#*: was thinking of Xanos

[okami-zero]

So after the fight with Hydaelyn, as she's saying her farewells and such, Akagi did not do the aloof savior of Eorzea bit. Because while yes, this was a woman who had basically become a deity to protect a world...

...she was also his friend. And a dear one at that. So as everyone was bracing for the passing of Hydaelyn, Akagi marched right up to her.

So he could give his friend Venat one last hug before she was gone.

[stardancerluv]

A Space Journey

Part Three

Summary: A week into Tyler’s training for his job given to him by the company. Things get tense. Another nightmare plagues reader.

Notes/Warnings: 18+ Consensual oral sex (male receiving) (always be safe while being intimate) angst, a pleasure catalogue filled with possible “sex workers” can be bought/ordered. There is a touch of drinking. (Be safe!)

Reid: Name of Tyler’s boss, Xano: An artificial person that is helping to train Tyler, Holi3721A: a sex worker (image in collage just used as an idea, anything can be imagined except red lipstick), Kefir: a fermented milk drink that is rich in calcium and vitamins…(tried to find something different for them to drink for the story!)

This was kind of long…once again. It practically wrote itself!

❤️s, comments, reblogs, & feedback are always welcome!

One week into the training and Harrison honestly felt better then he had in a long time. Actually, he had never felt this good physically. When he really thought about it. His strength was improving and he felt more alert, observant.

His jacket was buttoned up, his cap sat low just above his eyes, gloves were on and his boots were tightly laced up. Mud had become a morass and the rain was heavy and laced with more soot, since a new mine had opened up. It obscured one’s vision. By the mines it was worse.

There had not been a cave-in in a few years but he still constantly worried about your safety. It fueled his motivation perhaps they would let him retire to one of the shake and bake colonies as they called it. You and him could possibly have a family of your own.

Though right now his only intention was to relieve you from the final quarter of your duties for the day. He could not get sloppy and let a simple fall possibly ruin all he had already accomplished. One little injury could do that.

Reid, the balding man who had volunteered him for all of this had been incredibly pleased with all he had accomplished. He had suggested as a reward; he could spend the rest of the day with one of the speciality girls. He had even got out the catalogue. But he assured him, you were his. His destiny. No one in the pleasure catalogue could answer his needs like you did.

He had been rehydrating after finishing a round of sparring with Xano; when Reid arrived with the catalogue and a new card of fresh credits for him to use. Reid, was more awkward then usual, artificial people made him nervous.

Xano; was one of the good ones. Never had he malfunctioned. He kept to his directive without the use of cold impersonal methods. He could truly pass as a human. Though, he did begin to sweat white when the sparring grew more intense.

He had given him good instructions on how to do one on one fights. The methods he showed him on how to improve his ability to fight and how to stop his body from cramping while remaining crouched for extended periods of time.

Reid, had dismissed Xano. Once gone, Reid told him in his usual measured voice how he deserved a reward for doing so good. His achievements were higher then anyone had expected. Though, he had quickly assured him that new goals had been set.

“Harrison.” Reid, clapped him on the back. “You’re a good man. Making me very proud.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tyler grimaced, scratching the back of his head. He truly didn’t know how to respond. Being gracious wasn’t something he had a knack of being.

“It’s actually more fun then I thought it would be.” He slid the man a look.

“Good. Now run along; go see your girl. But if there are ever any other girls on planet from the pleasure catalogue you would rather have a taste of, just shout.”

He fiddled with the cuff of one of his gloves. “Can’t you enjoy one of them on my behalf?”

“Nah, I’m certain that none of them would want someone like me looking at them from over the rim of my glasses.”

Tyler shrugged. “Never, thought mine would have looked at me.”

Reid, rose an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Seriously.”

Reid, shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” He eyed the card Reid gave him. “So I give the person at main control this?” He held up the card. “And my girl is free from the final quarter and there will be no shortage in her credits?”

“All taken care of with that card, Harrison.”

“Great.” He gave him a nod and then headed off into the swirling soot and rain.

*******

The door whispered close behind him as he remained standing close to the building. The rain did not hesitate to smack him in the face. He made a face. He really hated this planet.

Pressing his lips together, he began to make this way over to headquarters that monitored the portion of the mine you worked in.

He barely looked around as he walked. There were some food vendors, the queue to speak with a company representative was very long today, he noticed. People were not happy. He didn’t linger. He saw people playing some dice. There were muttered curses and sour faces.

Finally, outside of the door of the head quarters, he kicked some of the excess mud that clung to his boots on the wall outside, before going inside.

It felt like someone had flipped a switch. The silence was almost deafening in its own way. The constant sound of the rain and the groaning machines had left him buzzing as he walked in.

Going over to the desk, there was behind a pane of glass, as he drew closer he saw that it was quite thick. Upset people could grow angry, angry people could turn violent. The glass was necessary. Where the glass ended began a wall of metal. There was a barely noticeable difference in the medal that had been worn, scratched where a door was. Some of the scuffs on the tile went up to it and surely continued onto another side.

He swallowed. He had only been here one of other time. He had gone to receive Bjorn’s mother’s; his aunt’s belongings from her locker after the accident. He had wanted to spare Bjorn that pain.

He lowered his hood, and gave the very tired looking man who sat at the desk one of his winning smiles. The man barely flickered a look at him. The screen in front of him illuminating his face.

“Inquiry?” He finally spoke.

Tyler pulled off a glove, shoved under his heavy coat to slip into a pocket and that held the card within the second layer of his clothes. He couldn’t let the elements; weather, human or otherwise get to it.

He held it up. “I have this.” He placed it in the spot where documents were usually passed.

“Oh? It’s you.” The man’s eyes were less drowsy. “I was told you would be arriving.”

He tapped a few key strokes the computer which made bleeping and bopping sounds which filled the small space.

“She will be up in;” He appeared to be reading a message. “Forty five minutes. After decompression and sanitization. You can come back or you can head over to where they disembark from the elevator.”

“I’ll wait.”

The man, gave a half smile mumbled something he could not make out and the man tapped the card before passing it back to him.

“They will want this back.”

“Thank you.” Tyler took it and put it back in the pocked it had been nestled into.

He slipped his glove back on and then went over to where the hub of elevators were.

Standing there, he leaned. The numbing of space travel would make this time waiting feel as if it was nothing; especially since he’d see you at the end of it.

*******

An orange, lanky and very wet cat caught his eye. It was walking along the buildings across the way. It made him inwardly smile, realizing the cat found the balance between being rained on constantly and just partially. Though a a few large drops from the building would catch him. His collar hung low but his tag still swayed above the mud.

If he had a cat on this planet, he’d keep it inside. No need to it to be miserable like the rest of us. Though pets like this were rare. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw a cat or even a dog. Hamsters and the canaries were owned by group leaders. Since they were small it easier to look after them.

He had always wanted a dog, a faithful hound fun and always loving. At least that is what he had heard they were like. They’d welcome you home, sniff your hand and stay close to your heels. The would be nice. Maybe if you two would get to that shake and bake colony.

*******

“Ooooh.” The voice was raspy. It sounded as if it had scrapped its way through the owner’s mouth. “Sugar, if I had known you were so handsome, I would have slipped on a dress and some thermals.”

He barely had time to flinch and pull away from a hand that gently tugged on his arm. Unable to draw back fast enough, he felt as cold lips pressed against his cheek.

“I’m sorry. I did not hire you.” He immediately said.

He was relieved to finally move. Looking her up and down, he realized it was Holi3721A. He remembered her from the catalogue that Reid had offered to him. When it had flopped open in his hands, it had gone to her page. His sharp memory remembered.

********

You pressed and unpressed your lips together. You may have even bit the inside of your cheek once or twice. You were barely aware.

All you had been told was that you had an excused leave. Someone was waiting on the other side to pick you up. The seconds, as they counted to zero with sanitization were excruciating. You could only sit or stand till it was over.

Despite, having done most of your shift today, you should have felt worn out. Especially, since in your free time you stayed awake longer. You held onto whatever time you could have with Tyler.

During those moments, the minutes easily fell through your fingers like grains of sand you could barely hold onto. Where now the minutes felt like mini lifetimes.

The anxiousness that rushed in your body made sitting and standing the only thing that helped in making the minutes go by faster.

Relief filled you when the alarm sounded and you could finally head over to the elevator. A smaller group was with you then a few days prior but that didn’t make it any more comfortable. You just wanted out and back onto the surface.

At this point, even a heavy rain would be welcome if you just knew what this was all about. Now, safe in the elevator you let yourself remember that the last time this happened, your mother had collapsed and had been rushed to the medical station two quadrants over. Now the only ones you cared about was Kay, Navarro and Bjorn. You would not even allow yourself to imagine anything taking place with Tyler.

*******

A small pout, came over her too red lips.

“But, but you are so handsome. I’ve never had one so handsome. Can’t I cancel my booking and go with you?”

He gently as he could removed her hand from his arm.

“You don’t want to end up in a 4 x 6 with q week suspension and garnished credits. Do you?” He tried to be reasonable. He couldn’t help but notice that she looked like a mere shadow of the person she had been when they had catalogued her.

“It’ll be worth it. I will make you see stars.”

He barely was able loosen her hand.

“Tyler?! Is that you?”

Hearing your voice made him stop and look in its direction. Spotting you a ghost of a smile reached his face.

He turned back to Holi3721A. “That’s my girl, I was waiting for her.”

“Tyler? What is going on?” You were closer, he could see you from the corner of his eye.

“Well..” He began, glancing at you and then back at Holi3721A.

“Hey! You! I placed an order for you. I didn’t order extra company.” A gruff voice hollered from the direction you had come from.

Tyler looked at the man as he drew closer and then back at Holi3721A. He was a large, tall man. His scraggly mustache was the only thing visible from a hood that hung over his eyes. He beckoned to Holi3721A. Tyler gave her a quick glance.

“Coming, sweetie.” Her voice was much higher then it had been mere moments before. “Didn’t know where to wait. Was asking for directions.”

Holi3721A quickly moved and was soon in front of the man.

Tyler, swallowed. He could hear the silence between the two of you, as he turned to face you. He wanted to smile, pull you close. This was not how he had imagined picking you up early.

“Is everything ok?” You squinted up at him in the falling rain. “Is Kay? Bjorn? Navarro?”

He could see the worry plain on your face.

“Yes.” He chewed his bottom lip. “They’re fine, great probably…” His voice trailed off, as he shifted his hat.

“Are you?” You pointed at his face. “That girl’s red lipstick is sliding off your cheek.”

“What? It is?” He immediately rubbed at his cheek. He glanced at his glove. Sure enough a little clung to it.

“I was waiting for you when she approached.”

“Oh?”

He shrugged. “She must have thought I was the one who ordered her.”

“And she kissed you.”

He nodded, he grimaced. Not knowing what to say. In a time before you, he never had to care about such things and nor did anyone was he with care.

“She saw me, thought it was a good idea.” He rocked on his feet. “Enough about her. I came to come and grab you. I wanted to see you.”

“Why? My day is not even close to being over.”

He blinked. He thought you would be happy. There was an edge to your voice that he had never heard before.

“Because they are happy with my performance.” He scratched the back of his head. “Would you rather be in the mine?” His voice could be just as sharp.

Annoyance began to build in him.

“No.” You stuffed your hands into your pockets. “But the company being this generous worries me.”

A smirk curled his lips, thinking of the special mission. He had a flash of a possible future in his minds eye from all the commercials that advertised that perfect life. Realizing, the stress of it all is what had made him tense. He didn’t want to put that on you.

“Baby. I’m amazing, I’m good at what I do.” He closed the very small distance between the two of you.

You finally had a hint of a smile.

“You are that.”

“They’re just rewarding me.” He chuckled. “Come now. Let’s go and eat.”

******

As the two of you walked to the mess hall closest to the hauler, he glanced your way.

“How was down below?”

You beamed at him. “I found a new vein in the rocks.”

“My sharp eyed girl.”

“I am.”

Your mood seemed to have brightened.

“If its as big as I believe it to be,” You continued. “It might give a few days worth of energy.”

He reached out and wrapped an arm around your shoulders giving you a squeeze.

“We are both very good at what we do.”

You nodded.

“They were more then pleased to let me leave. Though they had remained quiet as to why I was.”

“That’s how they are.”

“Yeah.”

The door with a swish, slid open. Easily with a hand on your back, he guided you over to a table in one of the corners.

“I’ll grab our food.”

“Oh?”

He nodded.

“I may not be cooking but you know I still enjoy taking care of you.”

His gloved finger tips grazed your cheek.

“Relax and I will be right back.”

“Alright.”

He gave you a quick smile as he watched you shrugged out of your heavy coat. He pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into his coat before he placed it on his chair. co

Rolling his shoulders, he went over and grabbed one of the larger ones. His lips curled as he looked at the steaming kettles that offered stews. He stirred one, it looked a little better when he did that. Making sure he got you both some hearty portions of it. He tore off some bread, it felt fresh so at least there was that. Then he poured the two of you some fermented Kefir.

As he walked back to you, he smiled watching you quickly neaten the utensils on the table then slide the infinity loop beside the illumination bulb.

*******

“At least this was decent.” You moved your head from side to side.

You snagged a small piece of bread from Tyler’s plate and popped it into your mouth.

“Hey!” He chuckled. “I was eyeing that last piece of bread.

You stood a little closer to him, eyes playful and smile bright. “Opps!”

He smirked. “Good thing you’re cute.” He chuckled.

******

You grumbled as you pulled up your hood. “Is the rain actually falling harder?”

“Probably. Well, let’s not linger.” He looped his arm with yours.

******

Once in the warmth of the hauler, you went into the little kitchenette to pour Tyler and you some liquor he had managed to snag from a few salvages back. It made the tummy warm and made some of the harder edges of life a little fuzzy when you and him had a few servings.

After putting the bottle down, you unscrewed its cap. You inhaled, it was so rich and spicy. It gave you warmth from a sniff before even sip.

Glancing over to Tyler, you saw him settle in one of the chairs after he placed yours and his clothes into the cleaning cycle. You knew he had not wanted that woman’s lip stick to leave any permanent stains. You frowned as you saw him chew on his thumb. He only did that when he was anxious.

Something was on his mind, you were convinced. He had begun researching a new salvage that he had been very quiet about it. You wondered what it was. Usually, he spoke of them.

Going on your tip toes, you took some glasses down from the cabinet above you.

“Tyler, do you want yours with a cooler glass?” You called out.

“I’ll have it how you’re having it.” He murmured warmly against your bare shoulder.

Tyler, you gently jumped against his him. A soft chuckle came from him. One of his strong arms wrapped around your middle pulling you close.

“When you hold me like this, I don’t need anything else.”

“I don’t either.”

*******

Entangled with each other, he held you close. Your kisses and hands knew what to do. Taking him deeper into your mouth, he inhaled sharply above you. He leaned on his elbows, on his bed as you remained nestled between his legs. You gasped a little as he tickled the back of your throat but you enjoyed how he filled your mouth. His slender fingers entwined tighter in your hair, as you felt his body tighten.

“Baby,” His voice strained with his passion. “Come up here.”

As a final tease you slowly, pulled your lips up his length. Your heart was thudding hard in your chest, as you got up and to go over to him. He shifted so he was further back onto his bed as you crawled over.

His chest rose and lowered as you both looked at each other. “You are so beautiful.” Reaching, he pulled you over him and into a kiss. You settled, just above his hardness on his lower stomach.

He brushed your hair from your face. His eyes met yours and you nodded. Holding, him just so you slid down his hard length. A soft moan broke your lips as you did.

“Oh, Tyler.” The pleasure of this pulled a moan from deep within you, mingling when you spoke.

No more words were spoken. Just sounds of pleasure you gave each other filled the room. He moved exquisitely under you, how his fingers dug into your hips felt almost too good. Your passion was reflected in his face. Your body arched as your hips rolled as you rode him. The memory of how he showed you how to do this still fresh in your memories; it only made your pleasure grow within you.

*******

Blinking, gasping as you clutched at your chest you woke once again with a terrible fright. This was the second time, since his return from the salvage of Omega 17 that a nightmare had filled your sleeping hours. Your heart was pounding. This time the image of his shock, anguish was very clear in his eyes before he was ripped away from you into the darkness.

Gazing down, still breathless you were able to calm yourself and seeing he was right there beside you. He was deeply asleep. His usually handsome features as sharp as a razor were soft with slumber. The terror of the dream once again, began to fade.

@luvscarlyle thank you for your feedback on my previous chapters. I hope you don’t mind the tag!

[sleepydayy]

Xano! A serial killer on the lose after being locked up in an abandon lab, frozen and kept at the age 25, in reality he is estimated to be over 120 years old by now and kills every where he goes, seeming to have gained inhumane strength. He is often spotted with a spiked mask, no one really knows what it's material is. the mask keeps him relatively sane as it's presumed to give him a feeling if contentment

What do you think of the design?

[maofenglokrp]

Day 2: Describe/draw how your character came to Drogan for adventure training

2-6-1372

It's been a while since I've written in one of these, but with how things have been lately I find the need to put my thoughts outside my head to keep them organised.

A year ago I was drafted into the militia in Rashemen, it was unavoidable. I didn't have time for writing, and, honestly I haven't thought about it for months. I should have. When Drogan found me I was a mess to say the least. I'd lost track of the people we were forced to hurt. When I shattered my sword and crossbow the others...I don't blame them, if they hadn't followed orders they would have had the same as I. I guess I really am stubborn, I shouldn't have survived all of that.

Drogan brought me to Hilltop in a series of teleportations. The old dwarf must have been pretty powerful in his hayday. It took months for me to recover properly, even with potions and visits from the local cleric. After I was back on my feet he offered to give me some training, and with nowhere else to go I agreed. On the condition that I never need to put a weapon in my hand again. I wanted to be able to fight so I could defend people...like they should have been defended, and so I was the only one to decide when to be a weapon.

He agreed. I threw everything I had into following his training. There were some rough patches where we tried to figure out how to navigate some of his lessons, but he was patient and kind, and very wise. He saw things I couldn't see about me and after a while I believed him.

Six months ago he found some more recruits, they seem alright and certainly have the skill but have yet to click in mindset about training and adventuring as a whole.

Mischa is determined to have a solid boundary between right and wrong, black and white that she blinds herself to how dangerous that mindset can turn out.

Xanos is so concerned about being the best and building up his image that he forgets to actually put in the effort to live up to his own expectations.

Dorna stands the best chance of getting it, but is a little indecisive about how she wants to handle her training and is set on fulfilling two separate practices, which I think she might just be able to pull off. She's been a fast friend since arriving, we have the same level of stubbornness so we tend to push each other forward when working together.

[waterdeephero]

{{Ship Meme: Of course, I ship Dhana x Elithrar, but I have a strange hankering for Nathyrra x Elithrar as well. Your recent RP with oeskathine brought it to mind}}

If you want to set fire to Elithrar, there’s no better way, to see how his pale skin turned crimson the second he hears those words.

“I...well...hum...I don’t think she sees me that way... Plus, Dhana seems to prefer more muscular partner*. Nathyrra?”

The sun elf gasped at the idea, more confused than embarrassed.

“We both have our duty to complete. For her, I’m at best a useful tool. Anyway, I doubt she sees me as an ideal partner, plus we don’t have time for leisure.”

He waves his hand as if to reject this idea.

“Though I do have eyes, and there’s definitely something about her...”

Obviously, Elithrar isn’t going to elaborate.

[[ Hehe thank you! I was going to mention Dhana x Elithrar, but thought it would sound too egocentric or forceful. As for Nathyrra, I haven’t thought of it really, I’m not sure they have much in common. I’m kinda unsure what their dynamic could be, in fact. But that could be interesting, for sure, so thank you! ^^ ]]

[jedetestemoi]

Ayo, that’s pretty cool. I personally like waterparks- their song “turbulent” is on the top of my list rn.

Conan gray is a classic, too soft for my taste tho.

And for Jeremy Jordan, never heard of ‘em. Do u suggest I give em a listen? If so, what’s a good song to listen to?

Also, for ur “ask away” post, I pick 11.

Dunno abt u but I really like edgy/alt style of clothing. It looks badass, doesn’t it?

Thank youu 🖤

~Xano~

i listen to literally every kind of music 😭 i dont really have a "taste" tbh

anything i can dance to is probably my favorite though

Jèręmy Jördân is a Broadway actor and his voice is AMAZING. his band Âgé 0f Mádnêss is new and it's rock music so you might like that. their favorite song of mine is My Fìrst Énèmy. i highly recommend listening to him sing anything though because his voice is just so beautiful

and for 11, SAME! i love looking edgy lol

looking metal or alt or punk is probably ny favorite thing because i feel so cool :) one time, at therapy, someone in the waiting room said "you look so cool!" and it still makes me so happy to think about 😭

thank u Xano 💖

[la-sopa]

Ok hear me out

⚠️spoilers for the new spider man⚠️

Anakin skywalker

Ferus olin

Obi-wan kenobi

All spider man. Stay with me

Anakin- Andrew spider man. You know Gwen died padmè dies and both main characters go a little bonkers buts it all turns out fine

Obi-wan toby spider man. Why? Because i said so. Also Toby is the oldest of all the spider man so... obi wan...

Ferus- is Tom Holland spider man. Care a lot about other people and just wants to keep his friends safe, at the end of the movie when Peter made everyone forget about him. And saw his friends in the Cafe he chose not to inter there lifes to keep them safe.

I just think it's a really good idea.

I would give up my first born for someone to write a fic on this please

Kk now for who I would cast the rest of the characters as...⬇️

Siri tachi-aunt May. If ferus is Tom Holland spider man then siri has to be Aunt May...

Roan lands- Mj... also for the same reason as siris role to be honest

Wil Asani- Ned... for, u guess it the same reson as roan and siri.

Xanos- Doc Ock. If obi wan is spider you better belive Xanos would be doc ock.

Granta omega- Green Goblin, the pure evil from both of these characters YES ans we love it so yeah.

Garen - dr. strange. Ok in the last of the jedi he helps ferus back onto his path a a jedi a little and idk it just feels right so yeah :)

Qui Vos- Matt Murdock- ok so yeah Qui bad ass character Matt Murdock bad ass character so...(I didn't see the Movie Matt Murdock was in so forgive me if this is in correct)

[crimsoncrosses]

"I am thou, Thou art I. Your passion burns hot, but you wish your vengeance cold. So be it. I shall be your vengeance. Let us show the naysayers the Chill of Death!" "Yes… come to me, Xanos!"

[elfdragon12]

Let's rate some orcs

Because I love orcs and have a number of Feelings about them and they tend to be portrayed wildly different across franchises. These are going to be franchises I'm more familiar with. Hopefully, we can find some orcs that will rank high.

My ratings will take into consideration visual appeal and variety. How big of an OOF factor is readily apparent will be taken into acount.

Anime (in general): 0/10

I'm just giving a blanket statement for the vast majority of orcs in anime. They tend to have super generic designs, very copy-paste, and... Like... They seem to be mostly used for terrible porn because... Apparently there are never any female orcs. It's gross. (These creators are COWARDS! Give me a big, green, beefy orc girlfriend! She can be my waifu!)

Kemono Michi: 3/10

Still the boring and basic anime orc design and I definitely don't care for those little horns, but their personalities aren't terrible. Also, more orc wrestling, please! (Side-note, there's a webcomic called Daughter of the Lilies and the orcs in that comic have horned eyebrow ridges that I think work very well for the design! It's been a while since I've checked up on it, but I really enjoyed what I have read.)

Neverwinter Nights: 5/10

I actually think the in-game sprites are pretty cute?? Not too much to say other than that. (If I was ranking half-orcs though, Daelan Red Tiger would be a 10/10, would definitely smooch. Xanos is fairly smoochable too, but one would probably have a slap slap kiss kiss romance with him.) The NWN games were based on D&D 3rd edition so orcs don't tend to be more than a basic bad guy.

Rankin-Bass's Return of the King: 6/10

While having a general look to them, it's not just a copy-paste orc horde and I appreciate that. Also, I don't know if you've heard Where There's a Whip, There's a Way, but these orcs know how to belt out a pretty good marching tune! I didn't remember it being that good when I watched it as a kid! However, these are also the same designs used for goblins in their take on the Hobbit, so... Who knows?? Kinda reflects how goblins and orcs are basically interchangeable in the actual book. Oops!

Bright: 3/10

This movie gave me a lot of Feelings and one of the only good ones is that I like the way the orcs look. However, I've given them such a low rating because the writing and world-building surrounding them is just Not Good. (Maybe, if you're going to heavily code your orcs as Black people and then use themes of racism and stereotyping, maybe give more than one of the 5 orcs not implicitly tied to the gangbanger lifestyle more than 3 seconds of screentime?! As I said, this movie gave me Feelings.)

Peter Jackson LotR: 4/10

A good variety of looks in these orcs with a unifying theme. Not a whole lot of personality to them besides EVIL though. (And, well, we can't forget that it was LotR pioneered the modern image for orcs--Tolkien didn't invent them--and just how he described them in a letter to someone else. Man definitely wasn't perfect.)

D&D: 4/10 (however, I will rate Wildemount orcs at a 10/10)

These orcs have... Been through a lot and have really changed over the years. (Language describing half-orcs in 2e is Yikes.) They only took the -2 Intelligence modifier away only as recently as Eberron and Wildemount strips away the explicit connection to Gruumsh and giving orcs more personal agency. Wildemount really does step it up! I do think the art for orcs in more the more recent 5e sourcebooks look a lot better and I think the official Nolzur orc minis do look pretty good.

Warhammer: 6/10

There's a ton of lore and I don't really know a whole lot of it. However, I do have some fondness for the orkz. Oh, they're so dumb, but that's also why their powers work--because they don't know any better. There is a certain audaciousness to them I rather like. As for their visuals, there's a lot of variety in these orkz. While they're not so smoochable, they are fun to look at.

World of Warcraft in-game: 5/10

Pretty sure WoW really kicked off the switch from pig-faced orcs to big, beefy, green people and I absolutely don't begrudge that. In the game itself, I can't say much. The difference between male and female orcs is really sad though. Maybe I want to see more female orcs that look like they could bench me with a single arm rather that "sexy woman with an hourglass shape, but green and a weird haircut".

And, because I feel like the vibe is different enough, here's a separate rating for~

World of Warcraft, movie/cinematics: 8/10

They really said "monster lovers, we got you" then Rihanna-winked. Very smoochable. We also get to see orcs across a moral spectrum, which is very nice. The difference between male and female orcs isn't quite as bad as the games as male orcs don't look so cartoonishly brutish and female orcs look bulkier. (Draka looks very nice.)

[shattereddetermination]

((crimsoncrosses)) The way through to Snowdin was blocked by a familiar figure. Cast in shadow, only the light of Xanos's scar revealed the disappointment in his expression. His sword planted firmly in the earth, the old monster leveled a cool gaze at Ayla. "I can smell the reek of killing intent coming off of you, my pupil," he said, "Are you in need of a reminder of your training? I thought you had learned to curb these... urges."

“You...? You were gone for so long...“

[She murmured under breath surprised, stopping in her tracks. Why now? Of all the times why now? She cowed uned his gaze for a second before taking a deep breath - unnecessary reflex but it still calmed her. Disappointing people, especially one in aithority, still stung even if she tried to get rid of it. But she wasn’t little helpless girl anymore.]

“Haaa, no, thank you. We are killing a lot less, right? So there should be no need to remind me, right?  ...And I’m not intending to hurt any Monsters anyway. Sorry if I have alerted you. ...So can you let me pass? ... Please?”

[She spoke looking straight into the glowing X, her own pupils glowing slightly in the mist. Trying to keep her voice from shaking. Trying to speak slow. To look sure and calm. Even if she wasn’t. In fact Ayla was quite scared. She bit her lip automatically. She couldn’t afford fighting him now. What if she couldn’t convince him? What if he will attack her? They may be too weak to fight later. Calm down. Just calm down. If anything happens Bel will think of something, right?]

@crimsoncrosses

[xdepthsofwinterx]

I ship Dhana with Valen !

“A fiery, entertaining combination. Though...I am unsure if we would last in the long run. My...proclivities would likely cause more damage that good.”

{{Whilst Dhana remains free with her flirtations and sexual escapades, relationships don’t pivot primarily around sex. What kind of relationship it becomes will depend on how much Valen is willing to permit, and how much Dhana is willing to abstain from. She will have to tread a very careful path emotionally and mentally if this ship is to work.

When Xanos asked her to commit to him, she virulently objected. I think maturity will likely play a factor, but I am still working out the kinks (teehee) in my head.}}

[okami-zero]

So saw a gifset of Alexstrasza in Dragonflight, and she looks so freaking pretty. Like, a lot of the visuals have come along by leaps and bounds. And as neat as all the new stuff is... Like, I was excited when it came out, was kind of building into my hype... and then I remembered Shadowlands. And to a lesser extent, BfA. And I just... can't. The story went fucking sidewise in BfA, and then Shadowlands just kind of threw everything out the window to the point a novel had to be written to make sense of a MAJOR PLOTPOINT. Actually, no, more like a major plot THROUGHLINE, because it informed the shit that went down in BfA, too. And, since it impacted the game, it should have been IN. THE. GAME. And nothing came of any of any of it (except robbing some excellent villains of their agency, which was bullshit)! The novel came out after the fact and while I hear it is good, a retroactive fix is not enough to get me back in. Besides, I had stopped playing in...June? Of 2021 - none of my former guildmates or other friends were ever online while I was on (the guild kind of just...faded away halfway or so through BfA) and pugging in WoW is absolute bullshit. I managed to do...one dungeon, I think? Managed to snag a friend to heal, and while we are doing this run, my very first tanking run of this dungeon, one of the DPS tried to vote to kick me because I wasn't facepulling. And that is a WHOLE OTHER RANT, right there. I digress.

However, that does not mean that my WoW characters are gone or have stopped. Especially my main, Xanotos, who has existed very nearly *as long as WoW itself*, in one form or another and on various servers. He, his partner and my rogues' gallery of other various characters are now RP-only, existing in chat RPs and in a neat little private server that is primarily RP. Like, no combat stuff at all.

For me, Legion was the neat little bow that tied off pretty much all of Warcraft 3's loose ends (despite the absolute twaddle in ads about Shadowlands being the end, fuck you new writing team). The folks I poke around with kind of pick at BfA for the good bits and leave the rest out and we kind of ignore Shadowlands. But yea, Xano is still going, doing his thing in Azeroth, albeit not in the main line.

And, like, maybe someday, they'll do something that might get me to look at the game again, but the taint from Shadowlands BS and to a lesser extent, BfA just...no. Y'all shat all over 15+ years of lore and didn't even manage to give a satisfying end (or memorable villain) for the effort. So Xano is not gone, and most certainly not forgotten.

My focus right now is FFXIV and Akagi and that is where most of my energy and focus lie. But The Beast of the Black Wald is still kicking and there are plenty of tales I need to tell with him.

And I will not yuck anyone's yum here. If you are hype about Dragonflight, please enjoy it! I'll not decry what is fun for you, just because I don't enjoy it anymore. And don't let anyone else naysay you, either. Get out there and fuck up whatever bad dudes show up! For the Alliance, For the Horde, For Azeroth.

[syntaxeme]

part of Nytep definitely does despise what he’s become--the fact that he cares about others, the fact that he has a conscience, the fact that he would EVER alter his own behavior or delay his own gratification for the sake of another person. Part of him does feel like he’s weak now, because he would think twice about wiping out a planet full of intelligent life. Part of him thinks he’s a worthless coward who abandoned his purpose and is wasting his potential. 

that part is Xexanoth. Xano HATES Nytep, the individual that is Nytep, the--ugh--person that is Nytep. Hates him. Has absolutely no respect for him. Doesn’t recognize him as a leader or authority figure. Loves using all his ‘weaknesses’ against him, making him suffer for how ‘soft’ he’s become. And he knows he can get away with it, because Nytep is so uncomfortable with the idea of getting rid of him, i.e. merging all of Xano’s features with his own.

Have I mentioned before that Nytep has self-loathing issues...?

[thefallenguard]

It is never easy, coming to terms with the loss of a friend. Many memories to look back on. Many what if's and could haves. The peace and quiet does help.

“Yeah...you’re right.” a heavy sigh escapes her frame, “Naxos was the best damn friend I could ask for and in the end I turned him away right before the dumb idiot gone and got himself killed.”

“Though I think he’s more disappointed if I didn’t turn myself around even after he’s gone.” Daeva chuckles a bit. “Sides someones gotta be in the right mindset to keep an eye out for his kids...speaking of hope his sons doing alright, last I saw he was heading after the person who killed old Naxy off and stole his sister from some rumours I heard...can’t say I’m not worried but boys old enough to stand on his own two feet. Don’t need no hand holding.”

“Except I saw Xanos go off with him and oh boy, drakoni has a heart of gold but is a massive pain in the ass with how he acts and goes about things.”

[ask-thegoatbro]

dunno if you takin these but 📖 Samga

“...Samga...”

“...I dislike him, perhaps that dislike is purely from what happened in the study room. After all, why should I like someone who would allow a doll to talk about their ‘allies’ as if they would turn on their backs because they weren’t solely for their crush ‘omen’. A lot of problems may not have existed if he would have just admitted to Red’s dangerous attitude to everyone. Instead, he makes me look like a fool in front of Xanos and Eydis for what? Because I threaten red? At this point, from everything I witness, it’s childish to be upset what I did there compared to all of the actions from some of these people have done.”

“ I believe he is just a fool from how this rabbit acts and thinks. Speaking of him thinking he seems to really care about food like a gluttonous creature. I simply can have him do certain tasks with the promise of food. I do intend to keep my promise. It’s funny... such an easy thing to exploit and he’s taking it.”

“What to look out for is that he seems to have a SOUL? and at times emitted some kind of warm feeling. Tch, not like I care much for it. I don’t really respond to such a thing after all. The fact that I’m pretty dead inside and how much I dislike him I cannot seem to really care. He also seems to have some kind of rage state although it’s nothing I should fear. It seems to backfire on him and cause him damage as he stays in such a state. As I how I look at it, I was able to get out of the creature that took me hostage with my own flames and the Help of Emmy and those vines. He needs to go into such a state. Ah, yes this is a good moment to point out that he easily isn’t that very smart. Well, he is a fool for a reason.”

“Now, I don’t hate him nor do I like him. I suppose he is a middle ground and there nothing anything I can really do about him as he is just an idiotic gluttonous rabbit who sounds like he really dislikes doctors. He can be a tool and someone that can get in the way. I’m sure he’s a good person but from what I had to deal with my dislike of him and how disappointed I am with him I don’t have much good to speak of. I’m hoping he won’t do anything to make anything worse or get in my way as he knows nothing of what I’m trying to do for everyone.”

[waterdeephero]

☺ {{-silently squealing at thought-}}

☺my muse helping your muse fall asleep

It had been a long time since he had slept outside the shelter of solid walls, Elithrar thought. Below them, the sky was clear, the sparkling stars promised a cooler night. Of course, they could have gone back to the academy. But the journey was long, and the snow made it difficult to progress. And then they no longer had crystals of focus. Elithrar should have shown more foresight. But reprimands now were useless.

Under the shelter of the tent, he felt on one side Deekin, on the other Dhana groping against him. Sighing, he adjusted the blankets, pulling on them the two bearskins that he had managed to transport. The smell of the beast that emanated from it was not so unpleasant, in the end. Even if it was not frankly what he loved.

He felt that none of them were sleeping. But the cold was not the only one responsible, he suspected. He also wondered what the others were doing. Dorna and Xanos had gone to explore the Nether Mountains on their side. Perhaps they had returned. As for Mischa, she had to watch over the academy. The elf doubted however that she had a better night than them. The fact that Ayala was also there relieved him a little. These and many other questions were circling in his mind, preventing him from reaching a state of calm sufficient to rest.

But the question remained: was Master Drogan going to recover? He turned again, also unable to find sleep. He found himself nose to nose with Dhana, her eyes glistening in the darkness.

‘You can’t sleep?’ he whispered. ‘The young woman shook her head, her eyes bright and her throat knotted. Her expression saddened him. Elithrar took his hands out of the blankets and whispered some words he thought he had forgotten. It’s been so long…. He didn’t expect it to work. And yet, three small luminous globes appeared. One was purple, the second yellow and the last pale blue.

Deekin uttered a small squeak of surprise and stood up to watch the globes spin around Elithrar’s hands. “That’s a nice thing!” The elf smiles a little at Deekin’s reaction.

“When I couldn’t sleep, my mother….” Elithrar paused and contemplated Dhana, his pale face illuminated by the dim light emanating from the spheres.

“You have hidden your talents as a magician from us! Xanos would be surprised,” she says, shared between fun and the desire to ask him more about his “skinny” arcane talents.

“It must be pretty much the only spell I can throw. Not enough to shadow the great Xanos”.

Dhana chuckled, while Deekin tried to catch one of the sphere. His clawed hand closed only on emptiness, the globe escaping him. The sun elf smile at that sight and said:

“I can’t promise you that everything will be alright…Even if I would love to.”

He made a small pause, as the lightning pulsed between his hands, dancing around it wrists.

“But we’re doing the best we can. Master Drogan prepared us for anything and I’m pretty sure he was also aware of the potential perils. I’m sure he will be ok”.

The silent took place again, as Dhana smiled. It was a small one, far from her usual large grin, but Elithrar still count it as a small victory.

“I may take your word on it.” She frowned then her face relaxed again, but her expression remained serious.

“I hope we’re enough to what’s lie ahead”.

“We have to”.

“Deekin thinks great adventurers need their beauty sleep” said the little kobold, while he yawned. The two students laughted a little at his wise words. They remained for a moment like this, contemplating the peaceful light that removed their respective worries as well as some of the shadows of the night.Then, the lights faded as they finally fall in Morphe’s embrace.