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o0lucid-imagination0o · 2 years

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Part 1. I Thought Romance was Dead, Until Your Lips Met Mine Clorten x Luth Oneshot

Warnings: Suggestive themes, traumatic experiences, self harm, negative body depictions, blood, panic attacks, eating disorder mentioned.

Part 2

Credit to my friend for making this art :)

P1. Clorten

The sun was shining through the windows in the inn we were staying at, this is the third time we’ve had to relocate this week. I’m going to be completely honest, being wanted for treason with a 500-platinum piece bounty on your head isn’t the best. Everywhere I go I hear hushed mumbling “Did you hear about what happened at the capitol.” Or “Can you believe that Wimothy boy? In love with a wanted criminal? If his father were alive, he’d be so disappointed.” To be honest it’s a toss-up for which one I hear more. I should have known that it would be out in the open sooner or later. Is it bad I feel relieved? I don’t know.

I snap out of thought to the feeling of rustling next to me, I look over and see Luth. He’s all cuddled up in the blankets, his hand is by his face and his mouth is slightly agape. My gods he looks so perfect, he looks so cuddly like this, it makes me want to cradle him in my arms and kiss him and never let go. I stay still as to not wake my sleeping beauty. Shot is in his own bed and it looks like he’s torn the sheets again with his claws, I know I’m going to have to pay for that later.

I turn back over to Luth and watch as his eyes flutter open, he lets out the most adorable yawn I have ever heard and it makes me let out a small chuckle. I reach over and pull him onto my chest and run my fingers through his dark curls.

“Good morning, handsome.” I smile down at him and kiss his head. He looks up at me and smile “Good morning to you too, mon amour.” Gods his accent in that sleepy groggy tone will be the death of me.

“Judging by your smile I’d say you slept well?” My hands still carding through his hair, he takes it and kisses the palm of my hand. “As well as I can.” Luth still has that boyish smile still plastered on his face as he takes a deep breath in and rests his head on my chest “It’s still weird waking up to see you looking like a human.” He lets out a small laugh as he looks back up at me through his eyelashes. “Yeah, I’m still getting used to it myself.” Since I’m now on the run I took the option of changing my look entirely, I am now sporting chocolaty brown hair with amber eyes and freckles. It hurt entirely too much to get my iris tattooed, but it had to be done.

“Do you know how badly I want to stay like this right now?” The grin on my face grows as the words slip out of my mouth “Very badly?” I nod my head and rub Luth’s cheek with my thumb “I just want to spend every day like this-” I was RUDELY interrupted by an audible gag from the other side of the room, Luth and I both turn our heads to see Shot wearing an unamused look on his face. So much for a peaceful morning. “You two need to start getting your own room.” Shot rolls his eyes sarcastically and my face contorts in slight annoyance “Did you forget I paid for this room?” Shot rolls his eyes again as I proclaimed my right. “Yeah yeah.” Shot gets out of his bed grumbling, Luth and I look at each other and start laughing.

Pt.1 Luth

After our lovely morning was snuffed out by Shotzilla’s distaste for our displays of affection. We got up and got dressed, Clorten got dressed after everyone left the room as usual, which I have no clue why he does that, I understand he’s a bit on the skinnier side due to his anorexia but I thought he was getting better. Maybe he’s insecure about his Faustian burn... I don’t know, and I’m not going to ask him with fear it will upset him. He comes down a little while later. I still cannot get used to seeing him look as normal as he does.

I’m not saying he doesn’t look good. It’s just new to me, I’ve only ever known him with his pale blue hair and those god damn gorgeous blue eyes, seeing him like this is just different. He sits down next to me and rests his hand on my thigh as he eats with the rest of us, that action always catches me so off guard, no matter how many times he does it, it always manages to throw me for a loop.

I lean in and hold Clorten’s hand that lays on my thigh and give it a tight squeeze, he winces a bit behind his mask, I always forget that that’s the hand with the burn. It’s because he wears those gloves all the time, I always forget if it’s his right or left hand. I mutter a small apology, he turns to me and smiles with his eyes, I love watching his eyes when he smiles, no matter the color. It doesn’t matter if they’re pink, blue, brown or even rainbow, his eyes are still beautiful.

“It’s alright, I’m used to it.” He nods and I move his arm around my shoulders so I am closer to him. Clorten leans his head on mine and buries his face in my hair. “I think it’d be a good idea to go to a bigger area, more people means less of a chance of me and Luth getting recognized.” Shot nods a bit “I agree, but that also means being more careful with names. Clorten, have you thought of an alias yet?” “I have a few in mind.” I look up at Clorten “And what are they?” He thinks for a while “Well, Ouranos, Tempest, Boreaus-”

Shot chimes in interrupting Clorten yet again, “Sounds Boringus.” I let a laugh slip out as Clorten looks slightly offended. “Number one, ouch. Number two, didn’t ask... Anyway, the one I like the most is Fei.” “Dude anything is better than Boreaus.” Clorten huffs and rolls his eyes. “Then I guess Fei it is. I don’t know why you two patronize me so much sometimes.” Clorten rolls his eyes, I gently place my hands on his face and shake his head as I unintentionally speak like he’s a two-month-old baby “Because when you speak most of the time it’s stupid things.”

Shot laughs and Clorten pulls his mask off a bit and bites my finger, I pull my hand back in “Aye! Ow.” Clorten lets nothing but sarcasm drip off his tongue like poison. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” I swear if he didn’t wipe that charming smirk off his face, I’d slap him. “You’re lucky I love you, you British bitch.” I spit at him as I hold my hand to my chest. Clorten lets out one of those laughs that can silence a room with how melodious it is. “I know, I’m too lucky.” I don’t know how I can stay mad at him as his face looks so love struck.

He will end me one of these days, but I digress. He’s just so perfect, as perfect as a person can get, I know he’s been through the ringer his whole life, but I don’t know how I was lucky enough to earn his affection. After we finish eating, we decided to make our way to Veris. Not because it’s well……me and Clorten’s special place but because it’s always busy, so we can hide in the crowds well.

I mean, there’s only so much Clorten can do to hide, Mr. “7ft fucking 2”. At least we have someone to look for when one of us gets lost. I kind of feel bad, Clorten wouldn’t have to hide if wasn’t at that ceremony, he wouldn’t have had to sell his soul if I had been more careful in Delaco. Maybe he’d be happier without me. I’m yanked out of thought when I feel something heavy on my shoulder, I look up and I notice Clorten’s arm rubbing my bicep, he’s swaying his hips and has a charismatic look in his eye. The sun is shining on his hair and lighting up his eyes in the most beautiful way. He’s warm, and inviting. I never want him to let me go.

Pt2. Clorten

It’s been all too long since I’ve been to Veris, it’s been since I proposed to Luth. Every time I think of this place, I imagine Luth and I’s wedding, I simply cannot wait to be married to this man, I can’t wait for the day I can call him my husband. We are practically married at this point given how much shit the two of us have been through together, or at least I consider him to be my husband already. I’d be out my bloody mind if I told him that I consider us married at this point, and the last thing I want to do is scare him off.

Granted, he’s seen every possible side of me and he’s still with me, which is quite surprising. He’s seen almost every angle I’ve allowed myself to show him. He knows almost every story of almost every scar, except for one. The one on my chest from Demitry. That’s the only story he hasn’t heard yet. I mean, hell. We’ve been together for almost a year now, and he hasn’t seen it. Every time he starts to slip his hands under my shirt when our kissing gets out of hand, I stop him by hoisting him up on my hips.

It’s not that I don’t want him to know about that specific scar it’s just, it sticks out like a sore thumb on my chest, and it’s not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. I feel somewhat bad about that, I’ve seen all of him, and I have yet to show him all of me. His hand is holding mine and his grip is tight, not tight enough that it hurts, tight like he doesn’t want me to leave. I smile down at him, his features are hidden by his mask, so I have to imagine his face. I should probably get him a new mask since now everyone knows what kind of mask he wears.

When we get to the hotel, I take Shot’s advice and get a separate room for me and Luth. I toss Shot his key and we all go up to our rooms. Luth closes the curtains and locks the door once we get there and takes his mask off. He le ts out a sigh of relief and looks at me as I take mine off. I look back at him and smile “Why do you look so giddy?” He lets out a bit of a laugh before opening his mouth. “I just think you’re pretty.”

I feel the blood rush to my ears as I hear him say that, I lay down next to him and he rests his head on my shoulder, “I think you’re pretty too.” I whisper in his ear as I lay a kiss on his temple and close my eyes, letting out a sigh content. I do truly think he’s pretty. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve seen in my life. I know that sounds weird but it’s true. He is the most gorgeous person I’ve laid my eyes on, with his thick dark curls, his beautiful eyes…I actually don’t know what color his eyes are, I feel weird if I asked him, he’s just beautiful.

My eyes shoot open at the feeling of warm lips pressing kisses to my neck, I glance over and see Luth’s mess of curls and his face buried in my neck. I let out a satisfied groan and lean my head against his. I put one hand on the back of his head and start toying with the curls I can reach. The feeling of his lips on my neck makes my head spin. I finally muster up the ability to speak “What’s this for?” Luth moves his head out from the crook of my neck. “We’ve been so stressed out recently I figured we could let off some steam.”

When I heard the words slip past his lips the only thought that clouded my mind was, “Do it now, show him.” There’s a pang in my chest at the thought of how he’d react when he sees me. Would he be entranced? Disgusted? Confused? I shake the feeling off and flip us over so I’m looming over him. Soon enough nothing but panting and sounds of desperation for one another fills the room.

Pt2. Luth

The sun was striking a warm tint onto my skin, I open my eyes and look around, it’s quiet. I feel a chest rising and falling beneath me, I look up and there he is. He looks so peaceful asleep; this is one of the only times I see him look so at ease. He looks almost angelic; he lets out a yawn and nuzzles his face into my hair. I feel his lips press against the crown of my head. I smile ever so slightly and mumble “Good morning sleepyhead.” He says nothing in return, but he squeezes me just enough for me to know that he heard me.

Since Shot isn’t here to ruin this peaceful moment, I took advantage of it and hugged Clorten tightly. Clorten rolled over (which was shocking to me). He was now laying his head on my chest. My heart swells as I watch him hide his face in my chest, I started running my hand through his hair. It’s soft, silky. Whenever I lower my face to kiss his head, he still smells like him…home.

“I know you’re staring at me mi vida.” Clorten grumbles and looks up at me lazily, “Well how could I not when you look so cute?” I smile down at him again, “I can’t help it, you always look so peaceful like this.” Clorten puts his arms on either side of me and props himself up on his elbows “You watch me while I sleep? Kinda gay.” Clorten wears a smug grin as he leans in and plants his lips against mine. “You just kissed me, kinda gay.” I retaliate. “Touché my dear.”

He looks at my body, clad in purple bruises and red bite marks, almost as if he’s admiring a masterpiece. “What?” I tilt my head “I just can’t get over the fact you let me do all this.” His grin widens and he starts kissing all of the hickeys on my chest and collarbone. “Well, it’s hard to resist saying no to you when you practically beg.” Clorten’s lips halt and he looks up at me like he’s a puppy and I just took his chew toy. “I did not ‘beg’, I simply continually asked.” I thought to myself “That’s the same thing!”

“No, it’s not, they’re two very different things.” Clorten said through smooshed cheeks as he re-positioned his face back into my neck “Oh really? How?” Clorten huffs and gently nibbles on my neck, I know he’s lost the fight so I don’t put up one when I feel my skin between his teeth. I lean my head back against his as he just gnaws at my skin gently.

He lets out a long sigh and just rests his lips on my skin, not kissing or biting or sucking. Just resting there. I can feel him breathing, I don’t know why he still breathes despite not needing to, he’s an air genasi so he cannot die from suffocation, he can breathe under any circumstances. I just think it’s interesting.I feel his eyelashes tickling me and I laugh a little bit.

He moves his head off my shoulder and rests his chin on my chest. His eyes meet mine; I always found his eyes interesting. Not because he’s got deformed pupils, one constantly looks dilated and one constantly looks contracted. His eyes are beautiful under any conditions, to me at least. I gently scratch the back of his head; he lets out this long groan. He’s kind of feline, now that I think about it. If he had the ability to purr, I’m sure he’d be doing that now. He leans his head into my hand and I continue to gently scratch. He opens his eyes after a while and takes my hand out of his hair. He opens my hand, touching me as if he’s scared that I’m going to disappear. He kisses my palm and puts my hand on his cheek.

“You know I love you more than anyone, right?” he tilts his head. Gods, I love hearing those words roll off his tongue. It makes my heart flutter when I hear “I love you” slip past his soft lips. It makes me want to grab him and hold him and kiss him and never stop. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have this man in my life.“I know.” I gently pinch his cheek; he smiles at me and leans back into my hand. “I can’t wait to wake up like this every morning.” Clorten’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink and he closes his eyes.

“Are you sure you won’t get tired of me?” Clorten’s eyes shoot open and he looks confused at my question. “What do you mean ‘Get tired of you’? If I was tired of you, I wouldn’t have been in bed with you.” “I suppose so.” Clorten continues to look up at me, his shirt is pulled down a bit and I notice a dark mark on his shoulder. “What’s that?” I move the fabric down and I realize it’s a scar. Clorten shoots out of bed and slaps my hand away from him. His breathing speeds up and he’s clutching his shirt to his chest.

#angst #fluff #smut #dnd ocs #oneshot

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areiml · 3 years

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This is the story about how Josh got his clothes in TWEWY.

Friend and I normally joke about how Josh clothes in TWEWY look like something he pick without thinking since they look cheap af. Like shirt is from his old school uniform and the color already turned funny, shoes are basic item he randomly pick from a shop, only pants looks like brand clothes and may not coming from his own wardrobe - so we agree that he must have stealing it from an unlucky neighbor next door. Now that Haz shows up, the mystery about the neighbor with expansive branded wardrobe solved itself.

Still, there's a chance that his clothes are provided by Mr.H who has the habit of stealing other characters’ clothes lol.

#twewy #ntwewy #neotwewy #Joshua Kiryu #hazuki mikagi #I swear I don't want to draw Josh bare body #but I want to depicts him as a normal boyish boy #because he is #so be it #ugh #poor neighboor #poor Haz #shame on friend

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erratic-brainrot · 2 years

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Okay so I’m actually upset because I accidentally deleted an ask because I’m stupid and don’t know how to use Tumblr.

But, someone asked me:

Hi!! So I first just want to say that I love your content, your headcanons and thoughts on the characters are really well thought out and really make sense for them. Since the episode Help, My Teenager Hates Me! came out, do you still have the same view on Gerald, or has it changed a bit?

Answer:

Ah! Thank you for placing such an ask! I’ve never really got one before without asking so I just wanna congratulate you in kinda being my first!

Now for the question!

“Help, My Teenager Hates Me!” Was a great episode that jokingly fathered the fatherless/j, and truthfully it did change my opinions on some characters due to just… how likeable the episode was. However, my view of Gerald actually based on it is pretty much untouched?

The episode was focusing on depicting Gerald as a good father, which if this was your first “Gerald” episode he definitely comes across as that! He covers for Kyle, allowing his son to be emotional, and at the end of the day helping him… however… with previous episodes and how I fully see Gerald (which one day I need to write and essay on but tbh I’ll have to link an amazing tumblr user who did essays on Gerald because they notably changed my view of his dynamic with the likes of Ike- though I need to finish it still I’ve just been all over the place!!)

Gerald enjoys the role of a father, I do believe that it had always been part of his plan to have a family— especially considering the existence of Ike. In actuality I think all the Dads are like such. Gerald just stands out to me more with regards to how unlike Randy, Kyle is very clearly not his favourite. He doesn’t really like Kyle much as a person due to how serious, emotionally charged, independently defiant, and overall unlike him Kyle is.

He, however, still loves kyle. And I think this episode beautifully depicts it in a grounded way. “Help, My Teenager Hates Me!” Starts with Kyle asking for permission (which in honesty if they didn’t have the allowance system or such, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gerald bought it for Kyle directly. He feels like a parent who occausally buys stuff for his kids regardless of allowance) to buy Airsoft equipment and not tell Sheila because she’d be more concerned. Overemphasis it’s safety and how he’s old enough to handle it, which I think Gerald can empathize with as Kyle is crossing the border in growing up… and this hobby seems to fit more of his expectations of boyish things for Kyle. He does have the basic humanity of wanting to make his kid happy if he can… in ways.

He proceeds to check up on Kyle’s state, whilst covering for him and his son's ass. There is a semi general care in these check ins, with minor assumptions I think from how he always has previously viewed Kyle, ie a pussy. But I do think this is mostly just general parental care, and almost ajaring satisfaction in the fact Kyle is so happy and openly praising him for allowing this. Kyle once again, is seeing his father as someone to admire, thank, generally be happy by, which he hasn’t been in so long (mainly after the trolling eps).

When he sees Kyle having a problem regarding airsoft he does approach (and here although I say my interpretation hasn’t changed— I could narratively see Gerald turning a new leaf here in realizing Kyle's emotional needs— IF the new episodes improve Gerald’s character. We’ll have to see)

He still fails to understand what Kyle needs at the moment, though half credit because, “Oh. Well, you know, they say that the… brain chemistry of a teenager is the same as that of a psychopath. The hormones and all that—it's been proven they're literally criminally insane.” Is used for a joke first, and is his attempt to relate to and comfort Kyle with these feelings of frustration.

And when Kyle begins to cry because that doesn’t solve the problem, GERALD HUGS HIM and then follows with more practical advice of how to keep his hobby, which is at the root of Kyle’s delma. Before offering to have the Dads partner up with the boys for their teams. The moment is nice! But to me it feels indicative of this being a situation Gerald a father is able to handle. A normal kid situation. It’s not about morals, it isn’t complicated, and it allows him to come as the hero.

And Gerald, does that. He becomes the hero for the problem and invites the other Dads and Jimbo to help. Including Stuart who we have no means to imply they have resolved their poor history, all for his son's sake. Within the end expressing that it was worth it to spend time with them. Bond. Normal actual good dad things.

With the end being a joke about how these are the last few years before their kids turn into monsters. Overall, Gerald was a good Dad here. I don’t even think “enjoying playing the hero” is bad either, and if Gerald does show better behaviour I’m willing to say this is a turning leaf… but I’m doubtful at best. This feels more about a good moment of a situation Gerald more expected amongst fatherhood… and the implications (though I know it’s mostly for comedy) of how he’s expecting the worst out of Kyle and savouring this… feels weird to me?

Mainly, because I don’t even see Kyle and Gerald’s relationship as the worst within canon… but one that will get worse and worse over time because Gerald’s behaviour is more related to his ego— which is held by obedience, praise, standing, etc. And with his repetition in gaslighting and kinda general emotional manipulation. I just don’t think this episode changes how I imagine that pathway rolling for Kyle, Gerald, or even Ike.

However, this episode was enlightening about Kyle possibly forgiving his father acutely and allowing himself to be vulnerable with him due to the current base of their relationship. Of Gerald actually doing something out of his way to make Kyle happy and reciprocating expressions of familial love. But that’s a topic for a different day! (So is me no longer hating Stuart but shhh)

#south park #cartoon #kyle broflovski #gerald broflovski #South Park opinions #help my teenager hates me spoilers #South Park meta #tldr I still have low views of Gerald and not many hopes #but maybe this is the beginning of something #however he still just feels like a verbally abusive dad even if he wasnt here #however I get why most people want/do like him after the ep

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instasiswetrust · 3 years

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July Prompts, Day 5 - Camera

"You still kept this one?"

When Jonathan turns to look at him, Steve's holding a broken camera in his hands. It's the one he had broken after seeing the pictures Jonathan took of Nancy, cracked and missing a part of the casing.

"I figured I could get it fixed but then you guys got me a new one. Kind of forgot to get rid of it afterwards." He shrugs, going back to rifling through his cassette collection, trying to find the Motley Cure one.

"You mind if I take it?"

This time, when Jonathan turns to look at him he appears to be confused, maybe even curious. Steve just shrugs, trying for nonchalance. He's not sure how to explain why he wants to keep the camera, just knows that he feels like he needs to.

So he's relieved when, after a moment, Jonathan nods. He gives him instructions on where he can get it fixed, a few tips about taking pictures, and that's that.

Guess Steve owns a camera now. Fun times.

-*-

Bitterness.

That's what the first picture he takes makes him feel.

He had stared in the mirror, brown eyes taking in the aftermath of Billy Hargrove's anger, of two nights of restless sleep and nightmares that left the phantom taste of rot and ash on his tongue. Had stared, looking at the canvas of bruises, black and blue and purple.

Nebulae on ashen skin at 3 AM.

His fingers had been shaking, a hint of desperation in his movements, when he reached for the camera. The flash had reflected on the cracked bathroom mirror, the outcome of a previous panic attack, blinding him for a moment. The end effect had made his stomach churn when he saw it.

With his eyes scrunched closed and the bruises lit up by the light of the flash, he had looked so fragile. Vulnerable and in pain. The bags under his eyes so dark that they blended in with the bruises already there.

He hated the picture.

It was still tucked safely in between the yellowed pages of an old empty journal.

-*-

The second picture taken comes courtesy of Dustin.

He had spent a whole week locked up in his room, bitter and scared, too afraid to be alone but too tired to face the whispers that would undoubtedly follow him. Each time he closed his eyes he could see Billy's face. Twisted in anger, golden curls flying with the force of his punches, but there had been something in the depth of those blue eyes. Something like fear, like regret.

Something Steve had wanted to forget if only because he didn't think he could stand it if there was something more to Billy Hargrove than just all the fury.

On Saturday the doorbell had rung. Insistent and unrelenting, the shrill sound hadn't stopped until he had wrenched open the door, scathing words dying in his throat at the sight that greeted him.

"Mom made extra chicken pot pie because she knows it's your favorite." Dustin had said as soon as the door had opened, shouldering his way past Steve on his way to the kitchen. "And everyone's been worried about you so I figured it was about time to force you out of your self-enforced pity party."

"It's not a pity party..." He remembers himself murmuring, lips pursing into a pout as he followed the boy into the kitchen.

By the look Dustin threw him, it was obvious he saw right through his bullshit.

It had been later, stomach full for the first time in days, that the younger boy had spotted the camera he must've left on the coffee table at some point. Steve had been lazying on the couch, eyes closed and mind blessedly empty when the sudden flash of a camera had gone off, startling him.

"What the hell dingus?"

When he had opened his eyes, Dustin had been grinning wide, all boyish smugness. He had only given Steve a moment before the shutter had gone off again. And again. And again.

He had taken pictures until the camera had run out of film avoiding all attempts Steve had made to wrench the camera out of his hands. Despite the annoyance he had felt though, a smile had curled Steve's lips for the first time since they had made it out of the tunnels.

Looking back on the stack of Polaroids, most of them had ended up blurry and unfocused from the chase. Only that very first one he had kept. He had looked content faded bruises, and eyebags the only hints that not everything was okay but that maybe it was getting better.

Bitterness and Hope. Maybe he should start a collection.

-*-

The third picture doesn't even come from his camera at all.

"Wha-?"

Once the brightness of the flash cleared, Steve was turning to look at Nancy perched on the hood of Jonathan's car, his camera in her hands. She was smiling at him the same way she used to back when they had started dating, all dimpled cheeks and crinkled eyes. She was even more beautiful now but she no longer his.

His chest ached with the knowledge. A quick jolt of pain.

It still didn't explain why she had just taken a picture of him.

"You should talk to them. If you miss them, that is." He didn't understand what she meant until the photo finished developing and she handed it to him.

She'd captured his right side in the frame, his gaze seemingly lost in a random point in the distance. At least, that's what he thought at first before he spotted the outline of a couple on the opposite edge of the frame. They looked a little blurry because of the distance but it was clear Steve's gaze was fixed on them. Longing was etched deep and clear on his features.

Maybe he should have stopped assuming that nobody was paying attention to him these days.

"Why would I talk to Tommy and Carol? They are assholes." It had come out a little too quickly, a little too guarded. An obvious lie.

"So were you but you changed." She gave him a soft but knowing look. Like she could see right through him. Maybe she could, he wouldn't put it past her. "Plus, you guys were friends since childhood weren't you? Those types of bonds aren't that easy to forget."

And he knew there was truth in her words but he felt scared.

Because although Steve was fine these days with no longer being considered King Steve, it was one thing to just passively lose popularity and another one to have Tommy and Carol spouting his secrets for everybody to hear.

Thing was, they hadn't done that yet. Even with Billy in the picture, they still hadn't.

"Maybe." And for a while that had been that.

Later that week he had dropped by Tommy's house. Tommy had begrudgingly accepted to talk after Carol needled him a little. They had talked and apologized, although it would take some time and effort before things between them resembled that of old.

Bitterness. Hope. Longing. Wonder what would join his collection next.

-*-

By the time the fourth polaroid joined the others in the old journal, his room was filled with dozens of pictures of his friends --his family-- hanging on strings over his head.

"I didn't peg you for a photographer, princess."

Billy had been standing in the middle of the room, looking at the motley array of pictures that littered the room. He had one in his hand, tugging surprisingly gently on the string so he could get a better look at it.

"Well I didn't peg you for an idiot but somehow you're in my room instead of the bathroom." But the heat that normally would accompany his words hadn't been there, the corner of his lips curling into a replica of a smile.

He remembers walking further into the room until he had stood next to the blonde, not quite touching but close enough to feel the heat of his body. At the time he hadn't thought much of the heat on his cheeks, attributing it to his embarrassment when he spotted the picture in Billy's hand.

It depicted Steve and Jonathan, both of them either high or drunk. He had been draped over Jonathan's side, pressing a lipstick-covered kiss to his cheek. Dark red lipstick and black eyeshadow to match, to be exact. Probably high, that's the only way he would've allowed Nancy to put any of her makeup on him.

"Black really doesn't fit you, pretty boy." Billy had teased him, all wide smirks and tongue between his teeth.

"Oh shut the fuck up, Billy." He had scoffed, punching his arm. "I looked damn fine."

And the way Billy had laughed, loud and honest and surprisingly bright. Steve couldn't help himself. He wasn't sure why he had found it so important at the moment but it had been, so he had grabbed his camera and snapped a photo.

Billy had stopped laughing at once, but at least he hadn't tried to take the photo.

It would be two weeks later when Steve realized what it was that he had seen at that moment. Another week before he had scrawled Love at the bottom of the polaroid and tucked it safely with the others in the journal.

-*-

The fifth photo just cements Steve's resolve to never show anybody the polaroids tucked inside the old journal.

"B...B-Billy fuck... baby please. I can't- I can't. Please."

Steve bit down on his bottom lip so hard that he had tasted blood. It had been impossible to quieten his sounds and focus on rolling his hips at the same time, especially when Billy seemed intent on covering his neck with as many lovebites as he could.

"Gonna come for me, baby? Come on my cock all pretty?"

And, oh god, Steve had whined.

High, and breathy, and so fucking lewd. Billy hadn't even touched him and he had been so close already, desperately chasing an orgasm that had been denied twice already. His eyes had been closed, head thrown back as pleasure mounted, dragging him even closer.

If he had opened them, maybe he would've seen what Billy was doing.

"Come for me, baby."

He vaguely registered the flash of a camera going off at the same time tremors overtook his body, thighs shaking with the force of his orgasm.

Later, when they were curled up on the couch going through the remains of a pizza, Billy had handed him the polaroid. Lust had been scrawled at the bottom of the photo.

"For your collection." Was what he had said.

-*-

If somebody were to ask what his favorite polaroid was, Steve thinks he would have to choose number 6.

He had caught Billy looking at his chest in the mirror, where the pale white scars twisted across the expanse of his chest. After the Mind Flayer, he had taken to wearing his shirts buttoned all the way. Even in bed with Steve, it was rare that he ever took off his shirt.

The look on his boyfriend's face then had been so miserable. All the iron defenses stripped away until only the fragile vulnerability underneath remained. It had pushed him to step into the room, wrapping his arms loosely around Billy's waist.

For a second Billy had tensed up, muscles going taut, eyes widening a fraction before he relaxed into Steve's arms with a sigh. The fragility had still been there but his roughened edges had softened some.

"What's on your mind, baby?" He had whispered, pressing a kiss to a bare shoulder.

He hadn't gotten an outright answer at the time but each kiss Billy pressed against his lips had been stained with a restless kind of desperation. Like he had wanted to etch each kiss on his skin and remember them forever, just in case he were to lose it all again.

And yeah, Steve knew exactly how that felt.

"Billy, I'm not going anywhere, okay?" The words had been muttered between slow kisses, reassuring and gentle. Silently begging Billy to believe in his words. "This? Us? I want this to be forever. Even if it's hard, or we have bumps along the way, I want to stay by your side."

Steve had gotten an idea then. With a quick *I'll be back* he slipped back to his room and grabbed his camera, giving it to Billy once he was back. His boyfriend had been understandably confused.

"Um, so I know this probably sounds lame and you can say no but just- Hear me out okay." He had taken a deep breath to try and battle the blush coloring his cheeks. "I was thinking that, as a... promise or something, we could take a photo each year. Just as a reminder. Of us. If you want, I mean, it's kind of a dumb id-"

Warm lips pressed against his, effectively shutting him up.

"You're a dork, Stevie." But Billy had still pointed the camera at the cracked mirror and taken the photo before dragging Steve back to bed.

#july prompts #stranger things #steve harrington #dustin henderson #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #billy hargrove #harringrove #drabbles #yes i know this is late but i couldn't stop writing okay

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danteinthedevildom · 3 years

Text

A Royal Pajama Party “Analysis” - Part 3 (of 7)

Unlike the previous two posts - which were fairly length - this one is a little less of a formal analysis and more of a “holy shit this man’s so fucking cute” ramble. It’s significantly shorter; I would have actually compiled these together with the previous post if Tumblr wasn’t so awful with its image-per-post limit.

It continues with Diavolo and MC watching a movie together, and once again leads into more Story Key-locked content. So, here is your cursory spoiler warning!

Picking up from the previous post, the movie Diavolo picks to watch with you is a black and white Human World film. A few thoughts come to mind on this.

One: He picked a movie specifically because he wanted to watch it with you. Not just anyone in general, or even just a human in general - specifically you. He spends a lot of time thinking about and noting down things he wants to do with you.

This, to begin with, is just... impossibly sweet. He’s never had a friend before, so he’s never had someone to think about when he’s looking at things he enjoys. Even the closest demons to him don’t generally like humouring him with his more playful whims.

Now, however? He has you. Someone willing to spend time with him. Suddenly, he has someone utterly receptive to the things he loves; someone happy enough to listen, someone who might enjoy them just as much as he does.

We’ve all done it before, after all. As soon as we know someone’s happy to listen to you ramble about something, we take note of things we think they might like so we can share it with them and (potentially) get them into it as well. Make it a bonding experience, because we like the thing and we like them, so why not mix the two? That’s how you deepen a friendship, after all.

It’s such a normal, human thing for Diavolo to do. He’s sincerely just happy to have you there; to finally have someone he can pick out likes to share with. Just a passing thought - “Oh, MC might like that, I’ll have to save it for our sleepover” - that speaks a thousand words to how often (how casually, naturally, easily) he thinks about you.

But it’s also a bit more than that. Because while this is just about the movie, we’ve already seen Diavolo admit he’s quite literally written out a list of activities he wants to do with you.

How long is that list? What sort of things has he got written down? We’ve been given a small glimpse at the list for this Devilgram, but it really is just a small glimpse. How many times has Diavolo seen something that has immediately pinged in his brain as “things I need to do with/show MC”?

(How many things has he never felt comfortable or happy showing anyone else before?

How many times has he tried to share his interests, only for them to be rejected?)

Two: It’s Human World media. Diavolo’s only recently (in the main game) gotten to see the Human World properly, and considering this is black and white, I’d say it’s fairly old. At the latest? Maybe a hundred years old at this point.

That’s (possibly) at least 100 years Diavolo’s been consuming Human World media.

The fact that he’s remembered it this long, too - for you to appear, and him to want to share it with you - either means it’s something he watches frequently, or it’s something that made a big impression on him.

Diavolo’s infatuated with the Human World, that much we already knew; one of his Homescreen interactions is about wanting to see the sunset, and another mentions how he hasn’t been to the Human World (either at all, or often). It’s something he wants to see more - something that excites him in a very boyish, childish way. Like a kid going on holiday to Disney World after seeing it on TV a thousand times.

But this isn’t a recent infatuation. The movie (potentially) proves this. Even before the Exchange Programme - before he met you - he’s held this infatuation with humanity. It’s not just about peace; there’s something about the Human World that draws Diavolo in.

There’s more evidence of this in a later post, so I’ll go over this a bit more then. For now, however...

We can say with certainty that Diavolo wasn’t kidding when he said the Exchange Programme has been a dream of his for some time. It makes me wonder just how far back he wanted to unite the Three Realms, and why; whether he started with interest in the Celestial Realm or the Human World, and whether or not he hoped the Exchange would branch out his social contacts (considering we already know that demons don’t tend to spend time with him, and Diavolo is horrendously lonely).

(As an aside: the fact that he’s seemingly so infatuated with the Human World makes it even more special for him to share this movie with you. This is something he adores, something that’s affected him so much, he’s dedicated his life to improving relations across the Three Realms - and he wants you to experience it, too.)

Three: A bit more of a joking point, admittedly. Boy really said “I’ve been wanting to watch this movie with you that I love that also happens to be related to the Human World” with the same vibe as Ariel seeing the Prince for the first time and realising he could tell her what all the crap she’s been collecting is for.

I just... love the idea that his logic is “well, MC is human. This movie was made in the Human World. Ergo, this is the most appropriate movie to watch with MC for our super special sleepover!”

He’s so determined for everything to be perfect... I wonder if this movie was his immediate choice - something he’s always known from the start he’d do with you first the moment he could - or if he debated over several movies for the longest time, trying to come up with the best possible choice.

Adorable ramble time!

He’s good, in that he won’t make you do anything you don’t want to - you’re always given the choice of how close you want to be to Diavolo, and if you want to nope out of vaguely (or even overtly) romantic situations even at the last minute - but when given the chance? He will get as close to you as possible.

He’ll have you sit right next to him, pressed arm-to-arm, thigh-to-thigh. He’ll thread his fingers through yours, and rest your joined hands on your lap. And he’ll savour every moment, because this isn’t something he gets often, if at all.

That comment - “your hand is so warm...” - has such a sense of awe to it. He’s finally close enough to you to say that you’re warm. He’s finally reached this pinnacle of contact that he’s always wanted - and look at him! He’s so happy! He’s so, genuinely, wonderfully happy to be this close to you.

He’s been wanting to watch the movie with you for at least months, if not a few years (timeline depending), and he finally has the time to show you this thing he’s genuinely excited for you to see - and it is totally blown out of the water by the fact you’re snuggled up to him, holding his hand.

That’s how special you are to him. That’s how special this moment is for him.

There’s something so sweet - and yet so heartbreaking - at seeing the damn Prince of the Devildom get so flustered over asking to hold your hand. I know that the OM demons aren’t always depicted as your typical demons, and a few of them are fairly sex-shy, but there’s just... something about this scene that hits different.

He’s so tentative, so hopeful, to be able to hold your hand. He’s so shy about it, too. And, yes, some of that is absolutely him fretting over ruining the evening by asking - fretting over chasing you off if he’s too touchy, when you’re already doing so much just by staying as long as you have - but some of it has to be him not knowing if that’s an okay thing to ask for. Wanting to get closer, but not knowing if it’s appropriate.

I have a lot of feelings about this scene. It’s just... whether you see it as romantic or not, he’s so happy. He’s so happy just to have you there. He’s so happy you’re humouring him. He’s so happy you’re letting him do these very simple things.

He’s so lonely. And you just make all of that go away.

This is actually more of a silly thing, but I just wanted to note that - the Devildom has fucking Jenga and it’s called The Demonic Tower.

I’m also still not over this for a slightly sadder reason. This is another one of the things that Diavolo wanted to do with you - another activity on his list. And it’s playing fucking Jenga.

He knew/knows so few people and has such little free time, something as simple as Jenga is riveting entertainment for him.

He’s played so few board games in his life, he actually thought it was worthwhile to write down as something he absolutely had to do with you for your special, rare night of shared time spent together.

There are so many normal, plain, boring, everyday life experiences he’s never done, and every new thing he presents just hits harder than the last.

+++

And that concludes our (slightly shorter) part 3! Once again, thank you for making it this far. Hopefully the slightly lighter post was alright-

Next post, we’re going to skip ahead a bit. The game of Jenga itself is mostly just fun, so there’s no need to focus on it specifically. What is important, however, is the next activity - and what Diavolo does based on certain choices.

So, if you’d like, head on over to part 4!

#obey me diavolo #obey me analysis #obey me

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entracteofevil · 3 years

Text

Character Introductions

Entr’acte of Evil, page 14-36

“Come, kneel to me!”

Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche

(Kagamine Rin)

The princess who rules the Kingdom of Lucifenia. For her arrogant behavior and proud personality, she is despised by her people, called the “Daughter of Evil”. She and her servant Allen are twins, but as she’s lost her memories of when she was young she doesn’t remember him. Her life was endangered in the civil war with the revolutionary army, but with Allen’s help she escaped from the palace, and later came to live in a monastery.

AkunoP’s comment

Her character isn’t very complicated in construction, following the template of the ‘willful girl’. I guess she’s developed a bit more than her portrayal in the song. Though I did want to write more on how she grows after joining the monastery (haha). I do regret not being able to do that. It’d be nice if I could write about that somewhere.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Character Vocal Series 02 Kagamine Rin of “Kagamine Rin/Len” published by Crypton Future Media.

-Her monastery outfit is cinched together by a strap tied at the left side on her waist. Her back is the same design as her front.

-These are the accessories that Riliane wears on her person (rough depiction). There’s a lot of simple items that just have a gem in the middle, but they are still quite expensive.

Ichika’s comment

*Princess outfit: She has a kind of light and fluffy dress design with a lot of lace and ribbons to show her more adorable side. There’re a lot of rose motifs on her decorations. I wanted to have her hold onto some connection with her and Allen’s parent, so I drew her necklace to look like it was it was made out of something Queen Anne wore.

*Monastery outfit: She’s a novice nun, so her skirt length is a little short. It’s a simple outfit that’s just overall a bunch of sewn together cloth, but as she’s a former princess she has the kind of setup of wearing it well. Though she’s probably a bit bad at her work. Or maybe I should just say she’s not used to it.

“How’s the flavor, Princess Riliane?”

Allen Avadonia

(Kagamine Len)

A boy who works as a common servant in the Lucifenian royal palace, despite possessing substantial skill at swordplay and horseback riding. He has a very mature personality, but occasionally he’ll show a bit of boyishness in his expression. He is actually Riliane’s younger twin brother. He wishes for Riliane’s happiness more than anything. He helps Riliane escape during the civil war with the revolutionary army and takes her place, being executed as the princess.

AkunoP’s comment

He was the hardest character to write (haha). Despite being a protagonist. Mostly in that I would worry that I was making him seem too young (though he is young), and that his youth in itself was a bit difficult to write. Fourteen-year-old boys are tricky. Even now I don’t think I’ve really got a handle on it (haha). There were a lot of parts where I felt like I messed up.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Character Vocal Series 02 Kagamine Len of “Kagamine Rin/Len” published by Crypton Future Media.

-The ribbon that ties his hair back looks to be a butterfly knot. His shoes are a simple loafer design.

Ichika’s comment

*Servant outfit: He’s a servant, so he has clothes that are easy to move in. In order to show a bit of his boyishness I made the lower cuff of his outer jacket a bit too big for him. His pockets are decorative. I think he should take off his upper coat when doing more strenuous work.

*Traveling outfit: I made his coat a little bit loose, so that it could be worn as-is above his normal clothing. I was thinking about various things when I drew it—like making sure he has a relaxed formal air even when he’s attendant on the princess, that he’s alright even if it rains as he has a hood, that it’s one-size-fits-all, etc.

“To me, you are a very wonderful person.”

Michaela

(Hatsune Miku)

A servant who serves Lord Keel, and originally a spirit that lived under the great earth god, Held. She has an inquisitive personality, and her hobby is people-watching. She chose the appearance of the ‘original sinner’ as her human form when she reincarnated. She is beloved by everyone for her kind and sociable personality, as well as her beautiful looks and singing voice. She’s always worrying about her dear friend Clarith, and also this “love” that humans have.

AkunoP’s comment

This one was also hard to work with (haha). On a fundamental level, she’s less the “of Evil” Miku and more just straight up “VOCALOID Miku”. Like the whole “Miku is an angel” thing from the early days. I think it was through her relationship with Clarith that she was finally able to set herself apart as the “of Evil” Miku. I’ve still got a few more developments for her yet (haha).

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Character Vocal Series 01 “Hatsune Miku” published by Crypton Future Media.

-The sleeves of her town outfit are lined with lace. They are three-quarter length.

Ichika’s comment

*Town outfit: Given that she’s meant to be adorable, her outfit was made with a kind of fluttering look in her sleeves and such. There are a lot of parts where two sleeve ends overlap. I drew her to be more of a diva than a servant in appearance. Also, while her pendant is a scallop in shape, its size is close to that of the end of her thumb.

*Village outfit: As she’s sort of German in style, I drew her with the image of the German Fairy Tale Road in mind. As I have the personal idea that it’s a hand-me-down from Clarith’s mom, the skirt for her dress is a little too long. I didn’t get the idea that she was dressed all that fashionably in the village, so I made it so that this one had no ribbon.

“I—I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

Clarith

(Yowane Haku)

A servant who works at the Keel estate alongside Michaela. She’s a Netsuma girl with white hair and red eyes, and she has suffered persecution from the Elphe people due to being an ethnic minority. It’s because of this that she developed her catchphrase, “I’m sorry for being alive”, and her pessimistic personality. On a fundamental level she’s clumsy and not really good at anything, but she does have skill in cooking. She also likes plants and animals, and she takes very good care of saplings.

AkunoP’s comment

She’s the character that’s the closest to my “real self”. “I’m sorry for being alive” is actually my real life catchphrase (haha). So she’s easy to empathize with. She has a few odd points but she’s really the most normal, “everyman” character in the story. Haku herself was originally conceived not as a VOCALOID but as a “master”(song producer), you know.

*This character was based on “Yowane Haku”, a derivative of the VOCALOID 2 Character Vocal Series 01 Hatsune Miku published by Crypton Future Media.

-The length of her hair goes down to slightly above her knees. She also tends to use the bangs on the side of her face to hide her ears.

Ichika’s comment

*Town outfit: On the whole she’s like Michaela, but I made her design more simple to express a grown-up and “in the background” air. I didn’t see her as someone to wear particularly girly clothes, so her collar is a bit more masculine. I think four out of five times she’d have Michaela help out with the ties on her back.

*Monastery outfit: I designed her sleeves to be neat so that it would be easy for her to cook, which is her main strength. As they don’t have any ostentatious stuff like hair decorations at the monastery I tearfully cut down on her ribbon… It’s a useless detail but her waist sash is supposed to be in a granny knot.

*Village outfit: I put her in a simple, full dress that’s easy to put on. I had intended for her outfit to both show that she was an outsider and be something that Clarith herself picked out to not stand out in a village, which ultimately gave me this image of a slightly overdressed outfit. Hence her design coming out like this.

“I ain’t broken the fountain yet, yannow!”

Chartette Langley

(Kasane Teto)

A maid who serves in the palace, and Allen’s childhood friend. Due to her frightening strength she excels at heavy work, but struggles with more delicate tasks and is often breaking things inside the palace. The princess is fond of her for her outgoing personality, and they will sometimes take tea-time together. During the revolution she engages in a duel against Mariam, one of the Three Heroes, using a broadsword larger than her own height.

AkunoP’s comment

I like this character (haha). She was easy to work with. I wish I could have had her do more. She didn’t get to do anything in the second book, so I’ve been thinking about maybe having her show up in the third book.

*This character is based on “Kasane Teto”.

-During the duel she took on the style of wielding a sword larger than her own body. For that reason her outfit was made to show ease of movement.

-The broadsword is of a simple design, but that’s overpowered by its sheer size. It sort of has the image of a blunt weapon more than a slashing implement.

Ichika’s comment

*Maid outfit: The ends of her sleeves are precisely folded back. The hem of her skirt is frilly and puffs out a bit, as the style of the maid outfit in the country of yellow. The hem is also slightly short, as she does a lot of running around. The ribbon at her collar had been red at first to match her hair, but I figured that it wouldn’t be red in the country of yellow so I changed it to yellow.

* Resistance outfit: She’s a peasant, so she has light armor on her casual wear. The coverings for her wrists were a bit more unrefined at first. I drew her leg armor in to serve as a sort of counterweight for when she swings her sword around. As such, they’re supposed to be much heavier than they look. She could probably mortally wound someone with one kick.

“Please…keep what I’ve said a secret.”

Ney Phatipe

(Akita Neru)

A maid who serves in the palace, and the adoptive daughter of the head maid and one of the Three Heroes, Mariam. She does all her work flawlessly, but it’s countered by her being a gossip and loose-lip, which results in some turmoil occurring. She’s favored by Riliane, and becomes a source of information for her. Her true identity is that of Marlon’s thirteenth princess, Ney Marlon.

AkunoP’s comment

Like Clarith, Ney is a character that I had a concept of since the very beginning. She was originally a childhood friend of the twins who stood in a sort of “big sister” role, and wound up becoming “another servant”. She’s the character who’s changed the most from how she was in the beginning. I actually had plans to make her into a joke character (haha).

*This character was based on “Akita Neru”, a derivative of the VOCALOID 2 Character Vocal Series 01 Hatsune Miku published by Crypton Future Media.

-I considered several different ways of her tying her hair when she’s an assassin, but how she ends up being in that situation is a secret.

Ichika’s comment

*Maid outfit: The basics are the same as Chartette’s maid uniform. Only the hem is longer, to show the difference in work and her personality. She feels like the kind of person to wear her maid uniform so well that she could do her work from start to finish all day without anything out of place. She was trained by her adoptive mother.

*Assassin outfit: She’s doing espionage activities, so it’s an entirely black uniform. The main focus was ease of movement. The boots are made of a soft fabric to make it harder to hear her footsteps. Her ponytail can be bundled up and pushed under her clothing depending on the situation. It probably just barely gets in. –Fits in.

“…Stop mocking me.”

Kyle Marlon

(KAITO)

The king of the island country of Marlon (the “Country of Blue”), and Riliane’s fiancé. Riliane adores him, calling him her “dear”, but he falls in love at first sight with Michaela when meeting her in the mansion of his friend, Keel, and so breaks off the engagement on his end. He is no match for his mother, Empress Dowager Prim, something he’s a bit ashamed of.

AkunoP’s comment

I’m so sorry, but he’s the one I care about the least (haha). Frankly I seriously didn’t want to write him all that much. These novels aside, don’t expect me to make KAITO this cool overall. Though he’s a pretty toothsome character, with how many turns he gets.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID Character “KAITO” published by Crypton Future Media.

-The basis for his masked appearance is a certain sha[redacted]. It’s a simple outfit, but the decorations it has here and there are gaudy in a minor way.

Ichika’s comment

*Main outfit: As he was designed with a theme of solemnity, his whole appearance is composed with a precise and stiff feel. The collar of his jacket is designed like a suit. His sleeves are meant to feel a bit stern. I drew his outfit with a sort of square image of the country of blue in my head, so he’s light on the curves. Since he’s a male character I put more emphasis on being chic than flashy.

*Disguise outfit: I drew this to feel like the sort of typical outfit of the country of blue. But the quality of the fabric is a grade above that of the average person. If I were to draw in any armor it would let slip what country he’s from, so he’s just got the one sword as equipment. It’s the same sword he wields in his king outfit, but he tries to hide it.

“Let’s go, everyone.”

Germaine Avadonia

(MEIKO)

Allen’s adopted sibling who lives in the town below Lucifenia castle, and the adopted daughter of Leonhart, one of the Three Heroes. She’s dependable and cares about her friends, but that comes with the snag of her being a little crude. In actuality she’s quite smart, becoming the leader of the Resistance and earning the people’s respect.

AkunoP’s comment

At first, I had wanted to make her into a classic, genuinely heroic character…But I guess that got a bit warped. Like Miku, there’s a lot of influence taken from her character as a VOCALOID. I want to write about her past sometime. She’s an unexpectedly pitiable character, who winds up not having a lot of influence.

Ichika’s comment

In addition to being based on Leonhart’s armor, the insignia above her chest is taken from the hilt of his sword, so in that sense it’s like her equipment has inherited her father’s will. It’s lighter armor, given that as she’s a woman there’s more emphasis on maneuverability. As it prioritizes heroism over sex appeal, her legs haven’t been left exposed.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID Character “MEIKO” published by Crypton Future Media.

“You working hard, kids?”

Leonhart Avadonia

(LEON)

Allen and Germaine’s adoptive father, and one of the Three Heroes. He’s the captain of the guard of the royal family, but he clashes with the princess over their different opinions. An unparalleled drinker, he often drinks the night away with his daughter Germaine.

AkunoP’s comment

Among the Three Heroes, he’s the one that came to mind first. He vanishes pretty quickly from the story for someone who was present in the plot of the Daughter of Evil since its original conception… Though I guess he does get to do more in the bonus story, so it’s all good. He’s a bit of an old fogey by the Daughter of Evil era. I did have some other more detailed ideas for him, but ultimately wound up not using them.

Ichika’s comment

He has solidly built heavy armor. The main colors of his outfit are red and white, but there’s a single thread of yellow on his mantle alone to symbolize the people of the country of yellow. The mantle is part of his uniform as captain of the guard; he didn’t have one during his hero days.

*This character was independently made based on VOCALOID “LEON” published by ZERO-G.

“Lucifenia will very soon be overthrown.”

Elluka Clockworker

(Megurine Luka)

A court sorceress who served the previous monarch, and one of the Three Heroes. Her predictions are never wrong, and so there are many who trust in her in the palace. She has lived for a long time, and is carrying out the task of collecting the “Vessels of Deadly Sin” as a favor to the great land god Held.

AkunoP’s comment

It’s the postscript character! (haha) Originally I planned for the sorceress role was going to be played by a different character, but then I swapped her out when Luka was published, resulting in her ultimately getting the best role. Personality-wise she’s similar to how I am when I’m drunk (haha). So, like Clarith, I’m quite fond of her, and she’s easy to write.

Ichika’s comment

It’s a bit hard to tell with the robe on, but despite not looking like it she actually has some degree of exposure. Mostly her shoulders and legs. Her outfit was designed to look bewitching. The jewels at her hip are taken from her VOCALOID image character. After Riliane, she probably has the most accessories out of anyone else.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Character Vocal Series 03 “Megurine Luka” published by Crypton Future Media.

“Yes, the green onion, the Very Amazing, Green Onion.”

Gumillia

(Megpoid)

A sorceress in training who serves in the palace, and Elluka’s apprentice. She is very close with Michaela, and was originally one of the spirits who served Held alongside her. She picked the form of Elphegort’s first female prime minister, Gumina Glassred, as her appearance when reincarnating as a human.

AkunoP’s comment

She hardly got to do anything at all…Since she hasn’t had a lot of influence on the story at present, I think I’d really like to give her more to do in the third book (haha). I think she’s the character with the most potential. She was originally a spirit, and is a sorceress to boot. So, expect great things from her in the future!

Ichika’s comment

As she’s Elluka’s apprentice her outfit design is made to resemble hers, though it also shows a more apprentice-esque childishness in it. But I also see her not changing her outfit even after her training his passed. Like Elluka, she has a single jewel around her hip.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Artist Vocal character “Megpoid” published by Internet Co., Ltd.

“I am one of the Three Heroes, Mariam Phatipe!”

Mariam Phatipe

(MIRIAM)

She once engaged in espionage as one of the Three Heroes, but now she serves as the head maid in the palace. Her personality is extremely rigid, but she has her kind side as well, and there are many who admire her. She prides herself on covert work, like running secret intelligence.

AkunoP’s comment

Her appearance is meant to feel like a gorgeous, cool beauty. In conception she’s this badass secret intelligence operative, but in the end she wound up being a dud spy (haha). She was completely useless, and failed to see what was happening with her own daughter. Her position is sort of that of everyone’s stern mother. Though the “Of Evil” series is full of stern women, and all of them are strong.

Ichika’s comment

She does have a theme of being a rigid, cool beauty. With this sort of masculine air, too. Her outfit is a bit old-fashioned, bearing in mind the image of the previous queen’s reign. I pictured her being able to move a fair bit whatever her uniform, so I think it would always be prim and proper, without anything out of place.

*This character was independently made based on VOCALOID “MIRIAM” published by ZERO-G.

“We have a favor to ask of you.”

Anne Lucifen D’autriche

(Sweet Ann)

The old queen of Lucifenia, and the mother of Riliane, who admired her. She often said she wanted to “build a country where children can live with a smile”, and devoted her energies into the strengthening and expansion of her country. Like her husband Arth I, she passed away from the incurable “Gula” disease.

AkunoP’s comment

She’s sort of like what Riliane could have turned out like if she’d been raised properly. Strong, kind, and popular. Only, I’m sure she must have been more mischievous when she was younger. She probably had reckless adventures and passionate romantic stories, but I’ve got no plans to write any of them (haha).

Ichika’s comment

I drew her with a theme of a queen’s strictness and a woman’s gentleness. Actually, her character design is the one I liked the most on first drawing it. She’s not too gaudy, but I’m really happy her outfit conveys a sense of stability in its place.

*This character was independently made based on the VOCALOID 2 “SWEET ANN” published by PowerFX.

“That’s just common practice among merchants.”

Keel Freezis

(Hiyama Kiyoteru)

A famous merchant who conducts trade in Elphegort, while being an immigrant from Marlon. He serves as the head of the trade association, and is also proficient in handling information. He’s an old friend of Marlon’s King Kyle. He has three children.

AkunoP’s comment

The no.2 super afterthought character (haha). At first I had no plans for him to do anything at all, but when I tried giving him a few more scenes he turned out to be a pretty fun character; I ended up shortening Kyle’s role to compensate (haha). It was a lot of fun to write a character so cheerful. And it was pretty amusing to have him be such a doting parent.

Ichika’s comment

As he’s a merchant, he wears shoes and an outfit that are both easy to walk in. His uniform base is the country of blue. Fundamentally his robe is for use in business discussions, and is supposed to easy to remove when it gets hot or gets in the way. I would imagine he probably dresses down a bit outside of occasions where he’s conversing with royalty and nobles.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Vocaloid teacher “Hiyama Kiyoteru” published by AH-Software Co. Ltd.

“Tell me the story of the ‘Daughter of Evil’!”

Yukina Freezis

(Kaai Yuki)

The eldest daughter of the wealth Elphegort merchant Keel Freezis. She’s very attached to her servant Clarith, and often has her wrapped around her little finger, being both naïve and mischievous. She has a hobby of writing stories, and excels at it despite her young age.

AkunoP’s comment

She’s going to be more active in the third book. She’ll be a main character!! (haha) She becomes the author of the Freezis Fairytales, and the official teller of the story. Come to think of it I did buy the Yuki software the other day, so I might make a song for her after this.

Ichika’s comment

Frankly she’s the most fun when drawing. While heavily basing her off of her original character image, I also gave her a more chic and mature air befitting a merchant’s daughter. I’m happy I was able to make her appearance show how doted on she is by Keel.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Vocaloid student “Kaai Yuki” published by AH-Software Co. Ltd.

“I was the same as you…Evil.”

Gast Venom

(Gackpoid)

A skilled mercenary who heads a mercenary band, called “The Demon of Asmodean”. During the revolution he stays at the palace until the end under Allen’s request, and fought against the revolutionaries using a weapon called a katana, something unfamiliar to the Evillious region.

AkunoP’s comment

He’s got a mystery for so few appearances (haha). I’ve given him a ton of backstory but I haven’t shared any of it. Like that he’s a descendant of Venomania, that he isn’t actually [redacted], none of it’s been shown in story. And he got killed by an amateur girl (haha). In that sense I guess he’s more pathetic than Kyle. I’d like to get some of it out someday though.

Ichika’s comment.

I made him more Japanese in style to give him a foreign feel. I drew his outfit and his equipment to be like the protective armor of a swordsman. His outfit’s meant to have a slightly feminine component to it, like having a feminine sash at his waist. He’s got a decent amount of layering in his clothing. His physique is meant to feel pretty lean.

*This character was based on the VOCALOID 2 Artist Vocal character “Gackpoid” published by Internet Co., Ltd.

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arthoure · 3 years

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Gawain and the Green Knight

In honor of the movie, I’m liveblogging my reread of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”! How long can one poet go on about a giant glowing green man who is somehow inexplicably sexy? YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED.

So first off, I’m rereading the Tolkien translation because I wanted a hard copy and that’s the one I already own. The full book is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearl; Sir Orfeo by J.R.R. Tolkien if you want to ask your local bookstore to order it in for you; it’s a collection of three short story poems. I like Tolkien’s translations because he’s careful to keep the Old English meter, which is a kind of complex technique of mixed rhythms and alliteration that I’ll try to get deeper into later. (He actually wrote a lot of LotR in Old English meter. Try reading Theoden’s charge out loud if you’re curious; it’s cool!) You can see some of it here, starting the story with images of betrayal right off the bat:

Something I liked about the movie trailer was that it looks like it’ll be leaning deep into the fantastical, which is very true to the source. Lots of Arthuriana has magic, but Green Knight really doesn’t hold back. It makes sure to let you know right away that Arthur’s realm is a weird place where weird stuff happens. (It’s also very nationalistic, “Oh, Britain is the coolest place, founded by the Romans, no cooler place than Britain” -- okay gawain poet, jesus.)

So what happens in the first ten pages of the story? Basically we go on about how great and weird the area is, then we’re told that it’s Christmas/New Year’s and King Arthur is throwing a massive feast. There are a lot of really fun details! There were a bunch of tournaments and jousting, dancing every night, super long dinners with a zillion courses of food, and even -- something that personally struck me, because it’s not something we really associate with the Middle Ages in a modern understanding -- descriptions of people laughing. Once we’re told about all the partying and feasting, which goes on for days nonstop (very normal for religious feasts at that time! I’m jealous), Arthur decides he wants something exciting to happen and his wish is immediately granted when a massive, glowing, green man on a giant green horse rides said green horse right into the middle of his hall.

Before we get to the Green Knight himself, I really like depictions in the text of Arthur as the "boy king" -- he took the sword from the stone so young, and even after all these years and battles, has he ever really grown up? Is he like this because of the trauma of war, or the influence of power? Possibly both? But that boyish enthusiasm makes him personable, relatable, and it’s something his subjects seem to really like about him. Despite all his power, Arthur doesn’t seem to think he’s better than anyone else, and you don’t really see that in kings.

He’s also the original Drama King. This story goes on to say that it’s his custom not to eat at feasts until something nuts happens to entertain him first. This was the detail that really made me fall in love with the story; this ridiculous idea of the great King Arthur having almost these Mad King moments where he routinely refuses to eat until his banquet is awesome enough. Are these more indications of his childishness? Are they supposed to indicate that such a great king requires great feats alongside the normal parts of life? Idk but it always strikes me as funny.

Right on cue, the Green Knight busts in. And I had forgotten HOW MUCH TIME the author devotes to making sure we all know how huge and sexy he is??? It seriously goes on for like 3 pages. Looks like monsterfucking is a venerable tradition going back hundreds of years, etc. (Unrelated but I also like the use of "portal" in that first sentence there, below--meaning “door,” but it also invokes the idea of this fairy man appearing from a magical dimension.)

Besides the descriptions of the Green Knight's physicality there's also a FULL PAGE about what he's wearing, and as a romance writer I have a lot of thoughts about this. Yeah we're emphasizing his wealth & marvel, but the "trim hose tight-drawn...that clung to his calves"?

The sparknotes of his outfit: -Literally everything is green, like his skin and hair, except where it’s embellished with gold. -He doesn't wear shoes! I DON’T KNOW WHY AND IT BUGS ME. -His clothes are embroidered with motifs of birds and flies. Maybe that has something to do with what he's carrying? BECAUSE... The text emphasizes he's not dressed for battle and carries no weapons, bearing the a holly branch and axe instead in an interesting contrast. The story takes place at Christmas so the holly is in season: life and beauty where most plants are dormant. But the axe has the power to end that life.

That’s where I stopped for the day but I’ll be back for another 10 pages later!

#arthurian lit #arthoure reads green knight #cross post

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nobaettadr · 4 years

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🍓 : how is my muse typically seen by others? does it ring true to who they really are? does their reputation matter to them?

★ // FRUIT HEADCANONS. / @vonvestra

while i wouldn’t say that leif is noncomplex as a person, he is earnest, and tends to wear his heart on his sleeve. the boy probably couldn’t lie his way out of leonster castle if somebody paid him. as a result, how he’s seen by others is typically a true reflection of who he is, in a general sense. when he’s content, he’ll show it; when he’s angry, he’ll show it. when he’s sad, he’ll also probably show it even if he’s trying not to. leif generally comes off personable, curious, humble, and courteous, all of which he is.

i think the meta-canon also tends to try to depict him as someone who comes off mature / wise beyond his years, which is also true in a sense. he’s been through a lot, and has the advantage that his attitude towards life doesn’t tend to lead to narrow-mindedness. i’d probably say how mature for his age he comes off depends on who he’s interacting with and the nature of the interaction. in the way that he thinks and questions and sees the world, he can seem older than his age, but in action, there are parts of him that are still boyish. not necessarily ‘ immature ’ ( tho like everyone, he has his moments ), but echoing of a kind of child-like innocence that he was never able to properly experience and thus grow out of.

i think also that a lot of his projected seriousness is also a product of his canon surroundings. back home, he has few peers his age who hadn’t also similarly grown up too fast. other than that, he’s surrounded by adults. this influences the way that he acts and how he conducts himself as well. living in leonster castle, the source of his poor mental health, and surrounded by the people and memories of those worst months, also exacerbates his more grave and reflective side. being at garreg mach and being around normal kids his age for once brings out a more youthful side of him that isn’t shown much elsewhere, except ( i hc ) in occasional moments of levity with his closest friends during the war.

as for his reputation, yeah, leif’s reputation matters a lot to him. part of this is because he’s a king, and well aware of the many disadvantages he already carries in his position. so he doesn’t want to give anyone even more reason to think him incapable. of course, he also reflects on leonster, on the line of noba, and on his forebearers. but even outside of what station demands of him, leif is the kind of person who pays a lot of attention to what others think of him — arguably too much attention. he wants to be well-liked, wants to be helpful, and wants to be seen in a positive light. even hearing that one person doesn’t think well of him would dampen his mood considerably ( and there was, unfortunately, quite a bit of that going on during the mansterian liberation war ).

#vonvestra #—— 🟉 彡･ ◜ META. ◞ what the drummer boy inherited #i feel like i didn't so much answer the first question #but i guess the answer is really that all the ways people see him are true #and also not usually the full picture #bc he's a multicolored little dude #thank you for sending this ree!

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debu-neko-kun · 4 years

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Amon

https://www.deviantart.com/whiteknucklewhiskey/art/Amon-the-Jailor-825780217 Wrote a thing for https://www.deviantart.com/whiteknucklewhiskey of his General/master interrogator/bemuscled squishy Amon, who can be viewed at the link at the top. He’s a really neat character with a very interesting fantasy/sci-fi world going on around him, and it was a blast writing this. Thank you for the opportunity to depict him this way :3 A bit darker than normal (a little warning there for the folks just here for the softs), but a nice challenge nonetheless. Content below includes descriptions of chonk, brief violence, and a dash of dourness.

“General ger Reizenghest: step forward.” The voice of The Leader echoed through the lengthy room, smooth but strong, deep but biting; it reminded Amon of the stones on the shelled-out volcanic beaches near the primary front. He did as he was told, the floor of the private meeting room creaking beneath his boot steps, a thin layer of perspiration plain on the bulge of his thick neck. ”Two successful captures conducted in the last 24 hours, sir.” he began, instinctively squeezing one hand into a tight fist, the silver-beaded necklace in his grip making a soft *crk* against the polished leather of his glove. “One expired today at 0600, following interrogation. The other-” “You didn’t *fall* on him, did you?” the Leader spoke, the corner of his lip curling ever so slightly into a semi-bemused smile. The others in the room— medal-clad captains, the hulking Surgeon, svelte assassins— remained unerringly stone-faced. “…No, sir.” He replied, feeling that void rising up in his flabby stomach like antimatter. A whisper of a whisper, echoing back and forth through his core, growing in intensity. Amon swallowed it down, his collar suddenly choking, and continued on, “Exsanguination. The information he released will be tested by a reconnaissance team. The second prisoner will be interrogated upon the termination of this meeting today.” “Very well. Send me the results as soon as they are ascertained… oh, and Amon?” “Yes, sir?” “Cut back on the sweets, will you? You’ve set the standard for unwavering dedication to this country, but that compulsion of yours… unsightly. Do better.” The void was in his throat now, choking him like a stone. “Yes, sir.”

The train ride to the prison was his second favorite part of the day. It gave him a chance to rest, collect himself, remove these goddamn tight boots… and most importantly, have lunch before the real work began. A short, boyish waiter did his best to maneuver two meal carts into the spacious train car, sweet and savory scents carried through with him. “Your meal, General. Should I call you General? Oh, dear, I never remember…” Amon took a draw from his cigarette, blowing the acrid puff in a smooth stream across the train car, and put it out in an ashtray by the window. He never looked at the waiter, too busy at a low table, plotting pins on a map centered between stacks of papers all stamped “Confidential”. “Leave the carts.” he ordered, pointing back at the connecting door. “I’ll ring you if I need more.” “I-I, uhm-” the waiter stammered, a bit taken aback by the sudden request. He set two platters back down and bowed, quickly shuffling back to the door. Before he left, however, he turned back and mousily chirped, “You’re looking very fine today, General. I hope you enjoy your meal.” And with that, Amon was left alone. He took in a deep breath, reached down, and undid the large round belt buckle on his front. Instantly, it practically burst out of his grip as his belly spilled forward unfettered like a fat sack jelly, soft and supple rolls of flesh surging into his lap. The polished leather of his waistcoat creaked with the strain of holding it all in, equally shiny pants doing the same. He felt both lucky and cursed that his uniform was primarily leather; lucky that it was sturdy and a bit stylish, cursed that it hugged the twin globes of his vast ass and squeezed his blubbery belly into one great obsidian ball. Sure, his back was covered by the tail of his coat, and his chest was partially disguised by the multiple layers of his upper uniform, but his gut… it bulged out for the world to see, squished around belts and buckles and pushed the zipper of his jacket up. It was unavoidable, but at least it made him seem more imposing… at least, he hoped. The bulging muscles of his arms didn’t hurt in that aspect, anyway, though even they seemed to have a tinge of broad softness about them these days. None of this was of any concern right now, however. The only concern he had, he thought, pulling the lid off one of the covered trays next to him and bringing the dish to the top of his belly… …was how flaky the butter cake was today. The rest of the ride was spent with little else but the savoring of fine flavors, each dish as decadent as the last. Silky ganache truffles were plucked from polished trays, their intricate chocolate patterns appreciated only momentarily before being sent down to his hungry belly. Latticed pies with dustings of freshly cultivated sugar were consumed with little fanfare while he perused the marks on the map ahead of him, mind split among rich flavors and front lines, travel routes and creme fillings. He only brought his attention fully back to the food when the sky outside vanished; the neon glow of the low-energy tunnel lights filled the cabin with an unearthly atmosphere and bathed the map in shadows. “Ah well,” he sighed, taking a bite of eclair. “For the best.” He’d need to build up his energy for when he reached the prison, he reasoned. Interrogations always left him a bit tired, after all, and he had plans for the night beyond. And what better source of energy than a hearty breakfast and a quiet moment? So, with one hand on his half-packed gut, he leaned back, finished the eclair, and declared it time to move onto the main course.

Amon was waiting by the door when the train pulled into the station. He adjusted his vest— feeling twice as tight as before the trip— and straightened his collar in the reflection of the door windows. Satisfied with his appearance, he drew a cigarette from his chest pouch and lit it, the orange glow from the lighter mingling with the red light of the security checkpoint. He loved the way the colors mingled; if only they’d let him add some of that color to his uniform. Sure, he was allowed a bit of red here and there, and his medals offered a patch of vibrancy against the black, but he wanted something that was really *him*. He made a mental note to get with his tailor tomorrow. The doors slid open in front of him, the train car rocking ever-so-slightly as he stepped onto the platform. Just as he did, four soldiers rushed up to him, each clad in the same drab uniform: white shirt, black tie, black pants, all wrapped up in a militant black trench coat. They regarded him with hesitation, or what seemed to be hesitation; it was a little hard to tell how they were feeling, as every common soldier had their head wrapped in featureless black fabric. “Well?” he huffed, glancing around at each of them. They each turned their heads to eachother, shuffling gently. “Clear me, you goddamn fools, and open the gate!” he snapped, growling out at them with fists clenched at his sides. The all jumped simultaneously, two rushing to his wide sides to give him a once-over scan. They had to spiral around him to capture the full breadth of his form, something that frustrated him every time. “Quickly.” Amon spat, venom seething from between clenched teeth. The two by his sides gave thumbs-up signs to the other two soldiers waiting on either side of the large subterranean entrance to the prison, who each pressed buttons in their respective booths. The screen above the huge gate flashed a green checkmark, followed by a scrolling “Welcome, General!” in the swirling text of his native tongue. He left them with darting glares, but they didn’t seem too bothered; they just regarded him with salutes as he passed into the corridor beyond, the large iron doors grinding back together behind him. A cold wind wrapped around his wide body, a welcome comfort on the long walk through the halls beyond guard offices, captain’s quarters, bunk rooms and resting areas. By the time he reached the elevator, his feet already ached and he had to rest against the wall of the elevator to catch his breath. He’d said it before, and he’d say it again: the interrogation room was much too far from the entrance. Why bury it so deeply? They were already deep beneath the earth, and nobody’s ever screamed loud enough to be heard through a mountain. “It’s good for you,” The Leader had once said after he proposed a relocation of his working space. “Perhaps if you walk it long enough, you’ll lose that gut.” Only after a long grumpy silence had he said he’d think about it, and the work order was sent out only to be lost between the wall and filing cabinet belonging to an overworked desk boy. The elevator doors opened at the bottom level, beneath even the normal prison cells. The hallway was well lit, cobbled floors glistening gently from the daily mopping, disinfectant strong in the air. Amon walked slowly to the door at the end of the hall, boot-steps reverberating strong and brief along the walls. He produced a key, twisted it in the lock; he’d always insisted on the old-fashioned nature of the interrogation quarters, down to the heavy wooden door and candelabras. It almost made the spacious room feel displaced from time. A place plucked out, made solely for pain. The prisoner was waiting for him beneath a swarm of hanging chains that clinked gently above. He looked strong, all bulging muscles and squared features. He had a cloth wrapped around his eyes, and shackles on his hands and feet, holding him fast against the uncomfortable wooden chair. “Come to kill me?” the prisoner asked, leaning his head back. “Not if you talk.” Amon breathed, placing his coat on the hook by the door. He rolled up his shirt sleeves, contemplated taking his gloves off for this one. “Then you’re just gonna have to kill me, ‘cause I’m not feeling chatty today. Say, you mind taking this blindfold off, though? I prefer to look death in the face.” Amon said nothing, just wandered slowly behind him to untie the bow of his blindfold. And just as slowly, hands behind his back, he stepped out in front of him. “Aw shit.” the prisoner gulped, suddenly presented with the hulking jailor. Eyes darted across the glaring, blue-eyed visage above him, from the devilish inverted red pyramid on his lower lip to the bullish golden ring in his nose to the high cheek bones that gave his face a snake-like sharpness. Amon could see his stomach collapse, the air— and courage— rushing right out of him. “W-Well,” he gulped, trying to regain his composure. “Aren’t you a pretty one.” Amon swiped him across the cheek with his fist, shallow enough to just graze his teeth. He needed him to talk, after all. “Enough.” Amon barked, leaning in close. “Battle details only. Give me something useful.” The prisoner clenched his eyes shut, wincing away the pain. “Fuck, okay,” he said through clenched teeth. “Details…” Amon grabbed him by the jaw, squeezing his face painfully. “Now.” “Okay, here’s one: it feels like a marshmallow.” Amon’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Your gut, on my knee, feels like a fat, warm, squishy goddamn marshmallow. How’s that for details?” The grip held a moment, tightening ever so slowly around his jaw. And then, Amon released, turning to take slow steps toward a polished wooden cupboard just beyond the sight of the prisoner. “What’s the matter? Can’t take the truth?” the prisoner laughed, throwing his head back. “Thinking.” Amon pulled the cupboard open. On one side, a tidy row of records shelved just above a little boxy record player he’d received from his mother for his birthday. “What?” Slowly, he pulled open the other door, mind still wondering what to listen to after he was done, what could possibly wash away what he was about to do. Behind this door, similarly tidy, were a number of instruments; whips, surgical instruments, knuckle dusters wide enough for his generous hands. Strong but soft hands moved across the tools, fingertips ghosting past metal and wood and stone. He stopped when he reached a simple iron-core baton, the surface painted with a thin layer of protective rubber. Not for safety, of course. “Thinking,” he repeated, wrapping his hand around the baton, glove creaking with the force. “Of how I’m going to hurt you.”

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probably-writing-x · 5 years

Text

Party Greetings

Request by anon - Okay so my birthday is very close to Tom's (4 June) so like being good friends and you hold a party together and you meet haz and immediately hit it off and lots of fluff?

~~~

You checked the time on your phone and realised it was perfect timing for when Tom said he would be here to pick you up. Your flight had landed and you'd made it through security and the rest relatively quickly, emerging into the airport with your large suitcase and carry-on alongside you. Now where was that boy?

But then you saw that familiar baseball cap he used to cover himself from publicity and you saw the flash of the Airpod in his ear, for some reason always choosing to only wear one.

He glances up and a huge grin trickles onto his lips, his arms extending to welcome you into a hug.

"I'm back!" You grin, engulfing him in a bear hug that you had certainly missed in your time away.

After turning twenty one, you had moved to Australia to work out there for a while and this was the first time you were returning since leaving. You and Tom had quite literally been best friends since you were born - your mums met in the hospital as you were born so close together. Ever since then, you'd grown up together. You'd lived a couple of hours away but you always managed to meet up, write letters, text, call and Facetime - solidifying your status as best friends.

"God, I've missed you!" He grins, pulling away to take your bags from you, "How could you leave me for so long?"

You laugh, "I'm sure the world of Hollywood as been treating you well in my absence," You joke, though his fame and success still felt oddly new to you since you were never around it too much. Tom loved that. He loved being able to be around someone that had been there since his days of Billy Elliott but still managed to treat him as a normal boy - purely based on the physical distance that had always been between you.

"Are you excited to see everyone?" He asks as he stuffs your suitcase into the trunk of his car, walking round to the driver's side.

"I can't believe my parents are on holiday the week I get back but it will be nice to catch up on the Holland occurrences until then," You smile, clambering into the car beside him, "If we actually make it back, please tell me your driving has gotten better since I left?"

He glares at you and starts the car, "It was always better than yours darling,"

You laugh and settle your head back against the headrest, feeling at ease with the idea of being home.

"So, your birthday is coming up next week," Tom wiggles his brows as he drives the distance to his place, somehwhere you were yet to see for yourself, "Any plans?"

"What do you mean?" You scoff, "I literally don't know anyone in England anymore,"

"Well, you're having a birthday party!" He grins, indicating around the corner a little too sharply and making you hold your seat a little tighter, "We're having a joint birthday party! So you can meet all of my friends and get back to England living!"

You look at him and cock a brow, "How long have you been planning this?"

"It's nothing spectacular. Just a bunch of friends coming to mine, have some drinks, some music," He explains, "It will be a good night,"

"Alright, whatever you say Holland," You smile, thankful to be back with your chosen family - even if it was only one.

~~~

You'd been back 'home' at Tom's for a couole of days now, having caught up on everything possible that you'd missed and having settled in comfortably to the so-called spare room that actually belonged to his absent best friend. Tom said you could stay there for a couple of nights since Haz was away. But tonight, tonight was party night.

"It's party time, bitches!" Sam yells as he swings open the door and you look up from your task to come out of the room.

Him and Harry are stood in the doorway with crates and bags in hold, struggling to stay in their arms.

"(Y/n)!" Harry grins when he sees you, dumping down the bags to rush over to you and engulf you in a hug that lifts you from the ground - you could've done that to him before you left.

"My God how have you grown so much?" You laugh as he settles you down and you take in his matured face, like an aged mirror of a boy you'd treated as a little brother - you'd even been to visit the twins in hospital when they were first born and Dom took Tom to see his brothers.

"Yeah but don't forget your favourite," Sam pushes his brother aside and hugs you too, "Are you excited for your party?"

"Nervous is probably a better word," You chuckle, scratching at the back of your neck and shrugging, "I don't know anybody,"

"Then you'll get to know them," Tom assures you, stepping between his brothers and swinging an arm around both of them, "Now, you have an hour so go and get ready and we'll take care of everything else,"

You've still got the instinct to trust him as soon as it's said.

~~~

Sure enough, when the hour passes, people begin to arrive at the flat - hugging or shaking hands with Tom before introducing themselves to you. They all knew you as Tom's missing sister, the long distance sidekick.

"Nice to meet you-" One would say, "I've heard a lot," And then they'd go, caring more about Tom and the endless food and booze.

Until one.

"Ugh, god, sorry I'm late. The life of the party should never be-" The boy stops himself when he realises he hasn't opened the door to Tom but instead to you, "(Y/n)!"

"Harrison!" You mock, taking in the disheveled look in front of you - still managing to depict a perfect view of handsome.

"Wow, I should've really given myself a better introduction," He shakes his head, "Can I at least hug you?"

You nod and welcome his gesture, "I feel like I already know you if I'm honest, Tom's told me a lot but I guess our paths have never crossed,"

"Well, I'm glad they have now," He beams, "I'm just going to say hi to the boys quickly and then I'll be back,"

He leaves and you assume it will be like everyone else - too busy mingled with people they actually knew to pay attention to the slightly awkward one in the corner.

"Right, sorry, I'm back," Harrison's now familiar voice sighs when he return, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure," You smile and it ends up with both of you sat on a free space on the couch, definitely not enough room for both of you at all but it worked for now.

Harrison asks you about your time away, your work out there, the best parts and the worst and how it felt to be back. He asks about stories of Tom from when you were little and explains how he met him when they were younger. He explains how they ended up here, how grateful he was and how irritated that Tom had never introduced the two of you.

"There you are!" Tom's voice cuts through the sound of the party, evidently becoming slightly intoxicated by his alcohol intake, "I was looking for both of you and then you're both in the same place! Everything okay?"

Harrison steals a small glance to you, "Yeah, great actually. I've just been catching up on everything (Y/n)."

"Come on, we're playing beer pong," Tom encourages before disappearing through the crowd to reach the kitchen island.

"You wanna play?" Harrison suggests and you nod in agreement.

He stands up and lets you lead the way, his hand falling onto your back as he guides you through the dancing bodies.

"Do you know how to play beer pong (Y/n)?" Harry calls from the other side of the table.

"Just about," You joke, setting your empty cup down on the side to most likely be forgotten until the clear-up tomorrow morning.

"Alright," Sam clasps his hands, "Hollands vs... The adopted Hollands,"

You glance to Harrison and realise that means you two will be making up the team for this side of the table.

"Let's do this (Y/l/n)!"

The game starts fairly successfully with you managing to get both Harry and Tom to have to drink but Sam retorts by throwing to make you drink too. And then it's Harrison's turn.

The ball flies past the table, landing in the sink behind the brothers.

"Oh god you're shit!" Tom exclaims, laughing instinctively at his best friends.

Harrison rolls his eyes and you notice him blush when he looks at you. Was he flustered?

When it comes back to his turn, you can tell he's reluctant to embarrass himself again.

"Here," You reach for his hand and guide it to the right angle, your whisper close to his ear, "Aim for Sam's hands and it will land in that middle cup,"

He does exactly as you ask, his tongue sticking out slightly with the overwhelming concentration before throwing the ball and watching it land exactly where you'd asked.

Harrison cheers and turns around in his ecstatic excitement, lifting you up and spinning you round with a boyish joy.

"We make a great team!" You laugh as he sets you down, his arms holding your waist for a second longer.

"We certainly do," Harrison grins, turning back to the table to continue the game.

~~~

It is much much later when everybody has left - residing to their homes in an intoxicated state. The twins have crashed asleep on Tom's bed and he's still asleep on the couch. You and Haz are the only ones left - having steadied yourself a lot more when it came to drinking.

"Don't worry about that," Harrison's hand touches your lower back as you go to collect some empty glasses, "We'll do it in the morning,"

You nod and stand up, glancing over to Tom on the sofa in his sprawled out beer-coma before taking the throw from behind him and settling it over him, thankful to not disturb.

Harrison's little smile is completely hidden to you.

You walk over to the other couch and go to set it up to sleep on, knowing how uncomfortable you'd find it.

"What are you doing?" Harrison scoffs into his whisper, "You're sleeping on my bed,"

"No, no, I can't do that," You shake your head, "I want you to still sleep in your own bed and you wouldn't want to sh-"

"I don't mind sharing," He finishes for you, "The bed's big enough for two,"

You cock a brow and watch him chuckle.

"Tom would kill me if it was anything more than friendly,"

Even he could hear himself lying.

~~~

Tags: @imarypayne @sunshine112 @bringmethehorizonandpizza @supernatural-girl97 @vibhati123 @butithasntkilledyouyet @faefictions @carisi-sonny @trap-house-homiecide @shamelessbookaddict @tommydaspidey @oneblckcoffee @darlingtholland

#harrison #harrison osterfield #harrison imagine #harrison one shot #harrison drabble #harrison request #harrison blurb #harrison osterfield imagine #harrison osterfield one shot #harrison osterfield drabble #harrison osterfield request #harrison osterfield blurb #harrison x reader #harrison x y/n #harrison osterfield x reader #harrison x you #harrison osterfield x you #harrison osterfield x y/n

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claritalunaluna76 · 5 years

Photo

This time nine years ago, five teenage boys’ dreams were in tatters after being rejected from the X Factor .

But determined not to let a good-looking gang go to waste, show boss Simon Cowell and his genius decided to put solo hopefuls Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson together.

It took the lads just five minutes to agree to his plan and have another crack at the competition - this time in the groups category.

They would go on to be one of the most successful boybands of the century, selling out stadiums and dominating the charts for five years before splitting in an explosion of bitterness and animosity.

But with no experience of harmonies, group singing or even each other, even then Liam wondered what they were really getting into.

“We had seen each other at Bootcamp and got on well, and Niall and I had shared a room. But we were competition then, and at the back of the minds we knew were against each other,” Liam would later recall.

“So it was strange when we were put together and my first thought was, ‘How are we going to make this work when we don’t know each other? It was such a leap of faith.”

A fractious start

Desperate to catch up with the other bands, the newly-formed five-piece spent an intense two intense weeks practising in a bungalow at the bottom of Harry’s step-dad’s garden in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire.

But contrary to their bright white smiles and boyish banter, their very different personalities were already beginning to show, laying the foundations for the resentment, jealously and anger that would one day cause the group to implode.

“We used to be at each other’s throats on the X Factor,” Louis admitted on their This Is Us DVD of his clashes with Liam.

“Whenever I wanted to do anything slightly mischievous, he was always the daddy.”

“Me and Louis did not get on at all,” Wolverhampton-born Liam agreed. “We were two completely different characters. There was one point where I literally wanted to whack him.”

Nevertheless, they sailed through the live shows and came third in the final before scoring a record deal with Cowell, who for them made n exception of only signing the winning act.

A mysterious fall out

By the time they scored their first number one with What Makes You Beautiful in September 2011, Harry and Louis were living as housemates in a rented £3million North London flat in the same block where Ashley Cole and Cheryl once met.

Then suddenly at the start of 2012 they allegedly stopped talking and moved out.

“Apart from Harry and Louis, no one knows exactly what caused the falling out — they didn’t even tell the other boys the full details,“ a source told The Sun at the time.

“But it was very serious and their friendship has never recovered. Everyone involved in the band is well aware of the animosity between them.

“It’s been central to everything else that came next with the band because there was suddenly a massive divide.”

From that point on Harry apparently refused to even travel with Louis and the fall-out would become so serious that bosses reportedly had to find a way to make their last three albums without the boys having to spend any time together in the studio.

However, Niall dismissed the claims, telling fans not to believe the reports.

"We stand strong as a band and we’re brothers,” he tweeted.

Those 'gay sex’ rumours

One theory was that the 'Larry Stylinson’ fan fiction depicting the pair as lovers had pushed them apart.

Louis, in particular, was extremely sensitive about the claims and admitted the speculation about their sexuality 'created an atmosphere’.

“People can believe what they want, but it comes across as a little bit disrespectful to the ones that I love, like (girlfriend) Eleanor (Calder),” he said.

“I’m so protective over things like that, about the people I love. So it created this atmosphere between the two of us.”

Zayn told how Harry and Louis had even dialled back their physical friendship in an attempt to stop the rumours.

“It’s not funny, and it still continues to be quite hard for them. They won’t naturally go put their arm around each other because they’re conscious of this thing that’s going on, which is not even true,” he said.

While Harry likes to keep people guessing about his sexuality, refusing to put a label on it, Louis has categorically said he is heterosexual.

And he was raging when a cartoon featured in HBO show Euphoria depicted a sex scene between him and Harry last month.

“I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it,” he raged on Twitter , with a source telling The Sun he was 'angered’ that an 'awkward’ situation had been made worse.

Drug scandal

Whatever the cause of the tension, the rift only grew wider when Zayn and Louis were filmed smoking what appeared to be cannabis in the back of an SUV en route to a concert in Peru in 2014.

Narrating from behind the camera as he filmed Zayn lighting what appeared to be a joint, Louis could be heard saying, “So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days!”

Talking about Zayn taking his warm-up 'seriously’, he continued, “One very very important factor of Zayn’s warm up of course if Mary J herself. In fact I will present it to him now for some fantastic singing.”

Straight-laced Harry - who wasn’t even much of a drinker - was apparently 'furious’ they’d taken the shine off the start of their UK stadium tour with their 'stupid and reckless’ behaviour.

“Harry is annoyed about the whole debacle. This should be one of the biggest weeks of the band’s career… Instead it has been taken over by this controversy,” an insider told The Sun.

“Despite Harry’s reputation, he’s incredibly professional and mature, and not into these sorts of antics,” the source added.

Booze battles

It wasn’t just Louis and Zayn who were in Harry’s bad books.

Liam’s partying was so out of control that Harry reportedly refused to go socialise with the band unless good guy Niall was there to keep the peace.

The pressure of spending two solid years on the road coupled with rumours about their future caused Liam to have a backstage meltdown in October 2015 with the band forced to cancel the gig in Belfast.

“The pressures of fame and being on the road for two years have made Liam ill,” a source told The Sun of the star, who would go on to admit fame 'nearly killed me’.

“He was devastated about letting everyone down, especially the fans, but he wasn’t physically able to get on stage. He had a complete meltdown.”

On another occasion he turned up to a fan event so drunk that it finally gave him a wake-up call.

“I’m not afraid to say that I actually went through a pretty bad [drinking] stage,” he told Attitude magazine.

“There were just a few times that I went over the limit with things and then I had to pull it back.

"I was very fortunate that I had lots of great people around me who said to me, 'Look Liam, you need to chill out a bit now.’”

Admitting he used alcohol to cope with the strain of performing near-constant touring, he said being drunk was like putting on a Disney costume before stepping out on stage.

“Underneath the Disney costume I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” he told Men’s Health.

“I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”

The pact

The band was fraying at the seams. Zayn was constantly in the headlines, accused of cheating on then-fiancée Perrie Edwar - which he vehemently denied.

There were rumours that he wanted out of 1D - despite the deal they were said to have made to release five albums and a greatest hits record before going on a 'hiatus’.

But Zayn blindsided everyone by suddenly quitting in March 2015 after a concert in Hong Kong.

In a statement he later admitted had nothing to do with him, he claimed he wanted to be a 'normal 22- year old’.

"I wasn’t going to spend another minute doing something which made me ill and which I no longer believed in,” he said of his shock exit.

Harry was seen openly crying on stage during their performance the next night.

But behind the scenes, the lads were reportedly furious.

“The others knew Zayn would have a head start by leaving first, like Robbie Williams did when he quit Take That,“ said a pal.

“It was frustrating to them as Zayn only had to hang on in there a few months and 1D would have gone on their long break united.”

Zayn would later go so far as to claim he’d wanted to leave the band from the very beginning and that he hated their music.

Friends no more?

Meanwhile, absence has only made the feud grow stronger, particularly between Louis and Zayn after the latter failed to support him on the X Factor following his mum’s death in December 2016.

"I had a couple of calls with him after I lost my mum and all the boys had agreed to come to that performance and he didn’t show, so that really bugged me,” he said on the Dan Wootton podcast.

“It was just seeing everyone there – Harry, Niall and Liam – that was what I needed that night, that support,” he said. “So on the other end of the spectrum it kind of really showed. So, eh, I hope he’s alright, but…”

Niall admits he doesn’t even have Zayn’s number and that he’s constantly changing it, while Zayn sniped that he didn’t 'really’ speak to Harry when they were in the band so didn’t expect to have a friendship after.

“I ain’t spoke to any of them for a long time, to be honest with you. That’s just the way it is,” he told Vogue.

“There’s things that happen and things that were said after I left…Snide things. Small things that I would never have expected.”

So could they ever reunite?

Mirror - July 23, 2019

#this is the investigative quoted by queerty #that's more like a fanfiction than a journalistic work #but that clearly establishes some changes to the narrative #they have been building since the beginning of the hiatus #with harry and niall on the good side #louis zayn and liam as the guilty part #and larry stylinson as the root of all conflicts #this article also reinforces the harry thinks he's better than the rest narrative #he decides with whom to fly with #and he doesn't want to reunited the band #i want this in my blog because it feels to me #they are escalating in the smear campaign againts louis #again #what is the endgame tho?#further isolate him from his community #and reinforce the idea of internalized homophobia #make him responsable for his own closet?#force him to come out and breach his contract?#can't figure it out #one direction: ninth anniversary #one direction #larry stylinson #louis tomlinson #solo louis sabotage #smear campaign #daily mirror

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baconpal · 6 years

Note

Whats your opinion on the Monogatri series?

fuck man, i was gonna draw tonight, you cant just give me an ask that i could write for hours about

idk how long thisll get but just in case, usual read more time but tl;dr very very good series, absolutely recommend to any seasoned weebs out there

I fucking love the monogatari series for so many reasons. i’ll just shit out bullet points of cool shit

1. gigantic but segmented: it’s one of the longest animes i’ve watched, but if someone wanted to just watch some i’d just tellem “hey just watch bakemono and stop there for now” and they’d still watch some great content and be mostly satisfied as everything wraps up well and doesn’t have any kinda sequel bait or cliff hanger. You can watch as much as you want when you want, even down to the various arcs, even out of order if need be, so it’s incredibly convenient, which means a lot to me (i say as i marathon HxH and Ippo)

2. Fuck the Order: there’s about 3 main orders that people like to preech, novel order (the order the arcs were released according to the light novels), anime release order, and chronological order since the story isn’t told chronologically in either case, and that can get confusing on top of none of the arcs being numbered outside of bakemono and bakemono 2 (which almost nobody recommends you actually watch consecutively) BUT the part I love is ANY order works and is interesting in its own way, the order that events are presented to you can change the impact of various scenes and events, like the ending to koimono is a lot more terrifying if you have no clue that kaiki is a healthy happy boy a year later, and owari becomes a bit more confounding if you know ougi is also doing fine (even if a bit boyish), and when you watch kizumono can drastically change how you feel about araragi and shinobu’s relationship, like when they were super duper tense in nise i always felt kinda whatever, but now that i’ve seen kizu its kinda like “fuck man how arent either of you dead already”

Basically its cool as shit since everything is written without regard for order

3.Character Development (and lack there of): All the characters in the series develop pretty well, and sometimes experience multiple large character shifts that improve them from the absolute pieces of garbage they are in bake (lookin at you Hanekawa, though you were pretty alright in kizu) Senjougahara is also worth note as she’s the primary girl and is thus around a lot despite having very few arcs centered on herself

but one of the most powerful parts of all the characters is they all also never change their true worst traits, and those who don’t really are my favorite characters, and those would be Senjougahara, Hachikuji, and the main man himself, Araragi. Senjou never really is able to drop the autistic girl sitting on the fourth wall deep down within her, Hachikuji continues to constantly fill roles and play parts that don’t belong to her, up through the very end of the series where she becomes a fucking GOD for NO good reason but FUCK it i love you hachikuji, and lastly Araragi, one of the best protaganists ever, who matures quite a lot over the course of his life and all, but from the begining of kizu to the end of owari, he is just completely incapable of letting someone pathetic go without help, even if it means completely sacrificing himself and I love my stupid boy so much

4. Who’s the protag anyway?: So araragi is the protag, duh, but not all the time, and the differences in how the show works when it changes is always very interesting, as it reveals a lot about both araragi and the characters who take his role; namely, Hanekawa, Nadeko, and my fucking BOY Kaiki. Hanekawa interacts with the story much closer to a novel (to the point of analyzing chapters and such), Nadeko sees everyone around her as bubbly colorful nobodies, and Kaiki sees everyone as normal fucking people which is only strange and jarring because when Araragi is the protagonist, anyone who is unimportant to him literally does not exist or physically manifest on screen. Some would call it a lazy choice, and maybe it is, this is shaft, it wasnt the first time they did it and it wasn’t the last either (side note; i like mekakucity actors fight me pussy) but even moments full of “background characters” like Araragis freshmen highschool dilemma, everyone in class other than the 2 cute girls he knows are just depicted as names and random photographic images of shit and its very telling of his character despite never being directly said in the novels or script.

5. FUck man this shit looks good: Art is important shit dude, and monogatari consistently looks good, even if the backgrounds can be incredibly simple at times, they are STYLISH and effective and thats all they need to be, and despite being a show mainly about people talking, the characters will move and be in as many weird cool perspective shots as they need to in order to fill out a scene. Whenever the show ISNT just people talkin, the animation does not slack off. The few fights of the main series are absolutely to my taste, I love Araragi V rainy devil, and thats pretty much the only straight up fight in the show, but the Kizu movies are 3 hours of pure kino holy shit, even araragi buying some porn to beat he meat is animated excessively well and with cartoon abandon.

I know that stylish substance is still just a shaft thing, but it’s always on point in monogatari, also NO CG CHARACTERS outside of a few random shots in Kizu, which is a definitely worth pointing out considering mekakucity’s original television run exists.

6. FUck man this shit sounds good: The voice acting is impeccable, I love everyones voice so much, but the music is also of very high quality, and guess what it does that thing that i always fucking mention cus it’s awesome and should be used whenever possible anywhere: Motifing. Every character has a theme in some way due to every major character having atleast 1 opening centered on them (there’s an OP for every fucking arc and its insane they’re all fully animated too its bonkers) and theres usually a couple remixes of each persons theme used at some point, especially as like, bittersweet slow classical songs at the climax of an arc being a remix of the OP for that arc.

Kizu is also noteworthy for motifing the EDs into the other songs, remaking songs from the anime for specific classic interactions (looking at you, sharp and friend or foe) as well as just being super interesting in its use of vocal accompaniment, like the shoowap-doowap kind of stuff they throw in is very fun.

7.FUck man this shit IS good: I said early that the show is mostly just people talking, but fuck man i love listening to these people talk to each other. Everything they talk about is super entertaining and full of multiple meanings and just so much to take in that any amount of rewatching will always have me finding more to love, but since its a weeb show with references and puns and stuff, I would recommend making sure you’re atleast a decently powerful weeb who can at least UNDERSTAND some Japanese and knows a bit about anime before getting into it, also make sure you can read decently fast. It’s not Tatami Galaxy levels but stuff can move quick. (bit far into a post like this to make a recommendation but hey)

oh no i wrote for an hour about this shit bless the poor souls of any mobile users who still follow me

#long ass post #Anonymous

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noahfence1d · 5 years

Link

This time nine years ago, five teenage boys' dreams were in tatters after being rejected from the X Factor .

It took the lads just five minutes to agree to his plan and have another crack at the competition - this time in the groups category.

They would go on to be one of the most successful boybands of the century, selling out stadiums and dominating the charts for five years before splitting in an explosion of bitterness and animosity.

But with no experience of harmonies, group singing or even each other, even then Liam wondered what they were really getting into.

"We had seen each other at Bootcamp and got on well, and Niall and I had shared a room. But we were competition then, and at the back of the minds we knew were against each other," Liam would later recall.

"So it was strange when we were put together and my first thought was, 'How are we going to make this work when we don't know each other? It was such a leap of faith."

Desperate to catch up with the other bands, the newly-formed five-piece spent an intense two intense weeks practising in a bungalow at the bottom of Harry's step-dad's garden in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire.

"We used to be at each other’s throats on the X Factor," Louis admitted on their This Is Us DVD of his clashes with Liam.

"Whenever I wanted to do anything slightly mischievous, he was always the daddy."

"Me and Louis did not get on at all," Wolverhampton-born Liam agreed. "We were two completely different characters. There was one point where I literally wanted to whack him."

Nevertheless, they sailed through the live shows and came third in the final before scoring a record deal with Cowell, who for them made n exception of only signing the winning act.

A mysterious fall out

Then suddenly at the start of 2012 they allegedly stopped talking and moved out.

“Apart from Harry and Louis, no one knows exactly what caused the falling out — they didn’t even tell the other boys the full details," a source told The Sun at the time.

“But it was very serious and their friendship has never recovered. Everyone involved in the band is well aware of the animosity between them.

“It’s been central to everything else that came next with the band because there was suddenly a massive divide.”

However, Niall dismissed the claims, telling fans not to believe the reports.

"We stand strong as a band and we’re brothers," he tweeted.

Those 'gay sex' rumours

One theory was that the 'Larry Stylinson' fan fiction depicting the pair as lovers had pushed them apart.

Louis, in particular, was extremely sensitive about the claims and admitted the speculation about their sexuality 'created an atmosphere'.

"People can believe what they want, but it comes across as a little bit disrespectful to the ones that I love, like (girlfriend) Eleanor (Calder)," he said.

"I'm so protective over things like that, about the people I love. So it created this atmosphere between the two of us."

Zayn told how Harry and Louis had even dialled back their physical friendship in an attempt to stop the rumours.

"It's not funny, and it still continues to be quite hard for them. They won't naturally go put their arm around each other because they're conscious of this thing that's going on, which is not even true," he said.

While Harry likes to keep people guessing about his sexuality, refusing to put a label on it, Louis has categorically said he is heterosexual.

And he was raging when a cartoon featured in HBO show Euphoria depicted a sex scene between him and Harry last month.

"I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it," he raged on Twitter , with a source telling The Sun he was 'angered' that an 'awkward' situation had been made worse.

Drug scandal

Whatever the cause of the tension, the rift only grew wider when Zayn and Louis were filmed smoking what appeared to be cannabis in the back of an SUV en route to a concert in Peru in 2014.

Narrating from behind the camera as he filmed Zayn lighting what appeared to be a joint, Louis could be heard saying, "So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days!"

Talking about Zayn taking his warm-up 'seriously', he continued, "One very very important factor of Zayn’s warm up of course if Mary J herself. In fact I will present it to him now for some fantastic singing."

Straight-laced Harry - who wasn't even much of a drinker - was apparently 'furious' they'd taken the shine off the start of their UK stadium tour with their 'stupid and reckless' behaviour.

"Harry is annoyed about the whole debacle. This should be one of the biggest weeks of the band's career... Instead it has been taken over by this controversy," an insider told The Sun.

"Despite Harry's reputation, he's incredibly professional and mature, and not into these sorts of antics," the source added.

Booze battles

It wasn't just Louis and Zayn who were in Harry's bad books.

Liam's partying was so out of control that Harry reportedly refused to go socialise with the band unless good guy Niall was there to keep the peace.

"The pressures of fame and being on the road for two years have made Liam ill," a source told The Sun of the star, who would go on to admit fame 'nearly killed me'.

“He was devastated about letting everyone down, especially the fans, but he wasn’t physically able to get on stage. He had a complete meltdown.”

On another occasion he turned up to a fan event so drunk that it finally gave him a wake-up call.

"I'm not afraid to say that I actually went through a pretty bad [drinking] stage," he told Attitude magazine.

"There were just a few times that I went over the limit with things and then I had to pull it back.

"I was very fortunate that I had lots of great people around me who said to me, 'Look Liam, you need to chill out a bit now.'"

Admitting he used alcohol to cope with the strain of performing near-constant touring, he said being drunk was like putting on a Disney costume before stepping out on stage.

"Underneath the Disney costume I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” he told Men's Health.

“I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”

The pact

The band was fraying at the seams. Zayn was constantly in the headlines, accused of cheating on then-fiancée Perrie Edwar - which he vehemently denied.

There were rumours that he wanted out of 1D - despite the deal they were said to have made to release five albums and a greatest hits record before going on a 'hiatus'.

But Zayn blindsided everyone by suddenly quitting in March 2015 after a concert in Hong Kong.

In a statement he later admitted had nothing to do with him, he claimed he wanted to be a 'normal 22- year old'.

"I wasn't going to spend another minute doing something which made me ill and which I no longer believed in," he said of his shock exit.

Harry was seen openly crying on stage during their performance the next night.

But behind the scenes, the lads were reportedly furious.

“The others knew Zayn would have a head start by leaving first, like Robbie Williams did when he quit Take That," said a pal.

“It was frustrating to them as Zayn only had to hang on in there a few months and 1D would have gone on their long break united.”

Zayn would later go so far as to claim he'd wanted to leave the band from the very beginning and that he hated their music.

Friends no more?

Meanwhile, absence has only made the feud grow stronger, particularly between Louis and Zayn after the latter failed to support him on the X Factor following his mum's death in December 2016.

"I had a couple of calls with him after I lost my mum and all the boys had agreed to come to that performance and he didn't show, so that really bugged me," he said on the Dan Wootton podcast.

"It was just seeing everyone there – Harry, Niall and Liam – that was what I needed that night, that support," he said. "So on the other end of the spectrum it kind of really showed. So, eh, I hope he's alright, but..."

Niall admits he doesn't even have Zayn's number and that he's constantly changing it, while Zayn sniped that he didn't 'really' speak to Harry when they were in the band so didn't expect to have a friendship after.

"I ain't spoke to any of them for a long time, to be honest with you. That's just the way it is," he told Vogue.

"There's things that happen and things that were said after I left...Snide things. Small things that I would never have expected."

So could they ever reunite?

While Louis says it's 'inevitable', Harry reportedly isn't on the same wavelength.

“Since stepping away from 1D Harry has really enjoyed life outside that pop bubble," a source said.

“And right now he has absolutely no desire to get 1D back together.”

#one direction

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thebrunettewriter · 7 years

Text

Black Dragon

Summary: Black Dragon, a strange rouge warrior, recruited by the Inquisitor is sent on a mission with Cole, Krem, and her lover, Iron Bull. The leader of a very small band of feared warriors, Black dragon, is known to be strict and stubborn, but a kind hearted person who looks out for her own. When she's sent on a mission more dangerous than anticipated, her companions find out why those she's fought took to calling her the Black Dragon. Perhaps it wasn't just the black cloak and dragon design on her chest piece. Featured Characters: Cole, The Iron Bull, Krem Word Count: 8,174 Author’s Note: Graphic Depictions of Violence Requests Open!

The brunette rogue/warrior stands in front of the portal that will take her to her last companion as she thinks about what happened. Nothing was ever simple when mages were involved but how could dealing with one rouge mage end up like this?

“Something doesn’t feel right…” Cole mutters quietly as they step into the abandoned mansion they’d been warned about by the, small, nearby village. Apparently there were sounds, screaming and shouting, coming from the long since abandoned home. The villagers were too frightened to investigate the supposedly haunted house but when some of the people from the small town started to go missing they grew even more frightened. Some fled, most hid, but when a small group of Inquisition scouts were confronted by the few villagers brave enough to leave their homes they’d returned to Skyhold with their message and not long after the Inquisitor sent the Black Dragon to help.

For the most part the villagers were useless for information, but one older woman—with a little bit of persuading—managed to inform them of a blood mage that had stopped by the town not long before the sounds started. He had inquired about the house and had requested supplies before his true nature was discovered and he was driven out. She was certain it was this rouge mage that was behind all of this and, since no one was coming forward with any better suggestions, the group of four entered the house cautious of the mage’s tricks. “What do you feel, Cole?” The woman asks cautiously as she looks back at spirit boy. He doesn’t make eye contact as usual, staring at the ground as he tries to focus. “Something’s…not right. It’s…hidden. Shrouded. Like it doesn’t want us to know what’s hiding behind the veil…” He says in a quiet voice, frowning more than usual as if he’s having trouble finding it. “I agree with the kid, something’s fishy.” The Iron Bull agrees with a firm nod, his grip growing a little tighter around his weapon. The woman nods but looks forward as she continues. “Keep listening Cole, tell me if it gets closer or we do.” She says simply as she walks deeper into the house—large and once lavish—her sword already drawn. Though normally an archer, in such close quarters she’d opted for her sword and dagger over her trusty bow. Friendly fire was less a possibility and more a likelihood when crammed into a doorway trying to fight whatever was on the other side. “It’s coming from there.” Cole says as the brunette gets to a branching path. There’s a door to her left and a staircase to her right but it’s in front of her where the blonde points, to a door under the stairs that likely led to the basement. She looks back at her three companions before nodding. Being the most quiet—next to Cole—she slips in first and heads down the stairs that lay on the other side of the door, leading down into the bowls of the earth. The staircase is winding, digging further and further into the dirt before it finally levels out to a large open room. “I don’t like this boss.” Krem says quietly behind Bull, who nods in agreement.

“Be careful, Kadan.” The Qunari says, his eye focusing on her before scanning the room again. They all proceeded with all of the caution they could muster but they weren’t ready for what they got. How could they? A man suddenly stood before them at the opposite end of the room, flanked by two demons. Two powerful demons. Based on text the woman merc had read while in the library of Skyhold—a place she visited often—the one on the mage’s left was a fear demon, his right was a sloth. Neither of them looked weak and the mage seemed to know this full well as he was smirking at the four of them. “Well well. What an unexpected surprise! We have guests.” The man says, a fairly young man, no older than late twenties, his smirk only growing. He was blonde, longer hair curling around his cheeks, and had bright blue eyes. Some might consider him fairly handsome in his boyish looks, rather innocent appearing, but the smirk on his face and the glint in his eyes told the warrior that he was not being controlled by these demons.

“A Qunari, a spirit and a couple of humans. How quaint.” The man chuckles cruelly. The woman’s grip on her sword tightened as she gauged the two demons looming over the man’s shoulder. The two of them looked poised to strike at any moment while also appearing calm. Something wasn’t right. It seemed more like they were waiting for the man to do something than the four of them.

“Come to fight me, have you? The villagers finally decided to hire someone? Well, it’s to be expected. They’re rather slow, but better late then never I suppose. I’ve been wanting for some…stronger specimens.” The man says, looking them over. “Where are the people you kidnapped?” The brunette growls, growing tired of his banter. The man smirks and glances over his shoulder at a door behind him. “There are…people back there. They’re frightened. So much pain. So much fear. It’s so cold…” Cole says from behind them. The mage smirks. “What a clever little spirit.” He comments, looking at the blonde who glares at him. “Hmmm…now that I’m thinking about it, I have been wanting to test my demons and they’ve been oh so eager to as well. We’ll wait for your reinforcements to preform my experiments. I think I’ll give you to these demons!” He says almost gleefully. The entire party tenses as the two demons move suddenly for them. They charge at the creatures but are blinded by a light and their world goes black.

“There you are! Come inside!” Comes a familiar voice. The brunette looks up to see her mother standing not far from her in front of her house, the door open behind her. “M…other…?” The woman says, having difficulty focusing. How did she get here? What was she…doing before this? The woman smiles and beckons her inside. “Hurry up! You need to clean up before supper. You’re a complete mess!” She laughs and gestures to the girl again. Still confused and dazed, the woman steps towards the house slowly. What…was she doing…what…something wasn’t right…

She sees a shape loom over the shoulder of her mother and her eyes go wide before she breaks into a dead sprint. She screams for the woman to move, fight, do something, but she doesn’t seem to notice. The brunette runs as hard as she can but…can’t seem to get any closer. Her mother seems a fixed distance away, like no matter how hard or fast she runs her mother and the house behind her move backwards just as quickly. Tears stream down the girls’ face as she sees the figure raise a dagger into the air in slow motion. She screams and cries for her mother to move, to get away, but she does nothing but smile until the dagger drives slowly into the woman’s back. “NOOOOO!!!” She screams as she runs even harder, her lungs and legs burning. Her mother drops like a puppet with her strings cut and the dark figure is illuminated by the light from outside. Ice explodes through the girl’s body, starting from her heart and she’s frozen mid step, staring with wide, tear filled, eyes at the slightly blurry figure in the doorway, dagger in hand. Rubbing the water from her eyes with a quick swipe with the back of her hand the woman stares at her mirror image in the door. While one version is wide eyed and terrified, the one standing behind the collapsed form of her mother wears a cruel grin, splatters of blood of the woman who gave birth to her only serving to highlight the demented delight in her eyes. Without a word, twisted grin only growing, her doppelganger turns and walks further into the house, the door closing behind her as if of its own will. Jolted back into action and ripped from her shock, the woman takes off again. This time, the house doesn’t move and it takes her seconds to reach the door and fling it open…just in time to see herself drive a dagger into the heart of her own father. She screams and runs for the man just as he collapses but something catches the attention of the both of them. They look over at the figure in the doorway, a young, blonde headed boy. Her heart stops as she stares at her brother, who only stares up, confused and sleepy, at the evil version of herself. Eyes snapping to the other woman as she starts to move towards the boy, she tries to run after her, protect her brother where she couldn’t protect her parents, take the blow, kill the other woman, anything! But her feet wouldn’t move. They felt bolted to the floor. Run! It’s not me! Run away!! She tries to scream but her vocal cords are frozen as well and she can only stare in horror as the woman who looked like her walked slowly up to her child brother. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!! She screams in her head, tears streaming down her face as she tries to move, tries to scream, tries to look away. She can do nothing but watch the sharp metal drive into the heart of her little brother by her own hand. The woman smirks and turns to look at the tormented rogue as she sobs and struggles. All at once the boy drops to the floor, the woman is freed and the doppelganger is gone. Without hesitation the brunette runs to her brother’s side and falls to the floor beside him. She screams and cries for him to wake up, pressing her hand to the wound as she cradles his limp head in her arm but he doesn’t move, blank eyes staring up at her with a terrified and betrayed expression. Sobbing and rocking back and forth, cradling the child, she only registers the slowly heating room when she feels something burn her upper arm. The moment the woman looks up she gasps and jumps to her feet, still holding the child in her arms, and stares in horror at the flames beginning to engulf her house. She spins around and looks behind her at the bodies of her parents but they’re both consumed by flames already. “No!” She screams, running to the back door with her brother in her arms and bursting through the wood, splintering it with the force of her impact, sending both her and the limp form of her brother flying. The woman lands hard in the dirt, sliding for several feet before coming to a halt.

Calling her brother’s name weakly, she wills herself to sit up but can’t bring herself to stand as she stares in horror at the sight before her. Her house, her childhood home, is alight with flames, her mother and father trapped inside and probably already consumed by the raging fire. And her brother? Her brother had slid into the side of the house and was now alight with the flame as well, corpse now turning to ash. “How…? Why…?” The brunette sobs as she stares at the flames, but the only answer she gets is the cold feeling of the first drop of rain on her head before it begging to pour, soaking the woman and slowly dousing the flames. The rogue can only sit there and stare as the water puts out the fire slowly, leaving only the charred, destroyed, remains of her childhood home and her only family.

Broken hearted, the woman sobs and sobs as she sits in the mud on her knees, until she can’t look any more, her head dropping to look away from the horrible sight. The huge puddle of water she kneels in reflects her broken expression and tear stained face back at her and she can only stare…. until something catch her eyes. She frowns at something small and white peaking out of her shirt. With numb fingers she slowly reaches into the collar of her tunic and pulls out a necklace. She stares at the white object in her palms for a while before her eyes grow wide and she gasps. Memories of leaving her happy, healthy, family at home as she goes adventuring returns to her. “That’s right. The Mercenaries, the betrayal, the inquisition!” She fingers the dragon’s tooth in her palm. “Bull.” She whispers before jumping to her feet as one last memory hits her. The two demon’s float into her mind; a sloth and fear demon! She scowls and looks around. “This isn’t real!” She very nearly snarls as she looks around before something catches her eye. Standing not five yards to her left is the imposter, the smirk gone from its face as it glares at her. “YOU!” The woman snarls at her doppelganger as she draws her sword. “You’re a demon imposter!” The creature gives her the slightest of cruel smirks and the woman snaps. She’s on the creature before it can register her movement and her sword is buried inside of its belly. “Fake or not, you do not harm my family.” She growls as the creature stares at her with wide, lifeless, eyes before falling to the ground as she throws her off of her sword.

The woman stares for a moment before looking around. Her eyes go wide as she spots a tear in the air, like the water when it laps against a stone or stick. With only a moment’s hesitation, the woman suddenly darts towards the rip and dives through it.

Tumbling to the ground the girl looks around before letting out a sight of relief. Though the fade wasn’t always a pleasant place for her, this was so much better than the nightmare she came from. Eyes and mind now clear, the woman starts off down the only path that she can, weapon drawn. She knows what she needs to do next. Time to free her friends. ---

“No!” She hears a familiar voice call as she walks down the path. Glancing around sharply, the rogue spots a short branching path with a fade portal on the other side and darts for it, jumping inside without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m not. I’m not like you.” Cole whispers, eyes and head lowered. A demon hovers over his shoulder, a slim hand on his shoulder. Before him stands Rhys, who looks horrified as he stares at Cole. “Look at how he stares at out, how terrified he is. He knows you’re a monster.” The demon whispers. “He knows what you really are now.” Cole shakes his head but is visibly disturbed by the words. “I’m not a demon. I won’t be a demon!” He says in a shaky voice. “I want to help. Heal the hurt!” He protects but the demon grins cruelly behind him. “Like you helped Cole?” He breathes and the blonde goes stiff. “How much pain was that boy in? How hurt was he? And yet you did nothing.” The demon hisses the last word through his teeth. “You didn’t help him.” “But…I tried to help! I was there. He wasn’t alone!” He says but the demon chuckles at his weak and shaking voice. “You didn’t help him. You didn’t save him.” The demon gets closer to his ear. “You used him.” He nearly purrs, and Cole’s already big eyes grow wider. “No!” He exclaims, looking up for the first time. He opens his mouth to protect further but can only watch in horror as Rhys backs away from him slowly. “Monster…DEMON!” The man yells before turning and running from them, leaving the blonde stunned and shaking. “You see? You’re a demon just as I…You can’t change that.” He growls in his ear. “No…” Cole breathes, barely believing the words himself. “Yes~” The demon purrs again with a satisfied grin. “No!” Both demon and spirit look up at the source of the voice that just yelled. The demon hisses and looks back down at Cole. “Ignore her! You are a demon! You don’t help anyone!” The creature continues to try but the spirit is suddenly yanked from the demon and pulled tight to the woman’s side. Holding the boy’s hand with one of her own, she grasps her sword with the other and points it straight at the demon’s throat. Eyeing the creature for a moment, the woman squeezes the blonde’s hand and looks down at him, not once letting up her protective stance. “Look at me.” The woman whispers as the spirit stares at the floor, eyes still wide. He doesn’t seem to hear her. Still holding his hand, she lifts hers up to his chin and tilts his head up to look at her. It takes a moment but the blonde’s doe eyes finally focus on her. “This creature knows nothing. This is an illusion created by the sloth and fear demons outside. We are trapped in the fade because of them. None of this is real.” She tries to reason, but the terrified and conflicted expression on Cole’s face remains. “I could become one of them…” He says quietly, earning his hand a near painful squeeze. “No! You couldn’t! You’re not like that. You’re kind. You want to help people. We want to do the same. And right now there are others who need your help. Remember Bull? Krem? They were with us when we got shoved in here. They believe in you just as I do, just like pretty much everyone in the inquisition. And right now they need our help.” She coaxes. “But what if I can’t help them…Cole, he-“ But the brunette interrupts. “You helped Cole. What were his last words? You’ve told them to me before.” Cole stares up at her. “’Thank…you…’” He says almost hesitantly. The woman nods. “Yes. You help people. Demons don’t you’re not going to become one of them. You’re not one of them. This is only an illusion.” She says and the light seems to come to the spirit’s eyes before they narrow and turn to focus on the demon who hisses. “Damn you!” The creature hisses at the woman, ducking under her sword before she can drive it into his throat and lashing out with his claws and clipping her arm before bouncing off of her armor. The warrior jumps back as Cole lunges forward and draws his twin daggers, slashing the both of them across the demon’s exposed chest, creating deep gashes in the creature and giving the woman time to recover and step forward, spinning around and slicing the demon’s head off in one clean stroke. The head bounces off the creature’s shoulder and falls to the ground about the same time as the body as both spirit and human straighten. “Thank you…” Cole says gently as he looks back at her. The woman opens her mouth to reply but shuts it quickly, eyes going wide as the boy’s body starts to grow translucent. “Cole…be careful. I’ll follow soon.” She says gently as she takes his hand gently, knowing that the spirit is being released from the confines of the demons’ trap. The hand disappears from her grasp seconds later and she stares at the place where he once stood before turning and leaving. Now to save the other two.

---

Stepping back onto the path outside the portal, the brunette is a little startled to see a figure standing before her. She doesn’t recognize the man shaded in darkness, half transparent. Reaching for her sword, body tense, she stops when the man holds up a hand. “I am not here to harm you.” The man says, voice laced with this otherworldly echo. Though the man was certainly strange, she didn’t feel any malice coming from him, nor did her gut tell her to fear this man. “Why are you here then?” The woman asks as she straightens and releases the hilt of her sword. “You need to know how to leave, how to get out of this place.” He says. The woman tilts her head. “Don’t I just free my friends? And then disappear as Cole did?” She asks, but the man shakes his head solemnly. Her heart sinks. “I am afraid your path is not so simple. Since you woke of your own accord you cannot leave so easily.” He states, making her frown. “That hardly seems fair.” She grumbles under her breath, making the man chuckle almost humorlessly. “No, I suppose not, but it is still the truth.” He says. “Then how do I leave?” She asks, shifting her weight onto her other foot. The man doesn’t speak for a moment. “There are four demons that guard seals that protect those that would keep you here.” His words sound almost cryptic, but the brunette seems to understand. “The Fear and Sloth demons.” She says slowly, the image of those two powerful demons flanking the blood mage drifts into her mind. Can she really beat them? “Yes.” The man pulls her from her thoughts. “You must defeat the both of them before you are allowed to leave.” He states. “And my allies?” She asks hesitantly. “They will not be able to join you but they will be freed when you defeat the demons tormenting them, as you did with your spirit friend.” He states softly, seeming to try and break the news to her gently. “But I won’t be able to follow them…?” It doesn’t sound much like a question as she looks at the path before him. Out of the corner of her eye she sees the man shake his head. “Not as they leave. You must defeat the two demons before you are permitted to leave.” She looks up at him slowly. “And if I don’t defeat them?” She asks, looking up at him. “Then you will be trapped here in your own living hell till your body withers away in the outside world then you will likely become a manner of demon not dissimilar to the ones you face now.” His voice is almost monotone as he says this but there’s a hint of sympathy for her. The woman takes in a deep breath before nodding softly. “I understand. Thank you.” She states and the man nods. “Be careful.” He states before he fades and disappears silently. Though she does not know the man, she thanks him mentally for the information before walking back onto the main path and continuing down it. Time seems different here. While the brunette feels like she’s been walking for hours she’s fairly certain it’s only been ten or twenty minutes before she finally spots another branching path. This path is slightly longer than the one she took to get to Cole but at the end sits a portal as his did. “Don’t!” She hears a familiar voice shout and her feet are taking her down the path at a brisk clip before she can even think about it or hesitate. “Krem!” She calls, though she doubts the man can hear her on the other side of the portal, before running inside. ----

The vint stares in horror at the men surrounding him, a mixture of disgust and rage in their eyes. Before him, protective as he always has been, stands Bull, glaring at the others.

“Why pretend? No matter what you do you will never be a man!” Comes a voice from the crowd.

“I’m not pretending! It’s who I am.” Krem protests yet again, head throbbing as he tries to figure out why he was in this situation in the first place. “Liar! You’re just hiding! You cannot be a woman so you pretend to be a man!” Comes another call, Krem glares in the direction of the voice. “Knock it off! Krem is more of a man then the likes of you!” The Iron Bull defends, getting pissed. Something wizzes through the air suddenly and smashes the Qunari in the head. Though it leaves a clear mark it only seems to piss the dragon horned man off. “Stop defending her!” Several of them shout before something else sails through the air and buries itself in Bull’s shoulder, who grunts in pain but stands firm in front of the vint.

“Is that the best you got!?” He calls with a roar, as he yanks the knife from his shoulder and throws it to the ground. A short grunt of pain echoes through the dark room again as Bull falls to one knee, an arrow embedded in his thigh. “Boss!” Krem calls, trying to move to help the Qunari but his body doesn’t respond.

“I don’t need your help. Just stay back there.” The Iron Bull growls as he stands. Krem frowns but clutches his head as trying to understand why he feels Bull is acting strange only furthers the pain in his temple.

“I don’t need protecting, Bull! Let me help! We’ve faced worse!” The vint calls but Bull glares back at him with one eye.

“No. I can’t let a girl get hurt.” Krem’s eyes go wide. This is wrong. He thinks as his head throbs. But why? What am I missing?! “You can’t fight.” Comes a voice in Krem’s ear and the fog thickens in his head. “You’re a woman. You can never change that. And every day that you lie to yourself and others people will get hurt.” The brunette shakes his head, gripping his hair as he fights the pain to find his clarity. Something was wrong. “This can’t be-“

“Real?” The voice interrupts. “It’s very real. What you do, what you pass for, is a lie.” The thing hisses. “The truth is-“

“Krem!” Comes a higher woman’s voice that rings a bell in the Vint’s mind. He looks up abruptly. “Krem!” Comes the voice again. His eyes dart around, looking for the source of the voice. Unable see anything, the brunette struggles to move and follow the sound. He stops and stares, eyes wide, as Bull ripples like the reflection in a pond before a figure steps through him and comes to a halt in front of him. “Black Dragon.” He breathes as he stares at the armored woman in front of him. He straightens as the clouds in his mind start to clear. She smiles softly and nods. “NO!” Hisses a voice in the vint’s ear and the rogue before him grows serious. “Move!” She calls and quick reflexes allow the man to dive to the left as the woman draws her sword and slashes at the demon that had been standing unnoticed behind him. The creature disappears before her blow can hit and the woman swears.

“Krem!” She calls without looking and the man draws his own weapon and puts his broad back to hers without hesitation. Both watch with sharp eyes for any sign of the creature. “Here!” The vint calls just as he moves to swing at the creature. Based on the lack sounds of impact, the woman assumes the creature disappeared again. “Here!” The dragon calls as she attacks the suddenly appearing form of the demon, only to press herself back against her partner as the creature disappears without a hit. “Wait…listen.” She hears the vint say quietly. Their breathing slows at the same time as they focus on the sounds. They can hear each other’s heartbeats and the sound of their soft breathing. But under that there’s a faint swishing sound, like a soft breeze. Both of them close their eyes and listen carefully. It’s going in circles. Stalking around in the dark for them, slowly getting closer till…. “THERE!” They both shout as they both lash out. The back of Krem’s hammer smashes into the hidden figure of the demon and throws it towards the black dragon, who easily drives her sword between it’s ribs, glancing off a few while buried inside it’s flesh and cracking them before protruding out the other side, blood and bits of lung clinging to her sword. The demon can only manage a gurgled gasp before it collapses heavily against the weapon. The girl lets it fall before retching her sword from its body and turning to look at Kerm. “Damned thing. Thought this was real.” Krem mutters in his usually, if slightly more annoyed, tone. The woman shakes her head. “Fear and sloth demon. Trapped in your living nightmare.” The woman explains with a sigh. “Never did like demons.” The man mutters again, looking down at the demon before looking up at her. Her smirk suddenly falls as she stares at him. Glancing down at himself he’s a bit surprised to notice that he can see through his own hands and see the fading image of his weapon’s handle below it. “It’s okay. It just means you’re leaving the fade and going back to the real world.” She says gently, a sad smile on her face. The vint scowls at his hands and looks up at her. Seeing that she’s not doing the same he gets a little worried. “What about you?” He asks urgently. She shakes her head. “I’m trapped here still. But you have to go.” She says gently. The man shakes his head and tries to walk towards her but his legs feel too heavy to move. “No. I’m not leaving you to fight this alone! I’m not leaving you here.” He says firmly as he struggles against the weight of his own limbs, trying to fight the call back to the real world. “You don’t have a choice.” She says gently, her sad smile wavering a little as she watches her friend struggle. “You’d better get out of this or I’m coming back in for you!” The man threatens just before the last of him blinks away. The woman lets out a pathetic laugh as tears fall down her cheeks. The thought of that being the last time she sees Krem makes the woman’s heart squeeze in her chest. “Focus.” She mutters to herself as she scrubs her eyes before turning and walking back out of the room, each step reminding her what might become of her and what lies ahead. With each step…she feels something dark stir in her heart. ---

And here she stands. No noise comes from this portal she stands before now, which worries her. There are only two paths this time and one door is sealed so the portal before her must be the last of her companions. Something feels so wrong and stirs the darkness somewhat in her heart. Not willing to give into her fear—particularly give who lays behind the portal—the woman takes a breath and steps through. Blinded momentarily, the brunette has barely enough time to duck as her eyes focus and spot the flying form headed towards her. With a sharp gasp, she drops and the figure flies over her, flying through the portal she’d just come from. Wide eyed, she looks in the direction the body came from. Her eyes go wide and her heart grows cold when she sees the source. Standing, slightly hunched, in the middle of a foggy field surrounded by several figures—ones without colors or defining features—was Bull. But…something was wrong. His sweaty, exposed, back—which was facing her—was heaving and shaking. That wasn’t unusual, as she’d often seen him after sex, fighting, and training and he was not so different, but something was wrong. Something wild and cruel rolled off of him in waves and seemed to seep into her very bones and turn them to ice. Standing slowly, she slowly tried to approach her heaving lover, still some yards away. The woman jumps when she hears the man roar and slam his fist into one of the figures surrounding him. The thing collapses before standing again slowly just as two of its companions jump at the Qunari. The huge man spins around and slams the back of his trunk like arm into the two creatures, sending them flying and turning him to face her. He doesn’t seem to notice her but the gasp of fear she lets out when she sees him makes his attention snap to her. Madness. In Bull’s single eye she sees nothing but wild, cruel, madness in its depths. The blood dripping from the man’s lips certainly doesn’t help the crazed look. Paling a little, the woman straightens. The man just stares at her, not seeming to recognize her. “B-Bull?” She calls to him, but he just continues to stare. Her eyes dart to his left and right as the shades seem to dance around the edge of some unseen circle surrounding the Qunari, stepping in tauntingly every few seconds, almost stimulating the bloodlust in the merc’s eyes. At that thought, something dark tightens around her heart and embeds itself in it, refusing to let go. She feels a sudden rage directed towards the shades that taunt her lover.

She’s distracted from her dark thoughts and rage, however, when the huge Qunari takes a step towards her and she suddenly feels a wild madness wash over her like a powerful wave, clearly now the focus of these feelings. Bull stares at her with dark eyes, pupils nearly devouring the color in his eyes as he stalks towards her. Unable to help herself, the woman takes a step back for each step forward he takes.

“Bull! Listen to me! This isn’t you! You aren’t Tal’ Vashoth!” She calls to him as she slowly retreats. He doesn’t seem affected by her words and continues to advance. “Remember the Chargers! Remember Krem! The Inquisition!” She continues to try almost futilely, anything to get him to remember who he was and what he was doing. But he doesn’t seem phased. “Don’t you remember me?!” She jumps as her back hits a tree, looking back at it before looking forward at Bull who’s slowly closing the gap, eye dancing with dark madness and pleasure at her current position. “You call me Kadan! Remember? This is fake! I am real!” She stares up at the man who now stands before her and towers easily over her shorter frame. She almost sees something in his eyes and her heart swells, before going suddenly cold as he suddenly lashes out and grabs her by her throat. She gasps and grabs his huge, strong, hand, trying desperately to tear it off as she’s lifted into the air. Her feet leave the ground as he holds her up with relative ease as she gasps for breath. Her hand inches towards her sword but hesitates before grasping his hand again. She can’t do it. She can’t hurt him even as her eyesight starts to fade and go fuzzy at the edges. “B-Bull….please…” She gasps out as she feels her toes start to tingle from lack of air. But his grip doesn’t loosen. Her slowly oxygen starving mind struggles to find something, anything to get him to go back to normal; to release her and to be released from this living hell. She can only think of one word. “Poppies.” She utters her safe word, one long since drilled into the both of them. In her vision, almost gone, she sees the Qunari’s eye wide before the fog fades all at once and he releases her with a grunt of surprise. The woman falls to the ground and drops to a knee, gripping the ground as she sucks in precious air like a man dying of thirst, her body trembling. “Kadan.” Bull breathes as he takes a knee before her and grabs her by her shoulders, pulling her to his huge muscle bound chest and envelops her in his trunk like arms. The woman’s eyes close as she sinks gratefully into that familiar warmth, the scent of him filling her nose and easing her tension. The moment is short lived, however, when the girl opens her eyes and spots something over the Qunari’s shoulder that she hadn’t noticed before. “Bull! Behind you!” She barks as jerks away from him. Knowing his partner well, both on the field and in the bedroom, he understands her tone of voice before she can even finish and shoves her onto her back, covering her as his demon attacks from behind, managing only to clip the one eyed merc’s back with it’s claws. Bull sits up and throws a backhanded punch at the creature to drive it away as the human pulls herself up off the ground. The two of them stand abruptly, the brunette drawing her sword as she faces the demon…only to find that it wasn’t there. Or, at least, it didn’t appear to be. Being a rogue, and a damned good archer, the woman’s sharp eyes caught the shimmer of light to Bull’s right. “Bull! Punch right!” She orders him, which the Qunari follows without hesitation, his fist connecting with the chest of the invisible demon, sending it back several yards before it jumps to its feet. Keen eyes lose the creature for a second before catching it again…almost directly in front of her. “Bull!” She yells as her free arm goes up to defend herself. The Ben-hassrath spy’s quick reflexes and sharp eye catch the creature and his hand lashes out with the same speed it did to catch her throat. This time, it grabs the demon’s face in one giant hand, holding it there. “Kill it!” He barks, which she doesn’t hesitate to do, her entire body tingling as something in her very soul is filled with bloodlust for this demon that would torture her love, giving her a speed and strength she didn’t realize she had, driving her sword into the middle of the demon’s ribcage and smashing through bone and flesh till it’s buried to the hilt in the creature’s body.

For a long moment, there is nothing but silence as echoes of the sickening sound slowly die out. Slowly straightening—the tendrils of that strange darkness inside of her slowly going dormant once again—the woman pulls her sword out of the body, with great effort, and Bull releases it, letting it collapse in a heap on the ground. She can feel the eye of her love staring down at her for a moment before he takes her hip and pulls her close, kissing her firmly; desperately, apologetically. The woman returns the kiss with some passion before pulling away and staring up at him, eyes watering, knowing what has to happen next. “I’m sorry. I don’t know….” She shakes her head to stop him. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t real.” She says before glancing down at him and frowning. “You…get to go back to the real world, Bull.” She says quietly, smiling up at him even as tears start to slip down her cheeks. The Qunari looks down at his body and sees it start to fade. His lover steps back away from him and he struggles to reach out for her again. “You’re coming with me.” He states firmly but she shakes her head. “I can’t, Bull.” She says quietly, voice breaking a little in the middle of the sentence. He struggles all the harder, fighting tooth and nail just to reach out to her. “Then I’ll stay! I’m not leaving you here, Kadan!” He nearly shouts as he reaches out to her with nearly invisible hands. She only gives him a heart breaking, trembling, smile through her tears. “You can leave.” She says in a ‘cheerful’ tone. “Go. I must stay.” “Kadan!!” He yells before he’s gone entirely. With Bull gone the weight of all that she faces and all that has happens hit her. The last she might ever see of Bull, the last kiss she might share, the scent of him she may never experience again, all hit her like a druffalo and stir that darkness in her heart again. That feeling only feeds and grows as she thinks about the suffering he’s been through living his nightmare, the same for Krem and Cole, and the feeling now fills her body. Turning, the woman, entire body tense like a tight coil, stalks towards the portal she came from, the darkness seeming to seep and pool around her with each step. Stepping out of the portal her body sings with a quiet, cruel, dark, and powerful rage. She walks back down the path she’d come towards the other portal, no longer sealed, stepping on the shade that had flown out of Bull’s portal without a care or notice. Slowly, she stalked towards the door, rage building, till she stood in front of it.

Placing her hand on the door, she pushed it open coolly and stepped in the dark room. The door shut behind her with a dull thud. The fade was silent for a few, tense, moments, before filling with the surreal screams and quails of crippling terror and mind numbing pain; the sounds of two demons meeting their fate and getting exactly what they’d dished…their own hell.

---- The landing is soft as her booted feet touch the ground with a strange grace as she returns to the living world. The mage turns from the captured forms of her companions and looks at her with a smirk already planted on his face. “It seems you managed to slip out too! I’m…impre…” His words die in his mouth as his brain finally catches up with what his eyes were seeing. Slowly the woman stalks towards him, eyes lowered. She’s covered in blood, her sword arm limp and bleeding by her side. The man’s eyes go to her other hand and catch a glimpse of something in her hands before they’re flung to his feet. His eyes grow wide and his blood runs cold as the heads of his two most powerful demon’s roll to a stop in front of him. His doe eyes snap up to the woman who hasn’t stopped slowly stalking towards him. “S-S-S-S-Stay back!” He shrieks, stumbling back as he raises his staff to trap her as he’d done to the others. His entire body freezes in horror as he looks back at her again. Eyes no longer on the floor, deep, dark brown, now almost black, lock on the man with a calm, dark, cruel rage coiling within their depth. This isn’t the fiery rage that leads to the elemental demons but a cruel evil, a promise that a fate worse than death awaited and they were focused entirely on him. Even without realizing it, the mage’s spells containing the other companions drop but they can’t move. They can’t stop staring at the woman slowly advancing on the frozen mage, frozen just as completely as the mage even though they were further from her and not her focus. One who was normally so gentle and kind, so full of light and smiles even on the brink of passing out, one who put the safety of her friends above all else, no longer seemed to exist in the woman that stared down the miserable blood mage. She didn’t seem human any more. Demons would cower from the pure black, evil, rage that seemed to wrap around her very being like twisted snakes. With every step the blackness inside of her seemed to coil even tighter, making her company grow even more tense with every step like any second the coils would snap and a horror that could dwarf the arch demons’ would claim the mage’s very soul and make it suffer. The room was dead silent except for the soft, almost nonexistent, sounds of her steps as she closed the gap. Heartbeats could be heard if one listened close enough. She was so close to the man who could only stare in horror at his eternal suffering taken shape. Three steps till she was standing in front of him and yet no one moved. Two steps and the whole room held their breath.

One step and heartbeats stopped. Zero. Time seemed to stop as the woman stared down at him with those black eyes. It might have been minutes; it could have been days for all they knew. But something finally broke the silence. “Death.” Comes Cole’s whisper that echoes through the silent room. The mage lets out a squeak of a whimper and the room is suddenly filled with the smell of urine and fear. The woman continues to stand in front of the man, staring him down with her black eyes as he trembles like a leaf in a hurricane, tears and snot making a mess of his face as he cries, seeming to forget how to breath as he does so. He can’t move, can’t fight, only stare doe eyed up at the woman’s evil black powers seem to reach out an caress his very soul. …….. “Pathetic.” If possible, the man’s eyes grow even wider as the woman that would be his death utters these words in a cool, dark, calmly enraged, tone. She turns her eyes from him and continues walking past him. The moment he’s freed from the woman’s gaze he bends over and vomits onto the ground below him, retching nearly everything inside of him onto the ground before his legs give out and he collapses onto the floor in a heap, landing in his own vomit and urine. Paying no mind to the sad display going on behind her, the woman walks to the door the man had gestured to earlier and opens it, walking inside and to the cage filled with terrified people. She grabs the keys off of the table as she passes and unlocks the door without a word, pulling the door open and looking down. “Go.” Is the only monotone word to leave her mouth and they don’t have to be told twice, crying both fearful and happy tears as they run out of the room and past the convulsing husk of a human on the floor, seeking their freedom upstairs. The three other companions wait at the door as woman turns again, eyes back on the floor as she walks steadily towards them. She pauses in the doorway as the three step aside—all utterly silent—to let her through. “Let’s go.” She says quietly before walking past them towards the stairs. They watch her back as she walks away and see the darkness slowly, very slowly, start to fade from her. They all look at each other, making a silent pack never to speak of this to her before following, Bull leading the way.

She’s silent as she climbs the stairs steadily and makes her way outside. She pauses the moment her feet hit the grass and she just stands there. The others watch her for a moment, looking at each other again before turning their gaze back to her. Her back is still to them and her head is still bowed as she stands there. It’s quiet around them again, nothing but the steady drip drip of the blood from her arm sliding down her fingers and falling to the grass meeting their ears. Bull frowns as he sees her like this and steps forward, slowly reaching towards her, ready to bring it back at any sudden movement on her part. “Kadan…” He calls to her gently. That seems to do something as she slowly turns her head to look up at him. Her eyes are back to normal and the tension leaves the bodies of all three of her companions in a breath at the sight of the normal browns filled with a mixture of emotions. She stares up at Bull before her eyes suddenly grow dull. “Bull…” She breaths before she suddenly collapses like a puppet whose strings were cut. The merc reaches out with brilliant speed and catches her in an arm before she can hit the ground, pulling her up. His eye quickly locks on the woman’s shoulder to see it dislocated with a large, bloody, gaping wound. Cursing he picks the girl up in both arms and strides to the village for a healer, the unconscious woman in his arms. They arrive at the closest thing the town has to a healer and the old herbal expert tends to the woman’s wounds and lets her rest, Bull and Cole remaining with the girl as Krem goes to report what happened to the scouts to get the information back to the Inquisition. Though the wounds were deep and dangerous, the black dragon, asleep on the bed, looked relieved and relaxes. The blood mage was dead and her black rage was no longer emanating from her. If only for now, she merely slept. She slept a calm, dreamless, sleep.

#Dragonage Inquisition #Dragon Age Inquisition #DA:i #The Iron Bull #Iron Bull #Fanfiction #Fan Fiction #My Writing #Krem #Cole

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