#But unfortunately i think its here to stay

[shimmershifts]

an open letter to those who have not yet shifted.

i don't know how many of you will see this, let alone how many will read it entirely. this letter is for those who have been trying to shift for two years, five years, more. those who cannot give up, and those who will not give up, and maybe even those who already have. to preface, this letter will not rehash everything you already know. you've scrolled every forum, you've seen every method, you've read every tip. you've trialed, and errored, and persevered... but you're still here. law of assumption, manifestation, belief, intention. but you're still here. you've been told all about shifting... right? you already know what shifting is... right? you should already know how to shift... right? but you're still here.

this letter is not intended to debase or invalidate those who do already believe in those things and who are satisfied with that. this is for those who have been trying that way for 2 years, 5 years, and more, and still haven't shifted. this is for those who might want an alternative perspective.

what you've been told

in my personal opinion, the online shifting community as it currently stands is very... rigid. narrow. there are a few dominant views, and then the many who drown out any possible dissent or disagreement. i do understand why this happens. reality shifting is already a marginal belief, hounded by anti-shifters and disbelieved and debunked on all sides, so it makes sense that people feel the instinct to close ranks at any sign of an outsider. unfortunately, this has led to a community that raises its hackles at even other reality shifters who simply don't believe the exact same way that you do. law of assumption. manifestation. intent. (and dare i say it, the multiverse.)

i don't believe in any of that, in the context of shifting.

now, wait! don't go yet, stay with me. it's okay if you do. i'm not intending to change the minds of those who already believe in these things. i'm not going to go at anyone and say "i'm right, you're wrong, and you must change your mind to agree with me!" that would be silly, and counterproductive. let's lower our guards, and extend an olive branch, please. if you feel these things serve your journey, then carry on. you're allowed to disagree with me, i won't be upset. you're allowed to think i'm wrong, if you want. literally no worries at all.

but i am a little tired frankly of certain ideas being treated as the only options, and often in a rude or hostile manner. if you are someone who has spent five years trying to shift, and you see yet another post that boils down to "all you have to do is want it hard enough" does that not hurt your soul? the following sections of this post are for those who these ideas have not been working for. for those who have not yet shifted. it's been two years. five years. more. and you're still here. are you open to another possibility?

what is reality shifting?

i've told you what i don't believe, but what about what i do? i'll try to keep this as concise as possible for the sake of brevity and comprehension, knowing i could potentially clarify in future posts. but please continue with the understanding that im a chronic overexplainer, and my curse is the fact that the extra words don't always actually increase understanding. bear with me.

reality shifting: broadly speaking, this refers to shifting your linear experience of reality from one, to another. this has been known by many other names in the past, across continents and cultures, even in pre-agriculture societies. i'd include ideas like persistent realms, quantum jumping, focus 21, etc. language is subjective, and people may describe or understand the same experience in different ways.

i believe reality shifting is a haphazard side effect of our limited ability to perceive and comprehend reality. let me explain. space, as we understand it, is three dimensional. but reality isn't. it's our bodies and minds limiting our perception and understanding that makes all of reality seem that way to us at surface level.

1D: let's consider a hypothetical one dimensional existence. everything would a straight line, and the only way to perceive anything else would be as a single point directly in front or directly behind you. forwards and backward. the 2D and 3D are beyond your limited ability to physically sense or feel, let alone to comprehend. Forget about the 4D (time). due to your lack of comprehension, you cannot move at will in two dimensional planes, let alone three dimensional space or even time. you are static, a single point.

2D: let's consider a hypothetical two dimensional existence. it would be a flat, infinite planar expanse. you might be a square, or a circle. you can move freely in two dimensional directions (forward, backwards, side to side), but not in the 3D. No up, no down. If you tried to perceive a three dimensional object, you would only be able to comprehend it as linear, a line on the horizon where it intersects your 2 dimensional plane. you would perceive the 3D as moving around or within you on its own, without the ability to direct it. the 4D, or time, if you could perceive it, would be static, a singular point at a time.

3D: what about our three dimensional existence? congratulations, you now are a form, such as a sphere, or a cube. you can move freely in a voluminous, infinite three dimensional space. Forward, backwards, side to side, up, and down. if you *try* to perceive the fourth dimension (time), you can only comprehend it as linear, a line where it intersects your 3 dimensional space. You perceive it as moving around or within you on its own, without the ability to direct it yourself. any dimensions higher than that, if you could perceive it, would be static, a singular point at a time.

quick 4D sidebar: clearing this one up now because this will confuse some of you who are involved in other communities. in many law of assumption and manifestation communities, "4D" has been used to refer to your imagination, inner world, a bridge to "higher vibrational states", etc. i don't use it that way. i use it in the sense of the mathematical concept, or linking three-dimensional space with time. 4D=time.

4D and 5D: so, time is the fourth dimension. that means it is four dimensional, yet due to our limitations as 3D creatures, we can only perceive it as linear. we perceive it as moving around us, without our direction, forwards, (or backwards in some cultures). what about the 5th dimension? the static one? the one we can only perceive one point of at a time? let's call this 5th dimension... reality. due to our limited perception, it may not seem like it, but time and reality are just like space in that all of it exists at once. if you were a 5th dimensional creature, you wouldn't see a bunch of different realities, you'd just see one the way we just see one 3D universe around us right now.

tip: think of it this way, if a three dimensional creature moving through time is only able to perceive it linearly, it may think that each point of time exists separately, passing by in chronological order. this would be like a character in a book, the character experiences each page one at a time as we turn the page. but we know that actually, the entire book exists all at the same time, and already did exist before we picked it up and started reading it, and continues to exist even when we set it down. the same is true of time, and reality. even if we perceive it as linear, or a point, all of it actually exists simultaneously, like space.

still, we can only perceive one point of reality at a time. i believe when we reality shift, we are by some freak of nature (or nurture) finding a way to trigger a "movement" in this "5th dimension," and therefor shifting our linear experience of time and our singular perceptual experience of one reality to another. ("movement" is a bit of an abstraction here, as movement generally refers to 3D space. you're not actually moving anywhere, you're already there, you just... can't see it at the same time as this.)

ok, so how the heavens do i shift?

if you read through all of the above, i assume that's what you're asking by now. "get to the point shimmer! how do i shift?" if you don't need intention, belief, assumption, manifestation, three gallons of water, crystals, or anything else then what do you need to shift?

if we boil shifting down to its absolute core, all you need to do in order to shift is to shift. (put down the pitch forks, and the flaming feathers and tar. i'll elaborate.)

shifting involves finding a way for us 3 dimensional creatures to trigger a shift in a dimensional direction that we do not have the capacity to perceive. so what i mean by "all you have to do to shift, is to shift" is that there is no physical movement, or secret password we can whisper that makes us shift, not inherently. it's sort of like being told to find your invisible and non corporeal primordial tail, and then swish it in a direction that doesn't spatially exist. find your "move in the 5D button", and then press it. except, there is no button.

so how do we "move" from one point of reality to the other? well, the first clue to this is in noticing what part of us is actually doing the "moving".

you don't make it happen with your three dimensional form. there is no body part or mass or motor function in your 3D body that triggers a shift. there's nothing that allows a three dimensional form to move in five dimensional directions... you just can't. your body stays here. that's good news actually, in my opinion. there is no need to force yourself into strange bodily positions, or chug water, or whatever else. your 3D body is irrelevant, because it's not going anywhere. you don't have to do anything with your body to shift. some people can shift awake, asleep, in the shower, walking around, etc.

you also don't necessarily do it with the fourth dimension, time. there is no specific amount of time that you'll shift after. it might seem you've spent a lot of time trying to shift, but the actual shift itself is instantaneous. some people shift their first try, and some of you might be on your second decade of attempts. again, the time factor being irrelevant is good news because this means it doesn't have to take time.

i also don't think we do it with just intent or belief. the intention word gets used so much it basically means nothing, but the general idea is that intent is the driving force that manifests your desired outcome. in the context of shifting, people use it like "set your intention to shift, and you will" or "intent makes you shift." or the dreaded "you just have to believe harder." personally, i don't think that's true. i don't think intention makes you shift. if it did, you all would have shifted by now, right? i think looking anyone who's been trying to shift for 4 years dead in the eye and telling them they just haven't intended to shift yet is honestly a bit cruel and unusual. some people who intend to shift will shift, but in my opinion, its a case of correlation, and not causation. there are also people who shift without intending to, or who intend to shift but don't.

it's also not really our thoughts that shift. or our mind as a concept, or our entire self. we know this because you don't turn into a comatose vegetable when you shift to a different reality. your thoughts, mind, and self here are unaffected by your awareness shifting away from it. if you successfully "permashifted" to hogwarts tonight, your self here would still wake up in the morning and go to work.

so what does shift? only our linear experience of our own awareness. so in order to reality shift, we just need to find a way to trigger our awareness to shift from one point of reality to another in a non linear fashion, and then integrate that into our linear experience. aha! you think. great! now how do i do that...? unfortunately, this is not an exact science (yet.) once you begin shifting regularly, i think it gets "easier" in some regards because you get a sense for how your awareness "feels" and what works for you. for those who haven't shifted, i can't say "take three deep breaths and recite the secret words, and then you'll shift." there is nothing specific you can physically do that will for certain make you shift. there's no secret passwords.

there is no key to shifting. the good news is, this means there is also no lock.

what we can do is get ourselves primed, into a state that increases the chances our awareness is triggered to shift. ie, find the "move in the 5D" button, (you know, the one that doesn't exist) and learn how to press it. and because it is our awareness that shifts, my "methods" have to do with priming your awareness for shifting. you don't need to believe, which is a good thing because it means doubts won't hold you back. you don't necessarily need to intend, which is a good thing because it means there are no secret blockages in your way. no "subconscious", no "reprogramming", no "delusion is the solution." you don't need any of that. you also don't have to do anything specific with your body or space unless you feel like it and want to. you don't need a script, but you can make one if you want. it's whatever, it's irrelevant darling, it's non-consequential.

these three methods below basically encompass all shifting methods out there. i might expand on techniques for these methods later, but for now i'll go over the basics.

method one: pure awareness

it basically boils down to two steps. get into a state of pure awareness, and then shift.

the first step for this method is actually a simple one, sort of, but i think it's unkind to call it easy. it can be easy, if you just happen to have a perfect technique that works for you on your first try. if so, congrats! if not, don't despair. it comes more naturally to some than others, at first. you can probably build the skills and try different techniques necessary for you to get there.

but what is pure awareness? it's currently very often being called "the void state", but i'm not using that term for a few reasons. one, i think using the term "the void state" or calling it "the void" is making people think it's some sort of place that they're trying to go. it's not. it's not a physical place at all, and that's kind of the point. most of the time, your awareness is perceiving reality through the confines concept of 3D reality, because that's the data input it's receiving from your brain and body. that grounds you in this reality, and allows you to go about your day to day life. your goal with the pure awareness method is to focus on just your awareness, absent of all 3D distraction data and input. that way, your awareness is primed to be triggered to shift its focus to the 3D perception of a different point of reality when you come out of that state.

i might make a post about techniques for getting into the state of pure awareness, but this post is already long enough.

method two: destabilization of awareness

this method gets over complicated, but it basically boils down to two steps. destabilize your awareness, and then shift.

honestly, most shifting methods i see online are in some way doing this. lucid dreams, the hypnogogic state, SATS, self-hypnosis, "symptoms", and also all those iterations of the "raven method" the "staircase method" the "alice in wonderland method" etc are all basically ways to destabilize your awareness from the linear perception it is so used to in this point of reality, offering the opportunity of triggering a shift to a different one. they're all sort of either distracting or subverting your focus on the 3D here in this point of reality.

basically, you'll be trying to discombobulate yourself to the point your awareness is not focused on 3D reality, and trigger a shift.

method three: absence of awareness

sleep method gang, rise up. i'm serious. this method involves reducing your awareness to zero, or as close to it as possible, another potentially prime state to trigger a shift. (and by sleep method, i don't mean lucid dreamers or SATS, i mean simply going to sleep here, having a period of complete unawareness, like totally dreamless sleep, and then waking up in your DR.)

this absence of awareness during sleep is (in my experience) the most common cause of accidental or unintentional shifts, but you might be one of those who can trigger a shift to desired realities with this too.

sleeping is not the only way to get to the state of the lack of awareness. i'd say total distraction methods also count for this. you're not asleep, your body is awake, but you're so "zoned out" (or alternatively in a meditative state such that) you're absolutely not aware of the 3D experience of this point of reality anymore.

this is completely different from the state of pure awareness by the way, because in the state of pure awareness you are aware. like, in pure awareness you have a full train of thought and total control. the absence of awareness is the opposite. it feels sort of like a "blip" where reality time and space passed you by and you were not aware of it.

[atzhrts]

soo people have been pointing out some of my “flaws” lately and its been making me feel rlly insecure and i’ve been feeling more conscious abt my body. actually, i didn’t rlly mind it until they kept pointing it out 😭 if its okayy can you do a short fic or maybe your thoughts on how anton would comfort you abt it? thank you so muchh🥹 hope u have a great day! & good luck on ur school! 💗

no anon i can fight!!!!!!! (i can not unfortunately) but i will fight!!!!!!! fuck them honestly, especially if you’re comfortable in your body. i know it sucks but don’t let them get to your head, life is way too short to worry about what people think about you. & tysm!!

first of all i think anton would be mad, like who dares to talk about his girl like that and make her sad? he’d genuinely be mad for a bit before he notices it doesn’t really help your situation, he can’t do anything about that right now and he should focus his attention on taking care of you and making you feel better. honestly the decision of what to do is yours anton just tells you he’ll do whatever makes you happy in the moment but when he notices you take too long to reply he gives you options.

he’s hugging you close to his chest and running his hand over your back comfortingly, “do you wanna go shopping?” he lays his head on top of yours, slightly nodding when you tell him no “go eat something nice?” anton’s finger brush through your hair, letting out a small “okay” when you shake your head no.

“just wanna stay here?” he whispers “in my arms?” your boyfriend presses a small kiss against the top of your head when you nod, telling you to u lay down with him. and he’d just hold you so tight, pulling your body on top of his completely as he runs his fingertips up and down your back, “my pretty girl” he mumbles into your hair “the prettiest girl”.

i also feel like anton is the type to write you little notes if he has to leave the house before you, a small “good morning” attached to your favorite mug, a “for my angel” against the flowers he got for you, causing him to almost get to work late and a “remember that you’re my pretty girl okay? fuck everyone else” against the bathroom mirror.

[rageagainstmymachine]

Do You Want A Second Opinion? 3(some): Valentine's Day Special - Primis Richtofen / F! Reader / Ultimis Richtofen

Summary (not really): Happy Valentine's Day! @coldbrewghoul and I have teamed up to bring you two Valentine's Day specials. I couldn't have done this without them. (Thank you for beta reading my work, Ghoul... and encouraging for me to write at all, lol.) If you haven't, go read their fic! (Once you're done with mine, ofc.)

This is your third time here, I'm sure you know what to expect by now. Have another threesome with our two favourite men. ;)

Words: 10,572

Warnings: NSFW - Cursing, Smut, Threesome

Paris, France; beautiful this time of year. The smell of freshly baked pastries caressing your nose, while carafes of red wine stained your tongue. The city just begged to be explored, to be experienced. It was the city of love, after all, and this was the perfect time to melt into its embrace, with Valentine’s Day around the corner. You smiled, closing your eyes and thinking of the day and what it might bring: you and Edward, basking in your love, perhaps making love under the stars if a secluded space just so happens to find you. A dreamy sigh escapes your lips.

“A third sigh. Have I perhaps forgotten something und this is mein reminder?” Edward teased, putting down his tools and looking at you. The lone lightbulb in the room threw harsh shadows on his face, but you could still see the tender look he gave you.  

You look back at the post card you held in your hand, tracing the eiffel tower with the other, trying to hold onto the fantasy you were weaving in your mind. Unfortunately, you weren’t in Paris. You weren’t even in France. You were holed up in some safehouse in god knows, USA. It wasn’t even anywhere near Valentine’s day, at least according to the sweltering heat outside. But you know, given the dutiful calendar you’ve made in the back of your journal, if you were back in your time it would be just on the brink of the holiday. And so you closed your eyes, willing the February chill to grace your skin, and once again fantasized of the perfect vacation to Paris. 

“Just thinking about Paris. I want to go there one day.”  

“Paris? Why would you want to go there?” He grimaced, turning up his nose in German superiority. 

“That’s like the dream destination, is it not? The city of love~” You sigh again, holding the card to your chest. It was a dream, you knew, but sometimes that’s all you had in this zombie-riddled world. “I bet it would be soooo romantic.”  

You could hear Edward get up, his chair scraping against the floor as it was pushed by the backs of his legs. You peeked an eye open to see him saunter, yes, saunter, towards you, a knowing look in his eye. “This wouldn’t be a manifestation of a certain holiday coming up, hm?” 

You grin at him, a slight blush rising to your cheeks as a giddy feeling enveloped you. He remembered. You are both surprised and not at the same time. “Well, maybe…” You laughed, before turning towards him, the Paris postcard discarded. “Can we go somewhere cold at least? Somewhere that feels like winter?” 

“Feels like winter, hm? I can certainly try, Liebling, in fact, we do have to go to a Finnish research facility here soon-“ 

“Ah, too cold.” You wince.  

Edward chuckled, nodding along. “Very well… I suppose we can hop over to Der Riese again, I do have some things I would like to pick up from here. There’s a small abandoned village nearby, so would staying there be acceptable?”  

“I… could be agreeable to that, but what do you need from there?” 

“A doctor never reveals all his cards, fraulein.” 

You roll your eyes but can’t hide the smile that cracks through your annoyed facade. Secretive Edward, who would have guessed. “As long as you make time for me on Valentine’s Day, alright?” 

“Verspreche.” 

~ 

The next morning, you packed up your things with a sense of anticipation. You couldn’t help but glance at the postcard frequently, imagining what Valentine’s Day, which according to your calendar was today, will bring you. It wouldn’t be Paris, but perhaps, with Edward by your side, it would be just as good. If anything there will be a decent bed at the village Edward mentioned, and that’s already better than what you’re used to. You placed your final few things — trinkets you’ve found on your journey, into your bag and closed it, rocking from heel to toe as you swung it on your back. 

“Ready for our departure, Lieb?” Edward asked, cramming a final blueprint into his map case. You found it comical how he was struggling to get it into the tube. Surely he didn’t need that many blueprints? 

“More than ready. I’ve been itching to get out of here the moment we got here.”  

Once Edward gave up and folded the blueprint to put in his primary bag, (the scandal!) he led you out to the yard, where Dempsey and Takeo were waiting, you idly chatted with Dempsey while waiting for Nikolai. He was only a few minutes, and soon all five of you were standing in a circle, Richtofen fishing out the summoning key. 

“We will travel straight to Der Riese first, then once I have grabbed what I need, we will walk to the village, it’s not far.” Edward said while orange sparks began to shoot out of the orb.  

“Right. Let’s just make it quick, yeah? Don’t want to spend more time there than I have to.” Dempsey gruffed. 

“Patience, Dempsey, although I know that’s not your forte.” 

The portal opened, it had decided to spit you out at the mainframe platform, and Dempsey all but shoulder checked him while he decided to be the first one through. Nikolai and Takeo followed, leaving you and Edward as the last ones there. He motioned for you to go first, and so you did, stepping through, Richtofen following you only a pace behind. You couldn’t help but feel all sorts of excitement when a cold chill nipped your skin. Oh, it truly did feel like it was Valentine’s Day. You threw him a smile, and he reciprocated it with a knowing smirk. He was doing this right, he just needed to keep it up.  

Breslau, oh how you could go the rest of your life without ever visiting again. But this time was different, you decided nothing was going to get you down. 

Nothing.  

Not a single thing. 

“All right, give me about five minutes und we will be ready to head out.” Edward said, placing the summoning key… actually, you didn’t know where he stored it. Hm. 

“Why not drop us off? Why must we loiter here with you?” Nikolai asked. He had a fair point. 

Richtofen didn’t answer, just turned on his heel to walk towards the animal testing lab. He didn’t even take a step before he paused, tensing. On instinct, without a word, the five of you drew your pistols, a stray sound finding your ears. No one should be here, and yet, it sounded like someone was. 

“What was noise?” Nikolai whispered, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to pinpoint where it came from, the echo didn’t help at all. 

“There is a… disturbance. We are not alone, Richtofen.” Takeo explained. 

“Well, if it’s a maggotsack, they’ll be zombie paste in no time.” Dempsey cocked his 1911, talking a few tentative steps down the stairs. 

“I don’t hear any moans? To be fair I’m not even sure what I did hear,” you whisper, looking at Richtofen expectantly. However he decided to play this, you’ll follow.  

He had his hand tilted forward, eyes on the ground as he strained to listen for anything else. You were right, there weren't the telltale moans and groans of the undead. It didn’t necessarily mean there was someone here, it would very well just be a wild animal, but the uncertainty was something none of you liked. “Come with me to teleporter A.” He said, eyes flicking to you. “Nikolai, Takeo, take teleporter B. I trust you can handle C, Dempsey?”  

The marine nodded, confidently taking a sharp right at the bottom of the stairs to take the right hand path to the teleporter. Nikolai and Takeo followed him, soon splitting off to investigate their respective teleporter. 

Edward cocked head towards the left and began his descent down the stairs, you followed close behind, gun drawn, eyes peeled. You climbed the stairs towards teleporter A, and soon stopped into your tracks. Another sound. More… deliberate. It was footsteps. Heavy, too heavy to be any small animal. It was distinctively human. He gave you a glance and you nodded, ready to face whoever it was. 

You creeped closer, silently, both weapons aimed and sweeping the area. More movement, now whispers? Is there more than one person? Your heart raced, your lungs held onto the air you took in, and turned the corner and-! 

“Ah, schieße! Why must you be so cruel, little machine?” Edward cooed. 

At least his voice did… but your lover’s lips didn’t move even an inch. Though, it was certainly him… but if it wasn’t him, then that means… 

“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding.” You groan, angrily holstering your weapon. Not this, not now… 

The man who shares a voice and name with your sweetheart jerked his head towards your voice, seemingly just as shocked to see you and you were him. It was that fucking Richtofen! The older one! Jesus Christ.  

Richtofen’s surprised look melted into an unsettling grin, he excitedly walked down the stairs of the teleporter and sauntered (ugh.) over to the two of you. He cooed your name in a sickly sweet tone, and greeted Edward by his title. “Oh, what ever brings you to mein part of Deutschland?”  

“That’s truly none of your concern.” Edward answered, also holstering his Mauser. “Why are you here?”  

“Oh, mein younger self, if you are to be keeping secrets then so am I! But nothing dangerous if that’s your concern.” He groaned out the word ‘dangerous’ in that peculiar moan he does with some words.  

You felt tense, awkward, and truly you’d need a thesaurus to better explain all the complicated emotions swimming in your chest. He said your name, he knows who you are, therefore he at least remembers Camp Edward, and maybe the Pentagon. It’s been months since you last met him at the Pentagon, and even though you said goodbye to him on a good note back then, this was still not who you wanted to see on fucking VALENTINE’S DAY.  

“Truly, I thought you would be much happier to see me, fraulein, given our little rendezvous we’ve shared in the past.” His words dripped with a certain sadness. It was odd, truly. It was his dramatic flair, yes, but something about it made it sound almost… genuine under it all.  

“Richtofen,” you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose, “it’s just bad timing.” 

“Bad timing? Any time is the right time to spend with me! I’m genuinely offended.” 

“Edward and I have plans-.” 

“Oh do we, now? Ohohoh well, I’ll have to check mein schedule, but I think I can move things around…” 

“You know I’m not talking about you.”  

“Is it a special occasion? An anniversary? Mh, no that’s not it, is it? Perhaps…. A holiday? Oh I’m right on the jackpot, aren’t I?!” He gleamed, his voice reaching that high pitch he often uses. “Oh, fraulein, if you do not tell me I’m afraid I might die. I just neeeeeeed to know what’s so important.”  

You could see Edward roll his eyes from the corner of your vision, and you were half tempted to follow his lead, but you decided to just give him a tight smile, deciding to just be truthful. — what a horrible decision, really.  

“Edward and I have plans…” you repeated, hesitating for a moment, “for Valentine’s Day.” 

“What incredible timing we all have! Ach, Valentine’s Day… I haven’t celebrated that since I was a young little boy.” There goes that vocal trill again. “Walk me mich! I must hear all the details.”  

“We should get back to the others.” Edward agreed, albeit begrudgingly. Richtofen took the lead, briskly walking past you while talking about god knows what. You looked at your lover, who seemed to have aged drastically in the last few minutes just from the sheer exhaustion of dealing with his older self. He shrugged, following suit, but not before grabbing some papers and books off a table. 

“Ah, fuck, yeah that’s what I was worried about.” Your Dempsey sighed when he saw the three of you walk back to the mainframe. The rest of your group was there, as well as the other versions of themselves.  

“Hey, what’s up, Dempsey.” You said, walking over to the older marine and clasping your hand on his, bringing him into a hug. Out of the four of them, he was the most tolerable, as annoying as he was still. 

“Hey, pretty lady, fancy seeing you again.”  

You had the mind to look back and saw both Richtofens scowling. Oh, jealousy looks delicious on them— ah, you mean him. You stepped back to stand next to your lover. 

“We were all just catching up.” Tank said, knocking shoulders with his doppleganger. They both yelled out an oohrah! grinning at each other. 

“Charming. Well, I have grabbed what I needed, we can leave now.” Edward sighed, foot tapping on the concrete as his patience grew thin.  

“Oh yeah, hey, we’re going to be staying in this village close to here, y’all leaving or?” Tank asked Dempsey, which caused a strangled noise to escape Edward. 

“Dempsey!” 

“Oooooh you didn’t mention that! Oh we are more than happy to spend ein little bit of time. Und you can tell me more about our plans, ja?” Richtofen made his way between the two of you, wrapping his arms around and pulling both of you closer to him. 

You didn’t know whether Edward wanted to kill Richtofen or Dempsey first. 

He pulled away from him, huffing as he smoothed out his clothes. “Fine! Fine. Whatever. Thank you, Dempsey.”  

You could only laugh, from the sheer audacity of it all and the fact that you could see your plans for romance crumbling right before your eyes; babysitting Richtofen was a full time job. The nine of you headed to the village Edward mentioned, the night air - why was it always night when you visited this factory? - stung your warm cheeks, leaving your ears cold and nose red. With every breeze that passed, a shiver ran up your spine. You and Edward walked ahead, Richtofen keeping up and still talking! Ignoring him was a Herculean task.  

“Frauleiiiinnnnnnnnnn stop ignoring me! Everything I say is very important, you know!” He whined, he was in front of you, walking backwards to look you in the eyes. He’s been doing this for a few minutes now. “I don’t believe that man has ever even been on ein date, let alone ein Valentine’s Day one. He has barely a half baked plan, I’m sure of it.”  

Edward shot a look at his older self: 'Watch it,' it almost screamed. 

“Edward, if you ever- ough!” Richtofen stumbled back, the rock his foot got caught on skidding across the road. He landed on his ass and you couldn’t help but let out a laugh that almost mimicked a hyena’s. Now it was his turn to glare. Edward just kept walking, side stepping him. You helped him up, while still laughing in his face. “-if you ever need tips on how to throw the perfekt date, I am your man.” 

“I’m okay, truly.” 

Richtofen dusted himself off with a dissatisfied hum, but didn’t say much more. Thankfully the village was upon you now, and you all but ran to the closest house, excited to claim privacy and a BED! A GOOD BED!  

You skipped up the stairs, placing your bag on the bed, sitting down as you contemplated what you were going to do. First you need to find make up, yes. Then definitely something sexy to wear. Hair products, maybe a few accessories… If you begin looking through the village now, perhaps you’ll find everything you need for later. You nodded assuredly to no one in particular, ready to get up and begin your search, but before you could, the door to the bedroom opened, catching your attention. 

“Ah, there you are.” Edward said once he saw you. “I hope you’re not already settling down for the night, Schatz.” 

You smile at him. “No, I have things to do. I was just claiming a bed.” You stretch happily, offering your hand to him. Once he took it, you laid back, pulling him into the bed with you. 

“Ah, hallo.” Edward laughed, crawling above you. His arms braced on either side of your head. “Und these things you need to do… ist mein name on that list?”  

“Maybe.” 

He kissed you softly, resting more of his body weight on you. He was the best kind of weighted blanket; you felt caged in just the right way. You ran your tongue against his bottom lip, but he quickly pulled away, wearing a smirk as he went lower, kissing your neck with appreciative hums thrown in the mix. 

“Oh….” You moan and instinctively weave your fingers through his hair, “if you keep this up, I won’t let you out of bed.”  

“Ja?” He moaned into your skin. “Ein Valentine’s day entirely in bed… not too horrible if you ask me.” 

“If you think I’m going to let you fuck without wine-ing and dining me first, you are sorely mistaken, Herr Doktor.”  

“Fuck? Nein! Of course not, mein liebe!” He shook his head, but still trailed his lips lower, taking the first button of your shirt between his teeth and popping it loose. “But make love… well, I certainly have to try.” He popped the next button with his teeth again, using a hand to pull your leg around his waist to press closer to you, grinding down in such a delicious manner. 

“Oh, Edward...”  

“You called?” 

You yelped, pushing Edward aside to look at the owner of the intrusive voice. Edward rolled off of you, groaning in frustration while subtly adjusting himself. Richtofen stood at the door, smirking as he twirled his Luger for no real reason in particular. “Jesus Christ, Richtofen-“ 

“You know, I thought we got past the whole last name business. I distinctly remember you agreeing to call me Edward.” 

“Can we help you?”  

“I get so lonesome by meinself! You know, the others get to jack off with their doppelgängers, but you are constantly hogging mine!” 

“Jack around.” You corrected him. 

“I said what I said!” 

You roll your head to the side, looking at your lover. He just had this annoyed scowl on his face, rolling his eyes so hard you were almost afraid they would get stuck like that.  

“Ugh, I don’t get it!” Richtofen blurted out, in a much different tone than his previous words. “What did I do?”  

“Excuse me?” You ask him, furrowing your brow. You sat up, Edward’s arm slipping away from you.  

“The last time I saw you, we had this wunderbar night at the Pentagon! Und now? Now you treat me like we are still at Camp Edward! Have you met another version of meinself since then?” He asked. 

“Well, no-” 

“Then why is this like… this!” He was exasperated, gesturing wildly between you and him and Edward. If you didn’t know better you would say that tone of his was laced with… insecurity? Or a deep-seated dejection. 

“Ri—“ You paused, choosing your words carefully. “Edward. My Edward and I just have plans is all, and you’re kinda butting into it. Look, what we’ve shared was great and fun, but today is about love, romantic love.” 

He gave you another offended look like at Der Riese. “You don’t think I can be romantic? I can be ein million times more romantic than him!” 

“That’s- Edward you’re not getting the point. Tomorrow is about our—” You gesture between you and your boyfriend, “— relationship. So we just want to spend the time alone, that’s all. We don’t get alone time often.”  

Richtofen stared at you, arms crossed. Was he jealous? No, that couldn’t be right. “Ach, he is mein younger self, you’re practically in a relationship with the both of us, ja?” 

“We are from separate dimensions. You know that.” Edward piped up, looking at the older man from under his brows.  

“Fine! Whatever, you’re the ones missing out, not me.” He huffed, throwing his arms down into fists, a flair of childlike dramatics to his action. He turned on his heel and stomped out, still talking under his breath. “I am the most romantic person on the planet! In the universe! I could give you ein actual HEART if you…” His voice trailed off as he got farther away, leaving the two of you laying there in silence. 

“Is he really upset?” You ask. 

“Him?” Edward barked out a laugh. “Ja, I’m suuuure he is… nein it’s just his dramatics. You should know this by now, Liebling.”  

He was a dramatic person, and while some things did seem a bit dramatic during that conversation, you were almost inclined to think a portion of it might actually have been genuine. “I feel bad…” — the start of a sentence that made Edward also sit up, looking at you with a confused look. 

“What for?” 

You laid back on the bed, tracing idle circles into the comforter as you struggled to find the right words. “I just… I don’t know, didn’t he seem genuinely… jealous? To you?”  

“Oh come on now, mein Herzchen. You know very well whatever feelings he does feel — if he does feel anything at all, we’re still studying that — it’s not genuine. If he is jealous, it’s the same type of jealousy ein child feels when another plays with ein neglected toy. He only wants what he can’t have.”  

Your gaze, which was on Edward, flicked away at his words. A part of you wanted to believe that; it would make everything easier if it was true — him seeing you as just an enjoyable fuck and nothing more… but another part of you, it was scared that your Edward was wrong. That Richtofen was… was feeling something. “Maybe we shouldn’t have ran him off…” 

“He is not ruining our day.” 

“Who said he would? Is it crazy to think he was being genuine?” 

“Liebe, do I really have to answer that question?” He asked, exasperated. You shot him a look but quickly let it melt away, you didn’t want to argue with him… not now.  

“Hey, I’m going to find what I need for later. I’ll meet you in the street in an hour?” 

“Hour thirty?” He asked. 

“Deal.” 

You lean over and kiss him gently, savoring the feeling of his lips on yours. They were chapped, but still soft. He tried to deepen the kiss but you pushed him away, shaking your head. He could only laugh. “Bis später, Doctor.”  

“Bis bald, Liebe.”  

~ 

Now, the cold night air was a welcomed relief after the heat of the house. You and Edward parted ways, deciding to keep some surprises for the actual date. There were a few little stores further into town and so you decided to hit them up first. A small corner store was your first stop, the jingle of the bell ringing out as you opened the door. A lone light swayed back and forth on the ceiling, flickering and buzzing in an eerie way. You’d probably turn right back around if you didn’t see your Dempsey walking through the store, his lighter held in hand as he used it to look closer at some of the items. The welcome chime caused him to look at you, a smile finding his face. 

“Hey, you also looking for something decent to eat? Found some… I think beans? I don’t really know.” He held up a can.  

“Oh, no thanks, Dempsey, I’m actually just looking for some stuff for my date with Edward tonight.” You tell him. You look around for a moment before grabbing two candles from a shelf, holding them in front of Dempsey. He got the hint and lit both of them before flicking his light closed and taking one. He muttered a thanks. 

“Date, huh? Didn’t know he was capable of that.”  

You ignored the comment, choosing instead to browse through the selection of items at your disposal. This general store seemed to have a small section for everything — and make up was no exception. Red lipstick and blush, dark eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. You were happy to take anything and even happier to take these bold colours that were sure to make you look like a bombshell. The door chimed again as you were looking for a mirror and brush. Dempsey greeted Nikolai warmly, so it must be your Nikolai. 

“… can of beans? You know, where I come from, sharing is caring.” Nikolai said to Dempsey. You couldn’t help, but tune into their conversation. 

“Hey, this is none of that communist crap. Do you want it to not?”  

“Da. Thank you, comrade.” Nikolai taunted, yanking the can away from the American before he could take back his offer. He then turned his attention to you, wordlessly wondering what you were up to. Dempsey sensed his questioning look. 

“Date night with Richtofen, apparently.” 

“I didn’t know he was capable of such thing.”  

Dempsey laughed, slapping Nikolai on the back. “You ain’t so bad sometimes.” You shot both men a glare, shaking your head as you picked up the mirror you were looking for. 

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” You asked them. 

“Nope.” “Nyet.” 

“Good, because I’ll need your opinions, c’mon, move your asses.”  

You all but dragged them out of the store, out into the German street. They complained but you didn’t let up, walking down the street with two confused men in tow. You peered into windows as you went, looking, searching, and you almost squealed in delight when you found what you were searching for. Truthfully, you didn’t know if you would. 

“A clothing store, really?” Dempsey sighed, annoyed but still walking ahead to open the door for you. You thanked him as you breached the doorway, flicking on the lights. It was indeed a clothing store, one that looked to mostly specialize in women’s fashion. Dresses were hung on racks, while three mannequins wore whatever was the style for the season in the windowsill. They were all a little old fashioned for your taste, but that might just be a homerun with Edward. 

“Alright, listen. Today is Valentine’s Day if you didn’t know and I need something that screams ‘I don’t want to make it through dinner,’ you understand?” Dempsey made fake — or possibly real — gagging noises. You chose to ignore it. “So, I’m going to try on some dresses, you two will give me ACTUAL feedback until we find the perfect dress.”  

“Can we say n-“ 

“No.”  

You sauntered around the men, looking through the dresses, there were pretty blues, periwinkles, mint… you grabbed every dress that was your size and went into the dressing room, humming happily as you put the blue dress on. It was simple, one you’d imagine a good girl would wear. You soon stepped out of the dressing area donned in the fabric, giving a twirl to show it off. “Thoughts?” 

“You tryin’ to seduce him as a milkmaid or something?” Dempsey asked, raising his eyebrow. 

“You remind me of my mother, back in the warm summers of Tsaritsyn. Very calming.”  

You nod, turning on your heel. “Calming is not what I’m going for.” You pull the curtain closed behind you and throw the dress off, instead picking up the periwinkle one and shimmying into it. You walk back to your showcase spot, once again doing a twirl. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s fine.” Dempsey shrugged. 

“Just fine?”  

“It’s… not flattering colour on your skin.” Nikolai elaborated.  

“It makes you look almost sickly. Fuck, maybe that’s what get the doc’s engines revving. If so then it’s perfect.” 

“Oh fuck off, Dempsey.” You did this quite a few times, going through dress after dress, getting more lukewarm responses than you’d hoped. At least they were honest. They were… shockingly useful at this. It wasn’t until you got to your last garment, almost out of hope, that you felt a dash of surprise mixed with joy. It was a red, almost maroon thing. You didn’t get a good look at it in the main part of the store. Hell, you barely even looked at it when you tore it off the hanger, but now as you held it up? Your smile widened as you put it on, sauntering out to the boys. “So?” 

Dempsey’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline, his mouth gaping as he stared, taking you in, Nikolai wasn’t much better: he was flushed as he looked anywhere but you. 

“That’s… that’s uh…” Dempsey tried. 

“A winner.” You finish his sentence, posing ever so seductively. Now both the men are blushing now. You laugh and flit away to grab a pair of heels. “But it’s not complete until my make up is done. You can run along now, I got my use out of you.”  

Then men nodded, not trusting their mouths, swiftly making their exit, leaving you to do your makeup and hair in peace. It didn’t take long; you kept your hair simple, spending most of the time on your bombshell makeup. You gave yourself a once over before checking the clock, seeing that it was time to meet Edward. You made your way out of the store, walking down the street to the beat of your heels echoing off the barren streets. The click clacking of your heels made you more confident, turning your simple walk to a strut as you shifted your hips from side to side with each step. You felt powerful, like you could take on the world, like you could seduce the world. As you saw Edward step into the street, perhaps heeding the call of your presence, you were going to put that theory in motion. His eyes found you, sharing a similar look that Dempsey had: high strung eyebrows with his mouth agape. His hand, which held a bouquet of flowers, faltered, falling to his side.  

“Wow…” Edward only managed to whisper the word, drinking in your appearance as you walked closer. His eyes flicked down to the black heels that echoed the pounding of his heart, up your stocking covered leg, seeing how that slit in that maroon dress went higher and higher and higher. Scandalously high, ever teasing your hip. His gaze trailed higher, to the cinched in waist then up to the plunged neckline that barely kept your breasts in. It stayed there for quite a few beats before flicking up to your face, taking in your wine red lips, rouge blush and dark smokey eye. “You look… ah…” 

“You clean up well, yourself.” You tease. He changed, like you did, now donning a three piece that hugged his form well, accentuating his broad shoulders and impossibly thin waist. You pulled him closer by it, cocking your head up to kiss him. He got the hint, leaning down and eagerly pressing his lips to yours hard. When the two of you disconnected, you could only laugh as you saw his lips were now stained a pink colour. “You’re wearing my lipstick.” 

“Und how does it look on me? Does it match mein complexion?” He laughed and you couldn’t help but join in, soon leaving the two of you grinning at each other like idiots. Edward snapped out of it quickly. “Ach, these are for you,” he said, remembering the bouquet he held tightly in his fist. He brought them up and you inhaled their floral scent, letting your eyes close as you savored it. 

“What a thoughtful man you are.” 

“Only the best, for mein special Frau, on this special day.” 

The two of you walked silently, hand in hand. It was… comfortable. A word you are not used to using ever since this whole undead fiasco started. “Ah, hold on, I have some jewelry in my bag I’d like to put on.” You pull him towards the house you claimed, noticing how the downstairs lights were on. Odd, you thought you turned them all off. You reach the door and push it open, a gasp catching in your throat at what laid ahead. 

Every surface of the living room was covered in bouquets. The coffee table was filled with daisies and tulips, the entertainment center with Hyacinths and dandelions. Other tables and pulled out chairs had primroses and snowdrops, violets and hepaticas, forget-me-nots and poppies. And in the thick of it sat a very pleased looking Richtofen, twirling a lone Edelweiss between his thumb and forefinger. He had ditched the coat, the hat, and even the gloves. He merely donned his white button up, black tie (sans the pin), his normal slacks, and boots. Extremely underdressed for him. 

“Ah, Fraulein, you made it not ein moment too soon.” He smiled, stretching his long legs before standing up to stalk closer to you. You look back at Edward, who was now looking at his lone bouquet with a sheepish look. Just as soon as you saw it, Richtofen was upon you, grabbing your chin and tilting it back towards him. He brushed some hair away to place the Edelweiss behind your ear. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” In your hand, he placed a bar of chocolate that had a red bow tied to it. It was… sweet? What the hell was going on here??  

“Richtof-“ 

“Edward.” 

“…Edward, what… the hell is all this?” You were at a loss for what to say, you didn’t even have the mind to say thank you. You just… stared. 

“Romance, ja? I saw that our little lover boy was getting flowers, so I followed his lead, but did it much better.” 

Richtofen led you into the room by the small of your back, parading you around to each bundle of flowers. He all but shoved them into your face, begging you to smell them. By the time you got around the room and back, your head was spinning from the gorgeous scents that overwhelmed your senses. You were passed back to Edward, whose lips were in a tight line, a certain anger in his gaze. 

“Didn’t you say you have some jewelry you needed to fetch, Schatz? Why don’t you go do that while I have a talk with mein older self.”  

You felt the tension. It was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. You wordlessly nodded and ascended up the stairs slowly, looking back with each step you took, almost nervous about what Edward would do. I mean, you knew he wasn’t above shooting his other self. 

Whatever was said was in hushed words, keeping it down to where you couldn’t make any words out. Hell, you wouldn’t be surprised if they also switched to German. You took your time getting the necklace on — a simple thin gold chain with a diamond piece — making sure it sat perfectly on your cleavage. The matching earrings were next as you took a deep breath to brace yourself to go back downstairs. If you were about to find a dead body you’d rather steel yourself ahead of time. 

Thankfully, there wasn’t a Richtofen corpse lying in a bed of tulips. They were standing together, waiting for your descent, hands clasped behind their backs. For a moment they truly looked identical, reminding you that Richtofen is what you had to look forward to when Edward was older. Not personality wise, you hoped, but looks. If Edward really did age to look like his older self, you wouldn’t be disappointed at all. 

“Are you ready to go, Eddie?”  

Edward cleared his throat, looking at you then to his older counterpart, a wary, yet resolute look to his eyes. “Ja, mein liebe, if… you don’t mind company on our outing.” You raised an eyebrow at his words, stopping in your tracks just before the last step down. You silently asked him to explain. “Ah… Edward, here, will be joining us for dinner.”  

“Is he now?” 

“Jawohl.” 

You gave him another beat to say just kidding or, really, anything. When it didn’t come you shrugged, taking the last step and walking over to the men. You kiss your Edward and then turn to the other, narrowing your eyes before giving him the slightest slap on his cheek. “Behave.”  

“You might as well tell me not to breathe.” 

Both Edwards led you out of the house, sneaking silently through the underbrush until you came across a small hillside that led towards a calm river. A small blanket was thrown out that hosted a basket, wine bottle and a few candles ready to be lit. It was simple, but oh, did it make your heart soar. Edward really was trying to make this the best Valentine’s Day he could. Your Edward ushered you to sit as he tasked his other self to light the candles while he got out the food. Fruits, cheeses, sausages, and crackers were all arranged on a charcuterie board. Once the candles were lit, both Edwards sat down on either side of you, pouring the wine and feeding you fruit. 

“So what is this, truly?” You ask, looking at Edward then rolling your head to look at Richtofen. 

“I am simply showing mein younger self how to properly treat a woman. Open.” He ordered then fed you a grape, tracing your bottom lip with his finger. “Und perhaps to show you there are better Richtofens spend your time with. You got dealt a bad hand on that one ohoho-Ach!” He reeled his hand away from where it was behind you, you could only imagine what Edward stabbed it with in response to that comment. 

“I didn’t know you were the… romantic type, to be honest.” 

“Fraulein, you don’t know most things about me. Ja, mein idea of a good time is slashing und gutting the hoards, or perhaps stealing a few spleens from our schleeping colleagues, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to be what’s considered… traditionally romantic. It’s just boring most times.” 

“Most times? Is this one of those times?” 

He paused for a moment, eyes flicking towards you before grabbing another fruit, this time a strawberry, bringing it to your lips. Your teeth grazed his fingertips as you bit down. “It’s still early.”  

Edward tipped the wineglass up to your lips and you took a swig, the liquid feeling luxurious as it travelled down your throat. As soon as you swallowed, Richtofen was feeding you another bite of cheese, sausage, and ground mustard on a cracker. You ate it greedily, hunger twisting in your stomach, but it wasn’t entirely for food... 

“You look ravishing tonight, mein Liebe.” Edward sighed into your ear, turning your head with two fingers. He kissed you gently, savouring the moment. It was chaste, but it said everything that needed to be said. He brought the wine back up to your lips. Another sip. Another bite of food from the other’s hand.  

“Fraulein, I have met ein thousand women in mein day, und yet, none even came close to the beauty you effortlessly possess.”  

Your eyes shot up high, cheeks exploding in a blushing fury as the words escaped Richtofen’s lips. You have never heard him say anything like that. Who is this man and what did he do with the evil Edward Richtofen you know? You couldn’t even squeak out a reply because as soon as he spoke those words he was pulling you into a kiss. At first it was much like Edward’s, until he deepened it, tongue gently wiggling into your mouth, caressing your own as if he was mapping each and every taste bud on it. You couldn’t help the moan that escaped your lips. Richtofen pulled back and smirked, not at you, but at his younger self. 

Edward looked displeased to say the least. His lips were in that tight line again as he stared at Richtofen. You could swear you saw the vein in his forehead bulge. The glare disappeared as he looked at you, a wave of confidence enveloping him. You were given another drink of wine, but before Richtofen could feed you Edward had your face in both his hands, looking deep into your eyes. “You shine brighter than any star, burn brighter than any flame, und can kill a man with ein look alone. You make me burn up, schatzi. You make me ache with love, with want, with need.”  

He pressed his lips to yours hard, devouring you in a kiss so deep it left you breathless. He tasted the backs of your teeth, swirled around your tongue, and coaxed it into his mouth, sucking on it so deliciously. Another moan was coaxed out, but this time louder.  

And Richtofen didn’t take too kindly to that. He pulled you away from Edward, roughly bringing your face to his and smashing your lips together even harder. Your lips might be bruised and battered by the time they were through with you. He forced his tongue into your mouth, along with… something else. A foreign intruder that startled you, until he maneuvered it to your molars, and forced you to bite down. A kaleidoscope of flavour exploded on your tongue, syrup coating yours and his as the chocolate began to melt on your teeth. You recognized the flavour as those chocolate candies that have the cherry inside. Soon enough the two of you were pushing the small cherry around your mouth, groans and grunts leaving the two of you. You knew those candies weren’t alcoholic, but you were beginning to rethink that by how your head was swimming. He finally wrapped his tongue around the cherry and drug it back into his own mouth to swallow, teasing you with just the taste of it. 

You gasped, panting hard as you pulled away to swallow the thick syrup. You could only look up at the stars that twinkled as the two of them attacked your neck, kissing and sucking as if you were dinner tonight. The wineglass was pressed against your lips again, more food shoved into your mouth and you could barely register anything that was going on as they tore at your clothes. Did they at some point become undead? It certainly felt like it, the way they were devouring you. 

“What are- what is- what-“ You couldn’t even form a coherent sentence.  

“Fraulein didn’t you say we must take you to dinner first before we ravished you again?” The older man hummed, laughing into your skin when you yelped from a harsh bite. 

“But-“ 

“Mein alter counterpart had a point. What better way to celebrate the occasion than by being thoroughly fucked.” 

Ah, that must be what they were talking about in the house. 

You tried to protest, tried to explain that today was about romance, about love! But the more they worshiped you, the more they kissed and sucked and pulled and groped… the more you were happy to think of this as romance. Your dress was harshly pulled down by Richtofen as Edward worked your bra clasp open, tossing aside the offending piece of fabric. They both had one goal in mind: ravishing your breasts. They both latched onto your nipples and laid you back fully to have their way with you. Edward was gentle, suckling as he gazed up at you from under those pretty eyelashes while Richtofen was anything but. He sucked hard, teeth grazing and biting, sending jolts of delicious pain to your core. The harsh difference between how the men attended to your breasts had you reeling. 

Edward trailed his kisses down to your stomach and then lower, pushing your dress down as he went. You were out in the open; if anyone came to investigate they would see your almost fully nude body. Why didn’t you care? Richtofen’s hand replaced where Edward’s mouth once was, pinching and twisting the now neglected nipple.  

“Edward, have you ever seen such ein fine specimen?” Your lover asked, pushing aside your damp underwear. Your folds were attacked by the cold, but quickly soothed as he drug his thumb along it. Richtofen pulled away from his work on your breasts, going to join Edward at your lower half. 

“How gorgeous this little cunt is. Have you experimented with it, Doktor?”  

“Ah, quite right, Doktor. I have found it to be quite… sensitive. Very responsive. But of course, there’s always more experiments to run. I would love to have ein second opinion.”  

Richtofen smirked, also touching your now drenched slit. Edward thumbed at your clit while the other pushed into your hole, feeling you flutter with every stroke of the younger’s on your bundle of nerves. “Jawohl. Very sensitive, indeed. Have you completed any oral experimentation?” 

“Of course, I am very thorough… however an observer is crucial when it comes to such tests, ja?” 

You simply groaned, loving how they spoke about you as if you were just a test subject, but hating that they weren’t actively fucking you in any capacity. Edward finally relented at your whining, pulling your dress and panties all the way off before burying his face into your pussy. His lips closed around your clit, tongue lashing at the nub while he gave slow, hard sucks. He used the tip of his tongue to flick it back and forth, up and down, pressing harder, licking faster as you mewled and cried out from sheer ecstasy. Richtofen watched intensely, holding your leg open to get a good view of what his doppelgänger was doing. 

You were so close, you twitched and clawed at the blanket, legs so desperately wanting to close around Edward’s head but stopped by Richtofen’s strong hands. You could feel the coil in your core wind tighter and tighter following the tight circles of Edward’s insistent tongue on your clit. You moan out their names, shaking as you reach your peak, coming hard under Edward’s attention. He broke the seal of his lips, ducking his head a bit lower to catch your climax on his tongue, his nose pushing against your sensitive clitoris as he lapped you up like a starved man. When he was satisfied, he sat back on his haunches, looking proud with a very obvious tent in his trousers. The satisfied smirk on his lips lasted only until Richtofen opened his mouth — many such cases. 

Richtofen clicked his tongue thrice, shaking his head in disappointment. “Ach, I knew you were a lost cause, Edward.” He said, harshly pulling him out from between your legs. “This is how you properly eat a cunt. Perhaps take notes?” 

Richtofen gave you an overconfident grin, before he too dove into your overstimulated pussy. He plunged his tongue into your hole, slurping and twisting it around while his nose rubbed against your throbbing clit. It was too much, oh so much. You cried out again, legs clamping around his head as your hands tried to push him away. He only laughed into your abused flesh, hooking an arm around your leg to keep himself anchored in place. Once he got his fill of your juices, he pulled his tongue out to focus on your bundle of nerves while he stuffed his fingers inside you, fucking you with them brutally. 

“Fuck, Edward!” You cried out as he bit down on your clit, grabbing his hair and pulling hard, but that only seemed to fuel him. He grazed his teeth on it a few more times, each time making more whines and pleas to escape your throat. It hurt, oh god it hurt, but in a way that had you speeding towards the finish line. 

He crooked his fingers in precisely the right way, pushing hard against that spongy part inside you over and over until you came, stars bursting in your vision. You screamed into the hand he quickly placed over your mouth as you clamped down hard on his fingers, crushing his digits in waves as you rode out your high. Your clit throbbed harder as the onslaught overwhelmed your frazzled senses. Your body thrashed, hands pulled his hair tightly, mouth begging words that disappeared into his palm. It was only when you went entirely limp, too overstimulated to fight anymore, that he pulled away gasping, face absolutely drenched in your juices. He pulled his fingers out — even with being overstimulated you whined from the empty feeling — and brought them to his mouth, sucking greedily to get every drop off.  

“Wouldn’t you say that was much better, fraulein?” He laughed, looking smugly at Edward.  

You couldn’t say anything, you could barely breathe. Your body was numb and frayed at the same time and horribly you could still feel the ghost of his mouth torturing your poor cunt. Your chest heaved with the effort it took to bring in air. Better? He’s trying to kill you! Your mind was clouded from overzealous pleasure, barely registering you were naked laying spread eagle on the blanket in the grass out in the open. Well, you weren’t entirely naked as you still had your thigh highs on, but your heels had been kicked off at some point during this whole… cunnilingus-fest. 

“I think our subject is fried.” Richtofen hummed, at least you assumed it was the older one, you were too exhausted to check. “Her pussy is still pulsing, perhaps her senses have been overloaded. Pity. I assumed she could take more.” 

“Oh, she can.” A similar voice said, or was that Richtofen? Why do they sound so similar right now!? “We just need to give her a reason to. Liebling, watch.”  

The way his voice commanded you with such authority had your eyes opening and hazily focusing on them. They were unfastening buttons on their clothing, shedding the fabric while keeping intense eye contact with you. They dared you to look away and with each inch of delicious skin getting shared with you, you wouldn’t dream of it. You didn’t notice until now how scarred the older man’s body was. They were light, healed, almost imperceptible until you were ogling it as you were now. You could see some softness to his belly that Edward had yet to gain, but it didn’t detract to his attractiveness. Soon the men were kneeling naked in front of you, heaving, rock hard and eating you alive with their eyes. At least for a moment, before Richtofen shifted towards his younger self, eyeing his body. 

“Mh, I had such a fantastic body at that age. The fact you hide it from the world is an injustice, truly.”  

In a move that even shocked you, knocking you immediately out of your orgasm-induced daze, Richtofen reached out, wrapping a hand around Edward’s cock and pumping it lazily, dragging his foreskin down to fully uncover the tip. His head was cocked to the side and a large grin painted his face. 

Edward reeled back, slapping the other’s hand off his dick, entirely bewildered with anger bubbling up to the surface. “Was zum teufel?”  

“Was? Ugh don’t be such a prude. It’s glorified masturbation.” Richtofen reached for him again, but was once again swatted away. 

“Don’t touch me with your filthy hands!” 

“Oh, I’m allowed to stuff your girlfriend’s cunt with mein filthy hands aber you draw the line at yourself, hm?” Richtofen was baiting him, egging him on to give in and fuck you were almost sure it was working. “C’mon Edward, look at her and tell me she was not enjoying it.” He said, two sets of gazes now pointed at you. 

You laid there, eyes lidded as you had indeed enjoyed watching the other man grope your lover. It was a twisted kind of enjoyment you knew, but Edward on Edward action made your abused cunt gush back to life, aching for more. You bit your lip as you slowly nodded. “Bitte.”  

Bitte. 

And that seemed like it was enough. 

Richtofen wrapped his fist around Edward’s cock again, but this time he wasn’t swatted away. With an uneasy stare, he watched as foreign yet so familiar hands pumped his leaking shaft, groaning as he hit all the right spots, squeezed all the right areas, and at just the right speed. “Ah- ah fick.” The younger man gasped, hips jolting. 

“I have played with this Schwanz for decades now und I know exactly how to drive you wild. Move over Fraulein, let him lay down.” Unceremoniously, Richtofen grabbed Edward and pushed him down. Your lover tumbled next to you, barely getting his bearings before Richtofen was laid behind him, sandwiching Edward between the two of you. Richtofen grabbed his cock again, pumping and twisting his wrist in just the right way to have his doppelganger arching his back so deliciously while little moans tumbled out. “Go on, play with his sack.” How could you say no? 

You groped him, squeezing his balls before rolling them in your palm. You could feel it tighten when Richtofen ran his thumb along his tip, collecting the precum and pushing him closer to ecstasy. Edward was panting, lolling his head back and forth, letting bits of German fall from his tongue. “Isn’t- schieße.. aren’t we supposed to be focusing- ach! on… on mein…” He trailed off, unable to complete a single sentence, but still looking at you though heavily lidded eyes to infer it. 

“She’s enjoying it plenty, but if you do insist…” Richtofen stopped playing his counterpart’s cock, “Use him, get your fill again, but do not let him cum, ja? Our little Edward deserves to be tortured.” He let out a manic laugh. He offered you a hand, and with it, you swung your leg over Edward’s hips, rutting your folds on his weeping cock before impaling yourself. He sunk into you deliciously, kissing your cervix with the head. “Ride him like a bitch in heat.” 

And my god, you did. 

You slammed your hips down on him with a bruising pace, using his cock like a toy to get yourself off. You watched as Richtofen grabbed Edward’s hand, placing it on his own neglected cock. Perhaps Edward was already too fucked out to care or it was something else entirely, but he began to stroke the older man, sloppily with less finesse he received, but it had Richtofen throwing his head back in a laugh turned moan, saying what you can imagine is downright filthy things in German. 

Edward’s other hand gripped on your hip tightly as he began thrusting upward, snapping his hips in time to your bouncing. His eyes flicked from your drenched and filled cunt, watching his throbbing prick plunge deep inside, to your breasts which swayed and jiggled with each grind of your hips.  

“Tick tock, schlampe, reach your climax before he does, or not at all.” Richtofen ordered. 

You nodded, closing your eyes and focused on the build up. You narrowed in to the sensation of Edward’s cock hitting just the right spot in you, in tandem of your clit smashing against his pubic bone with each push of your hips together. You felt the telltale signs of your orgasm approaching, feeling that familiar coil once again wind up until it snapped inside you like a molten rubber band. You arched your back violently, shuttering and sobbing from the force. He still shoved his cock into your fluttering pussy over and over, chasing down his own orgasm that was sped up by your tightening inner muscles. Before he could find it, Richtofen was lifting you off, placing your jellied body on your hands and knees. He had to hold you to keep you from collapsing, but that was no problem for the strong older man. You didn’t miss how your lover whined from the loss of your tight cunt. Without warning, he pushed your head into the blanket and thrusted inside you from behind. You were already warmed up, just how he liked. He pounded into you with such force you began sliding against the blanket, feeling the rough fabric burn your cheek and knees. You anchored yourself with two fistfuls of the cloth.  

“Ja… mh… so gut. Ach, you’re so gut. You ruin me, fraulein.” Richtofen grunted, words punctuated by every thrust. With one hand he kept you in place, the other palmed roughly at your breast. Your fourth orgasm hit you like a freight train. It was unexpected, like a cork of a champagne bottle popping. Tears welled up and dripped down to the blanket as the pleasure was blinding. You couldn’t make a noise besides a single, strangled gasp. Even with your silence, your bodily reactions said everything. He felt you cum, felt your pussy flutter and squeeze and clench down on his cock. He only fucked you faster, clawing at you skin as if trying to rip you apart. “Nnnngh… ja, mein hure, mein Hündin… mein… lieb-ach!” 

He stilled, spilling his hot seed deep into your cunt. His cockhead was insistent against your cervix as it throbbed and twitched. A few more shallow thrusts to chase the end of his orgasm was all he could afford before he collapsed onto the coarse fabric, his softening cock slipping out and laying limply on his lower stomach. You were now sandwiched between the men, not that you minded. 

The three of you were heaving, trying to take all the oxygen in the atmosphere greedily into your lungs. Richtofen was spent, you felt overused, and yet Edward was still hard as a rock, aching, not quite having his fill. Richtofen noticed, and was quick to rectify that. 

“Edward, make love to her under the stars. Langsam. Properly.” 

“Since when did you become the director of this play?” Edward asked, while still getting up to lay between your legs. Your legs instinctively wrapped around his slender hips even when your body said it was too overworked to do anything. His tip bobbed against your entrance and with a careful push, he slowly filled you to the hilt. You whimpered as your body protested the intrusion.  

Richtofen sat up, grabbing something that had been long discarded. Soon he was laying on his side, facing you, watching you as he brought a kiwi slice up to your lips. You let him place it on your tongue and you playfully licked his digit as he did so. A wicked smile graced his lips as you ate the fruit, feeling the refreshing bite of the liquid race down your throat while Edward began to finally make love to you, right under the stars, just as you wanted. His thrusts were slow and languid, Sweet German nothings whispered softly into your ear as Richtofen continued to feed you during the passion. Was this heaven? Was this the greed, the glutton, the lust they’ve spoken about in the Bible? If this was wrong, you never wanted to be right. 

This time your orgasm flowed over you in a stream of muted pleasure, perhaps underwhelming for most, but it was exactly what you needed after the onslaught these men — mostly Richtofen — had put you through. It was a sweet release, just as sweet as the fruit juices dancing on your tongue. You looked into Edward’s eyes as you had your final orgasm, hand reaching out to hold Richtofen’s, lacing your fingers with his. You don’t know why you did it, but it felt… right. Right. 

Edward came shortly after you, shivering and sighing ‘Ich liebe dich’s against your lips. When he was spent, he too pulled out and collapsed next to you. The two men were cuddled on both sides, caressing your body, in a more… sensual way. 

“We are… lying naked on a hill,” you finally say, laughing at the absurdity of it all. “You think anyone heard?”  

“I would be concerned they were deaf if they didn’t.” Edward sighed. You could tell he was coming back to his senses.  

“Gut. I hope they did, I hope they are soooo jealous I am getting mein dick wet und not them. Especially Dempshey.” The older man smirked. 

The three of you once again got mostly dressed. Well, enough dressed to walk back to the house you picked. You were really getting deja vu, remembering scrambling to get dressed at the Pentagon. You didn’t bother with the food, or the wine, or anything for that matter. Edward carried you “home” with Richtofen in tow, sluggishly climbing the stairs and dumping you under the covers. Two warm bodies cuddled against you on both sides.  

‘You better get used to this happening each time you come across the older Richtofen’ A little voice in your head said to you. That wouldn’t be hard to do, you decided. 

“I hope this Valentine’s Day was… adequate.” Edward sighed, running his fingers through your hair. 

“Adequate?” You asked, voice slurred from the sleep that threatened to overtake you. “I got thoroughly wined and dined and fucked by my two favourite men. This was the Valentine’s Day of all Valentine’s Days.” 

“Two favourite, hm? I suppose I could live with that.” Richtofen piped up. “Although I hope next time it’s my turn to be spoiled. Let’s see… I want blood und guts und spleens? Ja, spleens would make the doctor very happy.”  

“And I thought you were romantic?” You teased. He playfully pinched your nipple while huffing. 

“I said I can be romantic, und I think I rigorously proved that tonight. I didn’t lose all of meinself to 115, you know. There’s still a part of me, somewhere, deep inside. It seems to spring out when… I’m with you, Fraulein.” He looked uncomfortable with his own words, either by not meaning to say them out loud, or by not meaning to think of them at all. He quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject, the vulnerability too much for him. “I hope I taught you a thing or two, Edward?” 

Edward didn’t respond and looking over to him confirmed what you assumed, he was out like a light, snoring softly. The poor man was worn. You giggled, turning your attention back to the man currently pressing closer to you. “I’m sure you did.” 

He smiled at you, a genuine smile. It was followed by a chaste, but passionate kiss and when you closed your eyes, you swore it felt just like how your lover would kiss you. “Ich lieb-“ he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Ich habe dich lieb.”  

“Ich habe dich lieb?” You whisper, not quite understanding. 

“Ja. Just leave it as that for now. Gute Nacht, mauschën.” 

You wanted to argue, you wanted to know what he said, but with the serious tone his voice had, something that chilled you to the bone, you decided to not press, for now. “Gute Nacht, Eddie,”  

Another genuine smile. Oh, how he’s spoiling you. 

You fell asleep in the arms of your two Edwards again, feeling safe and secure and entirely loved. How was this going to end? You had no idea. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to debate the intricacies of this time travelled fuelled intimacy you shared with the both of them. You were going to just enjoy the ride while you were on it, especially today. 

Truly the Valentine’s Day of all Valentine’s days indeed. 

This fic on Ao3

All fics (Ao3)

I'd appreciate it if you left kudos!

[tillysketch]

You are my sunshine... (500)

Idea originally by @clericblood, her passage about being Astarion’s sun has burrowed into my brain, taken root, and sprouted leaves. I adore the HC about Astarion opening up a tailor shop in Baldur's Gate and I want to write more about it in the future. SO, here is those two ideas sort of mashed...

Two years later, after the fall of the absolute, the netherbrain, and the rebuilding of the Gate, you and Astarion have settled into a quiet comfortable routine. You’ve become a nocturnal pair, sleeping with the curtains drawn in the bright mornings, and dancing together under the starlit skies. Life is so easy now, compared to fighting every damn day and constantly traveling, moving, and dodging danger. You've built a home with the man you loved, and that alone was more than enough for you. There are moments however, where you miss daylight, and your heart hurts to think about how devastating it must have been to Astarion to lose the sun, not only once, but twice...

Every once in a while though, you become his sun. You come home from spending a day outside in the suffocatingly hot air. Your skin, now a shade or two lighter, burns much easier unfortunately. But, it makes Astarion’s cold hands all the more soothing. He rubs oil of aloe on your arms and shoulders when you come back home to him. Secretly, he adores it when you return all sun kissed and sweaty. He presses his cheek to your neck, wraps his body around yours- soaking in the heat that billows off of you. Inhaling the scent of your sweat mixed with that of your sun lotion, its his favorite perfume of yours. Exhausted, you just want to sleep, your day ending as his is beginning. It always takes a day or two to get back on the same sleep/wake cycle after your outings into the diurnal world. 

Astarion doesn’t mind. There isn't much anymore that he takes mind to, in fact. He’s more than content to let you sleep and warm your shared bed while he busies himself with his tailoring projects, or reading the daily gazette. With his newly booming business, there are always alterations to be made, small embroidery designs to work on, and repairs to torn trousers and the like. Work, work, work, work, work.... He pretends to hate it, but this new slow and quiet life is everything he could have ever wanted. And having you beside him through it all, it makes it all the sweeter. 

The night markets, various trips to the Underdark, and wanderings across Faerun have been the most uneventful, but greatest adventures you’ve had yet. Long gone are the days of swords, crossbows, and knives, but everyday spent together is just as thrilling, in its own special sort of way. Journeying by foot, you’ve stayed in almost every inn from the Gate all the way down the sword coast. One of your favorites is in Candlekeep, a small little bed and breakfast that overlooks the ocean. The constant background noise of the crashing waves drifting through the window is heavenly. 

Your dear friend Gale, bless him, writes every few weeks to update the both of you on an enchantment he has been working on diligently- one that will allow Astarion to return to the sunlight. Neither of you hold any hope in this, so as not to be disappointed if it doesn’t work out. Still, the sentiment and effort is more than kind of him to do for you two. You’re content, your days are the world’s quiet nights, and all is well.

Thanks for reading! <3 - Tilly

[nobilisseoblige]

[ GOSSIP ] With all these people milling around, there’s plenty of room for discussion… like who would make the most adorable couple? Or, even juicier, who has invisible strings tying them together? Do tell!

"So, is there anyone here who has caught your eye?" Deirdre approaches Ferdinand with a mischievous glint in her own eye. "I was about your age when I first married. You never know when that perfect person might appear in your life!"

"Miss Deirdre!!" he was beside himself in eagerness, wringing his gloved hands as she approached with her beautiful, kind eyes and hair of fields so silver it glittered in tints of lavender. just seeing her was like running through a field of flowers. how fond he was, to see her again after all this time. how homesick he was, to know she was not around last month when so many others were… "you look well! beautiful. stunning. all the world your oyster and pearls." Ferdinand flourished a bit, affection pouring in place of concern and the spiking pang of emptiness. did she know she was loved?

"ah—" she started and he started with her, catching the glint in her eyes and taking on flames in its place. his cheeks are red for only a moment, and his hands wave her off playfully. "nothing like that, Miss Deirdre. though I am pleased to hear of your love. at this age, many seem to seek it out, but the unfortunate tend to outweigh the few lucky hearts out there."

"ah but…" he blurted out the first thing that was always and perpetually spinning in his mind.

"I think it is obvious."

"the one person always on my eye is edelgard. you know her, don't you? she is my eternal rival. the one that is currently set for the imperial throne. you should certainly watch over her and compare us, to see which student has performed superiorly."

"though, I prefer a fair judgement over consolation, if you don't mind. I need to work hard to make sure she always stays in my line of vision." fingers raking through his hair, he sighed.

"such is my devotion. she has no appreciation of me."

[kyndahot]

CONTINUING THIS! this.. is so much longer than I intended it to be LMFAOOO *throws this at you like bird seed*. ALSO something about us - daft punk is their song. I do make the rules now. Seer Obscura's text is in purple for clarity's sake-- I'm not confident enough in my writing or grammatical ability to trust their dialogue is legible otherwise LOL I could get away with it more confidently in shorter posts seer obscura can cook morgan has a cat & a green thumb

So Morgan offered them his bedroom to sleep in while he was away but he isn’t very confident that they actually take him up on the offer from their very hesitant “I’ll decide later.”

He didn’t push it past that— if they were uncomfortable with it then his couch could make a decent pull out and he had some extra bedding in the hallway closet to make it a better place to sleep.

It’s really late into the night when he arrives back home, Seer Obscura texted him earlier in the day that they’d be heading out after they fix up the apartment.

“I can take care of it myself, friend. Just take care of Sage’s food and water bowls and head out.”

“Morgan, it’s fine. I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t leave it sparkling.”

He lets out a tired, breathy laugh. “Fine, if it helps you sleep at night.”

“You know it will.” ⸙⸙⸙ Unfortunately, he receives news at the airport that his flight would be delayed by a number of hours. He calls Seer Obscura to let them know. "Feel free to just head on out anyway. I'll probably hole up in the closest hotel when I land and get home tomorrow. Sage is good about eating only when she's hungry so just give her a tiny bit more food than usual and she'll be fine until I arrive." "No problem, get home safe, Morgan. And let me know when you land, alright?" "Of course, have a good rest of your day." ⸙⸙⸙

Its deathly quiet when Morgan enters the apartment. With a sigh, he just drops his bags unceremoniously at the door, peeling off his blazer and tossing it on the couch as he passes by. He opted out of the hotel room, he was plenty homesick as it was and he'd survive a few hours of missed sleep if he could see his cat and cozy apartment again. Dragging his feet lazily down the hallway, he stops to graze his hands across the leaves of his split leaf monstera. It warms his heart to see that all of his plants seem to be as lively as ever in his absence--he wasn't ever worried that they would decline under Seer Obscura's care. if he didn't give them better instructions he was sure they would throw themselves head first into research on plant care. A yawn escapes him as he shuffles down the hallway, wayyy too tired to bother getting ready for bed— he had every intention of just belly flopping into bed in his work clothes. That is, until he opens the door and makes out a human shaped mass under his covers. Sage, his ever so doted on russian blue, immediately gets up from her curled up position by Seer Obscura's frame and stretches before hopping off the bed and running her silver-furred body against his calves. Morgan wasn't very careful about how loudly he swung the door open so it doesn't take long before Seer Obscura stirs, lazily dragging their upper-half to sit up. "Morgan? I thought you would be arriving tomorrow?" It takes him a second to come to his senses before responding. "I didn't think you'd still be here." Rubbing their eyes, they let out a small hum. "Well, I did finish cleaning up relatively early but I decided to--" they pause for a beat before continuing. "Hm... you'll see it in the morning, I'm sure. Point is, I was going to stay behind to keep watch until early tomorrow morning." Without thinking, he finds himself moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "Keeping secrets from me? That's more cryptic than I'm used to you being--nowadays, anyway." He can barely make out the small tired laugh Seer Obscura lets out, "Yeah, well, it's taking a lot of effort to not spoil the surprise. Oh, let me move to the couch--" Morgan places a light hand on their shoulder to stop them, "Hey, hey, you're good where you are. I'll take the couch tonight." "Morgan, it's your bed. It got plenty of use from me while you were away." He feels himself grin at the thought. "Really? I'm glad to hear it-- but still. You're fine where you are." Seer Obscura grumbles before scooting to the other side of the bed and slapping the side now unoccupied. "Then we're sharing the bed." Morgan coughs on his own spit at their suggestion. There is no hesitance in their voice, just unwavering nonchalance at the idea. "I-Im sorry?" "If I'm to stay here then you're staying with me. We're adults, I can trust you to behave if we share a bed. And well, I doubt you take me for the type to get handsy." The man laughs, "Uhh, I guess? If you don't mind at all? Do you want me to like... sleep with my head on the other end of the bed? Or we can put a pillow between us--" Groaning, Seer Obscura flops back down and turns their back to him. "You're ridiculous. Sleep how you like, Morgan, but decide quickly before I sleep on the floor to spite you."

"Ouch! Fine, okay. Goodnight, friend." "Goodnight, Morgan." ⸙⸙⸙ The two go to sleep knowing that someone occupies the space next to them, so there isn't much tossing or turning from either of them. Still, its a comfortable rest. Seer Obscura is the first to wake, eyes fluttering open to find they've turned to face Morgan at some point in the night. His expression is soft, the light weaving its way through the thin curtains bathe his skin in a soft glow. They're glad to see him rest so soundly after what sounded like exceedingly boring back-to-back meetings. They look down to see Sage had saddled herself in between the two of them, leaning against Morgan's side with a content light purr. Smiling softly, the seer moves to pet the cat until they notice the weight stopping them from doing so. Morgan's hand was resting atop their own. ⸙⸙⸙ When Morgan awakes, Seer Obscura is already gone, but they leave behind a text advising him to check his fridge. The grin that spreads across his flushed cheeks is unwavering for the rest of the day when he sees the inside of his fridge is filled with containers full of different foods, his favorite foods, meal-prepped for the day-- even more lining the inside of his freezer, enough to last him a couple weeks. For the remainder of the week, he enjoys that his apartment smells of them. Both of their cooking and of their person.

Seer Obscura plant/cat sits for Morgan while he’s out of town for a week and freaks the fuck out bc they don’t have the slightest idea of how to take care of plants. They just volunteered because Morgan has pretty eyes and a pretty smile with cute dimples and he mentions that he needs to find a sitter and before they know it they’re standing in his apartment with his keys in their hands.

The note he leaves behind is pretty vague and when he’s guiding them through his apartment, Seer Obscura reaches for his hand to stop him in his tracks, waving the note in their hands.

“What is a little bit of water to you? A little bit of water? Like… a cup? Half a cup? How many seconds do you count down when you’re pouring water out of a watering can? Or do you use a hose? Don’t laugh, I’m being serious, Morgan.”

Morgan gave them more concrete measurements (mostly for their sake, how much a certain plant needs of something he’s long been using muscle memory for) and they take it so seriously they’re actually pulling out measuring cups & spoons for it. Whenever he gets a text during a meeting he has to take a deep breath and keep his expression as stoic as possible because the way they talk in person vs the tone of their texts is so juxtaposed—he can’t imagine their voice in his head being this frantic and he so badly wants to laugh.

[nicaroso]

LONG POST ABOUT MUSIC AHEAD

This is mainly going to be my ramblings, which I don't normally like to do but here we are.

Recently I've started playing through a game called Lobotomy Corporation by Project Moon. If you have never heard about it, its a base management sim, with visual novel elements to tell you the story, where the goal is to work on and research different monsters to generate energy for your company.

In general the game has a large variety of tracks, but you will mostly just be stuck with one throughout normal play.

This song has a few different versions so you don't get bored, but it will be what you are listening to for the majority of your time playing. As you progress through the day, sometimes things don't go your way and an Abnormality (what the monsters are referred to) escapes. When this happens the game will change the song to one of the emergency tracks. I will refer to them as "Trumpets" as that is what will flash on your screen in game when they happen.

The First Trumpet sets the tone that something is going wrong. The calm atmosphere of the neutral track has given way to the forboding of an alarm. The track gets progressively more tense as it goes on while you are trying to take care of whatever it is that started it in the first place, with it hitting its full stride at about 1:50. If you manage to take care of the problem, then we go back to the neutral track, but if things continue to get out of hand then the game progresses to The Second Trumpet. Usually after an employee death or from multiple abnormalities breaching at once.

If the First Trumpet is "things are going wrong, but everything is still manageable" then the Second Trumpet is "get your act together before everything falls apart."

This song FUCKS. It is immediately pulse pounding. A different kind of alarm is sounding in the beginning now, and rightfully sets the mood that shit is hitting the fan. This game isn't really easy, by the way, so this songs bpm will probably be matching your heart rate. :3

These emergency tracks are absolutely stellar, but if you are careful then you will not hear them all too often which is a shame...

That is until you get to the games boss battles.

After you progress to a certain point, you are able to take on fights that symbolizes one of your colleagues regrets. The day starts off with the Second Trumpet already playing, telling you that something is wrong right away. Going through your tasks tells you that something fundamental has changed, whether it be the work you assign is not right or the training your clerks had is gone now.

At a certain point through the day, the Second Trumpet goes away and leads into that colleagues theme. This is where I fell in love.

I am not going to go over every track, but I do want to pick my favorite 2.

This song is about a man who is extremely logical and by the numbers to a fault. His trauma was such that after an employees death he became obsessed with following the rules and safety. Wanting control to guarantee the lives of those around him, but never quite being enough. This song is about a man who couldn't save those important to him.

This song is about a man who has seen too much. Someone who is directly in charge of safety. Wanting to do what he can, but becoming dejected when he realizes it will never matter. Employees will come, and all will only leave in body bags. This song is about a man who has given up, and has decided to die.

All of the songs in this game are incredible, but these boss themes really feel like they really belong to the character they are for. You feel their story through their music.

I have purposefully been incredibly vague, because I genuinely think everyone should play this game. I only wanted to gush a little about the music that I love, but the game and the story are what it is all for.

Please play Lobotomy Corporation. You will regret it. No really, this game is really hard and will make you cry.

[kil9]

having a dni is alright but I feel like ppl will just ignore it, it's way more effective to just repel the ppl u don't want to associate with by being everything they hate

[304wv66]

zoinks, the boys are trespassinggggg 😱

art trade with @lattedraws!

[professorjirt]

it’s occurring to me that Frodo has had a near death experience, been near dead, or just straight up momentarily dead way too many times

[nidbaesenpai]

the one time both of them act cute/loop gets to have that cloak

[saintadeline]

what if I made you look at my OCs again though. they're all I've been drawing lately

[identityquest]

lizzie get two wolves 👍

[minnaci]

i need to fuck that twink so bad

[violasmirabiles]

hiiiiii

[cassmouse]

I LITERALLY CANNOT ESCAPE THESE FUCKERS 😭 I JUST WANT SOME QUAVERS AND THEYRE HERE WHY ARE THEY EVERYWHERE