#(her idealism is escapism and delusion) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

muffinsin · 4 months

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Hey, the succubus ask was really good! Loved the concept of Dani and her first time. I always liked the idea of Dani getting corrupted for her first time. I agree with your interpretation that Dani is the kinkiest of the sisters, but surely she wasn’t always that way. Poor innocent Dani, the youngest of house Dimitrescu. Naïve and viewing the world through rose tinted glasses because her only exposure to romance is through overly idealized and fictitious storybooks. She’s sheltered. The only interactions she can get aside from family are villagers/maids that have to tolerate her unless they want a sickle to the throat, thus all “friends” are disingenuous. In the rare occasion an outsider or foreigner gets trapped and forced to work in the castle it is still shallow and short lived interaction as many either feign interest to escape, caught escaping and are punished, or get themselves killed in the process of escaping. Most importantly, these are fragile mortals. Dani can never completely express affection physically because she has so much love to give and she gets so caught up in her emotions squeezing too hard during a hug, dragging a maid to show her something, shakes them too fast before realizing she’s killed them in her excitement. It’s not fair, Bela and Cassandra are better at controlling their strength. They’re able to have numerous relationships throughout their undead lives and Dani has yet to have one. Not to mention the frustration of her family babying her. She’s sheltered, innocent, but especially desperate. Dani wants to be loved and desired and to give it back, but her love proves to be deadly. Until one day…..an outsider appears, a fellow immortal. A female demon, not a succubus, but definitely a demon living among humans and traversing the world. Stumbling upon the secluded village during their trip to Romania. They sneak into the castle, no foul intentions they were just curious. They get caught by Bela and are brought to Alcina. The demoness does not put up a fight knowing that they can’t be harmed. However, they are disturbingly calm and quiet, which Bela and Alcina are not used to since a real human would be screaming, begging, fighting. Eventually, Alcina decides to put the “human” woman in the dungeon for the time being. Right then dani comes into the room to ask a question. She stops mid sentence with eyes locked on the outsider. The demoness finds her attractive and sensing an opportunity decided to wink at dani, showing interest. Dani is instantly taken by the mysterious woman and her romantic delusions are fueled. “She must be the one,” she thinks, “I must have her,” she reasons. Dani begs Alcina to have the woman. Alcina eventually agrees since she didn’t have plans for the woman before. Dani takes the demoness back to her room creating a tea party, including seats for stuffed animals (I headcanon that she has a shit ton of stuffed animals and talks to them sometimes lol). The demoness is still calm and quiet, listening to Dani intently as she rambles about her fav novels. Until dani slips up and mentions how lonely she is. The demoness picks up on this and questions dani, learning how inexperienced her “captor” really is. The demoness finds Dani very attractive and feels a genuine connection, so she decides to give Dani some of the love she’s been missing in her life…..exposing her to what real love and desire can feel like😉

I’m so weak for Dani istg-

This is a long one everyone XD also, very glad I finally got to tend to this!! Y’all don’t know for how long this has been sitting in my inbox ;-;🙇‍♀️

Let’s get into it!👀

Masterlists: 1-3

Daniela Dimitrescu is a hopeless romantic, this much is known throughout the entire castle. Another thing that is known: to avoid her at all costs, to avoid detection by the youngest daughter under all circumstances.

It is clear: detection by this daughter means sure death.

While with Bela there is more than just a fleeting chance to survive, should one only mind their manners and not get on her nerves,

And even Cassandra is somewhat survivable, should she not have her eye set specifically on you,

Daniela’s attention means death. Not a single one has survived an encounter with this one.

Sometimes, it is unavoidable to slip from her attention. And when she does see you, it is said it’s over already. Death comes to every “lover of hers”.

A delusional romance begins the moment she sets her eyes on her prey, and should anybody break this delusion of hers, they will be punished with death penalty. Not that there is an alternative, really, because even if one plays along, Daniela always ends up killing her playthings, leaving them disfigured and cold.

Now, this is what the stories say. And they are not completely wrong.

Save for Daniela’s view. The poor thing, who entirely shut away from the romantic, fairytale life she wishes to have.

Yearning, she asks herself: if she is locked in the castle the way Rapunzel is trapped in the tower, where is her saviour?

The one to lessen the solitude in the large castle? Her soulmate…

And poor Daniela, delusional and all too desperate to fall in love she rushes every step along the way. Instead, she falls madly for every person, believing- truly- they were instantly as madly in love with her. And, she is disappointed every time.

Eager and entirely deprived of romance and a partner, Daniela aches for true love. A relationship, a proper one.

Yes, those that catch her attention do not live. And each time she kills them, a small part of her heart breaks off.

She doesn’t mean to kill her lovers! She’s just- excited. She forgets how fragile humans are.

And so, she becomes more and more deprived of all of it.

She watches her sisters take lovers and spend their time with them, hears them bed them.

Yet, she is denied such a thing. Being the “baby” of the family, it seems nobody is good enough for her according to her sisters and mother.

Maidens willing and eager to bed her are scared off quickly by her protective sisters, or even torn apart entirely for daring to attempt to defile the youngest daughter.

The youngest sister, who is no longer young. Centuries pass, lifetimes, and poor Daniela is stuck in her role of a baby sister and daughter, coddled and spoiled through and through, protected and loved.

Oh, but so very isolated. Protective sisters ensuring her safety to the point she is unable to have dates or sex, an even more protective mother regularly proving and demonstrating she will slice all unworthy ones to ribbons who dare as much as touch Daniela.

Oh, but she yearns to be snatched right under all of their noses. She yearns for a relationship, for love. Something that lasts.

She promises, each time, she will be careful with her lover. Yet then excitement kicks in, and limbs are far too easily ripped and broken. Her love is deadly, her attention a curse. Her affection is a plague, and as such it leads to a lover’s death.

Yet…this is to change one day, unbeknown to Daniela.

It’s the day a demoness enters the village.

From far away, and eventually stumbling into the village, you traverse the world, looking for big and small wonders. It seems, you have found one, when you eye the large castle in the distance.

Between trees and clouds, a tower peeks out. The top of a large, luxurious castle. With its windows shining in the light and wind curling around its tips, flags waving in the wind.

The air is bitingly cold, but you don’t mind. You run warmer than most due to your inhuman nature.

You’ve met a single person so far, a woman, lost to the flame. In her dying phrase she spoke to you and warned you of the wicked witches in the castle.

Of course, this peaked your interest.

As you approach the castle entrance, you see the blood seeping into the wooden gate and staining the stony ground. You raise an eyebrow curiously.

It’s rare you come across killers. The world is painfully boring compared to the torture and pain, punishments and blood that is spilled where you come from. The thought of being among murderers excites you.

Is this why the village is so empty?

With ease no mortal would possess, you push open the heavy iron doors to the castle. Inside, it is warm. Nearly overwhelmingly so.

But, it is intentional, you notice. Every window in the entrance hall is closed. A fire is lit. Carpets scatter on the floor. It seems the inhabitants like it warm.

“Curiosity killed the cat”, you murmur to yourself with a small giggle. Perhaps you’d be cautious if anything in this world was as a threat to you.

Alas, you only feel burning curiosity.

You see a large painting, vases and flowers, rich colours and heavy curtains. The castle looks as though from a completely different decade.

As you walk, you hear light buzzing around you. A couple of times you need to swat some flies away.

At last, you find yourself in what seems to be a large hall. You find another large door. The windows next to it suggest it leads to the castle gardens. Yet, just as you grip the handle of the door, you hear loud giggling and the even louder buzzing of wings and flies.

You feel a body press up against your backside, and hear laughter in your ear. Yet when you turn, you see only flies.

It seems, the first “witch” is revealed to you. A brunette, with a large smirk and blood coating her lips. She stalks around you, as though you are her prey.

When you feel hands on your shoulders, gripping tight enough to bruise, another is revealed. A blonde. She grips you tightly, and laughs happily.

“We’ve caught you now, little one”, she hums, all too pleased with herself. She doesn’t seem to care for the fact you haven’t even attempted to move from her grasp. In fact, she seems entirely too sure of herself.

Both women’s faces are bloodied, their makeup smeared. They reek, of blood and sex, poorly covered by their rich perfumes. You doubt a mortal could smell, though.

They stare at you for a moment when you merely look at them and take in their appearance. Then, as though reminded of what they want, the brunette grips your arm tightly and pulls you with her.

“Mother will know what to do with you!”, the blonde tries to threaten. Intrigued, you follow without putting up a fight.

More elegant halls greet you, as well as warm carpets and lit fireplaces. The women are dressed in black dresses, with black, thin coats and black heels. Gloves cover their hands.

When you enter a room, you find a woman, too tall to be mortal, dressed in white. She must be the mother of the two, you think.

Unlike her daughters, the woman seems less animalistic in her movements. She doesn’t seem to bother trying to catch you, while still attempting to present herself as a predator.

“So, you have broken into my Castle”, she speaks, loud and clear. You hear the girls snicker next to you when they let go of you.

“I was merely curious, Milady. I mean no harm, I’m simply passing through”, you answer, voice as steady as hers. It seems to catch the three off guard.

“Mother! Let me have her!”, The brunette demands. She’s holding her sickle tightly, her smile wide and sadistic. You merely raise an eyebrow at her. You wonder, how fast will the little sadist grow tired of you when you will not scream in pain?

“Mother! I captured her for you!”, the blonde pipes in. She frowns angrily, almost pouts. It can almost be described as adorable, how the woman seems unhappy about her sister asking for what she believes is rightfully hers.

A large, gloved hand sets on her head, and it seems to calm the angry blonde. “Patience, you two. She must be sampled first”, the tall woman, their mother, answers simply.

Despite their apparent wild nature, they both obey the command and back away a little.

It’s your turn to frown when your arm is lifted, your wrist exposed for the countess. You watch curiously as she digs her teeth inside, the pain others would experience barely a numbness you feel.

All three seem unsatisfied with your reaction, how you merely watch curiously and drop your hand back to your side when she is done. Still, the mother of two doesn’t let this bother her, it seems.

She wipes her lips almost gracefully, then sniffs richly. “She is of no use to our cause”, she declares, and almost immediately the two women in black push themselves back against you.

“You heard her! We can have her! Why can’t I ever get the first bite?!”, the brunette argues from your left. She tugs your arm harshly, sneering at her sister.

“You know I get the first bite! Mother! Tell her!”, the bratty blonde answers, her hands tightly around your right arm, tugging and baring her teeth at her sister.

You dare snicker at them, giggling at their reactions. They both draw back a little in confusion.

Just as the older woman opens her mouth again, likely to quit the bi keeping between the two, the large doors are pushed open yet again.

You inhale automatically, smelling a sweet, flowery aroma in the air. A third woman- a third sister- appears.

“Mother, why isn’t the librar…”

The moment you spot her, Daniela spots you. You hold your breath for a moment without meaning to.

The third sister is breathless, rivalling the other two in beauty and effortlessly standing out. She smells less dark, does not reek of human arousal and sweat, although she shares the bloody aroma of her sisters. Still, she smells of flowers and perfume.

It seems, you found someone worthwhile in the castle.

Daniela gasps when you wink at her, her hand rising to her chest automatically. A large grin comes to her face, and the glint even reaches her eyes. She understands: that’s why all these people have died! She was just waiting for you! Oh, surely you must be who she is meant to be with!

Daniela shrieks and quickly grabs your arm, pulling you away from her older sisters as she sees them summon their sickle already, having seen the flirty wink thrown her way.

“Mother!”, she pipes up. “Mother!��, she repeats, ensuring the tall woman looks at her. Daniela nuzzles against her hand eagerly, unaware of the daggers the woman shoots your way.

“May I keep her, please?”, She begs, golden puppy eyes full on display. You smirk at this- the auburn haired woman certainly knows her weapons. You can immediately tell she is the youngest of the bunch, by the protectiveness of her family as well as the puppy eyes only she pulls out.

Puppy eyes, the Mother of three seems to have trouble denying.

“Your sisters have caught her, Daniela. Aside from this, she was supposed to go in the basement, my dove”, the older woman reasons. Both older sisters seem pleased by this, their eyes flashing to you murderously.

“Please, mama, I want her”, Daniela begs. She can’t help the smile that comes to her face- she knows Mother will give into this.

And right she is. With a sigh and a gloved hand patting Daniela’s head, the countess grants her youngest the wish.

“Mother! She’ll just die with her anyway! I want a turn before that!”, The brunette immediately complains. You eye the redhead. She seems genuinely hurt by her sister’s words.

“She won’t! I’ll take good care of her! She loves me!”, she argues, oblivious to your surprised gasp and raised eyebrow.

Love? Now, she’s a little ahead of herself. You don’t deny that you feel attraction to the beautiful woman, however.

So, without much more ado, you feel her grasp your hand in hers, tugging you from the chamber.

“I’m Daniela!”, she introduces herself eagerly. She’s beyond happy and pleased with herself, and her grip on you is tight. The numbness in your arm has you realise- the enthusiastic thing would have broken your hand had you been a mortal.

Daniela yelps in surprise when you come to a halt, instead hold her hand gently and pull it to your lips. She blushes sweetly as you kiss her knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Daniela”.

You are not overly secretive with her, and share your name freely. She grins at this, and repeats it. You find, your name sounds beautiful coming from her soft lips and spoken in her gentle voice.

“We’ll be so happy together!”, she says then, tugging you along once again. You follow her eagerly, adoring the little skip she has in her steps.

“May I ask, Daniela”, you coo. “What is this place?”

She doesn’t seem bothered by your questions at all. You’re the first to fill the silence with her.

“Castle Dimitrescu, silly. It’s your new home!”, she beams. You hum. It certainly isn’t a bad place, even if the excited little thing is wrongly under the impression that this is your home.

Funnily enough, she won’t be wrong.

You follow her until she brings you to another room- this one is large and bright, full of- everything, really.

There’s a large bed, fit for a princess. You startle momentarily as the woman dissolves into what seems to be many flies. She manifests at the bed again, giggling as she plops down on it, surrounded by pillows and blankets, and more stuffed animals than you have ever seen in a single bed during your travels.

You walk past a small desk with pots and silverware on it, past shelves stacked with books and a canvas with a few flowers drawn on it, until you too sit on the bed.

Your eyes widen when she suddenly moves again, instead straddles your lap and holds onto your shoulders tightly.

“I’ve been waiting so long for you, my love!”, she declares, her head resting against your shoulder.

You notice she is cold, even through the black dress she seems to share with her sisters. She feels incredible against your warm skin. In turn, Daniela all but sucks up the warmth of your skin.

“Do you like my room?”, she asks, her hair tickling your face. You don’t mind. You can’t help but smile when wide, golden eyes look up at you as she asks. You realise they nearly sparkle in the light.

“I do”, you answer honestly. You can’t help but wrap your arm around her, holding her hip to steady her.

Again, you notice her flesh is cold, but also soft. She’s incredibly human for an inhuman being, a mutant.

“I love it, in fact”, you correct yourself, and she beams up at you. “Do you enjoy reading?”, You ask. You can’t explain it, but she is intriguing. This little ball of sunshine among darkness has you curious.

Her eyes widen, and her lips part. She rambles, and you love every bit of it. With each word you feel your attraction and admiration for her grow.

She talks of her favourite books, romance and fantasy ones, of princesses and fairytales, of love and war, of poetry and what not.

She swarms off your lap as she talks, instead guides you to move off the bed as well and sit at the small table near it. You follow, captivated by her words.

As she talks, she moves fast and gracefully. Light shines through the window and caresses her skin and the edges of her dress.

Your auburn haired “captor” looks beautiful.

“So it is company you seek?”, you ask when she takes a breather. She’s been rambling non stop, but you don’t mind. You think it’s endearing.

A sigh passes her lips. She sets up some stuffed animals around you, before she too falls down on one of the chairs.

It almost looks like a tea party, and you wonder whether she ever has real ones- Whether she has people to have them with. The poor thing seems pitifully lonely, so much so she must do with stuffed animals put in small dresses for company.

You understand her, though, and lift the tea pot. It’s empty, but you don’t mind playing along. Daniela smiles again when you “pour” tea into her cup, then into each standing in front of the stuffed animals;

A green giraffe. It’s knitted, and wears a small, dark jacket, which is knitted too. You see blood covering the neck and figure Daniela must bite it sometimes.

A blue fish, round and silly looking with a top hat on top of it. It seems to be made out of cotton, if you had to guess.

And a pony, light pink, with dark pink hair. Dressed in a purple dress with a silver ring serving as a crown.

“I love my family. Mother, my sisters”, Daniela explains. She looks longing almost, and when she grasps your hand, you give hers a reassuring squeeze.

“I love the castle too. I don’t remember living anywhere else. I’ve been here all my life. In this region. We are sometimes allowed outside, in the forest, to hunt”, she explains. You hum in acknowledgment as you “sip” your tea. The action makes her cheeks burn.

Daniela’s never really had a proper tea party with her lovers, they simply never did it right. And her sisters soon grew out of it and didn’t wish to entertain her parties anymore. But you seem to know exactly what to do. Daniela grins for a moment- yes, you are her soulmate, she is sure.

“I love being so close to my sisters. They’re everything to me”, she continues on. She sounds content, but- longing. Being the only mutant among mortals has you long for company, too.

“And the castle is so grand and beautiful. I’m thankful to be able to call it my home”, Daniela speaks gently. She reaches for her stuffed animal as she does; the giraffe. With petite fingers and gentle movements, she plays with the knitted animal’s head.

“I just…”

“Feel lonely”, you add for her. Golden eyes snap to you, widening in amazement. “Yes! Yes, lonely!”, Daniela confirms.

You notice yourself lean in closer to her, and see her do the same. She’s adorably desperate already, her hand knocking over teacups as she leans over the table. When you cup her cheek, she smiles happily.

GYou can no longer hold back, nor do you attempt to. Your body urges you to take her, but also, you do want to give the beauty what she seeks. Perhaps your solitude has ended too.

Daniela hums in surprise when you at last push forwards the last bit, cupping her reddening cheek as it grows warm under your fingertips.

She hums into the kiss, clumsily trying to return it. At this, you smile against her plump lips. She isn’t an experienced kisser, but good enough from the few kisses she stole from maidens here and there. You have no problem teaching her.

Daniela gasps as she is pulled forwards, swarming eagerly to sit herself back on your lap. “You’re so intriguing”, you speak honestly, your breath warm as it tickles against her lips.

“Please, my love. Be mine”, she whispers.

Again, she grasps your hand tightly. And again, you feel how desperate the poor, murderous thing is. You know yet again the redhead would’ve accidentally hurt you with her own strength if you could feel any pain.

But you don’t mind taking your time with her, teaching her to be gentle and sweet at times. You know you can be, will be, with her. She seems delicate like the flowers she smells of.

You inhale, and are surprised when you find another scent. She’s aroused already, decades of pent up frustration making itself known. She’s eying you desperately, tugging your hands and kissing you eagerly.

She wants to be taken, so badly, and is so eager and fast.

It’s as if Daniela fears should you not pluck her now, her sisters will once again ruin the opportunity for her and take you away.

No such thing happens.

You take your time with her, instead too. It’s funny how the auburn haired woman has grown on you in such little time. You enjoy her ramblings, and think she is genuinely cute. You want to give her this experience of love and desire.

Daniela gasps when you grasp and squeeze her hips, her thighs pushing harder against the outside of yours. She’s adorably shy now, hands searching for a spot to hold onto.

You smirk at her, an index finger under her chin tipping up her head and making her look at you. “Is this your first time, sweet thing?”, you ask. She certainly seems as though it is.

With a blush and a shy look cast downwards, Daniela confirms this. She grinds forwards on top of you, her warm core mere inches from yours. You practically feel her want.

“Please, my love, take me”, Daniela gasps out, her hands at last tugging the front of your top. “Want me”, she begs, quietly, more to herself than anybody else. She wishes for many things, but truly wishes to be wanted. To be desired and admired, obsessed over.

You’re not about to disappoint her.

Daniela gasps when you suddenly lift her as you stand, the feeling so foreign to her. Oh, but she loves it! It has her grin and hold onto your shoulders, hook her legs around you. She feels you hold onto the back of her upper thighs to keep her elevated, and it has her blush yet again.

Never has she been touched there, not even for a moment.

She giggles when she finds herself set back down on the bed, a hand to her chest pushing gently and having the beauty fall back against reddish sheets and blankets, fluffy pillows and a few stuffed animals here and there.

With wide eyes and her breath held she watches you drag the corset off her painfully slow. She whimpers, your hands loving yet greedy, fingers sliding across her covered skin as you work on undressing her.

“You’re irresistible, Daniela. Allow me, I must simply see more”, you husk into her ear, leaning above her as you unzip her dress and gently pull it down her pale, creamy shoulders.

Daniela is breathing heavily, her eyes lidded as she watches the garment she is so used to be peeled from her skin.

Only one had attempted to do so before, only one had come this far. But they had been fast and rough, and it was only months later she understood why her sisters were so enraged with the woman: she took advantage of Daniela’s nativity, of her desperation and innocence, too eager to defile and use her, taste her like a forbidden fruit before digging the knife she’s had on her into her chest.

She eventually forgave her sisters for the cruelties done to the women.

She knows, they look out for her.

But you are different. You don’t have a hidden weapon ready to be dug inside of her the moment she is caught off guard. You like her, you practically worship her with your sweet touches and kisses pressed to her lips and jawline.

Daniela melts like butter under your very fingertips.

The virgin attempts to appear cool and seductive instead of shy, yet can’t help but wrap her hands around herself once all but her bra and panties are off, a blush adamant on her cheeks.

You know, you’ll enjoy taking her. You’ll take and defile her for yourself, taste and bring her to orgasm over and over again until the little thing can’t keep standing. And when she does get enough, you’ll keep her in your arms.

Perhaps this delusional woman is right, perhaps she is destined to be with you. The chances are slim, but you enjoy her company and decide to take a risk in this secluded castle.

Daniela watches hungrily as you pull off your clothing, one by one revealing slightly scarred skin. Scarred from your past- no mortal could do such things to you.

She stares, and she knows it, and attempts her best not to. Still, you see her struggle and try to advert her eyes from your chest, yet they keep flickering to it.

More clothing is dropped to the floor, until you equal her.

You lean over her, chuckling as she gasps and tries adorably hard to keep eye contact instead of ogling your chest.

No matter. You will teach the shy, but desperate woman to be dirty. Dirty as you can be…

Daniela gasps high pitched when you take ahold of her breasts, squeezing and groping her shamelessly through her thin, lacy bra.

Her hand shoots to her mouth, attempting to stifle her sweet noises.

No, that will not do. Not at all, in fact.

You tsk at the woman, your hand eagerly tugging hers away and replacing it with your lips. Again, she moans into your mouth, her hips grinding against the air and lifting to reach you.

“Let me hear you, my beautiful Daniela”, you coo, and your words make her head spin. She whines, a breathless plea.

She wants to be touched so bad, but you intend on making your beautiful girl beg a little more for you.

Daniela’s back arches a little when you capture her breasts again, squeezing the large mounds eagerly. She’s soft, and thick, with a very large chest. The sweet virgin’s nipples are sensitive, even with the layer of the bra covering them.

“Do you like this, sweetheart?”, you coo into her ear. Daniela whimpers, her head nodding fast.

She’s trying to stay quiet, and barely manages so. She knows, should she scream, it’s likely her family will come running to her “safety”.

“Yes, my love, please my sweet!”, she begs quietly, but desperately. You can tell she is long due for these kind of touches. Or any, really. The poor thing is soft and sensitive below you, entirely unused to being touched- let alone being touched properly.

“Good girl”, you coo, eyes flashing at the audible, hitched breath that comes from her. You know, below her sweet, innocent surface this one is naughty.

You know, her eagerness to learn and try things- clearly proven by her room- will prove to be very exciting. You can just imagine introducing her to all that you have come across in your travels.

You smile down at her, chest heaving as she pants, her neck bared to you and wrists resting at the sides of her head, her eyes lidded as you toy with her. She’s so submissive, so eager underneath your exploring and wandering fingertips.

“Please, my love, please touch me”, she begs. You smirk at her, an eyebrow raised as you tip her head back up for you.

“My, but I am touching you, my sweet little Daniela”, you counter with a large smirk. She’s blushing for you, before plump lips part and she begs sweetly: “Please touch me between my legs, down there…”, she asks, adorably shy. You nearly giggle at her. She’s holding back, shy and adorable for you. You can’t wait to teach her.

As such, you eagerly slide your hands down, dragging her bra with you. She gasps again when her nipples are bare and revealed to you and you merely throw the black bra to the pile on the floor.

You can barely wait. This foreplay has already soaked your underwear throughout. Ah, and you’re not the only one.

Daniela is utterly wet, her underwear sporting a dark, wet spot where her slit is. You caress her through her underwear, smirking as she gasps and mewls below you.

It’s an easy task to find her little clit.

Oh, and how it has the auburn haired moan and writhe on the bed for you when you target it and rub it through her soaked panties.

Daniela all but grasps your wrist, begging you to keep going.

Her golden eyes are set on you as you toy with her, licking and sucking the soft skin at her thighs.

You can smell her arousal clear as day, and do your best to hold back and not grab her by her hips and smudge her wet core against your lips. Your mouth waters at the mere thought of tasting the virgin on your tongue.

She grasps your hair firmly, tugging and shrieking as her legs start to shake already. The poor thing is inexperienced, eager, and overly sensitive all over.

A filthy thought crosses your mind, how you wish to ruin her for everybody else, so that she may only be yours.

Inhaling, you smell her arousal yet again. Daniela begs previously, her eyes squeezed shut already. You can tell, after mere moments of stimulating her clit she is close already.

Daniela whimpers at you when you pull your hand away, instead lifts her hips to help you guide her ruined panties down her smooth, soft legs. She grasps the bedsheets tightly when you tease the short, dark auburn hair between her legs.

“You smell astonishing, sweet girl”, you coo against her thigh. Still, she feels your breath on her most private part and whines in want. She aches for you, and you can see the wetness that flows out of her like honey.

“Allow me a taste, my darling”, you whisper then- no longer can you hold back from tasting this honeyed core. Her hole is tight and unfucked, all yours to stretch. And stretch it you will, rest assured.

Daniela shrieks for a moment as you lick alongside her slick slit, her cheeks burning and her head falling back on the pillow as you lick her and moan at her tastes.

Her face burns warm as you once again lean against her core, your nose brushing against her pink clit as you push your tongue inside of her.

Your hand snakes down between your own legs, beneath your panties and inside of you- you’re in high time for some relief.

Unsurprisingly Daniela moans and squeaks again in no time, gasping and squirming so much you must hold her hip still with your remaining hand. Your gentle, but firm touch turns her on all the more it seems.

You lick inside of her eagerly, tasting her and pushing your tongue in and out. Each time it comes covered with more of her juices, and each time you dive in hungrier than before.

Her hand tangles in your hair again, tugging and grasping, the other tearing the sheets blow her.

“A-Ahhahhh! My lo-ove, please! I wa-aah-AH!”

You thrust your fingers in and out of your core fast, partly already imagining them inside of her- stretching her tight cunt effortlessly, rubbing up inside of her pussy. The deprived woman is incredibly sensitive for you, so much so you know you could make her cum over and over again from simple touches.

It seems, the closer she gets to her orgasm, the more sensitive she becomes.

Daniela’s legs push over your shoulders when you move closer, her heels digging inside your back occasionally.

She can’t stay still, it seems, too eager and sensitive, now even groping her own breasts for you.

You know, you will need to tie this one down in the future. Clearly, Daniela cannot be trusted to stay still when she is so preciously needy.

Each delve of your tongue inside her honeyed core earns you a small moan and gasp, each brush of your nose against her clit has her hips jerk against the grip you have on her.

Cautiously, you tighten this grip. You don’t want to hurt the dainty creature underneath your fingertips, and it seems to do the trick because Daniela’s movement is minimised.

You curl your finger within yourself and keep thrusting them. Long and sensual licks turn to rough and needy eating out. She’s near driving your crazy with her little moans and whimpers, her tight cunt wrapped snugly around your tongue.

You want nothing but to pleasure her. To hold her down and fuck her, to show her desire among love, shown to her in the form of your kisses and care.

Daniela cums fast, and you eagerly climb onto the panting woman.

“Have a taste, my precious Daniela”, you whisper, your tongue darting across hers when your lips meet. Daniela feels you tease her soaked cunt with wet fingertips, and moans as she sucks her own taste from your tongue.

Never has she been treated this way. She assumed, but had no idea it felt this good.

You watch her pant below you for a moment, the back of your hand stroking along her pink cheek. Never have you met a woman like her. Someone this captivating and adorable, yet seductive without any effort at all. You want to treasure and ruin her at the same time, only in the best way of course.

Daniela opens her mouth and sticks her tongue eagerly when you present your fingers to her, her brows furrowing in what can only be her infamous puppy eyes. You too, it seems, are to fall for them

She moans and hums with your fingers in her mouth, your wetness on top and surrounding them.

“Let’s try something else, my pretty darling. I’ll ensure you’re all mine”, you whisper. The realisation of Daniela’s sensitive clit inspires you. You wonder- how many orgasms can you drag from her without any insertion until she begs for it?

You’re about to find out.

The Dimitrescu daughter squirms as you align your core with hers, a gasp passing her wet lips and warm breath hitting your fingers as she understands.

“Keep sucking them, princess. I want them entirely clean”, you coo. She immediately gets back to work, though wraps one leg around you to pull you closer.

With the first push of your clit against hers, she is moaning and groaning around your fingers already. You press down on her tongue and she shrieks, eyes wide as she helplessly expects you to help her get off. No, to get her off.

“Are you going to be a good girl and tell me how much you love me?”, you coo.

You know you’re feeding into her delusions, but you just can’t help it. As a demon, you are very well within right to be a little wicked. And what sweeter way of portraying this is there than to use the beautiful, naive’s woman delusion and isolation against her.

The lonely princess wants a lover so very bad after all. Very well, she has one now. And you will never let the auburn haired woman go again.

#cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #bela dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu x reader #dianabetic6

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yourpsicodelicbitch · 1 year

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Astrology placements combo+ pt 2

This picture is from Pinterest.

Disclaimer: I did a fucking tesis for each one.

Pisces rising + cancer moon combination is the representation of the stereotype of water signs. I’m serious. If the person grew up in an environment that couldn’t benefit them, they could use copy mechanisms that were not very healthy. They need a secure space, that won’t overwhelm them, that’s healthy. Because they are highly emphatics, they feel the energy of the environment, the energy of what their loved present because what they are passing trough. They are sensitive, and that’s not a problem, that’s what makes you human. Growing up, water moons could have been constantly criticized for showing sensitivity; expressions like crying or been affected by situations where they have observed and saw from a different point of view. Cancer moons could have grown up attached to their moms/mother figures. Serving and caring for her deeply. The relationship you have with them is THE relationship of what’s view as a mom-native relationship. Your mom is your home. You saw them as someone SO nurturing and full of love, maternal. You could admire your grandmas, uncles, etc. You needed to be cared. When the mom needed support, they could have not given the space or privacy the kid needed. She could have been clingy. A strong bond. You could have seen her passing some tough emotional moments, and probably you were the only one realizing it. This situations that happened to your mom could affect you in a way you try to escape from reality with those copy mechanism I was referring to. Plus the pisces rising, that’s ruled by Neptune, planet of subconscious mind and delusion. THEY FEEL. And are overwhelmed by the fact that the world is not as idealized -with pink rainbows and colorful butterflies with glitter (sorry🧚‍♀️)- as they thought. And Jupiter, planet of expansion and tolerant. Since this, they have difficulties having boundaries, with differencing reality from their dreams and desires. Also, boundaries with the relationship with themselves and others. They are CONFUSED about how they see themselves, about HOW they are. They have a hard time getting carried away by what others say, by what others tell them who they are. They don’t fucking know. Mostly, because neptune is the planet of delusion, it’s difficult for others people’s eyes to decipher them. So they idealize them, they, without realizing, put a standard on the ruled by neptune person. It’s chaos, because they could feel the need to meet those standards. They are highly emotional intelligent, that’s why, leaving the diplomatic stuff; stop fucking don’t being responsable for your actions, and then blaming others or the situation you’re in, victimizing yourself. Every fucking person is going through something, you’re not the only one. Only bc you FEEL -or show it- doesn’t mean is more valid. The emotions, sensitivity that they didn’t learn to handle + the lack of boundaries between reality and illusions/idealization. That’s it. I have to point it out. It’s too much water. Poor person. I have to ask you: How are you? How have you survived so far? 🤯 Well, I have to tell you, you’re so strong for being been here till now. For feeling misunderstood, trying ways to escape (even if those copy mechanism weren’t healthy, you tried because you couldn’t much, you didn’t know and were so confused), for to be able to breath, for being lost. But I gotta call out something, you’re still here and I’m so proud of you for that. Even if it doesn’t resonate :) You try and that’s good enough. Now it’s time to take advantage of the traits you are blessed with. And to learn how to deal with them, but in a way it won’t hurt you and won’t give you an instant relief, not a relief. A way of living, not surviving. Fuck, I’m being too dramatic again. Eww sorry it gives me CRINGE. But you got your moment cancer 🌝 + pisces ⬆️ Sorry if this doesn’t resonate, I think I introspected too much as a neptune dominant. Tell me in the comments if I exaggerated or something… 🤪

What I was listening while typing this 🎶

Sagittarius venus + 9H stellium (me😟🤪) People with these placements NEED -I’m not joking, bc the way I suffer If I don’t have this- freedom. The key word is exploration. Since sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter in both modern and ancient astrology. Is about growth, to living different experiences by the grace of expanding the knowledge you have till now. To learn, analyzing and observing the experience, the “good and bad” (I put it like that bc I don’t really believe in those terms, it’s too complex to just put it in black and white, good or bad), welcoming what could help you or benefit you in the future -such as values, ways of acting, etc.-, and reflecting why other traits, actions or values don’t function with their mindset/benefit them. Or simply questioning themselves “Why do I think like this?” Their whole life could turn around spirituality, religion -doesn’t mean necessarily that you believe in, but that you question it-, travel to foreign countries, politics, healing, fortune, lucky, optimism and miracles. (9H) This combination is in simple words, being a philosopher. What I meant is that the fever of expanding their knowledge consumes them. They love it, it’s so natural🤪. But sometimes could be hard, questioning too much. This people have a unique point of view, different than the average, could have a strong vision about a certain topic. If you ask them about it, PREPARE for the nerd moment you’re gonna contemplate: they’re going to get excited like a little kid, start explaining, showing you proofs, documentaries. They’re going to do the posible to make you understand and to make you share the same excitement as them. Freedom is on top of their pyramid, is not an exception in their relationships. Sagittarius venus + 9H combo needs someone to go with the flow, to contrast their anxious -most of you wouldn’t agree with me, but they’re ambitious, they want to learn more and more, they’re preoccupied to know, to be themselves, to not feel controlled- nature. They’re honest and sincere. And most important, they set boundaries, what most of the venus signs lack of. Sooner or later, they do. If something between you and them -talking about friendship- doesn’t fit with them they’re gonna tell you, what bothers them, or they’re going to ghost you. When there’s no meaning for them to conserve you in their lives, I don’t know how to explain it. It could sound selfish, but is healthy; being selfish for yourself is okay. Don’t force them, please don’t, they feel overwhelmed; they’re gonna escape. They look to be with someone who is their best friend and at the same time lover, someone that they don’t have to have filter, where they don’t feel cringe. And let them do their crazy stuff, joke around, being sarcastic, someone who understand/accept their jumps of energy or when they need space, because they do. They want a partner who accompanied them in their adventures, who help them grow. Someone that have the same mindset or is open minded; someone who aliment them with their intelligence. They don’t like short talk, superficial. They love depth conversation and with topics that could get them to reflect. They could not like people who seem too comfortable with they’re actual situation, someone who doesn’t seek change. Also, they don’t like when they are clingy, and when they are too delusional or too down to earth. No extremes. These combo get bored REALLY easily, those high standards are for a reason. I know they have a bad fame like “they’re players” blablabla, but when they know you’re the one -or feel it, etc.- they proof you wrong. They are loyal, give you attention, love physical touch or gifts -depends on the degree-, etc. They’re picky, they have high standards for establish in a serious relationship -or you can call it compromise issues🤪-. They know their value. That’s how they are and you can’t do anything about it. They’re free spirits. the fucking cliché phrase they always use to describe them🤮 but yes😍🥰🏃🍃🌬️😋

What I was listening while typing this 🎶

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

•This is based on my personal experience and what I have analyzed in my surroundings.

•English is not my first language.

•I am not a profesional astrologer, I just love astrology and I’m willing to learn.

Thank youu. baibaiii🫣🫶🏼💋

Do not copy. Please give me credits.

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worriedvision · 1 year

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Former (Part 4)

Part 3 here. Gender neutral reader, more Tighnari here than the previous part.

"Collei!" Amber calls, Collei running up with energy as she reunites with her friend. "It's so good to see you again! How long are you here for? I'll get a room booked for you!"

"I'm just here for a day or so. Gotta get back to work after." Collei giggles.

"Oh, is that a pack of those cards? Let's get a drink and have a match!" Amber suggests, Collei nodding as she follows Amber.

"As I was saying, Master Albedo, I think it would be better to have some sort of private space for these lost visions so we can be certain nothing like this happens again." You explain, both of you pouring over the details regarding an employee stealing the visions from the original keepsafe.

"But how could we be sure only we'd be able to lock it efficiently? Normal keys can be stolen easily, and tape can pick up fingerprints..." Albedo hums in thought.

"Well, what if we had some sort of code for the room? And we could change the code on a daily basis so only we would know what the code is?" You ask, Albedo nodding to himself.

Collei looks over after hearing your voice, and she excuses herself for a moment.

"_! It's so good to see you." Collei starts. "Master Tighnari has been really worried. He wants you to come visit!"

"Oh, it's nice to see you Collei!" You start. "I don't think I would be able to do this, my office is stationed in Mondstadt and there isn't an ideal space for me."

"Oh..." Collei trails off. "Master Tighnari really wants to see you again. Is there any way you could come back?"

"He made his feelings clear, Collei. I don't think I could, given how many people know about it." You explain.

"Collei, over here!" Amber cheers, waving her over.

"Well, let's catch up later! I can't be in Mondstadt for too long, hopefully I catch you." Collei nods, rushing off to sit with Amber.

That afternoon, you had received a tip from an anonymous individual in Sumeru. There had been reports of visions being sold off as delusions, said individual saying they knew the common meet up spot as they and several others had gone there at the same time slot. Deciding to chase this, you inform Albedo before rushing off.

Unfortunately, you didnt think of who would be purchasing a delusion. You get to the location, just outside of Ghandarva Ville, and the moment you stop to look around, you realise too late the people who gave you the tip did not, in fact, try to get a delusion.

They had been paid a very hefty sum of mora to make you stop getting lost visions returned. Looking around you, you realise you have no escape route. You had self defence lessons, but that wouldn't keep you safe enough.

"Help me!" You scream, the eremites getting closer. "Please, someone!"

Tighnari had been talking to Cyno, once again asking if he had any luck in finding you, when he heard your scream for help. His ears perked up, and Cyno figured out where the screams were coming from based on where Tighnari looked. As Tighnari grabs his bow, Cyno is already sprinting to the location.

By the time Cyno got there, you had been curled up on the ground, the self defence completely gone. He turns the corner, some eremites running away like cowards as the others continue to attack you. Tighnari arrived shortly afterwards, some forest rangers also tagging along, and he orders for them to chase after the eremites that ran away. The other eremites got detained by Cyno, him dragging them away, and Tighnari had finally seen you for the first time after regaining his vision.

Before he can let himself get emotional in front of everyone, he knows to carry back to his home so he can take care of you. The moment he does, however, he becomes selfish.

He can't stop hugging you, not for a minute or so. He needs to reassure himself you weren't out of his life, he hoped you could feel how much he missed you with the hug before he gets to work as a doctor instead of a lover.

After taking care of your wounds, thankfully not dangerous but definitely painful, he sits at his desk as he keeps a close eye on you, writing to Mondstadt to inform them of the situation.

#gender neutral reader #genshin impact imagines #angst #tighnari #tighnari x gender neutral reader #tighnari x reader #cyno #albedo #collei #amber

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gee-k · 2 months

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Unoriginal dream theory

SPOILERSSSS

So, watched Lisa Frankenstein in an empty theatre like a true teenage goth, and couldn't help but think how.. perfect life seemed to go for her after she was electrocuted.

Yes, she assisted the murder of many people which probably wasn't ideal but for someone as traumatised as her, that may possibly be in her fantasies..

Everything after the tanning bed seemed to go really well for her - the boy she was into noticed her (starting subtle), she was more confident and people started noticing her (okay, that's believable), the Victorian unmarried man she vented to came alive (huh.. that's odd) and everyone she hated started dying (hmm). It feels like she's rotting, her mind slowly deteriorating, and more and more of her psychopathic delusions came true.

Maybe she didn't escape from that tanning bed.. it was all a dream!!!!!!!!!!!

#goth #lisa frankenstein

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monsoon-of-art · 1 year

Text

As promised, here is my Long Fiction piece with my Superheros!

"Two Wrongs do Make a Right"

It was generally accepted that Superheroes do not steal.

Superheroes have a verbal contract, as it were. Unstated by most but very well known; to protect their city and the people inside it. Methods and motives vary, but this rule kept things simple.

Dragonfly planned on breaking that rule.

She had never liked being conventional, truthfully. She didn’t work with cops, rarely worked with the local government. She didn’t have powers from the heavens or radioactive spills, and she certainly wasn’t rolling in cash right now. She protected her city and she protected her people, she just did it her own way.

And while she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and all different kinds of technology, actually robbing a museum was beyond her normal capabilities.

So, here she was. Dragonfly in all of her neon glory, pacing on a rooftop. Her blue goggles only added to her insect-namesake, her thick curls trimmed short. “I just worry about the security. And the cameras. Security cameras.” she rambled. “Being physically seen robbing a museum wouldn’t be ideal.”

“Mhm. No. I imagine it would not be.”

With her was her partner; Clay. A being made of ever-shifting liquid earth, his voice often flat and monotone. Even now, as she nervously paced on the rooftops, he sat idly by, letting bits of himself drip onto the floor with a half-lidded expression.

“Dragonfly.” said Clay, his voice heavy like syrup. “I have never been inside a museum before. It cannot be that difficult. I think you are stressing yourself out. I will take care of the cameras.”

“I think it’s more the robbing- wait. Wait, you've never been? Holy shit, OK. When we’re done with this, I promise I’ll take you to a museum.” she said with a faint smile. “One with lots of hands-on stuff for you to play with.”

“I would very much enjoy that.” Despite the kind offer, Clay’s tone didn’t change. “I am still unhappy with the main part of your plan. Working with. Him.”

Right. Hayday.

Dragonfly and Clay didn’t have many people they could trust. Another terrible truth that came with the job. Dragonfly had no other living family, and Clay’s origins were a total mystery. Their flippant attitude with the local cops and government did them no favors.

And in a sea of criminals, smugglers, gangsters, mobsters, murders, aliens, eldritch beings, and whatever other nonsensical weirdos that had it out for the pair, Hayday was…an exception.

Hayday was a bit of an enigma. No delusions of grandeur, no plans for world domination. As far as Dragonfly and Clay could tell, he was just a dude who dressed up like a scarecrow to hide his identity and commit petty crimes.

“Yeah, yeah. I know you don’t.” Dragonfly sighed. “But please, give him a chance? It’s either Hayday or cops.”

Clay relented on this, if only slightly. “...I do not like cops. But I also do not like Him. The first time we met him-”

“I believe in second chances.” She said, quietly. “Besides. We need him-”

“-Cuz ya don’t know how to pick locks.” Clambering up the fire escape to join them upon the roof was the man himself. In a striking contrast from Dragonfly's slick, modern look, Hayday looked like he stepped right out of a cornfield; dirty overalls, wide-brimmed stetson hat, a burlap mask that covered most of his face.

Clay stood, shoulders - or what could be generally considered shoulders given his anatomy - tense, brow furrowed. "You are late."

"In case ya haven't noticed, Clay-Dough, but we are currently on top of the museum? They don't exactly want people on the roof. D'ya know how hard it was to climb up here?" Hayday shot back. "Can we maybe meet up somewhere closer to ground level next time?"

"I hope there will not be a next time." Clay hissed, voice dangerously quiet. "And my name is Clay."

"The building schematics says this should be a maintenance entrance." Dragonfly brushed aside their comments with a brief explanation. She gestured to a locked door, no doubt guarding a stairwell. “It’s locked, and you’re the best lockpick we know.”

“You are the only lockpick we know.” Clay clarified.

Hayday looked between the locked door and the two. “Why not have Clay-Dough break down the door?”

“I could-” Clay began to say.

“No.” she said sharply. “I don’t want any real damage here. I want a quick in-and-out operation.”

“Operation? Don’t be so coy, now.” Hayday said with a sneer, rummaging in his pockets. “You’re stealin’. Stop actin’ high and mighty.”

Removing some thin tools from his pockets, Hayday gave the door a cursory glance. “Hm. I’m gonna guess a double cylinder deadbolt. Should be easy.”

Dragonfly and Clay couldn’t help but try and look over his shoulder, seeing slivers of silver tools inserted into the lock. If they focused, they could hear subtle clicks beneath the rumbling city ambiance.

A clank. Hayday pulled back, the door opening with him. “There.”

“How did you do that?” Clay demanded. “That took no time at all!”

Hayday gave him an unimpressed stare. “Ya ever hear the phrase ‘a magician never reveals his secrets’, Clay-Dough?”

“No. What does that mean?”

“It means ‘tough shit’.” Hayday turned to Dragonfly. “Right. Pay up. I helped ya, and now ya owe me-”

“We’re not done?” she said, tilting her head slowly at him. “You said you’d help, and we’re not done? This is only step one.”

Even with the burlap mask he was wearing, the confusion was clear on his face. “...care to run that by me again?”

“We asked for your help with taking the Dragon’s Eye Ruby, currently housed on the first floor of the museum. I got a tip that Snake Eyes planned on taking it, so Clay and I decided to take it before them-”

“And plant a fake, yeah, yeah. I got that part.” Hayday hissed, gesturing for Dragonfly to stop talking. “And I did help. I unlocked the door. What else do ya want me to do?”

“Help us take the ruby?” Clay offered. “You have experience, do you not?”

“I suppose. Experienced enough to know that I’ve already triggered the silent alarm.” he said with a wry smile. “Y’all got about twenty minutes. Thirty if traffic is bad - and let’s be honest, it always is.”

Clay’s form began bubbling like a pot of water. A rare flash of anger crept into his voice. “You knew this, but you did not tell us?!”

“Clay, cool it.” Dragonfly said, placing a hand on his ‘shoulder’, not caring for his goopy nature. “We won’t be that long, with any luck. Besides, we’re at stage two now, and that’s you.”

Taking a deep breath, Clay steadied himself. “Right. Right. I am sorry. I will go in and destroy the cameras.” He turned to Hayday, pointing at him. “If you try anything while I am away. You will regret it.”

Without another word, Clay completely melted. His humanoid form sloughing away like a warm candle, slithering through the door like a mud-covered snake.

Hayday waited a moment before turning to her. “I’ve done my part, Dragon. Pay up. I don’ wanna be here any longer than I have to.”

“Not until the job is done.” she replied. “Once the ruby is in my hand, I’ll give you what you want.”

He glowered at her. “Yer killin’ me, I hope ya know. What do ya want from me? Ya want me to hold yer hand the entire time? What’s yer angle?” His voice grew softer, more hesitant. “I didn’t think ya’d ever wanna see me again, after…”

“You tried to kill me?” she asked, looking up at him. He couldn’t look her in the eyes. She continued. “But you didn’t. That’s the key thing. You had the opportunity. But you said it yourself. You couldn’t.”

Finally, he met her gaze. “It’s…that’s just not who I am.”

“Who are you, then?”

He didn’t respond to that.

Her goggles lit up, the soft blue glow illuminating her dark face. A police report flashed on her heads-up display. “The cops are on their way.”

“Great! Great! Perfect!” Hayday began pacing. “What are ya gonna do about the rest of the security measures, dare I ask? The guards, the proximity alarm?”

“I’ve been carefully tracking the pattern of the security for several days now. If worst comes to worst, we can knock them out-”

“WE?!”

“- As for the proximity alarm, hopefully we’ll be gone by then. The cops are already coming, what are they gonna do? Send more?”

“YES?!”

Clay opened the door, gesturing for them. “The cameras have been destroyed. I have caused a distraction for the guards on the first floor-”

Dragonfly interrupted. “They’re still alive, though, right?”

He blinked at her. “Yes. My distraction caused no damage. As far as I am aware.”

“Clay-Dough, that is not reassurin’.” Hayday wheezed, sounding like a strange combination of a laugh and a choke.

“While normally I would question that statement to Hell and back, we’re really short on time here.” said Dragonfly, glancing back at the police report on her HUD. “The case with the Ruby should have a lock on it.”

She gave Hayday an expectant look. “Please?”

Hayday glared back. Clay glanced between the two of them, unsure which side to take.

"Fine. I'll stick around for now. But so help me, if there is even a whisper of trouble, I am gone. Understand?" Hayday finally said, his voice a quiet, strained hiss.

Dragonfly seemed pleased. "Thanks. We really appreciate it."

"I hold no strong feelings on this matter." Clay muttered. "Do not drag me into this."

"Ladies first." Hayday said with a wave of the hand, encouraging Dragonfly to take the lead.

She rolled her eyes at that, but stepped forward to enter, her faint glow of her goggles and gloves illuminating the dark stairwell. Clay followed, his footsteps quietly sloshing behind her. Hayday went last, closing the maintenance door behind them.

“What happens if Snake Eyes finds out?” Hayday whispered in the darkness of the maintenance tunnels. “He and I aren’t exactly on good speakin’ terms.”

“Why?” Clay twisted his neck like an owl to ask directly.

The man hesitated, fiddling with his hat. “I…erm, well, he offered me a job. I wasn’t able to do it, and I kinda…haven’t spoken to him since?”

An uncomfortable silence fell over them.

Snake Eyes had men in every little nook and cranny of the city. The fact that Hayday had managed to avoid them all was both impressive and concerning. You couldn’t just ‘not speak’ to Snake Eyes; not forever, at least.

“That was not smart of you.” Clay finally said, swiveling his head back to normal.

Dragonfly slowly opened the door to what looked like the storage area, wincing at the creaking metal. “This should be the first floor. Let’s go do the switcheroo, and then we can bail. Don’t touch anything.”

“She is referring to you.” Clay whispered, giving Hayday a look.

She nudged Clay with a grumble. “Be nice.”

“I’m not stupid.” Hayday shot back. “Most everythin’ will have a proximity sensor.”

The three of them stalked through the darkened museum, taking care to stick to the shadows when applicable. The displays seemed practically ghoulish in the low light, with some of the displays quite literally looming over them.

"I do not want to visit a museum anymore." Clay whispered.

The Dragon's Eye Ruby, being a new exhibit, was very prominently displayed. The gem itself was a brilliant gradient of reds, purples, and oranges, and about the size of a large fist. Right in the middle of the room, contained within a glass box. The bottom of the box had a lock on it.

"Hayday, can you please-" Dragonfly began to say.

But Hayday pushed past her before she could finish. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. But ya better be ready to make the switch. Once that proximity alarm goes off, it's going to be loud."

As he began carefully stepping closer, a loud boom shook the museum. The ground and walls shook, the various exhibits clinking and clattering in their cases.

"...Dragonfly." Hayday slowly turned to her. "When was the heist supposed to happen?"

"Not until tomorrow…" she slowly trailed off. "Shit."

While Dragonfly wanted their version of the heist to be as clean and neat as possible, Snake Eyes and his goons had no such qualms about collateral damage.

Sirens screamed throughout the museum. "I didn' do that!" Hayday yelped, stumbling backwards.

"They must have moved the heist date." Said Clay. "They are going to take the gemstone. I would also guess they will not allow us to leave-”

"Wait, wait! This is a great thing!" Dragonfly grabbed onto Clay's arm, fingers sinking ever-so-slightly into him. "We can just fight them here and now and really send Snake Eyes a message! With the three of us, I bet we could totally-"

"Hayday is leaving."

Dragonfly glanced over to where Clay was pointing, seeing Hayday already having picked the window lock and beginning to open it.

"H-Hey!" She called after him. "Don't go!"

"No! I told ya! I did NOT sign up for a fight! I was here to pick locks!" He snarled, already swinging one leg over the threshold to climb out. "Look. The job Snake Eyes gave me? Was to kill you. If his men see me with ya? I'm in for a world of hurt!"

"If we work together and scare them off, imagine the message that’ll send! With your help-"

"Ya still want my help?! Then take my advice. BUZZ OFF. Yer not gonna win this fight, Dragon. Give up. Ya lost. If ya stay here, you’re gonna get killed."

Dragonfly stared at him for a moment, before her mild surprise twisted into a deep frown. “You knew this…and your first instinct was to get yourself out of danger? You were completely content in leaving Clay and I to die?”

There was an unpleasant silence that followed.

“W-Well. No. No.” he eventually stammered, trying very hard not to make eye contact. “I-I would’ve-”

Whatever he was trying to say, she didn’t let him finish. “You were! You were! You were going to ditch us to die! I get wanting to leave, and I get being hesitant to help, but you were fine with! With!”

“N-Now just hold on-” Hayday had almost appeared to shrink into himself, partially trying to climb out the window and partially trying to put distance between him and Dragonfly.

She leaned in close, her voice a near hiss. “Earlier, I asked who you were. You’re a cowardly, spineless thief. And you may not like blood on your hands, but you certainly don’t mind it splattering your boots as you run.”

Leaning a bit too far out the window in response to the verbal lashing, Hayday yelped as his hand slipped, and he promptly fell backwards out the window. There was a great clamor of noise - glass bottles, metal cans, crinkling of plastic and paper, the noises of trash. Even after everything, Dragonfly struggled to resist the urge to check on him, to make sure he wasn’t hurt.

She forced herself away from the window, turning to her partner. “Clay, I know this is silly to ask, but are you ready for a fight?”

“Yes. Yes. God, yes.” He answered, fists already raised. Then he thought for a moment. “Where is Hayday?”

"He left." Was all Dragonfly said. But Clay knew her tone of voice well enough to get the picture.

"Ah. I am not surprised. He is a criminal. All criminals are the same."

She felt like she should've disputed that. She instead settled on giving him a disapproving look.

Dragonfly had more important things to focus on right now. Such as the suspicious shuffling from the closed door just to their right.

"How many of them do you think there will be?" Clay whispered, fists raised.

"I'm going to guess six." She replied, turning on her combat gloves. When active, they could deliver a terrible electrical shock, usually just enough to stun. Even as the wielder, she could feel the familiar tingle run through her bones. "You know how Snake Eyes loves his dice motifs."

"Ah. True."

The henchmen burst down the door not a moment sooner, some of them expressing surprise at the pair being there first. The rest of them merely gripped their weapons a little tighter.

Eight of them. She was a bit off on the numbers. Thank God none of them carried firearms, so sure that they wouldn't face any resistance, they had only brought crowbars. Of course crowbars still had the capacity to hurt, something that Dragonfly hoped to avoid.

(Clay, as far as she knew, seemed completely impervious to physical damage. The crowbars would just thunk into his body, leaving a strange indent, but nothing more.)

Living up to her namesake, Dragonfly was constantly moving. Darting across the room, looking for a weakness in their defenses to strike. The room was far too small to use her wings, but even without them she was quick.

But even as they fought, they couldn’t keep track of all the crooks at the same time. In the corner of her eye, she could see one of the men start to pick the lock to the ruby’s case. “Clay!” she shouted, narrowly dodging a crowbar.

“Currently occupied!” Clay shouted back, grabbing two of the men by their collars to restrain them.

The man grabbed the ruby from the case, sirens screaming all the while. Upon seeing an opening. She shouted, “Clay! Take over! Like we practiced!” she said, thought for a half a second, then quickly added. “Do NOT kill anyone!”

She bolted as Clay lost all pretense of human form, shifting into tendrils to grab and disarm like a horrifying claymation octopus. She normally did not like leaving him alone in fights (especially like this), and not because she was worried for his safety. But seeing the thing she came here specifically to protect currently slipping from her fingers prompted her to temporarily disregard this concern.

Nearly slipping on the museum floors, Dragonfly chased after the crook with the ruby. “HEY! Stop right there!”

He did not stop. Dragonfly wasn’t sure what she expected.

She certainly wasn’t expecting the handle of a broom to swing from a doorway to beam the man in the face, knocking him to the ground. The ruby clattered to the floor, doing more damage to the floor than the actual gem itself.

Sliding to a stop by the groaning man currently slowly writhing on the floor, she looked to see who was holding the broomstick. And she was honestly surprised to see Hayday standing there, panting as if he had ran a mile.

“You came back-”

“WHY ARE YA STILL HERE?! What part of ‘If ya stay here you’ll get killed’ did not get through to ya?!”

Dragonfly blinked at him, baffled. “Because I don’t run from fights?”

Huffing, clearly not happy with that answer, Hayday gestured to the ruby with the broom. “Well, get the stupid gem and let’s split.”

“We may not need to.” she picked up the ruby with careful hands, holding the cold stone close to her chest. “If Clay managed to beat up the rest, we can simply say that we got here only moments after and stopped the robbery. The police and the news don’t need to know our original plan.”

“Lyin’ to authorities, breakin’ and enterin’, taking’gems from museums, are ya sure you’re a hero, Dragon?” Hayday asked with a lopsided grin.

Dragonfly did not answer, stiffly turning and starting to walk back.

“H-Hey! Hey!” he quickly gave chase. “Are ya mad? Yer mad. But I came back! Look. Look. I’m sorry. Really, I am!” Hayday said. Maybe it was the lack of the smarmy attitude that he had since the very beginning. But something about it sounded genuine to Dragonfly.

Genuine or not, his timing was poor. “Let’s have this talk when we’re not in a museum full of sirens with the police on their way, kay?”

“Good plan. Good plan.”

Returning to the room where the ruby was originally kept, Dragonfly and Hayday were met with men unconscious or in stages of stupor, lying around like ragdolls. “Holy shit.” Hayday quietly muttered. “Clearly ya didn’ need me-”

Clay reformed upon seeing Dragonfly, taking his human shape. “They are still alive. I have checked.” he quickly reassured her.

“That’s awesome!” she said, carefully returning the ruby to its place. “You’re making great progress in not doing that.”

A rare smile graced Clay’s face. However, the smile died almost immediately upon realizing Hayday had returned. “Oh. I was hoping you had left. For good.”

“Yer not gettin’ rid of me that that easy, Clay-Dough.”

The sirens of the museum proximity alarms were replaced with the sirens of police cars. “And now it’s time we leave!” Dragonfly said, placing the glass box over the gemstone. Finally, she placed a small, plastic dragonfly on-top.

“Do ya just carry those around?” asked Hayday.

“Ever heard of a calling card? Have some class.” she replied.

Once the plastic dragonfly was set in place, the three of them bolted for the maintenance stairs. And once on the roof, they kept running; traveling from rooftop to rooftop until the red and blue lights and police silence blended into the usual city rumble.

Dragonfly and Clay turned to Hayday, who was currently wheezing like he had just run a marathon, hands on his knees, almost doubled over.

“For someone so quick to flee. You do not have good stamina." Clay muttered.

“Why’d you even come back?” asked Dragonfly.

“Because-” he said between breaths, “Because I didn’ mean to leave ya.”

Dragonfly crossed her arms over her chest as Clay loomed behind her, the pair of them silently urging him to continue.

“It’s just.” he stood straight, kicking at the cement under his feet. “I’ve been workin’ solo for…years now. When shit started hittin’ the fan, I worked on instinct. And my instincts told me to hit the bricks. You two didn’ deserve that. ‘M sorry.”

“OK. Where is the rest of the apology?” Clay said slowly, eyes narrowing.

“...what else am I apologizin’ for?”

“Being a thief. Being a criminal. Attempted murder-” Clay began to list on his fingers.

Hayday sheepishly smiled, “Oh. Yeah, I ain’ apologizin’ for that.”

“I appreciate the apology.” said Dragonfly with a nod. “And I’m appreciative for the help. My plan wouldn’t have worked without you.”

“It was an alright plan.” Hayday admitted. “I’m sure it would’ve gone off withouta hitch, if they didn’ move the date of their heist.”

Dragonfly snorted. “Yeah. ‘Moved the date’. Sure.”

Hayday paused. He opened his mouth, closed it again, thought for a moment, then finally managed to ask, “You…you knew they were coming today, didn’t ya?”

She smiled. “Course we did. We’re no rookies, we know what we’re doing.”

“So ya lied to me? Told me that they were coming another day, manufacturing all of this? For what? I don’t get it.”

“I told you why at the very beginning. I wanted to know who you are. A test of character.”

"I tried to convince her otherwise." Clay added, his voice slow and languid. "But I could not sway her."

Hayday stared at her, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted and mouth slightly agape.

But she continued regardless. “I remember, when you tried to kill me. You were shaking so bad, you know. You said you couldn’t do it, and you vanished off into the night.”

“I think…” Dragonfly looked him up and down. “...you’re a good person. I think that deep down, underneath all the sarcasm and snark and everything. You are a good person.”

Hayday continued to stare. She wasn’t sure if it was confusion, or disbelief, or maybe she had just broken him. “You honestly think. That after everything. That I’m a good person?”

“Yeah.”

There was a moment of contemplative silence. She could see him working something out in his head. Then, with a deep, rumbling sigh, he reached into his pockets to pull out a jewel-laden necklace. “Here. I swiped it earlier, when ya weren’t lookin’. Take it before I change my mind.”

"I knew it." Clay hissed. "He is a thief. He will always be a thief."

"I gave the damn thing back, didn't I?" Hayday snapped. "I could've kept it!"

"You really shouldn't have taken this. Like. The entire point of asking you to help us was to prevent museum theft." She said, carefully taking the necklace from his hand.

"Ya didn't say I couldn't steal." He snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. You owe me. And I'd like to collect now."

Dragonfly sighed. "Clay. Wallet please."

Clay shoved a hand into his own body, not unlike how one would rummage through the mud to find a missing shoe. After a moment, he pulled a wallet from his chest. "Here."

The two silently traded, Clay inserting the necklace into his body for safekeeping as Dragonfly rummaged through her wallet.

(Hayday was silently disgusted by the entire exchange.)

She handed over a plastic card. He snatched it, proceeding to give it a confused look-over. With absolutely no emotion in his voice, he asked, "...is this a fifty dollar gift card to IHop."

"I enjoy their cinnamon roll pancakes." Clay said, confirming Hayday's question.

"You wanted payment. You never specified how. But if you don't want it-" Dragonfly reached over to take the card back.

But he quickly put the gift card in his pocket, "Nope, nope, mine now. In the future, I'd like something a bit more rewarding, mind."

Dragonfly beamed at him. "Next time, huh?"

Hayday paused, as if he only just realized what he said. "Look. We ain't friends. I ain't a good person. I'm only doin' this because I'm in a good mood. Got it?"

"Buuuuut?" She pressed.

He waved his hand dismissively. "...but I wouldn't be completely opposed to working with you two again. But in the future, don't lie to me, and I don't take gift cards."

She took his outstretched hand, giving it a firm shake, much to his confusion. "It's a deal!"

Dragonfly finished the handshake, glancing at Clay expectantly. But he just slowly shook his head. "We should be leaving. The police will be searching the area soon."

"Right, right!" Dragonfly chirped, her smile near infectious. "This was a good day! Tomorrow we'll return the necklace."

Her backpack whirred to life, two pairs of neon blue wings forming from electrical components tucked inside. Clay had already left, using his semi-solid form to quickly dart off to another rooftop.

"I'll keep in contact." She told Hayday, wings buzzing as she lifted off the ground.

"I'm uh. Sorry for trying to kill ya." He shrugged. "Way back then."

"It's alright." She smiled. "I forgive you."

#Myocs #dragonfly #clay #hayday #neon hero

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justanotherthrowaway1950 · 5 months

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Why I Headcanon Azula Suffering from Mental Illness, Pre-Sozin's Comet

Note: To make it super clear, I have no relevant training when it comes to mental health, or in psychology in general. I am just a fan sharing my headcanon based on what I think would lead into interesting storytelling. So if you have any problems (ex. you think I engaged in ableism) with my characterization and/or diagnosis of Azula, please let me know in the comments.

One of the more contentious arguments in the ATLA fandom is whether or not Azula has any mental disorder(s), and if so, what they are.

Some fans think Azula suffered from some combination of antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and/or bi-polar personality disorder, and so all the events of the back half of Season 3 did was make her actively psychotic.

Meanwhile, there are other fans who believe that Azula’s problem was being a poorly socialized kid who was raised to be the perfect conqueror and tyrant, and so her mental breakdown during Sozin’s Comet was a temporary stress-based breakdown caused by her life falling apart.

And while the comics could have provided a clear answer, they unfortunately haven’t as of the time of this post.

This is because while Azula suffered from constant delusions and hallucinations for at least a year, they can be easily explained by her less than ideal treatment in her asylum.

(Yes, apparently it is canon that there is systemic abuse present in the Fire Nation’s asylum system, and that it played a major role in not only Azula’s worsened mental state in the comics, but also why the Fire Warriors willingly joined Azula’s side as well.)

Moreover, despite her and Zuko claiming that she appears to mentally better off in Smoke and Shadow, with Azula claiming that she no longer sees or hears “Ursa”, she occasionally is drawn in the same fashion as an actively psychotic Azula is in The Search.

Which suggests that her escaping the asylum and finding a new purpose in life, turning Zuko into a tyrant or retaking the throne for herself, is just a temporary fix.

In addition, at least in the post-Sozin’s Comet comics written by Gene Luen Yang, Azula is supposed to be suffering from a split personality disorder.

Yet I am pretty sure that a significant portion of fandom would agree with me when I say that did not appear to be the case in those comics considering Azula never appears to switch between her normal personality and any alters.

Therefore, considering the franchise refuses to give a clear answer on what, if any, mental illness(es) Azula has, what, if any, mental illness(es) Azula has is the realm of headcanons for now.

So, what mental illness(es), if any, do I headcanon Azula suffering from?

Well, I headcanon that Azula has (childhood) schizoaffective disorder plus complex post-trauma stress disorder (C-PTSD) caused by the fact that Ursa did manage to teach her morals, but she had to consciously disregard them to be her father's perfect heir.

And that the first time she hallucinated Ursa was after her father made her do something heinous, like torturing an agitator in a prison at his command, or after she smiled after Zuko's burning, thinking that deserved it, even though deep down she knew it was wrong.

I also headcanon that she went to great lengths to hide her hallucinations and avoid triggering herself by doing things like avoiding mirrors to the point that no one other than Lo and Li suspected there was anything wrong with her.

But as Zuko, Ty Lee, and Mai “abandon” her before the events of the show occur, she starts to fall apart.

Hence why she seeks out Ty Lee and Mai, even though there are better fighters available like Combustion Man, and why she allows Zuko to "redeem" himself.

That and "Ursa" telling her that she has been a bad sister for trying to imprison or kill her own brother, and that he deserves to come back home, not in chains or in a coffin, but by her side as their father’s rightful heir once again.

So, with her brother and friends back in her life, combined with the fact that she has succeeded in securing her father’s love by essentially winning the war as far as she is concerned, Azula is able to keep “Ursa” for the most part suppressed.

Hence why Azula appears to be happy and even somewhat normal during the first part of Season 3.

This, even though “Ursa” keeps telling her from time to time that it is wrong to blackmail her brother about the Avatar’s potential survival, and that it is a matter of time before Mai and Ty Lee stop tolerating her after everything she has done to them, especially Ty Lee.

So it’s no surprise that after Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Ozai's "betrayals", especially considering the nature of their “betrayals” and how they all occurred within a short timeframe, that she becomes actively psychotic, with her condition then worsening due to the abusive asylum she was placed in, as well as the fact no one came to visit her until Zuko needed her to find Ursa.

But after Noriko apologizes for not loving her enough, plus Zuko affirming that he will always love her, she stops being actively psychotic due to a combination of no longer being in the asylum and her realizing her purpose in life is to "help" Zuko.

However, Azula hasn’t really healed, since her actions in Smoke and Shadow were essentially having a manic episode due to having a new purpose in life, no longer being in the asylum, and having new friends in the form of the Fire Warriors.

Moreover, her trying to turn Zuko into a tyrant, or if that fails, retaking the throne for herself, is a giant coping mechanism since actively coming to terms with the fact her trying to be her father’s perfect heir alienated her from everyone who she cared about would be too much for her psyche.

Especially since there doesn’t seem any way to redeem herself, let alone get her brother, Mai, and/or Ty Lee’s forgiveness and companionship again.

And why do I headcanon Azula suffering from (childhood) schizoaffective disorder alongside C-PTSD?

Well, initially, before rewatching ATLA, I used to think that Azula’s breakdown was a temporary, stress-induced breakdown caused by her life falling apart.

But after rewatching ATLA, or more specifically, the mirror scene, I picked on something very peculiar: Azula doesn’t appear to be shocked by the presence of “Ursa”, even though as far as she is concerned, Ursa has been gone for over five years at this point.

___________________________________________________________

Azula: “All right hair, it's time to face your doom.”

Azula grabs the bangs hanging in front of her face. She lifts them in the air and cuts them, with them falling near her feet. Her reflection in the mirror shows her grinning, with her hair a mess, but she stops grinning as she notices Ursa appears in the reflection, behind Azula.

Ursa: “What a shame, you always had such beautiful hair.”

Azula: “What are you doing here‌?”

Ursa: “I didn't want to miss my own daughter's coronation.”

Azula: “Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me. You think I'm a monster.

Ursa: [Cuts to shot of Azula looking at her reflection in the mirror, clearly angered; off-camera.] “I think you're confused. All your life you used fear to control people, like your friends Mai and Ty Lee.”

Azula: [Closes her eyes before turning around sharply to face her mother.] “Well what choice do I have?! [Cuts to shot of her standing in the room, her back to the mirror which still shows the reflection of her mother.] Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me.”

Ursa: [Sincerely.] “No. I love you, Azula. I do.”

Cuts to close-up of Azula as she bends over slightly, tears in her eyes, and her hair hanging down in messy locks. Cuts to shot of her hand gripped around a hairbrush on the table. The camera shifts as the enraged princess lets out a shout and hurls the brush at the mirror. The resulting impact shatters a large portion of the mirror, including where Ursa's reflection was seen. Cuts to overhead shot of the room as Azula kneels over and begins bitterly crying. The room is devoid of any other people, showing that Ursa's reflection was a mere hallucination.

___________________________________________________________

So, after reading the comics and learning that not only did Azula continue to suffer from hallucinations and delusions, but also that her “recovery” wasn’t really a recovery at all, I came to the conclusion that you can tell a compelling story of Azula suffering from (childhood) schizoaffective disorder plus C-PTSD.

Or more specifically, you can tell a compelling story of Azula constantly struggling to suppress her conscience after Ursa left and she got molded into Ozai's perfect weapon, with her symptoms worsening as her friends and brother slowly but surely leave her life, only getting better after she forcibly brings them back into her life.

But after Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Ozai “betray” her one by one, making her (subconsciously) realize that all the people she had hurt and pushed away in pursuit of Ozai’s "love" was all for nothing, and that she was wrong to ignore to “Ursa”, she can no longer keep her symptoms under check.

And that her behavior from Sozin’s Comet onward can be explained due a combination of the asylum worsening her condition, her going through periods of mania and depression, and her trying to avoid consciously admitting that Ozai’s abuse and her own choices led her to lose everything that mattered to her since doing so might break her for good.

So to conclude, I headcanon Azula suffering from (childhood) schizoaffective disorder plus C-PTSD, even pre-Sozin’s Comet, partially because Azula was not surprised at the presence of “Ursa” during the mirror scene, and partially because she continued to be suffering from delusions and hallucinations long after Sozin’s Comet.

And while I wish the writers for the franchise would do more research before trying to depict Azula suffering from such disorders, I do think with has already be depicted and said that there is enough present already to tell a compelling story involving Azula trying to deal with and overcome such disorders, regardless if she actually does succeed in overcoming them, or at least learn how to manage them.

#azula #atla #atla comics #avatar legends #azula meta #atla meta #atla comics meta #atla comics critical #justanotherthrowaway1950meta

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cerastes · 2 years

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Somnium Files 1 spoilers.

I want to talk a bit about Date’s Somniums/Somnii (well, his one Somnium and the tutorial dream).

It’s very telling of Date as a person that the rules of his Somnii are based on color.

The Somnii of characters are all reflective of key aspects of themselves, for example, Iris’ Somnii are fundamentally informed by 1) her passions, that is, streaming (particularly ShovelForge), dancing, mythology, and the occult as the foundation to her psyche, 2) her delusions, the flawed perception of reality that comes as a side effect of her brain tumor, to which her love for the occult feeds, and 3) her fear of her coming death, which mixes with her passion for mythology to create an escapism where the Fruit of Immortality may save her. There’s a cohesive connection between Who Iris Is and What Iris Is. The same goes for Saito, whose Somnii all take place in ideal locales for murder (abandoned warehouses and factories), and all necessitate revisiting either his childhood of killing animals, represented by childish drawings of animals being brutalized in various ways, or his latest ‘achievements’, the Cyclops Serial Killings both old and new. The foundation of both of these is, again, passion. The only way Saito knew any sort of joy was when killing. It was quite essentially all he lived for.

If we do a cursory look of other Somnii, passion paints an important picture and plays and important role in all of them: Ota’s love for tokusatsu makes his Somnium play out like a toku fight, Ota’s mom focuses on the moments with her family, both the sad and the joyful, and even Mizuki’s Somnium, the one most colored with sorrow and trauma (it took place shortly after discovering her own mother’s corpse, after all), takes place in the park that housed the sole happy memory she had with her parents, and some parts of the Somnium allude to this joy and how important that is for Mizuki. The grand exception would be Hitomi’s Somnium and Rohan’s Somnium, which are entirely rooted in past regrets and sorrows. One could say these overpower their passions at that point in their lives.

So, we return to Date, Date Kaname, our dirtbag of a man, sleazy ass cheeky piece of shit, lovably charming loser. For all of this and more that he is, however, it’s easy to miss something essential about Date, something that also makes him stick out among the gallery of amnesiac protagonists: He’s happy. He’s perfectly happy where he is, he is not wholly uninterested in his past, but he doesn’t pursue it, either. He’s very content where he is in life. He likes Boss. He likes Aiba. He likes Mizuki. He likes Reika from the cabaret club and her fat thighs. He likes Mama. He likes hitting the bar with his drinking buds such as Okiura and Shoko. Date is in a good place... More than that, he’s thankful.

As the dream tutorial immediately shows us, there’s plenty of subconscious memories he is not even remotely aware of inside of him, of his past life, and even in these, the prime directive of his Somnii, the foundation, the passion, is represented by color.

In the Dream, it’s color that leads the way and dictates what can and cannot be interacted with. Date’s Somnii are very straightforward because he has nothing to hide, and what he is hiding, he doesn’t even know of. We see the stew, we see drawing Iris made of the Okonomiyaki Incident, we take a peek inside of Iris’ toy box where she keeps her UFO toys and occult magazines, right before being thrust into the completely colorless scene of ‘Rohan’ shooting at ‘Falco’, accidentally injuring Hitomi in the incident. Completely colorless, because what’s done is done and there’s nothing he can do about it, the guilt being such that even in his dreams, he cannot change those events. The main characters of this deep dream, however, were the good times, lingering as fractal memories that Date has no easy access to.

In the Somnium proper, when Mizuki is Psycing with the comatose Date, color once again dictates the rhythm. It’s no coincidence that his Dream took place where he considered home as Yagyu -- the Sagan Household -- and that his Somnium proper takes places where he, as Date, considers home, the Date Household: Domestic joy and stability is invaluable to him, again, he’s thankful. He has no memories of his days as a vigilante assassin, but the associated emotions linger, he wanted out of that life, he wanted to simply live a nice and peaceful life. As Date, that is exactly what he has. That’s what the ever caring Boss made sure he got. His passions are his peaceful, fun days with Aiba and Mizuki. Getting in fights, arguing, joking around, making up, going for disgusting stew, awkwardly greeting each other, covertly doing good things for each other, never honest, always earnest, a domestic routine, a life as regular as can be, despite the eccentricities of the events themselves (such as regularly diving into people’s heads and having an eye that’s also a buddy).

It’s precisely because Date has nothing to hide that his Somnii are so incredibly linear, he’s not making any secret of his memories, he is, in fact, proudly showing them. Unlike the other Somnii, where one has to do puzzles and use esoteric dream logic to peel each layer away, Date’s Somnii is basically a tour. He’s showcasing an exhibition of memories dear to him. Even the moments that were no doubt stressful, such as Mizuki throwing a tantrum or, worse yet, throwing his police badge out of the window, are regarded as dear and frankly fun memories. There’s no shortage of them. And eventually, when Mizuki does reach the innermost sanctum of the Somnium, a black void where he stands opposite to Okiura and Shoko, the negativity and sadness he keeps buried under so much happiness and color, it’s all born from a feeling of guilt towards Mizuki, believing himself insufficient as a guardian for her. “She should have her proper parents, I don’t stand a chance, is this the best for Mizuki?” In the end, it’s not that he doesn’t want to take care of her, it’s that he’s unconvinced that he’s the best option, and that maybe he’ll screw up and Mizuki won’t be the best version of herself.

Which is such a mundane and completely understandable inner sorrow to have! Of course you care for the ones you love, especially when you suspect it might be you that’s holding them back! End of the day, Date is many things, but the most important of them is that he’s a fun-loving, caring dude of all time. He’s a pathetic garbage dirtbag man that blows his money pouring ponzu between Reika’s thighs and can’t see anything but a pair of tits behind the reception desk at Lemniscate, but he’ll go through hell and back (silently and without ever admitting it, of course) for those he loves.

It all ties to one of the other biggest themes in Somnium Files: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”. With the exception of the Matsushita family, every single family by blood relation in Somnium Files is a strained mess, and to contrast, every single family tied together by love for each other rather than by blood -- Hitomi and Iris, Date, Aiba and Mizuki, even Rohan and Moma! -- is healthy and loving as can be.

To wrap this up, I do want to call attention to something important that is referred to very subtly in both the Dream and the Somnium:

In the Dream, Date can instruct Aiba to wear the box on her head. When she does, the box also covers the skeleton’s head. As we learn much, much later, the skeleton with the bleeding left eye socket represents Date’s old life, Yagyu.

In the Somnium, when Mizuki find Date in the innermost sanctum of his psyche, Date’s left eye is yellow, or in other words, Aiba.

In the Dream, Aiba wearing the box on her head puts it on the skeleton as well because Date considers Aiba as a literal part of himself, and is not whole without her, ergo, her wearing the box is essentially him also wearing the box, and in the Somnium, Date doesn’t have his proper eye or his eye closed, and has Aiba very clearly in there, because, again, his image of the self is simply not complete without her.

Date loves Mizuki and Aiba so much that they are inseparable from his deepest memories, psyche, and even sense of self. He is not only the dude of all time, he is the tsundere of all time (who happens to love his tsundere foster daughter Mizuki and his tsundere best friend-slash-literal part of his body Aiba).

#dreamfiles #ai the somnium files #date kaname #okiura mizuki #aiba

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lothirielswandc · 1 year

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RAVEN VS FEAR TOXIN (Part I)

Lavender-scented steam rose from Raven’s mug. She inhaled the soothing fumes reverently, hoping it would coax out calm.

The break room was mostly empty. Scarecrow removed test tubes from his lunchbox. Bane scarfed down a burger while scrolling through his phone. There was a dull throb of emotion. Her quiet company exuded small prickles of contentment and annoyance. Otherwise, it was serene.

Raven sighed and closed her eyes. It was an ideal atmosphere for contemplation.

Raven had a theory. There was ample evidence. The way warmth and electricity sprouted every time they touched. All of the time Raven spent with him, and how much lighter things seemed in his presence. The Sin of Lust adopted his form to seduce her. When he was absent, her mind knew there was something missing. There was an ache—a hole left in his wake.

Raven had feelings for Damian Wayne.

She had never felt anything like this before, which explained why it took her so long to acknowledge it. Raven wasn't naive enough to use the term “love.” The word “like” was too weak, but she feared giving the emotion more power. Because she had to consider the following.

Did Damian feel the same?

Raven’s hands tightened on her mug. Perhaps he did, at some point. Damian kissed her back, didn't he? That could be considered evidence. But Damian left. He’d been gone for weeks. Possibly to escape her—and to fulfill his duty as Batman’s ward.

Batman attended the Justice League meeting last night. Was it safe to assume that Damian had also returned? If so, should Raven dare to pursue him? Should she approach him about the kiss? Or would that permanently alter things between them for the worse?

Raven sighed and took a tentative sip. Her face scrunched up; there was a sterile taste beneath the lavender. Something almost medicine-like. Someone must not have replaced the water filter.

“Ms. Grey, you are brooding very intensely over there,” The deep tremor of Bane’s voice snapped Raven out of her reverie. He had finished his burger and removed the small napkin laid over his lap to dab at his mouth beneath his mask.

Raven stared at him over the rim of her mug. “Isn't that what we’re all about here?”

“To the naked eye, yes. But villainy is about expressing your inner turmoil! Are you processing your emotions in a healthy manner? I could recommend a therapist—”

Scarecrow looked up from his work to roll his eyes at Bane. His gaze fell across Raven in the process. The former psychologist froze. Adrenaline oozed from him. “Stop! Where did you get that drink from?”

“Um…” Raven pointed towards the electric teapot next to the Kerigg. She was one of the few who used it. Most villains preferred coffee.

“D-did you use the water? From the sink?” Scarecrow fidgeted in his seat. His fingers trembled and his nails chattered against the table.

Raven nodded.

Scarecrow rose so quickly from his chair that it clattered to the floor. “You must be hospitalized immediately—! Some of my Fear Toxin leaked into the water supply!”

Raven’s eyes widened. Her gaze slowly dipped down to her mug. This was her second cup.

She set the cup down and edged away from the counter. Raven had never been exposed to Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin before. She knew what it did: it created vivid, violent hallucinations. Delusions weren't a foreign experience, but…

“Do you have an antidote?” Raven asked. It had been awhile since she had done so, but Raven could expunge some diseases. She never got sick. Could she do the same with Fear Toxin…?

Scarecrow’s head shook slightly. He was shaking all over. Raven’s skin crawled from Scarecrow’s overpowering fear. “It’s a new strain…”

Raven forced herself to take a long breath in, hold, and slowly released through her lips. My mind is a mess, but no one has better control over emotions than me. I’ve meditated for years on end. I’ve endured Trigon’s ridicule nonstop. I can do this.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Grey! It was an accident, I swear—! Please stress that to Lex—!”

“You should have put up a sign! Signs are useful! I will escort you to safety,” Bane clasped Raven’s elbow with a giant hand and guided her out of the breakroom. Raven’s heartbeat echoed in her ears.

“Do you feel woozy at all?” Bane asked.

Raven’s breathing was louder. Her narrowed eyes whipped across their surroundings, watching for contortions of reality. The Fear Toxin was an illusion. Like a high-definition horror movie. Raven had experience with terror.

Raven was fortunate. She was aware of the poison. Others weren't so lucky…Raven could refrain from fighting back. Resist.

But it would be better to wait this out somewhere safe. Somewhere empty.

“I’m okay. I can walk myself, Bane.” Raven insisted.

“Don't be a hero. Fear Toxin is a serious thing! You should not be alone right now.”

Raven pressed her lips together. If she let Bane drag her to a hospital, that would make things worse. She hated hospitals. Too much pressure, too much fear. Besides, if something did happen, Raven didn’t want Bane or any civilians to suffer by her hand.

I need to get out of here, away from people. I need—

“Conner!” Raven threw a frantic look over her shoulder. If she said Conner’s name loud enough, he or someone with advanced super hearing might come. Raven preferred Conner’s company. He’d probably downplay the situation for her sake. He wouldn't hover or worry in front of her face like Clark.

“Do you know where Superboy is? Maybe he can take me to the…hospital quicker,” Raven pronounced each term distinctly, hoping she could be heard through thousands of voices conversing.

It could be nothing. I could be overreacting. I could be immune.

But her heart was beating rapidly like she’d chugged five redbulls in a row.

“You should call him. Your family should know about this—” Bane suggested.

John and Zatanna immediately came to mind. Raven flinched. She didn't want them to see her like this—she didn't want them to witness whatever happened if things got out of hand.

“I will. I can take care of this, Bane. Please leave me alone—!” Raven yanked herself out of his grip and sprinted down the hall. She wrestled with her phone as Bane’s pangs of hurt pierced her too. Raven’s words were too sharp. I’m sorry.

Raven burst into the stairwell as she scrolled through her contacts. How did she know so many people? Her finger flicked through the C’s and D’s.

“Raven.”

Out of surprise, she pressed a random contact on her phone. Raven glanced back and her feet skidded to a stop on the steps.

Trigon stood at the top of the stairs, towering over her in flesh and blood.

“Raven?” A familiar voice echoed from her phone. Raven didn't answer. It's not real. Whatever I see is not real…

The stairwell disappeared. Raven grimaced. She tried to remember where she was, which way was down, how close the railing was that guarded the long drop.

There was no sky. Earth was gone. A void swallowed up every astral orb. Raven and Trigon stood on a piece of floating rock, wandering the bleak, eternal abyss.

“I never took you for indulging in narcotics. What a disgrace,” Trigon tsked. His human form started to scare Raven more than his true face. This was the face that mom trusted. Then he broke her.

“I’m strong. I can resist.” Raven said.

“What a wonderful place to lose control. Surrounded by enemies that despise you and your friends. My puppets. You will experience my weapons against Darkseid firsthand. This will be a…test run, of sorts.” Trigon’s eyes flashed with mockery. The shadow of an extra burning pair flashed across his forehead.

“I instructed the Sins to assist Gotham’s aberrants in whatever method they required. The Fear Toxin has undergone…modifications.” A smile tugged at Trigon’s lips. “But perhaps this will be the catalyst that will finally free us. We will be together soon, I can taste it.

“Enjoy the chaos, Raven. Relish in it. That's what we do best.”

Raven snarled, “I am nothing like you!”

Raven’s voice rang out across the void. Vaguely, she remembered that she was in a stairwell where sound echoed. It was best not to attract attention. Raven made a mental note to mentally respond.

“You’re wrong.”

Raven’s composure shattered. She turned, breath unable to reach her lungs. Mom?

The world around them changed as Raven’s eyes fell upon Arella. They were in a church. Crimson light flooded through the windows. The stained glass depicted massacres and horrific sacrifices. Arella’s skin and white robes were dyed red in the warm glow of blood.

Arella wore a look of disgust. “You summoned him—you destroyed our home! You ruined my life!”

Raven had no response prepared, even in her mind. Her mother was right. Raven swallowed, but the gesture burned from the dryness in her throat.

The windows shattered. Raven raised her arms against the rain of wood and glass. Scarlet fists tugged on the roof from above, tearing it from its hinges. As the ceiling ripped, Trigon smiled down at them.

None of this is real. I can't take this out on the real world. I have to block it out.

Raven turned away from her parents. Her mother reappeared in front of her. Arella stood between the rows of wooden pews, hate and regret twisting her tear-streaked face. Nothing about her resembled the beaming photograph from Harley Quinn’s scrapbook.

Raven didn't know much about hallucinogens, but if it induced visions, there were other ways to block them out. She squeezed her eyes shut.

That was a mistake. The ground vanished under Raven’s feet. Her body felt like it was falling in a dream, the sudden heart-wrenching pull of gravity before one awoke. Raven was still forced to endure Arella’s words.

“Do you know what it's like? To be promised to a monster forever—?” Sudden shrieks erupted from her mother.

Raven’s eyes snapped open. Blood bloomed beneath the white cloth of Arella’s robes, seeping from unseen wounds. Bruises blossomed on exposed skin.

Arella’s face altered ever so slightly. Short-cropped bangs sprouted from her scalp. Amethyst eyes were invaded by a stormy blue-gray. Her nose was longer, and her lips were fuller.

Zatanna writhed in pain before Raven. “Do you know what it's like…? To love a monster and not be loved in return?”

“Oh, bollocks!”

Raven’s eyes widened. Oh hell no. Please no. Please—

She snuck a glance behind them, where Trigon still loomed. Trigon no longer held the ceiling aloft; John Constantine took his place. He casually tossed the roof to the side, exposing the ruins to the dark swirling clouds above. Something red splattered across Raven’s cheek from above. It's raining blood.

A crimson hand wrapped around Raven’s torso. She writhed in its vice-like grip to no avail. Slowly, Raven was raised to meet Constantine’s burning, four-eyed gaze.

“You just had to include me in your hallucination, didn't you, love? Replace one demon with another, ‘ey? How pathetic. You mean absolutely nothing to me!”

Raven settled on shutting her eyes once more. Constantine cackled, “Don't tell me you’re scared, love.”

The pressure against Raven’s chest intensified. Heat pricked the edges of Raven’s eyes from the pain. John squeezed her so hard Raven wondered if she would splatter across his hand. No! Don't think like that! It's fake! This is all just a high-budget horror movie. Starring the people you love. And they’re really good at pretending that they hate you.

The pain ceased. Only whispers caressed her ears. Unseen forces stroked her legs.

Raven opened her eyes. She stood in a sea of lilies. The white petals brushed up against her, soft as a lover’s lips. A thorn-infested thicket lurked along the edges of the meadow. A red moon beamed down upon her from an ebony sky.

I’ve been here before. Raven had visited the meadow, long ago, in a dream of the past. She didn't remember the ending.

A hooded figure knelt among the valley of whispering lilies.

Part II coming soon!

Continue LOVE + FEAR on AO3!

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merakiui · 2 years

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Imagine if darling tried to get out of an arranged marriage to Riddle by having another man's child. Desperate times call for desperate measures

The minute Riddle's mother learns of this the engagement is broken at once. She won't have her precious Riddle marry a filthy woman who cheats as easily as she spreads her legs. You aren't welcome in the Rosehearts home anymore. Even if Riddle pleads with her to reconsider, her mind is firmly made up. There's no swaying her decision. Riddle wants to think that this entire situation is a misunderstanding. You would never do this on purpose, right? Surely not... He tries to believe in this delusion, but it never sticks with him. It's obvious you were unhappy with the arrangement. It's obvious you wanted a convenient escape.

So he gives you your space. The two of you drift apart and he focuses on his life. You think you're free to live in peace with your true lover, but nothing ever stays tranquil for long. Not when you have a scorned ex-fiancé who's determined to rebuild the life he was so close to sharing with you. There's really no need for you to be so fearful of him, even if he's the one who has kidnapped and confined you to a soundproofed room. It's not ideal, but Riddle's willing to do what he must in order to continue loving you. Even if it means sharing wedding vows in the isolation of this barren room.

Of course he's upset that you would go behind his back and do something so cruel, but despite this he still finds himself infatuated with you. After all, love is blind.

#twisted chit chat #yandere twst

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yandere-fics · 9 months

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Yandere Alphabet With Kassien?

♡ Kassien's Yandere Alphabet ♡

♡ Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get? ♡

♡ Kassien is a very affectionate one. Her instincts are literally screaming at her every moment she is not showing you some kind of affection. Before she's revealed herself as your mate affection will be as subtle as she can possibly make it though. She might do things like spill on your shirt so you borrow her cardigan or hoodie depending on the day. Moving her desk close so she has a chance to brush against you subtly. If she's feeling really bold she might even try to wrap her arm around your shoulder as you walk to lunch together. Once you've been officially claimed as hers though, all bets are off. She will literally pick you up and carry you if you're not close enough to her for more than like five seconds. Rejecting her affection is like one of the scariest things you can do. ♡

♡ Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling? ♡

♡ Very messy, but not in front of you if she can help it. She's killed people just for being too polite or not polite enough with you. She doesn't like having to get messy in front of you though, she can't have you being scared of her. You're just too sweet and pure to understand that she wouldn't hurt you and that this is for your own good. These vile people don't deserve your pity, sweetness, just let her take care of them for you. You'll understand soon, she hopes. ♡

♡ Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them? ♡

♡ She doesn't believe she's being cruel. You're just too stupid for your own good. You really just need to let her love you and not fight back, it's in your best interest. She wouldn't have to get mean with you if you would just understand that you two are in love. Love is possessive, why can't you understand this is her expression of love? If you're in pain right now, it's your own fault. Can't you see you're hurting her every time you reject her? She's just showing you how much your rejection hurts. ♡

♡ Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will? ♡

♡ Forced affection all the time. She'll force you to tell her that you love her until you begin to believe it. She might force you to let her feed you too if she's particularly affectionate that day. It's not really like forced, it's more if you want her to be calm and want your day not to be tense, you really should do it when she suggests it. ♡

♡ Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling? ♡

♡ She's very vulnerable. You know exactly every emotion she is feeling at every second of the day. If she's angry, you know. If she's sad, you know. If she's happy, you know. She'll let you know everything she feels in regards to your relationship. ♡

♡ Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back? ♡

♡ Well it depends on the day. If she wasn't angry previously, she might just think you're being playful. If she was previously angry though, she'll be way less gentle with you. It also depends on her level of delusion for the day. If she's less delusional that day, she's going to start to get very violent. ♡

♡ Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape? ♡

♡ It's very much not a game and if you treat it that way she might have to hurt you badly. Don't worry, a couple broken fingers should straighten out your bad attitude and she'll get them fixed, she promises. ♡

♡ Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them? ♡

♡ If you ever snap her fully out of her delusion, she might just have to break your leg and chain you in the apartment permanently. She will have a doctor put a cast on your leg later though, she's not cruel. ♡

♡ Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling? ♡

♡ She just wants you to rest peacefully in her apartment and greet her with a hug and kiss. It really isn't a hard ask. Just be her sweet little girlfriend please. ♡

♡ Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope? ♡

♡ She wants to hide her jealously in front of you but she has literally tortured people for bumping into you. You might not want to ever go outside if you don't want her to hurt a lot of people really badly. ♡

♡ Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling? ♡

♡ She wants to be gentle until she's claimed you. As long as you behave she'll never show her bad side but once you misbehave, she'll never go back to the nice calm gentle version again. ♡

♡ Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling? ♡

♡ She'll make her presence very known in your life. Slowly she'll become your closest friend and then she'll make it known how much of a good mate she could be. She can wait awhile for you to fall in love with her, she understands the bond is less strong on your side. Just don't flirt with anyone else while you two are friends. ♡

♡ Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else? ♡

♡ Her true personality is very very volatile but most people around her know that. They know better than to tell you how aggressive she can get if you don't already know though. ♡

♡ Naughty: How would they punish their darling? ♡

♡ She'll intimidate you, puffing up her wings, making it clear she is a powerful demon that could really harm you. If that doesn't work she can always break your fingers. ♡

♡ Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling? ♡

♡ She likes to think she's not taking anything away, she's enhancing your life by forcing you to be around her all the time. ♡

♡ Patience: How patient are they with their darling? ♡

♡ She would say extremely patient but not really. ♡

♡ Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on? ♡

♡ Demons get one mate and if that mate dies, they die with them. ♡

♡ Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go? ♡

♡ Nope, never. ♡

♡ Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)? ♡

♡ A demon's instinct to claim their mate is extremely strong. She's actually more mild when it comes to her mate than some of the stronger ones. ♡

♡ Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves? ♡

♡ It's so upsetting that you're too stupid and naive to understand how much she adores you. She just wants you to see she adores you so much. Just calm down and listen to her and you'll see how deep her love runs. ♡

♡ Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere? ♡

♡ She's pretty standard. Broken bones, kidnapping, the whole package. ♡

♡ Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape? ♡

♡ If you want to escape you should probably find a stronger demon to protect you from her but honestly that is so much worse so you're better off with her. ♡

♡ Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling? ♡

♡ Yes but she takes no pleasure in it. ♡

♡ Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over? ♡

♡ She would literally train to be the strongest demon possible if that would make her darling happy. Plus if her darling ever ran to a stronger demon then Kassien would become the strongest ever, if that's what it took to "rescue" you from the other demon. ♡

♡ Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap? ♡

♡ Maybe a year unless she thinks you're flirting with others, then it might be a week to a month. ♡

♡ Zenith: Would they ever break their darling? ♡

♡ She'd try not to but she is very scary so her darling might break. ♡

#yandere oc #yandere lesbian #my oc kassien #yandere asks #yandere x reader #yandere x y/n

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the-resurrection-3d · 11 months

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Decided to post the essay I wrote a few days ago. Of course, this isn't meant to shit on anyone, but to work through my feelings on TOH's themes and how I see the fandom working through them.

TOH has a very – let’s say uneasy relationship with its fantasy elements—or at least, that’s how the fandom has received them. I just saw someone talking about how Luz shouldn’t have gotten a Palisman of her own because she “doesn’t need to look any more like Azura,” considering that Luz’s whole thing at the beginning of the series was needing to better “tell fantasy from reality.” But I feel like that’s only getting half the point—the issue with not being able to tell fantasy from reality rests, as the series argues, with expecting the world to cater to you and then lashing out when it doesn’t.

The series makes this most clear with Belos, who rejects the traditional high fantasy genre signifiers as spiritual pollutants and yet is living in as much of a fantasy world as Luz was. “[He needs] to be the hero of his own delusion” locates Belos’s major flaw—in a character way and in a thematic way—in his refusal to see himself as just another part of the world, rather than its center. All of this is spoken to us directly by the embodiment of the Boiling Isles and its magic. This character flaw is then reinforced by how Belos gets defeated and starts rambling on about how humans are innately “better than this” Because Reasons.

I think part of this disconnect might be happening because we’re used to anti-escapist stories rejecting the fantasy world in its entirety. For example, Ready Player One ends with the reveal that the creator of the VR world—it was called the OASIS, wasn’t it?—regretted not spending enough time in the “real world,” and the main character rectifies this by enforcing a weekly one-day service outage. Even though the book explores reasons why people would want to escape into the VR fantasy, including escaping the confines of marginalized identity categories like gender and race, it still asserts that you’re missing out by leaving the “real world” behind. I think also of modern fantasy stories with creatures like vampires and werewolves that bend over backwards to justify why being a human is still totally the best option— “Be glad of your human heart, Feyre,” and so on. Even in series where the human main character becomes inhuman, it’s often through force—characters like Feyre and Elena Gilbert are killed and then revived as monsters, but only Bella Swan actively wants to become one. (It really is the equal-but-opposite response to the question Robert McRuer says is asked of disabled people IRL in his article about compulsory able-bodiedness: “Yeah, but in the end, wouldn’t you rather be like me?” In both cases—whether disabled or super-abled—the normate, abled, “regular” human position has to be reinforced as the ideal.)

And let’s be real, it’s all cope. We can agree it’s just cope, right? But even besides that, I think we also need to keep in mind that, contrary to what internet discourse would have you believe, subverting tropes is not good writing in and of itself — subversion and deconstruction need to be ways of creating meaning within the work, rather than the meaning itself.

I think, then, we can see TOH’s conversation with escapism from s1 to s3 as a way of asking, “What parts of our childhood should we keep?” In Luz’s case, like in many of our own childhoods, the fantasy elements are from the actual fantasy genre because Luz wants to imagine a bigger life for herself than Earth allows, one that is scary and dangerous but in the end still caters to her/us. (See also Freud’s concept of the family romance, wherein a child dreams that their parents aren’t their “real” parents and that their “real” parents are magic space fairy royalty who will one day reclaim their child and everything will be awesome forever.)

In episodes like “Witches Before Wizards,” these genre signifiers provide Luz with a set kind of “script” for how she believes interactions should go—the disappointment and restlessness she feels in the episode is from the fact that it’s not catered to her just because she’s there, in a similar way that Belos believes humans are better just Because They Are. Worth noting that even in that episode, the “reality” Luz needs to learn to accept is still based in a fantasy setting—signaling that the word “fantasy” in “differentiate fantasy from reality” should not be about the genre or the act of consuming fantasy in and of itself. Season three then literalizes this with The Collector turning people into puppets and acting out “The Owl House” as a game with suffering participants.

Conversely, season three adds more nuance by revealing that Luz’s hyperfixation stems from her relationship with her father. The season does a lot to explore the relationship-building potential of fiction, from Amity suggesting her and Luz dress as Hecate and Azura to the reveal that Camila is a secret Trekkie.

A fellow autistic person once described their special interest not just as something they’re obsessed with, but as part of how they processed the world. We can see this kinda play out in Camila’s conversation with Luz right before Stringbean hatches: she says she has forgotten the “Astral Oath” and responds to Luz’s question of her being a “secret nerd” with the admission that she shouldn’t have let her own fears of and experiences with being non-conforming compel her to try and change Luz. The Astral Oath and how it played out within Cosmic Frontier provided a framework for Camila that she admits she should have followed: “My biggest mistake was trying to protect you by changing this beautiful, good witch into something she wasn’t.” The best things about Luz are also the things that make her more drawn to the fantasy genre.

The rampant egoism of the genre should be left behind, the show says, but not the good lessons and the relationships you’ve built from it.

This anti-egoism does, of course, run up against the fact that Luz is still the main character. If Luz getting a Palisman makes her too much like Azura and therefore undermines the message, then honestly I don’t see how the final battle itself isn’t just a colossal fuck-up. Not even in the sense that Luz got Titan magic, which I have seen people say is now suddenly Luz being A Chosen One all along, but in the sense that Luz straight up shouldn’t have been in the final battle at all. (Honestly, if you want YA with a good anti-egoism message imparted through its structure, you’re looking for Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War—book, not movie.)

I said on Twitter while I was reading Charlie Ledbetter’s “The Dysphoric Body Politic” that TOH has an interesting relationship with its escapism messaging because Luz DOES leave the human world. Even though she had to finish high school in the human world, the finale makes it clear that she’s been putting all of her spare energy and labor into the literal rebuild of the Boiling Isles. She entirely gives up on making a life for herself on Earth.

This isn’t super surprising, (I was always sure it would happen) but I do think it’s where the uneasiness—the messiness—between TOH and its genre comes into play. Yes, Luz needed to dial back her daydreaming and yes, her being in the demon realm ultimately led to it almost being destroyed, but it still is the worst possible ending if she doesn’t get to stay there.

In the article, Ledbetter, a transmasc who discovered themselves through fandom, writes that “Escapism is not a departure from reality. Rather, escape decenters the hegemony of oppressive systems that announce themselves as real and creates space to imagine alternatives.” And yet within the show, it’s a closed circuit—the threat to diversity and self-expression comes from the human realm, and yet there is no attempt to save it. Ledbetter, writing of fandom’s political potential, suggests using fanfic to imagine alternatives specifically so we can give ourselves the drive to try and enact them in the real world.

TOH’s sister show, Amphibia, gives us a taste of this in its finale: in the ten years since the Calamity Trio has left, the once-evil king lives out his final days planting seeds, and the girls themselves are dedicated to either educating others or creating art. They honor the memories of their childhood fantasy—Sasha with two crossing swords as a patch on her jacket and a charm dangling from her rearview mirror, Anne with her entire career—but the portal is closed. It’s not coming back.

Given everything TOH does in season three to reaffirm the value of fantasy as a lifelong interest, though, I think what it wanted to avoid suggesting, like a lot of traditional portal stories do, that the fantasy world is the world of childhood and needs to be escaped. Aslan tells Peter and Susan, after all, that they’re getting too old for Narnia. Peter and his siblings return there only in death; Susan isn’t so lucky. If Luz shouldn’t have gotten a Palisman, something which symbolizes she’s discovered a fundamental truth about herself and has “earned” her place as a Witch, then honestly she shouldn’t have been able to come back to the Boiling Isles, either. How many of us would've been happy with that?

If we want to square this with the show’s politics, I think we can read this as the show saying that, yes, there are some things you have to do as a child, but once you’re free, you aren’t obligated to stay with the society and people who won’t ever see you for who you are. In a way, Luz going back and forth between the human and demon realms parallels the teenage fantasy fan, making space in their lives for fandom as a place of joy and connection after all the boring hard “adult” work is done for the day. You don’t have to leave it behind; building outside of the system and making your life centered around your joy is hard work, yes, but worth doing.

#toh #2d nonsense

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dilfwaynes · 2 years

Text

yandere!talia al ghul alphabet

⚢ pairings; dark!talia al ghul x fem!reader

✗ warnings; dark and controlling themes, media consumed with your own consent.

a/n: hope u like it anon.

attachment : how do they become obsessed?

talia doesn’t easily become obsessed with just anyone, if anything she could be with someone for years or harbor feelings for and she still won’t nudge to obsession for them. possession regarding her partners? yes, but obsession is only hold for barely a few, and when she does become obsessed it’s extreme and depth. her obsession is blazing.

blood : how messy are they willing to get for their darling?

she’s fully one hundred percent in to do anything for you, as well as to get you. someone’s mean to you and made you cry? she’ll easily end them without batting an eye. if you had a boyfriend or girlfriend she’ll have to kill them as they’re only getting in the way of you belonging to her, though she’ll make sure to kill them without you being around or having to witness it so you can avoid the pain, or she might just make them disappear without the police ever finding them.

cruelty : how would they treat their darling when they kidnap them?

cold and stoic with delicate and gentle undertones, explaining feelings towards you and why she simply can’t have you roaming around carelessly and risking someone hurting you, as well as someone else claiming you other than her. she’ll be patient but once you start being what she deems as a brat, that all goes out of the window and she gets annoyed fast.

delusion : how delusional are they when it comes to their darling?

very. it doesn’t matter if you hate her now for taking you away from your life and meaningless people before her, you’ll start seeing her point of view and her love for you and soon return it.

erratic : how unpredictable are they?

rarely is she unpredictable, she’s consistent with promises rather if it’s promises of punishments or the promise of her giving you the entire world, you know her and her pattern.

fight : how would they react if their darling fought back?

amused some at you thinking you can honestly fight her and make an escape, but it’s watered down under rage that you wanna leave her, as well as hurt that you want to leave her. she gives you everything she possibly can in the world’s reach with luxury, same with her affections and efforts to court you.

guilt : what would it take for them to feel guilty about their actions?

not a lot would make her feel guilty, certainly not her taking you away from those ungrateful friends, and definitely not from a grimy boyfriend or girlfriend who clearly didn’t deserve you in her eyes. the only thing that’ll make her feel guilty is maybe post punishment or if you feel fearful/scared of her, guilt would swell her some but also some relief if that means you’ll stop trying to leave her

hell : what would be their darlings worst experience with them?

if you were to hurl out hurtful things at her, or if you ever told her you’ll never love her or call her a monster, it’ll set off her usually cold and unamused façade and would leave you with your hair wrapped in her fingers tightly.

“is that so? you don’t love me beloved? couldn’t love me? i’m a cruel monster?“

she’ll show you how mean she can actually be and throw you into a stone cell and isolate you for some weeks or a month without any contact other than the steps of guards that give you food/water. she’ll do this so you can open up your eyes and see what you take for granted.

ideals : what kind of future do they have in mind with their darling?

romantic and loyal, very intimate too. she’ll want you to want to be hers as well as her to be yours. she wants the small regular things in relationships to be accomplished with you as simple as sharing a room and sleeping together, intertwining your belongings with hers and having a touch of your things together.

jealous : what makes them the most jealous?

ex partners. she cannot stand the idea or remembrance of someone that use to have you, it quite literally makes her skin crawl and sets her teeth in a gritting anger.

kidnap : how would they go about kidnapping their darling?

after watching and studying you for some time to analyze your daily routine, she’ll finally make her move in the dead of your night to receive you back with her. quick and swift with no trace of you anymore.

love letters : how would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

she’s understanding that it’ll take time for you to return her affections and go slow with trying to court you. your constant rejects does deeply hurt her but she continues. she’ll buy you everything you can ask for, as well as things she thinks you’ll like. she’ll give you vintage gifts, even going to buying you past princesses’ crowns she thinks will look gorgeous on you. when she sees you starting to open up some more and beam at some gifts she’ll become more confident as well as start buying lingerie that she wants you to wear for her

mask : are their true colours drastically different from how they acted before?

usually she’ll remain her composure in front of you and try to show a softer side of herself that she does not show to others, to you. but after your first almost success of escape, her true colors come slamming down. she can also be very manipulative and once she senses how lonely and in need of human contact you are, she preys on it. she’s an extreme gaslighter at times if it means you’ll start giving yourself to her fully.

naughty : how would they punish their darling?

mentioned earlier she would isolate you for a while so you can learn your lesson, it’s also a manipulative tactic so when your punishment is finally over you can be incredibly desperate for her and her contact, codependency too.

outrage : what makes them furious

a few things. claiming you could never love her sends her into an emotional and hurt fury, same as mentioned before trying to escape and leave her, or if you gain a connection with one of her assistants that guards you.

patience : how patient are they with their darling?

50/50. it depends on different areas of what you’re doing.

quit : if their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

nope. if you died it would take her years and years before she even thinks about moving on. if you successfully escape, she’ll never stop searching the ends of the world until she finds you.

rage : how do they act when they are angry?

she’s a calm and cold angry, which is more frightening if she were to actively show how angry she is. short replies and sometimes a grasp of your throat/hair if you said something that particularly got her mad enough.

self-indulgent : how possessive are they?

insanely possessive. she doesn’t want you talking to anyone but her, or having a bond/closeness to anyone but her, minus maybe damian but thats it. this also goes for her siblings. she hates the thought of anyone being near you but her

tears : how do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry and/or isolate themselves?

she would hate it, she doesn’t want to punish you but you force her hand. she hates to see you cry and comforts you with wiping your tears away and tucking back your hair, she also understands your frustration of being taken away from everything you know somewhat, but she doesn’t regret it and sees it as she saved you from worthless people

unique : would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

giving you your own space and room to breathe when she can tell you needed it, she isn’t overbearing.

vicious : how vicious can they get?

she’ll go to depths for you and will gladly kill for you, she was raised to be an assassin after all.

weakness : what weaknesses can their darling exploit in order to escape?

affection, once you start initiating it and allowing her to love you she’ll start trusting you and let her guard down a bit

xenodochia : how quickly would their darling cut them off after their escape?

immediately, you know you can’t leave an ounce of trace about your whereabouts whatsoever because she’ll pick up on it right away. you know there’s barely a chance she won’t find you if you quite literally disappear like a ghost, let alone otherwise

yearn : how long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

a long time, it’ll take quite a large amount of time for her to snap, probably years.

zero tolerance : what is the one thing that always makes her snap?

any mention of past ex’s or boosting about them. she’ll fume with jealousy and anger.

#talia al ghul #talia al ghul x reader #dark talia #talia al ghul hc #talia al ghul headcannon #dark talia al ghul

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