#[ thank you so much for the starter! ]

[chronicparagon]

@s-talking

Harmony loves Envy. She loves him, but there’s that sinking suspicion that this may not be a romantic night but a fight for survival. Her eyes widen as the intricate door slowly closed and locked, sealing that glimmer of hope for safety. Trapped inside with the young serial killer, surrounded by masterpieces composed of various media.

“Envy! Envy, darling! W-we don’t want to get, er-um m-messy!” She backs away with a nervous laugh, but she’s not smiling.  “D-d-don’t look at me that way!” Panic grips her and she lets out a scream. The girl turns on her heel, ready to run for it.

@chronicparagon || date night.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐌 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓, almost imperceptible click of a button. the heavy ornate exit door slowly drawing to a shut with a foreboding creak, just as a sinister smile spreads across the pale face of the serial killer currently standing by the control panel. his dark eyes almost gleam with cold satisfaction, looking straight at the young girl who is now trapped inside with him.

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

I just realized…

if Zhongli is dead then who will rescue Xiao from the Chasm😱??!???

… and reseal Azhdaha and whatever else he does in his story quests bUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT ABOUT XIAO?!?!!

good question! if i had to try and think of how the game's plot would play out if zhongli gets functionally offscreen'd at the start of the liyue arc, then i think having rex lapis actually die for real and be gone for good (like not even his spirit is left) would significantly alter the way the adepti behave

this could of course mean xiao just dies in the chasm, but we can also try to think of it as like- xiao knows that with rex lapis gone, he's truly the last one fighting the abyssal miasma. there's nobody to save his ass if anything happens, he quite literally cannot afford to take risks. i'm not saying he was banking on zhongli saving him in-game (i think we can all agree he wasn't); but i still think he like- on a subconscious level, knew that rex lapis was out there somewhere. and that with rex lapis out there somewhere, somehow, he would be fine, even if 'fine' meant passing away peacefully instead of like. idk. lingering as a resentful spirit or smth. especially since he did give zhongli a heads up that he was going to the chasm. like xiao knew zhongli knew. but if rex lapis is dead? i feel like that would change things. since we don't know how the gang would've ever actually managed to get out of the chasm if it hadn't been for xiao's (near) sacrifice, we don't know that it would've been possible otherwise. but since i do like my happy endings, we could have the traveler actually contribute in that scene and like. funnel energy into xiao. like you cannot tell me the traveler doesn't have a decent amount of energy that they could give xiao. or yanfei for that matter. or itto but like- he's out cold so idk. they were so close to getting out, too. a little extra energy kick from the traveler should've done the trick.

basically what i'm saying is that, on the xiao front at least, i could see how we could spin it so that xiao doesn't fucking die as soon as he's left without parental supervision for like five minutes.

azhdaha i'm not as sure. if the adepti's dynamics are all changed after rex lapis' death, i think we could make a possible argument for the hermits to like. notice something is up. if the traveler never meets zhongli, then maybe they wouldn't bring anyone to the expedition, or maybe they bring someone else? maybe one of the adepti? not saying a single one of the adepti should be able to reseal azhdaha, but again, since rex lapis is gone, i think they would step up and band together to deal with stuff as it comes up. i think all the adepti together + the traveler should be able to reseal azhdaha. i think. he coulnd't have regained all that much strenght if gnosis-less zhongli was able to (seemingly) easily seal him again

[mintytealfox]

angst, angst I say!! How much worst would it be if Norton had the touch of tuberculosis?

oh GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSHH 😭😭😭😭

add a bit of BLOOD to those coughs and AAAAAAAHHH 😭😭😭😭

Like TB is infectious but can only be caught if you spend a lot of time with the person infected with it. So in Norton's case if Benny had it, then Norton would too, sense it seems like Norton only really spent time with Benny and a lot of time at that, enough to catch a thing like TB. orz Gee thanks Benny....

"Treatment Early diagnosis, adequate diet, rest, and fresh air could help some people recover or at least have a remission. However, such care wasn't an option for the poor <---------- 🙃

Death rate In 1882, TB killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe

Leading cause of death In 1899, TB, also known as "consumption", was the leading cause of death worldwide

in the early 1900s, even under the best conditions, 50% of people with TB died within five years"

Bro would 95% be on his way OUT orz Bro would be at the point of: find a bed, lay in it, and calling it a life DX NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*points at* vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv Doc Holiday

talk about not caring anymore and just collecting as MUCH money as he can in ANY WAY that he can. Like, he is gonna die soon anyway so why not grab all the money he can get his hands on for as long as he can.

the key years that might have helped him survive it were gone and wasted in the mines anyway, so, thinking his fate is sealed, might as well live a life that gives him blue skies

a life of Gambling, Drinking, Travel, Blackmail, and all around not giving a FLYING F---CARE

I think he would survive longer than he thought, but still counting his days for sure.

So he would 100% accept that invitation to a fancy manor cause "why not, sure, it'll be fun to be in a fancy place for once and a life is all it costs for all that money, then I could just relax and drink when I don't feel like gambling"

Feeling that fatigue getting to him and needing more money so he can have more rest days orz

"Those with active TB can show any of the following symptoms:

Bad cough (lasting longer than two weeks).

Pain in your chest.

Coughing up blood or sputum (mucus).

Fatigue or weakness.

Loss of appetite.

Weight loss.

Chills.

Fever.

Night sweats."

Gosh DANG orz

Like the image of Da Capo in the same room as him and he just looks an absolute sweaty mess that is sort of drunk (and being drunk causing him to be more chatty)

-Norton knowing everyone is staring at him- "what..? ya can't catch it unless you're locked in a room with me, breathing the same air for a looong while." -leans forward with a smirk- "Heeeell, we can even share a kiss right now and you wouldn't get it~"

Bro would be drowning in the walls he has put up around himself and the characters he puts on. IT would take an excavator and years to get to the real him by this point ;;

But the thought of bonding with the Da Capo/(except Orpheus pff) group through shared trauma after escaping, and and just constantly having each other's backs. Even though its a lot of getting Norton out of trouble cause he keeps going back to gambling when drunk and causing problems in towns they go to.

And then the time would come when Norton ends up in a hospital and just "looks like this is my last stop..." and unable to follow the group in their efforts to run and stay safe from anything manor related that is following them.

OH and then after hearing they left town he just gets out of bed and drinks as much booze as he can and causes one last big scene that prompts those who have been following them to go after Norton only for him to blowup one more mine.

orz

[mcflymemes]

use ask meme replies as starters. if starter calls stress you out, encourage your followers to send memes instead! that way you can pick and choose which meme suits you best, searching for the little sentence prompt in your inbox that most inspires you in the moment. at the same time, not every ask meme reply needs to be continued. sometimes they make better one-shots and drabbles, and that's okay! as long as you and your writing partners are having fun creating and telling stories together, that's all that matters!

[narumakiii]

@hatredcurse

TRACE OF USUAL SUNSHINE GONE , A CERTAIN TENSENESS IN HUES ; the blonde turned to look at raven haired, contemplating how to ask this one burning question he's had ever since sasuke had left. there has never been a time to ask before. it was now or never. ❛    ne , sasuke did you get your answers ? ❜

[little-earthquakes-rp]

Closed Starter for @adsagsona (Jared)

The merriment of the equinox reverberated over the coven walls. The entire old Victorian mansion seemed to come to life and vibrated as music filled every nook and cranny. Sasha felt particularly spirited after she managed to secure a bottle of banshee blood for the night's ritualistic spell. The coven had heard on good authority a certain vamp club owner kept some in his exclusive collection. Sasha and Marrissa walked into the club a few days back and flirted their way into a tour of the vault. While Marissa kept the employee distracted Sasha snatched the small bottle and hid it in her bag before excusing herself. Granted, it was a gamble to even go into a place that was a vamp haven. As a fairy she risked exposure, but was careful enough that night to create a masking spell so her blood wouldn't be scented.

Sasha walked down the steps to the main hall and the hub of the festivities. She donned a long black skirt and dark red crop top showing her midriff and exposed a small golden hoop belly button piercing. Despite being in the coven for years, Sasha still felt like an outsider, which was one of the reasons she all but tripped over herself to volunteer for the banshee blood mission. She watched rather detached from her surroundings as she nursed a cocktail that was now more water than anything. Smiling as others passed and attempted to seem interested in the different topics of conversation. Honestly, she was done with it all and decided to head upstairs, leaving prematurely as they hadn't even begun the spell.

Suddenly, there was a lull in the energy: strange. Looking over to her right she caught a handsome man–sharp cheekbones and jaw with the most unusual eyes standing close enough to reach out and touch; certainly not a member of their coven. She made eye contact with the man before stepping around him, as a wave of doom came over. Finally, Decon a high witch approached the stranger and greeted, "Jared, what do we owe the pleasure? Have you come to ring in Mabon with us?" Sasha's eyes shot over to the man when she heard his name. "Oh shit," a hushed whisper fell from her lips. She knew exactly why he was here.

[ageless-aislynn]

Angst! 16

Fluff! 13

Misc.! 16

And… for characters I’m going to throw out Kai, Alenko, and Soap. Do whatever pairings or friendships you’d like. Also I’m not gonna die if you choose not to use those characters. Or prompts. I dunno, I just wanna read your stuff man.

*glee* Thank you SO much for sending some prompts my way! These are all pretty short but mark my first time writing 2 of the 3 characters, so I'm just carefully dipping a toe in the COD and ME pools, lol!

Thanks so much again! 😎👍

Angst 16. “Are you hurt?” “No.” “Then why are there bruises all over your face?”

Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish & Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Then why are there bruises all over your face?"

"You ought to see the other guy, Lt," Soap said with an unrepentant grin, unmarred by the fact his left eye was nearly swollen shut and he had a prominent cut on his lower lip.

Ghost sighed slightly behind his skull balaclava. "Sure I'll recognize him by all the bruises on his knuckles," he said dryly.

Fluff 13. Are you flirting with me?” “You finally noticed?”

Kaidan Alenko/Commander Shepard, Mass Effect (reader's choice as to whether it's male or female Shep 😉)

"Are you flirting with me?"

"You finally noticed?"

Kaidan squinted, several Commander Shepards swimming in front of him in the dim bar lighting, all wearing fondly amused expressions.

"You are flirting with me!" he stated as if having uncovered a core secret of the universe.

Shepard's smile broadened. "Think it's time to take you home and tuck you into bed."

"I'm going home with Cmdr. Shepard," he proclaimed loudly to the crowd around them. Several people raised a glass in good-natured salutes.

"Yeah, they know." Shepard got an arm around him, sliding him off the bar stool and onto his feet. "Most of them were at our wedding, after all."

Misc 16. “YOU SAID TO BE HONEST STOP HITTING ME!”

Kai-125 & Vannak-134, Halo the series

"YOU SAID TO BE HONEST, STOP HITTING ME!"

John heard Kai's shout from the hallway outside of the Spartan quarters and shoved the door open to see—

He blinked. For a solid moment, he wasn't quite sure what he was seeing, actually. Kai vaulted over her own bed, being pursued hotly by Vannak.

"That wasn't honest," he said grimly. "You're just being mean."

"Look, it's not my fault that that penguin documentary was kinda lame and—"

"IT WAS NOT!" Vannak bellowed back and took a swing at her that would've definitely put a marine in the infirmary for a month, if not in the ground, permanently. For Kai, it would've at the very least mussed her hair. "Those penguins are adorable and—"

"Lame. Laaaaaame," she singsonged, ducking a flurry of punches, then doing a very impressive parkour run up the wall into a backflip that sent her soaring over the enraged Spartan's head.

"THEY'RE NOT LAME, YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

John looked over at Riz, who was calmly sitting at a nearby table, reading something on her padd. She met his gaze, shrugged, and then went back to reading.

They crisscrossed the room rapidly, with Vannak coming close to getting his hands on her but, ultimately, Kai would manage to slip away at the last second. The entire time, she continued to issue penguin insults that, for some reason, the other Spartan took extremely personally.

John opened his mouth, about to say… something. Then he gave a slight shake of his head.

"I have paperwork to do," he announced to no one. "Don't I, Cortana?"

"I can find you some, Chief."

"That would be great," he said and just turned around and walked away.

Sentence Starters

[gloryseized]

The night is peaceful as far as peaceful goes for the destruction riddled Hyrule. Link is sure there are elders in the realm who might complain about the loss of some of the hustle and bustle of Castle Town and connections between the peoples, but Link likes this calm. He much prefers the peace of the countryside and landscape to any town. And while the wilderness does have its dangers, like a creeping Guardian around the next corner, Link knows more than how to deal with such dangers.

He needs to decide if he's going to try for the nearby stable to rest that evening or simply camp on his own. It's a small thought that preoccupies him as he wanders down the path, not fully distracting him from his surroundings, but enough to keep his mind occupied.

Link feels the arrival of the other's presence before he spoke, but that isn't much warning. Spinning on his heel, sword springing into his hand, he straightens again a beat later in surprise at the sight that greets him. Usually he in the one to stumble upon the Yiga, not the other way around, and usually that Yiga is disguised in one way or another. But this time, this time the figure is wearing the red suit for all of Hyrule to see.

And more oddities click into Link's mind as he studies the person. There's no typical laugh accompanying this figure, no springing into an immediate attack once unmasked. And another thing Link notes-- this person doesn't have the shape of a Yiga. Link's not entirely sure why it's the case, but Yiga all seem to come in two different shapes: either lean and tall, or bulky and tall. Although this person is taller than Link, he doesn't otherwise fit the mold.

Taking a step back in confusion, thoughts puzzling through the inconsistencies as they roll towards him, he stops in surprise as his eyes finally land on the odd item strapped to the figure's back, a flash of memory consumes him.

Link is in the great hall of the Castle, standing alongside the princess and other champions as they receive some blessing from the King. He has long since stopped listening to the royal's words, eyes darting around the grand room that he has only glimpsed before. A particular shield behind the dais catches his eye, decorated with the artistic depiction of a harp, edges arms on either side delicate swooping up and outward from the eight strings of the instrument. He knows the image has been connected to the royal family for a long time, but he can't for the life of him remember what his schooling taught him about it.

And with a rush, he's back to the current moment, standing in front of a Yiga with the same harp strapped to his back, a tension throbbing in his temple.

Link's hands rattle next to his body, palms up, before he switches tactics. Pointer finger points at the other, thumb resting under his lips as his pointer finger curls in a couple times. << What--who are you? >> he demands, weapons forgotten at the moment as he tries to assemble his senses. What does it mean that a master assassin has a symbol of the royal family of Hyrule tied so close to his person?

▴ — @gloryseized ; starter call. requested ; yiga brainwashed sheik

   Go out and look for the Hero, search for the amnesiac with a sword, hope that you don’t get stabbed in the chest and thrown down the mountain side like everyone else he had done that too. 

   Why him? 

   Sheik was tired. He didn’t get enough sleep the last few days and he was frustrated with everything, but mostly he was frustrated that he kept getting thrown around and demanded to do this and this and this and now this. Always sent somewhere, always searching for something, always running errands for Kohga. Granted, aside from being crazy and rather like a man trying to corral a bunch of children with pointy weapons, he wasn’t exactly the worst person to be around. 

   That did not mean Sheik enjoyed being a puppet for him. Yet, despite that reservation, now here he was. Sitting in a tree in Hyrule field looking down at the ground waiting for some magical Hero to appear. Granted, they knew he was real at this point, but Sheik himself hadn’t actually seen the Hero. Just heard and seen the Yiga Footsoldiers that came back after having their asses handed to them. Which was all very amusing for Sheik himself, especially when he often was doing the same thing during training exercises. 

   Now to be the one to have to go out and lay witness to the Hero and fight him–he was having some reservations about that. Sheik was not stupid and he was not suicidal. He wasn’t entirely sure that he would actually manage to win this fight and he does not want to have to pick himself up hurting and crawl back to the Headquarters like a miserable failure. 

   He gets sick of the mockery he got already for fighting with a harp. 

   Still better than the idiot that fought with a frying pan. 

   There’s movement beneath the tree and Sheik snaps from his head down toward it, pulling himself from his thoughts as he lowers his gaze beneath the tree to look down beneath him. There’s a blonde man, in a blue tunic, and a very familiar sword strapped to his back. Ah, well, he goes nothing. 

   Grabbing the tree branch he swung himself down and flipped into the air, landing down behind the Hero and settling his gaze at his back. He, unlike the others, didn’t bother hiding himself. There was no disguise, no hidden tricks, just Sheik and the ugly red stealth suit. He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his shoulders slightly.

   “There’s some speech here right? You, your life, blah blah…” He waves his hand in the air. “Master Kohga is demanding that I attempt to kill you.” Demanding, ordering, the actual order came from Sooga and he was slightly less tedious to do with. Slightly more terrifying too. Well, Sheik’s here, he sees the Hero. No one said he actually had to try to fight him. Just do it. 

   He raises his gaze up to the other man. “Well, swing a weapon, let's get this over with.” 

[balladetto]

ooooo you wanna write with me oooooo

[talesofourworlds]

@mistralxsoul continued from here!

Today was, decidedly, a little bit strange. And even that felt like it was putting it mildly, Guy thought.

His travels had brought him to a city called Zaphias for the time being. It was a much needed break, considering everything he'd been helping to achieve back home. Finally putting a stop of Van's plans and concluding everything at the Absorption Gate hadn't been an easy task, after all. Even without that, he'd been kept plenty busy in Grand Chokmah in the immediate aftermath. Whether that be with walking Emperor Peony's rappigs or settling into his own life, it had been a busy time for Guy. Fortunately, the Emperor had understood his need for a break. Much the same as his friends would have, he imagined.

So far, the stay had been pleasant! Zaphis itself was a nice enough city, or at least was presenting itself to be. In some ways it reminded him of Baticul. That likely had to do with the way the city was structured, Guy concluded. Nobility higher up in the city and the rest of the citizenry further down. In turn, the similarities had reminded him of Luke.

Oh, Luke... he hoped his friend was doing okay now that he had a chance to try and figure out what to do with his life. Knowing his friend, though, that wouldn't be an easy task. So, Guy shook his head and decided to go about his day. Luke wouldn't want Guy to dwell on wondering what he was doing with himself, Guy decided.

Ever since he'd arrived in the city, though, people he had taken the time to talk to had kept mistaking him for someone else. Someone called Flynn, he'd gathered pretty quickly. First it had been some of the knights he'd seen, then just regular citizens. Each calling him that name. One particular man who'd had a dog with him had greeted Guy like they were old friends before realizing the mistake. He hadn't really understood it, but politely cleared up the confusion before the man and his dog were on their way again. Apparently the two had had somewhere they needed to be outside the city.

Still. To repeatedly get mistaken for someone? Strange...

"Whoever this 'Flynn' is must be pretty well liked," Guy concluded as he continued to walk. It was still bizarre, but he could brush it off. Still, as he started to make his way down one particular street, his mind wandered. People kept mistaking him for someone who, he imagined, must have looked remarkably similar to him. Back home, given everything that had happened before he'd decided to take his trip, there would have been an easy explanation. But surely that couldn't be the case here... right?

All too suddenly, Guy became aware of what sounded like a scuffle. The familiar sounds of someone in armor was among the mix. Guy figured it was one of the knights he'd run into earlier that day, and from the sound of it he thought maybe they had it handled. He could help, but as he started to turn his head to see just what was happening, it happened. A yelp first, then a sudden weight crashing into him.

The knight in question, a blond man with his hair styled in an oddly familiar way, had gotten knocked right into Guy. The additional weight of his armor added to the force to the collision made it, in a word, memorable. Guy's own yelp mingled with the knight's as he fell to the ground with the armored man on top of him, and for a few long moments he took in the pain. Not the worst thing he'd ever endured, Guy knew, but it still hadn't been pleasant to get knocked into.

Fortunately, the knight's apology reached him as he found himself being helped to sit up.

"Don't worry about it," Guy told him. "I'm just as much to blame since I wasn't paying attention." Then, he got a good look at the knight in question.

For a heartbeat, Guy was stunned into silence. It almost was like looking in a mirror when he really took in Flynn's features. From the way Flynn's hair was styled to his eye color, they looked eerily similar.

A replica...?

No... no, that couldn't be the case, Guy reasoned with himself. The more he looked, the more he noticed differences. Flynn seemed a little more youthful in his facial structure. His eyes were a slightly different shade of blue. His voice, too, Guy realized as he was asked if he was okay, was different.

Van hadn't replicated him. He couldn't have. Guy knew there was a possibility of everyone having a sort of twin in the world somewhere, but he never thought he'd actually be seeing living proof of that.

"Oh, yeah," Guy finally answered, giving his head a small shake. "I'm okay. A little sore, but I think I can manage. This is hardly the worst thing that could've happened." A light laugh punctuated the thought. Getting knocked over and having a man in armor fall on top of him certainly wasn't as bad as the pain he'd endured when the curse slot seal had been at its worst, after all.

He looked past Flynn for just a moment, noting the fallen dagger and the nick on Flynn's cheek.

"What about the guy you were after? Is it really all right to let him get away?" If he could, he wanted to help. It was the least Guy could do after what had just happened.

[casareds]

…      emerson pauses , dropping his hands back to his sides when bryce offers to do his tie . he takes a deep breath , swallowing the lump in his throat as his mind races . maybe it's a terrible idea to ask bryce to do this with him , it's a terrible idea to finally come out . he knows what could happen , especially with this sport . it could taint his legacy ... whatever that is . but he also knows that it could help so many people , and he's focusing on that . ❝ you could never be a big shadow on my day , bry ... ❞ he speaks softly , watching when the other man interlocks their fingers . he's thought about this a lot since he found out that they wanted to retire his number , and he's been through so many milestones and just wished that he could grab the other . ❝ i'm sure , but i also don't want you to feel like you have to just because i asked . i'll understand if you'd rather not . ❞ he hopes that's not the case , but he'd understand . it's a big ask , it's not just his own legacy that's at risk . it's bryce's too .

⌗ continued from…   ﹙ here! ﹚

[hvbris]

𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐋 & 𝐋𝐔𝐗𝐀 @snicketsquadron

Luxa spotted the light in an instant. Of course she did, it stuck out like a sore thumb in the damp darkness of the tunnels. It was bright and unnatural. It didn't have the recognizable flickering of a flame or the dimness of a Shiners' body. With a frown, she approached the source of the light slowly, her sword unsheathed.

When she found who was responsible for this strange light, her frown only deepened. An Overlander. It was easy to tell he wasn't from the Underland. No one here would wear their hair like that, or wear such a strange jacket. Besides, the only torch they had was in the Museum.

"You! Overlander!" she exclaimed, brandishing her sword in his direction. It was not a very warm welcome, but Luxa wasn't a very warm young lady. "You should turn off that light, unless you want to attract all the Gnawers in the area."

How had he landed here? It wasn't totally unheard of, to find Overlander in the Underland. But it was rare. "You should also follow me." She raised an eyebrow. "If you wish to survive, that is."

Sub-sub-sub Librarians

Dashiell Qwerty had come to New York on VFD business. He had spent the morning in the public libraries, taking them in and connecting with fellow librarians. In the evening, he planned to possibly visit a soup kitchen. Volunteering extended beyond the borders of VFD business for him. But for now, it was around noon, and he was in central park for his official mission- retrieving an item from another agent.

Always observant, he took in the scenery around him as he walked the grounds. There were children with backpacks walking home from school, people sitting on the benches having lunch, tourists taking photos. He found what he needed- a sealed envelope- tucked between the pages of an abandoned newspaper.

But something else caught his eye. An instinct, perhaps, honed by years of working in a secret organization, or simply being a librarian. There was a large stone on the ground, but it was the scrape marks around the base that drew his eye- as if it had been moved. When he was sure no one was around to pester him about it he shoved the rock aside and dropped into the revealed tunnel.

Dashiell knew that these weren't the VFD tunnels dug under the city and it's local environs. They were likely no more than relics of old construction. But they could be useful to VFD, and thus were worth exploring enough to document. He had a flashlight with him- a librarian should always be prepared to read in the dark- and began exploring the complex concrete passageways.

@hvbris

[feroluce]

Hello!! I came here because I was informed you had some Wriowinne headcanons and ramblings to share? Would it be alright for me to ask for some 👉👈 (or as much as you want to share please I'm desperate for food)

OH BOY DO I.

I feel you anon, I've been shipping them like...since the PV. So I've been stuck in utter absolute hell, getting nothing but father&daughter content from the fandom (shoutout to @hydrachea for being able to dual wield and letting me talk ship to her, light of my life fr weh). I'm hoping now that 4.1 has been out for a little bit, we'll get some more of them, though. I've dug through our dms, and found a hc that takes place after 4.1. So spoilers for that archon quest, but no leaks are involved!

Anyway, I love thinking about how close they cut it at the climax of 4.1, and the aftermath of it all.

Sigewinne somehow finding out what happened down there at the bottom of Meropide while she was evacuating the inmates, and like. She knows what the stakes were. The Primordial Seawater could not be allowed to rise. Clorinde made the right decision in shooting the gate lock. Even if it had killed Wriothesley, it still would have been the right decision.

That doesn't mean it's not a bitter pill to swallow.

Sigewinne can usually put it out of mind during the day, especially when she's busy treating patients, but it's harder when she's asleep. She dreams of the evacuation, and the alarm blaring, and waiting and waiting and waiting, and Clorinde walking past, alone, with her head down and her fists shaking, until Neuvilette finally approaches. Wriothesley isn't with him.

And Neuvilette's face doesn't really show much. It never does. But Sigewinne is close enough to the surface that she can hear the absolute downpour raging outside as Neuvilette tells her that he's sorry, he's so so sorry, and he gives her a gray and black and red coat, so soaked through with Primordial Seawater that he'd been afraid to let anyone else touch it, and the fur collar is matted and wet against Sigewinne's face when she clutches it close-

Sigewinne jolts awake, grasping at whatever is in her reach, which just happens to include Wriothesley's arm. His eyes almost immediately fly open, slurring out a mix of what's goin' on and what's wrong, and then a do we need to evacuate and poor Sigewinne, she feels awful. He hasn't been sleeping as well since the almost-flood, every little sound wakes him up now.

(There are nights where she'll wake up alone, and if she goes looking, she'll find Wriothesley, still in his sleep clothes and looking exhausted, down under their secret passage and staring at Neuvilette's seal over the sluice gate. Like he's keeping watch over it, or just daring it to try and do something.

Whenever she finds him like this, Sigewinne tells him to come on, come back to bed, and he'll keep his eye on it until the last possible second, but generally Wriothesley comes when called, and he'll let her lead him away. On his worse nights, he'll tell her to go back without him, he can't sleep anyway, he's going to stay down here for just a little while longer. He'll be back later. And she does occasionally go back to bed, but most of the time she stays, because she doesn't like the idea of him alone down there. Sigewinne will tuck herself into his side, or she'll get him to relax his guard just enough to lay with his head in her lap, and they'll stay there like that until Wriothesley finally decides he can bear to leave it alone and go back to bed with her.)

So with all that in mind, when she accidentally wakes him up, Sigewinne quickly gets her breathing back under control and pets his hair until he relaxes again. She tells him it's fine, everything is ok. Meropide is safe. Their home and everyone in it is safe. Go back to sleep. He needs his rest if he's going to go up to the overworld for supplies in the morning. She'll go sleep in the infirmary, she just had a nightmare, is all (the truth), it was nothing, she barely even remembers it anymore (a lie).

Sigewinne doesn't even make it out of bed, though, because when she tries to go, she finds her wrist suddenly caught. She turns back and Wriothesley is squinting up at her face, human night vision isn't nearly as good as a Mélusine's. They sit there like that for a moment, until she can see through the expression on his face that he's come to some sort of decision. Wriothesley pulls her back in and Sigewinne lets him, lets him rearrange them into something more comfortable. It's easy to give up when it's him, she didn't truly want to leave anyway. By the time he makes a satisfied little huff into her hair, Sigewinne is tucked under his chin, her face against his chest, one arm wrapped around her to keep her there. She pats his side and tells him ok, ok, she gets it. She won't go anywhere.

Wriothesley buries his face in her hair and sighs at that, something deeper and more content that hilariously reminds Sigewinne of a dog asleep on the floor. "Good." Wriothesley sounds like he's already half-asleep again. His arm still tightens around her waist though, just to make a point. "How could I sleep, when I know you're off somewhere crying alone?"

Sigewinne touches her cheek, and sure enough, it's wet? She has tear tracks. No wonder Wriothesley had been staring at her so hard. She hadn't even realized. And she opens her mouth to protest because she wasn't crying, some tears in her sleep doesn't count, but. Wriothesley is already asleep again, breathing slow and deep and even, and his arm is heavy and warm around her, and his sleep shirt is soft and comfortable against her face, not at all like the fur-collared coat in her dreams.

Sigewinne gives in again, curls into all that warmth and wraps herself up in it, until it lulls her back to sleep.

[danhang]

queued all starters from the starter call and almost all sentence starters in my inbox! highkey proud of myself but still so tempted to add noctis to my muse list ;;

[wisheswagered]

Frederick hasn't been at this manor for nearly as long as the others. Though it feels like it's been an eternity to him, it means that he's still getting to know the other survivors who've found themselves trapped in this place.

And Emma Woods... is one of those people. It's such a bizarre feeling, seeing her now. While he'd never known her in life, he had heard of her - as a girl who went missing in mysterious circumstances several years ago, her life sensationalized and her disappearance treated as an unsolvable mystery by those who knew of her.

Never would he have dreamed he'd ever end up joining her among the ranks of the missing. ...He wonders if they're looking for him, too. They must be - while not for the reasons he wants, Frederick Kreiburg is a well-known name among the higher classes, and yet... that fact brings him no comfort at all.

Regardless. It's cruel of him, but the one thing that strikes him as he looks at her now is what he knows of her past. Knowing she's been a patient at an asylum for so much of her life... to be quite honest, it chills him to the bone. The reason for that discomfort is difficult to identify - or maybe, deep down, it's something that he simply doesn't want to acknowledge.

Today, though... there's only one question on his mind. Though he doesn't know if it's curiosity or paranoia that drives him to ask.

"Tell me. Why did you approach me, of all people, for this?"

@mlssamericana ( starter for emma! )

[featherstcnes]

it was strange still, to be back in whitestone. to walk the streets, the halls of buildings, she never thought she would see again. and the looming sun tree that seemed to follow her every single step that she took. despite her being back, and bells hells seemingly whole once more, laudna was not blind -- she knew there was some sort of lingering tension or unresolved emotions with the de rolos. laudna didn't quite know how to navigate it, and so she simply tried to act her usual self, though that was also likely not adding to the cause. so when she received a message from vex'ahlia, requesting her company, it wasn't as if laudna could say no. and it was how she found herself approaching the woman at their destination, fingers nervously tugging at a loose thread of her dress.

" come on, pâté, " laudna said gently to herself, letting her feet take her closer to the woman. kindness was not expected, but when she did receive it, there was a sense of comfort rising within her. " oh, no, it's fine. they've been carrying my dead body around for quite a while, i think they can do without me for a few hours, " the woman said with a dismissive wave of her hand. if laudna was anything, she was someone who was incredibly upfront about things that others would shy away from. she closed the distance between them a bit more, following the woman as they began to walk towards the tree line.

" thank you, for your... help. at least i wasn't the first dead body that showed up at your doorstep from bells hells. " bertrand was the first -- they had sent him here to be returned due his connection with vox machina. " though, i suppose being first would have been quite a statement. " it still felt a bit strange being back, and while laudna was attempting to be her normal self, being here had her slightly shaken. being back to life in general had her shaken. and still, the thrum of delilah in her chest, though small, made her feel as if she would be under close inspection by the de rolos. " where are we going? "

Memories of home

closed starter for @featherstcnes - Laudna

"Be careful, my lady. Not all might be as it seems" Her husbands words still reverberated in her mind and heart. She had told him not to worry, that he knew very well she could take care of herself and that there was no reason to hold contempt for people who came to their home in search for aid rather then wanting to cause them and their family harm. Still her mind was with her children as well, naturally wanting to protect them from the harms of this world but knowing that they were far too smart and perceptive to not know what was going on. And so Gwendolyn had tried to follow her to the Orchards this morning, though Vex found out before they left the confines of the castle grounds.

Now, Vex'ahlia was standing at the edge of the orchards and gardens, miles of reclaimed farmland, the edge of town that bordered the forests. She was always more comfortable in nature. A second set of steps let her turn and a friendly smile appeared on her features as she saw Laudna approach, a little more color in her face then there'd been last night after they had achieved what Bell's Hells had hoped for.

"Laudna, I'm glad you could join me. I hope you didn't take leaving your friends behind as a slight." Vex stepped forward, her formal attire from the days prior abandoned for more familiar hunting clothes. Fenthras was strung across her shoulders along with a quiver of arrows. Not that she needed them but it felt familiar. "I wanted to show you something." Vex inclined her head, waiting for the darkhaired woman to catch up to her, then she started leading her towards the trees.