#duke tomas

[jasmines-library]

Hey, I love your Batfam work! Is there any chance you could do a whump/angst one of batsis being kidnapped by a villian(you can choose whoever you want) and she’s tortured for days with it being broadcasted to the Batfam while they try to track the footage. I feel kinda bad but can you do maybe some head trauma md severe burns? Maybe she has to be put in a medically included coma or smth because of the damage? Also is there any way you could include Barb and Duke along w/ the four robins? If not that’s totally cool! Sorry for the long request but I hope you have a great day!!

Anonymous Requested: batfam x batsib reader whos the youngest and newest robin and is just really goofy and doesn’t take anything seriously (ex: them blaring “who’s the (bat)man” on the comms during patrol [that songs stuck in my head i had to mention it]) and something happens, maybe their first close encounter to death or a run in with the joker and they just become a shell of who they were and stuff

Jokes On Me

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Note: My god im so sorry this literally took me forever to write, thank you so much for being patient. I've been trying to write this all week but just couldn't sit down for long enough to finish it.

Warnings: Torture, blood, burns.

Word Count: 2.5k

⛧ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛧

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

“Y/N, turn that shit off.”

Jason grumbled at you over the coms. You had been blasting some wretched song that you’d found on the internet over and over again and it was beginning to drive him mad. 

“Nope.” You said, popping the ‘p’ loudly. 

“Seriously.” Dick deadpanned. He had found it amusing at first, but it was now beginning to test his patience. 

Agitated, you sighed and turned off the music. “Fine.”

“Thank you.” Jason expressed gratefully, turning his eyes back to the road he was patrolling. The night was cool and quiet besides the odd dog walker or couple returning from an evening out. It was one of those nights where patrol would end early and he could return home to take a warm bath and read a book before turning in for the night. Or so he thought. 

You were rounding the corner, humming that tune that was still stuck in your head when his laughter ricocheted across the walls. You stiffened, eyes widening and hands fumbling for your weapon as your breath hitched. No amount of turning and craning your head allowed you to catch a glimpse of the dreaded figure, and you thought for a moment that perhaps it had just been a trick of your mind, or one of your brothers playing a cruel joke on you as payback for winding them up earlier. But then you heard it again, only this time to your left. You clutched your weapon tighter, eyes scanning the area with a new found sense of urgency. 

“Wing…” You whispered into the coms so quietly that you were surprised he heard it.

“What now?” He somewhat snapped. 

“We have a problem.”

Dick’s heart sank through the floor, his ears pricking up and his demeanour changing completely. “Where are you? What’s the matter? He was trying to let his panic show, but you hadn’t been patrolling as a vigilante for very long, and while you were well trained, you lacked the experience to deal with something big on your own. And from your tone of voice, he could tell that you were in some deep shit. 

Jason worked his legs harder to push himself to reach the direction he had seen you head off in. Albeit it seemed even his hardest wasn’t enough.

When he stepped out of the darkness, the first thing you noticed were his eyes. Wide and bright, easily mistakable for a cat’s as they flashed in the darkness; wild. Rabid. As he emerged fully with that infamous twisted grin splayed out on his face, you felt like a cornered animal; a deer in headlights. You froze, unable to move despite how your heart screamed at you to run as it pounded, trying to break free from your ribcage. 

“He’s here…” A mere whisper sliding over your tongue, so fragile that you weren’t even sure if you had actually said it aloud. Jason had heard it. 

“Who?” 

The Joker was circling you now, dragging out his strides in lazy circles. You should have fought but in that moment all of your training had drained out of you, along with the colour in your face. He smirked, leering down upon you as you tried to keep your trembling hand still. He pouted in mockery and at your silence, Jason repeated his question to you, but you never got the chance to respond. 

“Oh…Just an old friend, Jay-bird.”

“Joker.” Urging his body to move faster, Jason grit his teeth. 

Dick paled. “You leave them alone.” Dick spat. It tried to be a command, but the effect was lost somewhere in transmission.

The joker pursed his lips, tilting his head as he analysed. One of his hands had found his way to your jawline and he trailed it with a cold, gloved hand. You wanted to lean away, to run and find your brother but you knew that now he had you in his grasp there was no point in even trying. “And why would I do that? They’re right in front of me. I could just…snatch them up.”

“Don’t you dare!” Dick was frightened now. “Y/N, you stay there as long as you can, okay? You fight. We’re coming, you hear?”

The Joker frowned at you. “D’you hear that? Big brother birdy coming to the rescue. How sweet.”

His grip on you tightened. “Too bad you’ll be long gone by the time they get here.”

With one swift motion, he had thrown you harshly to the side, your head colliding with the wall with a sickening crack. 

The two boys skidded to a halt just a second too late. You were already gone. 

~

Your head hurt when you woke up. Your eyes squinted against the sterile light. They did no favours to your pounding headache. With a groan, you tried to twist, to roll over and soothe the crook in your neck but instead all that happened was the jinging of a metal chain. You craned your head and spotted the thick chain that had been wrapped around your wrist, confining you to the chair. Struggling, you tugged on them, trying to free yourself only for them to rattle and scrape against your skin. 

“Yeah, that’s not going anywhere, birdy.” The joker chided.

You glared at him through narrowed eyes, trying to mask the thumping of your heart. The joker grinned wildly at your frightened complexion. 

“It was such a shame that Grayson and Todd didn’t get to you in time, but it was far too easy to catch you, little bird: you completely froze.” He snapped his fingers to emphasise his point. “Didn’t batsy teach you better?”

“Don’t talk about them.” You snapped. 

The joker raised his hands, palms facing toward you in surrender: taunting you as if you were the one with the power in the situation. “Touchy subject I see. Too bad.” 

He gestured above you to an incessantly blinking light. “Smile for the camera, you’re live.”

~

Babs had been monitoring the street cameras when the computer beside her flickered to life. She had been searching for any sign of you ever since Dick and Jason came flying through the grandfather clock. Everyone was on edge. 

The moment the screen flashed on, her eyes perked up to watch it, alarmed. She hadn’t turned it on. And there were very few people who could bypass the caves system. So when she saw a small frame curled up in a chair she knew immediately what was up. 

“Duke…” she called to the dark haired boy who was trying to help decipher your whereabouts. “Go and get B.” 

It did not take long at all for everyone to gather around in the cave. Duke was fast, and everyone dropped what they were doing to race down: even Alfred had taken his leave from his duties to see. 

It was almost like some sick irony because as soon as they were all there, you began to scream. A guttering, perfect scream that cut that through them like a knife: unclean and pinging into them messily again and again. 

The joker had taken a knife to your left thigh, his smile dripping with malice as he watched the camera, somehow knowing that at least one of them would be watching. 

Your face was contorted in pain, twisting in agony as tears rolled flatly down your cheeks from fearful eyes. Damian felt sick, his stomach churning. Jason wanted to leave. But all of them were stuck watching. Barbra was tapping away, trying to locate the signal from the video to no avail. 

“I hope you’re watching this Batsy…” He moved round to trail your face with the edge of the knife. You whimpered. “I’ve got your little bird here and I must say, you need to work on their training. They were far too easy to catch.”

Bruce felt his jaw tightening and Tim had to place a hand on his arm to remind him of his place. 

“Anyway I thought we would play a little game… how long can little y/n survive for. I wonder if it’ll be any longer than our very own Jason Todd.”

Jason twitched. 

“I’m testing you here, Bat. Tick Tock.”

The transmission cut to black. 

~

It seemed hopeless. Even though they had been searching for days, they were no closer to finding you. And to make matters worse, they could see you. Not long after the first transition ended did it start up again. It had been lifestreaming since then, and although they had tried to block it from their minds, it was hard to ignore. Especially when your agonised screams ricocheted throughout the halls. 

You looked like hell. Dark bags occluded under your eyes and there wasn’t an inch of your skin that wasn’t marred or stained with drying blood. The burns were worse. Damian could still hear the scream you let out when the joker first brought the hot poker to your skin. It had bubbled and blistered as the skin peeled away; you had thrashed against your restraints violently. Tim was certain that they were going to get infected if they didn’t reach you soon. 

It felt as if they had searched everywhere. Dick and Jason had even asked around to see if anyone had heard anything, going as far to talk to the Jokers closest associates in Arkham, but even if they did know, nobody said anything. Duke had even gone as far to go back to the area to use his powers to see if he could trace anything, but nothing seemed out of place; they had hit a brick wall. That was…until a small light appeared on the monitor. Babs had managed to trace the signal to a small building on the outskirts of the city. 

They were suited up in minutes, making a beeline for the building. They stormed it, recklessly taking down the Joker's goons before Batman chased wildly after the Joker, his face stony and his fists burning with anger. The other four boys chased down the winding corridors, flinging open the doors until they found one that was locked. Tim wasted no time, picking the lock with ease he peeled it open. His breath hitched when he saw you. 

Your face was gaunt, hanging low by your chest. Your suit was torn and there was less of it on your body than there was ripped away. You looked so fragile as your chest heaved sporadically. 

Jason nearly had to take a step back. This place reminded himself too much of his own encounter with the Joker not too long ago. But he pressed forward, fighting his instincts. He had to be strong. Instead of turning back, he kneeled in front of you, whispering your name. His hand came up to cup your face. You flinched away. 

“It’s okay kid. It’s us.” He tried to reassure you, but you shrank back into yourself. 

“We’re so, so sorry kiddo.” Dick tried placing a gentle hand on your arm before moving to work on the cuffs around your wrists. “We’re going to get you out.”

You said nothing, just continued to stare at the black space before you, and Dami wasn’t sure if you even knew they were in front of you. But when Jason moved away from you to help remove your restraints, your fingers latched onto him and you squeaked in protest. 

He sighed shakily. “Don’t worry kid. I’m not going anywhere.”

Damian twisted from where he was guarding the door. “We need to leave.”

Dick nodded bluntly, finishing with the last of the locks. “I’m going to have to pick you up, okay sweetheart?”

You barely registered what he had said. Everything had grown numb, you nodded anyhow. Moving his arms underneath your legs and slipping one arm behind your back, Jason began to lift you. He nearly recoiled when you cried and whimpered with the way your wounds jostled as he sprinted out of the building to get you back to safety. 

~

You were yet to say anything since you came home. You had been back a few days and your wounds were healing up nicely thanks to Alfred’s handywork, but the air was eerily silent around you. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t been communicating with them; you spoke to them with gestures or writing but no one was used to not hearing your voice. The stark contrast between your loud and bustling personality and you now was unsettling. No one wanted to push you too far but the manor was beginning to grow lonely. 

It was one particularly rainy night when you finally spoke.  You were curled up in a large armchair by the window in the library, sinking back into the plush leather as you watched the raindrops race down the glass. Jason had been watching you from afar, contemplating whether to talk to you or not when he walked over. 

“What are you up to?” He asked you, making sure you knew that he was there before he spoke. 

You gestured toward the window,then to the half opened book at your feet and shrugged. 

“I see.” He nodded, taking a seat on the armchair opposite you. A comfortable silence settled between the two of you. Jason wasn’t much of a talker. He knew more than anyone what you were going through, which was why it was nice just to know that he was willing to sit with you, just so you knew that he was there if you needed him. It made you feel safe. But you also couldn’t help but feel guilty, and frustrated with yourself for being in a place that made him feel as though he had to do that. 

“I’m sorry.” You whispered. 

Jason had to do a second take. His heart swelled. “What for?”

You sighed. “This. When I saw him…i-i froze. If I had run then this would never have happened.”

“Shh. This isn’t your fault.”

“But-”

“I promise, Kid. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

You nodded, looking away from him. But then you furrowed your brows and turned back to him. “How did you do it? How did you deal with this, Jay? Every time I close my eyes he’s there.”

“I guess I don’t, really. Or sometimes it feels like I don’t. I still get scared sometimes. I still see him in my dreams. But over time it gets easier. I had people around me to help me. And so do you, kid. We’re here. We’ll always be here.”

Jason shifted to brush away a rogue tear and you leaned into his touch and then wrapped your arms tightly around his middle. 

“I’m here. Always. We’ll get through this together.”

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

BATFAM TAGS

@aestheticdaisies @hearts4robs @xxrougefangxx @mamapucket @hell-o-kittys @harleycao @batfamsstuff @alicedawitchbish

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

#batfam x reader #Batfamily x reader #dc x reader #dc #batfam #dick Grayson #dick Grayson x reader #hurt/comfort #nightwing #nightwing x reader #Jason Todd #Jason Todd x Reader #batfam x sibling reader #red hood #red hood x reader #batfam x injured reader #Tim Drake #Tim Drake x Reader #red Robin #red Robin x reader #Damian Wayne #Damian Wayne x Reader #robin #robin x reader #writing #angst #whump #duke Tomas #barbra gordon #Batman

[flowgninthgil]

I'M SORRY BUT WHAT?!!?!!!

What did you do to those poor people?!?!

How can one be so cruel?!

#AO3 #Batman #DC #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #Orphan #Spoiler #kate kane #Batwoman #the signal #Duke Tomas #diana of themyscira #Wonder Woman #clark kent #Super Man #Mia Mizugochi #Jim Gordon #bruce wayne #dick grayson #nightwing #Robin #jason todd #red hood #tim drake #red robin #damian wayne #batgirls #black bat #batfamily

[onlycleverinmyhead]

When you ask the Batkids who’s their favorite sibling

Dick: I love them all equally (Tim and Jason are willing to bet it’s Damian)

Jason: No one (Dick)

Tim: Either Dick or Cass 

Cass: Tim 

Damian: Greyson

Duke: I like everyone  (undecided)

#batkids #batfam #batfamily #dick grayson #Jason Todd #tim drake #cassandra cain #cass cain #Damian Wayne #duke tomas

[pendragon-writes]

𝐵𝒶𝓉𝒻𝒶𝓂

Bruce Wayne "Batman"

BatDad!Reader

Cassandra Cain "Orphan"

Tim Drake "Red Robin"

Barbra Gordon "Oracle"

Jim Gordon

Richard "Dick" Grayson "Nightwing"

Jason Todd "Red Hood"

Damian Wayne "Robin"

Stephanie Brown "Spoiler"

Duke Thomas "The Signal"

Alfred Pennyworth "The Butler"

Lucius Fox

#batfam #batman #duke tomas #lucius fox #alfred pennyworth #damian wayne #jason todd #red robin #nightwing #dick grayson #robin #spoiler #jim gordon #barbra gordon #bruce wayne #the signal #oracle #orphan #dc x male reader #dc x gn!reader

[gatorbites-imagines]

Another day passes, the more my love for Duke Thomas grows.

#batman #dc #duke tomas #spoiler #male reader

[gecklund]

Duke 💔

I, uh, was going to respond to this when it came in but boy did the last 24 hours hit like a ton of bricks. I think I’m in shock now? What is even happening, MIKE????

#tomas hertl #is a KNIGHT??? #we’ve swapped around goalies like a carousel??? #Beautiful Duke is gone??? #who is going to be in charge of this runaway train? #is Logan going to give up forever? #MEV actually went back on Twitter to be publicly sad about Tomas leaving #san jose sharks #ask #anonymous

[nepoupdates]

Any potential couples you can see? 👀

josie  ,  rosalind  and  teagan  .  the  potential  is  right  there  .  they  showed  up  as  each  other's  dates  to  the  valentine's  day  ball  .

lulu  and  sofia  .  i  think  they'd  be  cute  .  their  personalities  compliment  one  another  so  i  can  see  something  there  .

duke  and  tomas  .  it  seems  random  ,  i  know.  they'd  get  along  purely  because  they  don't  get  along  with  a  lot  of  people  .  i  will  not  be  elaborating  any  further  .

  (  @delicatlueur  ,  @rosalindisms  ,  @teagvns  ,  @racingfm  ,  @flowcrbcds  ,  @jaspersalvo  ,  @elitisms  )

#about : josette seong #about : rosalind bishop #about : teagan yoon #about : alune kim #about : sofia monzon #about : duke salvo #about : tomas gonzales #m: sylvia

[perseusannabeth]

Chapter 9 - Nesta

A/N: Hello everyone! Long time no see. I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Shout out to my beta for encouraging me to work on this!

Trigger warnings for the following in this chapter: mentions of suicidal thoughts, death during childbirth, miscarriage, starvation and physical abuse. As per usual, if there's anything you think I've missed that could be a trigger, please let me know!

Word count:   6119

LMBYH Masterlist | My Masterlist | My Ask Box | Read on AO3

Nesta was at the point where she had reached a steady routine, which rarely deviated. The routine gave her structure, predictability and peace she had never had the comfort of knowing in her previous marriage unless Tomas locked her in their rooms. At first, when he would lock her in their rooms for days, he would beg him to let her out, which only made him angrier. Then, he would deny her food during her punishment. Once she got used to living in that house, she saw him locking her away for what it truly was: a blessing in disguise. She was safely locked away in the rooms, with nobody watching her or worse. 

Of course, eventually, Tomas realised she actually enjoyed the time alone, so it stopped. He couldn't have his wife enjoy her punishment after all. Instead, he decided that the physical punishments were better suited since Nesta enjoyed her own company. 

Her current husband had clearly decided that her punishment for misbehaving was to just continue like nothing happened. Her wrongdoings from the ball had not been mentioned, and he seemed to avoid the subject while simultaneously wanting to speak on it. Nesta was fine with the indecision and continued to spend her days in the library. She would do so happily if she could stay there all night, too, but she didn't want to push her luck. Her husband seemed reasonable, but you could never predict what would make a man snap. Still, she knew that in the library, she was safe. 

Her husband seemed nervous when he entered the library and rarely seemed to do so. Nesta assumed the years of neglect his family's legacy had seen made him feel uncomfortable, or perhaps it was something else entirely. Still, either way, Nesta did not mind that he rarely entered. 

She had thought she understood men very well up until her second marriage. There were men like Tomas, who wanted to show everyone how powerful they were, puffing their chests out like peacocks, just because he wanted to show the world something other than what he was. He seemed unable to move out of his brother's shadow and turned to anger. 

Then, there were men like Philip, who would crush anything they could not control. They were as slippery as an eel and sly as a fox and rarely had anyone tell them no. Those types of men were worse because they were much more confident in themselves compared to the kind of man Tomas was. At least with Tomas, Nesta knew she could play to his ego, which would appease him. 

Then there was the kind of man Robert Mandray was. He was so gentle he was almost like a woman. His brothers had no respect for him because of it, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make himself more like his brothers. His wife had once disrespected his brother at the dinner table, so he slapped her across the face. Philip had looked proud, but Robert had looked horrified. He had left the house the following day, taking his wife with him. Nesta understood why; it was unsafe for either of them in a house like that. Robert was too gentle, and Philip was known for wandering eyes, hands and penis, too, if he could help it. It didn't matter if the recipient of his advances were open to them.

Perhaps the Duke was more like Robert, but then she wasn't sure if she believed that. He could command a room, and nobody could say he wasn't powerful. Nesta didn't understand much about the running of estates, but she knew the Duke of Illyria was good at it and had many profitable estates up and down the country. That kind of money came to someone other than someone who would run like Robert. Her husband had also gifted her with so much; she knew other men would dislike her being given such freedom and power. She was sure Tomas was turning in his grave, yet the Duke did not care. 

Perhaps this was the freedom someone with his status and power could expect. The Duke did not care that Nesta could run wild with all the freedoms he gave her. He was too rich and powerful to care. Even the talk of society didn't bother the Duke; it seemed not to reach his ears. Important people clearly didn't have the time for such things. The issue was that Nesta had never been around someone with such importance, so she had yet to learn how she should act. 

As Nesta steadied herself at the top of a ladder to clean the top of yet another shelf, she thought about how easy it would be for her to fall from this height. She could injure herself pretty badly if she landed on her head in the right way. She could die, and nobody would realise until lunchtime. But as soon as the horrific thought popped into her head, she shook it away. She couldn't do that. The burden that would put on her sisters and, worse, the Duke was too much. Feyre was so heavily pregnant, and she didn't want to do anything to put the baby at risk. Elain couldn't stop mentioning her children and wanting them to meet their aunt Nesta. And then, of course, the Duke would be the subject of a lot of scandalous talk if she died. No, she couldn't do that to them. She had a responsibility to them all. Her mother had always said it was her burden to shoulder these responsibilities. Even after her mother's death, she had been unable to move past that feeling. 

There was a knock at the door, one that startled Nesta out of her thoughts. Only Claude and the Duke came here, but neither knocked so timidly as this person did. There was another knock, this time a little louder at the lack of response. Nesta called for them to enter and started climbing down the ladder. 

To her surprise, it was a little boy who entered. The awe was evident on his face as he walked in, scanning the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The boy was so entranced by all the books he tripped over his own two feet but managed to catch himself before he hit the ground. He quickly straightened himself out, but his face started to colour when he looked over and saw that Nesta had been watching him. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly before finally speaking. "My Lady," he said and then paused. Then, he did the stiffest, most awkward bow known to man. 

Nesta stifled a laugh at that but decided to put the clearly nervous boy out of his misery. "How can I help you this fine morning, good sir?" She said, matching the boy's formality and curtsying back to him. 

The boy's eyes widened in horror. "Please, My Lady, you don't need to bow to me. My name's Arthur and I'm Eleanor's son; my mother said she's your maid?" The boy was clearly unsure if Nesta would even know who his mother was.

Now that the boy mentioned it, she could see their similarities. "Of course, it's nice to meet you, Arthur," Nesta said, putting on her best smile. It had been so long since she had smiled that she felt out of practice. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you needed any help, My Lady?" he said awkwardly while shifting around, avoiding eye contact. 

Nesta tried to control her facial expression at that. Why would this boy want to help her? Well, her first thought instantly went to her husband. He must've wanted the boy to spy on her. But then, another part of her questioned this logic. Why would the Duke wish to spy on her when nothing else entered the library? It would only make sense if he was worried about Claude, which also didn't make any sense. Claude loved the Duke far too much to risk doing anything that would anger him. 

"Why do you want to help me?" Nesta said, trying to keep her suspicions out of it. She didn't want the boy to feel like he was being backed into a corner. "This isn't where a young boy like yourself would want to spend his day. Surely, you'd rather go outside and play instead?" Nesta said, smiling so the boy didn't feel attacked by her words. 

"Well, ma'am, I know I'm young, but I want to work to help my mother. We- well, we don't live with our father anymore, so my mother works really hard. I'm the eldest, so I want to help her. Maybe, if I help you, the Duke will see and give me other tasks to do, too," the boy was nervous about telling her his motivations, but Nesta couldn't help but smile at how sweet he was. 

She had no idea Eleanor didn't have her husband with her, but her son was clearly nervous about mentioning him, so Nesta didn't delve into that anymore. "Well, as you can see, there's a lot to do around here, so I certainly wouldn't mind the help," Nesta said, gesturing around them. 

That put a smile on the boy's face. He rolled his sleeves up, readying himself for some action. "What do you want me to do first, ma'am? Just so you know, I know I look small, but I'm very strong, so if you need me to carry things, I can do that too!"  

Nesta wanted to avoid lumbering the poor boy by carrying books around for her, not when they were so heavy. The boy was skinny-looking, and although very eager to prove himself, she didn't know if his little body could take so much manual labour. Instead, Nesta looked for a kinder task that would allow him to help her without injuring him. She didn't know Eleanor very well, and while the woman was taciturn, she knew that there was a possibility that Eleanor could get angry if her son came back exhausted from a day in the library. 

"Well, actually, there's a task I've been putting off because I've been finding it too daunting," Nesta said conspiratorially. The boy nodded eagerly, waiting for her to carry on. "You see those piles of books over there?" Nesta said, pointing at the piles of books practically covering the lone table in the room. "Well, I need to figure out an order for them; the shelves I took them off were a mess. If someone could put them alphabetically, we could put them back onto the shelves much tidier. What do you think?" Nesta asked. 

The boy bit his lip anxiously before eventually replying to Nesta. "Well, ma'am, I think you could do that, and I could carry on cleaning. Wouldn't that be better?" Nesta was confused; clearly, the boy could see she wouldn't accept that without questioning him. "Ma'am, I can't read, so I can't organise your books. But I can clean for you," the boy said with a smile. 

Nesta blushed at that, cursing herself for being so thoughtless. Of course, someone like Arthur couldn't read. Although schools were around, they weren't open to accepting people from a lower class. Some factory owners in the north were known to build schools for the children who worked with them, but this was rare. Nesta wondered how many children on the Duke's estate couldn't read while she spent her day in a library. 

"Would you like to learn?" Nesta asked impulsively. It was too late to take the offer back, though, and now it lingered between the woman and child. 

"Would you really teach me?" Arthur asked cautiously. 

"If you want to learn, then yes. I've never taught anyone how to read before, but if that's alright with you, then-"

Before Nesta could continue, Arthur cut her off. "Yes! Please, I would love to learn how to read. I could get so many other jobs if I learned how to work. Please, ma'am, I'll work day and night if you teach me."

Nesta smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear you're so excited to learn. All I ask for is an eager student, so you don't need to work day and night."

As they both walked towards the table, Nesta finally felt that, for once in her life, she was doing something good. 

***

Her day with Arthur had been one of her best days in a long time. Nesta had spent two hours writing out upper- and lower-case versions of the alphabet and saying the phonetic sounds for them. Then she let Arthur try to copy her letters to the best of his ability while he said the sounds. While Arthur repeated the process, Nesta cleaned, staying close in case he needed her help. 

Claude had been delighted to see the boy with Nesta when he had come to serve lunch. Nesta had been glad that Arthur was a growing boy because he had eaten with such gusto that it had hidden how little she had eaten. The smell of the delicious food had made Nesta feel nauseous, so she had taken two bites and then left the rest while she listened to the energetic back and forth between Arthur and Claude. 

Claude had such a brilliant way with children, and his personality was infectious. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Arthur and Claude laugh. Nesta usually felt like an outsider left in the cold; being an outsider while Arthur and Claude talked was like being doused in sunlight. The warmth seeped into her bones, and she felt something inside her thaw as their joy hit her. 

When Claude had left, much later than he usually would, Nesta felt like she had been given a new burst of energy. She cleaned with renewed vigour, and Arthur decided to help her, which made the time go faster. Nesta also felt like she had gotten more done today, probably because there were two of them rather than her tackling things independently. Plus, when she was on her own, she tended to get distracted by the books she found, and before she knew it, the sun would be setting, and she had read a chunk of the most bizarre book ever. She wasn't sure which of the Duke's ancestors had been so obsessed with crocodiles, but she had found five copies of the same book. 

Nesta assumed that her lack of distraction today was why her body ached so much. Arthur had thrown himself into cleaning the lower shelves, so Nesta had felt like she needed to match that energy, but now she was paying the price since the boy was over ten years younger than her. Sitting at the dinner table across from her husband, struggling to lift her spoon to her mouth, certainly put her in her place. She wasn't feeling hungry. That queasy feeling from earlier hadn't dissipated as she had hoped. 

Claude had cooked a feast fit for kings, but she couldn't taste anything. Everything tasted like ash, so she kept her face passive. She didn't want anyone noticing, especially not her husband, who sat opposite her, talking about one of his tenants. Nesta never understood why her husband needed to tell her the ins and outs of his tenants; she couldn't imagine he wanted her opinion. Perhaps, like all great men, he wanted to talk about all the important things he did. 

Still, it was better than when he decided to be polite and ask her about her day, which was inevitable. 

"Claude told me that Arthur was helping you today," the Duke said. His tone was even; there were no accusations of anything, but she couldn't tell how her husband felt about Arthur spending time with her. Right now, he was just a boy, so there was no danger of him thinking Nesta could stray, but she wondered if that would come eventually as Arthur got older. 

"I had never met him before today, my Lord. He walked in and asked me for work," Nesta explained, not wanting her husband to think she spent her days talking to strangers.

The Duke just laughed, startling Nesta. "Arthur is ambitious and most likely getting underfoot wherever he had been spending his day before. I think it will do him some good. The boy is responsible; he just needs some guidance. He's a smart boy, and I'm sure he'll do well for himself in the future."

Nesta paused. The talk of Arthur's future made Nesta hesitate. Clearly, the Duke wanted the boy to succeed, but Nesta wasn't sure how he would feel about her teaching the boy how to read. While she had been helping the boy, it had occurred to her that she should've asked her husband for permission before taking something like this on, and of course, she should've asked permission from Eleanor, too. Some people could be peculiar about who their children spend their time with. 

"My Lord," Nesta said nervously. She could feel herself getting warm, the sweat gathering on her brow as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves before Nesta told her husband what she had offered without his permission. "Today, while in the library, Arthur mentioned that he could not read."

"Ah, well, I suppose that is to be expected," the Duke said with a sad smile. 

"Well, I offered to teach him," Nesta said quickly, looking down at her hands. She interlocked her hands to try and stop them from trembling so much. She knew she had done something wrong, and now she would have to pay whatever price her husband felt necessary. She just hoped that Arthur wouldn't suffer because of her.

"Is that something you want to do with your free time?" the Duke asked Nesta as though her opinion mattered to him.

"If you're happy to allow it, my lord," Nesta admitted. It was risky to say she wanted to do something, especially since she had already gone behind his back. He could see that she wanted to do this and take it away as a punishment.

"Of course, I'm happy for you to teach the boy. He's ambitious, and I didn't know what to do with him. It seems like you've found the perfect solution for him. I'm sorry that I didn't think of something like that sooner," the Duke contemplated. 

Nesta didn't reply; it felt like a trap to say she thought of something he didn't. Even suggesting such a thing would've gotten her the beating of a lifetime from Tomas. Despite knowing this act of the Duke was too good to be true, she wouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth. 

"There is no school for the lower class in this area. Rhys's mother once campaigned for it, but as far as I'm aware, she was told that unless there was evidence of some interest within the community, the government wouldn't be willing to throw that kind of money at the lower classes. They believed they could build a school, and the lower classes wouldn't send their children because it was easier for them to send them to work. I'm not sure how much truth there is in that, but it's a shame these children can't learn to read and write."

The Duke sounded thoughtful as he spoke, which Nesta had not expected to hear. Nor had she expected to listen to thoughts about supporting the lower classes. The Duke's family was an ancient one which could be traced back to the founding of Prythian. Meanwhile, the Mandray family had only recently been given their current rank. Yet, despite being so new to the money and social standing they currently had, neither Philip nor Tomas had ever looked at the lower classes with anything other than contempt or disgust. 

It was strange. Nesta had not expected her current husband to be so progressive. Then again, how he spoke of the issue made her feel like he had not thought about it in much detail before she had mentioned Arthur. But now that he knew it, he took the issue very seriously.

Nesta had heard whispers that her husband treated the issues of the tenants and people under his general management in such a way, too. He was unaware of all their problems, but if he was made aware of it, he would always try to help. He had apparently once helped a tenant whose ewe was birthing. The Duke had only been passing by, but the man had called out, needing some help, and the Duke had not faltered in rolling his sleeves up. The man had recounted the tale laughing one night, saying he had done little more than take instruction from the actual farmer, but Nesta couldn't help but think that he downplayed things a little. 

Nesta took a sip of her water as the silence started to linger. Where she'd usually water down her wine, she had bypassed it all together today. Nesta knew it wouldn't sit well in her already queasy stomach. She had hoped the water would help settle her stomach or, at the very least, end the pounding in her head, but it had not helped. 

"Are you alright, Nesta?" the Duke asked her, frowning. 

Nesta straightened her back, hoping her posture would help her look better. She didn't want to admit she wasn't feeling well. Any sign of weakness could be used against her; she had learnt that the hard way. Men didn't want to hear that their wives were not well. They didn't care, and it was disgusting to have to hear about anything like sickness. Women were meant to suffer in silence. 

"You look pale, and you've eaten less- I mean, you've not eaten very much," the Duke fumbled over his words. Nesta didn't have the energy to figure out what he really wanted to say; she was too tired, and her head felt full of cotton wool. She wondered how the Duke noticed she wasn't feeling well and why he would pay so much attention to her when he had better things to do. 

"No, no, I'm fine, my Lord," Nesta said, shaking her head and plastering on a fake smile. The Duke didn't seem convinced, but he didn't comment. He still eyed her plate, so Nesta knew he wouldn't stay quiet for long. "The food isn't quite sitting well with me; it's quite strong flavours and stodgy. I'll go to the kitchen to speak to Claude and get something to settle my stomach; it's nothing to worry about."

Nesta was loathed to explain herself further, but she knew the Duke enough to realise she needed to give him some sort of explanation. She didn't wait for him to reply, as she quickly got up and rushed to the kitchen before he could stop her. Perhaps there was something Claude could give her that would help- or at least something she could eat without being sick. 

There was chatter in the kitchen, but Nesta was past the point of processing it. The heat hit her as she rounded the corner and was met with various smells and sounds. She couldn't take it in; so much was going on, and her brain couldn't process it all in its overwhelming glory. 

Nesta had been to the kitchen only a handful of times since she had married the Duke. She knew she was not well-liked in the household, which was fine. They were very protective of their master, and everyone else kept their distance apart from Claude, who seemed like he could be friendly with a bear. That was fine; the distance meant fewer chances of anyone spying on her to report back to her husband. 

"My Lady, are you alright?" a younger man asked her. She didn't even notice when he came over to her. Claude had yet to notice her, but Nesta hadn't announced herself as she walked in. Her head felt so fuzzy that she had just ended up staring off into the distance at nothing. 

"I apologise; I know you all must be busy," Nesta said, trying to wade through the treacle in her brain to remember what she had wanted to say.

"It's no problem, ma'am. We're not busy; it's just Claude's chaos," the man smiled. Nesta had been introduced to him but couldn't remember his name for the life of her. 

At the sound of his name, Claude whipped around and beamed brightly as he saw Nesta. "Matthew, get back over there. You're not paid to chat with Lady Nesta," he said jovially. 

"Of course, Claude," Matthew replied, a grin adorning his face, and mischief sparkling in his eyes. That's you who's paid to talk to the Duchess."

Matthew ran off before Claude could say anything, but Nesta could see the humour dancing on his face. "Now that Matthew is doing his real job, how can I help you, my lady. Is there something wrong with the food?" Claude said, looking anxious. 

"No, Claude, definitely not. I just am not feeling too well. Is there anything you have that I can eat that will help?" Nesta said, blushing at her admission. 

"Oh, of course. I make some wonderful soups, but some tea might be quicker. What seems to be the issue, my lady? Perhaps Cassian needs to call the doctor instead," Claude said kindly, leading Nesta to a nearby stool.

Nesta shook her head. "It's fine; I just feel a bit queasy," she lied. 

Claude didn't look like he believed her but, thankfully, didn't say anything. To keep him from pressing the topic, she quickly spoke up, changing the subject. "Why do you call the Duke Cassian, but you're so formal with me?"

Claude smiled at that. "That idiot doesn't know how to treat a lady. He's the stupidest Duke I've ever seen," he laughed. "I jest. I've known him for a long time, and we've always been friends first, so it was natural to call him by his name. With you, well, I don't know you as well, so I wasn't sure if you would like me to be so forward and familiar with you. I wouldn't want to insult you."

"Well, I'm asking you to call me by my name. I would like to think we're friends," Nesta said softly. It was true. Claude was the closest thing she'd had to a friend for a long time. The last friend she'd had was long gone now. 

"I'm honoured, Nesta," Claude said, testing out saying her name. Here, let me make you some tea. What about having some pastry with it? Really, you should eat something if you don't feel well; it might help to settle your stomach."

"Thank you, Claude, but the tea will be more than fine. If I can manage something else, I will let you know," Nesta said kindly but firmly. She knew her stomach wouldn't be able to handle all that liquid and then food on top of that. 

Claude hesitated for a moment, weighing something up, before speaking. "Nesta, if we are friends, then I just want to say something as a friend. I hope you don't take offence, and I'm sorry if you do; it's just that I need you to know something. If you don't like something about my cooking or something specific you would like to eat, it would bring me great joy if you told me. I know you've said that you like my cooking in the past, but I can't help noticing you don't eat very much." Claude looked guilty like he had said something he shouldn't have. 

Nesta was frozen. She didn't know what to do or say. She knew her eating habits hadn't gone unnoticed, but she hoped people would just leave her to it. She should've known that Claude would never leave a food-related matter alone. Food was too important to him, and she knew he had perceived it as an insult because she didn't eat much of it. 

She could see no way around it. She had to tell him the truth. If she didn't, he would think she was rude, and in a house where he was one of the only people Nesta enjoyed the company of, she couldn't do that. She knew it was dangerous, becoming so attached to the man, but he was so soft and full of love and joy. Nesta couldn't help but be drawn into the man's orbit. She didn't think she had seen anyone so kind and willing to help others. She didn't even know people like Claude could exist. 

She took a deep breath, Claude studying her as she opened her mouth to finally voice the truth. "In the Mandray household, the wives were not to eat first. Tomas and his brothers would eat first at the table. Their mother and sister did not sit with them often; they ate in his mother's rooms. The men ate without any abandon and were not the tidiest of eaters. Once they had done and left the room, the wives could eat what was left," Nesta said quietly. She had never admitted it before. She had never had the bravery to say anything, unlike others.

Nesta looked up at Claude, only to notice how horrified he looked. Nesta had never seen horror etched so clearly onto someone else's face, but with Claude, it was hard to mistake it for anything else. "Nesta," Claude rasped out, his eyes filled with tears. "Did they starve you?"

Nesta hesitated. She had never really thought about it like that. At first, she thought it was so strange and questioned her husband about it a lot. Tomas had told her it was a long-standing tradition in their family when it came to married women, but it had always been about controlling them. 

"I never thought about it, but yes, they did, I suppose. There were times when we got nothing if we angered them. And then there were rules for if one of us was pregnant," Nesta explained, although she had no idea why she was explaining it. As the words came out of her mouth, she knew it all sounded horrific. 

"Were you- did you ever become?" Claude asked, clearly unsure how to proceed in that conversation. 

"No, not me, but my friend. She was married to Philip, Tomas' older brother. Her name was Clare, and she was the only person who understood what it was like in that house," Nesta said, her voice breaking as she spoke about her friend. She felt terrible for using Clare's pregnancy to avoid talking about her own, but then again, it was safer that way. She had no idea how the Duke would react if he knew she had been pregnant before, even if she didn't last very long.

"What happened to her?" Claude whispered

"She died in childbirth. The baby didn't survive either," Nesta said, wiping a tear which had escaped. Claude put a cup of tea down in front of her; she hadn't even noticed that he had done anything; she had been so consumed with her thoughts. 

"I can't believe how much you've been through, Nesta; how did you bear it?" Claude asked, clutching his own cup of tea. 

Nesta shrugged. "I did what I had to do. It was better when Clare was around; she understood how it was. I got used to things; I got into a routine. I knew how to avoid things." She knew getting used to things wasn't okay, but that was the truth. She didn't want to say that she had wanted to die. Claude seemed concerned enough as it was.

"That must've been hard, especially after your friend was gone," Claude said quietly.

"She was the only one who understood it, but I knew I had to carry on for her," Nesta said, taking a sip of her tea to give her some time to gather her thoughts. "Claude, I didn't tell you these things because I wanted you to pity me. I just needed you to understand that I'm trying my best. It probably doesn't seem like much, but it's all I can give now."

"No, of course!" Claude exclaimed. "And I'm honoured you felt like you could tell me."

Nesta didn't want to rain on his parade and tell him it was because she felt guilty for not eating his food, but then again, she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she felt some comfort around him. There was something about Claude which made her feel safe. She knew he wouldn't use the information against her like the staff in the Mandray household did. It was a strange sensation for her to actually trust someone. It had been so long she had forgotten how it felt.

"Will you tell Cassian?" Claude asked.

Nesta's eyes widened in horror. "No, absolutely not!"

Claude felt guilty for alarming her, so he held his hands out in surrender. "Sorry, I was just wondering if it would help understand the things you've been through," he said, trying to soothe her. 

"He can't know Claude. He didn't want to marry me; he just agreed for my sister's sake. I'm grateful to him, but I know he's burdened by my strange behaviour. I'll get better, though; I'll become the wife he wants if he just gives me some time. I just need to learn more about his likes and dislikes. Once I figure him out, I'll be the wife he wants, and then he won't have any problems," Nesta said without even thinking. Her brain felt full of cotton wool; she had no idea what she was saying. She felt like she was speaking too fast and too slow simultaneously. 

"Nesta, you know that's not what Cassian wants, right? I agree; I think you do need to get to know him, though, because when you do, I know you'll realise what he wants." Claude said.

Nesta didn't know how to react. Her brain was slowing down, so she raised her mug to take another sip of the tea. She didn't realise how much her hands shook until she spilt her tea down her front. Thankfully, the tea wasn't warm enough to scald her, but the shock of feeling the liquid on her startled her enough to make her drop her mug. 

She shot to her feet as Claude got up and grabbed a cloth. The room was spinning, and Nesta eventually concluded that she had not managed to fight the horrific feeling she'd been having all day. Her stomach churned worse than ever. 

Of course, her husband walked in on this chaos. "I heard some noise. What's going on?" the Duke asked, looking concerned. 

Claude said something, but Nesta didn't register it at all. The Duke clearly understood whatever it was that Claude had said, and took Nesta's hand to guide her away from the broken mug. 

She wouldn't usually be so glad he was so close to her, but she felt so unsteady that she gripped his hand like it was her lifeline. His hands felt so cool compared to her burning skin, and she fought the temptation to put his hand on her brow. Thankfully, her senses hadn't entirely left her, and she refrained.

"Nesta, you look pale and unsteady. Please, tell me what's wrong?" the Duke said in a frightfully close tone to begging her. 

"I'm not sure, I just feel-" Before she could downplay how ill she felt, she felt the bile rise in her throat as her stomach churned. To her horror, Nesta turned to throw up the contents of her stomach on her husband's shoes. 

It was over as quickly and suddenly as it had started, and Nesta felt the tiny bit of energy she'd managed to conserve throughout the day had left her body and lay at her husband's feet.

"Nesta? Fuck, are you okay?" the Duke sounded discomposed now, but his voice was starting to sound far away. She felt a hand touch her forehead, and some unsavoury curse words left the Duke's mouth. "Nesta, you're on fire; why didn't you say?" 

Nesta tried to say something, but her head was swimming, and even thinking of words took energy she didn't have. She just wanted to sleep, and she could feel it calling her like a siren calls a sailor. Everything was too much for her, so Nesta simply embraced the darkness. She had just enough time to register strong arms grabbing her as she fell into the darkness lingering in her mind. 

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#acotar #nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #nesta x cassian #text #lmbyh

[copperbadge]

In Re: Carlo and Pride, I imagine Caleb's reaction to Galia's Big Shiny Parade will be something along the lines of "Good for them! Still not going!!!!!!!" ?

AHAHAHA yeah, I mean -- I think Caleb is softening a little towards Galia, because he's reached a point where he kind of knows who he is and who he wants to be, and he's comfortable with that, has a strong support network, a loving partner, social capital. But Fons-Askaz is his home, and if anything his conversation with Michaelis, where Michaelis is like "But you live, eat, teach, pay taxes here...you are Shivadh in any way that matters" affirmed that Galia is not somewhere he particularly wants or needs to return to.

There is a short story, not completed yet because I'm not sure where all it's going, where Caleb writes a song about Duke Tomas and drops it on Photogram, and it goes viral:

The app popped up the Photogram account of the Duchessa's younger brother, Lord Milo Ansevali, secretary to the duchy. His latest post was a video titled Reaction To 'Punching Down' by Caleb Canto. 

Ah, shit. 

Caleb sighed and clicked on it.

Ansevali had an earbud in one ear, and a mug of steaming tea in one hand, the teabag's tag dangling visibly. As the intro to Caleb's latest song came on over the video, he nodded his head in time, then set down the mug to start shoulder-dancing to it; when Caleb hit the first chorus, where the song got pretty intense pretty quickly, the camera began to shake wildly as Lord Milo enthusiastically rocked out. Caleb watched, fascinated, as one of the most powerful men in Galia began to headbang blurrily. 

The chorus came to an end and the camera went still; Ansevali, visibly breathing heavily, went still again as well, only nodding his head gently. As the song hit the line Even his kids don't want his job, he delicately lifted his mug to his mouth and sipped, and the screen went black. 

In the notes, he'd pinned a comment by the official Photogram of the Duchess of the Horse of the House of Galia, his older sister, Duchessa Ofelia. In Italian, it read How much would we need to pay Caleb Canto to move back to Galia?

Lord Milo had replied, Why pay him to move back? He's making our point for us from the Ask.

Caleb, who was not especially good at Photogram but was constantly around people who were, considered what Noah or Jerry would say if they were pretending to be him on his Photogram, as they sometimes had in the past. Then he opened the reply thread and tapped out, With affection for the Duchess from an Abdicaristo, I can't leave Askazer-Shivadlakia. My first love is the sea.

("Abdicaristo/a/e" is the term for a supporter of the political movement to democratize Galia and for Ofelia to abdicate the throne in favor of a parliamentary government. Ofelia is the head of the movement, which Caleb speculates makes life in the Palazzo Cavallo very exciting.)

#shivadhverse

[livingdeadgirly]

Can someone draw the lin kuei as heathers pretty please

Bi han is heather chandler

Tomas is heather duke

Kuai liang is heather mcnamara

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat fanart #bi han #kuai liang #tomas vrbada #lin kuei #heathers #mortalkombat 1

[fireemblems24]

Azure Gleam Ch 14

I feel sad knowing this route is almost over :(

NARRATION

As much as Claude is annoying me right now, it's cool to see Faerghus, the Alliance, and the church all team up.

So it looks like we're fighting Caspar and Bergliez again. It's so much easier on me to kill the Empire characters lol.

It's so funny that all the Empire characters know something is weird with Edelgard, but are like "I'm still fighting anyways."

Is there any explanation of what happened to her? Or is this just a cope out so the war keeps going without making her into a flat-out evil.

Bergliez tells Caspar to run away. He's not though. And honestly, I don't want him. Not Hopes!Caspar at least. Brgliez keeps trying though, which guess he gets some dad points? Maybe? I like him more than Holst.

He compares what they're doing to captains that go down with their ship. So needless death. Ship captains have no choice, but they do and they keep fighting. Poor taste.

They're heading for the monastery. Shocking. I know. /s

I love how in the other routes, I protect Aegir. In this one, I'm sure I'll get to kill him. Feels good.

They talk strategy.

I honestly appreciate that this games goes a bit more into strategy. It's not super detailed, but more than Fire Emblem usually does lol.

Arval is like, ok, it's my turn. The suggestion is to just strike everyone all at once.

She's like, we've got the stronger army, let's act like it. I like that kind of thinking.

Felix calls Shez a boar lol. Says we have too boars in this army.

SIDE BATTLES/MAP

Shez tried to sympathize with Linhardt about possibly fighting Caspar and he's like "it doesn't really bother me" lol.

Felix admires Berlgeiz however the fuck you spell his name because he finds the sense of duty to the Empire despite it being a giant fuck up right now admirable. Coming from Felix, that's hysterical. I wish Shez had the option to tease Felix about it lol.

A scholar just said Dimitri appreciates their input (calculating how much food and raw materials is needed etc) unlike many other leaders. Happy to see more Dimitri praise in this game.

Petra once knocked Duke Aegir on his ass for insulting her father. I wonder if you get to learn this amazing piece of Petra lore in other routes or if this is an AG exclusive badassery.

Ok, so some random church NPC talked about how killing Edelgard would end the Emperor bloodline because there's rumors all her siblings are dead. Her backstory is really so weird. How would people not know about a bunch of dead princes and princesses?

Yuri is religious? He says he has a habit of praying before a big event, something he does because his mother did. I like it when characters add something unexpected to them that the usual stereotype of that character doesn't usually have.

If Hubert came up with "those who slither in the dark" as a nickname, how come everyone uses it? Even people who wouldn't know Hubert at all like Flayn?

Lorenz was just talking up how smart Claude is and all I can think is that GW!Claude isn't smart enough to find his way out of a wet paper bag.

I just got all of Shez's Blue Lions supports unlocked. Now I need to still get Flayn, Seteth, Catherine, Jeralt, and Byleth. I'm not sure I have enough time. But I'm going to try.

Duke Aegir is Thales' puppet. So TWSITD is ruling the Empire.

Edelgard just mindlessly listens to Aegir and Thales.

This lady turned on the Empire big time. Dimitri says he's still throwing her into a cell, lol.

Dimitri believes what she said though. He brings up the evidence he discovered while investigating in White Clouds. And also uses the Tomas situation as more evidence.

Dimitri now knows that his father, the knights, and the citizens of Duscur would all be alive without those mages.

He says they have the right to seek justice in the way they see fit. I love it. Not apologizing for defending themselves, but owning taking the initiative against TWSITD.

And there's a lot of people in the Blue Lions who has a personal beef with TWSITD.

I can finally give Dimitri the merc whistle! He also had a second set of dialogue on the map this chapter. It was about some Empire general we captured.

SHEZ & FELIX A

This one starts on a battlefield instead of training. Still very Felix.

And they're complimenting each other. Felix is complimenting someone. But it's their swordfighting so . . .

Shez is beginning to understanding Felix, saying he assigns a role to himself and carries it out. Which, she's not wrong.

Felix credits Rodrigue for his skill, lol. He also just complimented Rodrigue. Good for Felix.

His style is passed down in Fraldarius for generations. Because they're so tight. Man, the Dimitri/Felix yaoi writes itself.

Shez calls him indispensable to Dimitri and everyone. Felix is the lance and shield. Shez is the projectile like an arrow or stone.

She tells him to be more direct with compliments, Felix gets annoyed, but then says Shez is important to the army too.

Felix says Shez can't stay focused in battle - like she has someone talking to her in her head. More proof on how perceptive Felix is.

Also kudos to Byleth for Felix never noticing the same, which, imo, is perfectly in character for Byleth and Shez.

Shez is actually happy to know that Felix knows her so well that she spotted it. Since she gets sappy, Felix goes tsundere is like "I'm never complimenting you again!" Congrats, Shez, it means you're one of his people now if he's that emotionally fickle with you lamo.

This support was mostly just Shez and Felix gushing over how good the other is at fighting and how important they are to the group as a whole. I loved it. AG!Shez must be so much happier and more grounded than poor SB!Shez.

SHEZ & DIMITRI A

Dimitri is on break, but also depressed. Shez is concerned. Of course, it's because Dimitri can't relax. Other people are working, so he feels bad that he's not.

Shez asks why Dimitri is so insistent on it. Dimitri says it's the only way he knows how to be. That his life has never belonged to him because of his birthright.

Aaaaand of course the tragedy comes up, saying that makes him feel responsible too. So it's rooted partly in trauma :(

I can disagree or sympathize with him. Not sure which. I think I'm going to disagree, that it's not all his responsibility.

Ohh, Shez says he needs to trust people who wants to help.

Dimitri wants to ease the pain of the dead and living. That he'll have to make sacrifices to reach that goal, but doesn't want anyone else to suffer because of his goals. So he must carry the burden alone.

Shez is like, what about you're suffering and pain. That he can't care for others if he doesn't care for himself first.

Dimitri's like, I don't know how to respond to that - but like earnestly doesn't know. He doesn't know how to take care of his own pain nor what happiness would look like for him.

(God, this support is just making me love AM even more in retrospect, knowing that Dimitri gets to learn all of this, an my God wouldn't it be awesome if there was some kind of AG/AM blend that included this support somewhere in the middle)

Shez is like, how can you not know that? Asks what makes him smile? Like defeating a rival or a banquet.

Dimitri doesn't think he has the right to such happiness.

Good, God, Dimitri. He says he can only think of his death and leaving happy citizens and a peaceful kingdom behind.

Lord, nobody knows how much I love this. Like, not for Dimitri, boy needs therapy asap, and I want him to just be happy.

But, as a avid anime/manga and fantasy fan, do you know how many snot-nosed spoiled chosen ones and royalty and nobles I've come across who bitch and moan endlessly about their privileges lives because it comes with responsibilities and how they want to be a commoner with NO FUCKING IDEA what it's like to work day in and day out for someone who doesn't really care about you and will just replace you if convenient but your entire livelihood is dependent on spending most of your able-bodies life slaving away for them? Not to mention - back then - it would likely be some backbreaking work with shitty working conditions and no modern medicine or workers rights? It's so infuriating. Sometime they have a point, like pressure or whatever, but the older I get, the less I sympathize with their whining.

But Dimitri is like the exact opposite. He can't even be an individual away from his role at a leader because he's thrown too much of himself into it with no complaining at all. It's just so refreshing to see something the exact opposite of how this usually plays out, and is so much more interesting to explore than the same old for the xnth time.

Shez is like, you're dismal sometimes, she's not wrong. And is like why is death what makes me happy. Dimitri sounds like he doesn't even get that it sounded dismal while saying it.

She's like, what about partying with friends! Dimitri's like, wasted on me. But he says seeing his friends smile does make him happy.

Shez is annoyed with him lol. And is like, k, I'll just have to work twice as hard.

"You're going to take a break. And by the goddess, you're going to like it." I actually laughed. God, I love Shez.

She's like, you need to leave the office, bud. Dimitri says no words can express his gratitude.

I love their friendship so much. Like, I honestly don't think I ship it? I think they're just really tight friends, which Dimitri is such a shipping magnet, it's nice to see something as just pure friendship.

This is by far my favorite lord/Shez dynamic. Though, I think I ship Shez most with Byleth and I haven't even seen their supports yet.

ASHE & RAPHAEL C

Raphael is eating a lot. Shocking.

Raphael opened an inn??? And he's the cook. But he never gets compliments on his cooking, which makes him think his food tastes bad. He confesses that he doesn't know how to cook.

Ashe volunteers to teach Raphael how to cook.

Ashe thinks one of the best feelings in the world is when someone likes the food you cook.

Ashe test tries Raphael's food, which is just a pile of meat lol. Raphael doesn't understand why people would want anything else.

He describes Raphael's food like bacon wrapped around a salt lick lamo.

Unlike the Empire which won't eat their veggies like a bunch of spoiled brats, Ashe is promoting healthy veggie eating and understands food is best when you match complimentary flavors, including veggies, those Empire heathens.

Poor Raphael gets confused. Ashe talks about seasoning, and Raphael thinks like spring, summer, etc . . . and not like garlic.

Ashe is determined to help though.

Fairly wholesome support.

ASHE & INGRID B

They only got 1 support :(

Ingrid's troubled. Ashe notices. But she denies it.

Ashe encourages Ingrid to talk to him.

Ingrid's amazed by how fertile the lands are. And it's Faerghus lands. It's because of lack of snow and lots of fields.

Both Ashe and Ingrid notice things like the wheat fields.

Ingrid basically lives on rocks. So, hard to grow food.

Ashe thinks the effort will pay off later, even if Ingrid doesn't live long enough to see the results.

Ashe was quoting King Loog. Ingrid notices, lol. They start geeking out a bit. I love Ashe and Ingrid geeking out.

Dagda apparently also has soil issues. They have a crop they can grow despite that, but can't remember the name, but thinks Shamir might know. So Ingrid has hope she can learn it.

Ashe says he's just helping her as a friend, not a knight.

He can relate to being hungry because he grew up poor.

INGRID & ANNETTE B

Annette is trying to convince herself to grab something and run. Ingrid accidentally scares her. It's dark outside, so Annette's likely afraid of ghosts or something lol.

Of course, Annette wants a book she left in the mess hall. A woman after my own heart, braving fear because of love of a book.

Ingrid was heading there too. Annette's like this is destiny.

It's so dark even Ingrid gets spooked, but not as much as Annette. Who runs into a pile of crates lol.

Ingrid asks Annette if she's afraid of the dark. And poor Annette is, but really wishes she wasn't.

Ingrid, though, isn't afraid of the dark or ghosts. Annette is fascinated how Ingrid isn't afraid of ghosts.

Ingrid's brothers used to tell her those stories, but Ingrid thinks it's proof ghosts isn't real because you'd run into them more.

Ingrid actually wishes ghosts were real, because then she'd be able to talk to the dead still. But accepts that the dead are dead.

Annette circles that back to living while you're still alive.

Annette decides to walk back by herself to conquer her fears.

Ingrid is impressed with Annette's attitude.

INGRID & DEDUE A

This is a support I'm very curious about. It's their only one, but it's A. Plus, this game has handled Ingrid and Duscur much better.

Dedue has "brought substance" - it's just a cream puff lol.

Ingrid is happy with the timing. She's writing reports on their last fight in the Duscur region. And thinks it'll be a while until things stabilize.

Both Ingrid and Dedue agree that the Kingdom and Duscur have good and bad people. Ingrid gets upset over the innocent people getting lumped into the bad ones.

Dedue says he used to hate Faerghus, but meeting the nice people like Dimitri and others has made him expand his views.

People used to throw stones at Dedue - and Dimitri too :(

Ingrid says she would've remained gnorant about Duscur if she'd never meant Dedue.

Dedue says he finds Ingrid's willingness to change admirable. Ingrid admits she has a long way to go still.

She invites Dedue to go get a snack together and suggests an inn that Dimitri suggested with good food, owned by someone from Duscur. Pretty sure that was mentioned in her support with him.

Dedue is just pissed that Dimitri went wandering around town with only just Ingrid, seeing it as reckless, lamo.

I love all the Blue Lions, man.

YURI & SETETH A

Yuri fell for a trap. Because it was his "second worst" brush with death, Seteth is curious about the first. It was the plague that wrecked Faerghus (and killed Dimitri's mother). Yuri survived without a doctor's help.

An old man saved him. They found some old man on the road, took him in, and then later he saved Yuri. But is dead by now.

Seteth seems to know who it is.

There's a legend that one of the Ten Elites got sick and got healthy after getting a crest from a Saint.

So Seteth thinks Yuri got his rare crest from the actual saint? Or close descendant of.

So that explains why Yuri's hinted at living longer than average, and has a super rare crest.

Seteth is happy to learn one of his old friends may have found peace in his final moments because he got to save a child's life.

I don't know if his House's supports tells you about this lore, but it's cool to learn it here.

It's also nice to see Yuri talk to someone without picking a fight. He was so chill, almost friendly to Seteth rather than sounding a bit like a fanfic edgelord initially (like, I like Yuri, but some of him reeks of baby's first fanfic OC).

SHEZ & FLAYN A

Flayn's upset with Seteth, who told her no about something.

Man, Seteth and Flayn's relationship would be creepy as fuck if they were really siblings. Like, Seteth is extremely controlling of Flayn, and often it looks like the typical icky "my woman must remain pure!!!" Like, not only do they treat the women in their family like possessions, not people, but seem especially interested in owning their genitals and sexuality. It's so extremely weird and gross, and why I pretty much can't stand Holst anymore (he seemed alright at first, but some supports are so ick).

But learning that their father-daughter helps (it's still gross, but less weird because at least he's a legit authority figure in her life and not her . . . brother), but knowing it's actually because TWSITD want to torture Flayn to death, that his people got genocided and turned into super weapons, and that she healed so many people she nearly died too (which would leave him with no family) makes it not offputting. It's actually a pretty smart way of using tropes that seems set up to make us dislike him (over controlling father) and then a big "ohhhhh" once you learn the WHY isn't the typical creepy "my girl is not a whore!" obsession wayyyyy too many men have.

OK, back to the support now.

Seteth is trying to block Flayn from going out entirely. Poor Flayn. But with TWSITD on the move, it does make sense.

Shez is very concerned with Flayn. I love how empathetic Shez is while still being realistically distant enough to be a merc and pretty straight forward. I actually REALLY like Shez. Esp F!Shez.

Flayn is going to listen to Seteth because she doesn't want to make it hard on him.

After the war, they plan on going out together again.

Flayn is grateful it's F!Shez and not M!Shez bc a woman is less sus to Seteth than a man. I wonder how the M!Shez one goes.

Haha, Shez can offer to help Flayn sneak out, or talk her out of it. I totally offered to help her sneak out lol.

MAIN BATTLE

Do we ever learn what happened to Edelgard? Or did she get yeeted from the plot?

She's missing this battle. Aegir lost her. What an idiot. He looks so funny in that armor. I'm glad in this route at least, I get to kick his ass, not save his ass (unlike the other 2 routes).

I do not understand the hype around Caspar's dad. He folds like a twig when I fight him.

Killed Aegis. Such a tragedy. /s

OMG. I beat that chapter in like 4 minutes. Dimitri is so overleveled and stupidly strong. He just kills so fast. It's hilarious and fun. But I also miss S rank because I didn't kill enough. He kills too fast.

They still can't find Edelgard.

It'll be weird if we don't get a monastery chapter.

Byleth insists on looking for Edelgard more because he feels she's nearby.

Byleth and Shez look for Edelgard together. Which makes me hope we get dialogue between them.

Unless this is the start of the special chapter? Ok switching to the next post now.

xxxx

#azure gleam #fire emblem #fire emblem three hopes #three hopes #three hopes spoilers #azure gleam spoilers

[hellcatinnc]

Character Birthday Masterlist

This is as many birthdays as I could find for all the games I have played and anime's I have watched. Trust me there are more characters but some have no birthday dates posted. I will update this list as I go but you can always find this on my pinned post to come back and check the birthday calendars for each. I did want to do a calendar itself for each month but when so many have the same birthdate I found this harder to do so chose to just do a master list instead.

There was so many birthdays I had to start a 2nd list here is the link to the 2nd one HERE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

January

1st Natsume Asahina - Brothers Conflict

1st Yuito Sumeragi - Scarlet Nexus

3rd Wataru Asahina - Brothers Conflict

6th Herlock Sholmes - Code Realize

7th Saibara Kamui - Paradigm Parodox

9th Thoma - Genshin Impact

10th Yukichi Fukuzawa - Bungo Stray Dogs

11th Satoru Watabe - Stand My Hero

11th Eisuke Ichinomiya - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

12th Gary - 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom Of Dreams

13th Hades Aidoneus - Kamigami No Asobi

13th Victor - Mr Love Queens Choice

14th Kosuke Misaki - Tomo-chan Is A Girl

16th Vlad Garfunkel - Phantom In The Twilight

18th Henri Lambert - Piofiore Fated Memories/1926

19th Edgar Allan Poe -Bungo Stray Dogs

21st Sirius Dieke - My Next Life as a Villainess

21st Rui Sagisawa - Nil Admirari no Tenbin

23rd Camus - Uta no Prince-sama

27th Urie Sogami - Dance With Devils

28th Kou Mukami - Diabolik Lovers

29th Kanato Hibiki - Maji Kyun! Renaissance

31st Mozu - Bustafellows

February

2nd Lyney - Genshin Impact

4th Gin Akutagawa - Bungo Stray Dogs

5th Takamasa Saeki - My Forged Wedding

8th Allan Melville - Cupid Parasite

9th Abraham Van Helsing - Code Realize

11th Alhaitham - Genshin Impact

12th Tsukito Totsuka - Kamigami No Asobi

13th Merenice - Cupid Parasite

14th Ren Jinguji - Uta no Prince-sama

14th Hatori Otani - Stand My Heroes

15th Arashi Spring - Scarlet Nexus

17th Soryu Oh - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

17th Fubuki Spring - Scarlet Nexus

20th Tifalia - Radiant Tale

21st Ririchiyo Shirakiin - Inu x Boku SS

22nd Kei Okazaki - Collar X Malice

22nd Yoshikazu Miyano - Sasaki to Miyano

22nd Monet Tsukushi - Magic Kyun! Renaissance

22nd Misuzu Gundo - Tomo-chan Is A Girl

22nd Louis Asahina - Brothers Conflict

26th Sophia Ascart - My Next Life as a Villainess

28th Light Yagami - Death Note

March

1st Ai Mikaze - Uta no Prince-sama

1st Ryuunosuke Akutagawa - Bungo Stray Dogs

2nd Raeliana McMillan - Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's/M

3rd Ukyo - Amnesia Memories

3rd Yuki Itose - Sign Of Affection

3rd Lindo Tachibana - Dance With Devils

3rd Naomi Randall - Scarlet Nexus

6th Rafayel - Love And Deepspace

7th March 7th - Honkai Star Rail

8th Carol Olston - Tomo-chan Is A Girl

9th Mayuzumi Shion - Variable Baricade

18th Tsugumi Kuze - Nil Admirari no Tenbin

19th Ion - Radiant Tale

20th Sakami Laito - Diabolik Lovers

20th Takeru Totsuka - Kamigamin No Asobi

21st Kanato Sakamaki -Diabolik Lovers

22nd Ayato Sakamaki - Diabolik Lovers

25th Rintaro Tatewaki - Magic Kyun! Renaissance

25th Shiden Ritter - Scarlet Nexus

26th Kamisato Ayato -Genshin Impact

27th Keith Powell - Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

31st Yusuke Asahina - Brothers Conflict

April

1st Kyosuke Tsuduki - Stand My Heroes

1st Scarecrow - Bustafellow

1st Avi - 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams

1st Kodama Melone - Scarlet Nexus

2nd Masato Hanzawa - Sasaki and Miyano

3rd Noah Volstaire Wynknight - Why Raeliana Ended Up Duke's/M

4th Canus Espada - Cafe Enchante

8th Yagami Nayuta - Variable Baricade

8th Rowan - Dance With Devils

9th Kiro - Mr Love Queens Choice

10th Takatoo Tokio - Paradigm Parodox

11th Otoya Ittoki - Uta no Prince-sama

11th Zen Wistaria - Snow White With The Red Hair

12th Toma - Amnesia Memories

12th Ota Kisaki - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

13th Kagerou Shoukiin - Inu x Boku Secret Service

14th Jinnia - Radiant Tale

15th Jirou Ogasawara - Sasaki and Miyano

15th Hayato Ozaki - Nil Admirari no Tenbin

15th Himari Momochi - The Demon Prince of Momochi House

16th Baileu Ton - Phantom in the Twilight

17th Xiao - Genshin Impact

17th Lori Asahina - Brothers Conflict

17th Enomoto Mineo - Collar x Malice

19th Miyo - My Happy Marriage

22nd Yakumo Sumeragi - Scarlet Nexus

23rd Orlok - Piofiore

24th Ruki Mukami - Diabolik Lovers

24th Masaomi Asahina - Brothers Conflict

25th Baizhu - Genshin Impact

29th Chuuya Nakahara - Bungo Stray Dogs

29th Balder Hringhorni - Kamigami No Asobi

30th Diluc - Genshin Impact

May

2nd Ichiyou Higuchi - Variable Barricade

4th Tsugumi Nazar -Scarlet Nexus

5th Atsushi Nakajima - Bungo Stray Dogs

5th Shougo Ukawa - Nil Admirari no Tenbin

9th Akane Kinoshita - Loving Yamada Level 999

9th Aoi Nanamori - The Demon Prince of Momochi House

12th Mamiya Ayumu - Paradigm Parodox

13th Kaito Sumeragi - Scarlet Nexus

15th Karuta Roromiya - Inu x Boku SS

17th Leo Cavagnis - Piofiore

17th Radie - Radiant Tale

17th Impey Barbicane - Code Realize

18th Aki Myojin - Sweet Punishment

18th Gorou - Genshin Impact

21st Rosso - 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams

23rd Sosei Arakida - Stand My Hero

26th Luke Bowen - Phantom In The Twilight

28th Kaname Asahina - Brothers Conflict

June

1st Ikki - Amnesia Memories

1st Kotaro Yui - Stand My Hero

1st Arataki Itto - Genshin Impact

2nd Shiki Natsumezaka - Dance With Devils

5th Ibuki - Paradigm Parodox

5th Nagi Karman - Scarlet Nexus

6th Anubis Ma'at - Kamigami No Asobi

8th Sasazuka Takeru - Collar x Malice

9th Natsuki Shinomiya - Uta no Prince-sama

9th Syo Kurusu - Uta no Prince-sama

10th Kasane Randall - Scarlet Nexus

11th Lynette Mirror - Cupid Parasite

11th Eita Sasaki - Loving Yamada at Lv999!

14th Renshou Sorinozuka - Inu x Boku SS

15th Anne Halford - Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

17th Shuumei Sasaki - Sasaki and Miyano

19th Osamu Dazai - Bungo Stray Dogs

23rd Cyno - Genshin Impact

23rd Erika Shinohara - Wolf Girl & The Black Prince

24th Katarina Claes - My Next Life As A Villainess

25th Shirayuki - Snow White With The Red Hair

26th Shu - Bustafellows

26th Seto Narukami - Scarlet Nexus

27th Gilbert - 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams

28th Nicola Francesca - Piofiore

30th Shuichi Hishikura - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

July

1st Gemma Garrison - Scarlet Nexus

2nd Ema Asahina - Brothers Conflict

4th Nathaniel Hawthorne - Bungo Stray Dogs

4th Kyouya Sata - Wolf Girl & Black Prince

7th Fuuto Asahina - Brothers Conflict

7th Il Fado de Rie - Cafe Enchante

7th Tomo Aizawa - Tomo-chan Is A Girl

8th Gonzaburou Tashiro - Sasaki and Miyano

9th Kaveh - Genshin Impact

7th Alice Ichijo - Scarlet Nexus

13th Mitsumori Ichiya - Variable Barricade

13th Reiji Kotobuki - Uta no Prince-sama

13th Kazu - Variable Barricade

13th Joe Sumeragi - Scarlet Nexus

16th Gill Lovecraft - Cupid Parasite

20th Tartaglia - Genshin Impact

23rd Yuma Mukami - Diabolik Lovers

24th Junichirou Tanizaki - Bungo Stray Dogs

24th Limbo - Bustafellows

26th Gilbert Redford - Piofiore

30th Michizou Tachihara - Bungo Stray Dogs

30th Rishe Imgard Wertsner - 7th Loop

August

1st Hikaru Asahina - Brothers Conflict

1st Apollon Agana Belea - Kamigami No Asobi

1st Taiga Hirano - Sasaki and Miyano

2nd Saint Germain - Code Realize

6th Tokiya Ichinose - Uta no Prince-sama

7th Toujou Hibari - Variable Barricade

8th Ignis Carbunculus - Cafe Enchante

10th Mitsunari Baba - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

15th Louis Anjo - Magic Kyun Renaissance

16th Hanabi Ichijo - Scarlet Nexus

20th Alan Stuart - My Next Life As A Villainess

20th Geordo Stuart - My Next Life As A Villainess

22nd Vilio - Radiant Tale

23rd Tomitsuka Ryou - Paradigm Parodox

26th Victor Frankenstein - Code Realize

27th Kenji Miyazawa - Bungo Stray Dogs

29th Reiji Sakamaki - Diabolik Lovers

29th Zange Natsume - Inu x Boku SS

30th Doppo Kunikida - Bungo Stray Dogs

September

5th Yanagi Aiji - Collar x Malice

5th Zayne - Love And Deepspace

10th Maria Campbell - My Next Life As A Villainess

12th Kagero Donne - Scarlet Nexus

13th Albedo - Genshin Impact

14th Tasuku Kuresawa - Sasaki and Miyano

16th Douglas - 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams

17th Dante Falzone - Piofiore

17th Teika Ichijoji - Magic Kyun - Renaissance

17th Kasuga - Variable Barricade

17th Araki Mihaya - Paradigm Parodox

19th Yukinami - Paradigm Parodox

19th Hisui Hoshikawa - Nil Admirari no Tenbin

21st Mamoru Kishi - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

21st Akito Yamada - Loving Yamada Lvl 999!

22nd Subaru Asahina - Brothers Conflict

23rd Dionysus Thyrsos - Kamigami No Asobi

23rd Kent - Amnesia Memories

23rd Tsuki Aoyama - Stand My Hero

28th Rindo Kaoru - Cafe Enchante

29th Ranmaru Kurosaki - Uta no Prince sama

Octomber

7th Makoto Tsuduki - Stand My Hero

10th Banri Watanuki - Inu x Boku SS

10th Luka Travers - Scarlet Nexus

15th Paschalia - Radiant Tale

16th Xavier - Love And Deepspace

18th Shu Sakamaki - Diabolik Lovers

18th Shizuru Migiwa - Nil Asmirari no Tenbin

19th Hoshino Ichika - Collar x Malice

21st Ranpo Edogawa - Bungo Stray Dogs

24th Loki Laevatein - Kamigami No Asobi

24th Arsène Lupin - Code Realize

26th Sakunosuke Oda - Bungo Stray Dogs

28th Azusa Mukami - Diabolik Lovers

29th Kaedehara Kazuha - Genshin Impact

30th Helvetica - Bustafellows

31st Cecil Aijima - Uta no Prince sama

31st Junichiro Kubota - Tomo chan is a Girl

31st L Lawliet - Death Note

November

4th Subaru from Diabolik Lovers

4th Mary Hunt - My Next Life As A Villainess

4th Kyouka Izumi - Bungo Stray Dogs

8th Ritsuka Tachibana - Dance With Devils

11th Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Bungo Stray Dogs

11th Misyr Rex - Cafe Enchante

15th Lucien - Mr Love Queens Choice

15th Karen Travers - Scarlet Nexus

17th Rem Kaginuki - Dance With Devils

20th Zafora - Radiant Tale

21st Thor Megingjard - Kamigami No Asobi

23rd Wriothesley - Genshin Impact

23rd You Hattori - Stand My Hero

28th Luke Foster - Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

30th Shin - Amnesia Memories

30th Kaeya - Genshin Impact

30th Kyoka Eden - Scarlet Nexus

December

3rd Isurugi Taiga - Variable Barricade

3rd Ukyo - Asahina - Brothers Conflict

5th Tauryu - Phantom In The Twilight

7th Gojo Satoru - Jujutsu Kaisen

7th Akiko Yosano - Bungo Stray Dogs

12th Yang - Piofiore

16th Wataru Frazer - Scarlet Nexus

17th Aoi Suminomiya - Magic Kyun Renaissance

18th Neuvillette - Genshin Impact

18th Yuu Kusakabe - Wolf Girl & Black Prince

19th Soushi Miketsukami - Inu x Boku SS

20th Isaku Senagaki - A Girl And Her Guard Dog

20th Itsuomi Nagi - Sign Of Affection

22nd Keiya Uto - A Girl And Her Guard Dog

23rd Akira Kougami - Nil Asmirari no Tenbin

24th Shiraishi Kageyuki - Collar x Malice

25th Challe Fen Challe - Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

25th Akira Kagiura - Sasaki and Miyano

25th Misa Amane - Death Note

28th Keith Claes - My Next Life As A Villainess

28th Arnold Hein - 7th Loop

29th Masato Hijirikawa - Uta no Prince sama

31st Zhongli - Genshin Impact

31st Hyuga - Paradigm Parodox

31st Tsubaki Asahina - Brothers Conflict

31st Azusa Asahina - Brothers Conflict

#fictional birthday #otome #anime #shoujo #shoujo anime #fictional boyfriend #husbando #otome games #brothers conflict #diabolik lovers #paradigm paradox #cupid parasite #piofiore #collar x malice #my next life as a villianess all routes lead to doom #kamigami no asobi #code realize #amnesia #a girl and her guard dog #7th time loop #genshin impact #variable barricade #cafe enchante #mlqc #love and deepspace #bungo stray dogs #gojo satoru #radiant tale #death note #utapri

[onlycleverinmyhead]

If the batkids were in atla

Dick: Air bender

-Acrobat

-chill and fun

Jason: Fire bender

-Passionate

- a theater kid like Zuko

Tim: Water bender 

- Tim is more calm and calculated than the Robins before him

- waterbending is about redirecting your opponent’s attack and that kind of sneaky behavior feels like Tim

Cass: Earth bender 

- she has unbreakable will and spirit (girl can take a bullet without flinching in canon)

- A good earth bender waits and listens before they attack, Cass observes her enemies during battle waiting for the right moment to strike (like when she fought Ravager, waited for her to glance at her father and then struck, and in “Batman and the outsiders” she straight up perched on a beam watching a fight waiting for the right moment to join in) 

- Both Cass and Toph can predict their enemies moves. Toph by “seeing” with her legs and Cass by “seeing moves before they happen” (she reads body language)

- Cass has vibes similar to Toph (’will destroy you’ vibes)

Damian: Water bender

-The Al Ghuls have an ancient history of blood bending because I said so

- he’s also calm and calculated, he can be cold at times (icy vibes)

Steph: Air bender

-vibes

Duke: Earth/fire bender

- Yes I know his powers are light based and he works during day time so he should be a fire bender specializing in lightning but his traits include indomitable will and that’s an earth bender quality

More thoughts:

-Cass is an excellent metal bender, ripping metal like it’s paper just felt natural to her

-Cass and Tim learned from each other’s bending styles a lot, Cass would sometimes bend metal like it’s liquid (like Korra did in LOK) and while fighting a water bender once, Tim did that cool thing Katara did in the blood bending ep where she stood her ground (like an earth bender would) and instead of redirecting Hama’s attack she turned it into a water wall and blew it in her face

-  In his earlier days, Damian considered himself to be a blood bender first and a water bender second because the Al Ghuls rely on blood bending a lot (did Ra’s invent blood bending? maybe) , he is trying to break out of that habit

- Damian used blood bending to almost kill Tim when they first met (they had an epic water bending duel first but Damian ended the duel with blood bending)

-Ra’s Al Ghul taught Tim blood bending in Red Robin

- Or better yet, Tim accidently bloodbends when he gets stabbed in the desert to stop his bleeding (it’d be easier to learn like that because he can see the blood and treat it like water) and later he’s like “oh shit I bended blood” and Ra’s is like “I can teach you proper blood bending techniques” and Tim is like “no fuck you I’ll never do it again!” but the thought that he can bend blood nags at him and after leaving the league he does it again

#batkids #atla #headcanon #cassandra cain #duke tomas #tim drake #batfam

[pendragon-writes]

𝒟𝓊𝓀𝑒 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓈 "𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝒾𝑔𝓃𝒶𝓁"

❤️=Romantic 🧸=Child/Teen Reader 💙=Platonic

💊=Hurt/Comfort 💛=Fluff 🌎=Au 📖=Series

Batboy's asking you out headcanons ❤️ Male!Reader

Broken Bones 💙💊💛 Bat!Dad!Reader (Multi)

#duke tomas #duke thomas x male reader #duke thomas x gn!reader #The signal #The signal x gn!reader #The signal x male reader #x male reader #male reader #x male!reader

[dougielombax]

Of course they put Peter Griffin in Fortnite!

They’ll put anyone in Fortnite!!!

Who’s next?!

Pac-Man? (Apparently he’s already in the game. Or was?)

Pyramid Head?

Mr Game & Watch?

BT-7274?

Mickey Mouse?

Little Lanky?

Bernard Black?

Maurice Moss?

Father Jack Hackett?! (ARSE!!!!!!)

Max Capricorn?

Walter Bishop?

Keetongu?

Moopsy?

Shaft?

Sherlock Holmes?

BALAN??????!!!!!!!!

Slender Man?

Duke Nukem?

Paddington Bear?

Cardinal Richelieu?

Montgomery Clift?

Orson Welles?

Hayk Nahapet?

Gilgamesh?

Frank Sinatra?

Isildur?

The Bacteria?

Marvin E. Leigh?

Jonas Salk?

Thomas Paine?

Farid Nazha?

Yousip Toma?

Soghomon Tehlirian?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Cthonaut A?

Mar Addai of Edessa?

Herodotus?

The long forgotten 19th century abolitionist and seamstress, Florence Shadewell????!!!!!!!

Who’s next?

Seriously….

I feel like I’m going crazy!

#dougie rambles #personal stuff #vent post #rant #fortnite #bahahahhaha #what #no context #epic games #i am not crazy #lists #hypothetical #speculation

[separatist-apologist]

Wishing On Dandelions

I see forever in your eyes

Summary: When Elain is gifted a castle from her late Uncle, she expects it to come with bats in the attic and ghosts in the halls.

Not a grouchy English Lord hell bent on pushing her out.

Note: A final thank you to @the-lonelybarricade for both validating all my worst impulses AND being my UK consultant.

Part 2/2 | Read on AO3 | Part 1

Everything fell apart faster than Elain could manage. One moment she was arranging her sister to meet a literal Duke and the next Feyre’s soon-to-be husband was just gone. Elain had left Nesta to guard Feyre, wanting to check both that Tomas was behaving himself, that their father was absolutely in their assigned seat, and that the groom looked appropriate awed and misty-eyed.

And found a smiling Cassian and his too-serious friend Azriel waiting for her just outside the doors.

“Don’t panic,” Cassian drawled in that heavy Scottish burr, “But I cannae find Rhys.”

“Don’t panic?” she breathed, looking from the pair of men who might have been brothers. “But you can’t find…the man…who is supposed to be marrying my sister.”

“Yes, exactly,” Azriel murmured, clearly amused. 

“Oh, god,” Elain breathed. “Come with me.”

Elain took them down the renovated halls of Feyre’s castle, her throat dry. Feyre looked so radiant, was practically glowing. Surely it was all a misunderstanding—some mistake easily rectified. No one could be so cruel. It was Elain’s mantra, even when she realized Cassian was the man Nesta was always going on about.

Even when Cassian ignored her instructions to find his friend and trailed after her older sister, his want so obvious and plain it made her heart ache. Azriel had glanced in her direction, perhaps thinking he, too, would join her.

“Find him,” Elain had ordered, gripping her cellphone in her hand so tightly there was danger she might shatter the screen. “You go up, I’ll go down.”

And before he could protest, Elain took off. Her feet ached from standing in tall heels on the unforgiving stone and all she wanted was to go home. Distracting herself with Feyre’s wedding was almost working, but the moment Elain ran out of things to think about, she found herself back in the foyer, Lucien’s mouth almost on her own, his fingers curled around her arm.

Leaving felt like a monumental mistake. 

Elain shook her head, clipping down the hall praying Rhys was just around the corner weeping over how beautiful her sister was and how stupid and lucky he was. Elain flung open every door she could find, her blood pressure rising until Elain was on the verge of a panic attack.

She looked down at her phone.

He doesn’t want to hear from you.

Elain wanted to hear his voice, though. She dialed, thinking she’d just hang up once he said hello. Bracing her back against the cool wall, Elain’s eyes fluttered shut when Lucien’s voice answered. 

“Elain?”

And just like a coward, Elain hung up.

Of course, Lucien called back immediately. She didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to her that he might. Elain answered silently, glass to her ear.

“What’s wrong?”

You’re not here, she nearly said. Instead, Elain took a breath. “Rhys is missing.”

“Fuck,” Lucien replied. Like he cared. Elain took another breath, imagining that he was right there, that he was speaking directly to her. “Are you okay?”

“I—” Elain hesitated. She’d expected him to tell her to stop worrying, that everything would be fine. Everyone did that—no one had ever asked how she was doing. “I’m so afraid he’s standing her up and it’ll break her heart.”

“That’s on him, not you.”

The sound of echoing steps drew Elain from the bubble Lucien had created. “I should keep looking. Thank you for answering.”

He hesitated. She nearly hung up when he all but whispered. “Of course. Just…erm…Elain?”

“Yes?”

It was her father walking toward her, brown eyes alight when he realized he’d found her.

“Just come back home. To me. Come back home to me.”

Elain’s heart died in her chest. All her usual eloquence failed her. The silence drew a soft sigh from Lucien’s lips before he ended the call. It was easier to pretend she hadn’t heard him say that.

Elain’s whole body screamed, begging her to just walk away. To do exactly what he’d asked and go back home, even if it meant more squabbling and arguing and sniping. 

“Daddy,” Elain said instead, plastering a smile on her face. 

“There you are,” he said, reaching for the tops of her arms. “You look radiant. Your sisters are nearly ready?”

“Yes,” Elain lied. She didn’t have the heart to tell him all his dreams of becoming father-in-law to a very important duke might be dead. “Just last minute jitters I suspect.”

He hummed his agreement. “I heard a rather unsavory rumor.”

Elain looked up at him. They shared so many of the same features. Same brown eyes, that same golden brown hair. He had the same shaped mouth, the same arching cheekbones—all of it weathered from time, lined and worn as he’d aged. 

“Oh?”

“That you and Graysen have ended your engagement.”

“Oh,” she breathed, nodding her head. “Yes, that’s true.”

Her father offered her a plaintive look that set Elain’s heart galloping again. Her stomach splattered at her feet, weighing his obvious disappointment. “You two were such a smart match.”

“We barely knew each other,” she tried, though Elain could feel herself wavering. She loved her father and had spent her entire life trying so hard to make him proud. He’d always doted on her, but never moreso than when her mother had become sick.

It was like Elain had merely replaced her. She’d been only ten, but she understood that he would fall apart if someone didn’t take care of him. Nesta was too lost to grief over their mother and Ferye too young, which left Elain.

“Extend your engagement,” he suggested, as if all she needed was time. “Give him another chance. He’s such a lovely man. He came round the other night just miserable over the thought of losing you.”

Elain opened her mouth to tell her father what Gray had done before closing it again. Would it even matter? “I—”

“I’m hosting a ball for you sister once she’s done with her honeymoon. Invite Graysen,” her father pressed, eyes bright and hopeful. “Let me announce another marriage in my family. Elain, I’m just—I want you to be happy.”

Elain looked into those familiar brown eyes before smiling. “I—I’ll talk to him,” she promised. 

“And the ball?”

“Of course I’ll be there. If you want help—”

“Oh, absolutely. In fact, if you want to think about returning to London for a spell, that would be so helpful.”

Oh god oh god oh god— “I can’t return,” she said carefully, hating how crestfallen her father seemed. “But I could likely come early to help?”

“But…but you do intend to return, right?” he hedged. “You don’t want to live in the country forever…”

Elain couldn’t stand it. She wanted to tell him how she felt and couldn’t bring herself to disappoint him.

“Of course not.”

He smiled, pulling her into a hug that didn’t at all feel comforting. Elain was too rigid even as she tried to return the gesture. To find solace in his embrace like she once had. Elain only felt misery, which lessened at the sound of Feyre’s exuberant voice.

Rhys had been found—and judging from the lipstick smeared around his mouth, wherever he’d been and whatever he’d been doing had hardly been the sinister act they’d all been imagining. Feyre’s hair was ruined, and when Elain rushed forward to try and fix it, Ferye only said, “Relax. It’s not a big deal.”

Elain couldn’t relax. She was on edge, nervous and jittery through the entire ceremony. She watched how Cassian stared at Nesta—the obvious yearning and longing hidden beneath a careful, easy smirk. And it was impossible not to notice how utterly enamored Rhys was. Elain had to force herself not to call Lucien again after Rhys’s long, thoughtful speech about how meeting Feyre changed his whole life.

Graysen thought she was mediocre. 

What would he even say, standing up before their family and friends. When I met Elain, I knew I could do better. I did her a favor, marrying her. Nothing about her fascinates me, but for some reason I can’t let her go. 

Come back home to me. 

Elain didn’t sleep that night. She’d planned to stay a few days and mingle with other guests. Instead, Elain very carefully packed her things and crept into the hall at the crack of first light. She thought she could sneak away without anyone noticing.

Nesta was, of course, awake. It set Elain back by hours and yet when Nesta looked at her and asked to go to the train station, Elain heard herself saying, “I can take you the whole way, if you like?”

Nesta, thankfully, said no. It took Elain a whole two hours to get her there, and then two hours to turn around and end up nearly where she’d started—and another two before she saw the familiar shoreline. Lush, rolling hills and thatched rooftops, all winding toward a castle rising toward a gloomy, cloud-filled sky.

Elain parked at the bottom of the hill and all but ran up. She just wanted to see him, even if he was grumpy. She burst through the back, pushing open glass, french doors as a soft drizzle began behind her.

“Lucien?” she called, dropping her back to the tile floor. 

No response. 

Elain kicked off her shoes, knowing how it would make him insane to see her tramping through the pristine halls, dragging in the mud. He wasn’t in the study, nor was he in the drawing room. Not his bedroom, which she lingered in only for a moment, if only to drink in his heady, masculine scent and to appreciate how neat his room was.

Elain stopped, hands on her hips. “Lucien?”

She heard his voice—though he clearly hadn’t heard her. Against the soft rumble of a summer thunderstorm, Lucien shouted, “You think you can’t be a meal, but I assure you, you absolutely can. Get in the fucking pen!”

Henrietta was giving him grief and still he was trying to contain her chicken so she wouldn’t be hurt. Elain felt lighter than air as she made her way through the courtyard, ignoring the rain splattering over her skin, plastering her purple dress to her body. She picked up speed, walking, and then jogging, until she was running through the gardens, following the sound of his irritation. Henrietta spotted her first, abandoning her assault on Lucien’s ankles in favor of trotting toward Elain. Lucien’s head snapped forward, his red hair stuck against the golden brown of his face.

“Elai—” 

She crashed against him before he could finish what he was saying, kissing him like she should have done before she left. 

When she first met him, though, that thought was comical. Lucien, with his sneering lip and his disdain—undone by a kiss as a greeting.

Undone now, if the arms wrapped around her back were anything to go by. The trick, Elain found, to getting Henrietta to leave Lucien alone was covering his body with her own.

“You’re back,” he said, kissing her again before she could respond. She’d almost forgotten where they were, standing unprotected in a rainshower and Lucien certainly didn’t seem to care. 

She wanted to drag him to the ground, to peel those clothes from him until he was soaked with mud. 

“You’re wet,” she said instead, pulling back to look at him. Lucien’s cheeks were flushed, his lips swollen. The hunter green shirt he wore was stuck to his chest, outlining his every contour in maddening detail.

“I couldn’t…Henrietta…” he bit his bottom lip. “When did you get in?”

“Just now,” she replied, scooping the errant chicken into her arms. It took Elain a few easy steps to lock her up in the pen for the evening before she reached for Lucien’s hand. “Did she give you any trouble?”

“Endless,” he replied, hand tucked into the crook of her elbow. “I thought you wouldn’t be back until Tuesday.”

“Changed my mind,” she said blithely, noting the creeping smile on his face.

“Oh?”

“Don’t gloat,” she said, pulling him out of the rain. Lucien was quick, pressing her against the door she’d just closed so he could kiss her again.

“Why?” he whispered against her mouth, tongue tracing her bottom lip.

“You asked me to come home to you,” she replied, hooking her fingers in his belt loops to pull him closer. “So here I am.”

He moaned softly, gripping her face in his sturdy, strong hands. “You could have stayed.”

“Why? Everything I want is right here.”

The next kiss was the one she’d spent the night thinking about—rough and a little messy. All passion instead of elegance and skill. Elain thought she had total control right until his teeth nipped her bottom lip, drawing a sharp gasp. 

“Lucien,” she whispered, not needing anything but more. 

“Out,” he groaned, tongue sliding against her own. “Your clothes—they—you need to get out—”

“Smooth.” Elain tried to laugh, but she could feel his erection straining against her hip, practically scorching between their rapidly cooling clothes. 

“Let me take you out of them,” Lucien said, doing nothing that would free her from his body and the door.  Elain swore she meant to tell him so, but he was kissing her like a man on the brink and Elain wanted him so badly that she didn’t care how he had her that first time.

He cared, it seemed. Grinding his pelvis against her, he breathed, “To my bedroom.”

Pressing her fingertips into the soaked fabric of his shirt, Elain pushed just enough that there was breathing room between them again. They clasped hands, breathing hard as they made their way through the renovated halls. Lucien didn’t say a word about the puddles left in their wake, clearly unconcerned about the mess if it meant he could have her.

Elain pounced the second she was locked tight in his spacious, open bedroom. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Elain very carefully stepped them back to the edge of his bed, all the while kissing him. She didn’t notice his own hands until cool air teased over her skin and her dress plopped the floor around her.

“Did you–” Lucien’s tongue was back in her mouth, fingers tangling in her damp hair. He was still fully clothed, while Elain stood before him in nothing but a comfortable bra and a pair of unmatching panties. 

It was her turn to fumble through his buttons, untucking his shirt before shoving it off his broad shoulders. Lucien was magnificent, so beautiful it made her heart ache. 

“That first night you brought Graysen home,” Lucien growled against her neck, teeth scraping delicate skin as Elain tugged at his belt, “I could hear what he was doing to you.”

It was like Lucien had thrown a bucket of cold water over her. “What?”

“Upstairs,” he continued, holding her in place. Elain’s hands had stilled on the button. She remembered that night, too. Graysen had been embarrassingly loud while Elain had just laid there, unsure if Graysen wanted to fuck her or fuck Lucien. “Putting on his show.”

Her eyes found his. “And?”

“I’ve never been so jealous in my entire life,” he told her, his own eyes burning with heat. “I wanted to be him.”

“You hated me,” she disagreed, returning to the button of his pants even as Lucien shook his head back and forth.

“I’ve never hated you, Elain.”

“But—”

“Never,” he breathed against her mouth. “Only myself. But never you.”

“This whole time I thought—”

Lucien silenced her with a blistering kiss, pulling her wrists from the waistband of his boxer briefs to caress his chest. “I’m sorry.” The words ghosted over her lips, sweet like sugar. “I thought it must be so obvious to you—and you disliked me for it.”

Elain wrapped an arm around her neck, bringing them both to the bed. “I suppose we’re both stupid, then.”

He smiled, thumbs sweeping over her cheeks. “You’re glowing,” he said, kissing down the column of her neck. “You’re always glowing.”

She was smiling and kissing, so happy she’d forgotten everything else. Rain tapped at the glass panes of his windows, drowning the soft sounds of his breathing. Elain was a drift in a warm sea, pressed into the mattress by the pleasant, solid weight of his body. Lucien seemed content to just kiss despite the solid, thick length of him pressed against her stomach. 

Elain wasn’t. Hooking her leg around his waist, Elain ground herself into him, arching her hips so her breasts were all but in his face. 

Lucien groaned. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

“Well, stop,” she ordered, dragging her nails down his back. “Give me the rake.”

He choked, pulling up on his arms just enough to look at her. “Rake?” 

“Yeah,” she murmured, pulling his hair from the messy ponytail it currently resided in. With your long hair and the slutty way you dress.”

Lucien grinned. “Slutty?”

“I know what you were up to in London, too,” she added, though in truth all Elain knew was rumor. 

“Heard about that, did you?” 

“Yes,” she breathed, eyes on his mouth. “So imagine my surprise when all you want to do is kiss.”

“Oh, I want much, much more,” Lucien all but growled as his fingers wrapped around her throat. With only the softest pressure, he inclined her head until he had his mouth on her ear. “What do you want, Elain?”

Elain rolled his hips and Lucien hissed, eyes fluttering shut. “I want you, Lucien.”

He groaned, pulling her face toward him. This time, when Lucien kissed, Elain kept her wits about her. Even with his tongue in her mouth, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip, Elain had enough wherewithal to press the heel of her hand against his straining erection. It was meant to be motivation.

She was delighted when he hissed, bucking into her palm.

“Is this what you want?” she taunted softly. 

Lucien swallowed. “Yes,” he admitted, grinding into her touch. It followed a flurry of movement—Elain arching her back so he could unclasp her bra while she shoved his pants and underwear over his hips. They managed to get the offending clothes to the floor, leaving Elain in nothing but a thin pair of underwear and Lucien in nothing at all. She might have complained had Lucien not rubbed his cock against her—he would have slid right in without the barrier. 

She wasn’t ready to be done. After all the terrible, short sex she’d had with Graysen, Elain wanted something fun—something that was more than just her allowing a man to use her for pleasure. 

“Elain,” he whispered, licking the column of her throat. His hands were everywhere all at once, teasing and touching as his lips and tongue began to map out her skin. “Good thing you came home early.”

“Why’s that?” she managed, moaning when his tongue traced a slow circle around her nipple. 

“I cleared my calendar for the weekend, thinking I’d need it for Henrietta. I have nothing I need to do…just you.”

Lucien sucked softly, pulling a ragged moan from Elain’s lips. Pleasure pooled in her chest, sliding toward her aching pussy with each teasing flick of Lucien’s mouth. 

“What are you doing?” Elain asked, fingers replacing his mouth as he began to kiss lower.

“Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” he said, kissing against her hip. Elain couldn’t take her eyes off him, her breath stuttering in her chest when he reached the seam of her thigh.

Lucien’s fingers slid beneath the soft fabric of her underwear, pulling a mere inch. Just enough that Elain could have stopped him if she wanted. 

Elain lifted herself off the bed, making it easier to remove them entirely. 

“Fucking hell,” he whispered, speaking the words against her bare thigh. The fingers that had once toyed with her nipples moved to touch her pussy. Lucien groaned, the sound louder than the rumbling thunder around them, when he felt how wet she was. Elain whined, jerking as he rubbed a slow circle over her clit. 

“Do you taste as good as you smell?” 

Words failed her. She wanted to tell him he ought to find out—but Lucien was one step ahead of her. His tongue replaced his fingers, sliding up the wet center of her. It was something Graysen wouldn’t do—he didn’t like the taste and found it too tiring if he had to be there longer than a few minutes. Elain hadn’t protested, though she had been resentful everytime he begged her to get on her knees and suck him off.

Lucien was unhurried, slow in his exploration. He’d drag his tongue down her pussy, tasting and touching before returning to her clit. His movements were deliberate, building pleasure layer upon layer until Elain had begun to writhe from need. 

Lucien hooked his arms around her, spreading her further apart. There was a greediness to his actions that made her feel as if eating her out was a selfish act—he, too, was deriving pleasure from what he was doing. Driving her to madness with his mouth, pulling the exact reactions he wanted with a teasing touch of his fingers or the rough suck of his lips. Elain ground against him, chasing the building orgasm until she’d dragged the bottom sheet from its corners, desperate to feel something beneath her hands. 

Lucien’s teeth grazed the sensitive nub of flesh just as his finger slid into her body. Elain clamped against him tightly, causing a rumbling groan to vibrate through her. It was too much. She came with a gasping scream, hips arching off the bed. Lucien rode her through it, his own body thrusting into the mattress.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he whispered, crawling back up her body for a searing, messy kiss. Elain pulled at his shoulder, lining them up so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

“More,” she said against his mouth. “I want more.”

“You can have whatever you want from me,” Lucien replied, pushing himself an inch into her body. 

Lucien groaned, throwing his head back as his eyes rolled up into his head. Elain shivered, unable to contain a smile.

“Is it good?”

Lucien thrust himself the rest of the way into her body in response. It was Elain’s turn to gasp, unprepared for the stretch required in order to accommodate the sheer size of him. Lucien held himself still, head buried in the crook of her neck while Elain focused on deep, gulping breaths. 

Pain gave way to pleasure faster than she’d expected. 

He pulled himself out nearly to the tip, kissing the underside of her jaw as he thrust back into her. They both moaned. Elain dug her nails into his ass, meeting him thrust for thrust with wild, hungry abandon. 

“Louder,” he ordered, hand closing around her throat again. “Is this what you want, Elain? What you came all the way home for?”

“Yes, yes, Lucien—” Elain was rapidly unspooling, losing herself to the golden haze of pleasure. Lucien squeezed just enough that the breathlessness she already felt was heightened, 

“Are you going to come for me?”

“Yes,” she moaned. Elain was close, a fact he must surely have been aware of given his own erratic thrusts. 

“Come for me, Elain,” he whined, dragging the blunt head of his cock through her silken heat. “Baby, please, come—”

Elain fell apart, her scream of pleasure swallowed by Lucien’s greedy mouth. Lucien came right behind her, his moan of pleasure edged with the most delicious whimper—like he was twice as wrecked. 

“Fuck,” he breathed. Elain could feel the pounding pulse of his heart through the skin of his cock. “Holy shit, Elain.”

A small laugh escaping her. She was still clenched tight around him, her body practically shaking from the aftershocks. “Was it how you imagined?”

“Better,” Lucien murmured, kissing her mouth. The taste of Elain’s pussy clung to his lips, exciting her all over again. “Get on your hands and knees.”

“Already?” she asked, dragging her nails against his scalp.

“I have you all weekend, don’t I?” Was Lucien’s smug reply. “I have to take what I can get.”

“Spoken like a true romantic,” she teased. Her laughter turned to a whine when he withdrew, rising on his knees to wait.

Elain would have done anything he asked. 

-*-

Elain was avoiding her phone. In truth, she was avoiding everything but her immediate world. Preparing for a restaurant took an immense amount of time, not counting her regular responsibilities. Her father was planning a masquerade party, in part to impress his new in-laws… and, she suspected, to bring her and Gray back together.

Elain hadn’t told Lucien about that. Even when Gray began texting her again, sweet like he’d been back when she’d first met him. \

I miss you.

Tell me about your day pretty girl.

Thinking about you.

Elain didn’t respond. None of those things were true for her. Elain had never been happier than she was with Lucien and with each passing day, began to feel resentment toward her father and his unfair expectations. Was it not enough? While Feyre and Nesta were allowed to carve their own paths, he still wanted to dictate Elain’s—and she was too cowardly to tell him no.

Lucien’s fingers snapped in front of Elain’s face. “Are you listening, or are you thinking about my cock?”

Neither, though she couldn’t admit that. “Just tired,” she said instead, catching the self-satisfied smile that spread over his lips. “I could use some uninterrupted sleep.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” he replied crisply, turning back to the documents spread before them. “I need you to sign off on our application here…and here…and I need you to sign payment as well.”

“Yeah, alright,” she grumbled, snatching up a pen. She made her way around the table, leaning over him as she signed. Lucien exhaled in satisfaction, running his nose over her neck. 

“You smell good,” he murmured, snaking an arm around her waist. “I’ll bet you taste even better.”

“This is why we’re so behind,” Elain reminded him even as he pulled her into his lap. 

“I like being alone with you,” he admitted, kissing her cheek. “I don’t want to share.”

Elain wound her arms around his neck. “Father wants me to return to London in a month.”

Lucien’s expression flattened. “Oh?”

“I thought…I thought maybe you’d come with me?”

She saw the warring urges on his face. If Lucien came with her, the son of a duke—bastard or not—it might convince her father to drop Graysen. 

“Elain, I…” he trailed off, biting his bottom lip. Lucien didn’t want to return to London. 

Ever. 

“Of course. It’s fine,” she lied, grateful he couldn’t see her disappointment. “Just a few days and then I’m all yours again.”

He relaxed. “Or you could stay,” he murmured, lips back against her skin. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“He would be terribly disappointed,” Elain replied, her heart pounding at just the mere thought of staying behind. She’d already told Nesta she had to be there—Nesta would kill her if she went but Elain stayed. 

“Why does it matter? What about what you want?”

“It’s such a small thing,” Elain replied, though guilt gnawed at her. It was hardly small—Elain wasn’t willing to give up Lucien, and certainly didn’t want to go back to Graysen. What happened when her father pleaded? When she danced with Gray to smooth things over, to appease him because she couldn’t just be honest about what she wanted?

She risked losing Lucien. He would never forgive the betrayal if it ever got back to him. She’d be just another woman picking the wrong man over him. 

“Then why are you so tense?” he asked, lips trailing over her collarbone.

Honest—be honest. 

“He wants me to work things out with Gray.”

Lucien went taut, pulling his mouth from her skin. “Oh.”

Elain tried to stand but Lucien held firm, unwilling to let her escape. “Do you want him back?”

Elain scoffed. “No. I want—” 

Lucien’s breathing sped up, his fear etched over his features. “What do you want?”

“You.”

The fingers digging against her hip relaxed. “You have me.”

“I don’t,” she whispered, staring at the wood floor beneath them. “Because the thought of telling father I don’t want to go…that I’m never coming back…it makes me so nervous and I find myself agreeing to things I don’t want to do to placate him.”

“Ah,” he murmured, lips back on her. “What’s the worst thing that would happen if you told him you wanted to stay with me, a bastard born Vanserra?”

“He’d be disappointed,” she admitted. 

Lucien waited for her to finish, but that was it. And it was, she supposed, a little pathetic. She was a grown woman—disappointing her parents came with the territory. Elain had gone her whole life avoiding it, and wasn’t sure she wanted to start. 

But the alternative was going back to how she and Lucien had been before. Strangers but worse, because now she knew what it was like to have his undivided attention. 

“Is…is that all?”

“Yes,” she said, heart pounding in her chest.

“Well, as someone who has been disappointing his parents from the moment he was born, let me assure you it’s not that bad.”

He reached for her face, holding it gently in his hands. “Stay with me,” he whispered when she didn’t respond. “He’ll understand you’ve merely fallen under the spell of my cock—”

“Oh, stop it,” Elain murmured, though she nuzzled closer all the same. 

Lucien or pleasing her father? It should have been an easy choice.

But Elain felt miserable all the same.

-*-

“Dad,” Elain said patiently, well aware Lucien was hanging on her every word. He was pretending he wasn’t, face buried in a book on that ugly pink sofa. Elain had her legs stretched over his lap, head resting against a cushion. “About Gray—”

“He’s looking forward to seeing you,” her father interrupted with excitement. “When do you think you’ll be in?”

“I…” Elain looked over at Lucien. His expression was scrunched, eyebrows pulled together with clear and obvious worry. “I’m not sure.”

Lucien exhaled softly. 

“I can’t wait to see you married like Feyre. This is what your mother wanted for you.”

And with that last little guilt trip, Elain hung up the phone feeling stupid. Worse than stupid—like a traitor. Lucien set his book down, turning entirely to face her.

“I know,” she said before he could. “I know.”

“That was rough,” he murmured, gripping her bare shin. “Just—just promise me you won’t dance with him.”

“You’re no better than I am,” Elain complained, tossing her phone to the coffee table before them. “ Be a little angry, Lucien.”

“If we’re fighting, we’re not kissing,” Lucien reminded her. “Prioritize, Elain.”

“So you’ll let me go, knowing my father is playing matchmaker with the ex you punched, so long as I come back to you?”

“I mean…I suppose I’d prefer if you stayed,” Lucien murmured, his grip on her leg tightening. “And I’d like it more if you told your father you were with me. That you—” he took a gulping breath. “Are you ashamed?”

Elain’s stomach dropped. “No,” she said, reaching for his hand. “No, never.”

He nodded. “Okay. Then I’ll live if you go, so long as you come back home to me.”

But she didn’t believe he’d truly made peace with her decision to go. Lucien left her on that couch not too long after, citing some piece of work he’d forgotten. Elain suspected he didn’t want her to see just how hurt his feelings were. 

She called Nesta, and then Feyre, just to make sure her sisters were at least still going. And it was on the phone with Feyre that Elain learned something interesting.

“I’m surprised Nesta didn’t ask Cassian,” Feyre said, her voice weirdly breathless. 

“Oh? How is that going?”

A muffled voice in the background called, “They’re in love!”

“Hello, Rhys,” Elain said before asking, “wait. Did Nesta say that?”

“No. She never would, but Cassian calls Rhys to talk about her all the time. If they’re spending so much time together and he’s in love with her…surely she is, too.”

“Surely,” Elain murmured, an idea percolating in her mind. “Do you happen to have Cassian’s phone number?”

“Why?” Feyre asked, but she sounded too distracted by whatever Rhys was doing to truly pay attention.

“Just…want to introduce myself,” Elain lied. Rhys called out the number before Feyre ended the call quickly, leaving Elain to make a rash, selfish decision. Her father would be so disappointed in her. Elain vowed to turn her phone off, to convince Lucien to keep her in bed where she wouldn’t be tempted to check her messages.

The phone rang, and a man with a cheerful voice responded, “Hello?”

“Hi. Is this Cassian?”

“Aye. Who asks?”

“Elain Archeron. We met at my sister's wedding?”

“Oh, Nes’s sister. What can I do for ye?”

“Nes—nevermind. I wanted to know if you’d like to come to a party my father is throwing at the end of the month.”

There was a pause. “Yeah, I would.”

Elain grinned. “Perfect.”

-*-

Lucien’s fingers drummed against the arm of the couch, his expression blank. She ought to have left and they both knew it. If she didn’t, Elain was going to be late. Maybe it was cruel not to have told him she wasn’t going—that she’d given her spot to Cassian and instead Elain was trying to get Lucien outside where she fully intended to have him.

In the grass, if she could manage it.

“I should check on Henrietta,” Elain said again. 

“Elain—”

“Want to join me?” she interrupted, sliding her hand over his knee. Lucien went taut, sucking in a soft breath.

“Shouldn’t you…pack…?”

“No,” she replied lightly, inching her hand up his leg. “The weather is so nice, it seems a shame to waste it indoors.”

Lucien blinked, so clearly trying to figure out what was happening. Elain crept further still, hoping he was at least a little hard. 

“You’ll be late,” he breathed.

Piece it together, Lucien. 

“I was thinking the grass is probably soft on my knees,” she said, reaching his cock. Lucien angled his hips toward her just enough to communicate he wanted her to touch without saying a word. 

Elain stood instead, tugging at his hand. “Join me?”

“Are you staying?”

“Yes.”

He sucked in another breath. “Elain—”

“If I have to choose between a night of dancing with Graysen or performing an indecent act on you in the garden, well…that's an easy choice, Lucien.”

“And your father—”

Elain ignored how tight her stomach felt. “He’ll have to live with the disappointment, too. I’m not a dress-up doll…and I don’t believe my mother wanted a loveless marriage for me.”

His face was so, so pale. “Loveless?”

“Yes, Lucien. Marriage to Graysen would be loveless…and I want to be loved. So I’m going to stay with you, and trust that in time, father will accept that my heart no longer resides in London.”

"Where ah…where does it live, then?”

Elain crept forward, placing the palm he wasn’t holding against his chest. “Here. With you.”

“I’m in love with you,” he blurted out, as if it had taken great effort to keep those words locked away. “Too, I mean. I love you, too.”

“How am I supposed to leave, knowing that?” she breathed. Lucien pulled her against him, burying his face into her hair.

“I suppose you’ll have to stay. I could sabotage the wallpaper again though, if you like.”

“Is that what you were doing before?” she demanded. Lucien’s smile was unrepentant. 

“Yes. I was afraid you’d go back to London and plan your wedding if I ever made things easy and I was so jealous of him.”

“So your solution was to make me hate you?” she asked. Lucien grinned.

“My solution was to keep you with me until you realized you were madly in love with me. Which worked, I might add.”

“What a gamble,” Elain teased, even as she kissed the exposed column of his throat. “You should write a book.”

“I should. I��ll call it, Twenty Steps To Make Her Yours: Does She Hate You, or Are You Misreading the Signs?”

“A bestseller,” Elain murmured, leaning up to kiss his mouth. “I’d buy a hundred copies.”

“You’re sweet,” he replied, a smile stretching over his lips. “And I think, if you’re offering to get on your knees, I’d rather you did so where no one could see.”

“Oh?”

“I’m terribly possessive,” he replied, his expression sharpening as Elain began tugging at his belt. “Someone might see and try to steal you away.”

Elain laughed. “They could try.”

She sank to the ground, pulling his rigid cock free while Lucien gathered up Elain’s hair. “My beautiful, sweet Elain.”

“How do you know I’m beautiful?” she retorted, kissing the underside of his erection.

“I told you,” he rasped. “You glow.”

Ignoring the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, Elain asked, “So all those times you were informing me I glowed with that angry scowl—”

“I was telling you how lovely I think you are,” he replied. 

“Did it ever occur to you that you ought to just say so?”

“Nope!” he replied cheerfully. “I have no regrets.”

“Just wasted time,” Elain grumbled, licking the head of his cock if only to punctuate her point. Lucien exhaled a shaky breath, his grip in her hair tightening. He stopped talking the moment she took him into her mouth. The clean taste of his skin mingled with the cinnamon and leather that seemed to cling to him. Elain drank him in, wondering if this would be the time he let her finish without pulling her off him.

Lucien’s personal record was a whole two minutes. Elain had begun counting each pass of her mouth in her head, trying to get to one hundred. Swirling her tongue over the tip of Lucien’s cock drew a ragged moan from him.

“Elain,” he panted, unaware she was only on stroke ten. “Elain, I’m going to fuck you on this couch.”

Elain might have laughed had Lucien not tugged her off him. He pushed her toward the sofa, flipped up the back of her dress, and thrust himself into her just as quickly as he’d pushed aside her underwear. 

“Lucien—”

“Hold the back of the couch,” he growled, snapping his hips roughly. Elain did as she was told, practically vibrating with need. Lucien’s hand tangled in her hair, pulling until her back was arched. 

“Guests are supposed to sit here someday—”

“On our couch?” he panted. Each new drag of his cock made Elain breathless, made her wish she’d never started talking at all. “This is coming with us when we leave.”

“Lucien—”

“That’s it. Whose fucking your pretty pussy so well? Tell me—loudly.”

“Lucien!”

“That’s my good girl,” he praised, lips brushing her ear.

Elain broke apart without meaning to, clenched so hard around him that Lucien followed just behind. It was quick and messy—no amount of steaming their couch would ever make it appropriate for guests. Not when Lucien pressed her into the cushions, feverishly kissing his way down her body.

And certainly not after, when he buried himself back inside her, making an utter mess of them both. 

That suited Elain just fine.

-*-

“Elain Elizabeth Archeron!” Nesta’s voice cut through the silence, drawing both Elain and Lucien’s attention toward the courtyard. Elain’s chickens wove themselves around open grass, chasing after bugs and, in Henrietta’s case, keeping a very close watch on Lucien, who had his head in Elain’s lap so she could better braid his long hair.

“Elizabeth?” Lucien asked, trailing a lazy finger over her thigh.

“It’s not,” she replied, wondering where Nesta had pulled that from. “It’s Marie.”

It hardly mattered. Nesta stomped into view not a second later, trailed by a very apologetic looking Feyre. Rhys was just behind, studying the grounds with interest, while Cassian trampled over a row of daffodils.

“After all the fuss you made about the dance—”

“Did you have fun?” Elain interrupted, noting the wide smile on Cassian’s face.

“That’s hardly the point,” Nesta hissed, eyes narrowed on Lucien. “Who is this?”

“Told you,” Rhys murmured to a silent Feyre. 

“This is Lucien Vanserra. I’ve told you about him,” Elain said, disappointed when Lucien sat himself up. He was squinting against the brightness though he’d extended a hand all the same.

“Pleasure—”

“This is Lucien?” Nesta demanded. “He’s so…”

No one spoke, waiting for Nesta to decide what Lucien was. 

“Young.”

“Did you imagine something else?” Lucien asked her, a smile gracing his features.

“Older, I suppose,” Nesta admitted. 

“Is this why you didn’t come?” Feyre asked, coming forward to shake his hand. “You could have brought him.”

“I don’t want to go back to London,” Elain told them with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m glad you two had fun.”

“Fun is not the word—”

“We had a great time,” Cassian assured Elain. His smile told her that whatever he and Nesta had done made the entire affair worth it. Certainly, from the creeping flush on Nesta’s neck, she felt the same. “Thank ye for inviting me.”

“Of course,” Elain said warmly. “Are you planning to stay?”

Feyre’s eyes swept around the grounds. “It would be nice to be together again. Would we be putting you out?”

It was Lucien who responded. “Not at all. You’ll be our first guests.”

“Come,” Elain added, patting the ground beside her. Henrietta scuttled forward, nipping at Lucien when he tried to settle himself back in her lap. “Tell me the gossip.”

Feyre was the first to plop beside her, blue eyes alight with mischief. Nesta came next, smoothing out her long dress—ever the lady. Elain smiled.

She’d never been happier.

#elucien #elucien fanfic #elain x lucien #yay for being FREE!!!