#outsider’s pov

[kuroneko1815]

Imperial Domesticity: Provocation and Conciliation

Many a woman had thrown themselves at the Emperor Callisto Regulus but none got under the skin of the Imperial family, or of the Empire as a whole so much as the nuisance of Nausica. The Nausica debacle as told from the eyes of the Crown Prince of Nausica and the perpetrator’s elder brother.

It took some time before Nausica truly felt the hit of the sanctions the Empire imposed on them. It started slowly, like a trickle, a small hole in a dam that gradually ate away at the integrity of the structure. But it all built up to the point where they were beginning to feel the squeeze.

The advisors all begged the King to send some kind of appeasement, an apology, for their Princess’ actions but he was resolute in it. The Queen felt her daughter had done nothing wrong while the Princess herself felt unrepentant and in fact felt slighted and wronged.

Both of the Princes had spoken against their father’s inaction because as much as they loved their sister, they knew that the Emperor’s actions were justified. The Emperor who, as they’d seen when they’d represented their small kingdom at the wedding all those years ago, was wholly and completely in love with his wife. No, it wasn’t just that. The Emperor, war mad and brutal as he was, was obsessed with the Empress.

The very same Empress who’d just given the Emperor two more daughters to the monarch’s delight. It was said that he’d had all the bells rung throughout the Capital and thrown a great celebration when the Empress had recovered. It was also said that the Emperor stayed by her bedside, leaving only for the most pressing meetings, or to entertain their daughters.

If that wasn’t an indication about how devoted a husband the Emperor was, they didn’t know what would prove it. The man spent every night in the Empress’ chambers, sought her at all hours of the day, and given how frequent they had children, there was no doubt that they were particularly amorous. And also… as pretty as their sister was, both Princes agreed that she was no match for the Empress’ ethereal beauty.

All of this should have meant that they’d tread carefully, common sense told them not to incur the wrath of the very Emperor who had crushed armies and levelled entire cities, tearing down kingdoms as the war changed from the retaliation of the smaller kingdoms’ attacks to a war of conquest and expansion.

Prince Julius still remembered the day their army was defeated. When his father had been forced to kneel in front of the then Crown Prince, who, at the age of seventeen had torn through the walls that protected their city and marched in to the palace.

The golden hair was dirtied with grime, flecks of blood on his face, red eyes cold and dark. He shivered at the thought. He’d been a child then. His younger brother, Vincent had only been four at the time, and mother had been pregnant with Bianchi.

When he’d seen the Emperor next, he was harsher, and quite proud of his triumph as he marched his army back to the Imperial Capital as a war hero. His brutal reputation had begun then. And then tales of his lover being the Mad Dog of the Eckhart had made it’s round, the way he reacted when she’d been poisoned, even almost forsaking his place as the heir to the throne so as not to leave her side. And then… then his coronation, his eyes were alive, warm and soft, eyes staring into the crowd. At the beautiful magenta haired woman who was apparently the Saviour of the Empire, Lady Penelope Eckhart.

After that, it was the Imperial Wedding. Five years after the coronation. The Emperor’s face was one of utter love struck devotion as she walked down the aisle. A look of jubilant love on the lady’s face as she practically glided through the halls, resplendent in her clothing, radiant in love, enhancing her already exquisite beauty transforming it into something so divine, he’d fallen in love (as did his little brother).

He remembered the grin on the Emperor’s face, his body leaning towards the Lady at all times, body touching her at all times even if it was a mere brush of skin. The way their eyes never left one another throughout the festivities, as they danced around the halls and never left one another’s side. The Duke was weeping throughout the night at his ‘baby’s’ wedding.

Both Eckhart lords were frowning, clear disapproval for the match. Disapproval for the Emperor that was apparently shared by the Duke who believed no man was good enough for his daughter. They wanted the Lady to be the Empress without an Emperor, or rather, be the Emperor herself.

All told, it was very clear that there was one thing that should never, ever, be harmed. The Empress and her children. The Emperor seemed not to care for others perception of him, but the Empress was not something to be slandered. And his little sister did just that. She’d offered herself up as a replacement Empress over the one she’d seen as ‘defective’ for her womb’s inability to produce a son.

In one letter, she’d done the remarkable thing of managing to insult directly and indirectly, the entire imperial family. And it had nearly come to war. A war that he knew they’d have no chance of winning. Peter Cook, their ambassador, had made that clear. It was only averted because of the Empress’ intervention.

Still, Father refused to punish Bianchi, refused to send an apology, even if it was merely lip service. His pride was large. And now, months down the line, their people were now suffering the effects as the supplies began to dwindle, as the economy itself began to fall without the exports and imports of certain goods.

People were beginning to grow anxious and dissatisfied. What were they going to do?

“Why don’t you send me, Father.” Bianchi suggested. “I’ll apologize in person.”

Julius watched her wearily, his eyes meeting Vincent’s. When their father approved. He felt some dread pooling in him.

“Let Vincent and I go along as well to act as her escorts.” He added, hands trembling at the thought that his sister was planning something. Thankfully, his father had agreed to it as well.

-

-

Now here he was. The Imperial palace drew closer and closer. Bianchi fixed her hair then began to fuss over her clothing. She spoke about seeing the Emperor, gushing about him and his achievements throughout the entire month long journey.

“Don’t get any notions.” He’d warned. “You’re here to apologize and nothing more.”

“Oh, of course, brother.” She said with a wave of her hand. “Besides, what kind of notions would I get?”

He remained quiet. It was clear that she was angling for a compliment and he didn’t bother to entertain such foolishness. The longevity, no not even that, immediate future of their Kingdom depended on this going well. “Be on your best behaviour.”

Perhaps he should have gone and ridden on the guard with Vincent. But it was too late now. And they were already at the Palace’s gates. When the carriage drew to a stop and they’d stepped out, he could see the visible disappointment in his sister’s face when it was the Emperor’s chief aide that came to greet them and to lead them to throne room. It wasn’t out of the norm. They may be the highest in their kingdom, but this was the Empire and they were little more than ants before the mighty war machine that was the Imperial Army.

As they walked through the grand and tastefully decorated halls of the Sun Palace, his sister looked around with covetous eyes. He had an inkling of what was going to happen and prayed that he was wrong. Surely his sister wasn’t so… so foolish as to try and flirt with the Emperor in front of the Empress while the man himself was still burning in fury. And yes, he knew the Emperor’s make, the man was the type to hold grudges.

When they were announced in, there was a slew of nobles gathered around the throne room. Whispers abounded. This wasn’t atypical per se, but there was a clear and heavy expectation. The golden Emperor sat on the throne with his beautiful Empress at his side, the customary gap in their thrones was absent, it was pressed up together and they held hands.

They bowed before the thrones as they said their greetings.

“Rise.” The Emperor commanded, voice strong and unyielding. His eyes took in their party.

Lord Peter Cook coughed nervously and indicated to the Bianchi with his eyes. His sister was staring at the Emperor hungrily while he stared back with barely hidden contempt. Brow raised as he tapped a finger on his throne. It was silent within the room, the only sound was constant and impatient tapping from the Emperor.

Vincent subtly elbowed Bianchi.

“Your Majesties,” Bianchi said, voice holding the slightest simper, “I apologize for the insult I gave towards the Empress and the Imperial Princesses through that letter I meant in jest. Please, forgive this foolish one, and spare my people your benevolent mercy.”

The Emperor looked unsatisfied and for a moment, Julius feared that he would decline it and order them all killed. Thankfully, the Empress turned to the Emperor, raising the hand that was entwined with hers and she kissed it, his face and eyes softened immediately as he turned to the Empress before he sighed.

“I shall accept that completely unsatisfactory apology and extend mercy upon the people of Nausica.” He declared. “Only because my beloved, darling Empress wished for it.”

He sighed, thankful to the Empress. His heart calmed in one way but was enflamed in another. The beautiful, kind, Empress was a woman of an ideal standard that was hard to find. Oh if only his sister had half of her sense then they wouldn’t be in this state.

-

-

His sister ranted when she’d been let into their apartment. “It was surely that the Empress had forbidden the Emperor from greeting me at the steps!” She declared angrily.

“And why?” His brother asked.

“Because she’s threatened by me.”

Vincent burst into peals of laughter. “What would she have to be threatened by?”

“Because I’m younger and prettier, my blood is pure and noble, unlike hers. And, I’m not a witch like she is.”

Vincent stared at her in disbelief. “Younger? Oh yes, you’re practically a child in comparison to the Emperor and Empress, but prettier? That’s debatable. And as for her blood… she is the last of the Ancient Mages, who, now that the Laila is gone, has been verified as the protectors of the Empire, and touted, traditionally as higher than the nobles, as per the tenets of the Empire’s founding. In short, she is higher in blood than any of us, save for the Emperor.”

Bianchi glared at them venomously. “I still maintain that she’s using magic to keep in her thrall.”

“Doubtful.” Julius said. “The Emperor spent days away from the Empress while she studied and got her degree, not to mention while she dedicated herself to research. Such magics can’t be sustained through such a long period of time and through such distance. Furthermore, the Emperor had been mad for her even when she was on the brink of death from the Laila’s poisoning.” He reasoned.

But she remained resolutely firm in her convictions.

-

-

There were many, many close calls after that. His sister was prone to vitriol and as the second highest ranking woman in the Kingdom, who would dare censor her for it? Certainly not their mother or father. But, as he’d pointed out time and again, this was not the kingdom.

He saw the way the Emperor’s nose flared, his hands going to his side and clenching nothing but air as his sword was nowhere to be found. In those moments, one of two things would happen. Either the Empress would appear or…

“Servant Emperor!” The almost eleven year old Crown Princess called out, flying through the air. His face immediately softened, the dark and dangerous look in his eyes nowhere to be found as a look of utter adoration crossed his face and he raised his arms to catch the child.

They were a tangle of gold as they hugged. Golden wings glinting in the light. No one reacted to the humiliating nickname the Crown Princess had used, that the other children had also used for their father. The Emperor seemed to have forgotten everything that had angered him, or rather, he’d forgotten the rest of the world as he walked away from the humiliating display that his sister had put on, and focused only on speaking with his daughter who chattered about the most mundane things, of bunnies found and bugs caught.

-

-

Other incidents happened, and other children came forth, distracting the Emperor. One time, it was the crying of his new born daughters that had the Emperor rushing away before his sister could even reach him. He carried both bundles in his arms as he shushed them.

“And why are my little stars crying?” He said in a gentle and soft voice. “This Papa will destroy anything that upsets you.”

It wasn’t meaningless and empty words. Those were words of a promise.

“And Papa will subjugate any that dares to cross you and your sisters. I’ll erase any unsightly thing you may encounter.”

He shivered at the dark promises.

“You really don’t hold yourself back on anything, do you? You should take care of what you say around the children.” The Empress’ voice rang out.

They turned around to see the Empress walking gracefully through the path almost as though she were floating on air, it was sheer elegance and poise. The Emperor immediately went to her side, pressing a kiss to her hair.

“My love,” He said, breathless. She took one babe into her arms while the Emperor remained holding the other, pulling her in close and escorting her away from them.

They were used to such things. The Emperor could often be found with the Empress, embracing her, touching her, clinging to her, practically attached to her.

(He didn’t know that at the end of the day, and sometimes even in between, the Empress would ‘reward’ the Emperor for another day without spilling the blood of the nuisance of Nausica. The Emperor, eternally hungry for his wife, complied with great difficulty.)

-

-

They were turned away from negotiations once more. Lord Cook had told him that Bianchi’s behaviour was putting the nobles off from any sort of agreements. And tensions were rising as his sister continued to toe the line between offence and decency.

“I love our sister.” Vincent said. “But…”

“But her behaviour has become so outlandish beyond any shred of politeness.” He finished.

“Yes, and we have to figure out a way to extract her from the palace before any truly lasting damage can be done.”

“Maybe sending her away for awhile, or… marriage to some lord.” He said thought it sat bitter in his tongue, he loathed the thought of marrying her off but the kingdom needed to come first. And he could find her an advantageous match.

As they passed through a corridor, they found the Emperor, he was walking quietly, almost as though he were creeping. They froze. And watched on as he approached the clueless Empress who was taking her tea while reading a book, all five of their daughters were scattered around her, sleeping on the picnic blanket. The Emperor immediately dropped behind her, a hand snaking around her stomach and the other going to cover her eyes as he dipped his head and pulled her back slightly until they kissed.

They were too far away to hear what was being said but the gentle smile on their faces said all that they needed to know. They turned and walked away quietly.

-

-

During the Imperial functions, the Emperor never left the Empress’ side. They danced together as many times as the Empress could take before retiring to their thrones. When they socialized with the other nobles, they were never too far away from one another. The nobles looked on with fond amusement.

“They truly are such a sweet couple.” One of the ladies said, gushing. “The Emperor’s love for the Empress had won her over eventually.”

“Oh, you mean the love triangle between Marquis Verdandi, Lady Penelope, and the Crown Prince.” Another had said.

“Yes, the Marquis’ reputation was so different from the Crown Prince’s but it seemed that he lost that race.”

He could see his sister perk up at the gossip. She listened on closer.

“The Crown Prince had been rumoured to stalk the Lady for awhile after their breakup, but eventually they got back together. Especially after her coming of age when the Laila poisoned her.”

One of the matrons reminded them. Adding to the gossip. “I remember that. It was such a beautiful ceremony until she began to cough up blood. And then the Emperor was by her side in a second, pulling her into his arms and begging her to stay with him. He’d also pushed Lord Derrick Eckhart from the Dias because he was in the way, staring on frozen.”

“Were it not for the horror of it all, it would’ve been romantic.”

“But it was a testament to his love for the Lady. He refused to eat or sleep while he remained at her bedside. And it was said that he’d even returned to wearing his sword so that he may follow after her in death should she never have awakened.”

That was… it was a horrifying thing to think of. To be so consumed by someone they would willingly take their life just to be with them again. Especially from someone like the Emperor who’d torn down entire kingdoms who refused to bend the knee.

They switched to different topics until it finally landed on Bianchi.

“How shameless the Princess is.” They said with conspiratorial voices.

Bianchi’s face became blank.

“To throw herself at a married man who is a devoted and loving husband and doting father. She really must be desperate.”

“A true embarrassment.”

Her face became red with anger. She stormed off.

When they caught up to her in the gardens, she was throwing things around. “How dare those… those lowly women say such things about me?” She spat out. “They’re nothing but nobles, I’m a princess.”

And then she went into a tirade about the women, the Empress, and the Empire at large, citing everything she would change once she was the Empress. Julius physically dragged her to their apartments, a hand over her mouth.

“Be quiet.” He hissed. “And don’t say such things out in the open.” He chastised her. “This isn’t the kingdom. Everything has ears here.”

-

-

The tea party that Bianchi attended was no better. The Crown Princess attended with her mother and aunts. Both from the maternal family, and her father’s cousin’s wife, Lady Alice.

The ladies were all having a good time, ignoring the pointed words of Bianchi who sat with Lady Cook and the other wives of the dignitaries when it happened.

Perhaps frustrated by the fact that she wasn’t the focal point of the tea party but the little princess was, she lashed out.

“Well, at least I’d never birth an abomination like her.” She said. The whole table fell into an eerie silence. The Emperor had been walking by with them when this happened. The Crown Princess looked as though she’d been struck, she shook beside her mother. “Those unsightly, demonic wings of her and that unnaturalness born from her magic. She’s a cursed child.”

Given their rankings, her other side was taken up by the Empress who stood she poured the warm tea on her, dousing her from head to toe before she dropped the tea pot, letting it shatter on the ground by Bianchi’s feet. She then reached her hand back and slapped his sister hard enough that her head turned sharply, the sound reverberated around.

“How dare you!” The Empress said, voice filled with venom. “How dare you say that about my child! You churlish, ill mannered, shameless hussy.”

She pulled Bianchi to her feet by the fabric of her dress, and despite being shorter than Bianchi, she seemed to tower over her in spirit.

“I’ve tried to be courteous and accommodating because the people of your kingdom are innocent of your actions, turned the other cheek when you disparage me, distract and temper my husband’s anger at your blatant disrespect of me. But you go to far with insulting my daughter.”

She pushed her to the ground, away from the shattered pot. Stepping on it purposefully and grounding it to dust. “I pity your citizens to have such a narrow minded, wanton, immoral, and immodest woman as a princess. An insipid woman who thinks herself clever and better than others by virtue of blood, when truly, you’re nothing more than a plain faced, foolish, dull witted child who wasn’t raised right. My daughters are far younger than you and yet they behave kinder and more modest despite their obviously superior bloodline and status.”

She leaned down, grabbing her face and making her look her in the eye. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything more from you, ‘twas really my mistake that I had even any expectations that you weren’t as self absorbed and shallow as the rumours made you out to be. But it turns out you were nothing more than a vapid brat clinging to your daddy’s skirts and title, with an over inflated sense of self importance and a half baked idea that you were someone anyone here would look up to or welcome. After all, who’d want a woman so blatantly throwing themselves at another woman’s husband as their Empress? You with your so called superior blood who’s never worked a day in her life, never understood the real world, nor had any so called accomplishments will never be even a third of the woman my Judith will grow up to be.”

And then she let her go, walking towards where the little princess was crying in her father’s arms, as her aunts and the other ladies converged on her.

“Callisto.” The Empress said, using his name rather than his title.

“My beloved?” He asked as he stood up with Princess Judith in his arms.

“Tighten the noose. I want a full embargo on Nausica.” She said coldly. “I’m done playing nice. Let their people suffer for all I care. And if they try anything… crush them.”

“With great pleasure, Love.” And then he turned to them, face set in a black fury.

“Prince Julius, you have an hour to pack your things. Three to get out of the capital, and three weeks to make it to your kingdom. I want that filthy thing out of my Empire.” He said as he looked at where Bianchi was laying on the floor, her cheek red and slightly bleeding from a cut made by the Empress’ wedding ring.

The Empress spoke up again. “Lady Cook, owing to our acquaintanceship, you and the rest of our ladies may tell your husbands that you’ve two weeks to set your affairs in order.”

And then they walked off. The Emperor stopped briefly when he passed Bianchi. “You’re the type of woman I despise the most. Uppity, ignorant, brainless, shrill, egotistical, and useless. You are so much more, and none of them are good. Nor are you even half as attractive as my wife.”

And then they were gone. Every single one of the ladies clearly giving her the cut.

-

-

Judith was ensconced in her parents arms as she cried. Mama was running soothing circles on her back, caressing her wings, and humming gently.

“I’m a-an abomination.” She said through her snuffles.

“You aren’t.” Servant said fiercely. “You’re our perfect little girl. That filth was the abomination.”

“Bu…but…”

“My little baby.” Mama said softly, reassuring. “You are a perfect little dragonling, a special existence not seen in thousands of years. A child whose existence was so precious and important, I dreamt of you even before you were born, I dreamt of your beloved self even before I’d truly grasped and confirmed what it was. And I’ve loved you from the moment I found out about you.”

“I did too. From the moment your mother told me she was pregnant with you, you became another focal point in my life. My little stars and planets that orbit my beloved moon.” Servant told her. “My little girl who made me a father and taught me so many things about love that I’d only begun to learn from your mother. You showed me an entirely new side of myself I didn’t even know existed.”

“And what if… what if I don’t want to be some special dragon who’s supposed to achieve the great success?” She asked hesitantly through another wave of tears as her mind spun around those awful words.

“Then you won’t and you can become whatever you want.” Servant reassured her.

“Your father and I will do anything for you to be able to live the life you wish, to chase whatever passion and dream you and your sisters have.” Mama swore.

The door banged open and they all startled. Uncle Reynold came in with the rest of the family.

“Have you truly been raised in a barn? You should knock first.” Servant said dryly.

“I don’t care for that right now, I was told that the bi…tter witch insulted Judy!” He declared.

Judith nodded. “She said I was an abomination because of my wings and my magic.”

“An abomination?!? You aren’t an abomination! You’ve been perfect from the moment you were born. Just like your sisters. Which is surprising given your parents.” Uncle Reynold said passionately as he swooped in and gave her a bear hug that Roxanne and Diana joined in on.

“Your uncle is right. If anything, that woman is the freak of nature to be so spiteful.” Grandpa said. “While you are a perfect, sweet, and beloved little girl.”

And then she was engulfed in another hug filled with aunts and uncles, and parents, and sisters, and even grandpa. Gradually, her heart began to feel better, even if those words still remained trapped in her mind. (It would be for years, some self doubt coming back from time to time but pushed away by her family’s love.)

-

-

Bianchi snapped to her senses when he and Vincent had roughly thrown her into the carriage.

“Why didn’t you speak up?” She demanded, nursing her cheek. “How dare you let them disrespect me thusly? You saw that she clearly assaulted me!”

“ENOUGH!!!” He roared, his patience had run out. She flinched, shrinking back. “Have you any idea what you’ve just done?”

“What I’ve just done? I’ve done nothing wrong. We should send word to father to ready the troops and…”

“And get laughed at by everyone. The generals will all commit mutiny if father even so much as hints at attacking the Empire. Especially after what you’ve just done to our people.” And then he wrenched back the curtains and showed her the rest of the entourage. The Eckhart Dukedom had joined the Imperial Soldiers in escorting them out of the Empire, setting a brutal pace for them.

“The Eckhart Dukedom alone has twice if not more than that in terms of soldiers. We’d be crushed by them alone. If we even manage to survive the coming winter without enough food and medicines, hell, without enough winter clothes and other such supplies coming in from the Empire.” And then Julius hardened himself to the tears that were about to leak from her eyes.

“I expect you to be silent and repent for your actions for the duration of our trip. And I will speak to father personally about what shall be done with you.”

-

-

The embargo was in full effect by the time they had arrived. Their trade was effectively shut off, and for a kingdom locked within the land and surrounded not by harbours but by other smaller protectorate kingdoms of the Empire, they found themselves unwelcome by all of its neighbours.

Father had received a scathing letter from the Emperor before they had even reached the castle and he’d been incensed. It was truly the first time he’d yelled at Bianchi, the first time she’d ever been punished, and all of her demands met. Mother had begged and pleaded, trying to cajole father into letting up on her confinement within her room, but he wouldn’t budge.

But there was nothing to be done as the days began to turn, growing colder and shorter. Fall had arrived and winter would be here soon after. They needed the Empire’s goods if they wished to survive, and they needed to offload their own goods.

It led to the necessities rising far beyond what their people could afford, a famine truly beginning to seep in, and their own goods flooded their market squares going for cheaper than they were being produced. Their land was largely unsuited to farming, only small pockets had soil fertile enough to produce a small amount of crops.

The people’s dissatisfaction grew by the day, the streets poised to riot at the smallest spark. A council was called daily but no clear resolution was given, at least none that father was satisfied with.

“There is no appeasing the Emperor now that the Empress herself has declared that she was done with us. The Empress is thick skinned but as a mother, she clearly drew the line on who such words could be directed to.” Lord Cook said from where he sat. He had the most insight to the Imperial family.

“Then what would you have me do? Banish my daughter? Strip her of her own title?” Father asked sharply.

“Yes.” Lord Cook said firmly. “She caused this, and, short of execution, that may be the only way to appease them. Marry her off to a noble man of low rank, a baron at the most, or an untitled gentleman, one who’s loyal enough to take care of her, and with at least some modicum of means that she won’t starve. But they need to be someone who’s firm enough to take her in hand and curtail her behaviour.”

“You.. do you even know what you’re saying?”

“I do.” The man said, not even flinching. “I’ve seen the Empress, met her. I know she hates the thought of bloodshed, but if it were for her children’s sake, she’d gladly permit the Emperor to wage war.”

“You speak as though the Emperor was beneath her.” Lord Garth said shrewdly.

“Not beneath her.” Lord Cook corrected. “But her words are the only ones the Emperor needs to make a decision, his love and respect for his wife supersedes anything.”

Father sighed. “She’s my little girl.”

“She’s a liability whose behaviour was never corrected.” Lord Sheen said.

“Your majesty, it’s either this or the gallows. And this way she’ll live. This way, we can avert the revolt that seems to be brewing on the streets. Our very survival depends on this.” Lord Marshall said as he gave Father a piece of paper. “We can’t even muster any troops. It seems that the Eckhart army and the Imperial army have begun to station men around our borders in case we get any ideas. This may end up far worse than what happened with the Delman’s revolt.”

Father swallowed thickly. “Have you a groom in mind?”

“Baron Tavin.”

He winced, the old general was kind and spirited despite his injury. He was a war hero and one who had a small and profitable land. But he was almost twice his sister’s age, with a scarred face. He was gruff and brusque, tough but fair, and not likely to take any of his sister’s tantrums.

“Very well.”

-

-

Mother had shrieked and begged and pleaded that Bianchi would be spared such a fate but Father had stood his ground. Even when Bianchi wailed about the unfairness of it all, he didn’t falter.

“This is a consequence of your own doing.” He told her coldly, his tone that of a king about to pass judgement. “You will come with me for a quick trip to the Empire where you will apologize, and then we will leave within the hour. You would then be brought in to wed the day after we arrive and leave for your new home the day after.”

He knew it was hard for father to do so, but it couldn’t be helped.

When Mother had collapsed on the ground, Father looked at her with some remorse. “I made a choice, and that was to make sure the kingdom would be around for Julius to inherit.”

Before all of this, his sister could have married a prince or king of one of the protectorates, but now, her prospects were gone, her future sealed into one unalterable path.

“It was this or death.”

-

-

He went with Father and Bianchi as they returned to the Empire, finding nothing but cold disdain from the people once they discovered that his sister was with them. Already, the sordid tales of her unsavoury and wanton behaviour had spread far and wide. The way she’d thrown herself so immodestly at the Emperor, the way she insulted the Empress, and the way she had disparaged and slandered their innocent and beloved golden dragon who was said to be the one fated to lead them into another era of peace and prosperity.

When they arrived at the Palace, there was a stony silence as the nobles began to turn away, one by one as Bianchi passed. She stood behind them as they walked, and though her face turned red, she remained silent.

The Emperor and Empress’ eyes were filled with icy venom.

He and Father immediately knelt, the two of them dragging Bianchi down within them when she remained standing.

“Please, please, have mercy on my people. Please forgive my daughter’s words and any injury done by her words and deeds.”

“…”

Neither of the Imperial couple spoke.

Father continued. “We’ve already decided on a punishment for her.”

Still, they were silent.

“She’ll be wed to a Baron twice her age, one who’s firm and won’t bend to her whims. She’ll be sent off to the mountainous region of our kingdom, and she’ll lose her title.”

“Has she nothing to say?” The Empress asked, voice soft but powerful.

He dug his nails into his sister’s arm when she huffed. She hissed, glaring at him.

“I apologize for what I’ve said about the Princess, it wasn’t fair or kind to her.” She said. Refusing to add anything more to it.

The Empress’ eyes narrowed. “I think, to add to the punishment… Miss Bianchi shall not only lose her title, but her claim to the throne. No descendant of hers shall ever inherit the throne. Nor should she receive any money from the Royal family. Any money given to the Baron would be for the Baron and his lands, not for her.”

“And…” The Emperor said as he braced his chin on the palm of his hand. “As her behaviour isn’t fit for anyone who’s been considered ‘out’ yet, she’ll be confined to her husband’s lands for a period of three years, and unable to leave the region, save for an emergency, for a period of no less than ten years. The only other time she’ll be able to enter the capital in those ten years will be if she were to attend a funeral of a close kin, and that’s it.”

There was a stunned silence at the severity added to her punishment, and while he felt bad for his sister, he was thankful they weren’t forced to pay monetarily as well or by sacrificing their already limited fertile lands to the Empire as reparations.

“You may take your leave.” The Emperor said as he stood, helping his wife up to her feet as well. “Lord Therocy will act as a witness to the wedding and to make sure that the marriage was properly consummated the next day. You may return here, Prince Julius, along with the dignitaries sent away earlier to begin the negotiations to lift the embargo and return to trade.”

“Yes, your majesty.” At least they’d gotten what they came here for.

As they passed by, the doors were opened and the telltale sounds of children’s laughter could be heard. He saw the Crown Princess running down the halls with a smile on her face, chased after by her nannies.

Honestly though, I had intended this to be Callisto’s pov originally, but I guess I wanted to show the way the princess’ behaviour had impacted an entire nation instead. And as for Bianchi and getting away with everything… she was your, I don’t know, typical spoiled brat who got away with everything. I mean, OG Penny suffered from abuse inside and outside of the Duchy and was punished quite often, even if her behaviour was frequently swept under the rug by the Duke bribing everyone. But Bianchi was a true princess, they couldn’t even say anything against her, and… she was the golden child.

#death is the only ending for the villain #villains are destined to die #death is the only ending for a villainess #vadd #callisto regulus #death is the only ending for the villainess #fanfic #judith regulus #penelope eckart x callisto regulus #penelope eckhart #penelope eckart #penelope x callisto #no one messes with Judy #outsider’s pov

[a-bored-shadow-knight]

day &$;&/@-$;$???

so turns out that lady and guard were here for some prisoner we had? dear lord they really did wipe out a lot of knights…

hmmm, oh wait, ge- i mean sir gene had returned from chasing those humans (??? still not quite sure if that lady is human…)

i must go see what he’s accomplished.

-S.K.

#just realized that guard never left #maybe gene caught him #oh wait? he’s got a green guy with him? #hmmm #outsider’s pov #aphmau #minecraft diaries #shadow knights

[glow-in-the-dark-death]

Talk (Silence)

~

Danny has gotten used to not having to watch what he said as the years went by.

In Amity everyone basically knew he was Phantom and just treated it as normal, and he had already told his parents what had happened,

They did a total 180 on their opinions, now chasing after ghosts to question them about everything they could squeeze out of them.

They were very proud of Danny too, often helping him with their technology.

Having said that he got used to not watching what he said in Amity, everyone knew so why bother right?

Unfortunately he was not in Amity

He was in Gotham visiting Jazz, who had moved for University.

They were currently in a cafe catching up, talking as their used to.

Not realizing that their conversation without context sounded very worrying.

~

Jazz: " So how are mod and dad?"

Danny: "Oh you know the usual, they're making new weapons, hopefully this time they wont target me, getting shot sucks, but I prefer it over getting electrocuted "

Jazz: " Good luck!"

(TOPC)The other people in the cafe: What the fuck

~

Danny: " Vlad keeps putting cameras in my room, so I went and confronted him about it again, I don't care that he's the mayor! "

Jazz: " He really needs some therapy"

Danny: " He's a fruitloop, he's beyond help"

TOPC: *concerned side eye*

~

Jazz: "You know I was a bit more worried about the criminals here, but honestly weak, I miss actual competent villains"

Danny: "I told you!"

TOPC not sure if they should be offended or wary of where they live

~

Jazz: " You know I kinda miss the food back home"

Danny: "What that it would come back to life and fight you to the death?"

Jazz: " I mean that too, but I was talking about the taste"

Danny: " Oh yes the chemically contaminated food really has some extra flavor compared to this" *gestures at his plate*

~

Danny: " I went to the park to play with Cujo and got kidnapped and they almost cut me in half"

Danny/Jazz: "Typical Friday!"

TOPC recording on their phones to make sure they're not hallucinating, someone is live tweeting.

~

Just an Idea

#dp x dc #danny phantom #dc x dp #dpxdc #batman #danny fenton #dp x dc crossover #dc x dp crossover #batfamily #bat shenanigans #jazz fenton #good parents jack and maddie #good sister jazz fenton #outsiders pov #gotham #dp cujo #dp au #dp #dp x dc prompt #dc x dp prompt #story prompt #writing prompt #giw

[satoshy12]

Amity Parker Don't understand other Hero cities.

And started a massive pilgrimage to Amity Park.

It all started when a few people from Amity Park went on a field trip to other hero cities and got very confused pretty fast. - What do you mean people die here so often in hero fights? - What do you mean by buildings getting destroyed and not fixed? (blob Ghost do that all the time, they seem to love it!) Are your hero not doing their job!!!?

At first, the people of Gotham, Metropolis, Coast City, Bludhaven, or Dakoto City were pissed, but after the people of Amity Park just said they should stay a few weeks in their city, they would notice it. After one week in the new city,  most people moved out of their city to Amity Park. While this city had once a week has a world-ending threat, that threat seems to just have fun with the child hero in a fight. And those people helped them. The Victims of Scarecrow actually got help from the Master of Fear Fright Knight, who fixed their minds.

Number 1 rule in Amity Park - Don't feed the tiny cryptid Fenton after 10 p.m.; the last time we had winter in the summer was because of that. - Yes, they are fangs, and they are real. Don't try to let yourself be bitten. When he slept, the last one almost lost their hand. + The other Hero in their cities didn't take long to notice it, that they have significantly fewer people living in their cities. Like most of their cities, they lost 30–50% of their civilians! And no one seems to want to tell them where they are, as more civilians are leaving!

#dp #dc #dc comics #dp x dc #dc x dp #danny fenton #dp + dc #dcau #danny phantom #batman #Amity Park #outside pov #amity park is weird #amity park is safest place on earth #justce league #Gotham #metropolis #Coast City #bludhaven #Dakota City #Blob Ghost #- What do you mean people die here so often in hero fights? #- What do you mean by buildings getting destroyed and not fixed? (blob Ghost do that all the time they seem to love fixing stuff) #- Don't feed the tiny cryptid Fenton after 10 p.m.; the last time we had winter in the summer was because of that. #Heroes around the world #Where are our civilians all gone?? #Fright knight #Scarecrow Victims

[deadliestpieceontheboard]

"Jean noticed how Andrew and Neil moved like they were caught in each other’s gravity, in each other’s space more than they were out of it, cigarette smoke and matching armbands and lingering looks when one fell out of orbit for too long."

Nora Sakavic, via twitter

#nora I'm biting my table #THE OUTSIDER POV OF THEM #I can't believe im alive to see this #aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #tfc #the sunshine court #andrew minyard #neil josten #andreil

[franklespine]

So I get it, House is a pretty messed up guy. Old news. I already knew that coming in to the show. But nothing prepared me for how genuinely batshit insane Wilson is. He offers to pay back a patients loan on his house because he got a diagnosis wrong. He donated a piece of his liver to his patient who was only a vague friend who he doesn't even seem to enjoy hanging out with that much. He noticed his patient had depression purely because he didn't talk about his grandkids. He was going to jeopardise his entire career to make a euthanasia speech because one of his patients suffered all the way to his death. He drove a patient home, did her groceries, cleaned her house and then slept with her. Not to mention he like is the only one who can actually mess back with House with his crazy manipulation tactics, like he can fr be an incredibly manipulative schemer if he thinks its for House's (or occasionally someone else's) benefit.

Just damn. He is crazy.

........there is no way this guy had a healthy relationship with his parents.

#House md #James Wilson #what a silly guy #just watched 6.10 if you couldn't tell #he is fr out of his mind #also love how that episode shows how whack the diagnostics team must look from an outsider POV LMAO

[michelangelo-sky]

A side-vignette to episode “Ellie” from season 2 of The West Wing, cause I love her to bits.

“. . .sometimes one feels freer speaking to a stranger than to people one knows. Why is that?"

“Probably because a stranger sees us the way we are, not as he wishes to think we are.”

― Carlos Ruiz Zafón

“I didn’t make your day easy, I know. But please, don’t look at me like this.”

“Like?”

“Like you would’ve gladly told me off, but holding back out of respect for my father. I can answer for my actions. If you have something to say to me, just do it.”

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. She is perceptive, maybe too much for her own good.

#the west wing #tww fic #ellie bartlet #fanfic #gen #outsider’s pov #josh lyman #we stan ellie in this house #tww rewatch #ao3fic #ao3

[sp0o0kylights]

Part One / Part Two (You are Here) / Part Three 

A03

Hopper had undersold Harrington's condition. 

Wayne hadn't expected anything pretty, but the face that turned to them as they walked through the door almost had him freezing in place. 

Black eye, bruised chin, split lip. 

More and more bruises, some faded and some very new, trailing down the kids neck. 

 The rest was hidden by his preppy little polo shirt, but Wayne didn't doubt that there were more.

Harrington tried to stand when they entered the room and the way he moved--entirely unbalanced, clearly in a lot of pain--made Wayne think the only thing the kid really needed was a hospital. 

Because Steve Harrington hadn't just been beaten. 

He'd been tortured--and very recently strangled. 

(Abruptly, Wayne realized that Hopper had implied the boy had been in the mall fire--just as much as he implied the mall fire was anything but. 

He also hadn't stated how Harrington had escaped the Suites trying to break into his house.) 

"Sit down." Hopper commanded, and Wayne expected Harrington to do anything but listen. 

Say something cocky, or act the part of a demanding little shit maybe, despite the condition he was in.

Instead the kid just sighed in relief and dropped like a stone, right back into the chair. 

Hopper came around his desk, talking all the while. "Steve, this is Wayne. Wayne, Steve."

"Hello Sir." Steve croaked politely. His voice was wrecked, no doubt from the necklace of finger shaped bruises around his neck.

"You're going to stay with him for a while, and you're gonna pay him for the privilege." Hopper informed him, as he began digging around his desk. "Money, chores, whatever Wayne wants." 

Wayne held his gaze as Steve turned to appraise him. 

Would Harrington pitch a fit? 

Would he look at Wayne's work clothes, streaked with dirt and sweat, with the name of the warehouse embroidered in the corner and crinkle up his nose, just like his daddy did? 

Hopper didn't lie, but a part of Wayne wanted to see just how different this Harrington was. If the respectful demeanor was an act done for Hopper. 

Or perhaps, Hopper had mentioned Steve's father for a reason, instead of his mother. Did he adopt her ice-like approach to life? 

Micro managing and long-held grudges were Stella Harrington’s game, and she excelled at it. 

Steve however, did nothing of the sort, instead settling with the situation in a way that reminded Wayne far too strongly of the men and women who'd come home from war.

"Okay." The kid said simply, after a long moment of consideration. He turned back to Hopper. "But we need to tell the rest of the Par--" 

Here he cut a look back to Wayne, correcting himself. "the kids. I don't want them showing up at my house trying to find me and freaking out." 

"They wouldn't--" Jim paused, fingers freezing from the rummaging they'd been doing. "they absolutely would, goddammit." He muttered darkly.  

"I'll tell the kids. The only thing I want you doing right now is laying low. I need to get a hold of Owens, but it's gonna take time to do that, and more time to fix this, so as of right now, Harrington? You're on vacation." He pointed sternly, as if Steve might argue.

The kid looked too tired and messed up to bother trying. 

"I mean it. You're out of the country, where is anybody's guess. No one's seen you and no one better be seeing you, got it?" His voice held firm, and Wayne had to blink because the tone here wasn't one of a police chief warning a teenager--but of a father talking to his son.

He knew, because his own voice did that now. Took on a worried tone that masqueraded as something more like annoyance and seriousness. 

"Yes, Sir." Harrington said, remaining weirdly compliant. "Consider me gone." 

A hand came up to briefly press above one eye, and Wayne wondered if the kid had been looked over, or if they had just crammed him into Hopper's office without offering so much as a tissue box. 

How many painkillers did they have back at the house? Wayne usually kept a good bottle around, but Steve was going to need more than that…

He found himself once again cataloging Steve's wounds, this time comparing them to the medicine cabinet he had at home. 

"I expect you to be a damn good house guest, you hear me?" Hopper continued, trying to cut a menacing figure. He finally found what he was looking for; pulling out a large, padded envelope. 

He handed it over to Harrington, who took it without looking, shoving it into the duffle bag he'd had sitting at his feet. 

There was a smudge of red on the handle of said bag, that matched perfectly up to a shittily done wrap on Steve's right hand. 

Wayne mentally added 'buy more bandages' to his list. 

Steve nodded at Hopper again. "Yes, Sir."

Jim’s eyes narrowed. "Quite that, you know I hate that." 

The briefest glimmer of mischief crossed Harrington's face. "Sorry, Sir. Won't happen again, Sir."

'Ahh.' Wayne thought. 'So there's a teenager in there after all.'

Jim rolled his eyes. "Get out of my office."

"Thanks Hop." Harrington said, finally dropping that odd obedience, a hint of a smile on his battered face. 

He stood, and Wayne had to stop himself from offering an arm out as Steve reached for his bag and limped towards him. 

He paused right before he left Hopper's office, hand on the doorframe.

 "You'll check up on Robin too, right?"  He asked, and for the first time his tone took on something more alive--and filled with worry. "And Dustin? Erica?" 

"Dustin and his mom are finally taking me up on my suggestion to see their family in Florida for a while, and the Sinclairs are taking a sabbatical from Hawkins. I'm working on the Buckley's." Hopper drummed his fingers on the desk. "So far, no one else besides you and El have been targeted, and we're going to keep it that way."

Steve let out a breath, and while Wayne could tell the worry hadn't left him, he could almost physically see Steve force himself to put it away.

Another act that was far beyond the kid's years. 

A different officer popped up as they walked down the hall towards the exit, waving his hand madly. "Harrington! Chief says you forgot this!" He barked.

(Or tried to anyway. Callahan wasn’t the most aggressive of officers and frankly, never would be.)

A slim sports bag was held in his hands, and Steve nearly tripped over his own feet when he tried to turn and claim it.

"I'll get it." Wayne said, knowing his tone sounded gruff.

No use for it. He could either sound gruff or sound sad, and Wayne knew better than to start off the relationship with yet another hurt young man by acting sad.

Pity wasn't gonna win him any favors here. 

He took the bag, slinging it over his shoulder, uncaring of the wince on Harrington's face until something sharp poked at his shoulder. 

Several somethings, in fact. 

"What the hell do you got in this thing?" He asked once they hit the parking lot, voice low as he escorted Steve to his truck. 

"Just a baseball bat, sir." Steve said, in the exact same tone Eddie used every time he thought he was bein’ slick. 

Considering the thing in the bag could have passed for a baseball bat if not for the sharp pokey bits, it wasn’t a bad attempt. Steve just hadn’t accounted for the fact that Wayne lived with Eddie. 

An unfair advantage, really. 

‘Least there can’t be any baby racoons in the damn bag.’ Wayne thought idly. 

Went on to gently put the bat in the backseat, watching as the kid struggled to lift himself into the truck.

"You can drop that, I take too being called Sir about as well as Hop does." He said, keeping his tone nice and calm, hoping to ease into calling Steve out on his lie. 

Fussed with a few dials on the stereo, giving Steve an excuse to take his time before starting the engine and taking the long way home.

Wayne wanted to talk a little-- without the chance of Ed’s interrupting. 

"Son,” He started off. “I was born in the morning, but not this morning. I'm hoping to make the next few weeks as easy as I can for both of us, and I can't do that if you're starting off with a lie." 

Steve blinked, turning to face him in a matter that was too fast for his injuries. He didn't bother hiding the hurt it caused him, but his voice stayed even as he spoke.

 "What do you mean Si--Wayne." 

"Nice catch.”  Wayne said. “We’ll get you there yet.” 

It was a trick he'd learned with Eddie--little tidbits of praise went a long way when it came to gaining trust.

Especially with kids who hadn't ever been given much. 

Harrington seemed smart to it, or perhaps was just hesitant to speak in general because he remained quiet, not offering up any info. No further lies, but nothing towards the truth, neither. 

Which was fine. Wayne didn’t think a little pushing would hurt.

"That bat of yours was digging into my shoulder like a bee swarm." Wayne continued, when it became clear Steve wasn't talking. "I'm more a fan of football than baseball, but last I checked they hadn't changed the design of a bat." 

"What teams?" Steve asked, perking up a touch. "Of football. Which ones are yours?"

Wayne could ignore it of course, or demand Steve give him an answer to the question he asked. 

He did neither. "I’m liking the Colts since they got moved here. You?" 

"Green Bay Packers, though I like the Colts too--that trade in 84’ was crazy." Steve said. After a second he proved that answering instead of pushing was the right move because he added; "What did Hopper tell you? About…" He trailed off, making a gesture Wayne didn't bother trying to interpret. 

"He said some things. I've guessed a few others." Wayne admitted. Cut a little look out of the corner of his eye as he came to a stop sign. "I know the feds are real interested in you after Starcourt." 

Steve took that in, hands tightening on the handle. 

"It really is a baseball bat." He said, a little fast and with the tiniest hint of that challenge Wayne had been looking for. "It just also has nails hammered into one end." 

Wayne took that in with one nice, slow blink. 

"A bat with nails in it." He said, and it made a hell of a lot of sense compared to the sensation he'd felt carrying the case. "You use it against anyone?" 

"Some of the feds." Steve admitted, and even with his eyes on the road Wayne could tell he was being stared at.

Judged.

Not in the way one expected a rich kid to judge, but in the way Eddie had, those first few months he'd lived here. The times when  he'd push, just a little, to see what Wayne's reaction would be. 

Eddie hadn't done it in a damn long time, but Wayne recognized the behavior nonetheless. 

"Anybody else?" He asked. 

"Nobody human." Steve replied. 

"Alright." Wayne said, and made a mental note to drop all questions related to that. 

He didn't need to know, definitely didn't want to know, and had a feeling if he did know he'd find himself being watched by the same spooks after Steve.

"I've got a few deck boxes that lock on my porch. Think you'd be agreeable to leaving the bat in one?" 

Steve paused, hand clenching tighter around the strap of his duffel bag. "If you gave me a key so I could get it in an emergency,  I'd be happy to." 

He tried to sound calm, even a little charming in that sort of upper-class businessman sort of way, but the fear bled through. 

The kid wasn't happy separating from the bat, and given it sounded like it might have saved his life recently, Wayne understood the hesitation. 

With an internal apology to Eddie, he promptly threw his nephew under the proverbial bus.  "I've got my nephew at home and he'd be far too interested in it, is all. Blades and weapons and such tend to attract him, and I don't need to be rushing anyone to the ER." 

All of which were very true facts (one Wayne learned the time he'd allowed Eddie to bring a sword  home, only for him to nearly cut his own nose off winging the thing around) but he figured it might make Steve more amenable to separating from it. 

Sure enough, some of the tenseness bled out of Steve's shoulders. "Yeah that's fair." 

The truck hit a few potholes as they finally turned into the trailer park, and the kid hissed, a quiet sound. 

Judging by the uncomfortable wince, and hands clenched into his jeans something painwise was giving him trouble. 

"When was the last time you took a pain pill?" Wayne asked, doing his best to weave around the other holes that dotted the gravel roads.

Steve blinked. "Uh…" 

"You take any today son?" 

Steve his head. 

"Didn't have time to grab it." He said, offering a sad look to his pack. 

Course he hadn't. 

"Let's get you inside then and get you some." Wayne said with a sigh. Thankfully Eddie's van wasn't here--Wayne was fairly certain he had band practice today but knowing him it could be a million other things.

Just meant he had to acclimate Steve as fast as he could, to try and get the poor guy settled before Ed’s came in. 

He just hoped life and lady luck would work with him, for once. 

#hands on knees #this is gonna have more than three parts fffffff #FAIR WARNING I do jump between Wayne and Eddie’s pov in this. #Everything Ive written so far while in parts for tumblr would basically be chapter 1 on A03 #Eddies POV change would be chapter two #Ugh Im gonna have to put this on A03. Dammit brain. #also I updated this very fast for me #no one get excited Idk the brain is doing #steddie #beat to shit Steve Harrington #wayne pov #outsider pov #wayne as a BAMF #I tried to get to the part where Eddie shows up but it just got too long for a tumblr post #pre steddie #wayne and Hopper both as psuedo parents to Steve #tw injuries #0o0 fanfics #stranger things

[weaponizedducks]

imagine what the ealdor villagers must have thought of merlin. when he lived there they thought he was a bit odd, probably accident prone, on the outside, bit of a funny guy. he had exactly one friend. all of a sudden he leaves to go to fucking camelot of all places. why? stfu we don't need a why. they think nothing of it and forget about him.

IMAGINE THEIR REACTION WHEN HE RANDOMLY SHOWS UP WITH THE FUCKING PRINCE OF CAMELOT, THEIR ENEMY, FOLLOWING HIM LIKE A LOST PUPPY. I WOULD BE SHOCKED OUT OF MY FUCKING SKIN IF A LITTLE WEIRDO REAPPEARED HAVING BAGGED A PRINCE. NO WONDER WILL WAS SUSPICIOUS. WHY IS AN ENEMY PRINCE HERE. WHY IS HE HARDCORE FLIRTING WITH MY BESTIE. WHY IS HE SO WHIPPED.

#if anyone has any fics like this pls rec them #ealdor #god they must have been so confused #merthur #outsider pov #merlin #hunith #bbc merlin #if leon were here he would be sufferin #i'm tagging it #long suffering leon #leon the long suffering #will of ealdor #arthur pendragon #blue rewatches merlin

[bloodydeanwinchester]

DESTIEL IN EVERY EPISODE → 5x04 the end

dean immediately clocking 2014!dean's jealousy like "what could this mean???"

#this is another episode where there were sooooo many scenes i could have chosen from! #but like...this scene is dean perceiving destiel for the first time from an outsiders pov!! and BOY is there something to see there or what #also yes i know they changed it to say like instead of love but also i dont care<3 #destieleveryepisode #spn 5x04 #destieledit #spnedit #cowboycoven #spn #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #altarofrowena

[zunaki]

Wangxian in public being disgustingly in love and the Juniors on a matchmaking mission

#Outsider POV and matchmaking my beloved #i feel like in the the Untamed version Wangxian probably took some time to get together #like after Wwx got back to the Cloud Recesses after his big journey they danced around each other #but still look exactly like a couple #and everyone is getting sick of their pining #so the Juniors are coming up with stupid plans to get them together and chaos ensures #i might have read every fanfic on Ao3 with this exact plot #might make a small comic with that idea one day #wangxian #wangxian fanart #the untamed #the untamed fanart #mdzs #mdzs fanart #wei wuxian #lan wangji #lan sizhui #lan jingyi #jin ling #ouyang zizhen #wei ying #lan zhan #wei wuxian fanart #lan wangji fanart #art #digital art

[steddiealltheway]

Hopper has always been fine with El hanging out with what she calls “the whole party” because that means that Max will be there. And if she’s with Max, that means less time with Mike. And less time with Mike, is one of Hopper’s favorite things.

Unfortunately, Hopper comes to find out that “the whole party” also includes Eddie Munson. But unlike most of the idiots in Hawkins, Hopper knows that Eddie’s a good kid who wouldn’t (or more likely couldn’t) harm a fly. On the other hand, he’s also the kid who used to deal Hopper his weed for super cheap in exchange for some fatherly advice and maybe a get out of jail free card every now and then. (Really, the kid just had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Hopper would just happen to turn a blind eye and forget to file the paperwork which was really just unnecessary extra work).

But this all makes it hard to answer El’s question of why she’s not allowed to hang out with the whole party this time. Fortunately, she’s quick to ask more questions such as, “Is it because Eddie is an older boy? Because you were fine with us hanging out with Steve.”

“And Steve would keep you guys in line and safe.”

El crossed her arms. “And what if I guaranteed that every time Eddie was there, Steve would be too?”

And Hopper thought that maybe that was actually a good solution. Harrington was known to babysit a multitude of kids at once, so adding on Eddie to the group wouldn’t be too much of an ask.

Cue Steve and Eddie being practically attached at the hip a few weeks later, and Hopper realizing he accidentally played matchmaker.

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie drabble #outside pov #jim hopper

[riality-check]

This is not how Wayne was expecting to come home from work.

He had expected, as usual, that Eddie would be asleep, and he’d be free to watch the 5:00 AM news. He’d have a bowl of cereal for dinner (or was it breakfast at that point?), and then he’d be out like a light while Eddie did whatever it was he did before noon. Usually, that was sleep.

The exact opposite of what Wayne was expecting is happening right now. 

He didn’t even get his keys out of his pocket before Eddie whips the door open. He looks a mess: hair tied back loosely, pajamas off kilter, panic mixed with exhaustion on his face.

“Oh, thank Christ,” he croaks. “Wayne, I need your help. I have no idea what to do.”

Wayne can count on one hand the number of times he’s seen Eddie panic like this. He shoulders past him into the trailer and is greeted with the sight of Steve Harrington standing in the middle of his living room.

“What on God’s green earth,” he murmurs. He blinks, then blinks again, but Harrington is still there, in pajamas, the tire iron Eddie still keeps under his bed in his hands. He’s breathing real heavy, and he stares out the window, stock-still.

“The hell happened?” Wayne asks, keeping his voice low.

“I don’t know,” Eddie whispers desperately. “I don’t know what happened, but he got up and grabbed the iron and just stood here-”

“How long?”

“Ten minutes, maybe.”

Wayne doesn’t like where this is going. “Has he responded to you at all?”

“No-”

Shit.

“-but I can try again?”

Wayne eyes the white-knuckled grip Harrington has on the tire iron. He’s ready to swing, and Wayne knows he’ll swing hard if given the chance.

No way he’s risking Eddie. No way he’s risking Harrington. Wayne doesn’t know him well, only met him a few times in passing, but he knows he’d never forgive himself if he hurt Eddie.

“No. Don’t try again.”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“Didn’t ask you to. All I’m saying is don’t go near.”

Eddie is very good at following instructions to the letter and to the letter only, much to Wayne’s fond annoyance. So, he doesn’t go near.

Instead, he says, voice strangely soft, “Stevie, sweetheart.”

Harrington doesn’t respond, but he turns a little in the direction of Eddie’s voice. Wayne takes that as a good sign, even if he can see the tension on his face now.

“Will you come back to sleep? Please?” Wayne hates hearing Eddie’s voice crack the way it is right now.

Harrington faces them a little better, and Wayne sees what he was expecting.

He’s staring through them, not at them. Wherever Harrington is, it sure ain’t here.

“I don’t know how much that’s gonna help, Eddie. He’s having-”

“I know he’s having a flashback, Wayne!” Eddie snaps. “I’m not stupid. It’s usually just not this bad, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Alright,” Wayne says because snapping back won’t help anyone. That and because he’s trying to process the fact that Eddie has had to deal with this before. “Let me try.”

He takes a few steps toward Harrington, keeping his hands up and his movements slow.

“Harrington,” he calls, keeping his tone light. “You’re at Eddie’s place right now. It’s almost five AM on a Friday night.”

Harrington blinks, and it looks like his eyes are coming back into focus.

“You’re safe right now. Eddie’s safe right now.”

Harrington shakes his head and lifts the tire iron a little higher. Christ, his arms must be aching by now. “No. I saw the lights flicker, and I heard a thud outside, and it got cold.”

“Stevie, the gate’s closed,” Eddie pleads. “You saw it happen. Nothing got out. You’re safe.”

Wayne doesn’t know what any of that means, but even though it was supposed to reassure Harrington, he just shakes his head again.

He hears Eddie sigh behind him, and he knows without turning around that he’s trying not to cry.

Guess he’s gotta try something different, then. “You just wake up?”

Harrington blinks, and for a minute, Wayne thinks this won’t get them anywhere. But then he whispers, just loud enough to be heard, “Yeah.”

“Okay. I just got off work.”

Harrington stares at him, confused.

“So, I think I’m a little more awake than you. I’ll take what you’ve got in your hands, and I can stay up.”

Harrington shakes his head. “It’s fine. I stay up most of the time when I’m alone.”

Alone. Wayne knows from experience, both personal and witnessing this shit, that alone is the last thing anyone should be when they’re having a flashback. Harrington says it like it’s the only thing he’s ever known.

He dismisses his questions - why is Harrington having flashbacks, why is he alone - and focuses on getting him to put down the tire iron and go to bed.

“You’re not alone this time,” Wayne says. “You’ve got Eddie here, too, and I think both of you would feel better if you were together.”

Harrington looks over Wayne’s shoulder. Wayne doesn’t turn around, but he can imagine the pleading look on Eddie’s face just fine.

Wayne holds out his hands for the tire iron, and after a minute, or maybe a month, Harrington sets it there. Immediately, he looks lighter and heavier.

Eddie walks up next to Wayne and murmurs, “Come on, sugar.”

Harrington goes to him and just rests his head on his shoulder. Eddie holds him there, just standing in the middle of the living room, sunrise just starting to peek in through the windows.

Thank you, he mouths to Wayne.

Wayne nods, but he’s got a hell of a lot more questions than answers - what the hell brought this on, what exactly is Harrington to Eddie. That can wait for morning, though.

For now, he just hopes Harrington will be okay by then.

No, not Harrington. Steve.

After something like this, Wayne has learned, you start using first names.

#stranger things #stranger things fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #wayne munson #steddie #(from an outside pov) #angst #hurt/comfort #flashbacks #idk what this is #it's the night before midterms #i've had a shit week #bon appetit #this is old btw i promise i wasn't THAT irresponsible #to write new fic the night before a midterm #ria writes

[theminecraftbee]

genuinely there is something about. both cleo and etho have "scary" reputations. reputations as "survivors". and yet they are BOTH people who deeply, deeply bond with their allies in the series, and are deeply loyal. and they ACT like they're a bit distant but they aren't. and sure, cleo is a bit more obvious about the loyalty. but i think etho ALSO holds on until he can't hold on anymore. it's just that i think etho is waiting to have to cut his losses the whole time, even as that kills him.

so like, the fact that they're each other's ride-or-die partners for life this season is insane actually i am losing my mind,

#secret life smp #secret life spoilers #zombiecleo #ethoslab #i am MORE A CLEO PERSON THAN AN ETHO ONE OBVIOUSLY #so my read of etho is largely from outside povs a proper ethogirl can probably finish this thought #but do you SEE WHAT I'M GETTING AT.

[satoshy12]

My hero actually DID his job!

It had been a political meeting with the big media, as Vlad had to listen to other citizens talk about their heroes and complain about how they have more supervillains and damage. As a reporter, asked Vlad, the mayor of Amity Park, what he thought about it. He himself didn't talk about villain attacks or similar.

Vlad:" It's not my fault that your heroes are failures."

Yeah Vlad insulted every hero and city just with 1 sentence.

Politician angry from Metropolis:" What the hell are you talking about?"

Vlad:" How many years did your heroes fight their villains in your cities with collateral damage?"

Someone from Gotham said, " Maybe now 20 years maybe more."

Vlad:" The hero in Amity Park only took 1 year to show all his villains the right path, that they dropped being evil, and only once in a while visit to fight the hero without any damage to the city other than that place where they fight."

Vlad had built an Arena for it; it helped both Ghost and Danny fight and train.

Many of them are silent, as if they couldn't believe 1 word to say, " Impossible. Our heroes tried it for so many years."

Vlad:" If your failures did their job, you wouldn't have any villains years ago. So, yes, I don't think your heroes do their jobs."

Vlad then didn't talk anymore about this theme; he got bored of it.

And for the media and politicians, 1 online search and they saw Vlad told the truth... And they were kind of angry and confused. How comes that boy in 1 year fixed all his villain but someone like Superman or Batman wasn't able to do it for years!

#danny phantom #vlad master #danny fenton #dp #dc #dcau #dp x dc #dp + dc #dc x dp #dc comics #batman #Superheroes #Superman #Failures #Amtiy park has no villain anymore #Disappointed other cities #What are their heroes doing all the years #Playing a game with the villains?? #Outside pov #Arena of Amity park

[sensitiveheartless]

Part 4 of the "Dazai and Chuuya being competitive, mutually pining disasters" comics!

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Most of this one is under the cut because it got LONG

#I'm gonna make at least one more little thing for this because it's eating my brain lol #possibly two because I have a compulsion to resolve literally everything possible #side note: that kid remains convinced that he saw real-life Westley and Buttercup in the grocery store for a long time #...also if I had the hands for it I would redraw this whole thing from the outsider POV because i think it would be hilarious — #man in hat shakes a package of fish around in a silent rage and then sadly puts it down and wanders around looking intensely depressed #until suddenly another guy #very out of breath #runs in and passionately declares his love for hat-man #life in bsd's Yokohama can never be normal #bsd #bsd chuuya #bsd dazai #my art #bungou stray dogs #soukoku #skk