How People Think Laurie Acted After Jo's Rejection: Oh No! What Am I Going To Do Without Jo?! 😭😭😭

sunchild

tfw you have a reputation to maintain but a sparkly alien keeps trying to become friends with you 😔✨️

Angel of Her Own Making | Part 1

Author's note: I'm literally at a work conference but this idea is stuck in my brain and for the sake of mankind, I need to jot it down. This isn't a fully-written piece, just a rough sketch really and totally NOT proofread, but bear with me.

WARNINGS: Reader is not the default MC, plenty of angst, depiction of violence & character death.

Parts: (1), (2)

The temporal setting is the Beyond CloudFall myth timeline.

You met Sylus when you were both kids. He'd just been taken by the humans, mistaken for a human child, and adopted into a regular family.

You played in the alleyways together, went to grade school together. He joined your class a bit later than usual as he initially refused to go (he was not interested in learning how to be a human). You were constantly scrutinized by the teachers, although you did well in school, because you were stubborn and inquisitive. But compared to Sylus, you still had a better time fitting in. Due to your "persona non grata" status, you two were often paired together, and you started helping Sylus out with his homework. At the beginning, he was nearly illiterate, having never had any need for reading, but with your patient help, he quickly caught up. Something akin to friendship grew between you two - you did most of the talking, and he was happy to listen, and for the first time in your lives, you both felt like maybe you belonged.

Then came the hormonal teenage years. He got ridiculously tall, and you started growing out your hair instead of sporting a home-grown bowl cut. Suddenly, you found yourself blushing whenever you turned around and caught crimson eyes already looking at you. The way he'd maintain the eye contact and give you a smirk almost made you lose your mind, because it felt like he had no idea what he was doing to your emotions. Little did you know, the dragon-boy was struggling with his own confused emotions. He'd read human books and heard the human adults talk about these sorts of things, but he never thought it was possible for him to actually experience anything beyond general fondness. So he said nothing to you about it, adopting a nonchalant appearance that only made him all the more attractive to not just you but also the other girls in your town on the outskirts of Taurus City.

With puberty came other, more alarming changes Sylus had always dreaded. Ever since he cut off his horns, he had half-hoped no one would ever find out about his true origins. Much to his dismay, the skin on his forehead felt taut and irritated, as though something was growing underneath and preparing to break through, and his shoulder blades ached like the bones and muscles were realigning themselves. He could hide these terrifying abnormalities by putting on a hat and bearing through the pain, but he couldn't fool you, his best friend.

You noticed his discomfort before long. Perhaps the only person in the world more stubborn than Sylus himself, you got the truth out of him quickly enough. Sylus was fully expecting you to be disgusted and resent him for being a fiend. Imagine his utter shock when you simply gave him a smile and squeezed his arms, telling him that it was alright, that he had nothing to fear.

You revealed something about yourself that you had told no one else before: you had recollections of a life you once lived, fragmented memories of another existence that ended a long time ago. Sometimes, you'd come across something that evoked this extreme sense of nostalgia that you couldn't quite place, but in your heart of hearts, you knew this was not your first time being alive. You were afraid he'd find you odd and laugh you off, but he didn't. In fact, in that moment, he thought he finally understood what he felt for you. Yet he couldn't bring himself to confess, still fearful that he would be pushing his luck if he did.

On Philos at the time (which felt and looked Medieval), people got married young. As you and Sylus got more comfortable around each other again, there was a tacit promise between you. It wasn't like either of you had the courage to say anything, but there was no mistaking your affection for each other. For you, there was no one else you could see yourself spending the rest of time with. And you were hoping Sylus felt the same, until one day when he just disappeared.

Two more days passed; you searched frantically for him, running from house to house, knocking on doors and asking if anyone had seen him. Your parents thought it was unbecoming of a young maiden such as yourself to so publicly pine after a man, but you didn't care. You even asked his foster parents, who knew you well by that point, but there was something off about the way they dodged your questions. You thought you heard his foster mom say something along the lines of "the boy is better off hidden away" and your anxiety shot through the roof. You were so frustrated that you cried yourself to sleep at night. In fact, you were tossing and turning in bed, unable to get any rest, when somebody pelted your window with pebbles. Only one person would ever do that, and the joy that surged through you was almost dizzying as you threw off your blanket and ran to the window.

And there he was, his face shadowed by the hood of his cloak, his eyes shining like rubies under the moonlight. He waved at you, and you had a thousand questions to ask, but he only shook his head and made you promise to meet him at the datura fields outside of town after sunset the day after. You immediately agreed, completely ready to elope with him if he asked.

Fate, of course, had other plans. Sylus waited for you in the field of flowers, but instead of you, the soldiers of the Justicia came. The Supreme Adjudicator led them in a divine mission to rid Philos of the last fiend. They taunted him, saying it was you who'd ratted him out. And the rest was history.

1677 years. He spent over a millennium in that Abyss, a sword driven through his chest yet not quite killing him off. In the early days of his imprisonment, you were constantly in his thoughts. He did not want to believe you - of all people - had betrayed him, but the darkness and the rage won out in the end, and by the time he realized there was another prisoner in the Abyss, all he could remember about you was how much he hated you.

It was easy, then, for him to fall in love with the human girl who pulled the sword out of his chest and set him free. Even if any part of him still had feelings for you, he figured you were already long dead. In contrast to those distant memories of your shared childhoods, his new-found object of desire was oh-so-vivacious. She satiated his depthless hunger, willingly offering him half of her soul. And as each day passed, he wanted to give more and more of him to her, despite his own nature. He would ask her to use him, to use his strength, to be greedy - it was almost as though he'd been stagnant for so long that he'd rather burn out in a blaze of glory than survive another empty stretch of eternity.

Even if you weren't around, his arch enemies were still coming after him. And they eventually caught up with him and his human beloved. When they took her away from him, he vowed to break her free, retreating deep into the forests to recover his strength for a counter-attack.

But his pursuers were relentless. The Supreme Adjudicator - the latest in a long line of Adjudicators, descended from that very first one who sealed him away - summoned the Order of the Holy Knights to aid him in this hunt. And it was the Holy Knights who chased after Sylus now as he fled farther and farther up the mountains. Separated from one half of his soul, his wounds would not heal, and he hadn't enough strength to take to the skies. As he moved, he left a trail of blood that stood out glaringly against the white snow of winter. He hardly knew how many days had passed before he found himself cornered.

He couldn't die yet. Not when she was still waiting for him to rescue her. Thus, he fought with everything he had left - claws, fangs, tail, wings, in a whirlwind of black and red mist. He failed to notice at first that his assailants weren't trying to retaliate as much as evade him. Were they stupid? Or unsure? Why weren't they going for the kill? These religious zealots weren't ones to toy with their prey.

After a frenzy of movement, he paused - both to catch his breath and to reassess. The Knights surrounded him, silver armor glimmering though their swords remained sheathed. As he stared at them, thrown off by their lack of action, they parted to make way for their commander - a smaller figure, clad in rose-gold metal that gave off an ethereal glow. As this commander stepped forward, the other Knights bowed their heads in deference.

When the person removed their helmet, Sylus couldn't believe his eyes. Perhaps his mind, in its death throes, was playing tricks on him. Yet there was no denying who it was - you. In the flesh. Looking only slightly older than you had then, when you had been friends.

You approached him like you were trying to appease a bear caught in a trap. He wanted to lash out, to rip you apart for the crimes you had committed against him, but even the smallest move from him caused alarm to rise among your troops. Two of the Knights, most likely your closest companions, were especially quick to react. Sylus didn't doubt that they would cut him down in an instant to protect you.

Sensing their agitation, you raised a hand to calm them down. Your eyes remained locked on Sylus, your brows strewn together in what he didn't want to believe was grief. You had thrown him to the wolves, so how dare you look so sad? How dare you look at him with such a tender gaze? Your pity was the last thing he wanted.

He made up his mind to take revenge, pushing himself forward, claws outstretched, aiming for your throat. But before he could lay a hand on you, his legs gave out - he had lost too much blood - and he collapsed. He didn't even realize you'd caught him before he hit the ground, your arms wrapping around his broken body.

It was all darkness again while he was unconscious. When he finally came to, it took him a moment to even comprehend where he was - a small bedroom, with a low ceiling and sparse furnishings. Something moved in his periphery, and he turned to strike, only to find you stirring awake. From the looks of it, you had been staying up to take care of him.

It should have taken another millennium for him to even entertain the thought of forgiving you. But there was no time to waste; he didn't even want to spend a second talking to you when he could be out there trying to save her.

You insisted that he stay for another day, just until his wounds fully stopped bleeding. And when he pushed you aside and sprang from his bed anyways, your companions had to intervene. They did not understand why you were being so patient to Sylus, why you were willing to basically commit treason. But these men - Issac and Zachary - owed you their lives, and they would do anything you asked, even if it meant tolerating the presence of a fiend. Even so, they did not like the way Sylus seemed to spit at your kindness, for did he not know who you were? The Commander of the Holy Knights, the legendary warrior who led Philos's legions to conquer foreign lands near and far? And it was not even your conquests that had earned you respect and love from all; it was the way you treated even your former enemies with empathy, allowing aid to reach foreign cities and ensuring equal treatment for new citizens. More than once, you had abandoned a conquest simply because the human cost was too high, and you'd sooner suffer punishment than let innocents perish in the name of Philos. Your popularity even rivaled that of the ruling monarch. Hence, your immense sway over what the Knights could and could not do.

Met with your sincere concern, Sylus did what he knew how to do best: he struck a deal. He told you that if you'd let him go to his beloved, he'd let you finish him off without putting up a fight. In his anger, he sneered and dismissed your concern as a trick, a pathetic ploy to get him to let his guard down again so you could drive the knife in even deeper. You made no attempt to argue, caring only that he was risking himself. But when he practically asked you to kill him, you flat out refused.

"No, I told you, I have no intention to harm you," you stood firm, blocking his way. You had shed your armor and weapons, wearing only simple civilian's clothing. Even a weakened dragon could end your life if it so wished.

The thing was, Sylus wasn't sure why he hadn't yet got rid of you and left already. He tried to rationalize it - there were still guards outside the room, and you were his best bet at getting out unscathed. "You misunderstand me, human. I want you to kill me," he changed tactics, revealing a half-truth.

You looked surprised. "Why...?"

"Because..." He inched closer, leaning down to really study your features. It was you, no doubt. The same girl he'd grown up with, the same girl who should have died ages ago. The same girl he'd detested for the better part of a thousand years. "I can't make her do it."

"What?"

"The dragon's curse," he explained. "I am destined to kill my beloved. Unless she kills me first. And I can't do that to her... I can't have her carry that guilt."

You blinked, clearly stunned. You took a step back, avoiding his gaze. Something in the way your shoulders deflated told him you were hurt, though he could not imagine why. When you spoke again, there was the faintest quiver in your voice, "And you think I'd be able to carry that guilt in her place?"

The question only made him angrier. "You won't have to carry any guilt," he replied. "Because you won't feel any. Or don't tell me you're doing all of this because you are capable of guilt? As if you could make amends for turning me in?"

Confusion flashed across your expression as you looked up at him. "Is that what you think happened? Is that what they told you?"

Sylus laughed - a humorless, empty sound. "You never came. It doesn't matter what happened. I'm still convinced you're just a specter sent from Hell to torment me."

For a moment, you looked like you wanted to argue, to defend yourself. He could see the words forming on the tip of your tongue, see you open your mouth to begin your rebuttal. When you said nothing instead, part of him was glad - because he was beginning to realize he wouldn't be able to stand it if you had contradicted the narrative he'd repeated to himself all this time.

No, you didn't try to argue. You only withdrew further away, as though he'd physically struck you. It was only when he sought to close the gap that he realized that you'd created a force field between you and him. It was your Evol, the ability to create constructs out of pure energy. You two used to have so much fun combining your Evol and building castles of out of thin air.

"I will bring her back," You declared, already turning away. "I know my word means nothing to you, but it's better that I go than you. The Justiciars are prepared for you; neither of you would make it out of there alive. I, on the other hand, can just walk right in. They won't suspect a thing. I'll have her back here by dawn."

"Why should I trust you?" Sylus chuckled bitterly. The force field couldn't last forever.

"I don't expect you to. If I don't return by dawn, my men will not give you any trouble. They are under oath to obey me. Then you can do anything you'd like."

"And why would I agree to that?"

"Because you have no other choice," your tone was final. As you walked towards the door, you turned to look at the man you loved one last time. "I hope she makes you happy."

Waiting was agony, but Sylus could tell in his soul that his beloved was still alive. He paced around his chamber restlessly, as the night stretched on.

The so-called Sorceress was returned to him before first light, just as you'd promised. One of your Knights, Sir Issac, had stolen her away during the chaos of your battle against the Justiciars and their Arbiterwings. And as Sylus embraced his lover and showered her with his affections, he also felt his hatred for you fall away. Although he would never admit it aloud, he was looking forward to seeing you again, if only to thank you for what you'd done.

But there were to be no second chances. You never returned. Only Sir Zachary arrived at the safe house days later, his face drained of color. He was clutching a letter in his hand. A letter which he begrudgingly delivered to Sylus.

"What's this?" MC asked, wide-eyed. Despite her ordeal, she was relatively unharmed. Her mistreatment at the hands of the Justiciars only served to intensify her thirst for vengeance. Already, she was conspiring with Sylus about which area they should raid next.

"It's from my lady," Sir Zachary said flatly, not putting a lot of effort into hiding his discomfort. His sullen demeanor made Sylus suddenly uneasy. "It's for the fiend's eyes only."

"Oh, alright," said MC. She turned to Sylus and winked. Perhaps, she was planning on teasing him for the information later. "I'll leave you to it then." Now, it was only Sylus in the room. Alone with his thoughts, and your words.

Dear Stäyrus, or should I say Sylus now?

His lips curved into a smile, despite the knot of anxiety twisting in the pit of his stomach. You remembered. Of course, you did. You were alive when he was but a child. You were perhaps the last person to speak that long-lost language - certainly the last to write with it, as you did in your letter.

You opened the message with an apology you didn't expect him to accept, before beginning a tale almost as incredible as his own. Bits and pieces of the life you once shared came back to him as he read: you had been reincarnated once before, that much he knew, but what you were telling him now was beyond anything he could imagine.

Part 2

MODERN AU I Luffy inner entity also let out his enraged energy

sorry im just completely obsessed with this aspect of the dressrosa arc

i had to

Captain! Luffy!

I want some real love, baby

Modern au doodles of the boyfrens