#but maybe an unsettling pastry is involved

[ninapi]

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Better Half (Sukuna Version)❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

Premise: Nobara forced Yuuji to stop by a food stand every time they came back from a mission. The girl working there always entranced the youngster, causing his teammates to tease him more than usual. An odd encounter brings her a little too close to Sukuna who ends up just as smitten as his counterpart with the young beauty. Which half will get her heart? Only time will tell.

Word Count: 2334

Note: you can read the first installment of this story here ☺️

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Sukuna Ryomen, the king of curses…nobody would have pegged him for a romantic really…but the fact that he hasn’t stopped thinking about the soft squishy cheeks of that human girl might make you think otherwise.

While Yuuji had been sulking about the fact that you were somehow also attracted to Sukuna, the king himself has been basking in his glorious triumph.

Specially with the way you looked at him like he was the hottest guy in the universe, in all truth, he knew he was, always known, his vessel was unimportant, but getting it recognized by such a fine piece of art such as yourself made his ego boost to the rooftop.

While he didn’t like being inside of Itadori and wished to take over Megumi at some point, he started to consider that maybe it wasn’t as bad to inhabit him for the time being, you did like the idiot, so he might as well make good use of his resources. 

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The next morning Yuuji wasn’t feeling like himself, he kept on appearing in places he didn’t try to visit, with no recollection of how he even got there. It was an unsettling feeling specially how each time he did he was closer and closer to your place of work.

He knew this had to be related to Sukuna and he didn’t like it one bit.

Yuuji tried to let his friends know of what was happening, try to get you out of there before you would get even more involved in the world of curses, but Megumi and Nobara both had been assigned to a quick mission with Gojo sensei and didn’t tell him about it to give him time to feel better with himself.

He was on his own and he needed to get you to safety.

Running over to the crepe stand, he noticed it wasn’t open yet, it was still too early and all the shops around were as closed as yours.

His blood kept pumping through his entire body, he looked up and down the street like a lost puppy hoping to get a glimpse of your beautiful face as soon as possible. But the moment he did, his body turned off again, welcoming the king himself.

“Well hello there, my queen~ Looking rather fine as usual…” his eyes were eating you up like a pastry, you could see the evil and lust full glint of his eyes from meters away.

“You’re early today~” offering him a sweet smile, you went by to get the locks open.

“Let me help you with that, gorgeous. No need to get on your knees, yet…” his smirk gave you the chills, he was so hungry for you, you could feel it all the way to your bones, but somehow you were not mad at it in the slightest.

He went on his knees and got all the locks opened up for you in no time, your stand ready for a day’s work in less than half the time it would have normally take.

“Such a gentleman~” you laid a hand on one of his ridiculously well built muscly arms as you made your way inside to get your apron on. “Would you like a breakfast crepe? It’s my specialty~”

“Oh my dear, I want more than a little snack from you….but if your lovely hands get to do it, I guess I wouldn’t mind having one…” his words never failed to make you giggle, this eccentric and sexy side of him was so different from the other one, yet so enticing, made you want to get to know him better.

As you turn on the iron grill and prepare the ingredients, you decide to test the waters, “So…Itadori-kun…can you…tell me whats up with your changes in mood? Don’t think I mind them, I just want to understand you a bit better…” your tone was soft, sweet, really understanding and inviting, while Yuuji would have love that, he didn’t. Sukuna didn’t want you to think of him as pathetic little Itadori, he wanted you to see him for who he truly was, and that meant breaking down for you the dark truth of this world.

“I’m not him, that’s it..” you waited for him to elaborate, your theory of him having double personality now becoming stronger.

“I’m Sukuna Ryomen, the king of curses. Just happen to be living inside this crappy teenager body…but I’m so much better than him in every way, babe, trust me on that.” his confident tone gave you goosebumps, but of the good kind, his voice was so sexy and the way he seemed to be undressing you with his eyes as you cooked was certainly not helping.

“A curse? Does that mean you’re some sort of spirit living in him? Or are you another soul trapped in the same body?” you were clever, more than he expected. Humans usually tend to laugh and think of this sort of things as jokes, but you didn’t treat him like he was crazy, you were seriously trying to grasp the situation and understand him fully.

“You could say it’s a bit of both. Curses aren’t really spirits but an amalgamation of cursed energy harbored by negative emotions humans tend to have…” for the first time in his very long lived life, he was terrified of scaring someone off, he didn’t want you to give him the cold shoulder, to see him like a freak, and he has never had such a wish before.

“Negative emotions…does that mean Itadori-kun is depressed and brought you out?”

“Not really, he kind of…took me in willingly, of course he didn’t really know what he was getting himself into…” you didn’t seem to back off, contrary to what he thought it would happen you seemed fascinated with everything he had to say.

“So you have nothing to do with Itadori-kun then. Is that why your voice is so deep and you get those fancy tattoos?”

“Precisely, we are completely different beings. He’s just a mere vessel, I am the king of curses, the most powerful being out there. And you, my little dove, happen to tick all the boxes for the queen spot right beside me~” 

Your giggles were killing him, he’s never been this attracted to anyone, let alone a human. You weren’t just the cutest little thing, but incredibly hot too. His blood kept going south every few minutes, his body becoming all twitchy every time you made one of your cute little sounds.

“I’m just a part-timer who happens to make good crepes. How does that make me a queen candidate?”

“I’ve never wished for a queen before. There’s nobody stronger than me, hence pleasing me is not an easy task. But you, my flower, just the sight of you gets me as high as never before…” your blushing increased tenfold, you could literally feel how aroused he was and in all honesty you had no idea how to handle a man like that, even worse… a curse like that…

“So you like my face? Is that it?” trying to force the situation down a notch, you handed him his breakfast crepe and got to your cleaning duties.

“Your face? Oh no, my darling. Your soul, your body…everything about you is so damn delicious…I could see myself enjoying every single crease of your body for all eternity…” you weren’t expecting someone to comment on how good your soul seemed to taste, it was quite frankly terrifying, yet arousing at the same time. You’ve never been wanted with such intensity, made you feel empowered, important, special.

“Oh yeah? That does sound like fun, I admit. But you aren’t always yourself, are you? I’ve seen Itadori out more often than you.”

“You’re not wrong, my dove, you're quite observant. I’m gearing up to take over him completely, I just didn’t have the need or even the motivation to do so until I met you…I don’t want this pathetic human pawing at whats mine…” his cold tone full of hatred and disgust shook you to your core, while you’ve been hearing all he had to say, you didn’t fully understand how dangerous he was until this moment.

“So what happens to Itadori-kun if you’re out all the time?”

“Why do you care? Do you like him more than you like me? Do you like the empty headed weakling who doesn’t have an ounce of talent without my powers?” he was scowling now, his voice raising by the second making you feel weak in more than one way.

But your answer was definite, quick, simple, “No.” and that was all it took to get his anger under control.

“Was just wondering…”

A wide smirk adorned his handsome features once more as he leaned against the windowsill, “Well if you must know, he will disappear once I take over, at least until I switch bodies…How do you feel about the Fushiguro boy? Don’t you think he’s way more of an attractive vessel?”

His words made you freeze, your answer could easily ruin someone’s life, but also save another.

“The raven haired friend of his?” 

“Yeah, he’s a masterpiece, some would say he’s the perfect vessel, I’ve been eyeing him for a while, but you seem attach to this one…” 

“Hm, he is cute. But I met you with this face, it would be a bit awkward if you were to switch faces completely, if that makes sense…” 

“It does, I expected as much. For now I’ll stay in Itadori, but I’m sure I’ll get you convinced in no time that he’s better.”

He was done eating, though no other customer had shown ever since, you started thinking it was probably his doing as this was usually peak time for your business.

“So... Sukuna?” he nodded proudly, tingles running al over his body once he heard his real name flowing from those delicious looking lips of yours.

“You said you wanted to take me to hell with you, was that literal? Or you just meant me going with you in general?” your curious nature was delightful.

“Eventually the place you know as your home will be nothing but a charred pile of ashes, curses will roam freely, humans will no longer be the superior race…When that time comes, you’d have a place right by my side, on my throne, ruling over all of them, curses and humans alike…” it sounded like an awful future for human race, yet it somehow didn’t feel like he was bullshitting you. 

The whole curses thing was starting to be a bit too real for you and while you couldn’t really see them, the fact that human’s despair could turn to deadly creatures of the night sounded more possible than it should.

“Shouldn’t someone more important sit with the king himself? I’m nothing special…” 

“Are you questioning me?” his tone was going back to its cold nature the more you talked, “Because seems to me like you think you have an option…I’m not asking you, my dove, I’m telling you what the future is going to look like.”

“So I don’t have a choice then…” your voice didn’t sound defeated in the slightest, nor there was a hint of fear in it, and he liked it.

“The king has spoken? Is that it?”

“Something like that.”

To this statement you just nodded, accepting your fate was better than getting in troubles. He did seem like he wants to treasure in his own very peculiar way and it’s not like this par- time job could do more than help paying your bills.

“Do you have books on curses or something? I would like to get to know more about what I’m getting myself into, unlike Itadori. If I have to be a queen, I might as well be a good one. Right?” your sweet smile had come back, he was positively glittering with excitement at this point. It’s not like you had a choice, he would take you regardless of anything you had to say, but the fact that you were taking this so well made him fill up with pride, brimming with hope. 

And that was new.

Hope is the very opposite of cursed energy, he was literally defying his own existence by taking in his ball of sunshine under his wing. 

But if a curse deserved a happy ending, it certainly had to be the king of them, right?

“Itadori might have some in his room, he does go to a sorcery school after all. I’ll look into it for you, my love.”

You just nodded, inching closer to his face, “My king…”

His entire world collapsed right there, while nobody can control him, and never will, you certainly knew how to make him feel weak…and somehow he didn’t hate it…

“I’ll pick you up by nightfall, babe…prepare yourself for the night of your life, I ain’t holding back…” giving you a little whiff, his time outside came to an end, a very confused Itadori was left looking at you up close, closer than never before.

“(Y/N)…? Are you ok? Oh my god…why am I here…?” you just caressed his face in a loving tender manner, he was your love’s vessel after all, and you’d take care of him just as much.

“It’s ok sweet stuff. You’re fine, I’m fine. Are you hungry?” and with that, he turned into a puddle of goo forgetting the whole reason he was there in the first place, maybe having Sukuna making you swoon wasn’t so bad after all.

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Previous Chapter Masterlist

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk x reader #fluff #angst #slow burn #jjk x you #jjk fluff #yuji itadori #itadori x reader #jujutsu itadori #jjk itadori #yuuji x reader #jjk yuuji #itadori fluff #itadori x you #itadori x y/n #jujutsu fluff #jujutsu x reader #jujutsu sorcerer #jujutsu kaisen x reader #sukuna #sukuna ryomen #sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #sukuna x y/n #love triangle

[kentosovertime]

𝕖𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕤𝕥; (n.) someone who only pretends to smile

𝕤𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤… when geto and gojo grow apart, resulting in their break up, gojo finds friendship and belonging with you and when geto returns he decides he wants you for himself 𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕠… 2.3k wc, college!au series, satosugu, geto x gojo x afab!reader, chapter 4 is gojo x reader, explicit content and language, includes themes of manipulation, jealousy, angst, spiteful behavior, etc. toxic friendships, emotionally constipated men, cheating, fingering (receiving), no orgasm 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣… reblogs and likes are appreciated 𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥… send me an ask (link) if you want to be tagged

𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 | 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 | 𝕥𝕒𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 | 𝕒𝕤𝕜 𝕓𝕠𝕩

You squint, taking a catalog of the food that was present in their fridge, wondering how men live like this. There was nothing in here that you could use to make anything substantive or nutritious. You roll your eyes at the mental image of Satoru scoffing at the mere mention of a meal option that didn’t involve some sort of sugar option.

Maybe you could settle for a late night snack while you wait for something to be delivered from your local pizza joint? You sigh heavily, vowing to go grocery shopping for them in the morning as you snatch one of Satoru’s favorite snacks he made you try once. 

Where even was he? You hum in thought, chewing the food with a furrowed brow. In fact, it had been a while since you had seen and hung out with your best friend. He’s always insisting that he has somewhere to be or something to do.  That or you already had plans with Suguru.

As if summoned by your thoughts, he rounds the corner, kicking off his shoes onto the mat before stretching his arms above his head with a groan. 

“Is that my pastry?” He pouts at you so dramatically it has you rolling your eyes before you smile at him warmly. His presence always had a way of cheering you up and plastering the biggest smiles on your face. Something that not even Geto manages all the time. 

While you always felt better around him, you didn’t know about the butterflies that erupted in his stomach whenever he saw your eyes get a little brighter when he made you smile just from existing near you.

“S’not my fault you don’t keep groceries in the house, shit head.” You giggle and shove the rest in your mouth with a playful smirk. “But I did order pizza if you want some.” 

“No Sugu' to share it with?” He lobs the nickname you’ve started to use when referring to Geto, even with others in the friend group, adjusting his tone to poke fun at you. He saw that his work shoes weren’t at the front door, so he must be out. 

He wasn’t expecting it, but this might be the perfect opportunity to apply just the right amount of pressure. 

“He’s working late tonight.” It’s your turn to pout, disappointed that him working late had interfered with your ability to make plans with him tonight. “The closer called out and he was asked to cover their shift.” 

“How are the two of you?” He leans against the counter next to you, searching your face with concern. 

“We…” You look up at him nervously, a shy flush gracing the apples of your cheeks. The last thing you wanted to do was upset Satoru by talking about his ex with him. You’re not blind enough not to see the tension after the night he caught the two of you on the couch. “We’re good. I was hoping to be able to go out with him tonight but…”

You trail off with a shrug, something inside of you feeling unsettled with who you’re having this conversation with. It wasn’t just Satoru’s history with Geto, but your own feelings in the mix. There was a time that you wouldn’t have had such strong feelings for Geto. A time where you were nursing a schoolgirl crush on Satoru. Months ago, you would have wanted Satoru to open his eyes and see that you were right in front of him. But other than your hidden feelings, you genuinely care about him, you wanted him to be happy more than you wanted him. 

“Really? That’s good…” Why is he frowning at you? Your gut twists painfully, suddenly coming to the realization that he’s probably come to hate you. Why else would he be avoiding you? 

“I’m sorry we’ve been so busy, ‘Toru.” The thread of your friendship feels so precarious in your hands, like it may snap at any moment. “You know you’re still my best friend, right? No matter who I’m dating…”

“So are the two of you official now?” He shoves the flinch at you so casually referring to him as only your friend. But it will be ok, he’ll make it ok. 

You stare at him blankly, your words dying on your tongue. Satoru watches as your mouth opens and closes, failing to give you the answer he already knows to be true. It was impossible to deny when Shoko described how you cried into her arms about how you were wondering what was wrong with you for him not to ask. 

“W-well n-no-” You stammer, your voice cracking with emotion. “He h-hasn’t asked that yet, but he said I’m the only person he plans on seeing right now, s-so it’s fine.” 

“Good to see the perfectionist asshole makes the same mistakes as me.” He says, full of frustration as your eyes squint in confusion, trying to make sense of the words that are now flying from his lips. “Do you know how helpless I’ve felt?! I am so fucking angry at myself for not pulling my head out of my ass long enough to realize how I felt!”

“I didn’t… Toru’, I didn’t think that you still h-had feelings for him anymore-” You shrink away from his anger, shaking slightly as your eyes water and spill over.

“What?” He growls in confusion, hating how you're flinching away from him. “I don’t care that you’ve fucked him. I care that he’s fucking you! He walked back into my life after razing it all to the ground only to turn around and steal you from me. He knows how I feel about you and he took you anyway! All to string you along for months and not even have the balls to make it official? Can’t you fucking see that you deserve more than someone who doesn’t give a shit about you?!”

Your fear quickly flares into a burning inferno. You know that Geto cares about you. You can see it in his eyes whenever he listens to you rant about your interests or when he lays the sweetest kisses against your forehead before he lovingly plays with your hair. He always wants to be near you, Satoru wasn’t there when Geto practically begged you to move in permanently. And he certainly wasn’t here when you were the one slamming the brakes on that idea out of consideration for the man in front of you before Geto attempted to fuck a yes from you, grunting as he drilled into you, telling you that he wanted nothing more than to come home to you everyday.

But despite all of this there was a small, scared part of you that was whispering in your ear that he still hadn’t thought to ask you to be his girlfriend. That didn’t matter then, right?

You had everything you needed other than his words to show you he loved you. Just because he loves differently than Satoru doesn’t mean you don’t matter to him. 

Satoru was warm, loud, and passionate, never bothering to be anything other than who he was and Geto was more reserved, coming across as cold and calculating, shining in his own way by reflecting the light around him back at you. They were the sun and the moon, both equally beautiful and loved. Could they not see that in each other? Was that why everything had ended?

While trapped in your own thoughts, Satoru approached you slowly, reaching out to brace his arms on either side of you, his palms pressed against the counter. You try to take a step back and are stopped by the countertop’s hard surface, trapped between it and Satoru, who was leaning closer to you. 

“You can’t just walk in and try to claim me because someone took your favorite toy, Satoru.” You pant, your body yearning to be closer to him as all the attention it used to crave comes rushing to the surface. Your reprimand has not bite to it as your eyes dip to his lips hovering just above yours. 

You want to claim his lips, finally see what he tastes like. You love Geto, yes love, but you want his best friend, his ex, to grab your hips and pull you into his mouth as he lifts you onto the counter and devours you. 

“I can do whatever I want.” He coos confidently as he makes you shake with need. He smirks as your harsh pants hit his lips, hovering his mouth just far enough away that he’s not kissing you, but you can both drink in each other's air. 

As you breathe heavily, trying to lean forward to capture his lips, he slides a hand done the front of your clothed center, rubbing you through your leggings. The choked whimper it pulls from your mouth has him pressing his hips into you harder, pressing his erection into your thigh as he circles his fingers faster, 

“Please, ‘Toru- Ah!” You whine out for him so prettily, struggling against his hips. “Please k-kiss me-” 

“Not while you still belong to him.” His refusal wracks your body in frustrated shivers as your hips buck into his hand. “But I’ll still make his little whore, cum.” 

His hand shoves down the front of your pants to trail through your soaked folds, easily finding and sinking into your cunt. You shriek and jolt in his hold, squirming wildly when he easily zeros in on gummy spot inside you with come hither motions.

“You just walk around my apartment with no panties on?” He growls in appreciation, working his fingers deeper. “My little bestie just wants to fucked whenever he wants. You make it so easy to use you. You like knowing I’ve been listening to you being fucked sensless picturing that exact thing?”

When you don’t answer, the free hand still leaning on the counter flies out, harshly grabbing into the hair at the nape of your neck to jerk your head back so you’re forced to look up at where he towers over you. 

“I asked Sugu’s slut a question.” He coos, pressing his forehead to your and grinding the heel of his palm into your clit as he calls out what you’re doing with him and not the person you’ve been seeing, greedily eating up every twist of pleasure your face makes.

“Y-yes, I like that-” You sob as you feel your body tense, ready to explode around his fingers. You love the idea of him being unable to stop himself from fisting his cock whenever he heard you moan, even when it wasn’t him pulling the reaction out of you. “Please I’m gonna-” 

Satoru’s head flies up and his fingers still as he hears familiar footsteps outside his apartment door, followed by the jingle of keys. 

“Sorry, angel.” He chuckles and licks up a tear that falls down your face as your chest heaves to catch up with the orgasm you were just robbed of. “Find me later if you want to finish this.”

Geto rounds the corner into the kitchen just in time for Satoru’s hand to pull out from the band of your pants while a sly smirk plasters itself onto his face when he meets Geto’s eyes and licks his fingers clean. His gaze dares Geto’s to say something in reaction as he pushes off the counter. 

Knowing Satoru only ever acts out with the desire of having a response, Geto ignores him and smiles softly, making his way to you instead. 

Even if he hadn’t seen where Satoru’s hand was, he would have known something heavier had happened. He knew your body about as well as Satoru’s now, and it was clear from your fucked out face, red cheeks, blown pupils, and heavy breathing that you had been enoying yourself. He can also tell by the way you’re practically writhing and pressing your thighs together that you hadn’t cum yet. 

He finds himself twitching in his pants at the thought of seeing the two of you together like that, not being nearly as mad as he expected with how possessive he was of you. It was a fantasy that he had buried deep down on the account that he never saw any signs that you were attracted to Satoru or their messy past. 

The darker parts of him are amused by you shrinking away just slightly, fearful of his non-existent anger. It has him cupping your cheeks and pulling you into a searing kiss, smiling against your lips when you meet him needily. 

He only pulls away from the need to breathe, noting just a hint of apprehension left in your gaze. Geto chuckles and leans forward, lovingly murmuring in your ear for only you to hear. 

“Don’t worry about him, baby. I promise it's ok.” You gulp and nod your head, letting him scoop you into a tight hug tht chases away all of your worries. 

Over your shoulder, Geto raises an eyebrow in a questioning challenge, daring Satoru to say what’s so clearly on his mind now that he’s here.

Satoru doesn’t take the bait, giving him an unapologetic shrug, refusing to feel sorry for finger fucking his ex's girl until she was sobbing out for him. He simply finishes licking his fingers clean, making sure Geto watches before he disappears into his room with a loud “good night”. 

You flinch at the slam of his door, looking up to Geto to meet his eyes as you sniffle, tears rolling down your cheeks, afraid that he was acting at it being ok. 

“Sugu’...?” You croak in confusion, wanting to lean into him for support. 

“Come on, sweetheart.” He gently pulls you against him, lifting you into his arms to carry you to his room while kissing your forehead to soothe you. “I swear its ok, love. Just come tell me what happened.”

tag list: @sugarbooger513 @sugarmapoops @roughwithfluff @severelytalentless @silversslut @dreamyyholland @wobblewobble822 @rafzaha @chososhoney @littlemochi @bebechinas99 @saoney @pelicanpizza @damncakie @katgalle @honeyyjems @tsukikoxo @kibananya @reine-son @wallflower010 @tobaccosunbxrst @whereismysane @maskedpacific [[[ if your blog name is crossed out i couldn't tag you]]

#kentosot original #jjk fanfic #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk smut #jjk x you #gojo satoru #satosugu #stsg #geto suguru #suguru geto #jjk suguru #jujutsu kaisen suguru #suguru geto smut #getou suguru x reader #gojo #geto #jjk au #jjk angst #gojo x geto #jjk gojo #gojo x reader #gojo smut #gojo x female reader #gojo x you #gojo x y/n

[ghouljams]

Moss absolutely deserves a reward for their job. A completely normal job that does not involve eating children. Who would eat children? Certainly not them. They’re too busy keeping the bakery stocked and helping out at the community garden, don’t ya know?

It actually took Moss a lot longer than normal fae to acclimate to the human world. Even now, the weakest seer could spot them in a crowd and there’s just something off with them. Some could excuse it as neurodivergence but others don’t buy into that as easily. Maybe it’s the fact that their eyes feel like the wrong shade of green or that their touch gives others shudders.

Some fae do have a tough time with aclimating!!! That's OK Moss, you take your time. Who cares if you're strange and unsettling and seers jump out of the way for you?? König certainly hasn't acclimated, he just found a darling that can make excuses for him.

Moss getting awards for excellent citizenship is funny to me. Pieces of paper saying how they make the best pastries tacked up in the bakery, an award for community organizing around the garden, nevermind the child eating that's not relevant.

#ghoul speaks #oc talk

[babyblueetbaemonster]

[OC QUESTION] for all of them:

What is the most loving thing your OC has done? what is the most hateful?

Loving things:

long post

Jokir: Do nothing. The Skyrim errand boy™ loves to do anything people asked. But sometimes doing nothing is the kind way. When Delphine told him to kill Paarthurnax, he did nothing. When Vaermina told him to kill Erandur, nothing. Ralis Sedarys? Nothing. Cicero? Nothing. Estormo? Nothing. (not sure if that's the right choice for bigger picture, but that mean life for the individual. sometimes kindness and justice is hard to decide)

Naythaa: No casualties. Reloaded to save innocent NPCs. If there's anything I can do about it Imma DO IT! I have to say I'm so glad I saved Malborn in this run. Good luck in Morrowind, best wishes!

Sundros: Listening. She wouldn't choose this as her answer but listen is actually a valid act of love. A lot of people in Vvardenfell have things they want to say, and she'll listen actively. Sometimes it means a lot for the person to be heard. *Listen politely*. [Mistress Therana continues to chatter amiably, with no sign of stopping. She looks like she could go on forever.] *Continue to listen politely*

Acelta: Forgive himself. During the Oblivion Crisis Acelta lost a lot of friends. he blamed himself for their death. Maybe if he acted fast enough, be strong enough, they will still be alive. Maybe Martin will still be around. It took a really long time for him to accept that he had done his best, and sometimes he just can't save everyone.

Dubak: Cook foods for friends. Every follower he ever partner with will have pocket full of foods. Soup, pastry, cabbages and everything nice <3

And for the other OCs... uhmmmm... I haven't think of anything yet haha. We're just having fun in game. Figuring out our life on the run.

Hateful things:

Jokir: Probably leading the Forsworn out of the Cidhna Mine and didn't involving in the fighting part. In my defense I was carrying too much to be able to run. So I just... watch them fight... yeah...

Naythaa: Being an elf and a Dragonborn at the same time hahahaha those Nords will be MAD HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Sundros: Admitting her favorite song is Dagothwave. Azura is not pleased. Oh, and loving every false gods haha.

Acelta: Not sure if this count as hateful, but it's kinda cruel? After Acelta mantled Sheogorath, they access the Wand of Memory. And they let everyone on Nirn forget about him. Everyone still remember there was a hero who closed the Oblivion Gates, but no one knows who. For a period of time people all have an unsettling feelings like forgetting something important. Especially their friends.

Dubak: Probably shouting at late hour. Actually all Dragonborns share this same crime. We shout "DOVAHKIIN" to contact other Dragonborn. Then we'll discuss time and place to meet. Everybody knows we're going to Whiterun in Fredas.

And for every other OCs, probably something normal like killing and thievery(?)

#ask and i shall answer #it's harder to answer than i thought #but is really interesting thank you #not sure is they all count as 'the most' but at least these're top of my head #tes oc #oc: jokir #oc: naythaa #oc: sundros #oc: acelta #oc: dubak #ask

[missfay49]

Not a question, just a hypothesis. (The Light Sides) Logan, Roman, and Patton's names end in -an. (The Dark Sides) Janus and Remus' names end in -s. Virgil's name doesn't fit in to either of these groups. My hypothesis is that Virgil is something like a Medium side. Also, the Orange Sides' name will probably end in an -s, making them a Dark Side.

Darling Nonnie,

I.  Love.  Etymology.

The way words evolve is just incredible!  And I love the name theories for the Sides.  The idea that their naming conventions put them in different categories brings me perpetual joy.  The one you’re talking about is originally why I proposed the name “Achilleus” for the Orange Side in my last theory.  Gotta get that “-s”!

But, in my heart of hearts?  I don’t think the duality is true :(  And that’s because of a few of the livestreams, in which Thomas has said that he wasn’t even planning on giving them names originally; he only did it after Joan suggested having names would help the characters to be seen as more than just one function.  And then, to Joan’s surprise, Thomas started implementing names in the very next episode.

Lemme just *pulls up a giant excel spreadsheet of episode references*- (we all have one of these, right?)

Okay, so.  Logic’s name was revealed first, and then another name was revealed every other episode, except for Anxiety, who had 3 episodes before his two-part arc (including a bloopers reel which really shouldn’t count).

Logan – February 28th, 2017

Roman – March 22nd, 2017

Patton – May 1st, 2017

Virgil – July 15th, 2017 (fun fact: did you know this is also the first time we hear tempest tongue?)

Names were coming in hot back in the day when episodes were only 15 minutes or less!  And maybe that was intentional; Virgil’s hesitancy wouldn’t have been as clear if everyone else hadn’t already had their names revealed for a while.  The timeline also implies that the idea of Virgil’s name reveal in July wasn’t even conceived of 6 months prior!  Pretty wild considering how cleanly the writing seemed to lead to that ending.

(has my entire response been a tangent so far? or am I imagining that?)

Anyway.  I think Patton himself clued us in at the end of Accepting Anxiety Part 2 when he said “Oh, but that doesn’t end with an “-an” or an “-on”.. Shouldn’t it be something like, uh.. Virgan?”

(and can we just appreciate the meta of Patton saying, “I’ve been theorizing on it for a very long time”?)

Patton expected there to be a pattern, but there wasn’t.  And rather than the pattern being different than we thought, I think it’s more likely there just isn’t a pattern.  Many of their names were created in a relatively short amount of time, and it doesn’t seem like as much thought went into the first few as was put into the later Sides.  Even the original three names aren’t really related to one another.  Based on what we’ve heard in live streams, some of the factors in deciding their names were:

Logan – logic / logos

Roman – romance

Patton – patriarch / paternal

These themes are all longstanding in our collective memory but not significantly linked to each other.  The endings of “-an” and “-on” are coincidental!  But if I had to find a pattern?  It would be this: All their names actually end in “-us”.

Thomas said in a livestream that one of the many reasons for deciding on Virgil’s name was a reference to the Roman poet, Vergilius.  So, consider this: The more accepted Sides represent things that our current society has deemed worthy (at least at first glance). Morality, intelligence, individuality, and art.  Those Sides adjusted with the times.  

The “hidden” Sides represent things that are considered more primal, or instinctual (at least at first glance... >D); self-preservation, fear, impulsivity, and violence.  They keep their original names.  Perhaps Virgil actually changed his name to fit in with the Core Sides better.  This would make the actual roster look more like:

Logus (obscure support for this spelling found here and here)

Romanus

Patton

Vergilius

Remus

Janus

(Achilleus?)

But we still have one outlier, don’t we?  Patton.  And we could just say this is all made up anyway, they don’t all have to fit.  Or maybe that we just need to go one step to the left, name him Patriarkhēs and call it good enough.  It’s tempting.  But if we’re going to theorize, let’s go all the way!

Patton is the Only Side wherein All His Functions are reliant upon the existence of a society.  Caring, sacrifice, morals, obligation, memories and emotions that don’t help with basic survival by oneself (Logan and Virgil got us covered there), but that do help with survival in a community and with fostering a sense of belonging.  

If, indeed, the first sign of a civilization is the caring of others at the sacrifice of ourselves, an older form of Patton would not have existed in a primal setting.  Everything that he is, is influenced by the presence of a community.  He is always new, always evolving.  Maybe that’s why he seems the most childish despite being a father figure.  Maybe that’s why he struggles so much.  He is always learning.

If ever Patton did exist on an instinctual level, that version of morality is gone now.  Long live El Nuevo Padre .  

(at least until our next major cultural shift)  

#anon #sanders sides #sanders sides theory #name theory #culture #etymology #society #instinct #missfay #oh buddy #this is going on the theory list #yall can really just give me a single inch and i will go a mile #huh #all anons are the same anon until proven otherwise #and i love this anon #but maybe an unsettling pastry is involved #i do like to theorize after all #long post

[miraculous786]

I saw you were open for asks and I’m still pretty new to this so sorry in advance.

But: Momfriend!Marinette (about the same age as Jason) working part-time in a coffee shop while going to Gotham Academy and she sees this tired kid hanging out for hours on end so she gives him coffee and croissants a few times a week. The boy being Tim who starts spending more and more time at the cafe because Mari is like the best big sister. The others get curious and want to see what’s going on with the coffee-addict…

(Sorry if this isn’t what you wanted but congrats on all the followers 😁)

~*~*~

Note: Thank you! And this idea is great, I enjoyed writing it!

Masterlist

Of Brothers And Beverages

“Hello, sir. What can I get you today?”

“A spiced cappuccino with extra sugar, please.”

“Coming right up!” Marinette enthused to the customer, just before turning around. She began to pull out the necessary ingredients for the brew, and proceeded to whip it up with a small smile gracing her features.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her co-worker moving about, almost with the fluency of liquid. His blond hair shone from a skylight above. His actions were practised and methodical.

The two made a moment of eye contact, and it caused them both to grin in secret whilst they carried on with their jobs. However, the girl couldn’t ignore the flicker of amusement and love that had shown in his emerald orbs for that split second of them staring at each other.

Marinette faced the person ordering with a slight blush.

“Here you go,” she said, placing a cup on the counter. The man took it, and put down a few dollars.

“Thanks,” he spoke, as he walked away and to the exit of the coffee shop. On the way, he passed a few tables - one of which had a teenager sitting with a laptop in front of him.

Marinette found herself frown at the sight, as she took in his slouched posture and slumped shoulders. Bags lay deep and dormant beneath his eyes.

The woman scanned about, and after deeming it empty enough, made her way to the edge of the counter. There, Adrien stood, with a knowing smirk and folded arms.

“Got another kid in your sights, Bug?”

“Maaaayyybe…” she responded, dragging out the first half of the word.

At his widening smile, Marinette turned a light pink and gazed away. “That boy reminds me of him, for some reason. They have the same look in their eyes.”

She looked right up at him, and carried on, “The same one you have, too.”

Adrien’s expression turned grim, as he chanced a glance to the male at the table nearby. “Abandoned too, huh? Maybe it’s best we both go to see how he’s doing.”

“Yeah,” the woman agreed. She noticed that a few other workers had taken her place at the till, prompting her to let out a sigh of relief.

The couple sauntered over to where the kid was, making sure that their postures weren’t unsettling or at the very least intimidating. When finally reaching him, they couldn’t help the worried looks they wore as they took in his drooping eyes and sagged body.

“Hey, are you okay?” Marinette asked softly, bending down to meet his shorter stature. At his lack of response, she tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder.

Ever so slowly, he turned his head to face her. “What…?” he mumbled, faintly squinting.

“Are you okay?” Adrien questioned this time with furrowed brows.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” he muttered, going back to his computer.

Marinette shared a secretive glance with her partner, and sent him nod. He walked back to the front counter to retrieve an item.

“Listen, kid,” she spoke, while taking the seat across from him. “What’s your name?”

“…Tim.”

“Right, Tim. You look like you’ve been through hell and back with not one second of rest, if I’m being honest.”

“Sounds about right,” the younger one murmured.

“And you are in need of a serious pick-me-up.”

She held an arm out to the side, and Adrien - who had just returned - placed a special concoction of coffee in her hand. She placed the cup in Tim’s view.

He raised a brow at it.

The designer exhaled, putting a hand to her head. “Yes, we’re in Gotham, but that doesn’t mean it’s drugged. I swear.”

At his look, she added on, “Do we look like the kind of Gotham Academy kids that would poison some boy that looks to be dead in the first place?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Fair enough.”

~*~*~

“Is it necessary for you to bring me on such a pointless mission?”

“Shut it, Demon Spawn,” Jason hushed. “Don’t you want to find out where Timber gets those pastries from?”

Damian scowled, and muttered beneath his breath, “I know someone who can make tastier, I guarantee.”

His words were left unheard, as they continued to sit in more prolonged silence at their table.

Beside the boy, Dick readjusted the leather trenchcoat he wore, and coughed into his hand. That caused his brothers to look up in unison to be met with him saying quickly, “Three o'clock. Keep it subtle.”

Damian fought the urge to roll his eyes, as he glanced to the nearest wall for the time. It was close to when the coffee shop would shut, and if they weren’t careful, they would all be caught spying.

At the other side of the spacious room, Tim sat himself down on one of the circular tables, with three chairs around it. They were surprisingly comfy, and provided a place for him to lean his stiff back on.

He took out his phone from his pocket, and began to type. His other unoccupied hand tapped a monotonous tune at the wooden furniture beneath him.

Damian watched Tim’s actions in a bored stupor - soon deciding to scoff quietly as he turned the other way. He too pulled out his phone.

The youngest Wayne was left unaware of what was happening to the side, unlike his brothers, who were spectating in shock.

“Tim!”

All of a sudden, the device in said boy’s grip was gone, and a person was instead embracing him tightly. Their arms encased him in warmth, whilst a hand stroked at his back in soothing motions.

“How’s it going, Sweetie?”

“Okay, Sis,” Tim replied. He huffed in false annoyance as Marinette gave his hair a ruffle.

She moved back, and took the seat closest to him.

“You sure? You look like a zombie,” the waitress noted dryly.

“I think I’ll leave the undead business to my brother, thank you very much.”

That earned a giggle from the older woman.

“Speaking of which, where’s Adrien?”

“At home,” she said with a sigh. “He had to deal with business involving his family.”

“Gabriel?”

“Gabriel.”

Quiet lingered around for a few seconds.

“Sorry, do you mind if I give that table over there their order?”

“Oh, no. It’s no problem,” Tim assured, seeing her walk away to the counter at the front of the shop just after his response.

Marinette scooped up a tray with both hands, which had three cups and several packets of sugar piled on top. She spun around, and started to make her way to the trio at a table in the corner.

One of them - with a white streak at their fringe - made a second of eye contact with her, just before looking back down again. She wasn’t aware of how he was frantically whispering to the oldest there.

“Here’s your order,” she chirped, plopping the tray down between them all.

“Thank you,” two of them said in unison, while the last person stayed silent.

“It’s no problem!”

Just as Marinette was about to turn away, a quiet voice speaking made her whirl back around in a flash.

“Sister?” they called.

It took her a second to take in who was sat there.

“Dami? Oh, it’s great to see you here!”

To everyone’s surprise, she knelt down and enveloped him in a hug, that Damian reciprocated wholeheartedly. Then, she planted a chaste kiss to his forehead, and scrutinised the men with him.

“Who are you guys?”

Dick was the first to compose himself.

“Jason and I are his brothers,” he revealed, smiling kindly. “Oh, and so is Tim over there.”

Whipping her head back, Marinette was met with the sight of Tim - his jaw slack as he stared at them all.

“Sis, how…how do you know Damian?”

A beam stretched across her features after a few moments.

“He’s one of my honorary siblings!”

The waitress faced Jason and Dick. “I guess that means you guys are my brothers too, right?”

The older one smirked, much to Damian and Tim’s horror.

“I guess it does, huh?”

~*~*~

@northernbluetongue  @moonystars14​ 

#maribat #adrienette #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #ml x dc #timmari #timinette #platonic timmari #platonic daminette #submission #adribat

[nixmatize]

Making Room for Someone New (chapter 1)

Read on AO3 || Next Chapter

My contribution to @marigami-week​ - I plan on writing all the days into one cohesive story, but my work might be delayed a bit due to college. Feedback is much appreciated since this is my first time actually writing something that’s not an assignment in a long time.

Day 1 : Sleepover

Everything hurt. Ladybug was so sick of these akuma battles; even when she and Chat Noir won in the end, the hours of getting slammed into buildings or tossed into cement stuck stubbornly in her bones as phantom aches and pains.

Much as she hated to admit it, they couldn’t keep going like this forever.

Ladybug dropped down into her room and fwumped onto her mattress, too exhausted to do more than mutter, “Spots off.” Tikki zoomed out of her earrings, already chattering away at her chosen, but Marinette closed her eyes and dropped instantly into unconsciousness.

X

Thankfully, Marinette woke up to a quiet Saturday. Less thankfully, her busy kwami started buzzing over her the moment she cracked her eyes open. “Marinette! I was so worried when you just dropped like that! Are you okay?”

Marinette yawned once, before smiling for her kwami. “I’m okay, Tikki. Thank you for worrying about me.” Her smile slowly slipped off her face. “Though… I don’t know how much longer Chat Noir and I can do this like we are. The akumas and amoks seem to only be getting stronger, much faster than Chat and I are.”

Tikki nodded. “I know. As the guardian now, however, you can choose heroes of your own! Perhaps it’s time to select another holder?”

Although she had known that being the guardian meant she could hand out the miraculous as she chose, Marinette had never really been aware of that fact. There was no Fu to explain her choices to, or to decide whether she could or could not give someone a miraculous. And choosing a permanent holder would be helpful – she could give it to someone that would be able to fight at their side at a moment’s notice, and who she wouldn’t need to take a break from the action to retrieve.

There would be so many benefits to having a third member of the team, and yet… if she chose poorly, another miraculous holder fighting against them could easily be the death knell of Ladybug and Chat Noir. She would need to be smart and careful.

What made the decision even harder was how alone she felt making it. She was the sole guardian of the miracle box now. The only people she could discuss her choices with would be Tikki and Chat, but…

Tikki meant well – she really did! – but her advice often turned out to be more detrimental to Marinette than helpful. And Chat was great, but not the most reliable partner. If she asked him, there was a fifte percent chnce he would insist on equal power in making the decision, which would compromise her abilities as guardian to give the miraculous to who she thought would be the best option, and a fifty percent chance he would be too blasé about the decision.

She shuddered considering the second option – Chat would probably be unbearably fussy about her choosing a male miraculous holder, due to his perception of the “competition for Ladybug’s heart.” And there was always the chance that choosing a female holder would just give Chat another target for his flirting, further distracting all of them from their actual jobs. It would be even worse if he had any power over the decision, as he would likely be a jealous kitty and choose someone she would never crush on, that he could also flirt with. Which, no offense to her partner, would be one of the worst outcomes beside a partner that turned evil.

No, between Tikki’s overly-trustful history of victim blaming and Chat’s immaturity, there was no one else she could go to for reliable help with this issue. Marinette was alone in making this decision.

Marinette dropped off her bed and went to her desk, pulling out a sheet of paper to start jotting down ideas. Alya and Nino? Too unpredictable. And, selfishly, after the whole Lila debacle, she was a bit more reluctant to work with them or trust them. Adrien? Although she liked him and liked the idea of giving him a miraculous, she herself was too much of a loose cannon when he was involved, and it wouldn’t do to have Ladybug any more distracted. Chloé? No. She had been given so many chances, but had not changed anywhere near enough to prove herself worthy of being a permanent hero. Alix? She knew that eventually Alix would make a great holder, but she didn’t have enough of a reason to choose Alix for the rabbit yet.

Kagami? Marinette paused.

Kagami was… a great fighter. Strong. Determined. Willing to do whatever it took to win. Clever in her tactics. In so many ways, Kagami would be a great choice… but despite their (very) new friendship, Marinette just didn’t have enough of a reason to trust her with such a large power yet. But if Marinette could trust her, Kagami could prove an invaluable asset to the team.

Torn, Marinette circled her name a few times in thick lines. Perhaps it was time to stop sitting around thinking, and start acting?

Impulsively, Marinette spun her chair over to where her phone was resting.

M: Hey Kagami

M: I was wondering if you’d want to do a sleepover sometime soon?

M: No pressure though :)

“Marinette,” Tikki gasped, looking at her paper. “You already crossed of Alya and Nino as heroes? But they have the most experience!”

“I know, Tikki, but after all the drama recently… I just don’t know how much I trus them to fight by my side.”

Tikki frowned in disapproval, her little antannae tilting forward despondently. “Marinette. As their friend, you shouldn’t hold such a silly little mistake against them. We both know Lila is a very convincing liar.”

Marinette was so tired of this kind of fight – the ones that go in circles forever without ever really getting anywhere. Tikki would never change her mind, because forgiveness and generosity were just the little bug’s nature. Once, Marinette would even have agreed with her, hava apologized to her kwami and to her classmates. But recently, Marinette was just so tired. She didn’t have the energy to keep saying sorry after everyone else abandoned her without any apology for dismissing her so easily.

“Tikki, I can’t work with them. I won’t. Can we drop this?”

Tikki’s little frown only deepened further. “Marinette, I expect better of you. As Ladybug, it’s your job to reach out to others and spread friendship. Right now, you’re acting more like a moody teen than a good Ladybug.”

“Well maybe that’s because I am a teen! I should be allowed to be a teenager! Maybe… maybe I dodn’t want to be Ladybug all the time!”

When she opened her eyes, there was nobody there. “Tikki? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose my temper.” But there was no response; just Marinette, talking to herself alone in her bedroom.

She took off the earrings, noticing immediately the liveless sheen of a deactivated mmiraculous. She didn’t think her frustration was enough to temporarily stop the bond again, like it had been that second day, but…

Perhaps it’s for the best, Marinette thought, After all, this would allow both her and Tikki plent of time to cool off so they could come back to the argument calmer and more rationally later. She tucked the earrings back into their special box, and tucked them away in the corner of her room – hidden and protected from any prying eyes, but still close enough to the surface of the collection of fabric scraps that she could quickly retrieve the ladybug miraculous when Hawkmoth struck again.

Just as she was sitting back down, preparing to relax and unwind from the stress of arguing with her kwami (again), a chime came from Marinette’s phone.

K: Yes. Mother says tonight is my least busy night. What time should I come over?

Marinette almost threw her phone in her haste to rush downstairs. At the counter, her maman was boxing up an order for a customer.

“Maman! Can I have Kagami over for a sleepover tonight?”

“You know your friends are always welcome here, dear,” Sabine said as she passed the boxes of pastries over. She turned to smile at her daughter. “I’m glad you’re inviting a friend tonight; the apartment’s been too quiet since Alya’s stopped coming over.”

A touch of pink bloomed in Mariette’s cheeks under her mother’s attention. “Thank you maman! This will be great!”

Marinette’s papa poked his head out of their kitchens. “Did I hear that my little girl was going to be having a sleepover tonight?” He came out into the main area, smiling as he crushed his little girl in a floury hug. “I’ll get started on extra pastries!”

As her dad disappeared into the back, Marinette pressed one last kiss to her maman’s cheek before disappearing back upstairs into her room.

M: Does 19h work for you?

X

Marinette heard her maman’s voice through the floorboards saying, “her room’s just up that way, dear.”

She took a calming breath. Priority one: determine whether or not Kagami would make a good member of the team. Priority two: make sure her friend had a fun night.

She pressed her nice shirt back into place just as Kagami knocked. “Come in!”

A wide-eyed Kagami entered the room, blinking dazedly at the abundance of pink and various fabrics throughout the space. Marinette noted that Kagami still wore her regular outfit – the stylish white blazer over the tie and plaid skirt – but that now she had a small plain black duffel bag with her, presumably filled with pajamas and toiletries.

“Kagami! Hi!” Marinette did her best to smile and look welcoming to her newest friends, fighting the habit of running up to her and hugging like she would have done with most of her other friends – Kagami seemed very protective of her personal space, after all.

Kagami’s face didn’t twitch into a smile (which perhaps was for the best, given how deeply unsettling her fake smiles could be), but did relax into a more pleasant expression. Seeing how her eyes softened and the corners of her mouth relaxed made Marinette suddenly feel wrong-footed, like she did during the friendship competition. It seemed like being invited to a sleepover mattered a lot more to Kagami than she had expected.

“Marinette. It is a pleasure, as always, to see you. Thank you for the invitation.”

Marinette laughed, stepping back a bit to invite her friend in all the way. “It’s no trouble! Thank you for agreeing on such short notice!”

Kagami set her bag down next to one of the makeshift blanket-beds on the floor, glancing curiously over to the other. “You already have a bed in here – why are there two makeshift beds? Will there be another person coming?” Her voice had an odd note to it that Marinette struggled to decipher.

“No, just you and me. I thought we might sleep closer together though, so we can hang out until we fall asleep? If that’s fine with you, that is! I wasn’’t trying to make you uncomforatble – obviously the bed is for the sole purpose of making you comfortable – but I didn’t mean to presume that you wanted me to-”

“Marinette. The two beds seems like a good idea.” To Marinette’s surprise, Kagami’s mouth had twitched into a small smile at her rambling, one of the first real smiles Marinette had gotten to see from her. It suited her, making her seem lest of the flawless, imposing fencer and more of an awkward yet kind rich kid.

This girl, the one that smiled at Marinette’s rambling and seemed to really enjoy her company, was the type of person Marinette wanted to fight beside. Of course Marinette needed to be very careful who she passed the miraculous out to, but she also needed to trust her instincts – and the longer she spent with Kagami, the more her gut seemed willing to trust the girl.

Marinette’s thought process was cut short as her father stormed upstairs, proudly presenting a tray of fresh assorted baked goods. “Snacks for my little girl’s sleepover!” he called, descending back downstairs.

Kagami wandered over to look at the offerings, before tentatively taking one croissant. Marinette grabbed one as well.

Marinette cleared her throat awkwardly. “Would you like to watch a movie, then? We could set lay next to each other on the bed to watch, and then climb down here to sleep?”

“That sounds acceptable to me Marinette. You are the one with actual sleepover experience.”

Marinette looked at her in surprise, though Kagami was entirely nonchalant as though she had said nothing strange. “You’ve never had a sleepover at someone’s house?”

“No. Before this year, Mother did not allow me time with ‘friends.’”

Marinette fought valiantly against the urge to crush her in a hug, but in the end it was a losing battle. “May I please hug you?” she asked, wide doe eyes on display.

Once she got a slight nod from Kagami, she leaned in and pressed her into a full hug. Kagami was stiff and unsure at first, but gradually melted into the embrace, tucking herself against Marinette and locking her arms around her just as tightly. They stood like that for a few moments before Marinette gently pulled away. It seemed like Kagami got warm a bit easily, since her face was already pink from just a bit of shared body heat – Marinette made the mental note to reduce the pile of blankets on Kagami’s temporary bed by a sheet or two so that the other girl wouldn’t be uncomfortable or overheat during the night.

Both girls got ready for bed, brushing their teeth, dressing in pajamas, and bringing all of the uneaten pastries downstairs. They both climbed together into Marinette’s loft bed, and she wrapped them up in the Marinette-brand Patent Pending Friendship Burrito, with both of them being side by side in a big fuzzy blanket, with pillows under them to lean against, while Marinette’s tablet played the movie.

As the movie began to play, Marinette looked over at her Friendship Burrito companion. Kagami seemed enraptured with the movie, her wide dark eyes reflecting the screen and giving her whole face the impression of a soft glow, like the moon reflecting light from the sun.

Marinette was glad that she had done this sleepover today. Kagami was generally an intensely private person, so the extra time didn’t really let hear learn anything about her that Marinette didn’t already know – but it was one of the first times in a while she had hung out with Kagami and just Kagami without Adrien or Luka to distract her, and it only reaffirmed her positive impressions of the girl. It was clear that Kagami was a good fighter given her skill in fencing and her prowess when wielding the dragon miraculous. However, if Marinette’s gut instinct was to be believed (and so far it had very, very rarely led her astray), Kagami’s actions today during the sleepover had only cemented her trustworthiness as a potential miraculous holder.

Although still somewhat awkward, Kagami seemed earnest and open to making friends. Furthermore, she didn’t seem like she was the type of person to make trouble for no reason – there has been ample opportunity that night to bring up Adrien if Kagami had wanted to warn her off him or something similar, but Kagami seemed willing to focus on Marinette’s company rather than their shared crush, which Marinette could appreciate.

Yes, all together tonight had been a success – Marinette was fairly confident in her assessment of Kagami as a good miraculous holder and potentially-permanent partner for her and Chat Noir. Now she just needed to decide which miraculous would be a good fit for Kagami, since the dragon would be the clearest choice but Hawkmoth may suspect Kagami as the wielder if that was the one she ended up choosing.

Marinette came out of her thoughts at the sound of a contented exhale next to her. Beside her, Kagami was already asleep, curled into Marinette inside the blanket burrito. Marinette had never seen her face so relaxed and contented, and against all logic, felt her heart swell with the need to protect Kagami: from Marinette’s own past cruelty, from all the other students who so wrongly called her the “ice queen,” and from the mother who had controlled so much of Kagami’s life.

Marinette sneaked one arm out of the blanket to shut off the movie before pulling Kagami closer and letting herself drift off to sleep. Hawkmoth, the miraculouses, Adrien – all of their problems could be dealt with tomorrow morning. For now she was content to enjoy the warmth of Kagami’s presence and let herself drift off to sleep.

#making room for someone new #marigami #kagaminette #marinette dupain cheng #kagami tsuguri #miraculous ladybug #ml #MADwriting #what else am i supposed to tag this? #my first fanfic #i tried

[occasionalfics]

worth my while // p. 3

main masterlist | thor masterlist | ko-fi | p. 2 | p. 4

Summary: After being banished from his home, Thor Odinson has stopped at nothing to prove himself worthy of his throne, title, and power.

After losing the love of your life, you turned to a power you didn’t understand.You know you shouldn’t get involved.

But how could you not?

Pairing: Thor x Reader (Hercules au…kind of…)

A/N: Woo for no Hades this chapter! I think my favorite part of editing so far is realizing how much I skimmed over and never took the time to delve into, so now I��m filling in gaps and stuff. It’s fun. 

I’m loving that y’all are liking this, so far! Thank you, and continue to shower me in your love (aka let me know what you think)!

Warnings: Violence, lots of angst, borderline abuse and definite manipulation, eventual smut, way too many feels, major character death (eventually). A little more harassment on Hades’ part this time around.

Words: 2,660

The one thing you got to keep in your arrangement with Hades was your apartment. It took a lot of negotiating, but you refused to move into his mansion. It didn’t matter that he could build you a wing to yourself in a matter of minutes. You wanted a home to yourself, and you wanted him to pay for it, if you were going to be in his service whenever he needed you.

The only stipulation was that you needed to move into a place Rick hadn’t been in. Your ex couldn’t know where you lived, and you couldn’t know where he was, either.

And that was just fine with you.

Over time, you’ve come to appreciate the quiet loneliness of your apartment. Hades likes hosting at his place, rarely ever makes an appearance at yours. You’re grateful for that, at least.

The darkness at night doesn’t eat you up. The quiet during the morning doesn’t smother you. It’s all comforting. And it’s yours.

But what’s unsettling about it this morning is that it’s been three days.

Three days since Hades dropped you off here. No texts, no calls, no finding him with an expensive car on the curb outside the building, waiting for you to emerge.

Three days since you watched Thor explode out of the Hydra, and three days since the last day you didn’t think about him at least once an hour.

Both thoughts are driving you a little crazy. You hate this. You want them both to leave you alone, even though neither of them have made contact with you in three whole days. You’re worried because Hades never leaves you alone for this long, and because you really shouldn’t be letting some guy you don’t even know dictate your brain space like this.

You force yourself out of bed. It’s comfortable there, yes, but that’s the quietest place in the apartment. It’s the place ripe for the most contemplation. At least in the shower, you can focus on the grout between the tiles or the hair you should probably clean out of the drain.

You’re dressed in under thirty minutes, afraid to let a single thought linger with an action for too long. You decide to head out, though you don’t have a clue of where you’re going at first. But if Hades isn’t requiring your presence, then you see no reason to lock yourself away from the world.

What’s funny about that is that, before today, that’s exactly what you’ve been doing.

Ever since Rick… died. That’s all you’ve done - hide away. You were hiding in that church that day, only in plain sight. And Hades had taken advantage of that.

Since Rick left, you’d sequestered yourself. No contact with old friends, barely any texts and calls to and from your mother. The only person you regularly interact with is Hades.

Man, your life is a sad, strange little mess.

Made even worse by the direction in which your feet take you: straight to Avengers’ tower. You don’t even know how you get there - you just walk and walk and ignore your rumbling stomach until, suddenly, you’re staring up at the neon letters that used to make up STARK but now read AVENGERS.

The building is nearly impossible to look at on a sunny day, what with its visage of windows and solar panels. Thankfully, today is somewhat overcast.

You don’t know what you’re doing at Avengers’ Tower, but that doesn’t stop your feet from dragging you into the lobby. The receptionist smiles at you, asks if you have an appointment, but you shake your head.

“I was wondering if Thor was in,” you hear yourself ask. Your heart skips a beat and the hairs at the back of your neck stand like you’ve been electrocuted.

Why are you asking for Thor? You wonder. If Hades knew, he’d surely taunt you. He’d probably use it against you, honestly. Or, if not against you, then at least in some way to his own advantage.

Same difference.

The receptionist reminds you that Hades isn’t here simply by nodding. She offers to call for him, which you’re sure is a safety precaution since you obviously don’t belong here. Without meaning to, you take her up on her offer.

You take a seat by the wall, but stand again because, if you sit, you’ll think. You’ll think about how weird this is, how you shouldn’t be here, how it’s really off putting that Hades hasn’t texted or called or anything in three days.

You realize, only then, that coming to find Thor is a distraction. You don’t even know him or know that he’ll want to see you, and yet, you’re here. You’re here on the flimsy hope that he’ll take your mind off whatever it is your dangerous employer is planning.

You don’t notice you’ve started to pace until Thor steps into the lobby. You have to turn around to face the elevator as he ducks his head slightly. He’s too damn tall.

You’ve never been drawn to big guys like him before. Rick was toned but slim, built much closer to Hades or Tony Stark than...this.

But you can only deny the fact that you think Thor is attractive for so long.

“(Y/N),” he says, curious surprise clear in his voice.

You remember that he only knows your name because Sam said it to him at the event. To you, Thor is the man who burst out of the stomach of a Monster, outmaneuvering Hades, by sheer will of force. But to him, you’re a mystery.

“Uh,” you stumble, “hi.”

“What’re you doing here?” he asks, not impolite. He comes over to you, apparently just as aware as you are that the receptionist is watching you.

Looking up at him, you feel tiny, but - surprisingly - not in a bad way.

“I, um.” You weave your fingers together and pull, cracking a knuckle loudly in the silence. Grappling for words isn’t your style - not anymore, not since Hades - and yet you find you’re entirely confused. What are you doing here, anyway?

You clear your throat. “Sorry. Could we, uh. Maybe go get coffee?”

You absolutely had not planned on asking Thor, an Avenger, out on a date today. Is it a date? It sounds like a date.

What will Hades say when he finds out?

Well, if he finds out.

Yes. If. If is good.

“Sure,” Thor answers, though his expression gives no new emotion away. He feels his pockets and breathes out deeply, then nods. “Just a moment,” he tells you before turning to the receptionist. You turn halfway to the door so you don’t look like you’re eavesdropping.

You actually don’t hear what he’s saying to her at all. And that’s okay. She just nods, and then he joins you by the door.

“So,” he says when you’re on the street, heading for the closest cafe that you know has good pastries. “I must say, I’m rather surprised to see you.”

You nod, because of course he is. It’s not like you have his number or anything to announce your appearance ahead of time. It’s not like you know one another well enough to actually be going on coffee dates.

Not a date.

Yeah, right.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what possessed me to show up like that,” you say with a shrug. You cross your arms before going on. “I am surprised you even came down, though. You could’a just told that receptionist to tell me to get lost.”

He chuckles. “I’m sure you know this city better than most.”

There’s no way he can know that. No one knows this city as well as they think they do. There’s always something new to see or stumble upon, which is why so many people are drawn to cities like New York.

“Beatrice had Friday alert me, but all either of them said was that a pretty girl was requesting my presence.” He doesn’t explain who Friday is, but you agree that the receptionist looked like a Beatrice. Somehow. “Who was I to turn away a woman in need of my assistance?”

That’s not the situation here, and you both know it. But you don’t correct him. You point out the cafe and Thor takes the door from you, insisting on following you in.

“I guess,” you start as you get in line. You sigh, because your brain really isn’t working with you. Your mouth is moving on muscle memory alone, it seems.

But that’s not right.

Still, you find yourself saying, “I just thought that we’d gotten off on the wrong foot. Twice. And I wanted to clear that up.” Kind of. Because telling him why you were in Victor Von Doom’s office is off the table.

You wait until you’ve both ordered, paid, and picked up your steaming cups. Maybe this really isn’t a date - a thought that you actually allow to disappoint you a little bit - if you’re each paying separately. Then again, you haven’t exactly been on a date in some time. Are they still doing it the same way?

Thor picks a table away from most of the other people in the cafe. It’s early afternoon, so the place isn’t quite packed. Especially not for Manhattan. But still, it’ll be easier to talk without having others around to hear.

He sips on his drink. You just wrap your hands around yours.

“So,” he says after a bit. “What are we clearing up?”

You chuckle out a sigh, unable to tell which one is meant to cover up the other. “I’ll start with an introduction, I guess.” You let go of the coffee cup and hold a hand out to him. “I’m (Y/N).”

Thor cocks an eyebrow at you, but seems to catch on quickly. He shakes your hand and tells you, “Thor Odinson, Avenger.”

“You use that line on all the girls you go out for coffee with?” you ask. You hadn’t even meant to. You hate sounding...jealous or petty. Or basic. But you hope the case is that you sound flirty.

Thor think the last, too. He shakes his head and tells you, point-blank, “Not at all. It’s merely a polite formality - most people already know who I am. But I want us to be on equal footing.”

More than the words he’s said, you’re quite floored by his honesty. Not even Hades has been this up front with you - maybe ever.

“Now I’ve told you what I do for a living,” he says, and immediately, your heart speeds up. “What is that you do?”

The question reverberates in your head. And your chest. And your stomach. This whole idea was terrible - why did you let yourself out of the house again? What force in this universe possessed you to ask an Avenger out? Date or no, this is the quickest you’ve ever fallen into a disaster.

You can’t just tell him you work for the Greek God of the Dead, Ruler of the Underworld. He’d probably believe the God part, and that would be a nice break, but you definitely shouldn’t tell him the truth. Hades won’t like it at all.

But you also can’t not answer him. You’ve dug yourself a hole already, and now you need to lie in it.

“I...uh. I’m a maid.”

You hate yourself for lying. Which is new. You lie all the time - you were going to lie to Victor Von Doom if you needed to, and you absolutely would not have felt like an absolute disappointment then. But you hate that you’re lying now, and that you feel like you have to lie to keep this going.

Why do you even want this going at all?

You sip your coffee to avoid having to say anything more so soon. Thor just nods, like he believes what you’ve said. Poor fool you think, even though you are the only person making him into one.

But honestly, maid is the closest thing you can think of that isn’t inappropriate. Errand bitch somehow doesn’t have the same ring to it. So you allow it.

“And do you work for Doctor Von Doom, then?” he asks.

And you pause then, as you realize that you’re only making this worse. Of course that’s where he’d go. Because maids can’t just afford gorgeous gowns and aren’t usually invited to exclusive galas for billionaires just for the sake of company.

“Oh, uh. No,” you say. You clear your throat again, pushing your cup as far away from you as you can get it without making it obvious that you’re uncomfortable.

It must not work, though. You don’t go on, and Thor doesn’t appear to know what to say, at least at first. So the silence drags on until he scoots just a few centimeters closer to you, somehow dragging in the smell of clean before a storm, and tilts his head to glace sidelong at you.

“I did not mean to overstep, (Y/N),” he says softly.

This is so silly you think. He didn’t overstep. He asked all completely normal questions - you’re the one that’s being ridiculous. You can hear Hades’ voice in your head, telling you to get a grip, that Thor is just a guy. Just another guy, just like Rick was just another guy.

You shake your head to dismiss your own thoughts and Thor’s apology. “No, it’s okay. My employer...he just prefers privacy, you know?”

That’s not entirely a lie. It settles the uncomfortable rumbling in your stomach, at least for now.

Thor nods. “Of course,” he says, forcing a smile.

It’s cute, that he wants to make you comfortable. You think that’s what it is in his eyes - those lightning, mesmerizing eyes that have drawn you into him every single time you’ve seen them.

But you stop yourself from appreciating that fully, because you haven’t done anything to earn it. And the last time you did… Well, that landed you with an Eternity of doing Hades’ bidding to look forward to.

“So you’re a maid,” he repeats. “That’s more than I knew three days ago.” He smiles at you, clearly trying.

You take a deep breath and decide to try, too. “In that case, it’s your turn to tell me something that I don’t already know.”

He laughs at that. After another sip of coffee, he says, “Well, I don’t know how much you already know, but if we’re keeping things quite simple, I’m not an only child.”

The only reason you pause at that is because that definitely feels like first-date territory. And your response, “Really, now?” definitely points in the same direction.

“Technically, my brother is adopted. You may know him, if know anything about the Battle of Manhattan.” It almost sounds like he’s bragging, but there’s a grim darkness that takes over the blue of his eyes. Is he shaming himself to make you feel more comfortable, you wonder?

“Wait,” you say, thinking of the green man you’d thought was Thor’s cousin only a few days ago. “The dude that brought those aliens here - he’s your brother?”

Thor chuckles sarcastically, then nods. “When you’re as old as we are, you find ways to keep life interesting.” He takes another sip of his drink, then turn the cup away from him when he puts it back on the table. “Funny how he comes and wreaks havoc here, and yet he’s still admitted entrance into Asgard.”

His gaze goes to the table, too, and every instinct in you is yelling out to ask him what that means. But then a small voice - Hades’ voice, just distant - reminds you that you’re already too deep into this conversation. The less you know, the better, even if you’d asked for information about Thor.

This “date” is a one-time thing, you tell yourself.

If only you were as good at following your own rules as you are at following Hades’.

#thor x reader #thor odinson x reader #thor au #hercules au #worth my while fic

[allthegodstars]

Sapphire Flames Snippets

Little Snippet:

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences occupied a nine-story building on Old Spanish Trail. Its blocky lines, rectangular windows, and orange brick practically screamed that it housed some sort of government agency. 

I maneuvered our Honda Element into the parking lot. It used to be our surveillance vehicle, but last year Grandma Frida decided to rebuild it from wheels up.  Now the Element sported a new engine, a reinforced suspension, and custom dampers for enhanced shock absorption. The windows were bulletproof, and the new glass had both the safety glazing and a polycarbonate layer on the inside, so if someone did shoot at us, the windows would crack but hold together. And most importantly, the Element was now equipped with B5 level armor, which meant it would stop most handguns and shotgun blasts.  It could have been armored enough to withstand a sniper shot; however, Grandma Frida reasoned that our best chance of survival was getting away fast, and armor was heavy, so she stopped at B5 and added a reinforced floor and run-flat tires. 

Unfortunately, even Grandma Frida had her limits, and steering was a bit sluggish.  I was used to it by now and I aimed for a parking spot in the middle row.

“So, what’s with you and Alessandro Sagredo?”  Runa asked.

The steering was sluggish, but the brakes worked perfectly.  I jerked forward, and my seat belt slammed me back.

“Nothing.”

“Aha.”  Runa pulled on her own seat belt.  “That’s why we screeched to a stop halfway into the parking space?”

“My foot slipped.”  I gently eased forward and brought the Element to a smooth stop.

Last night, after Bern carried Rutger into the guest bedroom and Runa settled in on inflatable mattress next to him, I went back to my office, rescued Alessandro’s picture from my desk drawer, and brought it upstairs to my bedroom. He looked so carefree, caught in a magic moment somewhere sunny and warm.  When I looked at the picture, a disquieting, unpleasant feeling squeezed my chest, not pain exactly, but a kind of discomfort. I stood in my bedroom and wished with everything I had that I was there, in the sun, with a backdrop of green mountains and Alessandro and I were going somewhere.  Together.

It was stupid, and childish, and it would never be.  I hid it all inside, put the picture on my nightstand, and went to bed.

“So, you’re just going to go with ‘nothing?’” Runa asked.

“That’s right.”

“Your sister said you met during your trials.”

Sistercide was not a word, but it would be after today. “Yes.”

“Yes what?  Is there a story behind that?”

No. He didn’t follow me on Instagram, and he didn’t take my breath away during the trials.  And he definitely didn’t show up under my window after trying to convince me to go for a drive.  

 “We met during the trials, and my sisters haven’t stopped trolling me about it for the last three years.  There is absolutely nothing between me and Alessandro Sagredo.”

Strictly speaking, there was 5,561 miles between our warehouse and the Sagredo estate near Venice, Italy.  A commercial flight with one stop could get me to Venice in thirteen hours. 

“Your cheeks are turning pink,” Runa said.  “Are you imagining there being nothing between you and Alessandro?”

***

On Rants, Well Deserved Nature Of:

As I’ve pointed out four times now, this entire incident has been recorded by security cameras. The footage will show that Ms. Etterson and I were attacked without provocation and we defended ourselves as is our right under Article 3 paragraph 1 through 4 of the House Protection Act.”

“Is that so?” Sgt. Munoz’s eyebrows crept up a quarter of an inch.

“You have no cause to detain either me or Runa Etterson.  We have cooperated, and we have given our statements.”

“Ms. Baylor.”  He frowned.  “You wouldn’t happen to have an older sister, would you?”

That was just too much. “When Nevada encountered you, she was under a great deal of stress trying to keep us alive and save Houston.  She didn’t have a chance to note that every time there was an incident requiring a law enforcement response, you mysteriously appeared on the scene.  But I did.”

He watched me, impassive.   I kept going.

“You are attached to the House Response Unit of Houston PD, tasked specifically with handling incidents involving Houses.  Every member of this unit is assigned a number of families, in which he becomes expert. So, you know perfectly well that I have an older sister and that she is currently out of the country.  You know the names of every person in our family, their birth dates, and their magic. You probably know the exact nature of my powers, despite the fact that my records are sealed.  You are here because my last name popped up in your system. So please don’t insult my intelligence.”

***

When English Language Is Just Not Enough:

Warning: hilariously odd bad language ahead. Poor Catalina.

Bug served as Rogan’s surveillance specialist. Magically altered, he processed visual information at an astonishing rate. If anybody could find [Redacted], Bug could. He was also fanatically loyal to Rogan.

The moment we involved Bug, Rogan would know every detail of what we asked and why. Then Nevada would know, and, considering the usual colorful way Bug made his reports, there was a strong possibility that she would freak out. Bug found the vast array of curses available to an average English speaker completely inadequate and used every opportunity to add his own, which often amounted to a random collection of expletives that left you befuddled. I could just imagine the way that report would go.

“Hey, so you’ll never believe this dick fart thing: they want me to find [Redacted]. Isn’t that just pork balls? The gnome molester apparently stabbed somebody. Whore dimwit shit brain dungarees!”

***

A Simple Menu:

Since it was my turn to cook breakfast anyway, I headed to the kitchen.  Cooking was basically my and Mom’s job.  When Nevada lived with us, she was too busy keeping us fed and clothed. Bern and Leon usually made meat, preferably, steak, and they served it charred on top and raw in the middle. Grandma Frida came from the generation when things weren’t cooked unless they were slightly burned, and my younger sister, who was actually a decent cook, when she had to be, couldn’t be trusted to stay in the kitchen for the duration of the cooking process.  She’d start something and then end up outside texting to her friends or in the media room laughing at some show, while we raced to save the meal. 

I decided on a simple menu. I put two packs of bacon into two baking pans and popped them in the oven, mixed the batter for the blueberry pancakes, and called Nevada while chopping mushrooms for the egg, mushroom, and cheese scramble.

***

Just You Wait:

My cell rang. An unlisted number. Oh good. Ten to one, somebody wanted to sell me super-special medical insurance or inform me that the IRS was about to arrest me unless I dropped everything and bought an armful of gift cards at Wal-Mart.

I answered it. “What is it?”

“You’re tracking me,” Alessandro said.

Runa’s eyes went big.

“I am not tracking you,” I told him. Technically, it wasn’t even a lie.

“You’re having me tracked. I understand that I’m irresistible. It’s a cross I bear. But do try to have some self-control, Catalina. I’m embarrassed for you.”

He… Argh. “As I recall, I never had a problem resisting you.”

“I thought we agreed that you would drop this.”

“I didn’t agree to anything.”

“Catalina, listen to me. This is serious, the people involved are dangerous, and your well-being is important to me.”

Since when? “Why don’t you tell me more about it? Maybe if I fully understand the danger, I’ll stay out of it.”

“No, you won’t. You have no sense.”

“I have all kinds of sense.”

“This is your last warning, Catalina.”

“Or what?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to find out.”

He hung up.

“I have all kinds of sense?” Runa quoted.

“I was too mad to think of a snappy comeback.”

I glared at the phone. Insufferable ass. When I got my hands on him, I would pry his mind open like a tin can.  And then I would make him do a little dance, record it, and play it for him on a loop after I drained my magic off. Irresistible. I’ll show you irresistible. Just you wait.

***

A Pithivier:

Steps sounded behind me. I turned. Runa caught up with us. “Matilda said you would be out here. That child is odd.”

More like unsettling, until you got to know her. “She’s an animal mage. They are unique. Did something bad happen?”

“You mean in addition to everything else?  No.”

We both watched Shadow sniffing at cracks in the asphalt.

 “Whatever is cooking in the kitchen smells amazing.  What are we having?”

“Lemon roasted chicken with rosemary baked potatoes, chive butter, kale and brussels sprout salad with tahini maple dressing, and an apple pithivier.”

Runa gave me a long look.

“I cook when I’m stressed out. It sounds more complicated than it is. In reality, it’s mostly season things, dump them in a baking pan, and stick them in the oven.”

“What’s a P.T.V.A.?”

“It’s a French pie-cake made with puff pastry.  The traditional version uses rum and almonds, but nobody likes rum, so I make mine with apples.”

***

For more check notes.

#ilona andrews #hidden legacy book 4 #the hidden legacy series #sapphire flames snippets #catalina baylor #alessandro sagredo #all snippets are sourced from the author's blog or twitter feed #catalina × alessandro #alessalina #is that their shipname? #what's their shipname?? #also what's nevada and connor's shipname? #underappreciated awesome fantasy books #burn for me #white hot #wildfire #diamond fire #sapphire flames #ilona andrews books #urban fantasy #fantasy books #ya fantasy #kickass female protagonists #healthy romantic relationships #badass magic and incredible world building

[agentkatie]

Ok, gotta tell you: a parenting drabble/one shot written by you with Cullen and Shepard would be hilarious and priceless xDDD

You (and @kagetsukai​) are the best/worst influences :P I got incredibly carried away, but here it is!

Sunday Lunch

Shepard and Cullen play host to their daughter’s new boyfriend. It goes, predictably, terribly.

2989 words, Cullen x Shepard (also: Baby!ShepRutherford x Baby!FenHawke), featuring fluff, teenage angst, questionable parenting, and a hint of NSFW at the end.

“I refuse. I categorically refuse, Moll.”

Shepard sighed, abandoning her dough to face her pouting husband. Many things about Cullen had softened over the years; his clipped accent had surrendered to its broad Fereldan roots, his formerly rigid hair had been overrun by curls, and his once-toned abdomen had tragically lost its war against pastries - but his stubbornness had remained, hard and unyielding. She would have preferred he kept the abs. “You’re getting worked up over nothing.”

“She is sixteen,” Cullen huffed. “She is too young to be involved with anyone - least of all with him.”

“He’s just coming to visit for a few days; they aren’t getting married.”

“I know they will not get married; they are just going to— to fraternise. Is that what you want? Our future grandchild, the Hawke?”

Shepard bit her lip, trying her best not to laugh at her husband’s petulance. “If that’s what you’re concerned about, I gave her The Talk last year.” Cullen huffed again, his weathered brow wrinkling further as he glowered out the kitchen window. “Does this have something to do with the Hawke family being full of mages?”

“It has something to do with the Hawke family being full of Hawkes.”

“Maybe Marian’s the black sheep; Bethany turned out alright. And Fenris is pretty level-headed.”

He looked towards her once more, one eyebrow arching in scepticism. “He used to rip out people’s hearts.”

“Yeah, he’s really cool,” Shepard said, unable to keep the dreamy lilt out of her voice. “Kinda hot, actually. Pity Hawke got there first.”

“Now you are just trying to provoke me,” he grumbled, though there was a twinkle of humour in his eyes. “Why are you being so calm about this?”

“Because, my lion, I have a plan.”

“Indeed?” Cullen asked, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. “What do you suggest?”

“There’s no point in forbidding it; that’ll only make them want each other more. We’ll have to scare him away. I propose a very dignified Sunday lunch - during which I show him that, whilst his dad might be able to rip out hearts, Cassie’s mom can turn grown men to dust.” To prove her point she picked up her rolling pin, bringing it down against the kitchen counter with such force the wood splintered. “Any questions?”

“One,” he said, placing his hands on her waist as he smiled properly for the first time that afternoon. “Have I told you I love you today?”

“Only twice,” she grinned, pushing onto her tiptoes to kiss him. “You’re slacking.”

- - - - -

At the age of twelve Mal Hawke’s heart had been captured by a cascade of golden curls - his breath stolen by a fervent smile stretching freckled cheeks - and he hadn’t looked away since. It had taken two years for him to speak to Cassie without stuttering, another three to kiss her, and sixth months for his mother to stop laughing about it, but through it all he’d been unwavering in the conviction he would marry her one day.

His parents were less convinced. When Cassie’s letter arrived it took two weeks to convince his father it wasn’t a trap; a further two were spent persuading him not to accompany him to South Reach. When Mal eventually departed, his mother gave him a new sword as a parting gift, and bade him goodbye with the reminder that if Curly gives you trouble tell him I’ll kick his ass - and, like a fool, he ignored her, believing with youthful naivety the former Commander would soften on seeing Mal’s love for his youngest daughter. He spent his trip south scouring through her letters, committing facts on her family to memory; that her twin sisters could be differentiated by a cluster of freckles at Rory’s left eye, and that it was best to address both her parents as Commander, and not to question who was the senior officer. He’d even acquired a potted Prophet’s Laurel for David, who at thirteen years old was already an avid botanist, abandoning the family trade of hitting things for a peaceful life amongst dirt.

And his parents had been right to prepare him for Cassie’s father, who greeted him at the door with a glare and a handshake that almost broke his fingers. But they’d neglected to warn him about her mother.

“Moral of the story,” Commander Shepard said cheerfully, wrapping up her fifth consecutive tale of bloodshed with an unsettling smile and a manic glint in her eyes. “If you’re trying to stay incognito, don’t punch someone so hard you actually decapitate them. I ruined the evening and a perfectly good dress. Anyone for seconds?”

Mal glanced down at his barely-touched plate of food, his stomach churning as the congealing gravy turned to rivers of blood in his mind. “No, thank you,” he said as he pushed his plate to one side, offering Shepard a smile that was more like a grimace.

“You’ve hardly eaten a thing,” Shepard said, her voice sincere and brow puckered with concern. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Probably not, because you keep talking about decapitating people,” Cassie grumbled.

“He asked!”

He hadn’t asked; he’d merely enquired if she’d ever visited Starkhaven, after which she’d launched into a tenuous tangent about the time she’d attended a masque hosted by the Prince of Starkhaven. After an entire meal of such stories, he was beginning to suspect she’d never been to an event and not killed someone.

“Tell a nicer story, Ma,” Nova said, winking at Mal from across the table.

“Yeah,” Rory agreed. “Tell him how you and Da met.”

Nova pressed her lips together to stifle laughter as Rory nudged her indiscreetly, and with a sinking feeling Mal began to suspect the twins were setting him up. “An excellent suggestion,” Shepard nodded. “It was just outside Kirkwall, actually - right after I destroyed an entire race of killer machines, but that’s a different story. Cullen had been cornered by a band of Tal-Vashoth; they’d already killed the other Templars, but Cullen was still going strong.” She placed a hand on her husband’s arm, a soft smile blossoming across her face as she regarded her partner; it would have been romantic, if Commander Rutherford wasn’t silently glaring at Mal - as he had been for the past forty minutes. “Cullen is very strong,” she said emphatically, her smile tightening as she looked back at Mal. “He’d already killed four Tal-Vashoth by the time I arrived, but they had him pinned down. Luckily, the eight remaining weren’t much of a challenge for me. Have you ever fought a Qunari, Mal?”

She knew full well he hadn’t, but he found the courage somewhere inside himself to talk about a person who had. “No, but I know they’re tough. My mother says defeating the Arishok was the toughest battle she ever fought.”

“Oh, yeah; I remember reading about that. Something about her running a figure of eight around two pillars whilst chugging health potions.”

“Ma!”

Shepard raised her hands in surrender as footsteps sounded just outside the room; David burst through the kitchen door, Prophet’s Laurel tucked under his arm and a wide grin on his face. “Bull’s here!”

Mal didn’t know who Bull was, but judging by Cassie’s expression he didn’t want to find out; her eyes narrowed to slits as she glared murderously at her mother. “You didn’t. Ma, you promised—”

“Oh, look; it’s The Iron Bull!” Shepard exclaimed, pushing up from her seat to greet their new guest. “Feared mercenary leader of Bull’s Chargers!”

Mal swivelled in his seat, the colour rapidly draining from his face as his eyes landed on the man she addressed; a heavily-armed, war-beaten Qunari took up the entire doorway, his one eye scanning the room as if scoping it for enemies. “Commanders. Kids. Hope you don’t mind me dropping by.” His gaze landed on Mal, and his eye narrowed infinitesimally. “You’re new,” he noted; with two strides he closed the distance between them, pulling out the chair next to him and sitting down heavily. “Finished with this?” he asked, grabbing a chicken leg from Mal’s plate before he’d even answered and stripping it to the bone in one bite. “Killing people always works up my appetite.”

“What have you been killing today, Bull?”

Every fibre in Mal’s being was itching to run, far away from Cassie’s homicidal mother and terrifying family friend; it was only Cassie’s hand on his under the table that kept him rooted in the situation, and stopped him from making a break for it through the kitchen window. “You said you wouldn’t do this!” Cassie yelped, her hand tightening around Mal’s.

“Do what?” Shepard asked, her voice so innocent Mal very nearly believed her. “I think it’s nice to have friends drop by unexpectedly.”

“Do you really think I’m stupid enough to buy—”

“I was in the area,” Bull shrugged, leaning in far too close to Mal as he scooped a dumpling off his plate. “Top secret mission for the Divine. You know how it goes.”

“I don’t believe you. Da, please—”

Cassie’s appeal to her still-glaring father was cut off at the sound of more footsteps, and her eyes flashed as she scowled at her mother once more. “Who’s that?” she demanded, but Shepard merely shrugged. “Who is it?”

“I actually have no idea; I’m just as intrigued as you,” Shepard said, her eyes lighting up in the next moment as she looked over Mal’s head at their latest visitor. “Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast!” Mal knew that name; he turned in his seat once more to face the woman who’d threatened his uncle Varric a lifetime ago, and though twenty years had elapsed since then she looked just as formidable as he’d imagined. “Right Hand of the Divine, Hero of Orlais, dragonslayer and all-round badass! What a lovely surprise!”

“I hope you do not mind me dropping in,” the Seeker said, her sharp jawline flexing as her gaze fell on Mal. “I am on… important business,” she offered, much less believably than the Qunari. “For the Chantry.”

“Perfect,” Cassie threw her hands up in exasperation. “Who’s going to turn up next; Divine fucking Victoria?!”

Commander Rutherford finally spoke out at his daughter’s outburst, his glare directed away from Mal for a glorious moment of respite. “Cassiopeia Shepard-Rutherford! Language!”

“Ma says it all the time!”

“In my defence, I try really hard not to,” Shepard said. “Cassandra - would you like some chicken?”

“Maker, what is wrong with all of you?!” Cassie exclaimed, furiously pushing up from her seat - although at five foot tall, standing hardly made her seem more threatening.

“There is nothing wrong with me,” Commander Rutherford bristled, eyes boring into Mal’s in a way which sent a shiver down his spine. “All I wish to know is why a man of nearly twenty is consorting with a child.”

“I’m not a child!” she protested. “I’m almost seventeen!”

“And I’ve actually only just turned eighteen—”

“Are there no eighteen-year-olds in the Free Marches?” he demanded. “Is there something wrong with women your own age?”

“We’re women his own age,” Rory pointed out as her twin fell apart in silent laughter. “What are you saying about us, Mal?”

“I hate you all!” Cassie screeched. “I’m quitting this family and becoming a Hawke!”

And with that she turned on her heel, storming from the kitchen and slamming the door behind her with such force the whole room seemed to shake. And following her to her bedroom would undoubtedly have him thrown out of their house, but the alternative - staying around the dinner table and quite possibly becoming the next course of their meal - seemed like an even worse idea.

“Oh, dear,” Commander Shepard sighed, shooting Mal a sympathetic smile. “That’s the Shepard women for you; an unstable bunch, the lot of us. Best steer clear.” She stood once more, busying herself with clearing the plates from the table and, once she was done, pulling a covered tray off the windowsill. “Would anyone like dessert?” she asked. “I made blood orange loaf cake.”

“That depends,” The Iron Bull grinned, leaning back on his chair and winking at Mal. “Did you use real blood?”

“No,” Shepard smirked back. “But I can probably find you some, if you need it.”

- - - - -

“I think we went too far today.”

Cullen glanced up from his book as his wife readied herself for bed, her silver-streaked curls free from her ever-present braid as she scrubbed the remnants of makeup from her face. And, loathe though he was to admit it, he agreed with her, so much so that guilt had prevented him from reading even a line of his novel. “It will get rid of the Hawke boy,” he told her, attempting to reassure himself as much as her. “That’s all that matters.”

“He didn’t seem very… Hawkeish.” With a sigh she flopped down next to him on their bed, propping her chin on his shoulder as he placed his book to one side. “He actually seemed like a good kid. I swear the last time we saw him he was trying to beat up a tree.”

“I think that was Hunter; he’s the older one.”

“She called one of her kids Hunter Hawke?” Shepard asked, scrunching up her nose in derision, and Cullen shrugged.

“You named all of ours after planets.”

“For the thousandth time - they aren’t planets,” she bristled - completely predictably - at his teasing. “A nova is an astronomical event, an aurora is a light display—”

“I know, Moll,” he chuckled, cutting off her grumblings with a kiss to her temple; she made a disgruntled noise but yielded to him as he pulled her closer, one arm stretching out across his chest.

“Plus, Mal is literally Orlesian for ‘bad’. Who names their baby ‘bad’?”

“Whilst I do agree, Malcolm was her father’s name.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, wincing slightly. “Well, now I definitely feel mal.”

Cullen let out a splutter of laughter, and she smiled up at him. “I suppose we may have gotten carried away,” he conceded. “We were a little harsh on him.”

“We put the fear of God into the kid. We were a lot harsh on him.” She sighed again as she absentmindedly weaved her fingers through his chest hair. “By the way - inviting Cassandra? A stroke of evil genius; I’m very proud of you.”

Cullen frowned. “I didn’t invite her; I assumed you did.” Shepard shook her head. “Hmm. She must have heard about it from Bull.”

“Or she has a sixth sense for protecting her namesake.”

Their bedroom door creaked open, and they both groaned at the sight of an empty doorway, knowing full well what it heralded; Mairyn lept onto their bed, wedging herself firmly between Cullen and Shepard with a contented bark. Mairyn was still little more than a puppy, Calenhad having died of old age some time ago and Shepard only just recovered enough from the loss to agree to another; whereas Calenhad had quickly grasped the concept of personal space, Mairyn favoured being as close to her masters as possible at all times. Cullen hoped it would be correctable with training; Shepard, on the other hand, firmly believed the dog was wilfully ignoring their commands. “Ugh, you’re such a third wheel,” Shepard grumbled, half-heartedly trying to push the dog off of her; she merely barked again and planted an enthusiastic lick on Shepard’s cheek.

“What do you think, pup?” Cullen asked, scratching Mairyn behind the ears. “Were we too mean to the boy?”

Mairyn whined, fixing Cullen with a look so reproachful he almost left to beg Mal’s forgiveness there and then. “I guess that answers that,” Shepard mumbled. “We should apologise. Tomorrow.”

“I agree,” Cullen said, and then to Mairyn; “go keep Cassie company. If she tries to run away in the night, let us know.”

“And if Mal tries to sneak into her room - go for the balls.”

“He can go into her room to console her,” Cullen clarified the command. “But anything inappropriate - then yes, go for the balls.”

Mairyn barked in confirmation, launching herself off the bed and then, tail wagging, stalking towards Cassie’s room. Shepard stood to close the door, blowing out the candles in their room before returning to their bed; he expected her to curl up next to him but instead she slung one leg across his waist, and even in the darkness he could still make out her mischievous expression as she straddled him. She leaned in to kiss him, her lips treading the first steps of a dance they were both experts in now; with practiced hands his fingers teased along her waistband, rocking her hips back and forth with just enough pressure to make her moan.

“I still think it is a mistake for them to be involved,” he muttered against her lips, needing the final word before his mind became too fogged by her to think rationally.

“Maybe,” she agreed, her talented mouth trailing lower now, pressing soft kisses to almost-faded scars across his shoulders and chest. “But maybe we need to let her make her own mistakes.” She paused and looked up at him again, her face suddenly fierce. “Although if one of the twins shows up with Hunter, I reserve the right to kill him.”

“What if Hawke comes after us?”

Shepard smirked, leaning back to pull off her shirt; as the garment fluttered to the floor she sparked up a soft mass effect field around her, glowing blue and ethereal and beautiful in the moonlight. “I’m fairly certain I can take her.”

Cullen chuckled, the force of it rumbling through Shepard as she sat astride him, and it felt like the perfect embodiment of their marriage; firstly that it was never boring, and secondly that they laughed. “So am I, my love,” he told her, before leaning in to kiss her again.

#commander shepard #cullen rutherford #dragon age #mass effect #crossover #my writing #cullen and shep get carried away being terrible #i had to add a third act to redeem them #bull and cass join in #also shep talks shit about hawke hahaha #join me in crossover hell #machatnoir

[dlvampires]

S and M yandere headcanons?

“I’m the yandere asker. Basically what I’m asking for if for you to describe the boys as yanderes (are they possessive, obsessive, clingy, manipulative, etc.), how did they first “fall” for their lover, and what are they doing to keep their Lovers. A good example would be yandere headcanons from Maridiaraba or Dialalagirl tumblr. Hopefully this makes my ask clear now!“

[MTK: Yandere…! \(♥ ∇ ♥)/It’s a veeeeery long post, but I hope it’s ok.

If you want more headcanon-like details or whatever about yandere, just ask! I We’d be more than glad to answer~!

ATTENTION: Be careful, since it portrays them as yandere, it may mention abuse, blood, death and similiar morbid themes; if you can’t take it, don’t read!]

Shuu:

He noticed you during a lesson in the music classroom, while you were arguing with some classmates about classical music; at first he couldn’t stand your loud voice, obviously, but his interest in you awakened as he listened to your passionate and quite clever speech.

He’d be within your surroundings all the time, apparently asleep; you might think it’s always a coincidence, but, actually, he even makes the effort to move in order to follow you wherever you go, silently and secretly observing you. Isn’t that stalking

When you try and talk to him, he’d always look disinterested and would either reply with a few words or not reply at all; although he’d like to tease you very often and he’d be quite responsive whenever you’re in danger or facing troubles…

… but sometimes you may not notice it, because you wouldn’t think it’s trouble in your opinion; remember the guy you were cheerfully talking to some days before? Well, he disappeared…Do you think Shuu might be involved? Nah, he’s too lazy, or so you thought…

… until he killed a man who was harassing you right in front of your eyes.

Reiji:

You were studying at a public library for you next exam/test; Reiji was looking for some textbooks for a school project and noticed you as you were reading a quite voluminous book about Maths, admiring the resolute and passionate gaze of your eyes.

He’d start frequenting the same library in order to observe you carefully; he’d start glaring at whoever dares to disturb you during your study - and he wasn’t pleased whenever you were together with your classmates, group-studying.

He’d start talking to you by faking to be interested in some of the books you borrowed, casually talking about Maths and, eventually, everything about the both of you; you would appreciate his company, because of his good manners and obvious cleverness (though you’d be a little taken aback by his strictness about your posture and stuff like this - but nobody is perfect…).

And as soon as he joins your study group for the first time, offering everyone a cup of the tea he has brought from home in a thermos, you’ll see your classmates falling asleep (?) one after the one, before you also fall into a deep slumber…

… just to wake up in a dungeon, feeling extremily dizzy.

Laito: 

Why were you even wandering around the city late at night?! You saw him as he was flirting with some girls at a pub, where you had stopped to greet some friends; you had gone to the restrooms, only to see him licking one of the girls’ neck and… biting it?! Obviously, he had seen you, and you had seen the blood: you had screamed “I won’t tell anyone!” and run straight home.

Well, he had to check out whether you wouldn’treally tell anyone, right? Therefore, after “dealing” with the pub girl, he’d stalk you and find out where you live; he’d leave you alone for some time, just observing you in the meantime. He’d be surprised that you’re keeping your word, but amused that you’re always looking around you with a concerned and fearful look on your face… something he’d start to really like about you.

He’d finally show himself and reassure you he isn’t going to hurt you, starting flirting with you(and also touching you too much) straight away; you’d be quite uncomfortable and embarassed by his costant perverted remarks, but sometimes you’d find him fun when listening to his complaints about his brothers. Oh, he’d feed on you from time to time, since you still fear him and wouldn’t like to hear his dropped voice again, after trying to defy him once.

Laito thought everything was going smoothly, but… if he was once aroused by the idea of sharing his preys with Ayato, he couldn’t really see you with someone else. He started thinking it’d be nice to have all of you just for himself. ALL OF YOU.You’d wake up feeling dizzy after passing out somewhere, confused about your memories, and…

… why were you shackled to a beadhead, in a green unknown bedroom?

Kanato:

You used to help your parents at their pastry shop; you would always been the one taking and delivering his orders, sometimes even bringing him a bonus or free samples of you father’s creations, since he was a regular customer. Once, you had  given him a little plate of mini cream puffs for Teddy, noticing how much attached he was to it; therefore he started paying more attention to you.

He’d start observing you and later talking to you, from asking to see the kitchen to giving you the permission to fix his Teddy’s ear, apparently ripped off by one of his brothers; he’d glare at any guy too close to you (and those young men would be found later in bloody puddles…).

You’d be quite interested in him because of his unusual personality and let him explore the kitchen or watch you when baking your own first cakes (you were sincerely a bit creeped out when he sucked your blood from your finger after cutting some fruits); he would always stay by your side as much as possible…

… maybe too much; it had become unsettling and troubling, therefore you kept yourself busy in the kitchen and let the other employees handling the customers, including him. And this didn’t pleased him at all.At night, as you and your parents were cleaning and tidying up, you heard your mother’s terrible scream and went to see what was happening: flames were burning your parents to death and…

… he was there, gazing at you with a sinister smile: “You’re mine~”.

Ayato: 

Your best friend had managed to get you in her night school in order to see a basketball match between her class and another; he had noticed there was a new smell between his female classmates and wondered why you were here… maybe just to see Ore-sama playing?! If so, then he wasn’t going to disappoint you for sure! 

You’d be fascinated by him; your friend had mentioned him to be the most handsome guy in th school and the best basketball player, after all. He’d purposely look at you whenever he’d scored, making you more and more drawn to him; after the match you’d approach him and enthusiastically praise him, and he’d be very, very pleased by it, so much that he’d tell ou to become his.

You’d naively accept, but very soon find out that you had better not to: he’d always appear beside you when you’d least expect him to, interrogate you about the guy who was talking with you some minutes before (or directly pick a fight with him), scold you if you’d defy him… you’d only be softened a bit by his costant seeking of praise and attention (like a little child).

Wait, were those fangs? You were very shocked by this discovery and having second thoughts; refusing to let him feed on you, the two of you had a fight and you were about to leave him, after telling him that it was too much for you. He stopped you by painfully grabbing your wrist and pulling you to him…

… and God, you were frightend to death by his dark and grim gaze on you.

Subaru:

You were a sacrifical bride and had been sent to live with the Sakamaki brothers; he had warned you to stay away from him, but since you were often taking refuge in the garden from the others, you would meet each other as often, causing to get angry and trying to push you away. 

Since you’d go to the garden in any case, he’d start ignoring you at first, only to begin watching you from afar, wondering why you were there despite his threats; later on he would silently keep you company and sometimes briefly answer your questions (yelling at you to be quiet when tired or bothered by them); he would threaten his brothers not to approach you.

He’d finally decide to make you his, starting to feed on you and always keeping an eye on you wherever you’d go; you’d feel somewhat safe with him and at the same time scared (after all, he was a vampire), longing to get away from there, but bitterly aware you couldn’t: he would have killed you, you were sure about it.

You didn’t know how much possessive he was until one of his brothers had tried to sink his fangs into your neck: he had immediately shoved him off of you and started punching him on the floor; you watched in horror as he reduced his brother to nothing less than a pile of blood and flesh.He had frantically stood up, turned to you and…

… promised you that the others were going to suffer the same fate as well.

Ruki:

Your father had suddenly lost his job, so you had decided to help your family by applying for some job and you had been assigned one as a housekeeper at the Mukami’s mansion - oh, and you were to start living there, too. You first met him because of this; but, somehow, it looked like he knew about yourself much more than he should have.

He’d make sure his brothers won’t involve themselves with you; unbeknown to you, he’d regularly check your mobile or anything connecting you to the outside world, often deleting messages from friends and those from your family telling you to come visit them once in a while; he’d always keep you busy with chores and sometimes invite you for some tea, talking about books (he’d ban you from touching the ones in his room, though, saying he’s quite fond of them).

Besides the few times you’d do something wrong and get scolded by him coldly (you’d receive lots of rewards too, since you’d be generally hardworking, patient and obedient), he’d be quite kind with you and would help you cooking and hold conversation with you; even though you can’t understand how he can often guess right about your personal traits, you’d think of him the world, probably even liking him!

Until one day, while cleaning the windows in his room, you took a break and looked at his bookcase; you noticed some papers coming out from some books and thought it’d be appropriate to fix them up: you should have never done it all of those these papers were about his plans to get you and monopolize you, even finding out he had cause your father to lose his job. You were very confused about your felings for him; then, the door suddenly opened and your heart began beating…

… and from his victorious smirk, you realized you were his forever.

Kou:

He was a little taken aback when instead of his autograph you had asked him for a interview; you had explained him you were running a blog about music, J-pop in particular. But what had really surprised him was your inner thoughts: you were totally honest about it and not showing any of the usual fangirls’ feelings; you were very serious about this.

Granting you the permission to interview him, you’d meet in his own house; strangely, his brothers would be absent, a disappointment since you had wanted to meet them too after reading all the things the idol used to tweet about his family; once seated in the living room, the interview would start with your first questions.

He’d very cheerful, but he’d sometimes tease you, however you’d be unflinching and keep on asking further about his carrier and personal life; you would ignore his winking and his mischievous smirks, and “politely” shift away whenever he’d be about to touch you.

Deep down, he was quite annoyed by your attitude, being unlike what he had always experienced with the other girls; he wanted to make you react, he wanted you to feel much more attracted to him than just his idol job and social figure. Therefore, as the interview ended and you stepped towards the exit, you suddenly felt pain in the back of your head and blacked out…

… your blog didn’t update anymore posts.

Yuuma:

He was looking for some new gardening tools and you were on shift that day because of your part-time job as the store’s cashier; first, he was taken aback by your strong and brave attitude when facing a customer who had tried to steal something and had feigned to be innocent; after that, the second thing drawing him to you was the radiant and honest smile given to your customers.

He’d spend more time than needed in the store just in order to see you as much as possible, glaring at any guy winking at you (and probably shoving him to the ground, once left the store); he’d manage to teleport inside the staff’s room to see the schedule and know about all your shifts.

He’d always greet or nod at you everytime your eyes meet, cracking a little smirk; you were just amazed by his height but you thought he was a quite nice guy, though you did notice him being a little rude to some poor young men; but you couldn’t think badly of him since he was always behaving fairly towards you (and kind to the granny who had lost all of her groceries on the ground… unless it was just an act…?).

And the day you got a surprise visit from your actual boyfriend, kissing and teasing you jokinly in front of everyone, he realized he had no other choice but to get rid of that annoyance; you were his, he was a much worthy match for you than that guy. Thus, when the two of you were on the way home…

… he just snapped his neck and only then you were scared by his height.

Azusa:

You had just met him out of nowhere, causing you a jumpscare; you had calmed down a bit, creeped out by his costant and silent staring at you, and asked him if he needed anything from you: his answer “You” had been a warning from the beginning, but probably you had been softened (or bewitched…?) by his fair and faint voice.

He’d gradually include his existence in your life, even revealing his real nature and his past to you; at first you’d be scared, but his honesty would appease you once again; the people around you would also stop seeing you, because of his costant eerie presence and also because you’d get so absorbed in him that you’d forget about them.

He’d seem too much clingy, but you wouldn’t mind since you’d think of it as a need of affection, just more fond than usual. He would beg you of cutting him with his knives and this is the only things left making you uneasy about him, but you will accept it as soon as you realize that’s it’s just a consequence of his past and think that you can “resolve” it.

Thus your overly self-confident attitude deceived you when you told him about moving in with him, in order to start living with him and help him overcome his self-harming habit. He was glad and victoriously (?) pleased by this…

… and now you’re locked up in his room for ever.

#mtk speaks #carla speaks #sakamaki #mukami #diahell #dl #dl headcanon #headcanon #diabolik lovers head #diabolik lovers #ask #anonymous #yandere #yandere dl #yandere dl headcanon

[scripthistory]

Duties of the Priestesses of Athena (submission)

Hey! Here’s my research on the duties of a priestess of Athena.

First of all, you might’ve already mentioned this but there’s a big difference between time periods and places. For the sake of simplicity (and amount of information), I’ll assume we’re dealing with a priestess from Classical Athens. Even so, duties varied depending on the age of the priestesses - younger girls would have less responsibility, adult women would have more, and older women would often take on the role of instructor for the girls.

Very basically, the function of a priest or priestess was to serve their God(dess). A lot of ancient cultures, Ancient Greece included, compared it to serving a lord or master: you attended to their home (the temple and sanctuary), their person (the statue), their food (the offerings) and in the case of deities, their sacred flame. In most cases, however, priests and priestesses only held office for a limited amount of time. The girls at the temple of Artemis at Brauron, for example, were only there from ages 5-10. Adult women could serve for several years whether or not they were married (sometimes they served jointly with their husband or father), and lifelong commitments were mostly restricted to elderly women, who had less outside responsibilities.

Coming to priestesses of Athena more specifically, their functions weren’t much different from those of other priestesses. Since we don’t have any sources detailing their daily life, it’s hard to know exactly how an average day was structured. As a general rule, younger members would do chores like cleaning, washing and sweeping as well as weaving (more on that later), while older members held tasks with more responsibility. I’d assume a number of people dealt with administration (keeping track of votive offerings and other money-related tasks, organising who does what, making sure there was enough oil for the sacred flames, overseeing younger members etc) and others with hospitality (welcoming visitors to the temple, answering religious queries etc).

There is evidence that some temples housed snakes. The cult of snakes is extremely ancient, dating back to Mycenaean times at the very least; over time, they were associated with Zeus, Asklepios, the Agathos Daimon (a protective spirit of the household), and Athena. A sacred snake was kept in the temple of Athena Polias in Athens. The priestesses left honey cakes for it each month, and when it didn’t eat them, it was taken as a terrible omen: Athena had abandoned the city. (see Herodotus Book 8, 41.2-3)

Cleanliness was very important. Before entering a sacred space - whether a temple, sanctuary or when preparing for ritual - priests and worshippers alike were required to wash their hands, preferably their whole body, with lustral water (khernips in Greek), and change their clothes. Many sanctuaries forbade purple, which was a sign of wealth, and even demanded white clothing, which signified purity and modesty. I can’t find any sources for temples of Athena where this was a requirement, but this philosophy was certainly a background to temple life in Ancient Greece and so is worth mentioning.

When it comes to ritual, the altar was also purified with lustral water as well as with barley groats. These were carried in a basket and thrown around the space of sacrifice, as well as on the animal being sacrificed, by the participants. The ritual knife was kept underneath the barley groats, so it would become visible when they had all been thrown. Other ritual objects included incense, libation vessels, and vegetal offerings (cakes and the like). All of these together were referred to as ta hiera, the sacred things, and were treated with high regard.

Athena’s cult also had its own sacred objects. These are best evoked in the context of the festivals in which they played a role. The Ancient Greek year was rife with festivals; some would’ve been more important than others to a priestess of Athena, but everyone celebrated regardless of which God(dess) they were devoted to. As there are dozens of festivals, I’ll only give an overview of those which were most relevant to Athena’s cult. However, Hellenion.org has short descriptions of all the festivals, as well as a calendar which shows how they are distributed throughout the year. The calendar aims at modern practise and gives both modern and ancient dates, but I have been involved with the organisation behind it and I can attest that it is well-researched and based on respectable sources.

The Athenian calendar was centred around the New Year on the first day of the month of Hekatombaion, in June or July depending on the year. Festivities started as much as two months earlier with the Kallyntheria and Plyntheria, between 20-25 Thargelion (around May). The Kallyntheria was when the temple of Athena was swept out and cleaned, and her sacred flame relit. For the Plyntheria, soon after, her statue was undressed, veiled and carried to the sea in a procession led by someone carrying fig pastries (they were believed to be the first cultivated food). Two young priestesses then washed the statue in the sea before it was carried back. All this was organised by one eminent family, the Praxiergidai. It’s believed that this was also the occasion when Athena’s peplos, her dress, was also washed by a priestess.

A few days later, on 3 Skirophorion, was the Arrhephoria. Two young priestesses of Athena called the arrhephoroi, who had lived on the Acropolis for the past year, were given mysterious objects in closed baskets. These objects were called ta arrheta, the unspoken. As the name indicates, nobody knows what they were - even the girls carrying them, and the priestess who gave them to them. During the night, the girls brought the arrheta under to an underground passage and came back up with something else, also unspoken, wrapped in a veil. They were then discharged from their service. The whole festival is extremely mysterious and theories about it abound, but in truth, we have no idea what went on beyond what I’ve described.

Next came the Skira. On 12 Skirophorion, a priestess of Athena, a priest of Poseidon and a priest of Helios walked under a canopy from the Acropolis to Skiron, a hero sanctuary. This was close to a sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone, who symbolically received the three Gods there. The festival was presided by women, who got to leave their homes for once and play a major role in city life - something the men found deeply unsettling!

Soon after the Skira was the New Year; not much happened besides the archontes being sworn in for the year. The big festival, the Panathenaia, was a few weeks later, on 23-30 Hekatombaion. A ‘small’ Panathenaia was celebrated yearly, and a much larger, Panhellenic one was held every four years. Both types included a torch race, the winner of which got to light the sacrificial fires. Many sacrifices were made, and in the Great Panathenaia, athletic and musical contests were held, as well as recitations of Homeric poetry. Most importantly, the statue of Athena was presented with a new peplos for the year. The dress was placed in a ship-like cart and carried in a big procession to the temple, where it was draped onto the statue. Traditionally, the peplos was blue and yellow and decorated with a representation of the fight against the Giants.

This peplos took nine months to weave. Work began at the Khalkeia, on 30 Pyanepsion, a festival sacred to Hephaistos and Athena. Historians are unsure who exactly wove the dress - it might’ve been the younger girls, maybe unmarried maidens, maybe older married women, or maybe a combination of all three. In any case, the weaving progressed during nine months in the temple of Athena Polias, until the dress was finally ready for the Panathenaia.

As for the bibliography, I also looked through Connelly’s Portrait of a Priestess, as well as these two books:

Walter Burkert, Griechische Religion der archaischen und klassischen Epoche (Stuttgart 1977)

H. W. Parke, Festivals of the Athenians (London 1977)

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