a problem calling on him when she's in trouble." You roll your eyes, opening your water and taking a sip. "It's whatever. Riverdale is.. interesting."

"Yeah. It is," he huffs a brief laugh.

Over the next month or so, you and Jughead become actual friends. He attempts to introduce you to his group of friends, but the only one you can actually stomach being around is Archie. Veronica is too nosy, Betty too suspicious, and Kevin rarely hangs out with everyone less it involves a good gossip session. So more often than not, after realizing his group of friends wasn't just your cup of tea, you and Jughead hung out at Pop's Chock'lit-Shoppe.

The retro diner quickly became one of your favorite places in all of Riverdale, but upon entering one Sunday evening and seeing Jughead's expression you know you're not going to enjoy your dinner.

"Uh oh. What's going on with your face?" You ask as you slide in across from Jughead. "You look like you have some bad news."

He grins, shaking his head. "It's not bad. I'm just not sure how well you're going to take what I have to tell you."

"Mhm. Tell me after I've gotten my food." Almost as soon as the words leave your mouth, Pop Tate himself is dropping off your and Jughead's usual order. "Thanks, Pop."

The old man chuckles. "Don't mention it, Y/N. Enjoy your meal."

"Always do." Before any other words can be spoken, you and Jughead squirt ketchup on your respective plates. He steals the cherry from your milkshake and you plop a straw into his Coke to take a sip. The both of you take a bite out of your burgers, chuckling at each other and how at ease the two of you have become with one another. "So what's up?"

"I'm leaving Riverdale High." You pause in chewing and Jughead refuses to meet your gaze. "I'll be starting at Southside High tomorrow morning."

"Oh."

"It's just- my dad's getting out." When he looks up, the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of his dad coming home makes your exterior soften and you start to feel happy for your friend. "He, uh, he's been doing good. Jail forced him to get sober and he's talking about starting over. I'm going to move back in with him."

"That's good news, Jug. I'm really happy for you."

"Are you?" He grabs a fry and quickly dips it into your vanilla milkshake. You chuckle at him.

"Yeah. I mean we mostly hang out here anyway. That won't change, I hope." He's quick to shake his head, letting you know your weekly hang outs at Pop's would still be on. "I'll just have to toughen up and learn how to throw a punch. Reggie and his goons need a nice swift punch to the throat every now and then, I think."

Jughead exhales with relief. "Please let Kevin know beforehand so he can catch it on video for me."

"No promises."

The two of you go on to finish your food, making small talk and promises to keep in touch. Eventually you have to leave, so before you go your separate ways you decide to give Jughead a ride home. And since he's no longer embarrassed to have you over after the first time you'd been over, he accepts the ride with a shrug.

FP Jones has been out of jail for three days and in those three days Jughead has noticed his dad has been a little paranoid. So one day after school, he's had enough and decides to sit down and talk with him.

"What's going on?"

FP glances away from the paper in his hand. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because you're acting weird! Ever since you got out of jail it's like you're constantly looking over your shoulder."

Jughead and FP stare at one another before FP sets the paper down, running a hand through his hair. "Someone's coming to town," he says. "Someone you don't ever want to cross."

"Okay. And?"

"It's worrisome," FP says. "Mr. Morningstar, he's the real deal, Jughead. Expensive suits, expensive cars, posh accent.. this man can be very dangerous."

"Well then round up the Serpents. I'm sure they'll enjoy running this guy out of town."

"Nah." Jughead scoffs, confused as to what his dad's deal is. "Mr. Morningstar is the one who sent one of his lawyers to get me released."

"..oh."

"But Mr. Morningstar doesn't hand out favors without wanting something in return. I don't like being in debt, Jug. Especially to someone like him."

"We'll figure it out, dad. He reached out to you, not the other way around. He can't want something too bad if he came to you first. Right?"

"I don't know, son." FP falls silent, tapping his fingers along the tabletop. "And there's something else you should know."

"What?"

"Mr. Morningstar isn't exactly.. human." Jughead scoffs, but FP shoots him a warning look. "I'm serious. This man is capable of things you wouldn't believe unless you see it in person, but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. If he comes around, you do as I say. I'll settle my debt with him as quickly as possible and hopefully Riverdale will be in his rearview mirror sooner rather than later."

Jughead doesn't know how to feel at seeing his dad- the Serpent King himself- looking so on edge. He's never seen him so rattled, so it leaves Jughead himself feeling the dread start to seep in.

Every single Serpent inside the Whyte Wyrm was well aware of who Mr. Morningstar was and to be on the lookout for anyone fitting his description. For a week there was no sight or word about him, the same week which Jughead finally decided to throw in with the Serpents and officially become one of the gang. He had texted his friends, some more supportive than others, but he only found comfort in his decision after hearing back from Y/N who held no ill will towards him for wanting to be a Southside Serpent officially.

Jughead is still healing, everyone at the Whyte Wyrm celebrating him completing his initiation.

"Toni," FP calls out, "serve us up some shots!" The petite, pink haired girl behind the bar laughs, she readily grabbing up shot glasses and lining them up along the bar. She fills every shot glass, smiling as her fellow Serpents grab one to await the impending toast. As FP grabs one, he raises it up while staring at his son across the room who's hanging out with a few younger Serpents. "Jughead, while this wasn't the life I wanted for you, it is your decision and you don't know how proud it makes me to have you ride by side. To Jughead!"

"To Jughead!"

The Serpents all whoop and holler, downing their shots in one go.

"Hear, hear," an out of place accent muses. Those closest to the man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere all tense and FP's smile slowly vanishes as he stares at the man who hasn't aged a single year since he last saw him over fifteen years ago. "Well, well. Freedom seems to suit you well, FP."

FP schools his expression. "Mr. Morningstar."

"Call me Lucifer. No need to be so formal."

The Serpents seem to fall silent as FP and Lucifer Morningstar stare at one another. Jughead, seeing the way everyone is holding themselves as the tension amps up, pushes his way through the crowd until he's just behind his dad. "Lucifer," FP says, "why don't you follow me. We'll go somewhere a bit more private."

Lucifer gestures for FP to lead the way. "After you."

FP glances at Jughead over his shoulder, but he doesn't give him any sort of cue to follow. Instead, Jughead follows after them to a table that's not surrounded by any others over by the stage. Once seated, FP stares Mr. Morningstar in the face. "So what brings you to Riverdale? It's been a while since you were last here."

"Ah, yes," he says. Lucifer leans back in seat, smiling. "I originally came to watch a client of mine wreak havoc on your precious little town," at this, FP and Jughead tense, "but someone very important to me made attachments here and I've had to rethink my plans of letting your town burn to the ground."

"A client of yours?" FP's eyes narrow. "Who?"

"I think you know who," Lucifer says. "Annoying little bugger. But as I said before, attachments were made and I had to keep watch over said attachment to see whether or not I approved. And let me tell you, Mr. Jones, I quite liked what I saw."

"Okay?" He drawls. "So what does that have to do with why you're here? Or are you calling in a favor for getting me out?"

Lucifer laughs. "Oh no, FP. You getting out was not my doing." FP freezes. "You see, this someone important to me is my daughter. She's the one who requested you be freed."

"You have a daughter?" FP shifts in his seat. "Why would she want me out?"

"I do. And because one of your little snakelings made quite the impression on her after showing her kindness when he didn't have to." Lucifer raises an eyebrow at FP's completely flabbergasted expression. "This person was and continues to be genuine with my daughter, so I figured I'd step in and help clean up your beloved little town instead of letting it be turned inside out by Hiram Lodge. After all, it seems we're going to be in Riverdale for quite some time now."

FP glances around, but he can't see any of the Serpents being this person in question. Eventually, he asks, "Who?"

Lucifer's gaze darts up over FP's shoulder and lands on Jughead. Jughead's eyes widen. "Me? Who have I-"

"Me, of course." You choose that exact moment to walk out from the back room, ignoring everyone's stare save for Jughead's. You're a bit self-conscious of the black crystallized crown on your head and the skin tight, all black outfit your dad's minions had chosen for you, but you don't show it. The way you're dressed now, Jughead's never seen you this way. "What's wrong, Juggie? Cat got your tongue?"

Your friend gulps as he eyes you up and down. "Y/N?"

"Surprise!" You muse. At his slack expression, your smile diminishes. "It's still me, JJ. No need to be weird now."

FP glances between you and his son as Jughead asks, "Was our friendship even real?"

Your eyes widen. "Of course it was! I was never meant to make friends here," you quickly explain, "but you just couldn't leave me be when Reggie set his sights on me and you- you befriended me for me." Jughead loses some of the tension in his frame. "You didn't talk to me because of who my dad was and what he could do for you. You talked to me because you felt bad for me and then you continued to talk to me because we actually got along."

A beat passes and Jughead eventually sighs. "Don't kid yourself. I only talk to you because you let me steal the cherry from your milkshake." It takes a moment for his words to sink in and when they do you snort. Lucifer chuckles and poor FP has no idea what's going on.

"This is quite fitting, is it not?" Lucifer grins.

FP frowns. "What do you mean?"

"The Serpent Prince and the Queen of Hell. Royalty always seeks out royalty."

You freeze, Jughead's brow furrows, and FP seems to blanch as he comes to a sudden realization. Quick as a snake's strike, you slap the back of your dad's shoulder. "Not here." Then you glance at FP. "Can we continue this talk in a back room?"

He slowly blinks before he snaps out of his thoughts. "Yeah. Let's go."

FP stands and leads the way, and you grin over at Jughead. "Come on. We have some more stuff to talk about."

In a back office, FP and Lucifer have already taken their seats as you and Jughead join them. Instead of sitting, the two of you stand side by side after the door is shut behind you.

"So what exactly is going on here?" FP wonders.

Lucifer glances at you, smirking, and you sigh. You had a feeling he was going to make you explain yourself. "So I noticed instead of scoffing at the queen of hell comment, you blanched." FP hesitantly nods. "So that means you understand my dad is quite.. different."

Lucifer huffs. "I'm the devil, darling. No need to tiptoe around it."

You cringe as he so bluntly puts it out there and nervously gauge the Jones' reactions. Both seem more than a little intimidated and your heart starts to sink. "I'm still me, Jughead. Just a little.. more."

Jughead glances at you. "You're really the daughter of Satan?" You nod. "And this isn't some joke?"

"No. My sister, the one who lives in Greendale, was meant to take the throne," you admit. "But she really does hate my dad and refused it, so it passed on to the next heir. Hell got a little bit stuffy and some of my dad's more important minions were trying to marry me off, so I left with my dad as he dealt with business here. I was supposed to keep my head down until we moved on, but well.." you trail off, smiling softly. "I found that having a friend was quite nice." When Jughead has nothing else to say, you look towards FP. "You've raised a kind son, Mr. Jones. And for that, I'm going to offer you a favor." He seems to straighten up then, glancing worriedly at your dad. "And don't worry, this is a favor from me. I don't do contracts or cut deals like dad does. My favor is a no strings attached type of situation. This is a favor for a friend."

FP and Jughead glance at each other, and you notice FP subtly shake his head. Jughead sighs and looks at you. "Do you promise that me or my dad won't owe you?"

"Jughead," FP warns.

But you only have eyes for your friend as you step towards him and take up his hands within your own. "I swear. You're my friend, JJ. You got Reggie off my back and offered genuine companionship, so let me do something for you."

"You mean like getting my dad out of jail?"

You grin, releasing his hands and shoving at his shoulder. "Oh whatever. I was bored and you seemed like you missed him. Bite me, Jones." Lucifer chuckles and FP looks like he has no idea what's going on. "So come on. Whose life needs ruining?"

Jughead stares at you before shaking his head in amusement. "You're a little too excited to be ruining someone."

"I am my father's daughter."

Jughead stares at you, as if trying to conclude whether you're being genuine or not, and then has a silent conversation with his dad. Eventually FP sighs, cradling his head in his hands as Jughead looks back to you. "I messed up bad, Y/N. When my dad first got put into jail, someone suggested I visit this lawyer- who is also a Serpent- so that she'll guide me on how to get my dad released."

"And the snake double crossed you. Shocking," your dad chuckles.

"Shut up." Lucifer continues to chuckle, mime zipping his lips shut. You look back to your friend. "Go on."

"She gave me advice as a favor and said I'd owe her one someday in the future. I didn't think it through."

"The snake charmer is notorious for collecting favors and blackmailing you into continuing owing her favors," FP says. "She's turning the Serpents into drug runners and using video of my son delivering a crate of drugs as leverage so we don't tell her no."

Lucifer tuts. "That just won't do. Last I recalled, the Serpents were against drug dealing."

"We are," FP says, "but we can't deny her since she has that damn video. It'll be his word against hers."

Expression tightening, you glance between the two Serpents. "Give me a name."

"Penny Peabody."

Immediately you and your dad glance at one another, and you're the first to shout, "Dibs!" At his pout, you grin victoriously. "It's been awhile since I've seen any action. I'll call auntie Maze to collect the guest of honor."

You and Jughead are sitting at Pop's, waiting for your order to be brought out. It's your usual weekend hangout session, as well as a mini celebration for getting the Snake Charmer out of Serpent territory. FP had been a little hesitant around you and your father, but the more he watched you and his son, and you and your dad, he came to the realization that neither he or Jughead would be in harm's way. No one would be less they actually crossed the devil himself, so you were a bit surprised when FP had actually hugged you when you told him Penny would no longer be an issue. Afterwards, he was eager to talk to your dad and figure out a way to get the Southside cleaned up and fix the Serpents' reputation.

Seeing Jug's beanie laying on the table, you grin as you swipe it and quickly put it atop your head. "What do you say, Jones, wanna switch crowns for a day?"

He chuckles as he shakes his head. "I don't think I can pull off your crown." Your nose wrinkles at him as you laugh. "And speaking of crowns, are you going to tell anyone else anytime soon?"

You shrug. "I only talk to you and your dad, and at that your dad already knew about my dad."

"I didn't know anything about you or your dad and you told me."

"You were my friend before you found out about me being Hell royalty. I don't want to just tell anyone and then have them kissing up because of things I could possibly do for them."

Jughead nods in understanding. "I take it, it's happened before."

You touch the tip of your nose. "Bingo, JJ. Demons of Hell are shady assholes. But don't worry, if I befriend more Serpents they'll find out when the time is right."

"Well I think you're going to get your chance now because here come some friends of mine."

"What?"

"Whoa, Jughead, is that you? You've certainly changed from the last time I saw you earlier."

You smile sheepishly as three Serpents come up to your table, the one who spoke sitting next to Jughead while the tall one climbs in between you and the window, and the female sits on your free side. You pull off Jug's beanie and hand it back to him just in time for your food to be delivered. Immediately, Jughead steals the cherry from your milkshake and you take a sip of his soda. Once that's done, you squirt ketchup on your plates before you take a bite of your burgers.

"Well that was freakishly adorable." You glance at the pink haired cutie next to you and she grins. "Toni Topaz."

"Y/N Y/L/N. Well Y/N Morningstar now. I don't have to hide who I am anymore."

"Nice." She then points to the guy beside Jughead. "That's Fangs and the one on your other side is Sweet Pea." You nod at each boy in greeting, bite down on a few fries and steal from Jughead's plate every time he dips a fry into your milkshake. "So how did you and our snake prince become so close?"

Toni steals a fry from your plate and you grin at her. "First of all, I really hope you're not insinuating anything there. Don't get me wrong, Jughead's a cutie but I'd totally seduce Papa Jones before I went after baby Jones."

Jughead groans in disgust, Fangs and Sweet Pea snort, and Toni laughs out loud. "I like you."

"Maybe the sentiment will be returned soon," you say. "And to honestly answer your question, Jug came to my rescue when a few jerks decided I was an easy target at Riverdale High."

Sweet Pea scoffs. "Ugh. How do you put up with those mangy mutts?" It's his turn to steal from your plate, but you merely raise an eyebrow at his audacity before you glance at Jughead as he smothers a laugh.

"By avoiding them at all cost," you say. "Is food stealing a thing with you guys or..?"

"If you're really hungry, I'd hold onto that burger of yours. Fangs is notorious for stealing any and all food left unattended." Toni chuckles as you pull your plate towards you, but that only makes it easier for her and Sweet Pea to continue eating off your plate.

"You're all heathens," you deadpan. "At least Jughead waited a few days before he started eating off my plate."

The Serpents chuckle all around you and you find yourself relaxing in your seat. You knew the Southside Serpents had a bad reputation, but the more time you spent with them the more you realize just how wrong everyone is. The Serpents are some of the most loyal, drama free individuals you'd met and they're only riled up when someone attacks one of their own. And that- that you can respect.

During your lunch break, you're sitting alone and texting back and forth with Toni. Apparently word has gotten out that the Mayor is looking to shut down Southside High because it's unsafe for children, and the plan is to divide every Southside High student between several other high schools. Needless to say, every Southsider is pissed.

You send a text to your dad, asking if he knew what was going on, and he assures you he and Mr. Jones are looking into it.

Your can of Cola gets snatched up and you snap to attention, ready to argue back for your drink. But the sight of a grinning Jughead sitting across from you makes you relax and Sweet Pea straddling the bench right next to you makes you shake your head at them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Southside High is in chaos," Jughead says. He takes a sip of your soda before setting it back next to your books. "We were at the Wyrm when your dad asked us to collect you."

"Toni's been filling me in," you admit. "Does anyone know if the Mayor is for sure going through with this plan of hers?"

"It's such bullshit," Sweet Pea grumbles. "Yeah the school is shit ever since the Ghoulies started pushing Jingle Jangle on everyone, but it's ours."

"Don't worry, Sweets. Dad's on it. He'll figure something out."

He huffs. "Against Mayor McCoy? Doubt it."

You and Jughead share a knowing glance, and you bite back a grin. "My dad can be very.. persuasive."

"And scary," Jughead mumbles.

"Yes, let's not forget scary," you muse.

"What the hell is this?" The stern question is barked from somewhere behind you and you turn towards the voice. "Cooper dropped your sorry ass and now you're trying to lure in Y/N, Jones? I don't think so, you goddamn snake."

You roll your eyes at Reggie and his friends, and at the fact that the others sitting outside are now staring.

"Watch your mouth, you mangy mutt." Sweet Pea moves to stand, but you place a hand on his knee in order to silently tell him to stay put. He doesn't glance at you, but he does remain sitting.

Instead, you stand and step away from the bench in Reggie's direction. "What's your problem, Mantle? I know for a fact you don't care about me, so what is it about the Southsiders that has you so insecure?"

Reggie seems surprised that you've spoken back and it takes him a moment to school his expression back into one of anger. "Who the hell says I'm insecure?"

"Come on, Reggie," you grin. "You obviously have a hate boner going on for them." Jughead and Sweet Pea snort, and Reggie glares at them over your head. "So what is it? Is it because they're cooler than you? That they're so much more hotter than you and you know for a fact us Northside girls would willingly get on the back of their bikes than in the car mommy and daddy bought for you?"

Reggie sneers down at you. "Of course you'd be a Southside slut."

Jughead and Sweet Pea shout in your defense, rushing to their feet as you blink in surprise at the venom in his tone. But then anger quickly takes over and no one sees as your hand forms a fist at your side. When Reggie smirks at your silence, quick as lightning you change your stance so you can send your fist flying into his throat.

As Reggie stumbles back and gasps for air, Sweet Pea grabs you by the arm and then you're running. Sweet Pea and Jughead are laughing as they run for their bikes and you readily climb on behind Sweet Pea since he still had a hold of you. Two engines rumble to life simultaneously and you wrap your arms around Sweet Pea's waist, ducking your face behind his back so the wind doesn't sting your eyes.

When the three of you finally come to a stop, you're not in the Southside yet but you are well away from Riverdale High. The engines cut off and you finally pick up your head, and it's quiet for a few moments before Jughead starts to laugh once more.

"You actually punched Reggie in the throat." He shakes his head in amusement at you. "I did not think you were capable of ever hitting someone."

Sweet Pea chuckles. "You do know you left behind all your belongings. It's gonna be trashed by the time you go back for it."

You shrug. "The only thing worth saving was my phone and it's in my back pocket. A backpack can be replaced, and besides I think it's time Riverdale High and I take a break from one another."

Jughead and Sweet Pea's amusement slowly fades. "Wait. What?" Jughead asks. "You're dropping out?"

"No." You huff a laugh. "Transferring."

"Transferring to where?"

"Southside, you dimwits." You squeeze Sweet Pea when he scoffs at you calling him a name, letting him know you didn't actually think he was a dimwit. "I'm so over the drama of Riverdale High. I need a change. And if I want to go to Southside to be with my favorite people, do you really think my dad will let the school be closed down?"

"You really have that much faith in your old man, huh?" Sweet Pea asks.

"I do. And you should too." Jughead glances at you when you say that and you subtly shake your head at him. Soon, you mouth at him. "Now come on. Let's go see what my dad wants. I feel like going out tonight so I need to finish whatever task he has for me and make sure Toni is free."

The small gang of friends find themselves at Pop's diner once again, you being squished between Sweet Pea and Toni while Jughead and Fangs sit across from you. You and Toni share a plate of cheese fries, half of your burger having been stolen by Fangs and you steal sips of Cola from both Jughead and Sweet Pea since Sweets had finished your milkshake. When eating with them, you quickly learned extra food had to be ordered because once a plate was set down it was basically a free for all.

You're laughing at Fangs' affronted expression, from when he tried stealing cheese fries from you and Toni and you both had slapped his hand, when the bell above the door jingles. Your gaze is drawn to the group that enters, your mood souring just a tad when Archie, Betty, and Veronica enter. They glance around the diner for a booth and upon setting sights on your group, Archie chooses a booth not far from yours.

Toni nudges you to show you a message on her phone, lightening up the mood right away. But every now and then your attention is brought back to the Riverdale High group, and you can't help but notice the longing looks Betty keeps throwing at Jughead. And the fact that Jughead keeps glancing over his shoulder until he finally gets up, Betty following him seconds later to join him at a different booth.

"Did I miss something?" You ask when your friend is out of earshot.

Toni huffs. "They're doing that whole on again, off again thing. It's tiring," she says.

You frown as Jughead and Betty start talking, heads ducked close to one another, but then quickly avert your attention back to those sitting with you. You don't really have anything against Betty, but that girl attracts drama like crazy and you would rather not see her drag Jughead into it again.

The four of you left in the booth amuse yourselves while finishing off the remainder of your food, and you make sure that all your plates are stacked with the trash compiled on top so the busboy has little to no cleanup after you leave. But while you're still sitting there and waiting to see what Jughead is going to do, you can't help but overhear Veronica's obnoxious voice filling in her boyfriend Archie about all the great changes supposedly coming to Riverdale soon.

"I mean it's no longer a secret mommy and daddy are buying up property, Archiekins, but can you blame them?" Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs all tense, Fangs trying his hardest not to look in their direction. "The Northside is flourishing under their management and soon the Southside will too. We just have a few more hoops to jump through before we can start tearing down and rebuilding."

Having heard enough, you tap Sweet Pea's arm. "Move." Fangs widens his eyes at you and Toni giggles, she loving your more aggressive behavior. Sweet Pea stares at you for a moment before he grins, sliding out of his seat so you can follow right after him. Then taking a few steps towards Veronica and Archie's both, you stop and address the entitled teen. "Consider those hoops everlasting," you say. "Lodge Industries will no longer be buying up any property in Riverdale."

Veronica scoffs, smirking a second later. "And who the hell do you think you are to have any say so in my family's dealings?"

This time you smirk and you mentally cheer when you see her own falter. "Tell daddy dearest the Morningstars say hello. Lucifer will be in touch soon." You reach forward as Veronica's expression completely falls, stealing the cherry from her milkshake and catching the red, plump flesh behind your teeth and plucking the stem free. Letting the stem drop onto the table, you glance over your shoulder and gesture for your friends to follow. They do, chuckling all the while you walk towards the door. But before you walk out, you look over at Jughead and catch his attention. "Hey, JJ, we're heading out. Call me if you need a ride."

"Oh, uh, I'll come with." Betty quickly glances at him and for a split second you feel bad for her. "We're done here anyway." He slides out of the booth, ignoring Betty's frown as he makes his way towards you and his fellow Serpents.

Sweet Pea jostles Jughead, the two boys shoving each other lightly and laughing as the five of your exit. Everyone piles into your small SUV and it's not until Toni is comfortably seated in the passenger seat does she ask, "How serious were you with that threat back there? Can your dad really stop Lodge Industries?"

You slowly start to grin as you back out of your parking space. "Hiram Lodge is one of my dad's clients," you admit. "They have a.. contract of sorts, and Mr. Lodge is rich because of that. But my dad is starting to cut ties with some old clients of his and I'm pretty sure the Lodge's time up on that little pedestal of theirs is coming to an end."

"Sweet," Sweet Pea says from the back seat. "Hey, if your dad buys the school do you think you can ask him to put doors back on the bathroom stalls?"

You and Toni both snort, and you nod your head. "Sure, Sweets. I'll see what I can do."

- - - - - - - - - -

At the Whyte Wyrm, Sweet Pea and Fangs make a beeline for the pool table. Toni heads for the bar, her shift about twenty minutes from starting, and Jughead gets pulled into a conversation by some elder Serpents. Glancing around the bar, you don't see either man you want to speak with so you head for the hallway near the back wall where you know it leads to an office. A couple Serpents guarding the hall nod at you and let you pass without a word.

When you come upon the shut door to FP's office, you knock a couple of times and wait for confirmation to enter. A moment passes before his gruff voice is calling out that exact confirmation.

Opening the door, you walk right in and aren't surprised to see your dad in there as well. You smirk, happy to know he found a mortal he felt comfortable enough to share his identity with and that said mortal didn't go running for the hills. "FP. Dad," you greet. "Just the men I was looking for."

FP leans back in his chair as you take a seat across from him. "What can I do for you, Y/N?"

"Well first, I need to know your opinion about Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs." You then turn to look at your dad. "And depending on FP's answer, I need to know-"

"Your first orgy," your dad coos. "I approve. Especially the tall one. He'd make an excellent consort."

"I'm sorry, what?" FP glances between you and your dad, disbelief in his features.

You sigh, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose. "Dad, no. Just no," you say. When your eyes flutter back open, you say, "What did I tell you about speaking of orgies so freely in front of mortals? It's weird. Especially since you're my dad. You're not supposed to approve of these things."

"Well fine. Have it your way." Lucifer leans back in his seat, resting his right ankle atop his left knee and taking a sip of his drink. "Probably for the best anyway. Naamah will be upset if you deny her the chance to plan your first orgy."

"Oh my god."

FP finally laughs, shaking his head as if he can't believe what he's hearing. Your dad pouts and you give your attention to FP once more. "The baby snakes are a loyal bunch," he says. "I've had some older Serpents question you and your father's presence here within the Wyrm, but Jug and the others were quick to defend you. Why do you ask?"

Here you look back to your dad. "I want to come clean to them. Jughead knows about me and it's getting tough to censor what I say in front of the others when we all hang out."

Lucifer salutes you with his glass tumbler. "You're the Queen of Hell, darling. You can tell whoever you want."

"Good to know." You push up from your chair, smiling at both men. "Oh and I want Southside High. Veronica Lodge and her family are trying to tear the Southside down and rebuild, but I feel like throwing a wrench into their plans."

Lucifer raises an eyebrow at you. "And how do you suggest going about that?"

"By befriending Mayor McCoy, of course." FP snorts, but you continue on as if you didn't hear him. "She seems like a decent lady when the Lodge's aren't blackmailing her into doing their bidding. Give her a little taste of power, no strings attached and without letting her know your true identity, and show her you're an ally. I have a feeling she'll drop the Lodge's in a heartbeat."

FP grins, shaking his head. "You really are your father's daughter."

You glance at him and smirk. "Duh. Now carry on. I'm going to be with Toni behind the bar."

- - - - - - - - - -

The Whyte Wyrm is as busy as always and you happily find your place behind the bar with Toni. She serves up the drinks as you walk around, cleaning glasses and/or wiping down the bar top. Every now and then you catch your dad or FP's eye, and they signal for a round of drinks that Toni readily makes before walking a tray over to them. You then watch your boys from afar, laughing when Jughead catches your eye and purposefully makes Sweet Pea miss his shot while playing pool. Sweet Pea is apparently a very sore loser, but you can't help to think that he makes a really cute sore loser.

When Toni returns and sees where you're looking, she sidles up to your side while cleaning a glass in her hand. "So, uh, I think I should apologize."

You look at her. "For what?"

"Earlier at Pop's, when I told you Jughead and the Cooper girl were on again/off again, you looked like someone kicked your puppy for a moment there."

"Did I?" You chuckle, shrugging her words off. "It's fine. Jughead has become a really good friend to me and I'm not exactly Betty's biggest fan. They say southsiders are nothing but trouble, but those northsiders have caused a lot more trouble than any of you have. I don't want to see him be dragged into their messes again."

"Oh," she drawls. "Okay. I just thought that you were upset because she and Jughead were together again and you had missed your shot or something."

"No." You laugh. "And besides, I kind of have my eye on another Serpent, but I don't think he likes me that way."

Toni rolls her eyes. "I don't think FP is into jailbait. Sorry."

You snort, shaking your head in amusement. "A girl can dream."

Over the next couple of weeks, you get well acquainted with the power struggle between the Ghoulies and the Southside Serpents within the high school. The school is practically run down, there's no privacy within the graffitied walls of the bathrooms, and a little less than half the student population have no issue taking drugs out in the open while standing in the hallways. Not a single one of your favorite Serpents lets you out of their sight, and though you don't need their protection you welcome it. And their loyalty towards you is what leads you to take that final step in finally telling your other three friends the truth.

Walking up to the Jones' trailer, you stomp up the steps and pound on the door. A few seconds later the door opens and FP raises his eyebrows at you as he's pulling on a leather jacket.

"Y/N?"

"Hey, FP. Is JJ home?"

"Yeah. Come in." He opens the door wider and you step in, heading for the couch. "Is everything okay?"

"Peachy." You grin. You plop down in the corner of a couch, crossing one knee over the other. "I just finally decided to tell the others the truth and I wanted to see if Jughead would be there for me in case things go south."

A look of understanding passes over FP's features and he smiles kindly at you when he notices your bit of nerves. "It'll go fine. If Jug and I didn't run, neither will these three little shits." You grin at him. "Now I should get going. Will your dad and I be seeing you later?"

"Depends on how well my little bombshell is taken."

"Alright." FP heads towards the kitchen, calling down the only hallway in his trailer. "Hey Jug, Y/N is here so put some clothes on before you come out."

FP smiles at you one last time before he exits his trailer and it's not until his bike's engine outside roars to life does Jughead exit his bedroom from the back. "What's going on?"

"It's time to tell the other baby snakes about my heritage."

He blinks. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." You nod, momentarily second guessing yourself. "Yeah," you then say more confidently. "I think the longer I wait now, the higher the chance of them being pissed at the fact that I kept something like this from them."

"Okay. Where are we doing this?"

"Quarry?" You wonder. "We need privacy, but not too private that they feel trapped should they not take the news well."

Jughead exhales quietly. "Quarry it is. My bike or your car?"

"Your bike. Text Toni and the guys. I just need to grab my bag from my car."

Jughead is pulling on his jacket as he gestures for you to join him by the door, then pulling on his infamous crown beanie before pulling out his phone to text the others. He heads to his bike while you head for your car, opening the passenger door and pulling out your messenger bag. Draping the bag strap over your head and across your chest, you close the door and lock up before pocketing the keys.

When you sidle up to Jughead, he hands you his only helmet and you readily pull it on before climbing on behind him. He's not normally a crazy driver, so you loosely wrap your arms around his waist and enjoy the short ride to the quarry.

You and Jughead are the first to arrive, walking towards a spot that seems to have frequent visitors. Seats torn out from vehicles and a few crates form a half circle around an unlit barrel just off to the side of the water, and Jughead wastes no time in lighting up the barrel since it's a little chilly out.

Placing your bag on one of the seats, you walk towards the fire and hold your hands over it to warm up. Then about five minutes later, the rest of your friends show up.

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea asks as his gaze darts between you and Jug. As he sees you warming up, he stops by your side and wraps an arm around your shoulders to offer some of his warmth. Toni and Fangs stand on the other side of the barrel, warming themselves up briefly before taking a seat.

"I, uh, I have something I need to tell you guys. It's going to sound incredibly insane, but I need you to trust me when I say I am no threat to you." Sweet Pea frowns down at you and he only takes a seat when you nudge him towards the others. Jughead grabs your bag and hands it to you, and you smile faintly in thanks. Then opening the flap, you remove your crown and let your bag fall before hesitantly putting the crown on. Clearing your throat, you say, "When you guys first saw me, I was wearing this."

Fangs grins. "We thought you were just another spoiled little daddy's girl."

You grin back. "I mean I am," you shrug, "but the crown actually means something."

"Are you trying to tell us you're royalty or something?" Toni chuckles. At your neutral expression, her smile falters. "Y/N?"

You inhale shakily, glancing at Jughead who gives you an encouraging nod. "Whenever people meet my dad, I'm well aware that they think his given name is rather unfortunate." Sweet Pea snorts, grinning. A couple older Serpents at the Wyrm made it no secret when making fun of your dad's name. "But what if I told you that my dad really is the Lucifer Morningstar?" Your serious, yet nervous, expression makes the other three go still. "That I'm literally the daughter of the devil?"

The only sounds you can hear are the chirping crickets and crackling fire until, "You really buying this, man?" Sweet Pea scoffs. You briefly glance at him to see he's staring at Jughead who's still by your side.

Jughead nods, his arms crossed over his chest. "I am. My dad knew something was up with Lucifer before they outright told us the truth. He's known for years, but Lucifer wasn't a threat to him then or now so he didn't make a fuss about it."

Sweet Pea frowns. He doesn't look scared or pissed, but he doesn't look impressed either. "Why are you telling us this now?"

"That first night, my dad let FP and Jughead in on our secret because he saw how I trusted Jug and wasn't planning to leave Riverdale anytime soon. We trusted the Jones' and they now trust us. The circle of people in the know was meant to stay as small as possible, but then you three," you pause, huffing and smiling sadly as you meet each of their gazes, "wormed your way under my skin and I knew I couldn't keep a secret this big from you anymore."

"So your dad really is the devil?" Fangs asks. His gaze is set on the flames just barely dancing over the rim of the barrel, an expression on his face you can't quite decipher.

Sighing, you let your left hand wave back and forth over the flames. "My dad really is Lucifer Morningstar." You hold your hand still then, the flames engulfing your hand. Someone gasps, but you don't look up until you say, "And I'm the Queen of Hell."

"Oh fuck."

Fangs immediately shoots up, stumbling behind his seat. Sweet Pea's expression has completely shut down and Toni stares with wide eyes. Without having to look in a mirror, you already know your eyes have gone pure white and the picture you paint with the crown atop your head can look quite daunting.

"I'm still me- the same girl you've been hanging out with for a while now." You swallow down the hurt you feel at their speechlessness. "But.. I will understand if this is too much. All I ask is that this little revelation doesn't leave the circle." Still your friends say nothing and fight against the burn behind your eyes. "I'm sorry."

As quickly as you can, you bend over to pick up your bag. Shouldering the strap, you turn to walk away when Jughead calls out. "Y/N.."

"It's fine," you say and cast him a small smile. "I'll pick up my car later. I'm going home."

"Let me give you a ride home at least."

You shake your head. "I'll manage." And with that, you turn and walk away, letting a swirl of flames whisk you away.

Maybe you should have waited, dropping hints here and there to ease them in. But as you appear in your room, you drop onto your bed and let the sadness swallow you whole. What's done is done. All you can do is hope for the best now.

#riverdale imagine #riverdale gen fic x reader #riverdale #jughead jones #fp jones #lucifer morningstar #sweet pea #toni topaz #fangs fogarty #riverdale x reader

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