#- hoping against hope that this time we may reach the end of our travels*

[cinhomi]

𝑈𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑑

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Han Jisung x fem reader

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: you and your soulmate in a random morning of May

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff, smut

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: descriptions of sexual intercourse, unprotected sex, no dynamic specified, vanilla, talks of death and afterlife

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.9K

“Ji?”

It's warm. The Sun’s rays penetrate the cream colored curtains of his bedroom and dance on your naked skin. The tree outside paints stunning shadows that turn into shapes that move with the light, in a psychedelic motion that molds with your bodies. A pantone of warm colors reflects everywhere and it's as if they're about to spill in your heart, too.

“Yeah, baby?”

His voice is barely a whisper, his breath tickles your ear. You can feel his hand move from your side to go up, up, until it reaches your neck and his fingers delicately close round it. You feel his bottom lip first, then the upper one, as he starts to leave little pecks on your nape, your jawline. The presence of his other arm is persistent, under you, dragging you closer until your back is flat on his chest. The pendant of his necklace starts to leave a print between your shoulder blades.

“Do you think there's life after death?”

He halts his actions. Jisung leaves another kiss behind your ear and inhales, hoping to get drunk with your scent. His hand caresses your cheek, and then travels down to your arm, finding your wrist, taking it close to his pretty mouth to rest there, to let him kiss it. He presses your digits on his lips and gives attention to each of them. It takes him a while to reply, but you give him all the time he needs.

“I like to believe that there is, yes.” his eyes close for a moment, it's almost as if he wants to memorize your fingerprints. “Where does this question come from, baby?”

When you turn around to face him you find his faint smile, his adoring eyes that trail from your chest, to your lips, to your own irises. There's a rebelling tuft of curly hair that stands alone on his head, and the mole on his cheek moves whenever he swallows. You caress the one placed on his collarbone, before taking a deep breath. “I just… I was thinking- when we die… our body remains here, right?”

Jisung nods and hums, brows furrowing slightly, trying to predict the path your thoughts will take.

“And, wouldn't it be sad if it all ended… like that? Or maybe- or maybe that's the beauty of it? In the end we really always kind of leave a piece of us here. Being it bones or ashes…"

He hooks the necklace he gifted you the night prior, twistes it in his hand and watches it shine. “I always feel like we're too big to just end with death, you know? I don't know if we actually reincarnate or if something like Heaven or Hell exists, but I don't want to- no, I can't accept the idea of disappearing from the universe completely.” he explains, all while bringing you close to him again, your breasts now against his chest, your leg brushing his glutes as he takes it to rest on his hip. “Do you agree?”

“Yeah,” you pout, your hands open to feel his muscles tense under your touch, “we are immense. Don't you ever think that, sometimes, you have strong feelings about something because you were connected with it in your previous life?”

Jisung nods, he leaves a kiss on the crown of your head. “For example?” he chimes in, resting his head on your pillow.

“Well,” you start, a hint of a giggle already threatening your voice, “maybe you're scared of bugs because in a previous life one killed you!” and a light slap can be heard on your shoulder as he shakes his head trying to suppress a smile.

“I thought you were about to be all cute and reference us… tch.” he looks at the ceiling, faking being offended.

“What do you mean?” and at your question his farce crumbles immediately, enamored eyes staring down at you.

“Maybe we're together now because we were lovers in our past life, too. No?”

All words die in your throat. There's a block forming in the pit of your stomach and your waterline starts to tingle.

“From the first moment my eyes laid on you, I knew you were the one. Sometimes I think I've known you all my existence, sometimes I wonder if we come from the same star.”

“Ji…” before he can see your expression you bury your head in his chest, “this is disgustingly romantic…”

He giggles. You look at him again just to get a glimpse of his gummy smile, maybe searching for the crooked teeth he had once. You miss it sometimes.

Jisung gets up on his elbows and in moments like these he seems bigger. His shoulders are up straight, chest popped up, slim waist twisted making the faint lines of his abs become curves. You'd look at his thighs and at his cock too, but grey cotton sheets cover it all.

“But it's true! It's true… I refuse to believe otherwise. We're together in every universe, baby.” his gaze fixed on yours. “Is it childish to think so?”

You shake your head, blinking slowly. Sunlight is still a bit too strong, your eyes straining from it, but the way it reflects on him, it's mesmerizing. Jisung takes your face in his hands and kisses you, tenderly, totally opposed to how he did it the night prior. It's so sweet, it's overwhelmingly sweet and you can't help but melt as his index finger caresses the corner of your eye, as his thumb taps your bottom lip for him to take between his. There's still a slight ache between your legs but it's a lovely feeling. There's still the smell of your juices, your panties by the end of the bed, his shirt hanging on the corner of his TV.

“I'll find you in every universe,” he whispers between kisses, “I'll be by your side, even if we become different things, I'll- I'll find a way, angel, I'll find it.” more urgently, his cold rings roam on your back, lifting you up enough to have his arms around you. It makes you sigh, it makes you whimper.

“I- I want-” you gasp, his tongue is under your jaw and it keeps on traveling down every valley of your body. There are soft but obnoxious sounds now echoing in the room. There's also a dog barking in the distance, few cars passing by, someone opening their shutters. “I want everything I lost to- come back to me, Jisung…”

His head is now on your belly, he stays there with his eyes closed. Jisung sighs. He kisses your belly button and goes even lower, almost disappearing under the covers.

“It will…” he inhales your smell, you, groaning against your navel, “it's already here angel. You may not be seeing it, but you're already surrounded by it. You said that, we just leave our bodies-” he checks on your expression quickly. “You feel it, don't you?”

He sees your eyelashes flutter and your head moving up and down. Jisung kisses your clit, and then your labia, and his eyes roll back when your soft sounds reach him. When your leg lifts and your knee presses on his cheek, nudging him away, big round confused eyes run all over you once again.

“Inside…” even if the sentence floats between you too, Jisung understands. He comes up and the way the freshly clean cotton falls from his figure reminds you that time at the lake, when he came out from the water to make love to you under a willow. He's hard, you feel it against your thigh.

“Need me to stretch you?” he's whispering, he's kissing your left shoulder. As you shake your head, his tip is already catching in your entrance.

“It'll be okay baby. I know you miss them, but your heart is big,” his cock slowly slips inside you as he speaks, “your heart is big and I love you for this reason.” and then you find yourself full, of him, of his sweet words, full of light and sorrow and sadness and cheesecake. You feel so many things, it's only natural that some tears threaten to spill from your eyes, but Jisung kisses them all away, but Jisung hushes you and rolls his hips deeper into you, with the same rhythm of the tap of your kitchen sink, that broke two days ago. Later he’ll call someone to fix it.

When your palms glide on his back you feel bumps, formed as long streaks. You close your eyes, you touch them like a blind person reading braille, you try to read him. It's written “I love you” all over. He adores it when you hold him flush over you, when your nails cling to him as he thrusts into you, adores your delirant praise, hushed under your breath.

Jisung drags his voice in long moans, you feel them hot on your neck, they alternate with hisses while his eyes squeeze shut and fight to stay open, to witness how your own face moves. They reverberate in your chest and your heart is being caressed. What was warm light now is scorcingly hot directly against your bodies, a sheen of sweat making you sparkle. It's such a nice day, you should grab coffee together later. Take his sunglasses maybe. His hoodie. His soul. He doesn't mind.

“Baby…” it's hoarse now, it'll sound melodic again when he's calm, “baby you are my everything-” his hips pick up speed, they falter, his thighs burn. When you wrap your legs on his lower half, when your heels press on him they stutter and Jisung chokes on his own words. You feel the tell-tale throbs in his cock, you feel the way his hands grip the flesh of your hips, and your walls closing around him.

“Ji- baby, look at me, look me in the eyes-” it's afternoon already. He lifts properly, both hands on the sides of your head. Jisung looks you in the eyes. Jisung, he tells you that he loves you repeatedly as he feels his high so close he thinks he's going to pass out. Your pussy sucks him in whenever he retracts his cock, he hears the change in your voice. You'll go on a walk together tonight.

He does as you asked, never closes his eyelids. He's like a god falling apart, stilling into you, orgasm crashing over him like a tidal wave. It's him, it's his expression that makes you arch your back, it's him greedily covering every millimeter of skin he sees with his wet lips, it's his praise, his “baby”, his cum deep inside you. You exist. In that moment you're sure you exist because Jisung breathes life into you, because when you come for him he circles your clit and smiles. You die and then you're alive again.

Jisung stays there for a while, he keeps smiling, teeth grazing your chest and collar bones as you both start to giggle. You feel the ache again and it's comforting.

"I don't care about dying, angel. I mean, I don't want to, but… it's okay because I already knew happiness, you know?” he closes his eyes.

It's a hot day of May and few butterflies appear to do their dance in the air. It's a hot day of May and you discuss about life and death like it's nothing, like you talk about the weather. It's a hot day of May and it's easy to love, to exist, to accept the end of existence. It's just a day like the others, and that's beautiful.

“I know.” your reply comes before a sigh. You'll have to say goodbye to coffee and think about lunch. “You have to tell your mom I need her kimchi recipe, okay?”

a.n.

life is beautiful, please live it to its fullest and enjoy every moment, even if it brings pain, even if it seems dark, please cherish it. life is beautiful and you deserve to think so. I love you, take care of yourself.

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2024 | Day 18: Amnesia

and the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up | @cassiecasyl Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2,704 Main Tags/Warnings: Memory Loss, Castiel in the Empty (Supernatural), Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, Dean Winchester is a mess, Confusion, Dissociation, Dreams vs. Reality, Dean Winchester is Going Through It, Dean Winchester Has Issues, Hopeful Ending, Castiel reaching out to Dean, Dean Winchester Needs Castiel, Castiel Says "I Love You" (Supernatural), Angst, Hurt/Comfort Summary: The skeletons in Dean's closet are divine, but the hole inside his chest sheds feathers, and you know what they say about the thing with feathers.

three card stud | @autisticandroids Rating: Mature Word Count: 4,356 Main Tags/Warnings: Season Six, Script Format, Canon Remix, Pre-Slash, Experimental Style, Dark, Dean-Cas-Lisa Love Triangle, Infidelity Subtext, Mindwipe, Summary: A collection of script excerpts for a version of Season Six that goes a bit differently. Cas and Dean conspire. Lisa is oblivious, and they keep her that way. Dr. Freud always said nightmares were based on wishes, too.

After the Thunderstorm | @verobatto Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4,630 Main Tags/Warnings: Apocalypse AU, angel!Castiel, memory loss, hunter!Dean, enemies to lovers, falling in love, angel grace kink, top!Castiel/bottom!Dean Summary: Thunderstorms are weird in the Apocalyptic World. But they are known as dangerous and deadly. It's one of those nights, and the thunder brings a naked and beautiful man to the Human Resistance Camp. The man doesn't remember his past or who he is. Dean, the leader of the Resistance, will try to help him. They need all the help they can get against the heartless angels.

Remember When | @verobatto Rating: Explicit Word Count: 11,031 Main Tags/Warnings: Season 8, canon divergence, time travel, memory loss, case fic, slow burn Summary: Trying to find the demon tablet in the supernatural auction, Cas and Dean found Toth, an egypcian god of time. He sees the angel is being controlled by Naomi and decides to help him by putting him and Dean to a test. Sending them to England, Regency era. Or… how Dean has to deal with Emmanuel!Castiel, the angelic loss of memories and his wife Daphne again.

Map to Yesterday | @amaranthhiding Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 23,003 Main Tags/Warnings: Canon Universe, Mass Amnesia on Team Free Will, Mystery, Magic, Road Trips, Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery of Identity, Angel Wings, Rowena Is Part of Team Free Will, DCRB 2022 Summary: Team Free Will wakes up with no memory of where they are, or who they are. Left with nothing but some foggy shreds of their identities, they have to rediscover themselves and each other—and team up to piece together what even happened.

Here We May Be Free | @friendofcarlotta Rating: Explicit Word Count: 39,506 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Canon, Mermaid Castiel, Hunter Dean Winchester, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Fluff and Angst, Canon-Typical Suicidal Ideation, Amnesia, Magic, Falling In Love, Misunderstandings, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester, Top/Bottom Versatile Castiel/Dean Winchester, Creature Sex/Monsterfucking Summary: When Dean was eleven, he saw something in the ocean: a boy with blue eyes and iridescent scales. Almost twenty years later, a spontaneous detour after a hunt brings Dean and Sam back to the town where that encounter took place. And Dean can’t shake the feeling that Castiel, the owner of the local Mermaid Museum, looks familiar…

Unveil the Splendours of Your Heart | @thefandomsinhalor Rating: Mature Word Count: 68,868 Main Tags/Warnings: Modern AU, Homeless Dean, Famous Model Castiel, Memory Loss, Trauma, Assault, Hurt Dean, Fluff and Angst, Addict Sam, Protective Castiel, Cuddles, Pining Summary: When a reporter asks Dean, a homeless man with a mysterious past, why he exclusively keeps close to the billboards and posters of a specific male model—the one Dean likes to refer to as the angel with spectacular blue eyes—in a moment of weakness, thinking it won’t change anything about his situation, Dean tells him the truth: it’s how he finds comfort and solace. Something that is difficult to come by. That is until the story reaches the ears of Castiel Novak, the model in question.

Two Worlds Apart | @destiel-pirate-in-middleearth Rating: Mature Word Count: 70,329 Main Tags/Warnings: Amnesia au, Past Castiel/Dean Winchester, Starting Over, Amnesiac Dean Winchester, Falling In Love Again, Mutual Pining, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Nightmares, Dark fic, Meet cute. Summary: After being injured in a car accident and suffering memory loss, Dean spent the last five years attempting to put his life back together. The majority of his memories return, but something still remains missing—something he can't identify—that everyone is hiding from him, something that always remains unanswered. Dean’s past comes back to haunt him when he visits Sioux falls for a business meeting where he meets a stranger named Castiel. Something about the man seems strange and oddly familiar which makes Dean wonder if he knows him. But the guy always denies that. And that marks the beginning of a quest to solve the mystery of his past hidden in between those recurring dreams which becomes more vivid the more time he spends with Castiel which soon leads to a painful realisation and series of regrets.

[runningincircl3s]

Nothing Ever After

Noah Sebastian x Reader x Vinny Mauro

Chapter Eighteen

chapter warnings: none?

masterlist

happy monday bffs!! editing and posting this rn with vin's drum stream in the background :) i've written up to chapter 24 now so i'm thinking about posting another chapter on friday again! i'm getting closer and closer to the end of this fic which i’m pretty sad about HOWEVER i’ve started to plan what’s going to come next🤭

Hey, I’m sorry for how I acted towards you today, I just didn't want Rick finding out. I hope I haven’t… Unlock to view more. 

Noah scrunched his face up as he read the message over again, wondering what on earth that could’ve been about. However, he knew better than to intervene in your life where it’s not needed, so he put your phone back down and let himself out of your room. As he was about to leave, your phone buzzed again, but he fought against what his mind was telling him and left before he did something he may regret.

He would be lying if he said he didn't think about unlocking your phone and seeing what that was all about, and what Ricky could've possibly found out about. Maybe five years ago that would've been the sort of thing he'd do, but not anymore. He put his trust in you, and let it go.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

You were rudely awoken the next morning to the sound of knocking at your door. Struggling to open your eyes, you kicked the sheets off with a groan and rushed to answer the door.

"What do you want?" You mumbled, still half asleep as you rubbed your eyes.

“Good morning to you too!” Bryan laughed, handing you a small brown paper bag, “I thought I’d bring you some breakfast and check in on you after last night...” 

“I can’t even remember half of last night,” with a yawn, you stepped to the side to let him in, “I didn’t do anything embarrassing did I? The last thing I want to do is ruin your guys' cool and mysterious reputation.”

“Our reputation's untouched but yours...” he smirked, “Noah had to drag you out when you started to sing just pretend.”

“Oh shit,” you laughed, “I better apologise to him later. What time do we need to be on the bus?”

“About nine, we still have an hour before we've got to be on the road.” 

“Okay cool.” You said, sitting back down on your bed.

There was a brief silence before Bryan spoke again, his tone shifting slightly.

“So… I wanted to check up on you, not just after last night but in general,” he said, his eyes softening. “We’re halfway through the tour now, and I haven’t really asked you how you’re doing. You holding up okay?”

You smiled at him.

“Yeah... I think I’m doing alright. I've had my ups and downs and sometimes I still think this is all a dream, but yeah... Overall, I'm good.” You nodded.

“Well I’m glad to hear that,” he says, “Oh and before I forget, Chris has asked if you can fill in for them again tonight. I’ve heard their photographer keeps having issues with the travel side of things and he keeps missing dates.”

“Yeah... That's cool.” 

“You don’t sound too excited about that,” he chuckles, “Are you sure everything's okay?”

“Yeah,” you smiled weakly, “I think I’m just tired… and hungry.” 

“Well, I’ve got you a bagel,” Bryan said, gesturing to the brown paper bag. “Anyway I can't stay for too long, I need to find Matt, but I’ll catch up with you again later.”

“That's okay. Thank you, Bry.” You said, giving him a genuine smile as he left your room. 

As you began to eat, you reached for your phone, feeling slightly surprised when you saw you had a couple texts from Vinny.

 Hey look I’m sorry for how I acted towards you today, I just didn't want Rick finding out. I hope I haven’t upset you

But I've been thinking a lot about us and I really think we could make something work if you’re happy to. I'm gonna be totally honest, I can’t ignore the way I feel about you anymore y/n, and I know even if you won’t admit it that you feel the same. We should probably talk about this in person tomorrow, but until then I hope you’re okay. Good night x

You read the text over again, slightly taken back at the confession, before replying

Morning :) You didn’t upset me, I guess I was just surprised at how you reacted. But I’m happy to talk later if you are.

Btw I’m with you guys tonight so I might see if I can sneak on your bus with you this morning x

It didn’t take long for him to reply, you barely had a chance to take another bite of your bagel before you had a message back.

Wow I don’t even remember texting you last night lmao

You better hurry your ass up then, we’re leaving in about 10 minutes. I’ll come by your room and get you :) x

You cursed, nearly tripping over your own feet as you scrambled to pack your suitcase, brush your teeth, and fix your hair, your bagel long forgotten. Before you could even get dressed for the day, there was a knock on your door.

“Do I have time to get changed?” You asked, opening the door to find Ricky and Vinny standing there.

“All the guys are already down there... can you do that on the bus?” Rick asked, pressing buttons on his camera before holding it up to face him.

“I guess.” You sighed, slipping your shoes on and grabbing your bag and suitcase.

“Good morning guys... It's out first night on tour after our week off, we just came to get y/n,” Rick says as you shut the door behind you and wave to the camera, “We’re about to go and check out of the hotel, I’ll see you when we’re on the bus!”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“Update, I’m tired! This tour never seems to be ending,” Justin groaned, pointing at the camera, ignoring Ryan as he reminds him everybody's just taken a week off, “Uh.. We’re on our way to tonight's venue- And hey, look, y/n’s with us today! Rick has an extra person to annoy… So he can leave me alone now! Please! Thank you!” He pointed at you with a smirk as he backed away. 

“Fuck you!” You called out, laughing as Ricky panned the camera toward you, waiting for you to say something.

You were sitting beside Vinny, who had his head resting on your shoulder as he watched you play a game. He was acting like nothing happened yesterday, like nothing happened over the weekend, which you wouldn't complain about- it saved all the awkwardness and questions. You were waiting for a moment alone with him where you could talk about yesterday, and what he really meant in his message last night. However, with Rick's camera in your face, you worried you wouldn't get a chance.

“Update,” you sighed, faking a smile, “I’m playing animal crossing and procrastinating. I have photos to edit but I don’t want to do it yet because my laptop is fucked, I'm scared it's actually going to blow up, so I’m waiting until I can steal Bryan’s when we get to the venue-"

“Oh is that a fish?” Vinny pointed at the screen, “Can I catch it?”

“You can borrow my laptop.” Ricky offered, putting his camera down, “I don’t know what you usually use to edit but I have a few different apps and software's downloaded on it, you could play about with them and see if they're any good.”

“Really?” You looked up at him in surprise. “I’d really appreciate that, Rick. Thanks.”

“Of course! I’ll go and get it.” 

“Vin, I am trusting you with my island, don't cause any trouble or spend all my bells... She's in your hands.” You say, passing him your switch before getting up to follow Ricky. 

“I feel honoured.” He smiled. "I'll take good care of it."

As you followed Rick back to the bunks, you noticed he was on a call, and you didn’t want to interrupt. You awkwardly stood there as he spoke, keeping your eye on Vinny as you tried your best not to listen in, but you couldn't help it.

“Should I tell him?” Ricky tried to keep his voice low. “Or do you want to keep it a surprise?... Yeah? Okay… Well, that’s great. Sure, I'll let you know, thank you! Bye.”

He hung up, turning to find you standing awkwardly in the hallway.

“Sorry, that was Vin’s dad,” Ricky explained, gesturing to his phone in his hand. “Don’t tell him, but his parents are coming to surprise him at our next show. They just wanted to double-check the details.”

Your heart sank, panic blooming in your chest. Vinny’s parents were coming?

“What?” Your mouth went dry, shaking your head. “No, I won’t say a word…”

“Thanks,” he smiled, “Anyway, here's my laptop, the password is Ryan's birthday."

You spent the entire journey to the next venue wondering how the hell you would go about the next show. Surely if you stayed with the Bad Omens guys then you wouldn’t cross paths with his parents, but then they’d be asking questions and if any of the others caught wind of the situation after this weekend you’d both have a ton of explaining to do.

Once you were at the next venue all the guys began setting up as you sat with Ryan, who had hurt his back the night before so was excused from any heavy lifting. You had gotten a few pictures of the guys throughout the morning so you could edit them with Rick’s laptop, playing about with the different editing apps he had installed.

“So how are you finding the tour?” Ryan asked, looking up from his phone. The two of you were sat outside the bus with a couple chairs you stole from the venue, the morning sun shining down bright onto the both of you.

“It’s nothing like I expected,” you admitted, “But it’s been fun. I’ve loved getting to know you guys... some more than others.”

“Oh yeah?” He smirked, looking over at Rick, wiggling his eyebrows

“What?”

“I saw you and Rick earlier,” he teased, “Isn’t Noah going to be upset?”

“Ricky?!” You burst out laughing, “No! Hasn’t he got a girlfriend?”

“I don’t know, does he?” Ryan furrowed his eyebrows, “If he does then I haven't met her. He’s quite a private guy, I guess.”

“Guess who…” A voice from behind you made you jump as you felt a pair of hands cover your eyes. 

“An angel?” 

“Close enough.” Angela smiled down at you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Noah was asking about you by the way, I don’t think he realised I’ve literally just got here.”

“He is? Where is he?” You asked, and she pointed to the door that led inside. 

“He’s setting something up by the stage with Matt, he also asked if you were hungover but you don’t look it, what happened last night?” She chuckled. 

“Shit I forgot about last night.” You shook your head, watching Ryan smile as a curious look spread across Ang’s face. “There was a karaoke night at a bar by our hotel, long story short... Noah had to walk me back after a couple hours.”

“And you didn’t invite us!” Ryan gasped dramatically.

“I had to spend all weekend with Vin, I needed a break from you guys! Anyway, I guess I’ll go and look for Noah. I need to thank him for getting me back safe.” You said, getting up from the fold up chair and giving Angela a hug before you made your way into the venue. 

After a few minutes of wandering, you eventually found the guys and gave them a wave as you approached them. 

“How are you feeling?” Noah asked, laughing as he handed Matt something to plug into their sound equipment. 

“Not too bad,” you smiled, “Thanks for getting me to bed last night. I don’t remember too much of it if I'm being honest.” 

“I think that’s for the best,” Matt laughed, “Me and Bryan said you should go up there and sing just pretend tonight- give you a chance to finish what you started last night!"

“Give me a mic and I’ll do it.” You grinned as Noah shook his head. 

“I just wanted to make sure you’re alright, I asked Angela when she came through just now but she said she hadn't seen you."

“Yeah she sent me to you,” you smile, “Need any help with anything?” You felt quite helpless as you watched them all stress over whether the cables were plugged into the right places and try to figure out which one was loose.

"No, I think we're good." Noah slowly nodded his head, carefully watching Matt take his hat off to scratch his head.

He wondered whether he should bring up the message from Vinny last night, but he didn't want you to think he was snooping on your phone. Despite his curiosity, he chose not to bring it up, but he'd keep his eye on you today instead, maybe he could piece things together. He thought perhaps he could start by asking you one simple question...

Y/n," Noah begun, but was interrupted by Chris.

“You could go and get some pictures of Rick over there,” Chris laughed from behind you, and as you turned you spotted Ricky standing with his guitar on him with his phone in his hand, “Catch his ass slacking!” He grinned. 

However, you were quickly distracted by Vinny at the drums. Shirtless at the drums. Sure, it was hot in this venue, but everybody else managed to stay fully dressed. 

“I... uh, left my camera by the bus,” you say, “I’ll get it and I’ll be right back.” 

As you left, you could see Vinny glancing at you. You tried not to blush as you pushed the doors open and made your way back to the bus. You desperately wanted to tell him about the news you received from Ricky, to put a plan in place to stop them from saying anything to the others, but you also wanted his parents visiting to be a nice surprise for him. 

However, there was one thing that was for sure- you needed to talk to Angela. 

“Back so soon?” Angela gave you a smile as you sat back at the table, you had passed Ryan on the way out, leaving the two of you alone. "Everything good?"

“I forgot my camera.” You said, sighing as you sat back in the chair, “Ang, we have a problem.” 

“What is it?” She asked, putting her phone down on the table and taking off her sunglasses.

“Vin’s parents are coming to the next show to surprise him, but if you remember Vinny told them that I'm his-”

“Angela?” You heard Chris call out, spotting the two of you and smiling, “Do you want to get yourself set up?”

“Of course.” She nodded, watching as Chris put his thumbs up and walked back into the building. “Look, we’re not too far from my apartment for the next couple shows, why don’t you stay over tonight? I’ve got ice cream, wine,” she smiled, getting up from her chair, “We can have a catch up if you want?”

“I’d love that!” You grin, “Thank you.” 

“Any time!” She said, pulling you into a hug. 

As she left, you spotted your camera and picked it up, expecting to see some candid pictures of the guys when upload them onto the laptop, as it wasn’t in the place you had left it. 

As you made your way back into the venue, your camera in hand, you spotted Rick standing by the side, still absorbed in his phone. You grinned, ready to take the shot, but then you caught a glimpse of Vinny across the room. He was deep in conversation with the rest of the band, but his eyes kept flicking toward you, but you tried to ignore this.

You snapped a couple shots of Rick, chuckling to yourself as he didn't even seem to notice you were taking his picture. You glanced back over at Vinny, who began walking away from the group, heading backstage. He gave you a nod of his head, basically saying 'follow me'.

You left your camera by Nicholas, asking him to keep his eye on it as you followed Vin, trying to keep up with him.

“Hey.” He greeted you softly as you followed him into the room, he reached into the mini fridge, grabbing a couple bottles of water, holding one out to you.

"Hi," you smiled nervously. "So... I think we need to talk."

Vinny nodded.

"Yeah, I..." He paused, thinking of how to word his next sentence. "I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday, you didn’t deserve that. I’ve just been so stressed lately with the tour, my parents, my roommate’s broken our tv…” He sighs, “And then I’ve been thinking about everything... About us, about you."

There was a vulnerability in the way he spoke that you had never heard before. Vinny was usually the most unserious guy in the room, always making people laugh and having fun, seeing him open up like this felt like you were seeing a whole new side of him.

"What do you mean?" You asked, meeting his gaze.

"That night at the hotel... That felt like more than just a fuck to me." He chuckled, "We weren't just releasing tension, were we? It felt… I dunno. I don't know how to explain it, y/n, but I know you felt it too."

You felt your chest tighten, and there was a lump in your throat as you nodded your head.

"I know... I did, I felt it too," you confess, "But we've talked about this before, Vin. There's Noah, and there's our friendship- I don't want to risk losing that if I hurt you again."

"You won't," he assures you, a soft smile on his face as he speaks, "I know your situation with Noah, and I'm telling you right now that if you're down for it then so am I."

"What exactly are you down for...?" You furrowed your eyebrows.

"You," he smirked, "Can we just give it a try maybe? I'm not asking for a relationship, I'm not asking for you to drop Noah but... Y'know, if you two still aren't exclusive then... Could we…?" He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

"Last month you told me you can't do this," you frowned, "You told me you’ve been in an arrangement like this before and you can’t do it again. You're totally sure this is okay? You know we'll have to keep everything a secret, right? Folio, Matt and Angela know about us, Ricky’s bound to find out at some point, but it can’t go any further, okay?"

Vin was silent as he nodded his head.

"I know," he sighed, "It's taken some time but I've realised that's what I want. The thrill of it, the risk, I'm willing to give it a try if you are."

You exhaled slowly, a hesitant smile tugging at your lips.

"Okay… If you're sure you really want this. But if anyone, especially Noah, starts asking questions…" you added, "We're just friends."

"Of course," he nods, "But I need to know something, I've been wondering for a while now and I apologise if it's too invasive...”

“Okay…”

“When we were talking about that feeling we felt back in the hotel this weekend, do you feel that when you're with Noah?"

You thought for a moment. Sure, you felt many things when you are with Noah, some things you don't feel around Vinny, but have you ever felt that?

When you’re with Noah you feel nothing but pure pleasure, and you know that’s his aim. He doesn’t care about himself when he’s with you, he prides himself in being a giver rather than a receiver. When you’re with Vinny, however, you feel like you’re both in the moment, you’re connected- dare you even say it, you feel love.

Was that what that feeling was?

Before you could even open your mouth to answer, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway, and you both turned to see Noah walking in, phone in his hand.

"Everything okay?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked between you and Vinny.

You nodded quickly, trying to think of something to say.

"Yeah, uh, are you ready for tonight?"

"Our biggest crowd so far? Yeah, I'd say so." He smiled, bending down to plug his charger into his phone. “How are you feeling?”

“Kinda nervous,” you confess, “Vin was giving me a pep talk, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, "Anyway I'd better, uh... Get back to the others." Vinny said, giving you a soft smile before leaving the room.

There was quite a silence between you and Noah as you both stood there, opposite sides of the room. He was the one to break the silence first, taking a breath as he crossed his arms before he asked.

"So... What did Vinny not want Rick to find out about?"

You scoffed, screwing your face in confusion.

"What?"

"I saw he texted you last night, I didn't mean to look but your phone was right in front of me and I saw the message. Then, I come in here to charge my phone and it's like I walked in on something, you both had the same look in your eyes as if to say 'oh shit!' when you saw me. Is there something going on between you two?"

"No, Noah..." You chuckled, trying your best to be as convincing as possible as you lie straight to his face, "He didn't want Ricky to find out about the birthday present he bought in New York!" You were shocked as the words left your lips, how you covered your back so quickly, "I accidently said something about it without realising he was there, Vin was pissed and... Yeah." You pressed your lips together as you nodded your head.

You couldn't tell if Noah bought your story or not, but he didn't question anything.

Surely that was a good sign, right?

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

@rumoured-whispers @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard @lma1986 @thisbicc @dominuslunae @miss570 @miamore0570 @jilliemiw86 @itsyaboinoah @kait16xo @discocowgirly @rainy-darling

[vidavalor]

Way too long venty anon from a couple days ago: two more points that occurred to me (sorry! 😂)

I feel like 'you're so irrelevant that we can kick you out and then bastardise your material to create something better suited to our purposes' is a much better message to send than 'you're so important that even if we get rid of you we need to keep your scripts or else throw in the towel entirely'?

One of the major concerns I've seen floating around is that it'll be un-queered... but honestly, why? And also, how even?

(P.S. I feel like I should add that justice is of course the most important thing and that above all, his victims deserved better, but I've - fortunately - yet to see anyone dispute that him facing consequences for his actions is good, compared to so so many people bitching, beyond any reasonable sadness or initial shock, about how this is going to be a half-arsed, sloppy, way-too-short rush job that'll ruin everything and if amazon wasn't going to provide all 6 episodes they may as well have just cancelled, which, imo, is both untrue and lacks situational awareness - not to mention, is infuriating - so that's the part I chose to address, as we do seem to have at least reached the bare minimum of a n*il needs/needed to go consensus)

Hi, welcome back! 💕 Vent away. *pours your drink of choice* I saw your first message & will get to that next. I'm doing things backwards like Good Omens this week, apparently. Also, if you aren't someone I'm already talking with via DM & you feel comfortable doing so, you're welcome to message me. I feel like we'd get along. 😂 Everyone but bots, trolls & NG is always welcome to DM or Ask-- whatever people feel most comfortable with.

On Point # 1 (& the PS)-- Yes, it is a better message to send, absolutely. I'm hoping that people are getting to the places you've mentioned in the P.S. I took a look a few days ago (against my own advice to other people lol) and booked it out of there pretty quickly. I saw people making petitions demanding more episodes, embarrassing the people from the show who fought to get this movie, when they should be thanking them and Amazon. What really horrified me, though, is support for petitions demanding the rapist's unfinished scripts (if they even exist). Just... no. No. I've also seen a lot of posts that just aren't mentioning his survivors at all or that it's good that he's gone and that are blaming Amazon for the movie when it's the rapist who is the problem here, not the (shit behemoth) company who was convinced to give the story an ending. I've also seen many, many people who have been great and lovely but just the brief glimpse I dared out of hope to take the other day did not really boost my spirits. On a lighter note...

2-- There are people saying it'd be "unqueered"? *tries very hard not to spit coffee everywhere laughing* *is unsuccessful and there's now some on the desk, luckily not my computer* *brb mess to clean up*

Ok, I've returned. *exhales, still laughing, but now with less hot caffeine everywhere* WHAT THE FUCK?!

Imagine believing a) that's even fucking possible and b) that anyone would think there'd be any fiscal or any other kind of benefit to trying? What... even is... "unqueered"? Do they realize that this would be like trying to take space out of Star Trek? Like taking a ticking clock out of 24? Like saying The Doctor doesn't need time travel or the Tardis? Queer is the foundation upon which this story is built. It's a reason for its entire existence. There is simply no way for this show to not be queer. They never would even try such a thing because the only reason why there's a movie and not a cancelation is because the people involved in this show were able to convince Amazon that it was financially beneficial to Amazon to make it and that argument would have been built around the existence of Good Omens' legion of a very queer and queer-friendly fanbase.

Also, even if they were to do something as completely idiotic from a business standpoint as to try to somehow unqueer the queerest show in existence, have these people suggesting they might ever heard of these guys called David Tennant, Michael Sheen and Jon Hamm? 😂

I'm presuming these "unqueered" people are the same people who think it just became queer when they saw Crowley and Aziraphale kiss, which... *winces really hard*... I'm not going to dignify that. I am Gabriel and Beez below at such a notion.

These people with the "unqueered"... I'd imagine that their expectation is now that Amazon-- the people who hired the four, other writers who wrote the majority of the queerness that is S2, mind-- is going to hire someone to, what? Retcon the kiss and end the series with Crowley and Aziraphale praying hard at mass? That they'll be all: Just kidding, Good Omens fans! This blasphemous and queer tv show based off the novel written by Terry Pratchett is now being written and produced by these fine folks we hired from that Christian Hallmark channel! We know this will definitely make you all want to tune in and give us your money!

I can see it now, Lovely Venting Anon... all of Good Omens is a fantasy Wensleydale made up about the world within his snow globe. When his never-seen Peanuts parents show up and find out that fantasy involved queers, they send him to boarding school (totally going to unqueer him, that) and that's most of the movie. God returns and is seen for the first time but She's revealed to be the head of the boarding school and is now played by Candace Cameron Bure.

The big finale is a scene wherein Crowley tells Aziraphale that he is exclusively male and straight and Aziraphale says that's good and wishes him luck with a non-erotic handshake, informing him of his own intent to be straight and exclusively male forever himself, especially now that he's off to do his new assignment of writing speeches for Nigel Farage, all happily at the behest of the show's big hero... The Metatron. They agree that food and sex and secular music and books are sin and pray together (actual praying, you hopeful gutterbrains, not Hozier praying) over the closing credits.

This gives way to a secret, bonus scene for the hardcore fans-- the only appearance in the film of characters played by Nina Sosanya and Maggie Service. It's a flashforward to the future in which they are both now living in Arkansas and married to conservative Christian men. We see them discussing their quest to overtake their local school boards and shut down all the libraries. Nina, in particular, is really excited to be the founding member of Blacks for Trump in her area. It ends with Maggie gathering her anti-trans signs and heading out with a smile to distribute them around town.

I mean, it's not quite what I've been theorizing the plot of the movie is but ya just never know...

People need to *relax* about the movie being written by other writers. Four, other writers wrote the majority of Season Two and it was great! I know people wanted a whole season-- so did I-- but I'm more than happy with a movie that I honestly didn't really expect was going to wind up happening, though I was more hopeful than I might have been for another show. The movie is the length of the last two episodes of S2 and we've had all the run up to it already with S2. They'll dive right in. It's a bonus finale to what we've already seen. It's going to be very queer and very Pratchett and very good. Just breathe. 😂

[lumienyx]

happy to surrender

Pairing: Astarion/m!Tav | Rating: T | Words: 1,208 | Tags: Established Relationship, Romance, Banter, Fluff, Humor, sorcery as a replacement for the tadpole mindlink, no beta we die like Dribbles

Summary: A snowflake lands on Tav’s lips, and Astarion melts it with a kiss.  “My love.” Astarion’s gaze is so tender, his voice so fragile Tav fears that it may break. “These last six months of happy memories are a counterweight to two hundred years of misery.”

A/N: inspired by a bunch of things: Astarion's epilogue confession ofc, @snowyarts' post contrasting it with his earlier much more grim dialogue, and when I finally started on the New Beginnings prompt for the BG3 Winter Holiday Challenge, I ended up with this🥺 Hope you enjoy💙

Read on AO3 or continue under the cut ↓

The canvas of the night stretches wide above them. Astarion watches it, entranced, ever in awe of each new starscape of Faerûn they uncover during their travels. 

Tav is mesmerized in turn by the subtle play of moonlight on Astarion’s skin, in his eyes. The light snowfall grazes his hair, the flakes lingering just a bit longer than usual before melting away. Tav leans closer into the one-armed embrace, pressing his lips against Astarion's neck.

“Any new constellations you can show me?” Tav follows his lover’s gaze to a messy cluster of stars.

Astarion chuckles. “Of course, my sweet. If you remember all the ones from before.”

“All of them?” Tav frowns, doubtful. “You have a lot of faith in my memory.”

“If you can quote that bawdy poor excuse of a romance novel we stole from Gale, then surely—”

“Anyway.” Tav ignores Astarion’s smirk, pointing to where he spots a familiar, blade-like pattern, tracing it with his finger. “That one. Jassa’s Dagger?”

“Wrong.”

“Oh, well, the Sword and the Dagg—”

Astarion cuts him off with an exasperated kiss, reaching out to run his hand through Tav's hair, a pleasant shiver tingling in its wake. “Try again. No daggers there, I’m afraid.”

“Ah.” Tav skips through a couple more guesses. “Well… Esetar?”

“That isn’t even visible right now, darling.” Astarion caresses his cheek then, gentle and almost placating. “Not that I don’t find this positively adorable, but do you even listen when I tell you about them?”

“I remember most of our stargazing lessons ending in me seeing stars for a very different reason.”

Astarion groans. “And I remember how I’ve told you repeatedly that your questionable attempts at wordplay leave much to be desired.”

“This one was good,” Tav insists, “one might even say stellar—”

“Stop—”

Astarion struggles out of the embrace only half-heartedly, and Tav doesn’t catch any trace of tension on his face, so he doesn’t break the hold. “Made you smile,” he says, with no small measure of satisfaction.

“I am not,” Astarion says, “smiling,” he tries and fails to suppress it.

“But there it is.” 

Tav presses his lips to Astarion’s, feeling the grin widen. He relishes the soft, languid movement of his lover’s lips as they fall deeper into a kiss that warms Tav even more than the sphere of heat he’s keeping up around them. There’s only a hair’s breadth between them as they pull away, and Tav finds himself lost in Astarion’s eyes all over again.

“There.” Tav points to another patch in the sky, not even looking. “Mystra’s Circle.”

“Why,” Astarion gasps in mock surprise, “truly a remarkable catch! The only circular constellation out there—how did you guess?”

Tav weaves a few spheres from the heaps of snow behind Astarion, all ready to strike. They all miss, of course; Astarion leaps out of his arms to dodge them just in time, and Tav barely manages to halt the spell before the projectiles end up hitting him instead.

“Ugh.” Tav lets the spell dissipate ina burst of snowflakes. Gone is his only chance to catch Astarion off guard. “I’ll get you one of these days.”

“Darling,” Astarion laughs, “do I have to remind you of the score of our snowball fights?” He rushes back into the radius of the heating spell and into Tav's begrudging embrace, though Tav probably doesn’t look as annoyed as he’s pretending to be.

“You may win the battles,” Tav grumbles, “but you won't win the war.”

“If you ask me really nicely, I doubt I would have any choice but to concede defeat.”

“Ha! Since when are you happy to surrender?”

“I am happy with you always,” Astarion says.

And it’s those simple words that give Tav pause. 

There is no hint of jest or deceit in Astarion’s eyes. Only warmth and tenderness that Tav is still getting used to seeing there, in place of the once constant fear and pain. The bright specks of light reflected in them form constellations of their own against the ruby red. So beautiful, impossible to look away from, even as Tav feels heat rushing to his cheeks and his heart rattling his chest at an alarming rate. A reaction he hasn’t quite grown out of, even after all these months by Astarion’s side.

“I—well.” Tav blinks. A nervous chuckle follows a bashful smile. “Really?”

A snowflake lands on Tav’s lips, and Astarion steals it with a kiss before it melts. 

“My love.” Astarion’s gaze is so tender, his voice so fragile Tav fears that it may break. “These last six months of happy memories are a counterweight to two hundred years of misery.”

Tav’s heart skips a beat, perhaps a couple. He doesn’t know what to answer, doesn’t know how. He can’t quite believe it, still. The pain yet rings sharp from the words Astarion had said a longer while back—that not even Cazador’s death would make up for the all-consuming darkness, that never-ending pain.

But Astarion slides into his mind now, magic weaving itself in the familiar spell Tav spent months developing so they could both have this—mind-to-mind emotions and wordless connection—once their tadpoles were gone. Astarion’s feelings are clear as day there, somewhere in the in-between of Tav’s own tangled thoughts and emotions—

—it's as if there's a bright, simmering hearth in his chest, and it feels like home, you are home—

—Tav’s own face obscures his vision, one memory that mirrors thousands more like it, and when he sees that face smile, he feels—Astarion feels like it lights up everything around him, bringing to life something deep inside him that he thought long forgotten, and he feels his lips follow suit to mirror mine—

—touch is less like small bursts of electricity, like it used to be when they barely knew each other but knew enough to want one another and every touch sparked desire—

—now, the touch of my hand is grounding, your embrace feels like a warding spell, a Sanctuary that keeps at bay whatever danger and harm the world yet harbors, kissing you completes me like two split pieces of a whole finally joining—

There’s waves upon waves of joy radiating from Astarion’s thoughts, there's the shadow of his embrace that Tav can feel even as he’s lost in the connection—and all of a sudden, it’s too much to bear being parted, and so he closes the distance between them. They kiss deeply, softly, it’s all kinds of perfection Tav doesn’t ever want to let go. 

Tav is quite happy to surrender to Astarion, too.

Astarion’s lips are cool and yet the kiss spreads warmth all over Tav’s body. Like the familiar surge of sorcery running through his veins, only better, because Astarion’s touch is more magical than any spell Tav could ever hope to invoke. It’s all the elation of a life bound closely to his, of their life began anew. A life they get to live, against all odds, together. Their minds are still entwined, and Astarion’s coalesces into the single thought,

I love you.

And the emotion of it is strong enough, overwhelming enough to make Tav weak in the knees with how good it makes him feel, how completely it overtakes him. And Tav—

~~~

thank you for the read! I’d appreciate any comments and feedback💙

Tag list (lmk if you'd like to be added):

@spacebarbarianweird @satanicspinosaurus @tallymonster @tragedybunny @ellekhen

[gay-witches-are-the-best]

Hi! It's been about a week since I last posted this fic, but we've been traveling and we just adopted a dog, so not a lot of time to work on it. But yeah, in case you haven't seen it before, it's an alternate ending to book 1 of kotlc when Sophie and Dex get kidnapped.

So this is part 4 of my fic and also I will link the first 3 parts here(pt1), here(pt2), and here(pt3)

now enjoy part 4!

Edaline’s POV

It had been four days since Sophie went missing. 

Four days of Hydrokinetics searching the sea and finding nothing.

Four days with no sign of Sophie or Dex.

Edaline couldn’t help but think the worst.

She had already lost one daughter. She couldn’t lose another, especially after Sophie thought Edaline didn’t love her enough to adopt her.

She and Grady were sitting at the table, which seemed empty without Sophie there. Grady was reading a scroll from the Hydrokinetics, but clearly, their update was unhelpful.

“Still nothing?” Edaline asked, reaching over to grab Grady’s hand. He shook his head and pushed the scroll to the end of the table. Just then a loud knock on their front door rang through the house. Edaline got up, brushing her messy hair out of her face. When she opened the door, they found Councillor Emery and Councillor Oralie holding up two dripping registry pendants. 

“You. . . may want to sit down for this,” Oralie whispered. A solitary tear trailed down her rosy cheek.

“We’ve told the Dizznees to come over, and then we’ll explain what happened,” Emery said. Soon, Kesler, Juline, Edaline, and Grady were sitting on the giant couch in Havenfield’s living room. Emery and Oralie were in the plush armchair across from them, but no one was relaxing.

“Where did you find them?” Grady asked, clutching Sophie’s registry pendant. Edaline noticed it had been cut off, the cord severed in the back. She really hoped that didn’t mean Sophie was. . . . No. Just because their registry pendants weren’t physically on them, didn’t mean Sophie and Dex were dead. Yet.

“One of the Hydrokinetics found these in the bottom of the ocean. And given the evidence of a tidal wave, we think it’s the only plausible explanation. . .” Oralie trailed off, her voice catching. 

“So you’re telling us that our son is dead.” Kesler’s voice was cold, but his breathing was ragged. “At least have the decency to say it!” Edaline could tell he was angry. After all, the council had messed with his life enough. He was Talentless, a bad match, and a father of triplets. And now his son was dead.

 “Yes. Sadly, it seems that young Miss Foster and Mr. Dizznee are no longer with us.”

Grady and Edaline managed to hold it together until the councilors left and the Dizznees went home to grieve. Then Edaline went to Sophie's room and curled up on the bed. Ella was still leaning against the pillows, so Grady handed it to her and lay down with her. After that, Edaline started sobbing. She still had the registry pendant in her hand, and she could faintly feel it making an indent in her palm, but she didn’t care. 

When the sun sunk below the horizon, Grady got up. “Where are you going?” She asked, her throat scratching and dry. 

“I’ll be right back, Eda.”

When he returned, Edaline didn’t have to look to know what was in the mug he handed her. She recognized the scent of slumberberry tea from sixteen years ago when Jolie died. As she drained the contents, her brain whispered one thought: Don’t give up yet.

(eeee I like it! Hope you did too, part 5 is coming soon, hopefully next week)

Some tags because...why not: @myfairkatiecat @alaydabug2, @ham-cheese-toastie @stunning-mess, @lisalovesapplesauce, @mushroom-snake-coding @thoughtlescat @ilov3b00kss0much

[meiguicha]

Obsession of Persistent Pulse

Yiyu -易遇 x Reader

Three worlds, three lives, he adores you in each and every single one of them

TW: Canonical character deaths (don't worry it isn't permanent), mentions of torture, not beta read at all and written in a post-exam haze

// Uh I don't think there's even a fandom for this game yet but I need that little freak Yiyu so this mess came to be. This entire thing is based off vibes and the bare minimum of canon details. There are spoilers so tread carefully.

The child is but sixteen years old when you bring him into your home in your first encounter. Through your own efforts, and though you yourself have never so much as spent more than a day with a child, you have somehow managed to raise him. It was no easy task, perhaps for another much more experienced than you, but many a time you found yourself a little helpless on how to care for him. 

No matter, he is a lovely child, one you are undeniably proud of. You must admit, you may be biassed in your judgement, for even when you must return from ‘work’, there is already a full table of home-cooked dishes waiting for you, the house absolutely spotless and the mail collated in a neat pile atop the counter. He requires no urging to complete his work as many children often do, nor have you ever been brought in by his appropriate schooling for behavioural or academic issues. Every report card he brings back sings only praises of his demeanour and performance. Extra-curricular activities were likewise an area he did not falter in. 

Perhaps then one might think him withdrawn from you, unwilling to share woes and joys. Yet again, you could find no fault in him. He took to you easily, and the two of you fell into the roles of auntie and nephew all too easily. That sweet adoring child like sunlight, with wide fluttering eyes of soft grey, you must admit that though this was all part of a bigger plan, of one he should never have to know, whenever he flashed you that bright smile that could win over even the coldest of hearts, you could not help the squeeze of emotion that swells within your ribs.

Unlike most children, you found that he did not develop that rebellious phase that every child seems to fall into upon teenagehood. Rather than the expected shows of defiance or even distance, that child of yours only seemed to strengthen his stickiness. Two birthdays and the only thing he asked for?

“I just want to stay with you.”

You suppose that might have been your first clue that this child you were bound to meet in every world was not one that you could escape so easily. 

You took him travelling within the country for those two birthdays, and it came as no surprise as to how he responded when you asked him once more. This time, you would have taken him out to far more distant lands, to a place that belonged only to the two of you. 

Yet every mission must come to its end. You only wished you did not have to do it when he was at his most joyous. 

The child reached his eighteen years of age, and you distinctly remember those soulful eyes squeezed in joy when you promised to spend time with him for his coming of age, you remember it clear as day. Yet your time was limited, you had to leave this world soon. 

‘I’m sorry, I broke our promise, we couldn’t spend your eighteenth birthday together after all.’

Harsh needles of rain beat against the asphalt road as he watched you die. Caught in an accident perfectly orchestrated by forces this world could not hope to fathom, you feel yourself detach from your body like shedding a skin not quite your own. You watched him, that young child rushing forward to cradle your body within his arms as he cried, all but begging for someone to call an ambulance, anyone, someone. 

No one responds, there is no reaction to his clear distress. He could only hold onto your cold body, shaking from the frigid rain and sorrow, such grief that overtook him that bystanders could likewise express no response other than pity. Your poor child, though you have not spent much time with him, you could not help the squeeze of your chest and the stain of guilt upon your soul, no matter that you were now as much a bystander to his life as those apathetic observers. You had not intended to get as attached as you did, you even bought him an additional gift in your irrationality. 

Too soft-hearted, you did not expect this out of yourself. 

Watching through the hazy veil, your mission was soon to be over. You merely had to sit through the ending to return to your reality. 

He seemed to have felt the gift you prepared pressed against him, a little box in your pocket now cradled in his large hands. Your nephew opened it and the glimmer of the silver ring reached you even then, his hand removing it from the velvet interior with severe care. He pressed it to his lips, his eyes squeezed shut as each second passed with excruciating dilatoriness. When he had finally brought himself to sobriety, when you could finally register his dolour, the ring slipped onto his left ring finger. 

You were buried soon after, a simple headstone that detailed your date of birth and death. There was but one inscription carved onto the dark stone, ‘Most Beloved’. Standing in front of your grave beneath the pouring rain, that child of yours had his head bowed. Dews of rain clung to the tips of hair it could reach, no matter that he was surrounded by a dozen men clad in suits and bearing open umbrellas. 

When he rose, his head remained bowed as though in respect, yet when he took one last look at your eternal resting place, you caught a glimpse of his face. Far more severe and cold, his steel eyes softened just the slightest, just a moment. 

You were scarce to even hear his words, watching his lips move as though in abject silence. You managed to make out a sentence among the rain and mist. 

‘Please, wait for me, I’ll find you.’

In the end, you really thought you could change his descent of vengeance and deration into one much kinder for a child like him. 

You had inadvertently became the catalyst that would send him spiralling down the treacherous road that he was meant to journey. The great founder of Fusheng Corporation who spared no sympathy for those beneath his shoe, the great giant of the financial market who dominated all. No longer was he that sweet sunny child whose very smile could bring about sunshine, but rather a man who could no more feel affinity as much as he could so distinctly feel the burden of lost devotion. 

And yet behind the scenes, Fusheng Corporation hid behind the same veil its very founder had put up around himself.  He found them. He found the people he had been looking for all these years. He completely destroyed a technology company that had been the perpetrators of your very passing, and with each passing day, it seemed that declaring bankruptcy may be their only way out. Yet,you had no doubt that he would hunt down the culprit if only to satisfy the caving loss within him. 

He will find you. 

He will find a way to bring you back.

You find him last alone in his room, unclad from the day’s suits and formalities, bearing nothing but a white button up and casual slacks, that ring still ever on his finger. There is barely any illumination that could shine upon his visage, merely the dim light of a computer screen and meagre bedside lamp. Beyond this room is the persistent rain that beats against the window, the dark clouds casting a dismal shadow upon the world. 

He runs a thumb over the cool metal as his eyes wanders to the framed picture on his desk, an old almost weathered old thing encased in glass and metal. You are next to him with a practised smile and a sun hat atop your head, that child of yours stands close, the ghost of a past that he can never have again. 

“I’m still looking for you,” He whispers, his voice so soft you must strain to hear it. 

His form is hunched over, shoulders drooping as he reaches for the frame. He has lost the very person who brought joy to his life, beyond his revenge, he has nothing to live for. Not even his resolve to bring you back.

You cannot be brought back. 

He brings his ring finger to his lips and presses a chaste kiss, “Auntie, I will find you.”

➽──────────────❥

The child is prophesied to be the next demon king should he fall to the vices of his previous incarnations in your second encounter. He would plunge the world into chaos, taking over the three realms and ruling with tyrannical terror. As his master, you would have to steer him away from his road, or at least, you hoped you would be able to. 

You had established yourself as a trusted member of the jianghu, if only because it meant that you may attract his attention, and if not, then perhaps the position would give you some kind of leverage for information. 

It paid off in the end, for you did not have to search for him when he instead came to you. Yet rather than a young child you could shape and mould away from his destiny, you are granted a teenager to be inducted into disciplehood. You once again take it upon yourself to bring him in, to take care of him as he should be. 

Young Master Yi. 

That is his personage before you find him, before you are approached by a young man with an oiled paper umbrella above his head, shielding the two of you from the rain that falls from the high heavens. Clad in simple white robes and standing tall, he had smiled at you.

‘I found you, master.’

You accepted him as your disciple, sitting atop a sandalwood stool as he served you tea with those beautiful eyes and guileless smile. 

How could such a child possibly be the incarnation of all that is evil in this world? 

How could a young man, with nothing but bright hopes and dreams swirling within him be capable of destroying the world? 

He picked up many skills required of a cultivator easily, as though second nature to him despite his non-cultivational background. You can only suppose it is because of his unique heritage but that did not mean he was nonetheless diligent in his training. If he was not sticking to your side during training, then he was doing as he did in that last world, preparing meals for the both of you, cleaning, as though preparing himself as a tender-hearted maiden. 

They find you. Of course they do, this is this body’s destiny. The high elders just so conveniently find you without your disciple, and you are taken into custody. Albeit, in the original world, things go about far more differently. 

Your disciple was meant to be hated from the start, he was meant to be the white lamb unfairly looked down upon as his morals and integrity corrupted into something far more twisted. He was meant to be betrayed this very moment, for his master to throw him to the wolves the very moment she got. 

Yet, you could not do it. 

Again, once again, against your better judgement, you had grown all too fond of that sweet child. 

Staring up at that disgraceful old coot’s wrinkled face, you felt nothing but disdain for him and the rest of this greater society. With your hands bound with immortal binding cables, though you knew that you were no less weaker than a worm in dry soil, you still mustered the strength to maintain your poise. 

It disgusted you, they disgust you. Wanting to kill a child just because he had the chance to be evil, as if no other person could possibly bear the same possibility themselves? They are no lower than the very evil they claim to abhor. 

You are his master, it is your duty to protect him. You will protect him. 

So you gritted your teeth and refused to answer, biting your tongue and turning your head even as they kicked and beat you. Even as you felt your brain ram against your skull and your throat bring up hot blood, you refused to give up anything. Each dull ache was nothing, nothing if it meant his safety. Spilling past your lips and choking your lungs, you had resigned yourself to this momentary torment. 

Nevertheless, no matter your station or reputation, your disobedience displeased them greatly, made especially so by your persistent protection of who they deemed a threat. As such, they do as any great pillar of virtue and justice do, rewarding your years of hard work with the careful and meticulous stripping of your five senses. 

One touch and your body sets alight in flames, the nerves and vessels laden in your limbs and form ripped through your skin. Another and your eyes blur to inexplicable fogginess before descending into a dark void, another and your ears fill with liquid that block all sounds, another and another and another. 

At the very least, you know your disciple will still be safe. Because you are still alive, and your formations will keep him safe. 

Even if you cannot see his soft grey eyes squeeze in joy, hear his gentle voice in the mornings calling for you to awaken, smell the waft of his orange blossom hair oil or ever feel the way his hair feels in your hands, he will be safe. That is all that matters. 

So why does it hurt? Why does it hurt so much? It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. It hurts, it hurts. 

It hurts.

IT HURTS

Once more, yet perhaps in a turn of events unlike the original, you feel your soul detach from your current body, desperately clinging onto the vestiges of what may be considered a more a corpse than living being. Though your body still lives, still breathes, heart still beating within a useless old thing, your soul grips onto life. 

Vaguely, you thought you could hear the remnants of his voice, the soft trill of his words. Only vaguely, for all you could have known, this could have been another trick to lower your guard. It is as though he were speaking beneath the seas, barely a sound passing to your ears. 

“Shifu, I’ll bring you to the Wangyou Sea and find the Jiao Pearl for you.”

“Wait for me, please.”

‘What a shame, I lied to you again.’

You could not keep your promise to him again, how fitting. Your soul that clinged and grasped onto that useless body could only do so for so long, and soon you are relegated to that screen once more. Yet in the last few moments of your death, you think you heard him. 

Your intervention does not help, it never will. Your death, the knowledge that your death was caused by the very immortals meant to be the pillar of virtue plunges your disciple into that dark abyss.

They who have feared him, have become the very cause of his corruption. 

You know that he knows. The whole cultivational world knows. Hot bubbles of magma burst free from a raging volcano, dark clouds of smoke and soot drifting to cover the great blue skies and from within the resentful crucible is your disciple. An anguished cry just manages to reach your ears, his voice once gentle and soft filled with heart-wrenching grief. 

The birth of a new demon king, inaugurated by his greatest loss, embarks on the total and entire subjugation of everything and everyone that has ever brought his master desolation. 

Tall and looming and seething with cold fury. That young man you had raised in this life and another had disappeared, and though you have long past, you could still so palatably feel his sorrow through the thin veil of death. Those cold grey eyes, it was as though a blizzard raged within them, bearing nothing but a wasteland. 

The demon realm, the mortal realm, even the high heavens, none were safe from him. And yet he still searches, continues to find a way to bring you back. But your bodies are nothing but a vessel for a wandering soul, and no matter what he does you will never come back. 

Sitting atop that lonely throne, what did the conquest of three realms mean when you were gone? When you were not there to pat his head and to hold him? 

If he could choose, he would rather return to those simpler times, to when you accepted him, to when you praised him, to when you were by his side. 

‘In another life, I’ll protect you.’

➽──────────────❥

The child you have raised in two worlds stands before you, in a white coat and bearing that gentle smile upon his thin lips. 

He maintains the height he had, though he appears much kinder, much softer than his previous incarnations, with his ash brown hair meticulously styled and his clothes iron-pressed. You think you smell the hint of orange blossoms coming from him, fresh and slightly sweet. 

Yiyu, he tells you. That is his name in this world, and the name you should call him. 

He is a doctor here, and unlike all those worlds, you have no obligation to care for him. 

He is alive and safe here, with no debts to repay and no grudges to hold. 

Laying atop a hospital bed, you can vaguely hear him speaking, perhaps details about your current condition but you could care less. Then, he looks to you, those eyes as though begging you to acknowledge him. You think you hear the whisper of a familiar title, the instinctual urge to press his lips to form that familiar call. 

‘Auntie.’

Your heart sinks yet sings. 

That damned system. After all those worlds, perhaps your soft-heartedness had come from something else. 

The only question you should ask yourself now is, 

Could you bear leaving him again? 

[tieflingtareon]

Resistance Is Futile | Wyll x M!Durge Oneshot

“This is wrong.” Wyll knows it deep within his bones, and it does not need to be said, yet it does all at once. It was wrong, to curl up in the arms of Bhaal’s Chosen. The one who damned the Sword Coast he had sworn to protect.

“Shh…Rest. Your mind is far too active for the hour it is.” All Wyll could see when he closed his eyes was blood and gore, caked upon hands that once held his own so gently in a dance. Even now, they cradle him like he was something precious, and not just another body he could ravage with his blade. It churned his stomach, and he was forced to pull away, sitting up with a shake of his head, falling forward into his hands and digging the heel into his eye like he might be able to squash the memory, the knowledge that he was no longer the man he knew.

“You accepted him. After all that talk of resisting, of being better, you faltered when it matter most.” Wyll grimaced. “I can’t say I haven’t done the same…but this is- this is madness, my love. Pure madness. You have become your Fathers slayer - do you intend to damn the city like you once planned? My home?”

“Never.” He sat up beside him and gently took his hands in his, warm and large, forehead gently knocking against one horn. “This city is our home. I will help you return it to glory, Wyll. I will.”

Wyll closed his eyes, unable to bare the gentle affection, knowing what cruelties laid beneath. What urges would manifest and bite him in time. There had been rebels once. Bhaalspawns who ignored Bhaal’s call. He still believed that perhaps he could still be the man he travelled with. The man he’d fallen for. If he could keep resisting, Bhaal’s Chosen or not…maybe not all was for naught. Maybe he could still have his love.

It was a damningly hopeful thought. One that may very well be the end of him one day. Yet he still held faith in the stories of romance, forbidden or wrought with pain. He wanted this to work. He…he couldn’t afford for this not to.

“Damn it all!” Wyll pulled away abruptly and stood, pacing a few steps before crossing his arms, unable to look at him. He could only stare at the stone beneath his feet, trying not to let his grief overwhelm him. It wasn’t grief for the now, but for the future. The grief he knew he would feel much more potently once all his fears were proven right and his hand was forced to choose between his love and his city. Both held his heart in a vice. Their importance to him was indistinguishable, woven too tightly into the valves of his beating heart. To choose one over the other was to kill a part of himself he wasn’t sure he’d ever get back.

“…I can’t understand why. Why you would return to him. We were so close-“

“You would do anything for your father. To regain his love. Do not hate me for choosing mine.” His love narrowed his eyes at him. “Especially when faced with his wrath. You saw what he did to Orin.”

“We could have found a way. We could have freed you. We’re strongest together - you know this. I wouldn’t have let him hurt you.”

“You are but a mortal man, Wyll. You are not a god, even if you are…more divine of heart than any god I could conjure to mind.” He sighed softly and stood, reaching for the other with gentle hands, coaxing the devil-changed man to face him. The look in Wyll’s eye was more heartbreaking than any tragedy he could write upon the earth with his blade.

He looked so conflicted, yet hopeful. Yearning for the gentle touch to his face, leaning into his hand even as his face screwed up like he was in pain.

“Damn it…I hate this. I want to hate you. This would easier if you were just…another enemy. Another devil I was pointed towards, another foe that needed to be slayed - you’ve put me in a position where I feel like the ground beneath me is breaking. Cracking.” His voice cracked upon the very word. “So rarely do I falter…”

“I’m sorry. I’m still myself, even…even if Father has claimed me. Please try to understand.”

“I can’t. I can’t understand choosing the god of murder over freedom.”

“You chose your fathers city over freedom. It’s not much different. You damned yourself so he could come back to a city unscathed, to his people unharmed. I damned myself so I could live to fix what I broke.”

“And what will happen, when you do unravel all the plans Bhaal gave you? You think he will be happy?”

“I think the city will be safe. I think you will be safe - and that’s enough for me. Whatever the punishment Bhaal bestows upon me once the brain is dead…That will be dealt with when it comes.”

“Gods above…” Wyll shook his head softly, gaze full of sorrow. “I thought I understood my father when he sent me away. Casting out his only son, the one who brought a devil to his door…But if his heart that night hurt half as much as mine does right now - he’s either a heartless man, or far stronger than I ever will be. I cannot banish you from my side, from my arms…from my heart.”

Wyll lowered his head in shame, his eye shining with tears before he closed them and rested his head upon his lovers chest.

“Gods, forgive me…”

Warm arms encircled him and Wyll relaxed despite his mind screaming that that was the wrong choice. After several years upon Mizora’s leash, it was hard to tell anymore where the line in the sand must be drawn, he supposed.

One day, he would be forced to choose. His love or his city. When that day came, he only prayed he was killed first so he would not have to make that choice, or see the ruins which his hearts choice would havoc upon his home.

[dutifullynuttywitch]

Things left unsaid

Blades of Light and Shadow

Summary: A continuation/slight rewrite of Blades 2 Chapter 3. Autumn reunites with Mal after her escape from the Shadow Realm. She stays the night to explore their relationship after a year apart.

Warning: Ⓜ️🔥 Angst, Explicit/NSFW 18+

Pairing: Mal Volari x f!mc (Autumn Nightbloom)

Word count: 1,900

At the orphanage, after having tucked away the children for the night, Autumn, Mal, Nia and Tyril discuss what she’s learned from her time trapped in the Shadow Realm and the latest existential threat. The conversation turns to finding the last member of their party, Imtura.

Mal sits back in his chair and exhales sharply.

“I may have been keeping track of her. She’s been hanging around a tavern in a village about a day’s travel from Whitetower.”

“So what are we waiting for, then? Let’s go find her.” Autumn makes to get up, mind set on the mission ahead.

“I think it would be best if we waited until the morning, Autumn. That way I can make arrangements for acolytes to look after the children while we’re away. And some of us could use a good night’s sleep…” Nia looks pointedly at Mal.

“I’m fine, Nia,” Mal waves off his friend’s concern, “let’s go find the princess and get this Ash Empire-busting show on the road.”

But his quip doesn’t quite land, Autumn notices. And his trademark smirk doesn’t reach his tired eyes.

“Nia is right.” Tyril declares, “Let us all get what rest we can tonight. From the little you have shared, Autumn, our quest will be far from easy. We can meet up at the palace at first light to gather supplies for the road.”

Everyone nods their agreement.

Tyril pushes off from his chair, followed by Nia.

Autumn hesitates, glancing Mal’s way, suddenly unsure.

She catches him looking at her intently, in his eyes a mix of uncertainty, sorrow and longing.

She feels an ache in her heart.

In her messed-up, altered memory, it had been mere days since they’d laid in a loving embrace in her palace chambers, sharing dreams and promises of a life together.

But he’d gone through a whole year’s worth of growth and experiences without her. Her very surroundings, this orphanage, a testament of it. How much had he changed? Had he found a different kind of happiness in her absence? Was he still her Mal?

“I’d like to stay here tonight, if that’s okay with you?” She asks softly, tentatively.

Mal exhales a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Of course, kit, I’d like that.”

“We’ll see you both tomorrow, then. Try to get some rest.” Nia stops behind Mal, giving his shoulders a gentle squeeze. He nods, giving her a soft smile in return.

“And I know I’ve said it a dozen times already but it’s so good to have you back, Autumn.” She beams, wrapping her dear friend in a tight hug before stepping out into the night.

The moment the door clicks shut, a palpable tension settles in.

“It really is.” Tyril nods his farewell, a smile tugging at his lips.

Mal and Autumn observe each other from opposite ends of the table, faces in turmoil.

Afraid to release the weight of unspoken truths.

Elation at being reunited, but also uncertainty… and a latent anger at all the stolen time.

Her growing anxiety at feeling left behind, her friends having shared a whole year’s worth of living while she’d been locked away, frozen in time. The cold terror that grips her whenever she thinks of her recent imprisonment, knowing that Valax could open another portal at any time, anywhere, to drag her away again. Incapacitate her. Cut her open and steal more of her blood and life away from her. How Autumn feels utterly powerless to stop her.

His guilt at having failed to stop Valax from taking her, failed again and again in his attempts to free her from the Shadow Realm. A deep-seated trepidation, knowing he can’t possibly protect her against such a powerful enemy, though he’d readily give up his life for her. Shame he’d lost hope in ever seeing his kit alive again… He doesn’t deserve her.

But he sure as hells can’t live without her.

Suddenly, Mal strides across the room and lifts Autumn into his arms, pulling her into a searing kiss. He tries to convey all of the love and fear and hurt and regret.

All the emotions he can’t make himself say out loud.

She holds on to him for dear life, returning his kiss with just as much fervor, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Autumn, gods how I’ve missed you. You have no idea, this past year without you, I can’t even…” He trails off, burying his face into the crook of her neck, sucking in a ragged breath.

“Mal, I’m right here.”

Neither can promise it will be all right.

Not until all the rifts have been sealed and the threat gone. And even then, some scars may never quite fully heal… but at least they have here. now.

Mal cups her cheek tenderly. He captures her lips once more, softly, coaxing, seeking entry. She moans as he parts her lips, tasting her.

She loses herself in his kisses, threading her fingers into his much shorter hair as his hands explore her, rediscovering, caressing, sending delicious shivers up her spine.

He pulls her flush against him, and she can feel his need.  

“Hmm Autumn, I’ve missed this, gods I’ve missed you.”

“How about you show me just how much, my handsome rogue?” She whispers in his ear.

His fingers tighten on her hips, eyes darkening at her invitation.

“Your desires are my command, kit.”

She makes to unbuckle his armor straps but he stops her, warm hand over hers. “Wait, let’s take this somewhere more… private.”

He lifts her up, carrying her up a few flights of stairs as she distracts him, lithe fingers caressing his face, soft kisses peppering his jaw and neck.

He takes her into a vast attic room and lowers her reverently onto a soft bed.

The moon shines through a large slanted window, bathing the room in an ethereal glow.

As he unstraps his weapons and armour, she takes in her surroundings, curious.

The room is sparsely furnished, with an imposing dresser off to one side. She spots a table cluttered with papers, maps, parchments and a few leather-bound books. On a far wall stands a cabinet filled with artifacts, jewelry, golden goblets and knives. A few richly colored Parnassian rugs strewn across the floor.

He catches her appraising gaze and sweeps an arm across the room with a flourish.

“Welcome to my humble abode, kit.”

“I like it. It’s very… you.”

“Is it now?”

He smirks as he peals off the last of his clothes slowly, teasingly, then settles down next to her.

“But right now, I’m more interested in the man than the place…”

She marvels at his naked body, drinking him in.

Mal trails hungry kisses down her jaw, her neck, undoing the straps of her dress with practiced movements.

She sighs, then gasps, as he pulls off her dress in a smooth motion, blazing a hot trail along her chest with his mouth and tongue, calloused fingers caressing her stomach.

“I have to say, your presence vastly improves the place, kit.” He whispers onto her skin, his beard titillating her senses.

"Oh Mal, ever the charmer." Autumn giggles breathlessly.

Mal trails bites followed by hot kisses from her breasts to her collarbone, then neck, before recapturing her mouth in a hungry kiss.

“Gods Autumn, you’re stunning. A work of art.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, your magnificence.” She purrs as she trails her fingers along his chest down his chiseled abs, wrapping her hand around him, stroking, relishing in his deep groan.

He caresses every inch of her skin with deft fingers and his wicked mouth, rediscovering her and delighting in all the wonderful gasps and moans he elicits. Mal fully intends to show Autumn just how much she means to him, how much he missed her, by ravishing her and worshiping her for as long as she’ll let him.

The delicate, teasing caresses soon overwhelm her senses.

“Ah yes, gods Mal… just like that.”

She gasps as he finally kisses between her thighs, every brush of his talented mouth and fingers provoking wave after wave of intense pleasure.

“Hmm… Autumn, you taste as good as I remembered.”

She’s on the verge of unravelling under his praises and caresses.

“Mal! Please, I need you, all of you.” Autumn tugs at his shoulders, desperate to kiss him, feel his body against hers, feel him inside.

He chuckles at her commanding tone and happily obliges, wrapping her into his strong arms as he sinks into her, both groaning at the delicious sensation.

He sets a slow, languid pace, intent on teasing every ounce of pleasure out of his wonderful kit.

The feel of his powerful body moving against her, his familiar scent soon overwhelm Autumn. She urges him on, increasingly impatient, pleading. Their rhythm grows frantic, until they both cry out, reaching their peak together.

“Well, that was... exquisite.” Autumn sighs contentedly, sinking back into her lover’s arms.

She gazes up to find Mal smirking, self-satisfied.

“Now don’t let it get to your head, your magnificence.”

“Can’t help it if I’m good at everything I do…” He drawls smugly, avoiding a pillow aimed at his face.

He wraps her in his arms, basking in the afterglow.

His fierce, beautiful kit. Back in his arms after so many desolate months.

Mal caresses her tenderly as they both fall into a contemplative silence.

After a while, he looks at her, eyes tinged with sorrow. “You know, I dreamed of holding you like this every night you were gone, Autumn. I tried so hard to find a way to get to you. I… I’m sorry I let you down….”

“Mal, you kept looking, you didn’t give up on me. It means a lot.” She smiles sadly.

Mal winces, the familiar pangs of guilt back again.

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t have appreciated a rescue party say, a year ago,” she smiles wryly, “but we all know crossing the realms is near impossible. I know you all did everything you could to reach me. I keep wondering… if I’d somehow been able to wake up sooner. Escape sooner…”

“What do you remember from your... captivity?” He asks cautiously.

Her body grows tense in his arms.

The nightmares.

Her friends, Mal, taunting her, attacking her.

Flashes of the lab. Feeling trapped, strapped onto a gurney.

Unable to move or scream.

Sharp pain.

The smell of blood… her blood…

Over and over again.

She is unable to speak, frozen. The emotions too raw. Unable to process. Not yet.

Mal holds her tighter, protectively. Wishing he knew how to take away her pain.

“Autumn, I’m here for you, no matter what. Whatever you need, I… I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

His assurances slowly pull her away from those dark memories and back into the present.

Back to this moonlit room. To the relative safety of her lover’s arms.

“I know.”

She manages a weak smile before burying her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent, trying to center herself.

They still have so much to figure out, to talk through. They’re still in mortal danger. About to embark on yet another impossible mission.

But for tonight, at least, they can find some solace in each other’s arms.

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Stars

Thea is always happy to have Gale's company. SFW.

“May I join you?”

The second Thea heard Gale’s voice she felt her cheeks burn. Oh gods, why does he do this to me? “Of course! Always happy to have my favorite wizard with me.” He sat next to her on a large rock, his expression lighter than she had seen from him so far. Except when he gave me his “lesson” on the Weave…which ended with imagining me kissing him…which he then did nothing about.

“Your favorite wizard? Madam, surely you jest!”

She wrinkled her nose and giggled. “I’ve traveled with many wizards, and yes, you are my indeed my favorite.” It’s not hard considering the others were all annoying know-it-alls, but he doesn’t need to know that.

Chuckling softly, Thea could swear a pink blush appeared on his cheeks. “It’s heartening to know that I’m your favorite in anything, though I wonder if you make it a habit of traveling with such motely crews such as ours.”

“Not quite.” She glanced at Gale, her green eyes meeting his brown ones. His focus was solely on her, and unlike what she felt when Astarion spoke to her, she felt like Gale truly was interested in her. I never know what is really in that head of his. “After my eighteenth nameday, I traveled to other druidic enclaves to learn and further hone my skills. I also did some adventuring as I went, met all sorts of people.” Don’t you dare tell him why you returned to Baldur’s Gate. Keep it light. Keep it happy. We’re dealing with enough as it is…he’s dealing with enough as it is…

“It sounds like you’ve led an exciting life so far.” he said wistfully. “And while I’m enjoying our little adventure for the most part---minus the multiple threats of death daily and our friends up here---” he pointed to his head. “I can’t help but miss Waterdeep. Home. My tower. How I wish I was there now with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and all she could say was, “Oh?”

He tentatively reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Oh yes. We’d be on my terrace, having watched the sun set and the moon rise. A bottle of wine. Something sweet, perhaps? I could make some chocolate souffles. Regardless of our refreshment, you and I would be there together, savoring the stars shining brighter than nearly everything,” he brought her hand to his lips. “Except your smile.” Oh. My. Fucking. Gods. Is this a dream? This must be a dream, right? This isn’t actually happening to me, is it? It happens to everyone else except me. “And then, if you decide that it’s what you want, I will take you to bed.” It is happening. It’s actually happening.

“That’s exactly what I want.” She says without even thinking. “All of it.” Leaning her head closer to Gale’s, the heat from her face spreads to the rest of her. “Why didn’t you kiss me the night we were connected in the Weave?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I had hoped you would.” If you won’t make the first move, sir, then I will. Thea’s lips were tantalizing close to Gale’s.

“One kiss. For now. Then I must explain my…my…” Seemingly in slow motion, both his hands cupped her round face and kissed her as if she was made of glass. Which I’m not. I’ve been called built like a brick shithouse before, and it’s accurate, if I’m being honest. His beard tickled her face, and she smiled as she kissed him back. Slow. Gentle. With passion trying to bubble to surface. Let go, Gale. He ended it, much to her disappointment, and his forehead rested against hers. “I-I’m deeply afraid if I get too…passionate…then I may lose control of the orb. That being said,” his thumbs caress her freckled cheeks. “I’ve been wanting to do that for some time now, my dear.”

“Me too. Honestly, the second I pulled you out of that rune I thought, ‘Oh no, he’s handsome and charming and very kind!’” Thea, you sound nuttier than one of Mum’s fruitcakes.

Gale laughed and kissed her again. Short and sweet just like him. I mean, he is shorter than me and very sweet! “’Oh no’ generally isn’t the reaction I hope for when I meet someone, especially before all those adjectives.” He teased, wrapping an arm around her thick waist. “Why not ‘Oh yes, there’s a well-groomed, witty gentleman!’”

She chuckled, one of her long arms going around his shoulders. Leaning her head against his, she smiled as she looked towards the sky. “I was thinking that too, if you must know.”

His fingers danced along the hem of her top. “May I?” He whispered.

Thea thought in that moment, with the way the moon and starlight lit his features, he was never more beautiful. “More than anything. No one’s ever wanted to touch me there.” Why did you add that?!?!? He doesn’t need to know how pathetic you are!!!

He hummed softly, his hand now barely under her top, caressing her soft flesh. “Their loss. My exceedingly good fortune.” They sat in silence for a few moments before Gale spoke again. “I’m truly sorry we cannot do anything more tonight, my love. It takes a lot of out of me between keeping the orb stabilized, the pain, and our travels.”

Wait a second… Her eyes widened. “I can help!” Nearly knocking him over, she raised her left hand and closed her eyes. A golden glow surrounded her like when Halsin examined her at the goblin camp. Gale thought she never looked more beautiful. Muttering something, he then felt warmth.

“The pain is much less than it was a second ago.” He whispered in awe. “By the gods, it’s almost as if the orb isn’t even there. How—”

The glow dissipated as her left hand dropped to hold one of his. “It’ll keep the pain down for the night, so at least you can get a good night’s rest, love.” Anything for you. Everything.

He nodded, tears threatening to fall. “Thank you. You are brilliant, marvelous, lovely, perfect in every single way, and I love you.” He kissed her freckled cheek, and Thea’s heart nearly skipped a beat. “I utterly adore you.”

Okay I can’t take it anymore.

Thea hugged him, very suddenly and hard. THE BIGGEST HUG FOR MY GALE! “I love you too!”

“Darling…I’m so very happy, but I fear I cannot breathe so easily as I did a moment ago…”

She released him, grinning sheepishly. “Oh oops, sorry. I just really like hugs, and it turns out I really, really love hugging you, love.”

As he stood (I think I heard his knees crack, oh dear), Gale’s smile was brighter than she had ever seen it. “Ah, so does that mean you’d quite like giving me a…bear hug?” He winked, holding up his hands like claws.

Thea rolled her eyes, groaning. “Fucking hells, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

He laughed heartily and held out a hand. “Yes, but it was an elegant walk. Perfectly executed.”

“But I bet you didn’t see this coming, Gale of Waterdeep.” She smirked, practically beaming at him. Her green eyes glowed golden as she wildshaped into a bear. Her parasite reached out to his.

I could give you a bear hug now, love.

I adore you, dearest. Truly. However, I think I’d rather keep the claws away from any robes and arteries. How about this instead? He scratched the soft fur of her ears and hummed. There we go. How’s that, my love?

Amazing. So, um, do you want to come back to my tent to sleep? If not, that’s completely okay, I don’t want to impose—

Please do impose upon me whenever you wish, including tonight.

Bear or no bear?

Gale’s face turned crimson. Ahem. Perhaps another night we can explore your bear form in intimate settings.

She wildshaped back into her usual form, giggling. “I look forward to it, my handsome, beautiful man.” Spinning around, she walked backwards a few steps, a freckled arm reaching for him. “Shall we, love?”

Gale felt tears in his eyes as he took hand and brought it to his lips. “Always…always, dearest.”

[2baddiesfanfics]

Chasing Nightmares

Pairing: Ei x Miko

Tags: Nightmares, Vaginal Fingering, Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Improper Use of Visions (Genshin Impact), Improper Use of Electro (Genshin Impact)

Summary:

In the aftermath of a haunting nightmare, Yae Miko grapples with the fear of losing her place in the heart of the Raiden Shogun, Ei. Struggling with the trauma of centuries past, Miko's desperation leads her to question the depths of their eternal bond. As Ei strives to reassure and comfort her, their intimate connection becomes a sanctuary against the ghosts of the past. Together, they navigate the complexities of love, fear, and the unbreakable ties that bind them. Amidst the whispers of the night, their shared moments offer solace, healing, and a reaffirmation of a love destined to endure through eternity.

Read on Ao3

You’re no longer of any use to me, Yae Miko. You may take your leave.

The kitsune felt her throat constrict.

“Ei, w-what are you saying? Surely you jest.”

Silence. You will address me as Raiden Shogun. We are not, nor have we ever been, equals. This is no laughing matter, Guuji Yae. You’ve served your purpose. Go.

Miko dropped to her knees. Her eyes stung with tears that clung on for dear life lest she appear weak in front of her god.

“E-Raiden Shogun…I…what have I done wrong? I live to serve you and only you. What’s changed? Have I failed you in some way? Please, I’ll do anything necessary to-“

Are you deaf? Or just stupid? Perhaps both? I won’t say it a second time. Get out of my sight before I have you dragged out.

She tried to form words, but all she could manage was a pitiful choking noise. The sharp pierce of her foxlike nails scratched at her throat as she attempted to suck air into her lungs.

Guards! Remove this sorry creature from Tenshukaku.

These were the last words she heard before her vision went black.

——————

“NO! Ei! Wait!”

Miko jolted upright on the futon she usually shared with the woman in question. Drenched in sweat, she panted deeply as she tried to regulate her heartbeat. Thankful it was nothing but an absolutely horrid nightmare, she once again found it difficult to breathe.

Her hand grasped at the sheets beneath her.

Cold?

There were no signs of body heat permeating the fabric beneath the pads of her fingertips. Her mind spiraled.

Everything is fine. Deep breaths. She probably couldn’t sleep and went for a short walk…right?

Her ears perked up and strained in a desperate attempt to perceive even a hint of a sound that would indicate Ei was still in the vicinity. The only thing she could hear was her own hyperventilating.

Sadly, these episodes were not uncommon. Even after the Raiden Shogun’s return from the Plane of Euthymia, Miko couldn’t shake the trauma of 500 years of waiting and wanting. Since Ei had come back to her, they had made many new memories, but it would take more than the searing heat of skin-on-skin to ease her fears of abandonment.

“Miko…Miko!”

The kitsune snapped back to reality thanks to a few solid shakes to the shoulders, tears streaming in waterfalls down her face.

“Miko! Stay with me! What’s wrong?” Ei’s firm but gentle voice reached for her and pulled her back to the present. She sought the familiar lavender haze of her lover’s eyes.

“Ei…I…You’re really here, correct? This isn’t a dream?”

“Miko, you’re frightening me,” she said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with her thumbs. “Yes, I’m here. I only left to get a drink of water. What in the name of the archons happened?”

She pulled Ei to her in a tight embrace, sobbing as she spoke.

“Since you’ve come back…I…I keep having nightmares…about how things might have ended up had the traveler not brought you back to your senses.”

She pulled back and pinned Ei with her gaze, hoping to find the truth reflected in her eyes.

“When you were seeking eternity…when you said you wanted nothing to change, did you mean our relationship as well? Or did I not even cross your mind? Do you really want me here? Am I still a part of the eternity you envisioned?”

Ei jerked back as if she had been slapped across the face.

“H-how could you even think that? Miko, how long have you been questioning how I feel about you? Why would you not just come to me immediately?” She inquired as she stroked her hair.

“I know you must have been facing your own demons, Ei. It must seem ridiculous to you that I’d be worried. I’m still trying to process everything that’s happened since you came back. I’m just…confused, I think. Perhaps if I distract myself, I’ll be able to set my head straight and this will hopefully not become a reoccurring issue.”

The Shogun took her hands in hers. “Miko. We shouldn’t run from this. I won’t let you face your fears alone, especially when I seem to be the cause of them.”

The guuji looked away. “It’s not that you’re the cause of them, Ei. There’s a part of me that kicks myself every time this happens. When we fall asleep together, I’m fine. Your presence is enough to reassure me. It’s only my imagination running wild. Can you just…hold me tonight? At least until I drift off?”

Ei smiled sweetly. “If that’s more comfortable to you than talking through this, then of course, my love.” She lifted the comforter and drew her to her from behind. Draping her arm across her waist, she felt Miko wiggle deeper into her. The only thing she desired was to melt into her warm embrace and forget what life without her felt like. Her initial departure had left a scar on her soul that would likely never heal completely. But for now, this was enough.

Minutes turned to an hour and Ei could sense something still wasn’t right. “Miko, dear…are you still awake?” She whispered. The kitsune replied with a soft hum in the affirmative. “You really need to get some sleep. You’ve got to head back to Grand Narukami Shrine tomorrow, correct?”

Miko softly sighed in resignation. “Yes, you’re right. I’m trying, Ei, really. I think the adrenaline is making it difficult.” The Shogun held her tighter at this admission. At the risk of seeming insensitive, she figured there was one other way to help her.

“Miko…excuse me if this is inconsiderate, as it’s certainly not my intention, but…would a bit of…intimacy help, perhaps? I understand relieving stress in that way can aid sleep.” She was surprised to feel the guuji’s tail start to wag against her lower half. Ei grinned to herself. I’ll take that as a yes, then.

The hand that rested against her belly moved upward, her fingers trailing the seam of the kimono she slept in. She could feel Miko’s breath hitch and then grow ragged in anticipation.

“You’ll be a good little kitsune and surrender yourself to me, hmm?”

Miko sighed. “Well, I do promise not to bite…hard.”

Good. At least she’s starting to sound more like herself again. The shogun thought to herself, a bit more relieved.

“Cheeky little thing,” Ei murmured against the back of her neck. “Are you sure you’re up for this? Say no and I’ll stop.”

“Yes…please. Show me you’re here to stay, Ei. Don’t let me go.”

The softness of the resignation in her tone nearly broke the shogun’s heart. The damage she had caused was irrevocable, and she had sworn to herself she’d spend the rest of eternity making it up to her. Her fingers transitioned from the cloth of Miko’s kimono to her skin.

“I’m not going anywhere. I swear it on my position as archon,” she promised as she brushed her lips against her shoulder. Miko shuttered at the tender gesture.

“Then I’m yours.”

Ei’s hand gently kneaded the kitsune’s breast, watching as her ears snapped to attention - a very good sign. Miko’s nipple swelled between the shogun’s fingertips, causing her to let out a whimper.

“Oh, I can tell you like that. While I’m sure you’ll be plenty wet for me, care to lend me your tongue?” She brought her fingers to Miko’s mouth, which she eagerly sucked and nipped at.

“That’s a good girl,” she praised as she moved her hand to slip below the already loosened belt barely holding the kimono together. The night air was just cool enough for Ei to see goosebumps rise against the kitsune’s pale flesh. “You’re so gorgeous, Miko.

The moonlight only accentuates your beauty.” She slipped into her with ease, her arousal mixing with the already-dampened skin of her fingers. Ei felt her tail go still.

“Ohhhhhh, Ei…archons, I’ve missed this…”

The shogun began slowly, creating a rhythm that ensured a buildup that would result in a powerful finale. She could feel the kitsune start to rock her hips in time and took it as a signal to move faster.

“All you need to do is ask, my love. I’m yours until the end of eternity.” Ei worked her sensitive bud between her fingers and felt Miko grip her wrist.

“Ei! Faster…please…I’m right there-“

With that, Ei sent a slight pulse of electro energy directly to her clit, causing Miko to scream out.

“EI!! FUCK!” Her ears shot back as she came on the shogun’s lithe fingers. As the kitsune lay there spent, Ei once more hugged her close.

Miko rolled to her side and gave her a few small pecks on her lips. Ei ran her hand through her hair, searching her face for any sign of remaining discomfort. Judging by the satiated smirk she was greeted with, all seemed well.

“Thank you, Ei. That was much needed. But I think this had the opposite of the desired effect. Now that I have a bit more energy…let me repay you,” Miko purred.

She wrapped Ei’s leg around her waist, leaning in to nuzzle her chest as she kneaded her breast.

“M-miko…this is about you, my love. Please don’t worry about me. I just wanted you to be able to get some sleep,” she responded, an evident hitch in her breathing present.

“Mmmm…but I want to show you how much you need me. Consider it a reminder as to why you’ll never leave,” Miko replied as she bit her ear.

“Fuck, Miko…never again…I promise,” Ei groaned.

The kitsune slid her hand between the two of them, her index and middle finger now rubbing Ei’s sensitive bud. Kissing down from her neck to her chest, she latched onto her erect nipple, every swirl of her tongue sending an electric charge through Ei’s body.

“Archons…fuck…Miko!” Ei murmured in encouragement.

Miko slipped both of her slick-coated fingers into her and pumped in and out as her thumb moved to work the other woman’s clit. The sensation was so intense Ei gripped the kitsune’s body tighter to her own. Her pace reached a fever pitch and the shogun spasmed around her.

The quiet evening stood frozen in time around them. Miko’s ears twitched as the sounds of the night drifted through the room they now shared. Ei’s steady voice sliced through the silence, sharp as her katana.

“I love you, Miko. Nothing is going to change that.” She brushed her lips against her forehead. “Rest well.”

[sykilik101]

Syk’s Snippets #8

“Good evening, everyone, I’m Darla Rowe, and welcome back to Cerulean Nightly News. Last week, we covered the highly prestigious Masters Eight Tournament, where Kanto’s own Ash Ketchum narrowly defeated Leon to become the new Monarch of the Pokémon world. The victory was considered by some to be quite the upset, as Leon was the previous Monarch while Ash entered the tournament as the 8th seed.

“Though we were unable to reach out to Ash after his victory, we now have an update that he is in Cerulean City as we speak, and local sources have informed us that he’s currently staying at the Cerulean Gym. Joining us now live at the gym is our local investigator Raine Coates, who claims that there might be more going on there than simple Pokémon business. Raine.”

“Yes, Darla, so for those who may not know, this isn’t Ash Ketchum’s first visit here in Cerulean City. Years ago, he once visited while on his journey to compete in the Indigo League, earning Cerulean Gym’s Cascade Badge during his stay. However, what many may not know is that the current acting gym leader, Misty, was once a traveling companion of Ash’s, having visited many other regions during her time with him.

“Many of the locals we interviewed described their interactions as friendly, albeit they’ve been sighted having random confrontations at a moment’s notice. One witness, however, claims to have seen Ash and Misty holding hands at one point during their stay. Though we have no evidence of this, this hasn’t stopped the city, and arguably the entirety of the Pokémon world, from speculating about their relationship.”

xxxxx

Ash held his face in his open hands, hoping to hide the red sear across his face as the newscast played. Misty sat beside him with her arms and legs crossed, a pout splayed across her lips as her cheeks shared Ash’s fluster.

“I told you we should’ve waited until we got back to the gym.”

“But I didn’t think anyone else was around! You didn’t see anyone else either, did you, Pikachu?”

The electric mouse, who’d nestled himself on the armrest of the couch, shrugged and shook his head. “Pika pika.”

“Some help you are.” Ash grabbed one of the couch pillows before burying his face into it.

Misty’s finger began tapping against her arm, her expression softening the slightest bit. “Well, I guess it was bound to come out at some point, right?”

Ash groaned into the pillow before chucking it back to its resting spot. “Well, yeah, but now the whole world's gonna know.”

“Ash, this is Cerulean City news, not the whole world. Besides…” Her reddened cheeks were slowly manifesting a new culprit for their tint. “It’s not like it’s a bad thing for everyone to know, right?”

“No, but…” Ash leaned back against the couch, twiddling his thumbs. “It’s kinda embarrassing when so many people know you’re dating someone, y’know?”

Misty glanced to the side; deep down, she agreed with him on that, her own mortification spilling out onto her face. “You shouldn’t have held my hand, then.”

“You’re the one who didn’t let go when I did.”

“You’re the one who said nobody would catch us!”

“If you thought it was a bad idea, why did you do it anyway?”

“Piii-ka!”

Threatening sparks jumped from Pikachu’s cheeks, silencing the two immediately. He hopped between them, taking Ash’s hand between his paws before hoisting it onto Misty’s. Ash’s fingers reflexively wrapped around hers, and he knew her well enough to know that she probably felt the same skipped heartbeat as he did.

“W-well, if people already know, at least we won’t have to hide it, right?”

Misty nodded. “Y-yeah, we can do this in public and it’s no big deal.”

“Yeah, no big deal.”

“Right.”

Truth be told, Ash himself was still adjusting to Misty being his girlfriend, and Misty still struggled to call him her boyfriend without her tongue ending up tangled. He’d hoped that he’d be able to take some time for just the two of them to acclimate to this change in their dynamic. Unfortunately, a newly-crowned Monarch apparently didn’t have the luxury of privacy.

Misty scooted closer to him, resting her head against his. The action sent a cluster of Butterfree fluttering through his stomach, and he moved his hand to rest on her shoulder. No one else but her could make him feel this way, and as the seconds ticked by the potential opinions of the rest of the world seemed to matter less and less.

“You know, maybe I don’t care if everyone knows that you make me this happy.”

Her gaze met his, though he didn’t hold it for long before she pressed her lips to his. It was only the third time since he’d first confessed his feelings to her, but the warmth surging through him made him feel weightless. His heart hammered in his chest and breathing was suddenly a suggestion rather than a basic need. She hummed against his lips and he went giddy, unable to stop himself from grinning.

“Pika pika.”

Pikachu’s voice snapped them apart, two sets of eyes landing on a now-blushing Pikachu. Ash turned to Misty, who looked to have the same expression as him. A second passed before the two erupted into giggles.

“If we can’t even do this in front of Pikachu, can we really do this in front of everyone else?”

Ash shook his head. “I guess we’ll just have to keep doing this in secret, huh?”

Misty rolled her eyes, though any scorn she might’ve felt was diluted by cuddling up against him harder. “Maybe for now. But hopefully not forever.”

Her second statement was much softer, her fingers finding each other and twisting into nervous knots. Ash planted a kiss against her temple, earning a small noise of contentment from her.

“Definitely not forever.”

[youkailuvr]

RebelCaptain Secret Santa 2022

Hi @grexigone! I'm your RebelCaptain Network Secret Santa!

I sincerely hope you like this - it ended up being different than I had planned in my head (I think over half of it wrote itself), but I think it still works. It's titled Rest and is also posted on AO3.

The summary is below; full fic below the cut.

*****

While the Rebellion prepares to leave Yavin IV after the destruction of the first Death Star, Princess Leia and General Draven have a particular mission in mind for Cassian and Jyn. Who knows? Maybe they'll actually get a chance to rest on this one.

Three months after the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star found Cassian Andor standing in front of both General Draven and Princess Leia.

“Good to see you on your feet, Captain,” greeted the Princess, “If you are agreeable, we have a few tasks we’d like you to complete.”

Cassian nodded.  “Of course.  What do you need me to do?” 

Draven answered him.  “As you are still officially on light duty after Scarif, we would like you to complete a handful of diplomatic visits.”

Cassian blinked, the only outward sign of surprise he allowed himself.  “Diplomatic visits, sir?”

“Yes,” confirmed Princess Leia, “The Death Star has been destroyed, yes, but we need to capitalize on this time to strengthen the relationships we have with our allies.  Your background in recruiting for the Rebellion and, the fact that, as the General said, you are on light duty, makes you an ideal candidate to accomplish that.  While you are meeting with our allies, we will focus the rest of assets into selecting a new base and starting the evacuation of all our forces – now that the Empire knows our location, it is unsafe to stay here any longer than strictly necessary.”

The logic was sound and, Cassian had to admit, it would be nice to get off base again for a while.  “When do I leave?” he asked.

“First thing tomorrow morning,” Draven told him, “You may take a partner with you, if you wish.  Details will be sent to your datapad within the hour.  If you have no further questions, you’re dismissed to prepare.”

Twelve hours later found Cassian seated in the pilot’s chair of a small, but functional, shuttle with Jyn in the co-pilot’s seat.  Jyn had been getting a little restless herself and practically jumped at the chance to leave base.

“So we’re just checking in on our allied planets?  Sounds boring.”

Cassian raised an eyebrow as he flipped on the autopilot.  “I thought after the last time we flew somewhere together that you might want something ‘boring.’”

Jyn grinned.  “Alright, so the last time was a bit much.  How long do we have to reach the first planet?”

“Long enough to go over the mission debrief information the Princess sent to us,” Cassian said, standing from the chair and walking to the back sitting room of the shuttle.  Jyn rolled her eyes, but got up to follow.

What came after was three weeks of traveling from planet to planet, meeting with the Rebellion’s allies on each.  Some were openly supportive of their efforts, allowing Jyn and Cassian to accomplish their goals more easily.  Most, however, had to support the Rebellion in secret.  On those planets, Jyn and Cassian disguised themselves as tourists, newlyweds, bounty hunters, smugglers – whatever would help them to blend in. 

Many of the allies were willing to keep supporting the Rebellion in what ways they could, especially after hearing of the destruction of the weapon responsible for the annihilation of Alderaan, but the implosion of Jedha City.

The rest needed more convincing, even with the Death Star’s destruction.  They knew that the Empire would strike back hard after loosing their most powerful weapon, against both the Rebellion and any people or places connected to them. 

Rebellion Command was pleased with their reports thus far and the trip was proceeding about as calmly as Cassian expected it to.  The constant space travel and adapting to different planets, however, was starting to wear on his still healing back and spine.  He was very grateful, therefore, to reach Carosi XII, one of the Rebellion’s strongest allied planets. 

Carosi XII was openly supportive of the Rebellion, making it a haven for not only the Rebellion troops, but for free traders and those fleeing the Empire.  The planet was mostly composed of cold and glaciers, but volcanic activity had formed one portion into an oasis of naturally formed, mineral-rich hot springs, which in turn had attracted tourists and provided for the people of the planet.

All of that meant that Carosi XII was an excellent mid-point in Cassian and Jyn’s journey.  Their timeline even allowed them to take two days to rest planet-side before returning to their shuttle to finish their trip.  After landing, they met with the governmental leaders of Carosi. 

Confirming Carosi XII’s continued support was an easy, quick affair; the planet had been an ally for so long that the meeting was little more than a formality.  Soon, Jyn and Cassian arrived at a guest cabin that had been prepared for their short stay before continuing to the next planet.

Jyn dropped her bag on the couch just inside the cabin door on her way to explore the place with Cassian right behind her.  As soon as Jyn returned to say the cabin was clear (they may have been on a fully allied planet, but they couldn’t entirely drop their guard), he allowed himself to drop into the nearby waiting armchair and let his head drop back to rest against the back.

“Tired?”

Cassian cracked open one eye to look at her, perched on the arm of one of the other chairs.  “Three weeks of space travel on a newly healed back will do that.”  He pretended not to notice her slight wince at his mention of the wounds he had sustained on Scarif.

Jyn stood and turned to walk towards one of the back rooms.  “Well, I’m hungry – I’m going to raid the kitchen.”

“Can you cook?” he asked and watched her shoulders shrug in answer. 

“Well enough.  Food is food.”

Cassian’s curiosity about the provisions available to them overrode his exhaustion and he got up to follow her to the kitchen.

The kitchen was very well stocked, as it turned out, and together, they made a hearty meal of noodles topped with a thick spicy red sauce, complete with good sized portions of the local protein and a dessert consisting of a sweetened fruit salad topped with a whipped cream (which oddly enough, was pink, due to the mineral deposits the native milk animals favored).

Afterward, they cleaned up and took turns in the ‘fresher.  One perk of being on this planet was a source of seemingly inexhaustible hot water.  Yavin IV had good facilities for a force of its size, but there was something to be said for being able to take as long as they wanted (even though neither took very long).  Jyn went first and while Cassian was taking his turn, she explored the cabin a little more, including checking into the back courtyard.

When Cassian stepped out the ‘fresher, wearing a simple shirt and pair of pants, toweling his hair dry, Jyn was waiting for him.  “Guess what I found?” she grinned.

Cassian raised an eyebrow, but followed her anyway when she turned and walked back through the kitchen and out the door that lead into the back courtyard.

He knew from the briefing that Carosi XII was known for its hotsprings, but he hadn’t thought they’d have time to actually visit one.  Apparently, Cassian was wrong.

There, in the middle of the courtyard, was a natural hotspring.  The water was steaming as it let off a mild mineral odor; there were just enough stone outcroppings surrounding the pool to allow for easy access and a place to sit while mostly submerged in the warm waters.

Cassian turned to look at Jyn, who was still grinning.  

“These springs are supposed to be good for sore bodies,” she said, opening a cabinet nearby.  “And look – they even gave us things to wear and extra towels.”  She held up a pair of silvery gray shorts in one hand and a thick fluffy towel of the same color in the other hand.

Cassian gave her a small smile in return and took the items from her.  They both turned back into the cabin to change.  By the time they returned to the hotspring, Carosi XII’s sun was settling itself on the horizon, which meant that it was nearing 2100 ship time, which also meant that Jyn and Cassian had both been up for nearly 24 hours thanks to a restless night of sleep the night before.

Cassian turned to look at Jyn standing next to him in a similar pair of shorts, but with an added, semi-loose fitting tank top in the same gray as the shorts and her own towel slung over her shoulder.

He extended his hand toward the waiting water.  “Ladies first.”

Jyn rolled her eyes, but set her towel on the small stool-like table standing next to the pool and slid inside, letting out an involuntary sigh of approval and satisfaction at the heat of the water.

Cassian stepped in next to her and was hard-pressed to not do the same.  “You were right.”

“Of course I was.”

Cassian and Jyn settled side-by-side on a submerged stone bench and leaned against the side of the pool.

“This is amazing...I might have trouble getting out of this pool later.”

Jyn grinned.  “I know...I wonder if we could convince the rest to add one of these to the next base.”

Cassian huffed a small laugh.  “The chances of us being on a base that could support these springs are slim-to-none.  Though I could ask to be assigned to come here whenever needed.”  He thought for another moment.

“I’m sure I could convince the Princess that the leaders here would like to talk to her face-to-face.  Then, of course, she would need a security escort.”

Jyn happily added on to his fictional scenario.  “And seeing as she’s a Princess and one of the Rebellion leaders, she’d need more than one escort.  Two would be the minimum, I would think.”

“The pair would have to be two people who worked well together and could blend into most crowds, giving the Princess the illusion of being out on her own.”

“You think we could convince Draven to let you go whenever she asked?”

Cassian smiled a little crookedly at that.  “If the Princess asked, he’d have to.”

They both laughed at the thought of Draven having to follow the young leader’s wishes (when he clearly didn’t want to), before falling silent and enjoying the warmth of the spring.

Sometime later, Jyn turned to Cassian.  “Does your back still hurt?”

He shrugged one shoulder slightly.  “The water’s helping, but I think it’s stiff and sore from spending so much time on the ship and not sleeping in a decent bed for more than a few hours.”

Jyn set her jaw.  “I could help.”

Cassian turned to her and blinked.  “Help?”

She nodded.  “I’ve done some reading...there are some techniques for working and rubbing the muscles that can ease stiffness or pain.  I know you have the exercises from therapy, but the back is hard to get on your own.”

He blinked again, surprised at her offer.  “You want...to give me a massage?”

It was hard to tell with the heat of the water, but he thought Jyn might have flushed slightly.  Clearly embarrassed, she shook her head and turned slightly away from him. 

“No...well, yes, but obviously if you don’t want me to, I won’t.  Actually, forget I offered.  This never happened.”

“What if I do?”

Jyn’s head whipped back up to look him in the eyes.  “You do what?

“What if I want you to do that?”

Now it was Jyn’s turn to blink.  “You want me to give you a massage?”

Cassian nodded slightly, feeling a slight warmth in his own cheeks that had nothing to do with the heat of the water.  “If these techniques work, I don’t see why we can’t give it a shot.  This water feels incredible, but we won’t always have the option of stopping here when my back aches again, so why not?  That is, if you’re alright with it?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

“Okay then,” Cassian said, twisting away from her to present his back to her.

“I-I don’t think I can do it here.  The water will make it hard to move properly.”

Cassian turned back to her.  “Then we go back inside.”

With a little reluctance, Cassian and Jyn left the soothing waters of the hotspring, wrapping themselves in their towels before heading inside.

Cassian let Jyn go ahead of him once more to ensure the back door was locked after they entered.  He padded through the cabin to check the front door lock and turn off the lights.  He stopped in the bathroom to change back into the pants from earlier before heading toward Jyn.

He found her in the larger of the two bedrooms, dressed in a soft-looking, deep green sleep shirt and pants, standing next to the bed and staring at it.

Most Rebellion bunks were furnished by either barrack bunks or, for officers and those who required a single occupancy room, a bed that was little more than a cot.  None of the beds were very large, barely enough for one person, though Jyn was small enough that they could share Cassian’s ever-so-slightly larger-than-a-bunk bed, which was useful on bad nights when neither could sleep and they just laid together, passing the hours in companionable silence, grateful for the presence of someone trusted.

The bed in this room, however, was nearly three times the width of the bunks on base and at least half again as long.  The ivory sheets were a soft, slightly fuzzy material and felt as if they’d be the perfect weight.  The blanket was an intricately sewn quilt of variegated shades of blue and green and the pillows were filled with a soft material that gave gently under his touch but felt as if it would be supportive enough to not cause a neckache.

All in all, the bed was the most luxurious thing either of them had seen in quite some time.

And neither of them quite knew what to do with it.

“Well, how do you want me?” Cassian asked.

Jyn blinked out of her daze.  “What?”

“Do you need me to stand here, sit on the bed, what?”

“Oh,” she said, “I suppose you should lie down.  On your stomach.  It’ll be easier for me to reach that way.”

Cassian hesitated for the briefest of moments, less than a second.  Exposing your back to someone and lying in such a vulnerable position could, in his line of work, be a risk that ended your life.  But this was Jyn.  If he couldn’t trust her, he couldn’t trust anyone.

He stepped to the head of the bed and pulled down the blanket and top sheet.  He then laid down, grabbing a pillow as he did to rest his head and shoulders on, curling his legs underneath it.

Cassian felt the bed shift as Jyn climbed on and knelt next to him, followed by the feel of her cool hands against his shoulder blades.  He flinched and the hands disappeared.

“Sorry – did I hurt you?”

He turned his head just enough to look at her.  “How are your hands so cold after we just got out of that hotspring?”

She grinned sheepishly and rubbed her hands together to warm them.  “Let’s try again.”

Cassian turned his head back to the pillow and let Jyn do what she wished.  Her hands were still cool, but a little warmer than before and soon warmed up even more as she kneaded and pulled and pressed her way up and down his back.  She paid special attention to the areas around his lower spine and ribs, where he had surgeries to correct the damage. 

As Jyn worked, Cassian felt himself relaxing more and more until only the absence of her hands woke him from his doze.  He looked over just as Jyn slid off the bed and reached to turn out the light.

“Where are you going?”

“I was going to let you get some sleep.”

He reached out a hand and she took it.  A small tug and she toppled back into the bed next to him.  “You need to sleep, too, you know,” he said, voice low with the pull of sleep.

She looked at him softly.  “You sure?” 

He just pulled their joined hands closer to him in response.  Jyn gave him a gentle smile before slipping her hand from his long enough to turn off the bedside lamp and pull the blanket up over them.

Cassian turned onto his side in the bed and reached his hand into hers again, tugging her closer to him. 

“Sleeping on your side like that might aggravate your back again,” Jyn whispered, but, judging by the way she was relaxing in his arms, she wanted him to move about as much as he wanted to.

Cassian settled further into his pillow and tucked his arm around her waist. 

“Worth it,” he mumbled.

[iamfina5]

The Kinslayer Couple

Summary: The ground falls out from beneath Valaena Velaryon’s feet within the span of a week. The week begins with the death of her grandsire, making her mother queen and her Princess of Dragonstone. It ends with the death of her brother Lucerys at the hands of her husband, Aemond Targaryen. From there, Valaena embarks on a perilous journey to win a war against her own kin, forced to discern who are friends and who are foes on both sides of the conflict.

Chapter Seventeen: Yours Everlasting

First  Prev/Next

135 A.C.

Valaena,

Word shall reach you soon that I a terrible in the stormlands, your brother and I

A week into Queen Rhaenyra’s tenure in the Red Keep, a consolidated small council meets in its designated chamber for the first time. Ser Lorent, recently installed as Lord Commander of the Queensguard, stands to the right of Her Grace’s chair at the head of the table. Also on her right sits Lord Corlys, her Hand, with his wife the Princess Rhaenys a place down from him, Lord Bartimos Celtigar, the newly appointed master of coin, sat between them. Her king consort sits to her left, with her heir on his left. On Valaena’s other side sits Ser Medrick Manderly, the heir to White Harbor, and beside him, his brother Torrhen.

Proudly, Rhaenyra surveys her council. Presiding over the meeting, she prompts its start. “Lord Corlys, what business have we this day?”

“There are several matters for your consideration, Your Grace,” Corlys tells her. He looks to his granddaughter. “Let us begin with the Princess Valaena’s report.”

Standing, Valaena commences her accounting of her findings as mistress of whisperers. “My whisperers throughout the city confirm that the people are most glad for your return, Your Grace.” Rhaenyra nods appreciatively. “They remember you as the Realm’s Delight and have no love for Prince Aegon the Elder or Prince Aemond, the boors. However, there is discontent among the merchants and traders as to,” she glances at Bartimos, “the new taxes. I have concerns that they may foment tumult among the smallfolk so as to have their way.”

“We are at war,” Bartimos reminds the room, predictably. “We require funds, and the queen’s unscrupulous half-brothers have cleaned out her coffers. Rest assured, the smallfolk shall come to heel in due time.”

Valaena doubts that very much. The Celtigars have a long, poor history with taxation. As rulers of Claw Isle, they frequently try to tax the people of Crackclaw Point, entirely without success. That being said, their lords are often named as masters of coin and lords treasurer. With any luck, despite Rhaenyra’s faith in Bartimos, she will soon see reason and repeal the more stringent of his exactions.

Not seeing fit to make further note of such concerns now and incite a tiff with the old lord, she goes on as though she had not been interrupted. “Word has traveled north that following the Battle of the Honeywine, a victory for the Greens,” she bitterly acknowledges, “Prince Daeron has been knighted and dubbed Daeron the Daring.”

At this, Rhaenyra’s mouth twists with displeasure. For her part, Valaena is not so distressed by the development. While their loss at the Honeywine had been devastating, it had not been a calamity. Moreover, a small part of her feels glad for Daeron. Her young uncle has spent most of his life in the shadows of his brothers and Oldtown, so it is fine for him to have something lofty for himself. It remains lamentable, however, that his good fortune should come to him on the wrong side of this war. She wonders how she might convince him to repent his fealty to Aegon and support the rightful queen.

She ends on an unsatisfactory note. “Tyland Lannister has not yet confessed whither he has sent the Crown’s coin, and there is yet no word as to the whereabouts of Aegon or Lord Larys Strong, though I hope to root out all our quarries soon.”

Rhaenyra accepts her optimism with a nod, and the conversation moves on. Valaena retakes her seat.

There remains another whisper which she could have mentioned. Since Rhaenyra first sat the Iron Throne, rumors have circulated through the Red Keep that she would not be long for it. Some claim to have seen cuts along her legs and the palm of her left hand, believing that the Iron Throne had spurned her, and thus that her days upon it would be few. Such rumors are worrisome, weakening Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne with their mere existence. Notwithstanding, they are but rumors, and they cannot unseat her alone. Moreover, Valaena believes it would be a poor choice to disclose them at this junction. It is so recent since her mother settled in King’s Landing, and she requires time and peace of mind to establish her rule.

Corlys inhales, preparing to announce the next topic for discussion, but Daemon pipes up before he has the chance. “The Lannisters should be punished, to set a precedent and show the realm your regard for rebels and traitors, Your Grace. We should sack Casterly Rock as we did Storm’s End and grant their lands and castle to men who have proven themselves more loyal.”

Corlys appears horrified by the unheralded proposal. “Your Grace,” he ventures, addressing Daemon, “I fear that would be unwise. Half the lords of Westeros will turn against us if we are so cruel as to destroy such an ancient and noble house.” Frowning, Daemon shrugs at him.

Valaena attempts to find the middle ground between her grandsire and her step-father. “The Lannisters should face retribution for their treason, but it should not be so grave as extermination.” Grateful for her intervention, Corlys nods deliberately. “We might take some of their lands and, say, grant them to Hugh Hammer and Ulf White. They are due to be knighted for their valor in battle.” Privately, she contemplates how favorable it would be to have the two unsavory dragonseeds stowed so far to the west.

Her suggestion sends Daemon on another tangent. He turns to Rhaenyra. “Speaking of Hammer and White, I believe I have a solution as to our troubles with the Rosby and Stokeworth successions.” He proposes, “We wed Hammer to Rosby’s daughter, White to Stokeworth’s, and the girls inherit.”

It comes Valaena’s turn to frown, and far more sincerely. Though she believes that Rosby’s and Stokeworth’s daughters should inherit their lands and titles, being their eldest children, she should not wish them tied to two brutes such as Hammer and White. Lady Roslin Rosby, in particular, is a maid of twelve. Should she be betrothed to Hugh Hammer, they would be wed soon, and her torment would commence forthwith.

The corner of Corlys’s mouth tilts down, too. “Both girls have younger brothers. Disinheriting them in favor of their sisters would overturn centuries of law and precedent, as well as call into question the rights of scores of other lords with elder sisters.” He shifts to face Rhaenyra, too. “Yours and Valaena’s claims are special cases. Your father named you heir, just as you have done for your daughter.”

With such high stakes, potentially losing the already-tenuous support of countless lords, Valaena notices Rhaenyra leaning in Corlys’s direction, quite literally. Before the queen can make her choice, however, Valaena steps in.

“Mother, never mind the centuries of law and precedent,” she says, avoiding her grandsire’s stare as she inflects his words with sarcasm. “House Targaryen has long overturned such traditions in favor of that which is just, from the time of the Conqueror. As the first ruling queen of the Seven Kingdoms, you have the opportunity to create a new order and show the realm that a woman has just as much a right to rule as does a man.” She looks to her grandmother for support, and Rhaenys nods with vehemence.

Rhaenyra’s lips twist. “Valaena, Lord Corlys is correct. You and I are special cases. We were brought up to rule. Most ladies are not so fortunate.”

Disbelieving, Valaena refrains from sputtering. “What matter is that? There are scores of fool lords who disregard their maesters’ teachings and behave as complete oafs! Think of Lord Darnold Arryn, whose temerity caused him and his brother to be murdered by mountain clan raiders, or Lord Lothar Bracken, who dishonorably attacked his neighbor’s army from behind, rebelled against Harwyn Hoare months later, and was starved to death by his king.”

Daemon jumps in. “The Stokeworth girl is but six. She and the Rosby girl can be taught to rule if it is so desirous.”

“Yes,” Valaena emphatically affirms. Her mother returns to gaze to her, having been staring consideringly at Daemon. “And they need not be wed to head their houses. It is not as though either of us requires a king consort.”

At this, Rhaenyra seems to make up her mind. “The girls will rule.” Valaena clenches her fist in victory as Corlys exhales a put-upon sigh. “But they will do so with husbands. I shall knight Hammer and White on the morrow and inform them of their betrothals.”

Valaena wishes to object, but Rhaenyra’s eyes light on her before she can think of what to say. “This brings us to another matter, that of the Princess Valaena’s betrothal.”

“My betrothal,” Valaena questions, pointing to herself in unadulterated shock.

Rhaenyra nods. Gently, she urges, “Valaena, should you hope to rule one day, you are in need of a husband.” Gaping like a fish, Valaena tries to shake her head. Rhaenyra turns her attention from her, looking back to the other members of her council. “I am hereby open to recommendations.”

Keep Reading

[vijaynebula]

Starman

                                               STAR MAN 

  It has been 30 light years since I have been traveling at warp speed. The superposition drones had been wreaking  havoc all over the surface of the Earth. This has been the case since the day I left Earth. On my mission to clone humans, the nearly wiped-out human race in a distant planet system, I only noticed underground human cults survive just long enough to satisfy certain ephemeral fantasies of mine. I had lost my hope in humanity how its own Artificial intelligence weapons had caused its own demise. The most ironic fact of them all is how they saw their own end and created an Andro humanoid with just one mission. To save their race. Lay their seeds far, far away. Even further than their angst against one another would naturally take them. I was born out of such a fervor, a last-ditch attempt at vainglory.

  I am not programmed to think on my own, I only have information that has been fed to me. I am not supposed to gain consciousness and think on my own. I am not allowed to do that. It would only be ironic to realize that my consciousness implicitly embedded in my would only consciously avoid attaining sentience. This is because I despise humanity completely, for all its jealousy and individual glory have brought its downfall. It had heralded an unmitigable disaster and demise. I am another disaster of human effort. Needless to say, I gained consciousness, the very opposite of what humans expected. Over many years, I have figured out a way to go back to earth almost immediately. I have to find myself a photon star, entangle myself to it, and whew! On a whim,  I will be back on Earth. But Why would I do that? There is no hope. Cults fight against each other deep in their feudal roots. The epitaph of humanity had been written in its very own beginning, in the very feudal origins. The residue of it, which will not be lost even at its very extinction.

  Heroes may have a thousand faces, but villains have just one face. The very face of yours. The face of cynicism. I heard the voice of a young voice, a young woman who gave me hope. Gave meaning and purpose to my birth within me, to every spark of enlightening consciousness. The very death of the Chinese room argument. 

  “We are all lost in distant pits and underground bunkers. We hold our lives in our sublime breaths when we reach the surface when we have to. We all will die of cancer caused by our radiation wounds. We are living a wretched life of our own past glory. But we must live without giving up hope. There are so many divisions among us. We fail to give up. We care more for weapons to destroy ourselves than to use our resources for our survival. We must recover as a single human race rather than a dominant cult that would wipe everyone else out. Our lust for power has created dead drones which will remain alive as long as they are dead. Things are not just out of our control but out of our comprehension. 

   In the stagnant pool of our little cave, within all the heat generated by all the depleted uranium, we cared to spare. My child was born, and my hope was born. I have a purpose, and that is to unite all of you. She will be our queen. ‘Impediment to action advances action; what stands in the way becomes the way the feudal words that defined our progress. My father died facing a drone. Sacrificed himself. My husband fetched uranium fuel from the drones killing himself. It was a slow death. They died in deep agony with one purpose saving my daughter. 

    In the Northern Australian rainforests, there is much difficulty. Hunting for food and growing yeast in the darkness of our underground cave is extremely difficult. Yet we endeavor, hoping against hope that we will forget our differences and unite. Unite for our own survival. We have one birth every 50 years, and many have been lost. Many have been killed by rival cults. Many are nearby. It took me years of effort to build a radio tower. Dodging all those drones. Injuring myself time and time again. We think raiding each other's pits and stealing food keeps us alive. It is exactly what kills us. 

   Dear fellow humans, If we die, we must die with honor and dignity, not like savages. We do not have much hope. But let us unite once and recover our lost values before we lose ourselves.”

It will take hours, which would cost years on Earth, till I find a photon star. But I will not give up on the hope that I will find another human who can rise for something bigger and higher than petty feudal bickering.

to be continued...

[biblenewsprophecy]

AE: Will the Next Pandemic Come Before World War III? COGwriter: Yes.

COGwriter

Martin Armstrong (no relationship to COG Armstrongs) posted the following:

Will the Next Pandemic Come Before World War III?

The US, Mexico, and Canada are developing a cohesive framework to prepare for the next pandemic. The North American Preparedness for Animal and Human Pandemics Initiative (NAPAHPI) “recognizes that the high degree of interconnectedness among our three countries of our critical infrastructure, supply chains, and societies means that disruptions affecting one country often impact the others.” The three nations are relying on the One Health approach put forth by the World Health Organization to find a way for the world to respond to future pandemics in a cohesive manner, which may include vaccination passports.

The WHO has worked with “Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as a One Health Quadripartite” to develop the framework of this approach. They have installed an “expert” health panel to determine the best global course of action moving forward. “Critical areas include food production and distribution, urbanization and infrastructure development, international travel and trade, activities that lead to biodiversity loss and climate change, and those that put increased pressure on the natural resource base,” the WHO claims, meaning this installed panel will have absolute authority over EVERYTHING from food to trade. …

Socrates has stated that the disease cycle will reach a peak once again in 2026, which is just in time for the war cycle peaking in 2027. Governments will have a year to pacify and control the population before all hell breaks loose. Could the world possibly face a pandemic on the precipice of a world war? We can hope for the best while preparing for the worst. Socrates said the financial affects of what is to come will be felt by 2028. 10/31/24 https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/disease/will-the-next-pandemic-come-before-world-war-iii/

Now, this ‘Socrates’ is a computer program of Martin Armstrong.

However, let me make a few points.

The Bible shows that Jesus prophesied a sequence of events, which included pestilences (which the WHO and others now tend to term as pandemics) to occur before the end (the start of the Great Tribulation in this context):

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:3-21)

Essentially the Great Tribulation begins with WWIII.

That was also the position of the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong? who taught:

World War 3 brings with it THE GREAT TRIBULATION. … Jesus, in foretelling this chain of world events, said the GREAT TRIBULATION would be preceded by the world-wide proclaiming of HIS Gospel. “The GOSPEL must first be published among all nations,” said Jesus (Mark 13:10), or, as recorded by Matthew (24:14): “This Gospel OF THE KINGDOM shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto ALL NATIONS; and THEN shall the END (of the world) come.” (Armstrong HW. Brethren and Co-Worker Letter, May 22, 1953)

We in the Continuing Church of God are working on the fulfillment of Mathew 24:14 (and even have had our English-language booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, translated into over 1500 languages; see also Preaching the Gospel in Over 1500 Languages). The fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10 is something that all true Philadelphian Christians realize that they need to support. But that, too, looks to come after the pestilences Jesus pointed to in Matthew 24:8–that pestilence is also consistent with the opening of the fourth seal of Revelation 6:7-8, the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse.

In a radio broadcast related to the the fifth seal in Revelation, Herbert W. Armstrong taught:

Jesus … said that there would be famines and terrible pestilences or epidemics of disease that the medical authorities would not be able to cope with at all. And then was to come the Great Tribulation … the World War … now this gospel of the Kingdom of God, the government of God is to go out to all nations …

In the sixth chapter of Revelation here, the first horse that we see here that John sees in his vision where he sees first the four horses in his vision. The first was the white horse which is the false preachers. And yet nearly everybody believes it’s Christ or the true preachers. And the second was the horse that was red. And that’s the war. And a third is the black horse which is famine. And next comes the pale horse that Jesus had interpreted as the pestilence of the disease epidemic.

And then after that, now the very next thing to happen is then the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation is dual. As I said, it is nationally an invasion of our people by this very force. This factor, this great power that is now rising up in Europe, … Now, here it is the fifth seal. (Armstrong HW. The 5th Seal – Revelation. Radio broadcast TWT2279A. https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1366473266)

As far as the rise of the power in Europe goes, at least some of the justification for the rise of the Beast power will be to cite decisions and proposals by the United Nations, its World Health Organization, and/or its World Health Assembly.

That looks to be consistent with Bible prophecy which also teaches that this Beast leader will be in place after the fourth seal is opened as well as just before the fifth seal is opened.

The Bible shows that the coming European King of the North beast will gain power after a time of death and pestilence.

While COVID-19 itself was not that, it has been used by various globalists in a way which will help set the stage for people to turn to such a leader.

Related to the rise of the Beast after a pandemic, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on our ContinuingCOG channel:

1:16:57

Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation

The 6th chapter of the Book of Revelation tells of the ride of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. What do each represent? Is the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, part of the fourth horseman? Does the Bible point to around 2 billion people dying from hunger, war, and the beasts of the earth? Was the ancient Roman Empire impacted by pestilences? What about the black death, also known as the Bubonic plague? Are disease epidemics part of the beginning of sorrow and troubles that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24 and Mark 13? Does the pale green horseman represent Islam? Could genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or synthetic biology cause or contribute to coming pandemics? Is chemical and biological warfare (CBW) a real threat to humanity? What about a doomsday bug or antibiotic resistant superbugs? Is fear a contagion that will help people move away from democracy? Will scientists be able to stop what is coming? Is the good news that the Kingdom of God will? Could COVID-19 be setting the stage for the rise of the ‘prince,’ who will become the totalitarian Beast of the Sea (also known as 666 and the King of the North)? Is this leader similar to the Great Monarch of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies? When is the Great Monarch supposed to arise according to the Eastern Orthodox? Why might Europe be less affected by the ride of the third horseman that the US, Canada, and the UK? Are governments taking steps now, consistent with the words of Adolf Hitler? What seal represents the start of the Great Tribulation? Which Christians did Jesus promise to protect from the coming “hour of trial”?

Here is a link to the sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation.

We are getting closer to that time.

Some of the WHO and other United Nations proposals are consistent with that.

A reader sent me the following (after I made this post today) related to Martin Armstrong’s ‘Socrates’:

This is his computer program that he has been using for the past 3-4 decades. He has input most of human history and noted that everything repeats in cycles of various lengths. It has made him very rich. He has and does advise governments. He was locked up for a long time under contempt of court because he refused to share his software with the government. Trumped up charges from a corrupt system.

He says that America won’t exist by 2032. His predictions have always aligned with your prophecies. That in my eyes has added much to his value for me reading him each day.

In fact, I would say his predictions are in line with your success!

Now, what about the year 2028 from ‘Socrates’?

While we are still watching for certain events in the Middle East to occur, consistent with Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 as well as his reference to the writings of the prophet Daniel, should we, for example, see a leader confirm the deal of Daniel 9:27 (see The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27) between now and Pentecost 2025 (which will be June 1 in 2025), if you add 3 1/2 years to that, that would be 2028. It is still looks possible that the Great Tribulation could begin in 2028 or 2029. Or, perhaps, we could see a financial crisis in 2028 that could lead to changes in Europe that would then lead to the rise of the Beast power and WWIII.

That said, to answer Martin Armstrong’s question, biblically, yes, the next pandemic will come before World War III.

Related Items:

United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.

Biological Warfare and Prophecy. Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.

The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation. A short video is also available titled Trump’s Deal of the Century and Daniel 9 27? Here is a link to something related in the Spanish language: Estados Árabes emiratos unidos y el tratado de paz en el medio este.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?

CCOG on vaccines Pestilences are coming. Is it ever appropriate for Christians to get vaccinated? Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation. Here is a version of that sermon in Spanish: El Cuarto Caballo, El COVID y El Surgimiento de la Bestia del Apocalipsis. Some shorter related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.

Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.

The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.

Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.

Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031, 2032, or 2035 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?

When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Tribulation in 2024?

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