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thefoxholecast · 2 months

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The Original Foxhole Court Extra Content (Archived from Nora Sakavic’s Tumblr)

We copied the following text directly from the pre-2024 version of the Foxhole Court Extra Content page on Nora Sakavic’s Tumblr blog (korakos.tumblr.com/fox). In March 2024, she did “some spring cleaning” by shortening the list of links and deleting/hiding old posts. The links in this copy lead to archived snapshots of the old posts on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Some of the links are broken. If you have copies of these posts, please let us know so we can fill in missing content!

Because Tumblr only allows up to 100 links per post, we're unable to replicate the full list here. View the full list of links on our blog here: thefoxholecast.tumblr.com/FoxArchive

The Foxhole Court

ETA 2023: most of the posts here are from 2013-2015. Some of them overlap with older drafts. Some answers have evolved over time, even if they haven’t been updated here. Most I haven’t changed my mind on, for better or worse. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, and good luck making sense of ‘em around all the drunk rambling and detours. One day if I have the energy I’ll just sort it into a coherent reference.

Two sections here: the questions submitted by tumblr users, and a miscellaneous collection of stories & factoids pulled from the oft-neglected blog. The questions aren’t in any particular order, though I did try to organize them by subject matter. Ish. Once the dust is settled a bit I’ll try to find a better sorting system. Also, the tumblr tag I use for questions is http://korakos.tumblr.com/tagged/foxhole-court-questions-and-spoilers

Lots of spoilers for The Foxhole Court ahead!

Preface: Why are Asks disabled in 2016?

COURTING MADNESS

—Exy Rules & Regulations

—Exy: A History of the Sport

—Palmetto State University

—The original “What Happens After King’s Men” post

—SON NEFES, the cousins’ freshman year through Renee’s eyes

——One . Two . Three . Four . Five

—Nicky Hemmick

—Seth Gordon

—Aaron Minyard

—Matt Boyd

—Kevin & Andrew

—David Wymack & the Monsters

—Wymack & Andrew re: Neil

—Dan Wilds is recruited to the Foxes *

—Allison through Dan & Renee’s eyes *

——pulled from an abandoned, unfinished book about the Foxes’ women

TUMBLR

NEIL

—Neil’s life on the run

—Do they ever celebrate Neil’s birthday?

—What if Neil told the truth earlier?

—Neil through the Foxes’ eyes

—Neil through Ichirou’s eyes

—Neil’s looks post-book and relationship with his reflection

—Does Neil ever talk to Bee?

—Neil’s millions

—Neil’s fight training

—Who’s Neil closest to beside Andrew

—Neil’s fashion style

—Cellphone ringtone

—Christmas/birthday presents for Foxes

—Does Neil ever cry?

—Neil’s lonely fifth year

—When Neil’s overwhelmed

—Does Neil crush on his teammates?

—Neil & Ichirou’s intimidation

ANDREW

—Andrew’s sober look at his teammates & Neil

—How did Andrew react to Cass’s letter?

—Andrew’s medication and the follow-up

—Has Abby seen Andrew’s scars?

—Andrew & Mama Bee

—Andrew & Roland

—How far has Andrew willingly gone?

—What animal figurine did Andrew buy Betsy?

—Andrew’s eye color

—Andrew’s opinion of the cats

—What’d Andrew say to Nicky in TKM?

—Andrew’s honest opinion of Exy

—Andrew’s thoughts on Neil’s binder

—Andrew and his sexuality

—If Andrew had met Neil’s mother

—Andrew’s thoughts on Neil’s sexuality

—Andrew’s fondest memory of Neil

—Andrew’s aforementioned withdrawal

—Do you think Andrew is really really really awesome?

—Proust and Andrew

—What happens to Proust?

—Andrew’s reaction to Neil’s bday blood

—Andrew on Neil eventually changing out

—Does Andrew get grumpy?

—Does Andrew get less dead inside?

—Does Andrew call Neil by his name?

—Why give the Foxes crackers?

—Andrew’s first choices in winning a fight

—Who liked knives?

—What got chopped from Drake’s arc?

—Does Andrew get off thinking about Neil?

—Post Andrew & Bee’s side story?

—When did Andrew start thinking Neil was interesting?

—Any other words he can’t stand?

—What does he think about nicknames?

—Explain Andrew’s fatal disease in the comic version

—Andrew’s canon mental state

—How did Andrew not know about Tilda’s abuse?

—Why punch Neil for “Sorry”, and when Andrew is sick

—What’s with Andrew and promises

—Andrew’s thoughts on Roland’s premature confession

—Andrew’s arrest

—Wanting nothing vs not wanting anything

—Why was Andrew laughing after Drake?

—If Neil had chosen Dan & Matt over Andrew

NEIL & ANDREW

—The other 10%

—Which teammate caught on first?

—Do Andrew & Neil go on dates?

—When did they first hold hands?

—When did Andrew clue in?

—Exites self-censure

—Betsy’s & Aaron’s reactions to the news

—Roland’s opinion of things

—The breaking point

—Who tops?

—On tying people up

—Their domestic life aka Sir Fat Cat

—I love you

—Andrew and the bed issue

—Nightmares

—Do they learn to talk to each other?

—Blaming Neil for Drake

—Andrew comforting Neil?

—Neil’s fondest memory of Andrew

—Neil getting Andrew off for the first time

—Neil seeing Andrew naked

—Neil & the sex how-to

—How was the first time

—Where’d it happen?

—When was their first hug?

—“I won’t let you let me be”

—Their roadtrips

—Neil waking Andrew up

—Andrew’s real smile

—How does Andrew show appreciation for Neil

—Their happiest moments

—Does Neil ever make Andrew laugh?

—Does Andrew take comfort in Neil

—Does Andrew get protective/possessive?

—Doesn’t Neil crave affection?

—Andrew re: Neil’s panic attacks

—Media reaction to Andrew/Neil

—Further reaction to Andrew/Neil

—On “accidentally” sitting in laps

—What if Andrew died?

—What if Neil died?

—Reaction to getting hit on by others

—Do they celebrate anniversaries?

—The first time Neil pushes Andrew down

FOXES

—How tall are the Foxes?

—Why is everyone so short?

—Where did their names come from?

—What were their majors?

—What do the Foxes look like?

—What are their Hogwarts houses?

—Reaction to the kidnapping

—Do Neil & Renee become friends?

—What did Allison do with Seth’s urn?

—Nicky’s evolution over the drafts

—Do the Foxes get their skiing trip?

—Does Andrew know Nicky kissed Neil?

—When did Aaron & Katelyn fall for each other?

—How did Andrew and Wymack end up handcuffed together?

—Kevin’s favorite things

—Kevin and Andrew’s on-court kerfuffle

—Dan’s haircut

—Dan & Matt’s relationship

—Dan & Matt’s first kiss

—Matt bouncing back from Columbia

—Matt rooming with the monsters

—The other what-if OT3 aka D/M/N and the dynamic

—Do Allison and Renee have the hots for each other?

—Matt forgiving his father

—Any mistletoe shenanigans?

—Thanksgiving and the Foxes

—Kevin’s best friend

—Janie Smalls

—How did Kevin and Thea meet?

—Foxes’ favorite ice cream flavors

—Kevin & Andrew’s on-court argument

—Foxes’ taste in music

—Kevin’s middle name & drink of choice

—Do Kevin & Neil want to kiss?

—Which Fox would Kevin kiss, then?

—Kevin’s best non-Exy memory

—Allison’s three bets

—Why is Allison’s middle name Jamaica

—Kevin, Andrew, and Neil staying friends

—“Joan of Exy”?

—Can the Foxes sing?

—Some of the Foxes’ previous bets

—Do Nicky & Allison become friends?

—Are Foxes based on RL people?

—Nicky when Neil asks about friendship

—Dan & the monsters in Columbia

—What if Kevin was killed?

—Renee and her near-death experiences

—More background available on Renee?

—Why doesn’t Aaron let the Foxes in?

—Team’s reaction to Drake, Andrew’s reaction to being outed

—Andrew & Aaron’s time with Tilda

—Does Aaron reconcile with Andrew over Tilda?

—Nicky & his parents after Drake

—Foxes thoughts in Baltimore

FOXES POST-TKM

—The Pro Teams

—The Weddings

—Neil as the Best Man?

—Kevin after TKM —Thea, Jean, Foxes, and Riko

—How does Kevin & Wymack’s relationship evolve?

—Renee after TKM

—Nicky after TKM

—Aaron after TKM

—Allison after TKM

—Dan & Matt after TKM

—Dan and the US Court

—Any pro-period scandals?

—Andrew & Neil’s relationship with their team

—Would Neil hold Matt’s children?

—Neil & babysitting the Foxes’ kids

—Which Fox’s child would curse first

THE FUTURE FOXES

—Who is Robin Cross?

—Neil and Jack

—Andrew’s reaction to Neil punching Jack

—Foxes’ reaction to Neil punching

—Kevin and Jack

—Neil’s new recruit

—Andrew and Jack

RIVALS

—Who is Riko Moriyama?

—Riko & Kevin’s evolving relationship

—More about Riko & Kevin’s past

—How did Riko break Kevin’s hand

—Riko’s brutality toward Jean

—Any draft where Riko wasn’t killed?

—Were Riko, Kevin, and Jean involved sexually?

—Does the Fox-Trojan rematch happen? Also how do the Trojans & Jean get along?

—Do Alvarez & Laila (Trojans) have backstories?

—Thea’s number & thoughts on Raven brutality

THE “ADULTS”

—Kayleigh Day & David Wymack

—Abby Winfield & David Wymack

—Wymack’s parents

—Did Wymack cry during the trilogy?

—Did Kayleigh know about the Moriyamas?

Nora & the Foxes

—Fancast and Andrew

—Changing opinion of Foxes over the years

—Bits of the scrapped K/N/A threesome here and here

—The KxAxN AU where Kevin died

—Will there be a sequel?

—What inspired you to develop Exy?

—Fox fanfictions, collected by coldsaturn

—Why a pseudonym?

—What came first, characters or story?

—Were you the artist of the comic version?

—What did the comic-Foxes look like?

—What do you do when you’re not writing?

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mediocreanomaly · 9 months

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Mermaid vash with s/o human reader

I feel like Vash would court the reader by giving them random "lost" stuff that he found from people that dropped things in the ocean, like bottles, broken camera, jewelry, a random knive. Anything shiny and cool looking ends up in the reader's hands from Vash. He'd be very happy if the reader accepts the gifts but if the reader gives him something? Any thoughts gone, Vash is malfunctioning.

Just thought this would be a cute idea

Authors Note: Guys please I'm a creature lover at heart don't get me started on these prompts- (joking please get me started on these prompts mer!Vash makes me happy)

Mer!Vash x Reader HC's

•Vash is extremely interested in humans. Think...Ariel lmao. Although humans are known for trying to poach merfolk (their scales and fins are extremely valuable) he can't help but love them!

•He does his best to stay hidden as he follows along boats from afar to watch the crew work during the day or play cards and drink at night. He sits on far away rocks on beaches to watch the humans splash in the water and sunbathe on the beach. Basically if he can watch humans somewhere he'll be there

•Which is why when you became the newest light house keeper for the port, you were the perfect human for Vash to watch

•It was perfect, the light house was far enough from the actual port that he could lay on the rocks with out being seen, he'd watch you through the light house windows, he'd watch when you'd leave to dip your feet in the water or sit on the rocks to watch the horizon. It became Vash's new favorite pass time so it was only a matter of time before you noticed your fishy companion

•When you first see him his lower body is in the water, only his head sits out watching you, you blink and begin approaching him thinking it's someone who's swam too close to the rocks

"Hey! This might not be the best place to swim there's lots of rocks and the actual swimmers beach is-" you pause caught off guard when, a couple steps in, you see a long red and orange tail gleaming in the water. You lose your balance and fall in the shallow water screaming-

"ahhh!" "ahhh!" the merman mimics back in your voice, which only concerns you more and...leads you to scream again, "ahhh!!!" "ahhh!!!"

•This whole mimicking thing seems to go back and forth for about two more screams before you settle. You catch your breath as you stare at the merman who just watches you curiously not making a move to leave

•You had heard of merfolk, everyone had but it was rare to see them unless you were a poacher and even then merfolk were famous for sinking the ships that were after them. You had met a cocky sailor once who had tried to boast by showing off a few mermaid scales he has sliced off some mermaid he was tracking but it had only disgusted you thinking about how terrified the poor girl must've been

•Although as you carfully look over the merman in front of you it doesn't look like this one has had any better luck, winding scars paint his chest and it seems he's missing an arm...you wearily glance up to the blue eyes watching you, you're pretty sure merfolks were supposed to have silted iris but this merman's pupils are blown wide with curiosity

"...so...can you copy anything I say?" you ask, "...so...can you copy anything I say?" He repeats in your voice, which...is admittedly a bit creepy but he makes a pleased trill noise after he shows off

"Right...so you uh, have a name?" you ask, the merman nods eagerly then pauses looking a little sad before smiling and saying "Vash!" in a woman's voice you've never heard before

•You come to realize that Vash can mimic pretty much any sound as long as he's heard it before. You assume it's some sort of hunting tactic which scared you a bit until you realized he mostly used it to mimic the noises of other sea animals to bring them closer, so it seemed humans were not on the merfolk menu

•Vash comes around pretty much everyday, trying to communicate through half phrases he had heard and various chirps and trills you often had to decode the message of. Luckily he was very expressive so it helped with the context

•You find Vash loves human things, you even started bringing him foods after he snatched a bag of donuts from your hand one morning. So you eat most your meals out by the rocks now, not that you mind. The life of a light house keeper was a lonely one, so you were glad for the company as unconventional as it may be

•The two of you actually become close, or...as close as a human and merman can get you guess? Only issue for you is you don't seem to realize how close you actually are

•Vash has decided. You'd be the perfect mate. You're a good swimmer (for a human), you provide food (donuts), and it only confirms it in his head when one day he makes and happy chirp noise and you jokingly try to mimic it back the same way he does, not realizing it's a show of affection in the merfolk world

•So Vash takes it upon himself to begin courting you. You know how I said think Ariel when you think about Vash? Yeah he has a little cave in the ocean that he just collects trinkets in. Pennies, jewelry, screws, knives, if it shimmers he's picked it up and stashed it away. Which is why he's sure he'll be very good at scavenging to show you how good of a mate he would make!

•It starts off slow, when you're sitting on the rocks with Vash and he hands you a small shiny quarter. You glance up at him as he watches you eagerly waiting for a response. You smile and run your hand through his wet hair

"For me?" you hum, he makes an affirmative trill, tail slapping against the rock excitedly

"Well thank you, it's very nice Vash"

•Then the next day he brings you a necklace he found which you please him by wearing, something that just confirms his courting is working. Then he brings you and old camera, then a bottle, then a whole sword which you go wide eyed at when your smiling blonde companion pulls it out of the water

•You aren't 100% sure why Vash feels the need to bring you things but you enjoy the collection of shells, sand dollars, and shiny objects he leaves you. Although you feel a little bad that, besides the snacks you offer him, you haven't ever given him a gift

•So you go to the market the next day trying to find something. You didn't really know if Vash had a home to keep anything big in...where did merfolk live anyways? You'd have to ask Vash next time you saw him- and you're getting distracted.

•You sigh almost giving up when a stall that glimmers in the sun catches your eye. Perfect! Vash loved shiny things! You run over to the stall to see what they have when your gaze lands on a gold ear ring. The whole "one ear ring" look was becoming popular among sailors but...Vash liked mimicking humans, maybe he'd like this?

•You quickly buy it (in part thanks to all the spare change Vash leaves in your hands every morning) and head back out to the light house

•When you get there Vash has already pushed himself up on the rocks waiting for you. He makes a pleased trill noise and greets you with a "Good morning!" in your own voice. You chuckle and carfully climb your way over to his spot and sit down

"Good morning to you too! Hold out your hand!" You urge as you dig in your bag for your gift, Vash gives a curious look and tilts his head letting out a questioning "vrr?"

"please? c'mon it's good surprise promise" you say, he nods not one to deny you and holds out his hand. You press the gold ear ring into his palm and smile at him.

"so? do you like it? ...Vash? uh...Vash?" You try to wave your hand in front of his face but his eyes are locked on the trinket, as if completely shocked. His face is...also going a very bright shade of red the longer he looks at it- did you break him?

"Vash if you don't like it-" before you can finish that thought he quickly makes a panicked chirp when you go to grab it out of his hand and dives into the water leaving you wondering what just happened

•Vash meanwhile is running his fingers over the metal of the ear ring over and over again. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected a courting gift from you! This was so embarrassing! To accept courting advances was one thing but to be so bold as to court back? He never expected you to be so forward! Well...that just confirmed you wanted to be his mate...and that he'd have to up his courting tactics to really impress you

•After about a half hour of sitting bewildered at the mermans reaction you finally spot him as he peaks his head out of the water and- oh! he's wearing the gold ear ring, the hoop hanging from his right ear

"Vash! I almost thought you left for the day" you sigh padding into the water after him, he shakes his head and makes a cooing noise before repeating "Hold out your hand!" just as you had earlier

"hmm? oh you didn't have to get me something too but okay" You relent holding out your hand, expecting more change or something shiny-

"ahhhh!" you scream as a a live fish about as big as your arm is dropped into your hands. You fumble and drop it, the fish flops around before darting away as soon as it hits the water. Vash frowns, this...was going to be harder than he thought.

#vash x reader #vash x you #trigun x reader #mer!vash #Trimaid?#Mergun?#Yeah that doesn't sound right #mer!vash x reader

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kindasleepywriter · 2 months

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Bird of Prey - Chapter 13: Crash Landing

Bird of Prey masterlist. Azriel x Fem!Reader.

Chapter summary: On the run from the Night court, injured and alone, you wonder if there's a point to all this suffering.

Story rating: Mature - Minors DNI

Warnings: Graphic injury, implications of previous possible dubcon, suicidal ideation. (Also this is unedited but ill do that asap)

Word count: 0.7k

Prev | Next

In the middle of winter, the winds of the Night court felt more like knives than they did a soft caress. Perhaps straining your left wing almost immediately after ascending over the large expanse of trees had had a role to play in your torture, but you couldn’t think of anything other than the pain as you struggled over the border towards Day, barely managing to glide over the divide between the two courts.

Unsteady flight patterns had you tumbling down through the treetops barely a few hundred feet past that point. The loud cracks of the snapping branches and the rustling of the pine trees engulfed you, so loud that you couldn’t hear your own exclamations of pain going down.

Curled around yourself on the forest’s icy floor, surrounded by the debris you’d taken down with you in your fall and the feathers you’d ripped out in the process, is where you finally yell apart. You laid there for hours, quietly sobbing as you tried to convince yourself to get up, get up, but you couldn’t, not until light began to sweep over your position.

Everything came crashing down on you in waves, the reality of the situation, and you couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Why couldn’t any of it make sense?

Azriel. He’d hated you at first, that you were sure of. He had no reason to trust you or help you, and you had only given him reasons to dislike you even more. You hadn’t been kind, but neither had he, not until... until after the study, when he had seen you burn the doorknob. Not until after Feyre saw through your memories.

Not until you became a tool, one they might be able to wield… if they gained your trust.

Gods, it hurt to think that all of what happened between you and Azriel might’ve just been an act, but the pieces all fit together like building blocks, one by one. It explained why he had suddenly found it in him to care for you, how he used your own weaknesses against you.

Fury and heartbreak tore through you, and that’s when you had started screaming in pure anguish through your sobs. You hadn’t admitted it, not out loud, but he must’ve known, known that you loved him. How easily you had fallen too, how little he had to show before you betrayed your instincts for him, your centuries of knowledge. As easily as a leaf falls in autumn at the slightest breeze, you thought bitterly.

But why would Azriel go after you, even when Rhysand held him back? Were they still hoping you would change your mind, that you would come running back? Your head kept spinning in circles until you didn’t have any more tears left to cry, until your throat felt as tight as a vice.

By that time, in the early morning sun, only numbness was left in you. There was no more fire left to burn, no more hatred towards those who used you, you’d spent it all. The only embers left had turned against you. Once more, you had been played for a fool.

You’d picked yourself up at the first sign of light despite your injuries, wings lacerated deeply and at least a few ribs broken, and dragged yourself into the first cave you found, uncaring of any danger that may be lurking in within. Maybe that would be a more comforting ending, you thought. Putting yourself at the mercy of nature, your only true friend, was a poetic way to go. No more betrayal, no more cruelty, only the Mother’s sweet embrace.

You shuffled to the farthest wall you could reach and curled down on the cold floor once more, your wings oozing blood at an unsteady rate. Unconsciousness settled over you comfortably, a blanket of death draping over you in a final moment of peace. You hoped it was over.

Today is a day of suffering, it would seem. Almost ready to post the next chapter, it'll be posted somewhere in the next 7 days!

Banner created by the amazing @saradika!

Taglist: @sapphenaa @minnieoo @weasleyreidstyles @anuttellaa @acourtofdreamsandshadows @fightmedraco @some-person-somewhere

#azriel x reader #azriel #acotar #acotar x reader #acotar fanfic #azriel fanfic #azriel POV #azriel x you #azriel x y/n #enemies to lovers #bird of prey

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stellarislune · 28 days

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Asirel x Pet | impromptu fic

Or what happens when Pet 'ran' away without a trace one day.

ASIREL's POV

"Are you sure that these tactics will give us more profit?"

"Surely, the losses will be big. I beg to disagree."

"Perhaps we should do this instead.."

"I highly doubt the effectiveness of the.."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Flashbacks of the meeting drilled a headache down into my brain.

It's another one of those days where the court just keeps toeing their feet out of line. If I snap back, they appease me with their façade of docileness.

Even with all the power and reputation in my grasp, the fact that I am younger than most of those greedy, old zealots mean that I am lower than them. At least, that is what they believe.

Sigh.

If I crack at the smallest slight against me, it'll be a big damage to my invincible, shiny image.

Asirel.

The most powerful man with powerful connections all over the world. I scoffed to myself. The throne is a lonely place for the Almighty.

Creakkk.

The door opens to my favorite chamber as of late; the room that belongs to my favored Pet.

At this time of the evening, they're usually up and about. Either playing with knives and darts, reading, or simply exploring the room in their idle time. I have not allowed them to come out ever since that fiasco where they tried to use my personal lessons on others. Not that I left that fool gloating over having stolen what was mine — they won't be able to bring mortal possessions in whatever position they are in right now.

What greets me, however, is an empty, silent room devoid of light from the chandeliers hanging above. There's knives scattered on the floor, splattered with what looked like blood. A soft breeze runs past me, so I turn my head towards the window. It has been broken—whether it has been broken in or out however, I do not know.

It's a moonlit night. Its rays illuminated the room dimly, yet with enough light to identify whatever it is on the ground. Several bodies, probably dead, all scattered unceremoniously against the walls in various directions.

"What games are you playing, Pet?", I mutter to myself, exasperated yet also intrigued. This is surely not the first time this has happened.

My Pet has gone to feed, perhaps. Unsated by these.. lucky fools. I think. They always return to me.

Suddenly, the waft of air brings something that smells strangely familiar. The scent.

It brings back the smell of rusty cages, bleek-looking faces, and a rot of something that has never seen the light for ages—during the first time that I have met them.

It's the faint scent of inhibitors.

I turned the lights on.

The bodies in the dark now have faces on them. Seeing such a mess in this room has never been surprising. Pet always feeds as if they have been starved. Like a feral beast without a leash. What shocks me is the fact that the men, albeit beaten up and bruised, appear to be alive.

I knelt down, putting two fingers on one of the men's neck and, indeed, there's a pulse. These men have fought, that's obvious enough. To think that they were toyed by my Pet is a huge possibility, yet something compels me to think that something is definitely, definitely, wrong.

With haste, I grabbed my phone. Calling one of my attendants to check on the CCTVs all over the place. My hands, which were once burning with annoyance and anger from earlier, felt cold as ice.

"Check every footage. Every nook and cranny.", My voice was deep, commanding. Somehow, it sounded shaky against the static. "My Pet is somewhere in this vicinity. Rally my men and find them." I grit my teeth as I put the phone down.

This isn't the first time that you've disappeared. It's not the first time that you have escaped from my grasp, only to be dragged back again.

But this.. this is the first time my heart has beaten this fast.

Surely, you will return. Right?

#zsakuva #sakuverse #asirel #boyfriendaudios #pet yeeted because why not #short fic #is it obvious that i love asirel?#angsty?

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webslinger-holland · 11 months

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The Emperor of Magic | Part 3

Summary: The crows make their way out of the court with the prisoner. On their way to Ravka, they are faced with a problem that can’t be solved easily.

Warning: +18 Warning, particularly gruesome chapter which includes death/murder, mentions of blood, swearing, arguing

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Fem!Reader

Type: Series

Word Count: 3.5k

Series Masterlist

The large metal door of the cell swung open to reveal the presence of the emperor herself. The officer stood in the doorway of the cell. With great hesitation, Kaz and Matthias moved to stand on either side of the officer. They both looked into the dark and cold cell.

All of the sudden, the officer breathed a sharp gasp. He went to grab his chest as it sounded like he was struggling to breathe or he was having some sort of heart attack. Before Kaz or Matthias could question anything, the officer collapsed to the ground. The two of them slowly turned their heads to look at the unfazed emperor.

In utter fear, Kaz went to reach into the cell to grab the handle of the door. He slammed the large metal door shut in hopes that it would protect them against her.

Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the crows were standing right behind them. The officer had fallen unconscious by the hand of their very own heartrender, not by the emperor in the cell. Slowly, Nina’s hands fell back down to her sides. She shook her head.

“You really think she’d just kill him like that?” Nina asked them sarcastically. “She’s contained remember?”

In response, Matthias and Kaz went to look behind themselves at the rest of the group. They both seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief, having realized that they were actually safe from the emperor and that the officer wasn’t dead.

Now that the whole crew had arrived, it was time to break the prisoner out of the cell. First off, Wylan passed out some of the weapons he had stolen in the armory. Inej inspected the knives and Jesper inspected the small guns. Finally, the boss went over the plan one final time with the rest of them.

“When we get inside, Jesper will break the chains. Each of us will grab one and lead her out of the cell. Then Nina and Wylan will clear the way for our escape,” Kaz reminded them.

“Right,” Matthias nodded. “And how are we getting out of here?”

“Through the tunnels that run underneath the city,” Nina explained. She had seen a number of hidden manhole covers throughout the city. There was bound to be one nearby.

“They’ll lead us straight out of the court,” Inej explained. Kaz nodded his head once in acceptance.

Once everyone got into position, Kaz went to open the large metal door of the cell. They filed in one by one. Now Jesper quickly got to work with the chains. He grabbed hold of them tightly, using his ability to manipulate metal in order to break the chain from the wall. He handed the chain to the respective crow. He did this for each of the four chains.

As an extra form of security, Wylan slipped a brown burlap bag over her head. He was especially careful not to touch her in fear that he’d be exposed to her magical abilities. He quickly stepped away from her.

For a split moment, there was a stunned silence that fell over them. The boss took the time to glance at each of his crows, hoping this wasn’t going to be the end. Now they just needed to get out of the court alive.

It felt like he was tasked with gently waking up a vicious and dangerous sleeping dragon which could destroy him at any given second. With great hesitancy, Kaz shook the chain he was holding once or twice. The emperor was slow to lift her head, but she did so.

He went ahead to pull on the chain, urging her to follow him out of the cell. Though Kaz could practically feel the uncertainty leaking from her. He knew he was taking a risk because this was something that she hadn’t done since her time her. He figured that it was only a matter of time before she would come to the realization that she was being broken out of prison. She might have already realized it.

After a beat, the emperor of magic rose to her feet and began to follow them out of the cell. They guided her with the four massive metal chains, leading her through different hallways and doorways. Upon rounding a corner, Nina found one of the grates that lead to the tunnels. She had found it earlier on their way to the cell. She went to open it up.

Suddenly, the sound of a commotion was heard through the cold hallways. The guards must have stumbled across the empty cell because they began arguing amongst each other. The footsteps began drawing closer as the guards spread out in search of the fugitive.

“They’ll be coming soon,” Matthias explained.

“Working on it,” Nina said as she pulled the grate off the wall.

They didn’t waste any time in entering through the tunnel that would lead them below the city. The guards were getting closer with each passing second. However, Nina made sure to close the grate behind them. Just as she slipped into the shadows of the tunnel, she faintly heard a group of soldiers marching past the spot they had just been standing at.

Though the tunnel was quite narrow, the crows made sure to keep their distance from the emperor. They didn’t want to accidentally bump into her. They continued on by leading her through the tunnels.

Navigating the tunnels was no easy task, but they knew that they needed to head north in order to get out of there. They made sure to head in one direction to the best of their ability. A few right or left turns were made, but they were able to keep on track easily enough. It was a couple hours before...

“It should be straight up ahead,” Matthias stated. He glanced at some of his surroundings. “This looks familiar.”

“Be on the lookout,” Kaz ordered. “There is no telling if we run into guards once we are out.”

Carefully, Nina went to remove the grate that separated the tunnels from the outside of the court. She placed the grate to the side and slipped out. She moved her hands to be at the ready just in case they ran into anyone. The others followed behind her.

As if on cue, the Black Protocol alarm began to resound from inside the walls of the court. That meant the whole court was going into lockdown until they found their missing fugitive. The soldiers had been ordered to make their way to the walls so that the prisoner wouldn’t be able to escape.

Though they were already outside the walls, the crows were quick to make their escape into the forest so that they wouldn’t be seen by anybody. Their intention was to lead the emperor of magic as far away from the court as humanly possible.

At some point, word was bound to reach the other kingdoms in the land. The other king and queen will hear that their grand prisoner had escaped the impossible confines of the prison. A bounty was going to be placed on her head for her recapture. And the crows were going to cash that in relatively soon.

Now heading south, the crows stumbled across the small hidden place where they had buried some of their valuable belongings. Now Wylan reunited with his explosives, Jesper found his precious pearly guns, and Inej clung to her favorite knives. Even Kaz was more than happy to be reunited with his trusty walking cane as his leg had been bothering him for some time.

Moving on, the group of seven made their way further south with the intent of heading into Ravkan territory. It took a few hours, but they eventually wandered into the sandy dunes. The sun began to rise and the heat only followed.

The heat of the sun finally peeked since it had reached midday. The blinding rays of sunlight had no coverage from clouds, brutally beating down and reflecting off the dunes of sand. With this heat, everyone grew tired and weary rather quickly.

Having passed into Ravkan territory, the cool comfort of snow had long since disappeared. The vast dessert dunes of Ravka would eventually come to an end, especially once they came to the palace. But for now, they were forced to endure with the heat.

At one point, Matthias went to look over the stretch of his shoulder. He looked back on the place he used to call home as he was still able to see it from many miles away. He silently wondered if he’d ever go back or ever be accepted back.

The crows kept trudging along with their feet lazily dragging in the sand. It would be dangerous to stop now since they were transporting a very dangerous fugitive. Naturally, Kaz was leading the group while holding onto the chain attached to the emperor’s frontside. He occasionally would look over his shoulder to make sure everything was still running smoothly.

On the right side, Jesper held one of the massive chains in his hand. He’d often wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand or fix the way his hat fell on his head. On the left side, Wylan and Inej took turns holding the chain as it was quite heavy. They were also the two smallest members of the group.

In the back, Matthias held the final chain. Though it was rather heavy, it wasn’t to him. Nina walked along beside him with her hands constantly at the ready. Though she had been instructed to not use her powers unless absolutely necessary. If she ended up using her powers. she’d be exposed by the emperor by letting it slip that there was a heartrender amongst them.

Out of nowhere, the emperor of magic came to a slow halt in her steps which caused the others to slightly tug at the chains because they expected her to keep walking with them. Without hesitation, Kaz whipped his head around to stare directly at the emperor’s covered head. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously before cautiously pulling the chain once or twice to encourage her to move along. But she stayed put.

“What’s happened? Why’d she stop?” Jesper asked for some kind of explanation. The five crows casted uncertain glances to their boss.

“I don't know,” Kaz shook his head. He was looking the most annoyed right now.

“D-Do you reckon she’s tired?” Wylan tried to reason. They turned to look at him with blank expressions on their faces. Wylan further explained himself. “Maybe this is her way of saying she’s tired and needs a break.”

“We can’t stop,” Kaz almost cut him off. “It’s too dangerous. We can’t let our guard down.”

As if on cue, a heavy rumble sounded in the long distance. If one could describe the sound, it almost sounded like a mountain caving in on itself or the sound of thousands of boulders crashing into one another. Before anyone could remotely question it, the earth began to shake violently. The crows did well to maintain their balance.

The rumbling sound continued as the earth groaned in pain. Unbeknownst to them, the tremors of the reverberating earthquake could be felt over the stretch of hundreds of miles. After some time, the earth began to settle down once again. The crows felt slightly dizzy, but they were fine otherwise.

“What was that?” Inej asked slightly worried.

“That was no earthquake,” Kaz said slowly. The others looked directly at him in utter confusion. They went to follow his line of sight which settled on the emperor herself.

“Y-You don’t think,” Jesper tried to get out. He almost laughed at the nonsense idea. “There is no way that could have been her.”

“Don’t underestimate her,” Kaz ordered blankly.

“She’s bound though,” Wylan added. “She can’t use her magic because her jacket was made by a fabrikator--” Wylan’s voice was cut off.

Because it was almost like the emperor heard him talking. What shocked him the most and what made his sentence fall short was the fact that she had turned her head to look directly at him despite wearing the covering over her head. His breathe caught in the back of his throat, holding it in anticipation.

Kaz watched carefully.

Very slowly, the emperor shifted her body in order to look behind her. While it almost looked like she was now facing Matthias, the truth was that she was looking behind him and slightly upwards. Her ‘gaze’ fell on the vast structure of the Ice Court in which they had just left.

“She feeling sentimental?” Jesper wondered.

“Don’t joke. Not now,” Inej demanded of him. She watched for something.

“Why is she looking at the court though? What’s it to her?” Matthias asked. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He directed his attention back towards the court which stood in the far distance from them.

All of the sudden, Matthias could feel his heart sinking in the deep confines of his chest. The once grand walls of the court that had been known to be impenetrable had begun to crumble and collapse. If they had been closer, they were bound to hear the screams and cries of people coming from the city as the walls came crashing down around them, killing hundreds without spare.

“Oh my god,” Inej gasped, stumbling backwards slightly.

“Holy shit,” Jesper replied with wide, bulging eyes.

Wylan went to cover his mouth in utter shock and Matthias began clenching the chain tightly in anger. Because it wasn’t just the walls around the fortress that collapsed. Within seconds, the rest of the structure started to give away and cave into itself. The military stronghold was no longer there, having been reduced to ash, cloud, and debris.

Before the court was even done falling to pieces, the emperor of magic redirected her attention back to her frontside. Unlike the others, Kaz was not as fazed by her show of power. It had first been the earthquake and now the decimation of an entire city. He had known her powers to be great, but never imagined she would go to these lengths.

It wasn’t just the heat that was getting to him. Matthias began to feel a new type of rage ignite within him. This felt like a personal attack on him. That was his home for a time and despite what others may say, those were his people. Now they were gone.

His heart was filled with the thirst for revenge. He only saw red, blinding by his anger and hatred. His jaw locked in place and he bit his tongue until he could taste blood in his mouth. He tore his gaze away from the sad scene of the city, refocusing his sight on the backside of the emperor. He was seething now.

“We...cannot go on,” Matthias breathed angrily. He clarified. “She cannot.”

“Matthias,” Nina tried to reason with him sympathetically. She placed her hand on his arm which was instantly yanked out of her reach.

“This needs to end now. She needs to be silenced,” Matthias claimed.

"You’re not suggesting we just kill her here,” Jesper argued. “The whole reason we broke her out of the court was to get the bounty that would be on her head. Think of the money we will make!”

“I don’t care!” Matthias barked. “She is a murderer. She’s killed thousands.”

“We’ve all killed people,” Jesper threw out. “Not nearly as much as her, but we aren’t saints either.”

“Jesper,” Wylan warned him.

“What’s to stop her?” Matthias dropped the large metal chain into the sand. He strode directly towards Jesper, almost as if he was looking for a fight. “What’s to stop her from destroying the next city we enter and killing everyone in it?” Matthias wondered.

“She will be contained,” Jesper said through gritted teeth. He pushed back by pressing his chest against the bigger guy. “She doesn’t know what city we are going to next. She only destroyed the court because she knew she was leaving it. Plain and simple,” Jesper stated.

“Arguing won’t solve anything,” Inej interjected.

But Matthias and Jesper chose to ignore her comment.

“Are you so blinded by your own greed that you care not for the wellbeing of others?” Matthias quipped.

“Matthias,” Nina said rather loudly. “That’s enough.”

Throughout the argument, Kaz didn’t feel the need to interrupt them. He kept his eyes on the prisoner just to be safe. He halfheartedly listened to the pointless argument, dealing with the back-and-forth bickering nonsense. He didn’t care at all, at least not until...

The emperor went to turn her head to look directly at Wylan for the second time. The leader of the crows made the connection almost instantly in that moment. He glanced between the two of them.

“That’s it,” Kaz said mostly to himself. He called for the attention of the other crows which took a second because they were all still bickering amongst themselves.

The five crows looked at him expectantly, choosing to listen to what he had to say.

“Kaz,” Inej said softly on the left side. She readjusted the large chain in between her hands. She saw the slight hint of panic in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” Inej wondered.

“She showed her hand,” Kaz concluded. “She’s messing with us.”

“H-How do you know that?” Nina stuttered fearfully.

“She’s not in our heads, is she?” Wylan wondered. He shifted from one foot to the other nervously. She was still looking directly at him which made him afraid. He cowered in his place.

“No,” Kaz shook his head. “Not yet at least.”

“Then what is it?” Jesper wondered.

“Look at the chains,” Kaz ordered. “Who holds them.”

Though Matthias had let go of his behind them, Jesper and Inej were still holding onto theirs on either side. And Kaz still held onto the chain at the front of the pack. The crows were slightly confused.

“Now who did she look to?” Kaz quizzed them. Each of the crows ended up turning their heads and looking directly at Wylan who hadn’t held the chain in a while since it had been Inej’s turn.

“Does this mean--” Jesper began.

“She can see him,” Kaz concluded. “Or she knows exactly where he is.”

Now Wylan felt a sudden urge of a newfound fear and anxiety wash over him. He felt vulnerable knowing that she knew where he was despite not holding onto a chain. It shook him to his core.

“So she knows where we all are,” Jesper stated.

“Not necessarily,” Kaz pointed out. “She knows there has to be at least four of us because we each hold one of the four chains. She must have felt Inej and Wylan switching every now and again.”

“But she doesn’t know about Nina, then?” Matthias interrupted.

“Correct,” Kaz nodded. “And I’d like to keep it that way. Nina is the only one who’d come close to taking her down.”

“I’m still confused. How does she know exactly where I am? I could be standing over there and she shouldn’t know that,” Wylan said while pointing a couple feet to his left.

“I don’t know yet. We haven’t touched her. She can't hear us or see us,” Kaz listed off. He remembered some theories suggesting that she was already all-knowing, but if that was the case, they’d be dead by now.

As if the emperor was apart of the conversation, she went to adjust her gaze to face the heartrender of the group. The others shifted uneasily in their place.

“No, she definitely knows Nina is here,” Jesper pointed out.

“How is that possible?” Nina asked fearfully. “I haven’t held a chain. She shouldn’t know I’m here.”

So Kaz was forced to think it over. It was like he was trying to solve a puzzle in his brain. He racked his mind of the endless possibilities. He tried to remember everything he had read for the past three years, trying to come up with some kind of explanation.

“Heartrender,” Kaz mumbled to himself. He looked up at Nina for a second. “Looks to the heartrender. No,” Kaz dismissed his initial thought.

The other crows glanced between one another in slight confusion. They didn’t seem to understand what he was getting at. But the fear was starting to set into all of them.

“Looks...to...the...heart,” Kaz pieced it together. He spoke ever so slowly. “She feels our heartbeats. That’s how she knows exactly where we are.”

Just then, a demonic voice sounded in the back of Kaz’s mind. It was something only he could hear and it chilled him to his bone just hearing it. To anyone with sense, it would have sounded like your conscience speaking to you. Only this time, it was a very distinct voice that wouldn’t belong to any human. It could only belong to someone who possessed the magical ability to manipulate someone’s mind. And all it said was...

“Very good, Rietveld.”

TAGLIST:

@d34drapunzel @adorawritesalot @vixythepixie @theghostofshadows @lonelywitchv2 @arcadialine @zeeader @cleverzonkwombatsludge @shara-ne @iloveinej @ireallydontcareanymorebrooo @mystic-mara @missymisha @tremendoushearttaco @home-of-disaster @gh0stgirl333 @harrydimples @marina468 @phoenix666stuff

#Kaz Brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker angst #kaz brekker series #kaz brekker x inej ghafa #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker imagine #six of crows #nina zenik #jesper fahey #matthias helvar #wylan van eck #inez ghafa

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ashtrayfloors · 16 days

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SORRY I DON'T FEEL LIKE TALKING ABOUT GOLF TODAY

We announce the world first existed in the form of a human body without mouth or eyes / without limbs or lungs / without glands or genitalia / without necessity of food / without motion / without empathy / without virus or vaccine / poison or antidote / so we became the first virus / & we became our own vaccine // We became open mouths & closed eyes // We became legions of cold compassion thrumming in a spacious forever / / flailing architects constructing intricately engineered endings // Over & over // For everyone / everything // More monstrous / more energetic / more insensate / more infernal // Bodies like sword-wielding skeletons slashed apart then reforming again & again until a fire-greased weapon unfurls them for good / bodies like drainage canals / bodies like drain cleaner / bodies like ant poison / bodies like battleground states / bodies like badlands / bodies like butterfly knives / bodies like broken touchscreens / bodies like breathtaking vistas of bodily hell / bodies like empty penthouses / bodies like empty infinity pools / bodies like empty stomachs / bodies like empty eye sockets / bodies like empty food courts / bodies like empty milk cartons / bodies like empty playgrounds / bodies like empty classrooms // Where you expect to find ocean you only find whalefall / recycling / crumbling forests of bleached coral // Where you expect to find clarity & awe you find cosmetic & pharmaceutical pollutants // You can’t stop listening for sounds that will never be made again / because the listening comforts you / but the listening hurts & the comfort hurts / grinding your teeth to the rhythm of the dead refrigerator’s hum // Our sweat is cold & culpable // We toss & turn & braid with the sheets / put our ears to each other’s chests expecting to hear heartbeats / instead finding dial tones / yearning for blues & greens you’ve never found in the flesh // So many bright rooms with no people inside // So many tangles of rain molding our homes from the inside // So easy to hide the profane from the sacred / to pretend the sirens surrounding us are nothing more than silence // Your cadaver lies supine in a tranquil field of lavender //

—Adam Fell, from Strange Horizons (November 2022)

#poetry #adam fell #recently read #i love this

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not-poignant · 13 days

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Birthday Spotlight - Crielle ferch Fnwy

[18 April - Aries]

Crielle ferch Fnwy is the matriarch of the An Fnwy estate, a beautiful, evil Machiavellian supervillain who has been manipulating the Seelie Court and her family for tens of thousands of years, while giving the appearance of being a perfectly loving Seelie fae who only cares about truth and justice.

Mother of Gwyn ap Nudd, and aunt of Efnisien ap Wledig, Crielle is actually only rarely seen in stories, but has an explosive impact regardless, due to the trauma she inflicts or causes others to inflict on our main characters.

‘You’re not mine. You may have stolen from our family legacy, you may have parasitised our reputation, you may have even exploited and ruined the things about our appearance that make us – not you – beautiful. But you are not, you have never been mine. If you felt a short, sharp shock when you came into the world, my darling, it was my hands around your throat while your father tried to pull me off you. ‘Imagine, if you will, my dear, reprehensible thing. Imagine the first time you came back to me after we sent you away to play with Efnisien. Oh you were only twelve or thirteen? What a lovely idea that was. And Efnisien had you for hours. I told him to use knives. He liked them so, and he didn’t think he’d be allowed. So precious. And I heard the distant echo of your screams like a faint, familiar melody all throughout my day. A time when they stopped because he gagged you perhaps? Or your voice gave out? Tsk. He is – was – so crude. But still...effective. And do you remember? Oh, my creature, imagine it... ‘You came home hours later, hours after Efnisien. You were broken and cut and bleeding and so, so ruined. And you stumbled into the house, and there I was waiting for you. Breathless, actually. And you stared at me as though I would – what? – tell you that Efnisien had crossed a line, gone too far? Do you remember what I did?’ ‘You smiled at me,’ Gwyn said, his voice rough and rusty.

Game Theory

Game Theory: Introduced as the manipulative, evil, and cruel mother of the King, Crielle starts off with Cinderella stepmother vibes, until you realise that Gwyn's her only son and she can't stand him, favouring his cousin Efnisien instead. A torturer, abuser, schemer, and conniving Machiavellian figure, she ultimately has been puppeting the Seelie Court for thousands of years, and is the cause of Gwyn attaining, and then losing, his Kingship.

It's safe to say that Crielle has never been the Most Valued Player of any story.

The Court of Five Thrones: While Crielle only has a very brief appearance in this story, her presence is felt throughout. We find out more about her feelings towards Gwyn, through journals he discovers in her house after her murder at Augus' hands.

The Drawn Bead: In a story that explores Gwyn's first love, Crielle is there as a forbidding, tormenting figure, ruling Gwyn's life with an invisible, oppressive kind of terror.

The Curse: The only story which features Crielle's perspective, we see her as a child, a teenager, an adult, and learn about her dangerous proclivities, how her family did and didn't deal with them, and the depth of her love for a select few people, a love that she gave to Gwyn right up until the moment he was born.

Fae Tales – Alternative Perspectives: Crielle is only here briefly, but we see more of her dialogue with Gwyn, and more of Augus' perspective about her.

Underline the Black: Crielle here emerges as a cruel villain to Efnisien, in a flipped/reversed narrative where Gwyn is her beloved child, and Efnisien is nothing more than a neglected science experiment. Efnisien's life is at the mercy of Crielle's whims, and she puts him first in Hillview (an institution) to put him out of sight and out of mind, but as soon as he causes too much trouble for her, she won't hesitate to strike him down.

The Spoils of the Spoiled: In which Crielle even in the human world as a human herself proves that she can be just as evil as ever. Ruler of the household, torturer of Gwyn (and later, we learn, Efnisien), and clearly involved in corruption and organised crime, Crielle lives her best life in this story until Gwyn tries to legally emancipate himself from the family.

Falling Falling Stars: In the follow up to The Spoils of the Spoiled, Efnisien - previously thought of as the beloved and protected 'adopted' child of Crielle's - reveals over time the verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse he suffered at her hands through therapy sessions with Dr Gary. Over time, we realise that no one is safe from her influence.

Crielle is very 'classically' beautiful, with blonde hair that has a slight wave in it, that generally falls down to her shoulders. She has azure eyes, a shade of blue almost never found among humans (even when she's human). She wears only enough make-up to accentuate her eyes and perfect lips, and maintains a very 'natural' effect to her beauty. It looks effortless and perfect enough that many who are experienced with beauty routines know she puts a lot of time into her appearance.

Crielle is asexual, sex repulsed, and aromantic.

Crielle is common fae, and while she's affected by the curse that Olphix cast upon the family, I like to think she'd still be pretty awful.

Born into a family in which some members are predisposed to sociopathic behaviour, Crielle was one of the worst and was not encouraged by her parents to be the way she is. Many people assume that she was abused into her evilness, but she wasn't.

To me, the concept or alienness of someone who is as evil as Crielle simply because she was 'born that way' is very fascinating to me.

Incredibly intelligent and perceptive, her few weaknesses are around the (few) people she loves and the way she will indulge them, as well as anything that threatens her reputation.

In Game Theory, when we finally realise that she is at the centre of Gwyn's devotion, standing there watching his humiliation, reacting in disgust to being called 'Mama' in a moment of vulnerability from her own son.

In Falling Falling Stars, Efnisien calls Crielle, and it becomes quickly clear that she holds no love in her heart for Efnisien when she calls him a 'ghost' and reminds him that ghosts are very easy to kill, making it clear she still wants him dead, and only inertia/disinterest is keeping her from following through because she'd already killed him once.

Always really fucking evil and irredeemable.

Frankly dies a lot.

Always a bit of a mad chemist. In Fae Tales she is a literal chemist and inventor of many different poisons. This has carried over even in to her human incarnations where in the Spoils universe she uses her knowledge of science to cultivate, create, or acquire poisons and viruses and bacteria to insert into Gwyn's food. And carries even more strongly into the Underline universe, where she runs one of the most successful synthetic hormone companies in Australia.

Visibly stunning.

Cares a great deal about reputation.

Usually loves Efnisien. Underline is the first series that has flipped the narrative so that Gwyn is beloved and Efnisien is loathed.

Kind of disdains her husband, who has no power over her.

Crielle is a real figure in Welsh mythology, though she was never meant to be an evil figure. Nor is she Gwyn's mother in the mythology. A sign of just how intensely I've bastardised everything for my own purposes.

She is good friends with the Ratcatcher of Hameln.

I wanted Crielle to be an example of how you can't expect that someone perfectly beautiful is a good person. I also really wanted to write a woman villain. I felt like a lot of woman villains at the time that I was seeing or reading were often written as petty or just in ways that made them somehow 'weak.' The appeal of Crielle is that she's an extremely effective villain and the only thing that stops her is her death (with the exception of Falling Falling Stars).

Despite how awful she is, I really love her! I'd write her more, but she's too strong and powerful lmao and she ruins my character's lives too much.

Crielle's colours for me have always been cream, yellow, white and blue. It's hard to imagine her wearing anything else.

‘How perfectly disgusting,’ Crielle purred. ‘A little worm has learned how to use the phone. I thought I had a caterpillar once, that would turn into the most beautiful butterfly, but it turns out the only thing my sister’s loins are good for, are despicable little worms.’ ‘D-Do you hate me now?’ Efnisien whispered. Crielle laughed lightly. ‘Oh, oh, my darling, I don’t hate you.’ A moment of hope, strong and bright, a sudden dawn inside of him. ‘I feel nothing for you. As far as I recall, I killed my nephew, and you are nothing more than a ghost.’

Falling Falling Stars

#birthday spotlight #crielle ferch fnwy #falling falling stars #fae tales verse #fae tales #fantasy #original writing #original work #writing villains #fantasy writing #i love crielle so much honestly #she's the worst #i don't love her in a 'she's great i want to spend time with her' way #but in a 'she's such a robust #and strong and effective villain' kind of way #i can always trust that she will thoroughly fuck shit up in any scene she appears in #and also frequently posthumously as well

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leantailean · 2 months

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Izumi being Toph’s daughter could be the reason for her glasses.

No, really.

Okay just follow my crazy for a moment.

No one in Zuko’s family wears glasses, right? And Mai throws knives which requires sharp eyesight to do accurately. So why does Izumi have vision problems?

Let’s consider what probably caused Toph’s blindness. She says she was born blind, so we know it’s congenital. Her eyes appear opaque which sounds like cataracts. Toph mostly likely has congenital catatacts.

Predispositions to congenital cataracts do run in families. If Izumi inherited this condition, she would need immediate surgery to save her sight. Delaying surgery results in the eye never developing properly due to missing out on sunlight, which still results in blindness. But if Izumi’s was caught earlier, they could’ve surgically removed the cataract.

It may sound too advanced but there have been rudimentary catarcter surgies in India since 5th century BC. In ATLA they could even use bending to improve the prognosis!

If all goes well, the only long lasting side effect would be the need for corrective lenses.

Like glasses.

Hello! And thanks for the question!

This is a very interesting theory, but I believe that Izumi is Mai's daughter. She and Mai are practically look like the same person. She also resembles her grandmother.

Unfortunately I don’t know much about hereditary eye problems, (but if happens that someone who reads it knows some factual information about it and can give some links I would be very grateful.)

I don't consider the comics and LOK to be a canon (in fact, you're talking to someone who doesn’t even consider the atla third book to be completely canon because of some terrible writing decisions or how the writers treated some of the characters in the third book, especially Zuko , Iroh and Aang, lol🤓). I like to think about LOK as of some sort of AU. And in general, I have almost no doubt that Toph and Zuko actually have a common child in LOK. Like, just look at Lin. She looks like someone from the FN. Her facial expressions, movements, her stubborn, strong personality. Do I at least doubt that Lin is Zuko's daughter? No, for me this is the canon. It's possible that Toph and Zuko got together around the time he and Mai had broken up for a while, or it's even more likely that Zuko widowed and after that he could have got into a long-term relationship with Toph. I don't want to think about Zuko being a widower, or that Mai died - I adore Mai, she's my best girl, my second favorite female ATLA character after Toph. And I LOVE maiko. But we know that in LOK Sokka died early, and Aang died quite early, so anything is possible. But, in any case, Zuko and Toph could have had a long relationship, nothing in LOK contradicts that version. As I recall, Toph mentioned that Lin's father's name was Kanto. Imagine: Zuko secretly dating a woman who doesn't want to be drawn into FN court undercover games, so he sends her love letters and sign them as "Kanto", and there is someone who reads these letters to Toph. God, I love that.

However, Izumi is definitely Mai's daughter.

But this is a very interesting theory, thanks for sharing it!

#zuko #toko #toph #lin #izumi #zutoph #maiko #mai #avatar the last airbender #atla #ask #we need to talk about toko #lok #korra #lin beifong

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poppletonink · 7 months

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Review: Crooked Kingdom

★★★★★ - 5 stars

"I would come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together - knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting."

On the front of Crooked Kingdom, there should be a warning that reads, "You will experience a withdrawal stage once finished reading and will feel like you are no longer whole". That is the effect of this enticing, page-turner of a book. It tells the story of Kaz Brekker and his crew following the Ice Court Heist that occurs within Six Of Crows, as they seek out revenge upon a swindling mercher, in hopes of gaining their well-earned reward. It's dramatic, dark and full to the brim with tales of crime, but it's simultaneously funny and astoundingly adorable.

There are three relationships that have you completely hooked and often screaming at words on paper and that is because... the romance within this story is nothing but wonderful. At times it is overt and between the lines but nevertheless remains an amazing aspect of the story. Overall, the love between the characters, both romantic and platonic, is immaculately written.

Through this book there is a beautiful discussion of disability (both physical and mental) and ableism within society. It's raw and honest about disability, and can be quite emotional to read, yet it is also extremely empowering and uplifting. It discusses dyslexia and the realities of being a cane user but it never takes away from the fantasy plot. In fact, it aids it, because it makes the characters wonderfully imperfect and more real.

Leigh Bardugo is an incredible writer - she will draw you into the world of the Grishaverse and take you down a path before tearing your heart to pieces. She creates characters who you come to love, characters who go through so much and yet stay standing and she will make you cry through what happens to them. It's a painful read, and yet a rewarding one because it is so well-written. A tale of love, crime, trauma and revenge: Crooked Kingdom is an outstanding addition to the ranks of the fantasy genre.

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agustdowney · 2 years

Text

Stitches | Sierra Six (Courtland Gentry) x Fem!Reader

Sierra Six x Fem!Reader | Hurt-comfort

A/N: no proofreading! my requests are open :)

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His head rests on your chest, left hand holding tightly onto the back of your shirt. Clenched teeth in pain, small grunts leaving his perfect, now blooded, lips. You were trying your best with the needle. Hands shaking so much that at each patch of the needle through the skin you needed to stop and take a deep breath.

You wanted to cry, vision blurred from tears stuck at your eyelashes, yet you didn’t let them fall. You couldn’t. God, he was so fucking strong for you. You had to do that, couldn’t fail to the only time that man needed you.

It all went wrong, since the beginning. Switzerland wasn’t safe anymore, not for you. Not for your father or your mom. You knew that, as the daughter of one of the most known politicians in the world you would be at risk. Hell, your father was all the time. But you never thought that it would be like this. Being chase ‘til no end, hiding all the time. Since you had to leave your home-country, you imagined that things would get better. That after the coupe, no one would chase your family again. But here you are; in a chemical bathroom in the middle of the snow in a unknown city in United Kingdom, almost in the fucking end of this fucked up world, patching your bodyguard’s up, a pool of blood on your feet from the shirt you had to wash.

Goddamn chemical bathroom with a broken sink.

“Ouch!”, Courtland hisses, hand clutching to your shirt even harder, fingers almost digging into your skin. The needle slipped from you fingers and went deeper than intended to.

“Sorry”, you whisper, taking on a deep breath to calm your nerves before going back to your task.

“It’s alright”, he says it back, low and husky.

You can feel his sweat through the thin fabric of your shirt. Even though is freezing cold, you don’t shiver because you need warm, but because your anxiety is eating you from inside out, causing a lump to form on your throat. All you wanna do is to drop the needle and scream, on a rage of madness, impatience and feat. Is all too much, is too wild and crazy for you to take in. But you still manages to end it all, the fifteen centimeters of cuts on his shoulder. There was so much blood before that, before you got him all stitched.

He doesn’t let his hold off of you though, even after noticing you finished. His right hand, that was holding on the toilet he was sitting in, goes up to the back of your leg covered on a thin pajamas pants you were wearing on your sleep before being dragged down the hill running away from gunshots and knives. He caresses you, slowly as if using it as some tactics to ease his own breath and heart race. You take it as a sign to hold on to him as well, body relaxing for a moment, allowing the adrenaline to ease away and feel the insufferable cold of the space. Hands caressing the hair of his nape and toned arms.

Is almost intimate, and you would called it that way. Would even be taken back by the suddenly affection. But it was not like that, it was just comfort, relief, seeking warmth on each other because your had nothing and no one else. The silence fills the room for a couple of minutes, just your heavy breath and for Court, the beating of your heart; erratic, fast, and yet, somehow, weak. You were feeling everything, trying to compose yourself whilst felt like there was ropes tied to each part of of your body, dragging you to opposed directions to tear you apart.

You shiver, feeling the cold even more. Goosebumps raising on your skin and teeth clenching.

“We should get some clothes for you”, Six pulls out , clearing his throat, and staring at your eyes.

“We are in the middle of the nowhere, Six. In someone’s old gas station”.

“Yeah”, he breathes out. “I don’t know how long we can be here”, he whispers, uncertain. You’ve never seen that Court before. Never have been so stuck like those guys left you. You were literally fucked, and all you could hope was that your parents were at least breathing.

You stare at him, eyes glued to his blue ones. There’s still red marks and open scars on his face but the blood is drained and is cleaner that you thought it could be with all things considered. You nod, not sure of what to say, not feeling good about opening your mouth. Trying to save energy to heat you body.

You take his hands on yours, caressing your thumbs over his calloused skin. He is skin cold, breathing stuck at his throat when you hold onto him. It takes a minute for him to realize that you are almost using him for entirely support, the you may fall without his hands on yours. His ears goes blank when you speaks out, voice low and wreaking, “I was scared of loosing you tonight”. You don’t stare at him, he searches for your eyes but you are looking at the blooded water pooled on your feet.

“You shouldn’t”, Court whispers, looking at your hands holding each other, “no one is taking me away from you”.

Looking up at him, you feel you heartbeat speed a bit, he sustains your stare, a small sided smile picking up on his beautiful, yet cut, lips. You nod, eyes glistening, you feel the tears coming back and your knees weakling, almost hitting the ground if not for the man that holds you in place. He brings you to his lap, legs on each side of his. You hug his neck, head buried in the side, taking a deep breath of his cologne that somehow still managed to be there after all the running, killing and bleeding. His hand find comfort on your lower back, caressing your skin inside your shirt. His other hand goes to your hair, digging his long skilled fingers on your strands.

The heartbeat of each beats against each other through your ribcages, so close that is almost one. You let out a shaky breath, relaxing onto him. He leans back, against the wall of the green plastic cabin, still caressing you. A wave of sleep comes for you, and before you drift off to your slumber you murmur his name.

“Thank you, Courtland”.

“Say it again,” he answers, after a minute of silence. “Say my name, sweetheart”.

“Courtland”, you whisper, “Court”.

You don’t see, but Courtland Gentry smiles and falls asleep breathing in the scent of your hair.

#sierra six x reader #sierra six #ryan gosling #court gentry x reader

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foxcort · 8 months

Text

"Think of me what you will, but do not think of me as my father's son." Rage burned in his chest. "There are limits to my depravities, and lows even I would not sink to."

written for day 1: brotherhood/family of @erisweek2023. 🧡🔥 / a look into eris' pov if he had been the one to save lucien by delivering him to the spring court after jesminda's execution. / (AO3)

a/n: this little au has been on my mind ever since it became canon that eris played a part in lucien's escape to spring by alerting tamlin. i know in canon lucien runs away from the autumn court on his own, but I always imagined that would probably be very difficult without some kind of help! so, i thought, why not kick it up a notch?

tw: domestic abuse mention, jesminda's execution ( ;-; )

For a brief moment, all Eris knew was the feeling of weightlessness.

Then his knees slammed onto the marble floor of a darkened foyer and the unconscious weight pressed against his side sagged further into him, sparking a reaction of blinding pain across his nerves. He'd used too much magic when his reserves were non-existent, stretched himself thin enough to tear. But desperation had pushed him to the strangest of his few options, and he didn't have the luxury to regret his decision.

He gasped, a palm shooting out to balance his weight, just as a quick crack of noise filled the foyer and the High Lord of the Spring Court appeared before him.

With a baldric full of knives strapped to his chest, he looked ready for a fight. Or an intrusion, as Eris hoped he would be, when he barreled through Tamlin's wards and winnowed himself directly into the High Lord's manor.

Tamlin's narrowed gaze sharpened over him. Over Lucien. And widened when he finally understood what hunched before him. Two Vanserra brothers. Tattered, broken, half-conscious. Bleeding all over his pristine floors.

"Brun! Hart!" Tamlin’s voice echoed through the halls of the manor and Eris shifted with a grunt as the High Lord closed the distance between them and dropped to take Lucien’s weight. “What happened?” he said quieter, directed towards him this time.

Two sets of footsteps sounded down the hall, heavy and urgent.

Eris’ grip on Lucien tightened. “Beron,” he gasped. Some small, vain part him was mortified at how weak he sounded, his voice hoarse from screaming, from coming so close to begging for the pain to stop. Lucky he had his father’s pride.

Tamlin’s face darkened in understanding, his jaw tight, green eyes flashing as he assessed the damage done to Lucien. The two names he’d called for finally entered the foyer, rushing to their lord’s side and sliding under his brother’s arms without any need for direction or order.

But perhaps they needed it, for Lucien whimpered softly in the transfer and Eris was upon the nearest male with a sharp hiss. “Careful.” He might as well have been spitting venom with the way the burly male’s face paled, guilt awash over his features as he stammered out an apology.

Tamlin set a steadying hand on the male’s shoulder. A placating, pleading touch. Be more gentle next time. “Take him to Acesis. Notify me the moment he wakes.” The young male nodded and this time Eris took it upon himself to guide his brother into the male’s arms, his legs screaming in protest as he finally stood and made to follow them.

A firm hand curled around his arm, "Not you, Vanserra." Before he could rip his arm away from Tamlin's grip, that feeling of weightlessness returned. Light and airy and then he was slammed back into existence once more. Into a room full of warm candlelight and the smell of old books. The High Lord's study.

Eris whipped around to face Tamlin, lips pulled back in a sneer. "How will I know your shortsighted sentries won't kill him on the way to the healer?"

"If you thought Lucien would come to harm here, you wouldn't have brought him to me." Tamlin paused, eyeing him in a way that made Eris' stomach churn. Suspicion. There was only a small glint of it, but it was doubt that flickered in the brilliant green of the High Lord's eyes. The implication that perhaps Eris had done this to Lucien. And the reason he hadn't let him go with Lucien.

Anger flared, stoked by the pain and blood littering his body.

"Don't look at me like that," he spat, trying and failing to stand upright. Worse than the pain, worse than Tamlin's cutting gaze, was the doubt he held for himself. He wasn't wholly unconvinced he didn't deserve such accusations. After all, he'd stood there and watched, frozen with horror as their brothers forced Jesminda to her knees and his father swung his sword clean through her neck.

He'd only come back into his body when the rough hands of his father's guards jostled him away to the dungeons. To be dealt with, Beron had said. His father hated disobedience.

"Think of me what you will, but do not think of me as my father's son." Rage burned in his chest. “There are limits to my depravities, and lows even I would not sink to.”

Eris dropped into the nearest armchair, his head bowed, fingers curling into tight, white-knuckled fists. He was tired of wearing masks, of moving brothers like chess pieces, of the permanent gut wrenching fear that something terrible would happen to his mother. But nothing compared to the feeling of defeat. That he wasn't two steps ahead of Beron as he imagined he was. And that it meant he was wildly unfit for any ruling position, much less High Lord of a court.

Tamlin had eased his stance, a small sigh leaving him as he took a seat opposite of Eris and leaned forward to quietly ask, "What happened to Lucien?"

Heat swam in Eris' vision, but he blinked it back furiously. Perhaps what he tired of most was appearing and feeling week. And if he could at least keep himself from crying in front of Tamlin, he could claim one victory in a sea of losses.

"Beron executed Jesminda." Tamlin swore lowly, a hand raking through his hair roughly. "He planned to do the same to Lucien in the morning." The High Lord's gaze turned murderous, and Eris thought for a second that he could see claws sharpen over his nails.

But then Tamlin's breathing became measured and his hands looked normal and the anguish returned to his features, winding his brows in a knot. Either way, it assured him that he'd certainly brought Lucien to the right place. That if Tamlin could be tempted to such rage with a few words, Lucien was quite possibly in the safest place in Prythian.

Tamlin's eyes flicked over Eris, over the state of him. " . . . And you?"

“I refused to participate. He took offense.” His jaw tightened, thoughts battering away any emotion or memory that would drag him back into the dungeons prematurely. He would face that again soon, but every moment away was his. "As soon as he realizes Lucien has escaped he'll send the others to hunt him down."

A thoughtful look passed over Tamlin's face and he stood, walking over to a decanter full of a rich, amber liquid. "If you wanted him hidden, you should've taken him to the Continent."

"My mother said about as much." Eris watched greedily as he poured the liquid into two glasses and handed him one. He accepted without an ounce of decorum, downing it immediately and relishing in the burn. Setting the glass down, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before setting Tamlin with an even stare. "But for all the acquaintances and loyalties Lucien has collected, he doesn't have one quite as powerful as you. Or quite as committed."

Tamlin stared back for a long moment, his features giving away nothing of what he felt. Then, "Do you believe you'll need power in the event your brothers come looking for Lucien?" He took a sip of his drink. "You're the eldest. Can't you persuade them that it isn't in their best interest to step foot into my territory?"

A bitter laugh fell from Eris' lips. "If you could have been so easily influenced by your elder brothers, we wouldn't be having this conversation." The High Lord smiled humorlessly, a self-chastising look, as he tipped his glass in Eris' direction.

"Beron has poisoned them beyond my influence." Eris felt the weight of a festering guilt sit heavy in his stomach. "Beyond my mother's love. Whatever happens to them now is out of my hands." He cleared his throat, stamping out the emotion building there. He wouldn't name them. Wouldn't think of their faces. Or the inevitable death that would meet them should they cross into Spring. "Tamlin." The High Lord's gaze shot to his at the change in his tone. "They'll kill him. And anyone who harbors him."

"They'll try."

Envy pricked Eris' heart. At the growl lining Tamlin's words, the threat laced there. So opposite to the cold bond between him and Lucien. He'd cultivated it, himself. Refined it and built it with such a strong foundation, he believed even a thousand years of life would not be able to repair the broken strings that barely held the two of them together.

And so it was an envy he had no right to.

Eris pushed himself from the armchair, shooting Tamlin a glare when he moved instinctively, as if to help him. "And Beron," he said, waving away the other male, "There could be grounds for hostility between our courts."

“I’ve had a lifetime of tyrants disguised as fathers." Tamlin eyes sparked with a silent fury. "Let me make an enemy of this one.” Eris didn't doubt the High Lord would rip the throat of anyone who came looking for trouble. Perhaps he sought it. "You could stay, too," he said, giving him a poorly hidden look of pity. "The Spring Court is large enough to house more than one fugitive Vanserra."

"He doesn't know it was me," Eris said, quietly, "He can't know. And neither can Lucien." Only his mother knew. It had been her who'd released him from his dungeons without the knowledge of the guards or his father. Her, who had begged him to take Lucien away. "Beron did this to me," Eris gestured a hand towards the half-healed atrocities peppered across his skin, "Simply because I didn't follow his orders. If he discovers my denial is more than a stubborn reluctance . . . I can't afford to look weak. Not in that den of wolves."

"At least let Acesis take a look at your wounds before you go."

He shook his head, instead stumbling across the room to pour himself another glass of the amber liquid. "If he heals me, they'll know I left." He downed the glass. "My only chance at survival is keeping my position as heir solid. I know what I have to do to obtain that." And then muttered to himself, "I've always known." Eris focused on the smooth touch of the glass, the severe expression on Tamlin's face, the warm candlelight glinting of the polished floor. Anything but what he had to force himself to return to.

And just before he could register the return of the heat behind his eyes or the way his heart squeezed in his chest when he thought of Lucien's broken body, he glanced up at the High Lord and said, "Do what you need to. Keep him alive."

And winnowed back into the dark.

a/n: thank you so much for reading! 🧡🧡🧡

#erisweek2023 #eris vanserra #pro eris vanserra #lucien vanserra #tamlin #tamcien if you squint #please forgive me for the super late day 1 submission 😭#🌷

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lazyapperence9754 · 6 months

Text

The mental facility AU is an AU where, you guessed it, everyone is in a mental hospital due to their “vibrant” personalities (ie. mental disorders).

Hero- Severe depression (Chronic depression)

Was placed in the “hospice care” area of the facility.

He had already had underlying symptoms of his condition for a while before the accident, but after his only flicker of hope disappeared, he fell so deep into his sadness that by the time his parents realized something was very, very wrong, he was close enough to death to kiss Mari on the lips.

He resides in bed for the time being, sometimes awake and sometimes asleep, but never up and around. Nothing the doctors pump into his system does anything to him.

Sunny- Schizophrenic symptoms / hallucinations (Schizophrenia)

Was placed in the “major risk” area of the facility.

After killing his sister and being caught by his parents after taking her to bed, he pleaded insanity in court and was sent to the hospital to “get better”. His father doesn’t come by to visit anymore. He’s convinced that Mari isn’t dead, and is still sleeping in her bed, waiting for him to come home. She even visits him sometimes, but when she does, she wears this really scary costume that makes her look like a ghost. She doesn’t listen when he tells her it isn’t Halloween anymore.

He resides in his room most of the time, drawing his friends and his special world over and over again. When group therapy sessions happen, he’s the one staring off into space as everyone else talks. Everyone else thinks he’s weird, at least, everyone but his friends.

Kel- Bipolar disorder (BPD)

Was placed in the “high risk” area of the facility.

Kel was someone who couldn’t control himself very well. He smiled when everyone cried and cried when everything was fine. He felt nothing and everything at the same time, and the only thing that changed was which emotion was stronger. It came to a boiling point when Mari died. At last, his emotions exploded and so did his fireworks, setting the entire park on fire. He smiled as everyone screamed and laughed as his dog Hector and everything else left behind burned to a crisp in the flames. In court, he was determined as mentally unstable and sent to the hospital for psychiatric treatment. Nobody visited him.

He resides in the hospital lobby most of the time, greeting newcomers and waving goodbye to the old comers leaving the place. He helps in any way that he can around the place, and everyone likes him, even if it’s just a little, though he can’t be trusted with any chores like serving food. When he told people the reason why he was there, they gapped their mouths in disbelief. It made him laugh.

Aubrey- Anger management (Anger issues)

Was placed in the “minor risk” area of the facility.

Living with her abusive mother, it was no wonder where Aubrey inherited her mean streak from. Her anger knew no bounds, and she could bark as much as she could bite, which was quite a lot. But when she met her friends, her anger subsided a bit. She became nicer, more calm. But the people she went to school with saw this as a weakness, and so they tried to bite. When Mari passed away, the kids at school cornered her with knives and broken beer bottles, and she did what she had to to get out of there alive. She was arrested later that day after the cops found the seven beaten up children in the alley behind Geno’s. In court, she was free of charge after CTV footage of the interaction was retrieved, showing she was (mostly) innocent, though, she was still sent to the hospital anyways. Her mother had disowned her after she was arrested.

She resides in the cafeteria, serving food and greeting newcomers. It was either that or garbage duty. She likes hanging out with Kel sometimes, but to her, the guy really gets on her nerves most of the time.

Basil- Self harm / Suicidal thoughts (SH)

Was placed in the “major risk” area of the facility.

Basil was there when the accident happened. He stood at the stair well as Mari descended in seemingly slow motion, like an angel from heaven. But when she hit the ground, she looked more like the embodiment of hell. And Basil ran. He ran as fast as he could, away from the stairs and away from the house. He was a coward. After she was announced dead, Basil’s mental decline began quickly. It started with him skipping school, then meals, then just eventually going in for the kill with a pair of gardening shears and some pesticide. He survived, unfortunately for him, and was transported to the hospital for treatment. How horrible it was that Sunny and Basil had adjourning rooms.

Basil doesn’t leave his room unless required, and he straight up refuses to be put in the same room as any of his friends.

Mari- Deceased

Was killed on accident by Sunny during a schizophrenic episode.

But she isn’t really dead, is she? Sunny is keeping her alive. Just the force of his will keeps her on this earth, forever in sadness and longing for life again. She even still visits Sunny sometimes.

#omori #omori au #omori kel #omori aubrey #omori basil #omori sunny #omori hero #omori mari #schizophrenia #bipolar disorder #tw sui ideation

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fabricated-misslieness · 2 years

Text

pairing: corinthian x male reader

req: no | wc: 1350 | old guard x the sandman

summary: "Did you just stab me?"

warnings: stabbing, blood, knives, swearing, smoking

a/n: I only had the beginning in thought, bullshited my way through. Was it meant to be a serious fic in the first place? From the first line, definitely not. Didn't think about where this was going, so ending it somewhere pretty stable. Fun to write, anyway.

1917

"Did you–did you just stab me?"

Corinthian was mortified.

"Seriously—I'm just minding my own business."

To the nightmare's utter horror, you pull the knife out from your chest and bring it in his direction with much vigor.

Corinthian catches your wrist in his hold before you can stab him, but it doesn't seem like that was your intention. Instead, you press the blade flat against his chest, no doubt staining his white shirt. If not death, it's what he deserved, honestly.

"I–"

Then, his eyebrows raise impossibly higher. The wound on your chest begins to heal, going through about a month's healing within the minute. No treatment, no magical oil, and certainly no (at the very, very least) prayer to God.

You mutter something in what he can only discern to be a language derived from Latin. "You're what? Sorry?" You scoff, "Sorry's not gonna cut it. We don't even know each other."

Was he dreaming? Nightmares didn't dream, they didn't even sleep. He wasn't even in the Dreaming.

"Well–"

"What are you gonna say? "Well, it was an accident."? You're telling me you knew someone, thought they were me, and wanted to stab them?"

When Corinthian was in trouble, he resorted to killing. It was in his nature. But first, when he dealt with something, he used his charms. It had never been the other way around; then again, there was always a first time for everything. Killing always came second when it came to pleasure, anyway.

"Let me talk, darling." Your eyebrows furrow and you're speechless at his audacity. "Let me explain myself."

"You–"

He cuts you off this time. "There's an explanation. I can assure you." He was lying through his teeth. He sticks his, still bloody, knife back in its holster and only allows a mental grimace. "Really, I can."

"So far it's only been bark, no talk." You point your finger at him. He raises his hands in surrender.

He racks his brain, and yet there was no plausible bluff to answer. You were an immortal, clearly, he couldn't kill you and flee. So, he takes off his glasses. "This is a way of… courting, where I'm from."

You raise a brow and say, tentatively, "Courting…"

"Yes." He says proudly.

"You're not gonna kiss me with your… eyes, are you?"

"No, no." He laughs genuinely at the suggestion. He's never tried—he has, actually. "We need at least a year for that."

"If whatever realm you come from–after a thousand years, anything's possible–really does court by… murder, then…" You run a hand through your hair with a huff, "you have to realize you're in the human realm. They're not immortal, and certainly not keen on being stabbed."

"Well, I found you." He offers with a grin.

"I'm not keen on being stabbed." You laugh, anyway. "But you did find an immortal."

This was fucking working. Corinthian's grin spreads wider, despite the uncomfortable feeling of the blood seeping through his white shirt and the disgust of not having cleaned his knife.

And, if pleasure came in after all, he didn't quite mind.

1945

For immortals, life was fleeting.

You had lost everything only after the first half a century. Your parents, your siblings, they were all gone; your childhood home refurbished for another family. And then, when all things "homely" weren't enough, your "home" empire fell.

And mortals. You always did love them, and many times, you had forgotten they weren't like you. For as long as you've lived, your heart's been broken over and over, whether metaphorically or physically.

People died early, people aged. When they did, and you didn't, they begged for a piece of your life. The first couple of times, you wished you could. You prayed to whatever God granted you the power of immortality to give it up entirely to age with them or to even give them a piece of it. After a several centuries, you accepted that the God(s) would never reply; and as the greed of humanity grew, you resorted to leaving before death could visit.

When the big things in life didn't stick around, the smaller things were even worse.

Your favorite pub disappeared after half a century. Your favorite food stand, and Andy's favorite Baklava, tried its hardest to last for a full century. The pets never lasted long, your favorite book was banned somehow, and old things were replaced by the year.

Nothing ever really stuck around.

Then again, you never really stuck around either.

Andy, Nicky, Joe, and Booker led quite the nomadic lifestyle. The Old Guard went where they were called. The only place you could call home anymore was the Church in Goussainville.

And, well, them. They were your home.

But, sometimes, they were like siblings. Siblings often separated as they came of age, but not you guys. For almost as long as Andromache has lived, you have known her; for a thousand years, you have known Nicky and Joe; and, for the last hundred, you have known Booker. Each bleeding moment of each fighting day, you spent it with them.

You can't blame yourself when you want a break from it all; when you want a break from the gunfights and constant death and revival, or when you want a break from your immortal friends.

It was a cold fall evening. You were tired. A month prior, you had brough a war to its end. You deserved a break.

The breath from your lungs comes out white, cold and visible. That didn't matter anyway when the breath from your cigarette comes out visible too. (Being immortal had its perks, and not "dying of cigarette" was one)

"(y/n)."

You sigh and flick the ash from your cigarette. Then, you turn, leaning your back against the railing. "Do I know you?"

You just wanted a bit of peace, serenity, and solidarity.

Maybe you should've taken note of the English, or the deep voice, or the familiar glasses.

Corinthian raises his arms to each side and tilts his head forward, towards you. His blazer opens slightly as he does, revealing his knife holsters.

"Corinthian?" You grin ecstatically, flicking the last of your cigarette away without a care in the world. "You're alive!"

"Of course I am, I'm immortal."

You huff, "You didn't think it would've been nice to mention that twenty-seven years ago?"

Before you can make your way towards him, Corinthian steps forward himself. He traps you between himself and the wooden railing. "When? After you left me?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry for that." You raise your hands in surrender, but Corinthian groans at that, so you place them back around him. "But, you know, lovers always beg for a piece of immortality. I can't grant them that."

I know people who can, Corinthian thinks. "We both have things to apologize for. You, your disappearance; me, my secret."

You chuckle, "Then let's leave it at that."

Corinthian brings you in for a kiss, using one of his hands to cup your cheek and bring you forward. You don't protest at the force he uses, for Corinthian was always a passionate lover.

"You know, you never really apologized for stabbing me."

"I didn't feel the need to. You know, tradition." You raise a brow at him. "Alright, yeah, I am from another realm, but murder is not a courting strategy." His eyebrows furrow as he thinks about your previous relationship. If you were questioning it now, why not then? "Did you know that back then?"

"Andy smacked the sense into me." You laugh, "If Gods can't grant me the wish of living out a life to its end after all my begging, then Gods don't exist. Similarly, other realms don't exist."

Corinthian tilts his head to the side, not a bad reason. There was still a major flaw, though. "But men with teeth for eyes do?"

"I didn't tell her that part."

After the end of the war a month ago, you thought to rest. Maybe you wouldn't be doing much of that.

"Hey, is that fire I smell?"

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