#CAUSE ITS LIKE THE THIRD/FOURTH TIME I DO THESE KIND OF POST LIKE

[curawrites]

Bonded

Ridoc Gamlyn x fem!markedone!Reader

Warnings: Fourth Wing spoilers, Iron Flame spoilers, a little angst I guess, fluff, smut, cursing, dry humping, p in v sex, cumming inside.

Note: Sorry for the late post! Exam season has been kicking my ass and figuring the plot of these fics has been a bit tricky! I decided to include a little bonus that I wrote this for this story initially but didn’t end up working so enjoy! 💚

Tag list: @ttheslutttybookwworm @sheblogs @mazzer @luvly-writer @river-of-woe @celeste-fourthwing

You had always imagined that you would've been the kind of cadet to party when you finally graduated. But nothing felt worthy of a celebration after what happened at Resson. The deaths of Liam and Solei had scarred you deeply. They had been some of your closest friends along with Garrick, Bodhi, Imogen, and Xaden.

Losing them had put into perspective how much you were going to miss the remaining friends you had now that you would all be separated.

While Imogen and Bohdi would be staying at Basgaith for their third year, Xaden and Garrick would be deployed to their assigned outpost in Samara, as would you, except your outpost was in Athbyne.

Your summer was spent with them all of course, but you did prioritize spending time with Bodhi and Imogen more. Unlike Garrick and Xaden who you'd be seeing for your weapon smuggling endeavors, visiting the quadrant to see the former two was out of the question.

At least that's what you had thought.

It seemed that witnessing Deigh's death had caused your dragon Iskra, a beautiful red female morningstartail, to realize how fleeting a dragon's life could be.

In the many centuries that she had been alive, she had never taken a mate, until now.

You should have been happy for her, excited even and you were, truly. But her choice of mate only left you with questions..

“Remind me again why you decided to become mates with Aotrom..? He’s a fucking idiot of a dragon..” You sighed heavily in your mind.

Iskra lets out a sound that could be interpreted as a purr through the bond, “He makes me laugh.” She replied, her tone dripping with warmth as she watched Aotrom do some sort of mating dance for her.

You smacked your face into your palm with a loud groan.

Not only had she chosen an idiot for a mate, she had also tied you to his idiot rider, Ridoc.

Its not like you were completely unaware of his existence prior to your dragons mating. But back then he was simply another bed hopping first year that wasn't worth any of your time.

And now he was your... Fuck buddy? Lover?? You didn’t really know. It was complicated to say the least.

You were well aware that you had grown rather fond of Ridoc as the result of the bond, as did he towards you. Your relationship had even progressed beyond the point of meaningless sex and it scared you.

The secrets that you kept from him were far from simple. Not only were you hiding the fact that you were apart of the revolution, and that you've been smuggling weapons along side Xaden and Garrick to flyers so they could fight the venin, but you also had a second signet.

Startling you out of your trance, Ridoc had slithered his arms around your waist as he hugged you from behind.

He pulled you in close as he tucked your head under his chin, comfortably resting his own on top of yours, “And they say romance is dead.” He scoffed as he observed the scene before him.

You watched as Iskra walked to Aotrom’s side, dragging her tail under his chin in a soft caress as she eyed him hungrily. They must have been communicating through their bond, because before you knew it both dragons had taken off and were flying in the direction of the vale.

You shook your head in disbelief, "I can't believe that dance actually worked on her.." you sighed.

He only hummed in response as his arms tightened around you, “I missed you.” he said affectionately through your bond.

A blush crept up your cheeks, “I missed you too..” you grumbled, letting yourself bask in his embrace.

A grin spread onto his face as he lowered his head to your shoulder, “Awww your blushing, Y/n/n.~” he teased.

You throw him a glare from over your shoulder, “Don’t push it or I’m not staying with you this weekend.” You warned playfully.

He gasped dramatically, “You wouldn’t dare!”

You eyed him mischievously, “Oh but I would! Bodhi and Imogen have been begging me to go out with them so maybe I’ll do just that!” You smirked.

He rolled his eyes, “As if- You literally only spend your time here with them and Xaden if he’s here! It’s my turn.” He whined.

A soft sigh left your lips, “Well when two of your friend dies tragically you kinda want to spend as much time as you can with the others.” You tried to joke but it fell flat.

Ridoc looked at you with a saddened gaze, “Y/n, I didn’t know that was the reason..” He mumbled.

You blinked at him a few times before looking towards the ground, “Well I never really told you.. Anyways take me to your dorm already I'm dying to get out these flight leathers.” You huffed.

A grin returned to his face, “With pleasure.~” he teased.

-

“Gods Y/n/n.. please never stop wearing those nightgowns.” Ridoc muttered as he watched you brush out your damp hair.

After taking a quick shower, you had slipped into a short, gauzy, blue, lace trimmed nightgown you had bought off of a flyer during one of your weapon drops.

You glanced towards him, “You like em?” You asked, knowing very well the answer.

He nodded as he sat up from his previously laying position, “You have no idea how much I love them. I would literally give you money to buy more.” He said as he watched you braid your hair.

That made you snort, “I’d have to find time to go buy more.” You sigh quietly before walking towards his bed.

Ridoc pulled you into his lap, “The next time I’m in Athbyne we can go together. Then I get to pick out whatever I want.~” his hands found their way under the gauzy material.

Your cheeks warmed, “Mmm..~ That would be fun but I can’t have you leaving the outpost. The General would have my head if more cadets end up in danger near the border.” You say as you dragged your hands down his chest to his abdomen.

The excuse wasn’t a complete lie but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

A groan left his lips as he caressed your bare hips and ass, “You’re not wearing panties..~” he said huskily through the bond.

Your eyes meet his lustful gaze as a smirk tugged at the corners of your mouth, “I’m not wearing anything but this nightgown.~” you purred as your hips shifted against his growing erection.

His hands immediately traveled upwards to cup your tits, “Spoiling me tonight now are you?~” he grinned as he groped and squeezed your mounds.

Heat began to pool in your core as his hips moved against yours, “I’m just really in the mood..~” you bit back a moan.

Ridoc let his hands return to your hips as he guided them to grind against his, “I can tell by the way you’re soaking my briefs..~” he sat up and pulled you into a kiss.

Your lips melded against his as your fingers grasped at the elastic of his underwear. “I want them off. Now.~” you demand.

He smirked into the kiss, "You're so needy for me.~" he teased, nipping at your bottom lip.

You shoot him a flustered glare, "Don't even start.~" you huffed as you tried to hold yourself still against his moving hips.

The grip he had on your hips relaxed as he stopped grinding against you, "Fine, fine, fine.~" he rolled his eyes playfully as he let you sit up and away from his lap.

Your entire face flushed the second you saw the wet spot that stained the front of his briefs. Gods you had no idea you made such a mess. Before you could focus to hard on it, Ridoc was pushing his underwear down his thighs.

When you heard the thump of his underwear hitting the floor you couldn't stop yourself from sitting in his lap again.

A soft gasp left his lips as he felt your bare pussy press against his errection, "Eager now are you?~" he teased as his hands slipped under you nightgown again to caress your hips.

His touch made you shiver, "It took you long enough.~" you grumbled as you began to grind against him.

Ridoc groaned lowly, "Its not my fault that you're so needy tonight..~" he huffed as he guided your hips into a rhythm with his.

You leaned forward and kissed him passionately, "Shut up..~" you whined through your bond.

He smirked against your lips, "Never.~" he said defiantly.

Eventually you pulled away, panting softly as you pushed him down on the bed, "I need you..~" you muttered.

His cock twitched from how dominant you were being, "Need me how?~" he asked grinning.

Your hands plant themselves firmly on his chest as you rise to your knees, "Inside... I need you inside..~" you sigh as you hovered over his lap.

Not wanting to keep you or himself waiting, Ridoc reached under you to line his tip to your fluttering hole.

Slowly, you sink down the length of his cock, sighing softly as your pussy stretched around him, "Gods Ridoc..~" you muttered as he held you flush against him.

He held your hips firmly as he adjusted to the feeling of your walls squeezing around him tightly, "Fuck you feel so good..~" he sighed.

Using his chest as leverage, you begin to move on top of him, rolling your hips against his as you bounced yourself on his cock.

A breathy moan left your lips when you roll your hips just right, making his cock press against your g-spot, "Oh my gods.. that feels amazing..~" you pant as you rode him harder, chasing the pleasure that pulsed in your core.

Ridoc couldn't stop himself from moaning lowly as he thrusted up into you, "You're so wet and tight.. fuck!~" he muttered as your arousal pooled at the base of his cock.

Your thighs burned as you tried to keep up with the pace you had set, the tingling sensation eventually turned into numbness which spread down the rest of your legs. "N-no..~" you whimpered as you loss your rhythm, making your hips stutter to a stop.

Without you even asking, Ridoc planted his feet against the matress. "I got you Y/n/n..~" he panted as he continued to thrust into you, the hands that held your hips moved you against him.

Sweat dripped down your back as you sat up straighter in an attempt to relieve some of the strain on your legs.

Feeling the fabric of your nightgown sticking to your skin, you tore your hands away from his chest and pull the garment off, leaving you completely naked on top of him.

His cock twitched at the sight of your bouncing breasts, "Fuck you're so hot.~" he groaned as he thrusted up into you harder.

Moans tumbled freely from your lips as he kept pounding right into your g-spot, "Don't stop!~ Feels so good..!~" you beg as you felt your orgasm rapidly build in your gut.

Ridoc looked up to meet your half lidded gaze, "Are you close?~" he asked huskily through the bond.

Your pussy clenched at the sound of his voice, "Yes.. I'm-I-" you stuttered as his thumb rubbed your clit. "Gods.. I'm gonna cum..!~" you whined before throwing your head back as your eyes fluttered shut.

A loud whiney moan tore itself as your climax hit you full force, making your core tingle as pleasure wracked your entire body.

Your hips twitched and bucked against his thumb as he kept rubbing the sensitive bud. "Ridoc please..~" your eyes opened again, meeting his desperate gaze.

The sensation of your pussy fluttering and squeezing him tightly was tarting to become to much, "Oh fuck Y/n..~ You feel way to fucking good..~" he glanced to where you bodies met.

Your release had pooled at the base of his cock, forming a white ring as he kept thrusting inside of you.

He groaned as the sight pushed him over the edge, "I cant.. Fuck I'm cumming..!~" his thrust quickened messily.

Ridoc moaned lowly as he cummed into you, holding you firmly down on his lap as he panted.

Only the sounds of your labored breathing could be herd in his dorm as you both came down from your highs.

Eventually, you were the first to move, carefully removing yourself from his lap before sitting down beside him.

He propped himself up on his elbows as he turned his attention to you, "Are you okay?" he asked, noticing you were rubbing your hands over your stretched out legs.

A breathy laugh left your lips, "I'm just trying to regain feeling in my legs." you said before your eyes met his, "What about you, are you okay?" you flipped the question back on him.

Ridoc smiled softly, "I'm all good, Y/n/n.” He said as he stood up, “I’m just going to go get us something to clean up with, okay? I’ll be right back." he said as he handed you your night gown.

You took the garnement from him and slipped it back on, “Alright, thank you..” you said quietly before he walked off.

He was barely even gone for a minute before he returned with a warm, damp rag in his hand.

A breathy yawn slipped past your lips before you spoke, “That was quick..” you mumbled as you parted your legs for him.

Ridoc carefully cleaned his cum from your thighs and pussy before wiping whatever was left of his soften cock.

While you got yourself comfortable under the covers of his bed, he busied himself with putting his underwear back on and throwing the rag into his pile of dirty laundry.

Once done with that, he joined you under the covers and cuddled you from behind before pressing a soft kiss to your rebellion relic covered neck.

He nuzzled his nose against the marked skin gently before sighing contently, "Goodnight.." he muttered as he closed his eyes.

Your cheeks warmed, “Goodnight..” you whispered back quietly.

While the sweet gestures gave you butterflies, they also made your gut churn with guilt as you were reminded of all that you hid from him..

-

Bonus! (I couldn’t help but use the ShxtsNGigs podast “Do you miss me when I’m not around?” conversation as inspo for dialogue lol!)💚

After a long eventful week you were finally able to get some well needed rest. You were exhausted to say the least, both mentally and physically. Not only was your entire body aching from all the flying you'd done, but you were unfortunately forced to fight some fliers during one of your patrols. It killed you on the inside but you couldn't risk outing yourself as traitor to your fellow lieutenants.

By the time you had finally made it to your barrack, all you could think about was getting out of your flight leathers as fast as possible and going to sleep.

Using the last bit of your energy to open the door, you were finally able to gaze upon the one thing you craved most. Your bed.

But it wasn’t empty.

In it laid a shirtless Ridoc Gamlyn, comfortably tucked under your blankets, playing around with the wooden dragons Liam had made you.

A groan left your lips, “I forgot that you were coming here this weekend.” You sighed as you stepped into your barrack.

Ridoc set down the figurines on your night stand before he sat up in your bed, “I sure didn’t, been looking forward to it all week since I didn’t even see you last weekend.” He grinned as he watched you undress.

You rolled your eyes, “I didn’t know that I had to see you every time and since you’re probably wondering, I hung out with Bodhi an-“

Ridoc interrupted you as he scoffed, “First of all.. you’ve been spending a lot of time with Bodhi and I feel.. left out.” He admitted.

Your head turned swiftly in his direction, “What? I can’t hang out with my friend? I literally see you every weekend, Ridoc!!” You cried out.

“Yeah for the dragons! You only come to Basgaith because they can’t be apart!” He shouted.

You chuck your flight leathers to the side angrily, “You come here for them too you idiot!” You yelled.

Ignoring your point he continued, “If our dragons weren’t bonded you wouldn’t come see me every weekend!” He retorted.

Your hands ran down your face in exasperation, “I literally wouldn’t be able to! Not to mention this-“ you gesture between yourself and him, "Would have never-"

Before you could finish your sentence he cut you off again, “Do you miss me when I’m not around?” He asked rather randomly.

You stared at him in complete disbelief as you tried to figure out if he was actually being genuine or not, “What do you even mean by that?” You chuckled awkwardly.

He let out a frustrated groan, “When it’s Friday and you’re seeing me in the evening do you think ‘Can’t wait to see Ridoc’? Or do you roll your eyes and say ‘Ridoc is arriving tonight’?” He stared at you expectantly.

You take a minute to actually think about it before answering, “It depends-“ You admit.

Ridoc gasped loudly as a smirk slowly spread across his face.

Panic quickly set in as you realized what you said, “Wait- wait! Let me answer! Let me answer!! Let me answer!!!” You wave your hands around wildly.

Ridoc laughed, “Y/n!! I’m asking you if you miss me when I’m not around!!” He whined.

Your eyes roll dramatically. “You’re fucking ridiculous..” you sighed as you took off the remainder of your clothes before slipping into a nightgown.

After a beat of silence he sighed, “Go on then, tell me what you did with him. Gods I can’t even say his name- What did you do with him?” He asked as he laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

You shake your head in exasperation as you climbed into bed next to him, “You’re so jealous.” You teased as he dragged you into a spooning position.

Ridoc huffed, “So what if I am?” He brushed away the hair from your neck.

A shiver ran down your spine as his fingers grazed your skin, “Well, if you would have let me finished you would have known that I hung out with Bodhi and Imogen.” You sassed.

He rolled his eyes, “Like that makes it any better.” He huffed, pressing his face into the crook of your neck.

An exasperated sigh left your lips as your eyes fluttered shut, “Goodnight, Ridoc.” you muttered as your body succumbed to its exhaustion.

You felt his lashes tickle your neck as his eyes closed, “Goodnight..” he sighed quietly.

[wtfforged]

how are your shapes so good. does it just come to you naturally or do you have some super secret resource or what? i love your shape language and i'm gonna try to improve mine so if you have any tips that would be greatly appreciated 👍although i get youve been drawing for a while and this stuff can kind of just be ingrained into you so if you cant really think of any thats fine too. love your art!!

HI THANK YOU i went on a super rant so im gonna hide it all under a read more lol

it does come a bit more naturally to me just because i dont really understand how to draw things WITHOUT breaking them down into shapes (especially since i was drawing robots for so long lol), but i also think my artstyle just naturally got more shapey as i tried to have more fun with art and especially as i started incorporating what i enjoyed from artists i like. an obvious example would be oda's art throughout one piece since i genuinely do think my art took a big positive turn as i started reading it lolol. i have so many screenshots of panels i enjoyed or thought looked cool cause he really is just a master at it all- i especially like the way he uses the line of action, shapes, motion, and expressions, and try to study them a lot. i also looked at some of my favorite artists, like bucketofrobots, monstyra, estridd, aciescoutex, or onebadnoodle to name a few who inspired me. Dont tattle on me btw this is our secret.

so first tip is just See how others be doing it. but that can be for literally anything in art not just shape- thats just how i started. im a very monkey see monkey do kind of person

second tip! is literally to break stuff down into their simplest shapes and action lines. which sounds redundant tbh when i type it out but i mean it. simplify things down to their bare components- especially with the parts you want to emphasize in mind- before you build on them (if you build on them at all ofc). heres some examples of some of my sketches when i do make them, and some with outlines for ones that i wasnt super clear/clean about. i literally will block out and break down the forms into simple shapes, even using lasso tool like in the second image first (especially if i really dont know what to draw pose-wise). sorry a lot of these i was playing with perspective but those or drawings where i have a very specific or difficult pose in mind are just the only pieces where i actually have a sketch layer instead of just jumping right to coloring my sketch which is what i do most of the time

and when i say "parts you want to emphasize", im thinking especially with motion or certain parts of a characters design, like really pushing those shapes so that its visually clear What Is Going On. for example, in the 1st sketch above, i wanted to emphasize that zoro was like, sliding in and about to unsheathe his sword in a really cool combat-y pose. or in the 2nd sketch, the character is supposed to be sort of mid-jump so i left some space around him and exaggerated that movement, as well as his thing being that he has cool giant punch-y gauntlets and is probably about to punch some baddie, so i put that right in the camera. and the third is the same, i wanted to exaggerate the running movement as well as the creepy hand since those are important to that character. and here in this fourth image below i wanted to emphasize one character being too pushy and overly friendly, while the other is very uncomfortable about it, so i really played with one leaning into the other and the other leaning away, etc etc you get the idea for the rest of the examples that i redlined.

im sorry if this doesnt make much sense or is hard to read because its too wordy. im not very good at wording stuff right especially with explaining my thought processes. im a bit too much of an instinct type person so it feels like when i explain stuff i just go "and then you go bwaaahhh! and booom! and babam!! and thats how i do it".

so if this sucked heres a post by EtheringtonBros thats kinda similar to what im saying, and a youtube video from fourleafisland that also, is kinda similar to what im saying and has very good points!!!!!!

thank you again!!!!!! sorry this was so long. hell i even wish it was longer just bc i really wanted to include some aforementioned oda screenshots but i got embarrassed of how many of them were just zoro and gave up on searching and i didnt wanna take much longer on this cause im already late to gaming with friends help. just open the manga yourself and look at whenever he draws sanji or luffy. theyre both extremely shape.

[ppeasants]

this is kind of a weird post? idk. it has to do with the future of my time hollow au so if that matters then here's this? (I'M NOT DISCONTINUING IT I LOVE THIS SERIES TOO MUCH i am just having some thoughts about some things I wanted to change, and I just needed to get these thoughts out into the void so people were aware, and so I could actually maybe go through with them)

(also if u do care about it please read all the way to the end so i can properly convey what i'm trying to say as well as what's changing, cause if u stop halfway thru then you'll probably come away with the wrong conclusion)

so I started this AU when I had just finished Owl House. I had not yet really gotten into the fandom, and I was still in the throes of the finale. because of this, I hadn't quite yet developed MY actual sense of what I specifically loved about the show (instead of just loving all of it [which I do love a lot of it]), as well as not specifically developed my own HCs and chartacter dynamics.

now that time has passed and I have been a part of the fandom for a while, I HAVE developed a sense of what I specifically love about this fandom, as well as the stories, themes, HCs and dynamics I want to explore deeper.

all that is just kinds backstory to how I have rotated these characters in my mind, and to give some context to where this change is coming from.

the actual change: I will likely be transitioning the sibling hunter and luz dynamic into a modified lavender winter dynamic with amity and willow, and non-romantic hunter and luz (that bit is important).

when I first started getting into the fandom, some of my first fics i read were sibling hunter and luz. I still love those fics, and tbh I still absolutely ADORE sibling hunter and luz. but, I think for the story I want to share with time hollow, i don't think the sibling dynamic works as well as the lavwin dynamic.

btw when I say modified lavmin, I mean it's pretty heavily modified, at least for the purposes of this series. Hunter and Willow are romanitc. Amity and Luz are romantic. Amity and Hunter are not romantic. Willow and Lus are not romanitc. Luz and Hunter are not romantic. They are not platonic. They are not in a QPR. They are not in a secret fourth thing, but a secret fifth thing.

there are two main reasons for this change. one, is that I actually love lavwin in general. i love poly ships and i love messy ships and i love being able to go in deep with character dynamics and and explore those relationships deeply and changingly.

the second reason: its so titan-damned MESSY. it's fantastic! there are so so many dynamics to explore with Hunter and Luz being a secret fifth thing instead of stricly familial. And the way their closeness can interplay with Amity and Willow, either as jealously or care or anything else, and those two maybe finding comfort in each other too, it's all so deliciously messy and I loooove it.

so what's gonna actually change: basically nothing! This was never a romance focused story, and while Lumity and Huntlow were always gonna exist, now they just exist within the context of a messy lavwin. and honestly, hunter and luz were already a secret third thing in this series, it's just now not codified as siblings anymore. it's also not gonna change their relationships with anyone else, like King, or Eda.

maybe there'll be some tumblr posts, or some oneshots that are more lavwin focused, but realistically not much is gonna change. It's just in the way that I've been developing the story, and rotating the characters will have this trauma attachment flavour to it.

i mostly just wanted to get this out there so people could understand where I'm coming from, cause I've been going back and forth on this 'change' for a while, but I realized that if I;m making a series that I don't enjoy, I'm not gonna make a good fic at all. and i think this will make this series all the better for it.

thanks for reading all the way thru if u did <3

[vampxrebarbie]

TOWERFALL

[ 1 ] ROLAND

fandom - Destiny 2 characters - [Fireteam Ward] roland, quinn, luke, kel, nikon, nyx, cayde-6, lord shaxx, amanda holliday, suraya hawthorne chapters - 6 | next chapter

summary -

Roland stares at the command ship as it drifts slowly towards the center of the City-towards the Traveler, its gargantuan form partially obscured with billowing smoke from the fires and explosions below and held within the grasp of that claw-like device he saw before. Some kind of shimmering field has begun to stretch between those prongs, rippling over the Traveler’s surface. He hasn’t felt this kind of discomforting fear in a long time, and he has to wonder if there’s anything they can do to stop this. He doubts it. Or: Fireteam Ward, and how they survive the start of the Red War.

content warning -

canon-typical violence; brief minimally descriptive scene of impalement/gutting.

cross-posted on ao3.

wc - 3.1k

a/n - wrote this ages ago while i was still active on twitter instead of here. it's easily my favorite (completed) entry in my fireteam's fic series, partly because i got to spend time in multiple members' heads instead of just one. (i like limited third person.)

Something is very wrong, and it has nothing to do with the storm clouds surrounding his ship as he flies through the mountains.

Ghost, too, can feel it, nervous energy thick enough to be felt by Roland as his companion tries to hail someone for the fourth time. “Repeat, Tower Approach, this is—this is City Hawk seven-two-three. Anyone home…?”

A full two minutes tick by with nothing but radio silence.

“No response. On any channel. Not even—not even the emergency frequencies.”

“You can’t tell what’s causing the interference?” Roland asks, grip tightening on the ship controls.

Ghost drifts down to hide within his hood. “No.”

Tower communications don’t just go silent. Even when he isn’t frequenting City limits Ghost has been able to pick up scattered encrypted transmissions and otherwise—whether it’s a transmission Ghost is able to crack or not, with how large the City is and how active the Vanguard keeps guardian forces, the lines are always annoyingly chatty.

A silent Vanguard isn’t a good sign.

Maybe he can’t give less of a shit about the actual people there, but if he learned anything from his past, it’s that more often than not things go far beyond what he or anyone actually cares about. The world is bigger than one person, and selfishness is ugly.

“You remember how—how I always tell you that you fly too fast?” Ghost says after a tense pause. “Forget I ever said it. Fly fast.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice.

Roland guns the throttle and pushes the engines into redline, diving into the stormy clouds surrounding the City airspace with experienced confidence and narrowing his eyes at the visuals that pop in to overlay the shrouded view port—rather, the lack of them. Just more static.

The sensors aren’t picking up anything, not even the ground below. What the fuck is going on?

He goes stiff when the useless static drops away from the view port and his ship exits the dark, stormy clouds—that he realizes aren’t just stormy. The thunder that had been rattling the hull of his ship isn’t just thunder. The lightning that had been illuminating the interior and flashing through the clouds isn’t just lightning.

Missiles streak through the stormy sky into the City streets and towering skyscrapers below. Debris crashes down the sides of the walls as ballistics and alien fire tear into them. Around them are massive warships and frigates of the Cabal, and swarming in between are the smaller carrier and assault craft. A strange, claw-like device is settled against the surface of the Traveler.

The City is under attack.

“How did we not hear a rally?” Roland demands as he veers his ship into a sharp turn towards the Vanguard tower, teeth gritting when its crumbling structure roaring with pockets of flame enters his vision.

Ghost is panicked, flashing out of sight in fear. ‘I don’t—I don’t know! All the channels are silent!’

He starts to snap something else, but a thresher drops from the billowing clouds of smoke above and a volley of rockets rip through the air towards him. Another quick-reflex maneuver dodges most of them, but Roland jerks in his seat when at least one of them manages to tear into the ship’s frame.

‘That hit the fuselage! We n-need to land!’

Damnit, he spent a fortune of glimmer modifying this ship. Jumpships just aren’t made for combat; next time he’s investing in a Reef fleet fighter.

Swearing aloud, he veers around the thresher towards the ruined Tower, aiming for the open plaza situated in front of the Vanguard hall.

The ship’s engines sputter once and his stomach leaps up into his chest as it abruptly drops. No time or engine power to regain that altitude, so he steers instead for the fiery, open guts of the lower levels of the Tower, somehow still miraculously clinging to the main structure.

Silence descends upon the interior of the ship like a vacuum sucked the air out.

Engines dead.

‘Transmat now!” he barks, ship view port dropping below the destroyed section he’d been aiming for.

Space flickers apart around him, and in a flash of particles and light Ghost drops him unsteadily onto a crumbling chunk of flooring that shakes and threatens to give way under his sudden weight. His arms fly out to steady himself, and with a hurried pulse of light he hops onto a more stable chunk of solid ground.

The platform he landed on crunches and breaks off, the noise of it crashing down drowned out a handful of seconds later as his ship slams into the wall at an angle and rips exterior panels off, exposing the levels and decks within on its violent path to the ground with gut-wrenching screeches of metal on metal.

He doesn’t bother hoping no one is within those sections. The Cabal are tearing through the City, and people are without a doubt already dead.

Ghost drops his pulse rifle into his hands, and Roland sets in motion, navigating the teetering ledge of what had once been a systems hub on the inside of the Tower.

“Vanguard personnel, this—this is guardian ident eight-two-eight-three-C, requesting—we’re within the Tower and heading inside,” Ghost calls out, trying and failing to keep his voice even on the ground channel. “Requesting orders!”

Nothing but more static, the occasional explosion or gunfire garbled by the chaotic frequencies breaking through.

Ghost’s voice is little more than a fearful whine. “Anyone?”

Roland runs toward a hole in the wall leading further inside, the makeshift door framed by fire. His mouth opens to tell Ghost to save his energy, and the words are halted when a legionnaire rushes through the opening at him. He backpedals before the alien’s heated arm blade can cut him in two.

A three-round burst from his pulse rifle pops the legionnaire’s head from its massive shoulders with a hiss of organofluid, and the one that runs in after its ally suffers the same fate.

‘This doesn’t...it doesn’t make any sense—the Cabal conquer systems by blowing up entire planets of oppositional civilizations, not invading them.’

Roland steps around the Cabal bodies and moves into the Tower. “Unless they want something.”

Conquering is the typical play for the Cabal, but if they want something, they dig in and fight for it with everything they’ve got. The exclusion zone on Mars just outside of Freehold, the Vex gate leading to the Black Garden, the Dust Palace—hell, even the Dantalion Exodus on the Dreadnaught.

The Cabal are frighteningly ruthless in general, but if they want something—really want something—they become utterly terrifying.

For the first time since they entered the solar system, they’re laying siege to the City after years of not giving a single damn about it. These Cabal are here for something.

The only answer can be the Traveler.

“This is Commander Zavala to all channels,” the voice of the Awoken Vanguard commander finally crackles in over ground comms, and he slows to a halt to listen. “Vanguard Tower personnel: report to evac points immediately. Guardians: rendezvous in the Plaza. Our City will not fall.”

Ever optimistic and noble.

And stupid.

Still, what else are guardians good for other than throwing themselves against the enemy like lemmings, abusing their immortality to fight impossible odds? Humorlessly, he thinks, ‘sir, yes, sir,’ as he continues onward.

Weaving through hallways and debris and sparking, shredded power lines falling from ceilings at just shy of a breakneck pace, he rounds a corner and spots a Tower civilian at the end of a hall. He’s facing away, hands held up as though trying to fend something off.

A terrified cry leaves his mouth as Roland increases his speed.

He doesn’t make it in time, a legionnaire lumbering into sight and impaling the worker on an arm-mounted blade, spattering blood and worse on the tiled floor as the body is tossed aside.

The Cabal catches sight of him, roars in challenge—and Roland answers by firing a volley of bullets into its head. An arc grenade that splits into tracking clusters follows, homing in on the two others that run into sight after.

Not waiting for the dust to clear, he moves on. The civilian he’d failed to save barely even crosses his mind.

‘This shouldn’t be—this shouldn’t be happening. The wall has defenses. How—how could so many get past?’ Their current predicament should be enough to keep Ghost from wasting time on questions like that, but Roland keeps his mouth shut.

Ghost’s never been the same since Carran fell to Valen’s brutality, and he’s gotten used to his overly nervous nature.

Ahead of them an automated door hangs ajar, one half still attempting to shut but caught on something stuck in the runner. As Roland approaches it, something—someone—slams into the thin edge of the door and forces it wide open.

Ghost blips in surprise. “Cayde!”

Shaking off the daze of the blow, glowing blue eyes blinking, Cayde-6 looks at them with a pleasantly surprised expression coloring his face plates. He’s cheery as though he isn’t in the middle of fighting off an enemy invasion in the heart of the City’s command and a group of well-armed legionnaires aren’t approaching from his other side. “Hey, you two! Gimme a sec.”

The air pulses heavily with a discharge of light; Roland watches as the Hunter Vanguard’s body lights with solar energy and the gun in his hand glows a fiery orange.

Booming shots of the Golden Gun vaporize three of the approaching group, leaving two more—who let out short-lived howls as an ear-ringing fweem of linear fusion rifle rounds strike them in the back and turn them to ash.

From the flashes of void fire, a helmet-less, platinum blonde woman jogs up, spinning around and checking for more enemies. The dark gray jacket she wears looks like the robes of a warlock, but everything else about her speaks of something other.

She looks familiar, and his brow furrows when she turns around to face Cayde—sparing him a single glance. Is it her he’s seen frequenting the war room with Cayde and Ikora?

“Nice shootin’, sunshine. I could’a handled it,” Cayde quips, the familiarity more or less confirming his question.

One of her shoulders lifts in a half shrug. “Can’t let you have all the fun.”

Of all the times for the Hunter Vanguard’s moronic, God-damned devil-may-care attitude...and she’s not helping. “Can someone explain to me what the fuck is going on?”

The two of them glance at him; she lifts an eyebrow, and Cayde looks like he had forgotten he was even there. Attention-deficit, annoyingly cheery piece of exo shit. How he became a leader is beyond Roland.

Cayde’s the one that answers, much to Roland’s chagrin. “We got blindsided. Satellites went dark. Next thing we know—boom. Missiles to the face. Zavala’s pissed. Ikora’s pissed. I’m pissed—wait, maybe I’m the only one that’s pissed. No, no, Ikora’s definitely pissed—”

“So, what’s the plan?” Roland’s fingers twitch on the grip of his pulse rifle impatiently.

“The plan,” Cayde says, spinning his hand cannon by the trigger around his finger and lifting it to the ceiling, “is me having a date with whoever’s behind this. It’ll be a short date.”

“Cayde, you can’t just…” Ghost starts.

‘Can’t’ isn’t a word in the exo’s vocabulary, Roland knows, and Cayde reinforces that knowledge by brushing the concern off and backing away. “Talk later, kick butt now. Zavala’s doing the hero act in the Plaza. You guys meet up with him, I gotta go shoot a probably very big space rhino in the ugly face.”

Like himself, she's surprised by Cayde’s order. “I’m going with you, Cayde.”

“Nah, you’re gonna back up Big Blue along with this hunter. The civilians he’s defending are the priority.” He starts to back away from the door, moving towards a jagged hole from the collapsed ceiling in the corner of the room.

Roland bristles. “I don’t need—”

“Vanguard’s orders! Shoot the bad guys, and I’ll see you on the flip side.” Without waiting for a response or more protests, he hops up through the hole in the ceiling and vanishes from sight.

Both he and the blonde stare at the hole and then look at each other warily.

“Guess we’re a team, now,” she says at length. “I’m Quinn.”

“I don’t care.” He veers around her.

A snort reaches his back. If that alone isn’t enough to irritate him, her boot steps following as he breaks into an urgent jog definitely are; he doesn’t play well with others. “Nice to meet you too, asshole,” she says.

His expression twists in distaste.

Thankfully, she says nothing else as he leads them onward through the Tower, hallways in various states of collapse and destruction. Considering she’s a friend of the Vanguard, it’s odd that she chooses to follow him rather than take the lead; her association implies some kind of leadership, but she seems content to follow.

It leaves him free to ignore her, though, so he won’t complain.

He rounds a corner and comes to a rapid halt when the business end of a shotgun is shoved into his face. Human-made, Vanguard design. After realizing, Roland steps back and lets the Redjack frame from Shaxx’s personal team register his FOF tag.

“Guardian.” The Redjack’s optics shift to Quinn as she approaches, and the shotgun lowers. “Guardian. Proceed ahead.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Roland replies, flatly.

He and Quinn step around the pair of frames guarding the hallway and move up a short flight of stairs into another hall, pausing at the sight of almost two dozen civilians and Tower workers huddled inside. More frames stand guard around them.

A mother sits against a wall a handful of feet away, cradling a toddler to her chest with terrified tears in her eyes.

Quinn walks past him, and Roland uses the motion as an excuse to tear his eyes away and force down the black tightness that had formed in his chest. Familiarity mixed with grim acceptance. Farther down the hall near a set of sealed doors is the recognizable, hulking figure of the Crucible’s handler.

Lord Shaxx, in his trademark, imposing white and orange armor and one-horned helmet, stands as Quinn approaches him at a brisk pace. There’s a sword glowing with fiery light strapped to his back, and a simple dark brown mark brushes the backs of his legs much like Quinn’s tailed coat does her own.

She’s barely tall enough for the top of her head to reach the titan’s shoulders. It’d be funny if they didn’t have more important things to worry about.

“Ah, the little lioness,” he says, accented voice warm and relieved. Apparently, she’s good at making friends. He’s not envious of the fact. “I’m glad to see you made it unscathed. Where’s your paramour?”

His lips curl in a sneer at the casual question; does no one in this fucking Tower have any sense of staying focused while a damn invasion is happening all around them? Roland stops next to her with a pointed stomp of his boot. “We need to get through.”

That flat surface of Shaxx’s helmet turns to sight on him, but he says nothing and Quinn ignores him outright. “Cayde sent us to rendezvous with Zavala. He went off to find out who’s behind this, I think.”

Roland blinks at the response, surprise wiping away the angry bristling he’d begun to feel at being ignored as he puts the question and answer together. Is she saying—

“Of course he did. Reckless.” Shaxx shakes his head.

“Will you let us through already?” Roland impatiently demands, discarding the connection because he will not fucking fall to their level of inept distraction.

Quinn shoots him a nasty look; like she had a moment ago to him, he ignores her.

“Answer the call, guardians,” Shaxx replies, aggravatingly unconcerned with Roland’s vitriol. “Follow the path through here, it will lead you through the hangar to the Plaza. I’ll take care of these people. Give the Cabal the war they so desire.”

They watch as he pries the door open with brute force alone, holding it ajar without the barest hint of strain. With how tightly it looked shut and the stressed whir of straining mechanisms, they must have sabotaged the door to prevent entry by unwanted guests.

He’s reminded, not for the first time, why everyone and their mother is afraid of an angry Shaxx.

“Be careful,” Quinn says to the titan, slipping through the gap in the door easily.

Shaxx nods once at her. “You need it more than I, but I will.”

Roland gets no such well wishes as he struggles slightly more than she had to bypass the door. He honestly doesn’t give a shit, but he wonders about the parting statement; why would she need to worry more than any other guardian, given the circumstances?

From here she takes the lead, moving with a lithe agility (the tailcoat outfit says warlock, the agility says hunter, what is she?) through the corridors and rear workings of the Tower until they reach the exterior deck and catwalk heading down to the side of the Tower the hangar juts out of.

A klaxon blares over the P.A. system, barely decipherable over the roar of Cabal war engines and what few guardian jumpships remain in the air racing by. “Evacuation order Seven Seven is in effect. This is not a drill. All civilians report to the designated evacuation areas immediately.”

Provided those evacuation areas aren’t completely demolished by this point already—and provided more people are even left.

He dodges around a puddle of blood seeping out from underneath collapsed rubble as well as the arm sticking out limply from within the pile, deciding that if anyone’s still around to evacuate, they’ve already reached the landing zones. He’s seen this before, and Roland hates that he had allowed himself to hope he never would again.

The platform under their feet rumbles as they approach the catwalk leading down to the hangar, the deafening thrum of massive engines filling the air. They stop and watch as a red-hulled, flattened ship, large enough to stretch across a quarter of the miles-long distance between one wall Tower to the next, flies overhead.

“Look at the size of that thing,” another ghost, presumably hers, speaks up with an awed voice over the team comm he hadn’t even noticed had opened up. “It must be their command ship.”

Roland stares at it as it drifts slowly towards the center of the City—towards the Traveler, its gargantuan form partially obscured with billowing smoke from the fires and explosions below and held within the grasp of that claw-like device he saw before. Some kind of shimmering field has begun to stretch between those prongs, rippling over the Traveler’s surface.

He hasn’t felt this kind of discomforting fear in a long time, and Roland has to wonder if there’s anything they can do to stop this.

He doubts it.

[luceliv]

this one’s really short. BUT. i’ve made the obvious observation that my non selfship posts do soo much better than these

so ive decided the most mature and totally normal way to deal with that is to flood her™️ tag again out of spite

anyways this is a normal occurrence for these two. i wish the worst upon them both

The first brushed over Lucielle’s cheek, a segment of it hooking under her jaw. The second latched to her back, its body laid around her throat. The third and fourth followed suit just below, holding down her arms to her torso.

The actuators practically breathed, small pumps of air being sent through the hollow silicone in slow, measured rhythms. Lucielle was perched on the edge of a lab counter, held down by the woman standing right in front of her. Olivia’s right hand was curled in the mutant’s hair, curly strands sticking to the latex of her gloves.

“You shouldn’t have let him taunt you like that,” Lucielle says softly, leaning her head into the hand in her hair, “This was over the top, even for him.”

Olivia’s face hardened, her free hand moving to the counter’s corner as she scowled at nothing. She just got back from fighting Spider-Man, a much messier battle than usual, as he did end up getting away with the stolen materials. The faint smell of smoke clung to her suit, and hints of ash dusted her face.

“Come on… Fisk hates that man too, you’ll be alright-” The mutant coaxed, attempting to lean forward. Olivia’s brows furrowed, and she tugged the tentacles so Lucielle couldn’t move.

The doctor looked upset, her face stony and her hands absentmindedly twisting in Lucielle’s hair. And then, she deflated, she leaned her forehead against the mutant’s after a weak sigh. The goggles resting at her hairline are pushed just a touch higher.

“I shouldn’t be tired of him, but I am-” She cuts herself off, she hadn’t even started the fight, at least not this time. Fighting was like an outlet for her, getting to thrash and beat down one of the people she despised most. But when she lost, she’d usually just lock herself in her office and try to figure out why. The tentacles loosen, the claw on Lucielle’s face pulling back, before they constrict once more with Olivia’s silent insistence.

Olivia leans away, pulling her hands back to her head. It takes a moment of tugging, and a few seconds of pulling her hair through, but she’s finally able to get those green tinted goggles off. The movement pushes her headband back as well, and she tugs it off as well with one hand before placing them both on the counter. She brings her hands back up, resting them on the mutant’s thighs, her thumbs just about rubbing across the denim. A tentacle’s claw gently taps at Lucielle’s cheek, its tapered end pushing up the skin and pulling up the edge of her lip. Lucielle gives a kind smile at the motion.

Olivia was using her lover like a squeaky toy, like a form of enrichment for an exhausted zoo animal. Although, in all honesty, neither of them minded.

Lucielle just watched the tentacle closest to her, worried that she’d freak out if she made eye contact or saw how Liv was studying her. And study her she did, her hazel eyes almost dulled to a soft brown from her exhaustion. The mutant let her eyelids droop, lulled by small sounds of air between them: her breath, Liv’s breath, and the faint pumps of air through the tentacles. It goes on like this for a few more minutes, a quiet time for Olivia to destress if her lover was ever in the room.

“You have less makeup on today,” The doctor mutters, her sudden speaking causing Lucielle to glance up, “I don’t use much myself, but I can see more of your freckles..” The end of the claw on Lucielle’s cheek trails right over her temple, tracing along the soft contours of her face.

Lucielle is just about to speak up, her lips parting in preparation for another compliment, before Olivia spoke again.

“I like that.” She finally makes eye contact with the mutant, and smiles as well.

[strrykais]

hiii! so i’ve read lots of what you’ve written & to begin its VERY good like no bs🙏🏾🙏🏾. but i’m trying to start writing on tumblr but idk how to attract people to my account & i don’t want my stuff to be straight up boring 😣

i’m not asking for a whole rundown but like..can you give me some advice to start my account?? please and thank youuuu!

have an amazing day!! (or night bc yk time zones)

first - and this is the hardest of them all - don’t compare yourself and your account to others on this site! its very hard to fall into the “fame” of the likes and followers and interactions and it gets disheartening when some posts do better than others or when other authors just do better in general. everyone work is always catered to someones interest!

second - be consistent! im not saying 700 posts in one day you dont wanna burn yourself out in the beginning! pace yourself, there are times your account will fluctuate in notifications. i recommend figuring out what you wanna write like texts, smaus, written ff, audios whatever it may be. and work from there!

third - don’t let requests stop you from writing! nobody gets requests right off the bat and if you did congratulations! but feeling upset by not getting requests when your first starting out is causing mental problems within your head already. almost like you want yourself to fail. use that big beautiful brain for ideas or source outside of tumblr! if you see an idea on tumblr credit the person you took inspiration from! fanfic is authors bouncing off each other most of the time. boyfriends texts are always an easy way to start out and get your name out there. or do a small smau to bring in people who like stories.

fourth - remember this isn’t some kind of race, there is no top. everyone here is extremely nice, ( you get a few that are crazy) and chill. once you build your own community and find your voice, it becomes like second nature! also don’t force any of it! people love authenticity and they can tell you took time on your work!

i hope that helps you in your journey ! pacing yourself is always key! tags are your best friend! and even joining community pages can get you a little more exposure you weren’t used to! also make sure your navigation is clear to understand and find, it helps when people want to explore more of your work!

i hope this kind of help, i always feel like im super bad at advice.

[auspex]

VtM Fangfest 2024 Prompt 6: The Hierophant

Hello! Here is my sixth fic for Fangfest 2024 :)

All my fics will be about characters that are previously established, so you might not have context for everything mentioned or hinted at within :( Feel free to reach out to ask I love explaining!

I've never really posted my writing before so be kind!

my first fic is here

my second fic is here

my third fic is here

my fourth fic is here

my fifth fic is here

This fic is about the Gangrel from the game I am the storyteller for, Blood and Silicon, which has its own blog run by the player @chiss-ticism here: @sanguineasylum. The starting phone call dialogue is from in game - @vtmgremlin played Blake and BIG SHOUT OUT TO @eric-the-bmo for transcribing!!!

The cold wind blew smoke and sparks from the fire towards Nelida’s face. Repressing a shudder, she composed herself and answered her ringing cellphone.

Nelida picks up after a moment's hesitation. “Hello?” As she picks up, Rico gives her a look, and listens in. Whatever. 

“Hey, it's B! I'm calling from a different number 'cause my other one broke. Sorry for the late-night call, do you remember that guy I was telling you about? That asshole? Hunter?” She didn’t know a guy named Hunter, but the way he emphasized that word… “Yeah, him? A few of his friends are in town, and they tried to start a fight, but we just took off. Just lettin' you know in case he comes by and tries to give you trouble. Probably stay out of the city for a little while. Yknow, Hunter and his crew are somewheres down there- they like to prowl downtown, so.”

This must be Blake calling - a new Gangrel, who had recently visited their little camp in the forest for the first time a week or so ago. “Wait, is- What- Do you think Hunter is coming tonight?” 

“Eh, I don't think so. I think for the most part he kinda took off with his buddies, but they're probably gonna be somewhere downtown. Who's to say. I do think the sheriff's probably gonna be looking out for him too, 'cause he knows he likes to cause trouble, so.”

The sheriff? Like this was some Camarilla city? No, he surely just meant kine legal trouble, right? “Um. Can you come over to talk?”

Blake inhales sharply. “Eh- I would if I could, but the problem is I gotta head out tonight, just in case, 'cause I gotta head up somewhere warm for the holidays. Y'know, family and all that.”

“What the hell. Are you talking about?” Nelida may not know much about Blake yet, but she highly doubted he actually had family he could go visit. But it's time to worry about herself, and her pack. If he’s leaving, then perhaps she should too. 

Before Blake can reply, she continues. “Should I head somewhere for the holidays?"

He replies, still casual. “I mean, if you want. I'll just say probably stay out of downtown for a little while. Uh, probably around South Market Street. Probably don't go around there’.

That’s downtown, which he had mentioned before, but this was near where Baron Harrison makes his domain. She didn’t know much else off the top of the top of her head about the area. “Okay... Wasn't planning on it, but thank you? When can we talk more about this?”

“Uh, probably be back in town... sometime next year.” 

“Next year!?”

“Y'know, after New Years!” Blake actually laughs. 

Oh. Cheeky. “Well, you better have a story for me then.” He still owed him one, and now this story clearly was one that involved her. Or at least, one that could. 

“I'm plannin' on it. But y'know, I gotta go and make a story happen first for me to tell you one.”

“What the hell.” She caught herself before saying his name on the phone. “Are you sure you can't stop by really quick?”

“Nah. I gotta head out soon, so- Yeah, just wanted to call and let you know. I don't want this call to go on for too long- I'm sure you need your beauty sleep- so Merry Christmas and all that, happy holidays. Also, probably don't call back this number, 'cause I actually had to borrow a phone from somebody- like I said, my other one broke, so.”

Was he implying he needed help? “Do you need.. assistance?”

Blake had hung up. 

“The fuck was that all about?” Rico stared up at her, crouching over the fire. 

“I’m not sure,” Nelida pursed her lips. “Something odd happened tonight for sure, we may be in danger. Blake must have uncovered something, he did say we don’t have to leave or anything though. Not that you would leave even if the place was on fire.” 

“Nope.” 

“Do you know anything about South Market Street?” 

Rico scratched his head as he replied. “Uh, the Hecata and Harrison had a small dispute over the area once, since resolved, it's a tourist trap area with a cathedral, not much else of note. Why?”

“Blake said to avoid the area.” 

“You gonna elaborate?” 

“He seemed to imply hunters.” 

The group was silent, listening to the crackling of the fire. Nelida began braiding her hair, and then continued. “This wouldn’t be the first time there were hunters in the city.” 

“Nope.”

After a moment's pause, Melinda, one of the newer Gangrel, spoke up. “Uh, mind filling me in?” 

Rico and Nelida looked at each other. 

Nelida’s eyes glimmered looking into the fire. “In the 80s, before your embrace, kindred society San Jose was settling down. The Tremere had accepted that there was no way they could push out the Hecata, and sequestered themselves to the North. A gang of Ventrue took it upon themselves to push down any would-be-upstarts, and so any who called themselves ‘baron’ only laid claim to small areas. Kindred were masters of their own domain.” 

Mel scratched the back of her neck. “Not like now.” 

Rico snorted, and Nelida gave her a small smile. “Well, do you know much about another kindred’s domain? Could you tell me what goes on in the Hecata’s turf, or up north, where the thinbloods are now?” 

She shook her head.

“Right, no, we don’t know much other than what they tell us. And no kindred talks about their own business - we’re secretive, and for good reason. So, back then, no one knew what was going on in the city at all, only across the street from their own haven. There was no coordination to look out for threats. We were all blind. Now - keep in mind, this was the 80s, so kindred did not have to contend with the Second Inquisition. No one was worried about kine hunters.”

Melinda smiled. “Y’all were careless.” 

Rico cut in. “Hey now. Me and Nelida, we were minding our damn business out here. Wasn’t our fault.”

“Yes Rico.” Nelida finished one braid and moved on to another. “But we are still affected by other’s recklessness. Now shh, let me tell it.” 

Melinda spoke up. “Wait, do we not like, need to do anything? Do we have time for this or should we be preparing for an attack or something?”

“No, I think he just wanted to give us a heads up. There’s nothing to be done, unless you have friends that you wish to warn. Now let me fill you in, like you asked.” The winter wind whispered and Nelida lowered her voice. “San Jose was experiencing a population boom. Whatever kine was your preference, it was not hard to find them. The Camarilla was not threatening the area. Unlife was good.” 

“So good in fact, that new kindred were moving in too. Without any centralized leadership, arguments over territory were common. Rico made his place here, and allowed other Gangrel to join him, but other clans were a lot more fractured. The Toreador and Malkavians practically drove each other out.” 

“Harrison is the reason why there’s no Roses in the city?” 

Nelida smiled. “Harrison wasn’t here yet. As I was saying though, there was conflict, and conflict draws attention. There was a Toreador named Miguel, a wonderful guitarist, beautiful, exactly who you are probably picturing right now. He had a penchant for attending concerts within the local music scene, even fraternizing with mortals there beyond one-night-stands. Unfortunately for Miguel, one of his favorite bands frequented venues in an area claimed by a Malkavian at the time named Gloria.” 

“Gloria got sick of seeing him, and despite warnings, he would not stop interacting with kine she considered hers.” Rico looked like he was about to say something, but was silenced by a look from Nelida. “She was known to kine as the landlord, a rather cruel one at that, and Miguel took advantage of this. He spurred those she collected rent from into action, protests and such, and had the bands support it.” 

“But some of the mortals he was supporting dug a little too deep, and found that she had been a landlord for two decades, despite only looking 30.” She looked from the fire into Melinda’s eyes. “If you wish to involve yourself in mortal business personally, your identity has an expiration date.” 

“Two of these kine, a couple, were assigned to keep looking into it. I do not know when they began to suspect something supernatural, but they surely caught wind.”

“Miguel won his fight, and Gloria ceded some territory to him. However, many months later, the couple confronted Gloria directly one night, and she was found staked and beheaded in an alley behind her haven.” 

“Such is the price of making mortals fight your battles - they have their own too. Miguel had put them on the scent. This all caused quite a stir, right Rico?” 

“Oh? Yeah. Yeah we were all freaked out by that. Gloria had been here for a long time, and she had a lotta connections. We didn’t know what those hunters had found by searching her shit. I mean, I wasn't too worried about myself and my pack, but others were. And soon enough, another Malkavian was reported killed, and another.” He stood up as he continued.

“After the third death we all really started to get our shit together. In the end it was actually the Tremere who found the pair. Probably tortured them for info that they didn’t fully share with the rest of us, but whatever. The final deaths stopped. But ever since then, kindred who live in the city or own shit have been a hell of a lot more careful. Plus, some people just started leaving, good riddance. It was getting too crazy here. And I thought things were pretty peaceful, until, well.” 

There was only the sound of the fire for a few seconds, until Melinda spoke. “Until tonight.”  

[swifty-fox]

Still mota hockey au

Do you know who esle is on the team? You were sepaking of Curt (and Crosby?) But is there any other 100th with them

Croz is second string left ( bit of a grocery stick til he gets bumped from third to second with Douglass, then becomes a real Grinder)

Rosie's on first string with Buck (plays hard, passes well just an all around good guy)

Curt, final member of the first string trio (certified goon despite his height, sick dangle, nasty slapshot and his uppercut has claimed many a mans teeth)

^ original post of the AU but since this is no longer just a throwaway post lets talk about what these guys DO and also who else we got.

*cracks knuckles* its education time

So hockey is a pretty wild sport. it's fast paced as hell, few real breaks or stoppages. You can be playing for 17 minutes straight sometimes and this is active play. you are RUNNING (well, skating)

Basic setup of a team:

You've got your starting Goaltender. usually the older more experienced of the two and then a backup. Usually the starting goalie plays the whole game sometimes they switch off halfway through. backup tendy is there in case and injury happens or the starting tendy is playing a shit game. Usually they'll have extra reserves they can call up (One year Penguins had to pull their 4th level backup dude was literally away at college and had to be flown in. he was good but mad inconsistent)

Bucky is starting goaltender, his backup is Jack Kidd.

Then you have your defensemen. All hockey players are big bois usually. these guys are the big boys of the big boys. total number of D-men per play is 2 and usually a team will run the same combos of two because some guys have better chemistry than others. Usually theres 3-4 sets (or strings) of defensemen. They're categorized by skill level. So first string are the best, fourth would be worst/the new guys. Sometimes they'll switch it up and throw a new guy with first or second string so he can get some schooling

I think for Dmen first string we've got Alex and Demarco They're a solid set-up and Demarco plays REALLY well off Bucky they know where each other is instinctually.

Forwards First string are USUALLy the star players of any team. they're generally the faces of the franchise though sometimes the goaltenders fill that role too. Forwards also are a set of 3 instead of 2. Like I said above that trip is Buck, Rosie and Curt. Buck and Rosie are pretty standard forwards but Curt is a little unusual as he's also kind of the team goon (brawler)

generally D-men are the fighters. they don't tend to be high-scorers and yes Curt isn't as high scoring as Rosie or Buck but he's got a high assist score and is in a very respectable spot

(moment of appreciation for my fave Goon Reavo)

youve got two types of fights in a hockey game usually. one is very hot headed spur of the moment brawl. usually this is after a dirty hit and the refs try to break it up. What Reavo is doing here is more of a gentleman's fight. it's something both parties agree too and as you can see the refs still call and end to it but more when sensing when the guys are done. It's conducted in a certain way (holding the other guys shoulder) and hits are really only to the face. Fights are used to motivate the team and the crowd, to settle some tension or to warn a guy off of targeting a teammate.

I like Reaves cause he's a beast but he does it the right way, hes not trying to truly hurt anyone like some guys do.

Thats Curts job on top of scoring. he defends Gale a LOT

So Crosby is also a forward. His narrative is similar where he struggles a lot to find his groove and so he's third string with Bubbles and Murph at first. But part of hocky is knowing how to slot guys together so it's Gales idea to bump Crosby up to second string (so second in skill only to first string rosie curt and buck) and he does better there. He's with Douglas and Blakely

third string is Bubbles, Murph and Brady.

I think Babyface and Quinn are the two rookie defensemen

[ghostfrog28]

Episode 4 Of My Greasefire Life!!

There is so much to talk about from this episode!

First of all, love that each member of the Greasefire trio (that’s what I’m calling them) has Lenna’s phone number. My headcanon is that her and Denny’s shit talk about the customers from their respective restaurants.

Second, I want to see more of Ashley’s roommates! They both are very funny and I want to see more of their dynamic with Ash, as well as how they would be with Thad and Denny’s.

Also, it’s kind of cute and funny to think of Ash going home and then just ranting to his roommates about his crush on Denny’s, similar to how girls in middle school would about the boys they like.

Third, Thad is Bi 🩷💜💙!! Love that for our lovable himbo! I do wonder what Duke was talking about when Thad said Duke was always “too much” that that wasn’t the only thing leading to them breaking up 🤔 if that sentence made sense.

Fourth, every time Lexi speaks, my burning hatred for her increases! She is such a bitch, not only for the way she talked about Ashley and how she talks to Denny’s, but what she said about Kelsey and Lin too!(I hope I spelled their names right) Especially Kelsey, cuz I’m not sure if it’s just me but Kelsey gives me lesbian vibes and her and Lin are like the “Straight Friend x Gay Friend” kind of duo. In short, I hate Lexi more now.

Alright! After that little tangent, I have more art for Sophie! (Escaped, these episodes are causing me to draw her so much, they might be the OC I’ve made the most drawings for)

I made Sophie more of a revealing kind of outfit for this episode since they were going to a party so there’s two pictures for this drawing, one showing some more of her tattoos and such and the other with the other clothes on top of it

Here is the first image without the other parts of her outfit. She has a few other tattoos such as a yin yang on her left arm

and on her left leg she has an Irish flower called a Fuchsia

as well as a quote.

"What runs down from the eye is not its water, but a soul which melts and drips."

There aren’t any other tattoos on her right arm but on their right leg they have a red telephone booth for her friend Alyssa who lives in Britain

as well as another quote.

"Crawl inside this body, find me where I am most ruined - love me there."

Also, she does have SH scars that I wanted to point out, since those were a bit more of her lore

I’ll write her story some other time and what led to those scars.

That’s all for that part, here is what the complete outfit looks like.

She also has converse, as well as combat boots. She also has another tattoo kind of peaking out from the cropped tank their wearing but I’ll show that in another drawing.

That’s all for this post, sorry it was so long. Great episode, can’t wait for more!

[juiceedapplee]

LONG ASS POST

Omg I wanna talk about the inconsistencies in rise of red cause ik it’s had to have been a few years since Audrey happened but omg what happened to Jane? Like ik mal, evie, and jay went on a trip but like we’ve never ever heard of anything else outside of the isle and the usa so where in the name of god did wonderland come from?????

Like I’d understand if it was on the isle but it isn’t, and if it was then mal and all them would’ve been aware of said place and they for sure would’ve taken over the isle cause no hate to jay, carlos, and evies parents but they aren’t taking down the queen of hearts

ESP SINCE EVEN IF THEY ALL WENT TO THE SAME SCHOOL THE ORIGINAL VKS ARE OLDER THAN THE NEW VKS

Which implies that either all of them are now old and decrepit, they all had their children a little too early, orrrrr maleficent, hades and hook aren’t actually them.

AND OMG WHERE ARE BENS PARENTS?????

Because the movie or maybe the whole trilogy (cause there’s no way just one movie coming out) is what I speculate to be the reason why villains were moved to the isle in the first place. And if that’s true then everyone or at least the people there at the time (fairy godmother, maleficient, ulyana, hook, hades, etc) would remember the incident although cause of time travel it didn’t happen.

Let’s address the time travel, If there are other incidents after what happens to the queen of hearts then it clearly didn’t affect her personality but it must’ve still affected how belle and the beast saw villains because nothing was said but because nothing was said is why we have to question whether or not villains were still banished to the isle.

If they weren’t then all the original vks stories will be very different especially Mals because in the first movie her mothers goal was to take over Auradon and steal the wand after they were invited to join the school. But if they weren’t exiled then mal is already going to that school and I don’t think her mother would care as much and try as hard as she did to get mal to steal/give her the wand.

If they were then there’s still a separate incident involving ulyanna and her friends. (if Bridgette/the qoh was someone so kind and stuff is that incident the reason she’s considered a vk or will the hearts always be villains?) Which might not affect the queen of hearts as much or as badly as the first one but still affecting auradon either as a whole or just the school and its students bad enough to warrant them being exiled.

The time travel plot potentially erases all of the lore from the previous movies, because if they keep going back and fixing problems, if said problems were the cause for the villains ending up on the isle, then the vks and maybe even the villains won’t be who they are today.

ALSO HOW LONG IS THE TIME GAP CAUSE RENOVATIONS WERE DONE IN BETWEEN THE THIRD AND FOURTH MOVIES AND THE WHOLE LAYOUT IS DIFFERENT SPEAKING OF WHICH WHY WOULD THEY CHANGE THE SCHOOL TO LOOK LIKE IT DID IN THE PAST IT JUST DOESNT MAKE SENSE IK LIKE FILM WISE ITS JUST EASIER FOR THE TEAM TO DO THAT THEN GO BACK TO THE CASTLE AND MAKE A WHOLE SEPARATE SET FOR THE TIME TRAVEL STUFF BUT FROM THE FGM AND THE QUEEN AND KINGS PERSPECTIVE THERES NO REASON TO DO THAT

AND WERENT MALEFICIENT, THE EVIL QUEEN, JAFAR, AND CRUELLA DE VIL LIKE BESTIES DURING SCHOOL WHY IS MALEFICIENT HANGING WITH ULYANNA???

That would imply they are of similar age which just doesn’t make sense because Ursula would then be older than those four but I’m pretty sure all the kids are of the same or similar age, did they have kids at the same time or something cause time wise it’s not clicking for me

ALSO SOMETHING THAT JUST CAME TO MIND BUT I TOTALLY THOUGHT THAT IF THERE WAS GONNA BE ANOTHER MOVIE THEN IT WOULDVE FOCUSED ON THE OLD NEW VKS DIZZY AND CELIA IM HOPING THEY APPEAR BUT ITS REALLY UNLIKELY

[movemnt]

so, this is me rambling through a rundown of most of what they cut from the final version of r.esident evil r.evelations 2. This is all summary of what was gathered from the horrid mess in the data files that a friend datamined and we sorted through about a year after the game released. It's a goddamn nightmare in there.

To make a very lengthy story short, they had the full game set to go until about 2 weeks to the first episode being released, and then basically halved it after delaying it for about another week with no explanation??? Nobody knows why they decided to go this route and we probably won't ever know. they left the game data in a bit of a cobbled mess with those data files still in it (and when I say it's a mess i mean it's a M E S S. it took three weeks to get just some of the dialogue that was missing and then much more to make some semblance of sense of the whole thing and piece it all together. like why not just delete all of it???? unless it was a case of 'if i remove this tomato the entire game will cease to function so it stays in this spot outside of the stage'-) and some dialogue tags and actions have zero context to them in the game in its current state.

i'm also not putting in the dialogue tags and am instead summarizing them because this post will be 10x longer than it is.

I also want to note that as much shit as I'm about to give it I fucking adore this goddamn game, it got me through some very dark times in my life, I even have Moira as my alias for most websites- it's amazing, but the fact that they left this much is kinda bizarre and makes me wonder what could have been. also it's v weird to do this summary again. i've done it once before but some details are missing from what i had in a draft of the deleted post i wrote and the post that a friend wrote so some of this is from memory.

alas.

The first episode is basically the same in terms of story. Claire and Moira get kidnapped, they wake up and Moira is freed after Claire does the first puzzle in the cells. It's much more hyper in pace and intense then smoothed into the more liminal space horror that we get in the prison currently. It was lengthy on both sides with a bit more of a reflection on things from barry's side in reference to Moira and LOTS. OF. PUZZLES. ON CLAIRE'S SIDE. kind of a blessing i'm not going to lie. alex went fucking hard (she literally set all these traps herself with a bit of help from neil) and her dialogue tags are ruthless. the xbox 360 demo they sent to cons and press reflect this.

The second episode... jesus fucking christ my guys.

For Claire's side: So instead of the ending being based solely on the choice you make in the third episode, there were a couple of different choices you can make in the second alluding to different endings where some characters die, some don't, ALL CHARACTERS DIE, all but one live, etc (I'll explain this in the fourth episode). Basically, you can help guide Moira's conquered fear a bit more instead of making it based around this one pivotal moment. It's a nice, slow blend into the root cause of her fear. She even talks more about what happened and Claire encourages her to try to protect herself more, even knowing what happened. Moira seems a bit more sympathetic, though is still angry at Barry for being over"bear"ing (ba dum tiss). It's not a constant slew of 'I HATE BARRY'' 'DOES HE ALWAYS TELL THAT AWFUL JOKE' and teenage-ish angst, there's actually much more of a blended mix of her trying to process what's going on and what happened between her and polly years ago. ( also there's a lot of what I like to call "Burton Joke Moments" lmao )

Also. I must state that the N.eil x C.laire dialogue was not present and actually isn't present in the original script of the game still, either in the old version and in the script in the japanese version. C-usa is notorious for implying things in their translation of R.esident E.vil stories (they got some fucking fire up their ass from Capcom and the development team after this one though, it was BAD.). The basis in the japanese script is that they were coworkers, he's the boss, without him terra save might crumble, and the script went more in the route of Claire being concerned about Neil as the leader of Terra Save as a whole.

Also, CLAIRE ACTUALLY ACTS LIKE CLAIRE. While the moment of Moira and Natalia bonding over the bracelets is still present and connected with the other pieces of dialogue, in the pieces of dialogue we found she is much more presently concerned with the actual fucking child they have tagging along with them. "Natalia, are you okay?" "You can come down" "Can you jump that high?" "Do the monsters scare you?" "You've got this, we'll get you out of here, don't worry." "Wow you're strong!" "do you need to catch your breath?" etc. While some of what was found can also be implied to be towards Moira, all of it sounds much more uplifting towards the kid than what we get in the present version.

Pedro's death is marginally the same, though the dialogue is that much more heartbreaking. That man was so fucking scared and Alex taunting him seemingly pushed him even more and made him an example of what those bracelets can do. Claire is also much more reassuring to him and trying to take charge of the situation before it eventually goes to the hell it turns into.

that's what i remember of claire's side, barry's side-

It was so much more creepy because Alex actually follows and watches you throughout the chapter (tbh a bit of an inside joke between me and a friend is that Alex walked so MR. X could run). There's animations and coding that imply she was supposed to be loaded into each scene in the city. Once you load it with the monster Alex model that's covered, she is permanently Watching you it's really fucking weird and was honestly funny to watch my friend test out (after it took hours to get it to Function). This also goes along with the present implications of her watching through cameras and through the revenants. She is literally Always watching you.

Speaking of! Fun Fact that I love just bc of its creepy factor- Alex is literally watching you through the revenants, but even this mechanic seems a bit faulty, or it's faulty on purpose? They don't seem to see Natalia, but heaven forbid they touch Barry if he's hiding it's an immediate grab (npc controlled or not). Oddly enough this is kinda the same for Moira in Moira's dlc chapter. They see her but also kinda dont? i'll explore that in my own hc for her later. Makes me wonder if they have this whole system of snuffing out who's infected and who's not it's really fucking cool. Or if it's glitchy. I'm gonna go for the former option bc it's cool.

anyway- that is most of what i recall from his side of ep 2, i think there was more with the pedro fight but it was mostly repeats of his scared rant in claire's side, if i remember more i'll add on to this.

episode 3-

i dont remember much about anything before the big neil fight, so im not sure if much of it changed aside from the aforementioned script stuff with claire and neil. there was a bit more talk about barry from moira following the encounter with evgeny and it's much more defeated than the high strung nature we get from her in the first chapter. "i didnt have to be told i did something bad" or smth turned into something like "i just wished we could have talked more without being stubborn". like honestly it seems less that they always fought, but were more complacent and silently tense until one of them poked the bear. kinda like a "not causing a fight for the family" sorta deal???

the fight though- i think it would have been so much stronger with the dialogue that was taken out. like i am not saying i dont like 'WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE PEOPLE IT'S IN THE GODDAMN NAME!' but, claire is really going in on what neil has been doing, she's much more reactive after she has gotten some more clarity on what neil has been doing.

there's also like this document found in the chamber where you can find the dead butler, and it talks about albert and his visits and how ppl would just look really weirdly at this dude dressed all in black leather and telling them not to mind him lmao

barry's side didn't change much. barry's discovery of evgeny and then of moira's phone hit me like a goddamn brick wall and i dont think it changed much aside from the little different bits of dialogue you can hear from moira in episode four (i'll explain this in episode 4's piece)

now. episode 4.

holy shit on a shitstick-

some of this will be a mish mash of what i remember, what is missing, what is in concept art pieces, and what we had to gather from all of the above.

Starting with Claire's episode. So, there's a massive reason why claire episode 4 is only 10 minutes long as opposed to the other chapters, in short, there was a LOT cut out of it and connected to other pieces that were cut out, etc. I'll start with smaller bits of info and go up into the rather massive thing that we could only piece together and theorize about because, quite frankly and as much as this might make no sense, what we found makes no goddamn sense unless we connect it to scene stuff.

so, little weird things first- moira was supposed to get a katana from the tower at one point. for some reason alex kept one around, highly suspected to be albert's but i don't know. there's also a silenced pistol that implies that claire was supposed to silently shoot at the glasps that are released once the tower starts to go into self destruct mode. There's supposed to be more puzzles strewn about the lab, and more sight seeing around it too. Like you were supposed to see around it a lot more and not just from the confines of a glass box.

and then you get to moira's death.

you were supposed to hear her voice recording to barry as claire is walking away. that's fucking heart wrenching. like there's a reason why she has her phone in hand but not doing anything with it- she was about to record her final words to her dad, thinking she was about to die.

Now the big thing.

When you take the camera away from the insulated box they have you in with claire and moira and go beyond alex, you can find some bits and trinkets: two hospital beds (of which you can already see) some tricell equipment and purple tubes with rocks. Close inspection shows that they look a hell of a lot like lava rocks. Now hold on you may say, would that imply alex was trying to clone a certain brother of hers- i don't believe so. However, it implies that she had his dna. It's also implied that she was testing out what she was doing with natalia to see if she could do the same with albert's dna. which. makes a lot of other things make sense. Honest to god the one thing i hate about the way they did this is all the disconnected plot lines, like the one that "you were right albert it's not enough to live i want to transcend" alludes to. Like they left that in there and just didn't bother to explain why and let you assume he just rambled on about it to her one time and he continued that ramble into 5- yeah just. ugh.

another thing to ramble about before going into the brief discussion about barry's episode 4- the ending of barry's episode 3 (among other things) is just so. so unclear without the piece that is missing from claire's episode 4. alex grabs natalia and there's a brief moment where alex shows genuine fear, that's because her experiment worked, but only half way. See, half of her escaped and transferred into natalia and now lays dormant, the other half, however, is cursed to stay into the mutated form she is in. The only problem is this half in natalia is the worst half. this is where the "true or false, you, natalia, are false, i alone am true" thing and her raging hatred for natalia comes into play. only thing is they didnt show this or explain it.

and then barry's episode 4.

so, the multi-endings bit kinda comes into play here. Right now we have only two endings, a good ending and a bad ending. However, there's parts that make it look like the ending was supposed to be split up. Barry and Moira were supposed to work together for a bit (like when they escaped the area the first boss fight with alex happened in, it just cuts to them somehow running outside even though this cave was DEEP into the ground), there's some lines for evgeny (even though he dies which is honestly really curious).

that's honestly all i can recall at the current moment and as i dive into old files i might find more. hope yall enjoyed my ramblings.

[destiel-wings]

Your reply to my MBTI/Buffyverse post was the literal highlight of my week, and why am I not remotely surprised to see that you're a fellow INFJ?! I'd love to hear whether you would type Gunn as an ISFP, ISTP or neither (as you can see, I was too torn to choose!)

I'm very validated that you agree with most of my typings but promise not to get weirdly defensive (as we INFJs tend to do lol) if you want to tell me which ones you DISagree with!

Hiiiiiiii 💖 (sorry I didn't reply sooner it's been one hell of a week)

I'm so glad to hear that!!! 🥹 I got so excited when I came across your post, I've been obsessed with btvs all my life and these characters are such a huge part of me, and sometimes when you know someone too well it's harder to type them (because you can see more facets of their personality and so they stray too far from the stereotypes, which is why i think you found it so hard to type Buffy). That is to say that I've spent a lot of time trying to identify their MBTI types (and I'm currently trying to identify their zodiac signs/natal chart as well, because i do have a problem with these things 💀 it's just too fun trying to solve that kind of puzzle for the INFJ mind, as i suspect you know all too well) and I've obviously searched online to see how people typed them but i never agreed with some of the results, whereas we seem to see eye to eye on them which is why i was really excited about discussing it with you!

Now, about Gunn... yes, let's talk. Because... I would instantly think ISTP for him, but the more I think about it, the more it doesn't fit him at all. ISFP makes much more sense, especially considering the cognitive functions. I can see his Fi in the way he let himself be consumed by his hatred for vampires at the beginning, out of revenge for his sister, in the way he let his stubbornness lead him even if it meant being hostile (the way it was hard for Angel to gain his trust in the beginning), and in the unconditional loyalty he gave to his friends once he gave them this trust and his heart. He's very practical and adaptable, and he gets things done, likes to act, and he's not a thinker but a doer, a soldier with a good heart, so I can see Se and Te being in his cognitive functions set. Which leaves us with Ni as the fourth one, and this one is trickier to see in him... so I'm going to mention now the two doubts that i had about typing him as ISFP: 1) he's too basass & chill to be an ISFP (I see them more as cinnamon-roll-sized softies who are ruled by their emotions but express them through the exterior world - whereas the INFP types express them through their interior world) and 2) is he really an introvert? We've seen how comfortable he is around people, even new ones he's just met...

So I'm going to suggest a secret third option now (hear me out): ESFP. Which has all the aforementioned cognitive functions in its set, and has Ni as the fourth inferior function, which may explain why it's less visible in him and he struggles more with it (and maybe even why he found Fred's mind so attractive). I can see him being lead by Se, with Fi as the auxiliary function. He plays the cool basass chill guy but we all saw his soft side when he's around the people he loves, so it makes sense that he have the feeling function in the second position. What do you think?

About the other characters, I've checked my notes and there were some of them differing (but even then, i can see why you would choose the types you did - and they were still very close to the ones i would have guessed).

Specifically, if you don't decide to block me first, we need to talk about Willow (cause she's been driving me crazy, trying to type her!!! And i had finally settled on INFJ, after much consideration for ISFJ). You're also going to receive an ask about Tara because I'm very interested in the reasoning behind her being an INFP (after much consideration i had settled for ISFP).

I had typed Anya and Cordelia as ESTJs, and Dawn as ISFP (I can see her as an introvert, but I could see her as a xxxJ type too), and I had typed Angel as ISFP and Angelus ENTJ (but I can see your vision when you say INTJ and omg now that i think about it it makes so much sense).

I had the same doubts about Wesley between INTJ and ISTJ, but i finally settled for ISTJ.

[endversewinchester]

I think Rebel Alliance soldiers vs Galactic Empire make a compelling anti war story than Acolyte. Further more as Rebel Alliance soldiers can take it to far to the extreme as shown in Andor and Rogue One if they are pushed too far. From the Galactic Empire said we can see from a point of view how they are also bad with the crimes they commit related to historical matters. This is why I think Star Wars Acolyte story does not hold weight as it doesn't make a convincing the jedi are bad as it isn't well written as the kind of story knights of the old republic and especially its sequel game have done showing the bad sides of the Jedi. Everything in Acolyte seems rushed, the main character Osha is far too similar to Sabine Wrens handling in live action Ahsoka or should I say repeating the same mistakes as Sabine Wren had done in Ahsoka. New Star Wars writers post The Mandalorian and Andor think women heroes in star wars committing far more selfish acts of evil make strong compelling characters. Am I not the only one who noticed Sabine Wren and Osha are portrayed as inexperienced and easily corruptible manipulated good aligned force users? This is bad writing for the women of Star Wars. Ahsoka who is a no nonsense hard fought rebel morally grey Jedi should have been more focused on training Sabine Wren to control her emotions first before using her force jedi powers as mental health is just more important with the power of friendship, sympathy, and empathy than power itself. I do not like how dehumanized Sabine Wren became now I hate how dehumanized Osha is as well. I believed Osha was going to be on a path like Luke Skywalker optimistic willing to do some good as he would in Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope but the terrible direction writing is causing Osha to receive hate from negative critics.

So you’re saying you’d like more on the OT era. That’s valid! I think between the OT, Kenobi, Andor, Tales of the Jedi, Star Wars Rebels, The Bad Batch and Rogue One we have a lot of content in that era. It’s understandable that lucasfilm wanted to do something different as for the stories not to get repetitive.

I don’t think the point of the acolyte is the Jedi are bad, anon. The show went through great lengths to establish that Sol made a series of mistakes based on the information he had at the time rather than the actual truth. Fandom is treating it as “Jedi bad” but the show really didn’t go there. Instead they are criticizing the entitlement of the Order in believing they know best about everything.

Second, I don’t agree Sabine and Osha are alike? Lol. Sabine has a much stronger personality than Osha ever did, and she renounced being a Jedi because she couldn’t get a hold of the force. Osha otoh is already force sensitive and she was “expelled” from the Order for not being able to put her past behind her. It’s not the same arc, but you are allowed to dislike one or both of them.

I also don’t think either one of them are easily corrupted force users? Lol WHAT. Just because Qimir upset her doesn’t mean she will turn into a Sith and go around slaying everyone in her path. And Sabine was selfish, yes, but Ezra and her are extremely close and she made a choice to protect someone she loved.

Guess which character we spent the entirety of tcw watching who forfeited being good for the sake of his friends and family?

And yet I don’t see you or anyone else say that’s bad writing, or that he’s weak. So we’ll agree to disagree there.

Third: I personally dislike force sensitive Sabine as a plot, however you are forgetting Ahsoka didn’t want a padawan. We see her refuse to train Grogu. She wasn’t ready because she had a lot of Anakin-related trauma which is very valid and was only resolved on screen in episode 5 of that show. A little after that is where Sabine learns how to use the force. It’s called character development. To say they are done dirty because they need to go through growth in their arcs is certainly a take.

And fourth: people are review bombing and using bots to bash the acolyte without even watching the episodes. (Seriously. The ratings go down before the episodes are even out). The hate isn’t legitimate. They are doing it because of women, people of color, space lesbians. It doesn’t have anything to do with writing and I would not waste my time worrying about the people running those bots if I were you.

[wordsofrowan]

From Ashes to Embers

Chapter 11 - One Scoop for Two

I sat on my bed, tears streaming down my face. It had been a couple of weeks since that movie date with Luka, and the constant juggling between school, Shadow Moth's relentless akumas, and my duties as Ladybug was taking its toll on our relationship. As I scrolled through Luka's most recent Instagram post, my heart sank at the sight of him standing with a stunning girl, her multicolored hair exuding an aura of confidence and charm. A wave of sadness washed over me as I couldn't help but feel like I was losing him.

In the photo, Luka looked so happy, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was happier with her than he was with me. The thought of all the times I had to abandon Luka on our dates because of my responsibilities as Ladybug made my heart ache. I loved him deeply, but it felt like I was constantly letting him down.

As the tears continued to flow, I couldn't help but blame myself for the growing wedge between us. The weight of my duty as Ladybug and the burden of keeping my identity a secret from Luka were taking a toll on our relationship. I knew he cared about me, but I couldn't shake the fear that he would eventually get tired of my constant disappearances and broken promises.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. I'm sure this must be hard for you," Tikki said, her tiny form hovering close to my face, radiating warmth and comfort. "Maybe if you talk to him and explain that you're going through a hard time, he'll understand?"

Despite Tikki's kind words, the overwhelming guilt continued to weigh me down. Tears flowed freely as I tried to articulate the depth of my remorse. "No, Tikki, you don't understand," I managed to say, my voice trembling between sobs. "I fear that Luka must hate me by now. On our second date, a sentimonster appeared, and I had to run out on him. I left him standing there, telling him I needed to get napkins quickly to prevent the ice cream from melting. But by the time I returned, the cart and the ice cream were already gone."

My words were filled with regret as I poured out the painful memories of my mistakes. "Then, on our third date, an akuma flew by, and I made him stop so I could help a friend. It was a weak excuse, considering we had planned our date. And on our fourth date, he was excited for me to watch him perform with Kitty Section. But I was late due to an akuma attack and absurdly told him about mosquitoes on the boat, claiming I needed to go back home for insect repellent. I didn't even have any repellent with me, so he must think I'm a liar. I hate this, Tikki. I hate how I'm hurting him."

With each confession, the weight on my chest grew heavier. My heart ached, knowing that my actions were causing me anguish and tarnishing the love that Luka and I shared. I longed for a way to make things right, to mend the fractures in our relationship, and to prove to Luka that he meant everything to me.

Tikki's comforting presence reminded me that I wasn't alone in this struggle. She fluttered closer to me, offering a gentle touch of support. "Marinette, we all make mistakes," she said with unwavering kindness. "Luka cares about you deeply, and I believe he'll understand if you talk to him and share what's been weighing on your heart. You two have a strong connection, and he'll appreciate your honesty."

Before I could answer, my phone started ringing, interrupting Tikki and me. I glanced at the screen, and Luka's name flashed brightly. Without hesitation, I answered the call.

"Hey, Luka, what's going on?" I asked, trying to sound composed despite the lingering traces of sadness in my voice.

Luka's voice carried a hint of excitement and anticipation. "Marinette, do you think you can come to the Liberty? There's someone I want you to meet."

His request surprised me, but curiosity quickly replaced the heaviness in my heart. "Of course, Luka. Let me just freshen up a little, and I'll be right there."

The call ended, and I retreated to the bathroom, seeking solace in the cool water that cascaded over my face. As I gazed into the mirror, my own reflection stared back at me, a testament to the strength and determination that burned within me. I wiped away the remnants of my tears, refusing to let them define me.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my wardrobe, carefully selecting an outfit that spoke volumes about my intentions. I chose a vibrant, colorful ensemble, adorned with patterns that mirrored the kaleidoscope of emotions swirling within me. Each piece of clothing symbolized my resolve to mend the fractures in my relationship with Luka, to rebuild the trust and understanding we had once shared.

The white eyelet sundress hugged my body gently, filling me with a sense of elegance and confidence. I then gracefully slipped into a pair of delicate white lace stockings, their soft fabric caressing my skin like a gentle breeze. For the shoes, I chose white criss-cross espadrille sandals, their comfort allowing me to walk with assurance.

I turned my attention to my jewelry collection, selecting a simple rose-gold heart necklace with my initials on it, a ladybug charm anklet, and a charm bracelet that held sentimental value from my parents. Each accessory carried a piece of my heart, a reminder of the love and support I had in my life.

Finally, I completed the look with a cropped pink knit cardigan, its softness wrapping around me like a warm embrace. As I swung my pink heart-shaped handbag over my shoulder, I motioned for Tikki to stay safely inside.

With every piece in place, I felt a renewed sense of determination, ready to face whatever awaited me at the Liberty. This outfit wasn't just a fashion choice; it was an armor of my feelings, a declaration of my commitment to make things right with Luka. As I stepped out the door, I knew that the journey ahead wouldn't be easy, but my love for Luka was worth every effort.

Arriving at the Liberty, a rush of emotions overwhelmed me, mixing dread with a tinge of jealousy. There stood Luka with the girl from his Instagram post, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of insecurity. She was undeniably beautiful, and even though I wanted to dislike her, her captivating presence made it difficult to harbor any negative feelings. Her dark rainbow hair flowed like a mesmerizing waterfall, and her edgy outfit exuded confidence and style. The black leather jacket paired with a fitted black dress, fishnet stockings, and knee-high lace-up boots created an aura of allure that was hard to ignore. Each accessory, from the striking silver statement necklace to the ornate hairpins and dark red nails, added to her enigmatic charm.

Luka's gaze towards her was filled with warmth and affection, and it only intensified the pain in my heart. The love and care he displayed made me yearn for a chance to regain his trust and affection. I wanted to be the one he looked at with such tenderness, the one who held a special place in his heart.

Feeling a mix of determination and vulnerability, I knew I needed to make things right with him. I didn't want to lose him to the shadows of misunderstandings and mistakes. I wanted him to see how deeply I cared for him and that I was willing to work on our relationship with every ounce of my being.

With a mixture of trepidation and determination, I mustered the courage to approach them, my footsteps cautious as I inched closer to overhear snippets of their conversation.

"Do I actually need to meet her, Lulu?" The girl's voice carried a hint of skepticism, and her question piqued my curiosity. Who was she, and why did she seem so possessive of Luka's attention? My heart raced as I waited for Luka's response, hoping to gain insight into their relationship.

Luka's reply was steady and composed, a testament to his calm nature even in the face of doubts. "Come on, Noemi. She is my girlfriend. Can't you give her a small chance, at least for my sake?" His words resonated with a gentle plea, and I admired his determination to bridge the gap between us.

However, Noemi's response sent a pang of hurt through me. "Why should I? From everything you've told me, she doesn't exactly sound like the best person." Her doubt lingered in the air, and her words cut through me like a knife. I knew why she thought that, but I couldn't help but feel hurt and broken by that comment. The weight of her words bore down on my already burdened heart, making me feel as if I was being judged solely based on my mistakes.

Hearing those words, an instinctual reaction surged within me, and I instantly wanted to turn and run away. The desire to escape from the pain and judgment overwhelmed me, but I fought against it, reminding myself that running away wouldn't solve anything. Instead, I took a deep breath, finding strength in the face of my vulnerability.

“Hey, Luka,” I said, plastering a smile on my face as I turned to look at Noemi, “Hello, I’m Marinette, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before.” As I greeted Noemi with a smile, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of unease in the air. The tension between us was palpable, and I wondered how this encounter would unfold. 

Mari! I'm so glad you're here," Luka said enthusiastically, introducing me to Noemi. "Marinette, this is Noemi, my best friend in the whole world. Noemi, this is Marinette, my girlfriend, and the one I've been telling you about."

As the words left his lips, I saw Noemi's eyes narrowing slightly, her gaze fixed on me. I felt a knot forming in my stomach, unsure of how she would react to me in person. Trying to ease the tension, I extended a hand towards her. "Well, hi, Noemi. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, attempting to maintain a friendly demeanor.“She sure seems really cool.” 

But before I could say anything further, Noemi interjected, correcting my assumption. "They," she-they said firmly, emphasizing their preferred pronouns, "I'm Nonbinary, my pronouns are they/them."

"It's nice to meet you, Noemi," I said with a slight smile on my face, trying to maintain a friendly demeanor. "Luka hasn't really mentioned you before."

Noemi's guarded expression softened slightly, but skepticism still lingered in their eyes as they replied cautiously, "Well I’ve definitely heard about you." As the words left Noemi’s lips I couldn’t help the glare that settled on my face as I looked at them. 

 "I understand that you may have reservations about me based on what Luka has shared. But I want you to know that I'm genuinely trying to be a better person and to make things right. Luka means the world to me, and I would never intentionally hurt him."

Noemi's response came out with a scathing edge, cutting through the air like a sharp blade. "Sure, that's why you constantly ditched him, consistently neglected him, and left him hanging high and dry." Their tone was filled with accusations, and I felt the weight of their words pierce my heart.

Luka's expression shifted from surprise to concern, his eyes searching for a response from me. I felt a mix of emotions welling up inside me – guilt, shame, and frustration at myself for hurting Luka repeatedly.

"It's not like that," I tried to explain, my voice tinged with regret. "I never intended to hurt him. It's just…”

“Just what Marinette?” They asked and I couldn’t bring myself to answer, “That's what I thought.  Excuses," they retorted, their voice dripping with sarcasm. "You know, Marinette, actions speak louder than words. Luka deserves better than someone who prioritizes everything else over him.” 

"I... I never meant to hurt him," I stammered, my voice wavering with emotion. "I care about him so much, but it's just so complicated.”

Noemi's expression remained unyielding, unmoved by my attempt to justify my actions. "That may be true, but you also have a choice. You can choose to prioritize Luka and your relationship with him. But it seems like you've already made your choice."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt the weight of their words. I had made choices, and they had consequences. I had hurt Luka, and it was a painful truth I couldn't escape. Noemi's presence only served as a reminder of my failures. I took one more look at Luka, my vision blurred by tears threatening to spill.

"I..." I started, my voice choking with emotion, "I have to go." I managed to say as tears streamed down my cheeks. I turned away, unable to bear the pain of facing Luka and Noemi in that moment.

As I ran, my heart felt heavy with regret and sorrow. The conversation with Noemi had opened my eyes to the damage I had caused, and it was overwhelming. I didn't want to face Luka until I could sort through my feelings and find a way to make things right.

In the midst of my tears, I heard Luka's voice calling after me, but I couldn't bring myself to stop. My emotions were in turmoil, and I needed time to gather my thoughts and find a way to fix what I had broken.

XoXo Rowan

[multifandomsoftness]

i am ONCE AGAIN asking: what the actual fuck is going on?

[nyxthejinx]

Heya!

I just saw your open for request post and want to commission an Cyno x gn!reader, please? :) a fluffy and spicy drabble would be lovely. Maybe smth like.. the reader is good friends with Cyno and Tighnari but the reader went on a journey thru teyvat and met the Aether (traveler) on their way and since then they traveled together and been thru much so they have a connection ofc and then when the reader and Aether visit sumeru and they meet Cyno - he will get all jealous? Cause he sees how close they are and he fears that he missed his chance with the reader? But obvsly its not like that and yeah. A lil bit of making out at the end, please? cause Cyno needs to let out some steam after his jealously :^)

Thank you for doing requests btw!

FIRST. It took ages but I was able to sell my soul in exchange for inspiration only recently, I'm so sorry. SECOND thank YOU for asking, I wasn't sure about this until the 3am among us potion made it work. THIRD beautiful pfp, akaza bb fr i love him a normal amount I promise. FOURTH it's 5 am, literally I'm not kidding, I tried to proofread and all that but I don't even know what's my name anymore so I'm sorry for typos and shit. FIFTH I hope It makes sense, enjoy 💀

𝐓𝐖: Fluff and obviously spice (making out, vague allusions to the dirty deeds ;) ), use of petnames (dear, love), lemme know if I missed something.

𝐅𝐭.: Cyno, Aether (but he's your homie) - GN!Reader

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.5k

𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨: Rendezvous - Little Mix (god this song is such a banger)

Cyno fears nothing.

"Cyno, this is Aether."

Cyno fears one thing.

He'd felt so happy after reading your last letter. You said you'd be back in a few days with a special surprise, but honest to Archons the fact you'd be coming back to him - for him, he’d wanted to say, but not dared to- was enough of a present.

He surely wasn't expecting that this "surprise" would be none other than the Traveler who's saved Sumeru, though. A charming blondie who drifts a bit too close to you, in Cyno's opinion.

"We met in Liyue, he's amazing." You smile, squeezing the blond's shoulder. "He's a well known traveler across Teyvat, even in regions he has yet to visit!"

"I just help those who need it, not that much of a big deal."

Aether blushes and rubs his neck. Aether blushes. And you're touching him in a way that only close friends do.

It's fine, Cyno wants to think. You're allowed to do whatever you want in your life, he sure as hell won't stand in your way. He already stepped aside back in the days, as you excitedly told him how one of his worst fears came true you were leaving for adventure.

Everything to make you happy.

But his mixed feelings would always get in the way and unleash endless internal conflicts. It wasn't simply about not having you around, it was some kind of longing sitting inside his chest and screaming at you not to go.

It was the distance that made him realise: he was, and still is, far too in love for his own good.

And Aether could get in the way of that.

"We meet again, Traveller." The General nods, pushing down such shameful thoughts. "I'm glad to see you are both fairing well."

"It's all thanks to [Name], actually." Aether nudges you in the ribs. "They're really helpful, no matter the task."

You smirk. "Oh, what an honour. The traveller complementing me, a common, mortal nobody."

"Hey, I'm not that annoying!"

"Maybe. But you sure snore at night. That is annoying."

"Wh-! I don't. I know for a fact-"

No, you don't sound like close friends. You sound like a married couple. What just happened in this handful of months? Did Cyno hesitate too long and lost his chance? Now that he had decided to expose his deepest feelings?

"You guys! Paimon is starving here."

Paimon's shrill voice cuts short the bicker, as the Matra's jaw clenches. Good time, credits to Paimon, but seeing the two of you stroll towards the tavern didn't ease the knot in his chest the slightest.

Your laughter wasn't addressed to him nor to his uncanny jokes. He wasn't the one making you smile.

He was the moon and he'd just been eclipsed by the Traveller's brightest light.

Dinner was... Gut wrenching, to say the least.

You'd known Cyno long enough to tell apart his feelings even as he wears that stoic facade of his. While Paimon and the Traveller didn't have a single clue about the situation, you could feel his dry gaze burning holes on both of your figures, as if the sun had ascended back to the skies and everything around had turned desert.

He was feeling something you'd never quite seen within him.

It took you a bit too long to realise that the fair, lawful General Mahamatra was jealous, of all things.

He was so subtle with it, carefully hid his resentment in his voice and choice of words, in his gestures and mannerisms. But worst of all he didn't propose a single joke during the meal, not even when you laid the chance on a silver platter for him.

That had your mind reeling for the rest of your time together, and even afterwards, as you waved goodnight to Aether and Paimon. As you walked these streets you still know by heart with your dearest friend by your side.

As you choked on the thick air surrounding the two of you.

Maybe you should've left Aether out of it, for the first day, at least. Cyno hadn't seen you in so long, perhaps he didn't like the way Aether inadvertently hogged your attention the entire time when all he wanted was to hear about your adventures.

Yeah, you'd been an idiot for that one.

But, you still had an ace up your sleeve. Quite literally. One that would grant you his forgiveness and hopefully help you say the words to him.

Because of course, it took you less than a week far from him to realise you were smitten for this dad-jokes-spitting being.

You patted your side as you approached Razan Garden in all its glory, and sighed at the feeling of the rectangular box still inside. You could do it, you had to! It took you months of preparation, you wouldn't let it go to waste.

"[Name]." Cyno's voice was soft, as if to match the atmosphere lingering in the marble gazebo. He'd stopped a couple steps ahead of you, but didn't turn to meet your eyes. "My congratulations and best wishes."

You alt abruptly at that. Where the hell is it coming from?

"Uh, thank you?" You quirk a brow. "Did I do something special without knowing?"

He chuckles under his breath. Yes, you are special and he's grateful a being so perfect can exist in this world and is part of his life. But he would never tell you that.

He turns instead. His eyes rich with emotion, gentler. "I'm beyond glad that you found the right person out there, [Name]."

Oh. Oh.

"I only ever hoped for your happiness and well-being, during this period of time."

"Cyno, wait a sec-"

He takes a step forward. "If I had to voice my honest thoughts... I must admit I couldn't find peace of mind knowing you would've been out there alone."

"Cyno-"

"But I see you're perfectly capable of handling your own," the man sighs, shakes his head. A small smile curves his lips. "Just like you've always done."

"Oi-"

And then he's placing loose hands on your shoulders, as if he's in some kind of automatic mode and has to finish the speech at all costs.

For a moment you think he's gone absolutely senile. "Still, I'm relieved you have someone who can watch your back, now. He's a kind-hearted person, level headed, the best you could wish for-"

"Archons' fucking sake, Cyno! Will you hear me out a damn second?"

Cyno almost jumps back, taken out of his weird reverie, but you're quick to trap his face between your hands. You're close, closer than you'd wanted to, unfocused in your frustrated fervor. So much his breath warms the apple of your cheek, as it wasn't burning already.

You take a breath and force more words out before you can cower away from it. "I get where you're coming from, I neglected you today and acted like a shitty friend. And I'm sorry for that."

You lower your gaze to the ground. Now or never. "But it's you, okay? It's always been you! I could travel across all Teyvat and even Celestia, but it's you and just you. So drop that thing you're on about please."

That was disgustingly corny. But hopefully did the trick, you guess.

A beat passes. Then two. You don't see his face, you don't have the courage to take a look at the mess you've made. Him being jealous didn't mean he liked you, not necessarily. Maybe you should've given him the TCG deck and call it a night.

Another beat goes by.

"So... You and Aether are not...?"

He's gonna be the death of you.

You groan, a guttural sound that shouts exasperation from the deepest parts of your chest. All rationality goes to hell as you drag him closer and slam your lips together.

You're kissing him. Archons you're kissing him-

There's no time for Cyno to react. You're pulling away in a frenzy, hoping the ground will open for the Abyss to swallow you right now. You kissed one of your friends only to prove that you're single, and in fact attracted to them. Could it be worse than that? More humiliating and disrespectful to him?

"I'm so sorry!" You wave your hands around. "I shouldn't have without your permission! Are you okay?"

You search his expression for any sign of discomfort; he looks absolutely flabbergasted, but somehow weirdly composed like a bronze statue. His lips -god you'd just kissed them- are parted in the slightest, his eyes wide and yet still. The calm before the storm.

He's showing yet another sentiment you've never really seen him wear.

"Again." Cyno says.

You blink. "Uh?"

You feel his hand slither behind you and circle your waist, as he pushes your body closer. His skin is running hot like the desert's sands and you curse at his choice, or better lack of clothes.

His silver hair falls like a curtain, his eyes sharp. Dangerous, even, if you're not careful enough.

"Please, do it again. I think I've just seen the gates of Celestia." He mutters close to your lips.

That sounds more like him. You can't help but snort at his choice of words, shuddering all the same. The implications of said words dig a flaming hole in your chest.

"How can you be so smart, but dum dum at the same time?" You whisper, one hand traveling to the back of his neck, the other busying itself with stray locks of hair.

And you dip in for another kiss. One you sigh into, one that can be called kiss, actually. It's slower, but full all the same, scorching hot, pushed by feelings that were repressed for too long.

Cyno locks his free hand at your nape, never possessive, although firm. Small sounds bubble in the back of his throat when you bite at his lower lip, then backs just enough to mutter a couple words.

"Can you really blame me? It feels like a dream coming true." He pecks your lips, then presses his forehead to yours and closes his eyes. "I was scared you'd chosen him."

"So, all those pretty words from before?" You exhale a breathy laugh, cradling his jaw.

"I'd give away everything I have and am if it meant you'd be happy. I could only wish you the best and support you." Cyno smiles, pouting after the next words leave his mouth. "But it doesn't mean I would be fully content with the outcome."

Your brain has turned to mush. This man is too dangerous for this world, a hazard for you and your poor little heart that feels like exploding. It's a threat to your common sense and rationality. But most of all, it's damaging your brakes.

What he's telling you should not be legal.

"Archons, come here." And you kiss, and kiss, kiss again and again. You map each other's bodies with your hands as if it was the last time you'd be seeing each other. You press your mouths, clatter your teeth, intertwine your tongues.

You're straight up devouring in the dead silence of the night, in a public space. But as indecent the sounds you're both making are, it feels as if the world around blurred and blended into nothingness.

You've found yourself with your back to a wall, somehow, a couple buttons loose, skin hit by the cold air of the night. You -surely more clothed than Cyno- are an absolute mess, whereas his appearance doesn't falter much even at your hands' mercy.

It's unfair, he's unfair. He has no right to be this damn perfect even in the face of chaos.

"Not here, Cy." You manage to utter. "Let's go home."

His hand stops halfway up your shirt and he detaches from your neck with a small grunt, red splotches forming already thanks to his work. He doesn't sound pleased with your choice, but wordlessly complies, knocking you off your feet and picking you up so easily it's unfair.

And embarrassing.

You deadpan. "Seriously?"

He finds your eyes, suddenly composed as if nothing happened. "You seemed quite unstable on your legs, dear."

You're audibly gasping at that, whacking his chest and glaring daggers. "You!"

"Let's continue it home, now."

Cyno is really going to be the death of you, in many ways you'd never even considered.

It's almost dawn when you finally let yourselves snuggle up to each other in the peace of your home. More like his home, since yours needs more than a bit of cleaning after months of disuse, but he's made it clear already: everything that's his is also yours.

Cyno traces patterns on the bare skin of your arm, as you card through the knots on the back of his head, formed after... Recent activity. He seems too lost in your touch to even be awake, when his fingers stop.

"What was the surprise, in the end? Was it the confession?"

Your hands still, your face tightening at the question. When did you even... Oh, right.

"Would you be satisfied if I said yes?"

He pinches you.

"Owie!"

"You should know that what has been of this night matters more than anything, to me. Of course I would be satisfied." Cyno raises a thin brow, as his hand starts to descend agonizingly slow, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. "Was I not clear enough about my feelings? Perhaps you need a reminder-"

"Whoa, hold your horses, General." You chuckle, planting a kiss on his forehead before leaning over to your bedside table, where your bag had been thrown previously. "There was no way I'd come back empty handed after all these months, yanno?"

You pull out the wrapped box, place it in his hands. Cyno stares at it quizzically, but opens the packaging with care after you nudge him in the side.

Oh, his expression is so, so priceless. Cute, too cute, so cute you could die right now on the spot for excess of sugar in your blood. He looks like a kid who's just received the toy he oh so wanted and ranted about.

"It's not just any deck," You explain. "It's a deck made of cards I've gathered around from different regions. Some were more challenging to get, but I've been playing with you for a long time, haven't I? Of course I'd win."

Meanwhile Cyno takes the liberty to browse its contents, and just like you said, they're not from Sumeru. He's barely ever seen them, some are literally unknown, and he's ecstatic at the sight. How long did it take? How much effort?

"This is…" there's no right term to describe it. "Wonderful. You are wonderful, [Name]."

He goes for a hug and you feel like your bodies fit perfectly in each other's arms, as if it was meant to be. Right now, all that matters is this. And it will always be for all you care.

You smile into his shoulder, smooch the base of his neck. "Is it too early to say 'I love you?'."

"I would actually say we're late, Love."

"I love you, then, you Dum-Dum."

"I love you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You are like my asthma. You just take my breath away."

You make sure Cyno slams his head as you throw him off the bed.

Do not translate/rewrite/repost/feed to AI ©2025 nyxthejinx