#Cos is too kind

[blondie-drawings]

I recently got a bunch of TNG novels at a charity shop and this passage from the FIRST BOOK is making me feel craaaaazy

[abstractfrog]

THE GLORIA SCOTT - part 2, and a follow up to my comic for the first half of this scene! thanks sm to @crashingmeteorz for allowing me to source validation for my whimsical cosmic approach to this moment <3

[halflifebutawesome]

anyone wanna be boy bestfriends in a scary research facility and get increasingly concerned for eachothers well-being?

[zhaitansvisage]

Shoutout to Guild Wars 2 for having extremely diverse dragon designs.

[dxxtruction]

Louis' "You're boring!" Could mean so many things, but I think what's most apparent about that line is that Armand takes no initiative just for himself. He's not really anybody, because he never goes out and finds himself or gets attached to anyone but Louis. Without Louis as his guide he's literally just sitting on a couch picking lint! That's the thing.

He orbits constantly around what would make Louis happy, and never really fully going what would make me happy? Ultimately that drive to please Louis is what drives him to torturing Daniel, not so much that he'd care to just do it. Ultimately, not giving proper care to Louis is just a way to make sure Louis knows he has to orbit around him as well, with shoving Lestat onto him just that other nail on the coffin. So, even if he fails to figure out how to make Louis happy with him, he still knows what Armand is good for, and better than.

That dependency is what drives Armand's abuse. It really just comes down to that. Armand doesn't even realize how suffocated he is by his own dependency. This is just how life is to him. (It shouldn't be lost either that dependency is a theme considering this episode also deals with addiction).

Daniel's fascinating because he's just so driven to be somebody. He's largely independent, he seeks things because he wants them. It's his drug to poke and prod at all the things that he shouldn't. Daniel's exciting because he lets Louis in to something different, lets him in to all this potential in another person that he can also do the same with for himself. It's a real connection. A two way street. It's easy to tell how Armand can be smothering then because he's never introducing him to anything really new, and most the ways both of them connect are all painful and traumatic. It's never just fun because there's always that layer of that pain. Fun died with Claudia.

50 years on they've gotten to a lot better place, both of them, but it's still that same shit. No seriously, "How is this any different from last time, Louis?"

Well... Because Armand's going to be, at the very least, making one [1] decision only for himself - and that's to hold power over Daniel's life. Fucking sick foreshadowing.

They aren't driving each other to the brink anymore but "The vampire is bored" STILL. Maybe it's even worse, despite being in better places, because Louis' sort of just been defeated by it. (I mean, can he even really leave this either?). He's accepting the dependancy cause he kind of has to. He'd literally ended up letting all the enjoyment be up where he can't reach [The book shelves]. Armand so desperately wants Louis happiness but what really ends up happening is that Louis ends up having to give Armand all his own. He's got no one or anything else to get it from. But like an iPad and an over the top eating ritual. Two extremes of what's just more lint picking.

This whole relationship is one I find just tragic inside and out. You have to just pity it, really. There's ways in which you can find yourself feeling bad for both of them. But you can only really be mad at Armand for any of it. Armand, who isn't even 'free' in any sense, having so little concept of his own independence, but is at the same time so controlling over other's. It's a tragic cycle. It's an infuriating one.

Louis at least has the mind to know when enough is enough. If just needing that extra push to get there. Armand's too scared of it being over to even try.

[blackjackkent]

Today's dialogue file exploration! Summon lines for all of your allies in the final battle!

-----

Summoning: Balm of the Moonmaiden (Isobel)

ASTARION: Isobel! A little healing magic, if you please. LAE'ZEL: Isobel, we're in need of your talents. GALE: Isobel - some healing, if you please. SHADOWHEART: Isobel - now's your chance! WYLL: Some healing, if you please. KARLACH: Hey, Isobel! Can the Moonmaiden perk us up? JAHEIRA: Time to save our skin again, Isobel! HALSIN: Isobel - lend us your healing touch! TAV/DURGE: Isobel! We need healing!

-----

Summoning: Battle-Ready Owlbear

ASTARION: Get out here, cub! It's time to finally earn your keep. LAE'ZEL: Bare your claws, cub! GALE: My owlbear friend. Time for some of your fabled ferocity. SHADOWHEART: Owlbear, show them your claws! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Owlbear cub, let's test that armour of yours! WYLL: Let's see what the cub can do! KARLACH: Here, owly cubby cubby. KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Bare your beak, owlbear! JAHEIRA: Come, cub - show them how you've grown! HALSIN: Young owlbear, show us your fury! TAV/DURGE: Time to bite, my owlbear friend!

-----

Summoning: Black Fist Enforcers (Zhentarim/Roah Moonglow)

ASTARION: Zhentarim! It's time to step out of the shadows. LAE'ZEL: Zhentarim, show yourselves. GALE: It's time the Zhentarim earned their keep. Join me, Roah! SHADOWHEART: Zhentarim! To arms! WYLL: Come on, Zhentarim. Make yourselves useful. KARLACH: Zhentarim! Make yourselves useful! JAHEIRA: Come then, Zhent - earn your pay! HALSIN: Zhentarim! To battle! TAV/DURGE: Zhentarim! To arms!

-----

Summoning: Florrick's Cohort

ASTARION: Florrick! Get out here, Counsellor! LAE'ZEL: Florrick - it's now or never! GALE: Counsellor Florrick - Baldur's Gate requires your protection once more. SHADOWHEART: Florrick, help us! WYLL: Now's the time, Counsellor Florrick! KARLACH: Florrick! Bring the Flaming Fist to my aid! JAHEIRA: If you would be so kind, Counsellor! HALSIN: Florrick - I need your aid! TAV/DURGE: Florrick, where in the hells are you?

-----

Summoning: Guildmaster Keene's Fixers

ASTARION: We need you, Lady Keene! Time to honour your debt. LAE'ZEL: Lady Keene - your fighters! NOW. GALE: A favour given is a favour owed. Lady Keene - time to repay your debt. SHADOWHEART: Don't stand on ceremony, Lady Keene. We need you! WYLL: All right, Lady Keene. Send them in! KARLACH: Lady Keene - get in here! JAHEIRA: Oh Astele? Send in your ladies, would you? HALSIN: Lady Keene, we need you in this fight. TAV/DURGE: Lady Keene - we need your people. NOW.

-----

Summoning: Gur Huntwardens

ASTARION: All right, let's see how the Gur fare against this. LAE'ZEL: Ulma, call in your hunters! GALE: Ulma - I need the Gur's strength. Join me! GALE (MIND FLAYER): Ulma. Your Gur hunters will turn this tide. SHADOWHEART: Gur hunters, aid us! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Gur hunters, attack! WYLL: Ulma? Call in your hunters - we've found their prey. KARLACH: Get in here, Ulma! We need your Gur hunters! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Ulma - we require your hunters! JAHEIRA: Ulma - we need your hunters! HALSIN: Gur hunters, come to our aid! MINTHARA: At our command, Gur. MINSC: Noble Gur, heed my hamster's call! TAV/DURGE: Ulma, gather your hunters! It's time to slay some monsters.

-----

Summoning: Hellrider Platoon (Zevlor)

ASTARION: Zevlor! Tieflings! Now's your time. ASTARION (MIND FLAYER): Zevlor, dear, this is your cue! LAE'ZEL: Tiefling warriors, show your might. GALE: Zevlor! War summons you once again. Show me how you answer. SHADOWHEART: Tiefling veterans - put your skills to use! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Tiefling veterans - put your experience to work! WYLL: Tieflings, to arms! KARLACH: May this be your last battle, my friends! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Fight your last battle, friends! JAHEIRA: Zevlor - you are needed! HALSIN: Veterans - join the fray! TAV/DURGE: Veterans of the Hells - to arms!

-----

Summoning: Hellstalker Yurgir

ASTARION: Yurgir, be a darling and lend a hand! LAE'ZEL: Yurgir - to battle! GALE: Yurgir! I need an orthon's might in this battle. SHADOWHEART: Come, Yurgir. The hunt awaits. SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Yurgir, time to hunt! WYLL: Yurgir, unleash the Hells' fires! KARLACH: Get in here, you big devil you! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Yurgir - make use of yourself! JAHEIRA: Heel, hellhound! HALSIN: Yurgir, to the hunt! MINTHARA: Yurgir! Today, we hunt a Netherbrain. Join us! MINSC: Hound of hell! Boo calls, so come and serve a true hunter! TAV/DURGE: Yurgir - lend your strength! TAV/DURGE (MIND FLAYER): Orthon - with me!

-----

Summoning: Ironhand Grenadiers

ASTARION: Ironhands! Let's see if gnomes are actually good for something. LAE'ZEL: Ironhands - alight! GALE: A blast of Ironhand ingenuity will turn this tide. To me! SHADOWHEART: Blast away, Ironhands! WYLL: Blast away, Ironhands! KARLACH: Ironhand Gnomes, time to make it rain fire! JAHEIRA: Show the Absolute some Ironhand engineering! HALSIN: Grenadiers - unleash your bombardment! TAV/DURGE: Bombs away!

-----

Summoning: Mizora, Agent of Avernus

ASTARION: Mizora! Bring down hellsfire! LAE'ZEL: It's your move, Mizora! GALE: Mizora. It's time these creatures paid a devil their dues. SHADOWHEART: Mizora, we need you! WYLL: Time to make good, Mizora! KARLACH: Mizora, show your ugly face! JAHEIRA: Come and break a nail, Mizora! HALSIN: Mizora, aid us! TAV/DURGE: Time to do your part, Mizora!

-----

Summoning: Retinue of the Vampire Lord (Ascended Astarion)

ASTARION: Come, my unholy minions - fight for your master! LAE'ZEL: Awaken your undead servants, Astarion! GALE: Lord Astarion, the armies of the undying must join this fight. SHADOWHEART: Astarion, call forth your army of the dead! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Astarion - send forth your army of the dead! WYLL: Astarion, bring in your undead! KARLACH: All right, fangs - it's all you! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Astarion, unleash the dead! JAHEIRA: Come then, Astarion - introduce us to your new friends! HALSIN: Astarion, bring forth your undead warriors! MINTHARA: Lord Astarion, unleash your nocturnal servants! MINSC: Astarion! Summon your pale and scrawny fellows! TAV/DURGE: It's time, Astarion - we need the dead on our side!

-----

Summoning: Rolan's Firestorm

ASTARION: All right, Rolan. Let's see if your powers match your ego. LAE'ZEL: Where is that wizard? Rolan, to the fray! GALE: Rolan! Unleash fire from the heavens. SHADOWHEART: Rolan - bring down fire from above! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Rolan - unleash fire from above. WYLL: Come on, Rolan. Show off that magic of yours! KARLACH: Bombs away, Rolan! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Rolan - fire up that artillery! JAHEIRA: Time to make yourself useful, little wizard! HALSIN: Rolan, let loose your barrage. Rain down fire! TAV/DURGE: Rolan - bring the fire. NOW!

-----

Summoning: Silver Harp Squadron (Harpers)

ASTARION: To me, Harpers! For Baldur's Gate! LAE'ZEL: Harpers - weapons ready! GALE: Harpers, stand with me. We defeat this evil together. SHADOWHEART: Harpers - attack! WYLL: Harpers? Out of the shadows. KARLACH: Those Who Harp, let's kick evil's arse! JAHEIRA: Harpers! For the fallen! HALSIN: Harpers - to me! TAV/DURGE: Harpers - now is the time!

-----

Summoning: Sword of the Silverlight (Dame Aylin)

ASTARION: Dame Aylin? It's your time to shine! LAE'ZEL: Come, Dame Aylin. It's your time! GALE: Dame Aylin. Your light must shatter this darkness. SHADOWHEART: Now's your chance, Dame Aylin. WYLL: Daughter of Selûne, show me what you can do! KARLACH: All right, Dame Aylin! Time to tear these rats a new one. JAHEIRA: Dame Aylin - there are some here who don't yet fear your name! HALSIN: Dame Aylin will surely aid us. The Moonmaiden's very own daughter knows our cause is just. MINTHARA: Aylin! Bring your righteous fury to bear. MINSC: DAME AYLIN! WE HAVE NEED OF HEAVEN'S BOOT! TAV/DURGE: Dame Aylin! Lend me your sword!

-----

Summoning: Veil of the Weird (Auntie Ethel)

ASTARION: Auntie Ethel? Be a dear and help, won't you? LAE'ZEL: Auntie Ethel, it's time you got up to your old tricks. GALE: Ethel - to me. It's time you made good on our arrangement. SHADOWHEART: Ethel, show them what you're made of! WYLL: Time you made good on your bargain, hag. KARLACH: All right, Ethel, show us what a hag can really do! JAHEIRA: Be a dear and come when you are called, Auntie. HALSIN: Time to put your trickery to good use, hag. TAV/DURGE: Auntie Ethel - it's time to hold up your end of our bargain!

-----

Summoning: The Watch (Valeria)

ASTARION: Guards, come quick! Gods, that felt wrong. LAE'ZEL: I call for the City Watch! GALE: Baldur's Gate trembles. City Watch, come to her aid. SHADOWHEART: City Watch - reclaim your home! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): City Watch - fight for your homes! WYLL: City Watch, shake the ground! KARLACH: City Watch! Show us what Baldur's Gate is made of. KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): City Watch! Make Baldur's Gate proud. JAHEIRA: Where ever are the City Watch when you need them? HALSIN: City Watch! Defend your home! TAV/DURGE: City Watch - into position!

-----

BONUS: Summoning Steel Watcher (available in the dialogue files but not in game)

ASTARION: Steel Watcher - fall in! Time to join the fight. LAE'ZEL: Steel Watcher - stand with me! GALE: Steel Watch! Subdue these creatures. I command it. SHADOWHEART: Steel Watcher - forward! WYLL: Steel Watcher, into service! KARLACH: Steel Watch - cousins! Time to shine! JAHEIRA: Watcher! You were made to save the city, were you not? HALSIN: Steel Watcher - those foes are for you! TAV/DURGE: Steel Watcher - on guard!

[fridayiminlovemp3]

my whole tiktok feed is matt damon ben affleck edits 👍 who want me

[blaithnne]

ok i forgot that goldie isnt canonically 5'1 on a good day so i have to restructure this ask

1) thoughts on short goldie

2) is heron short also

3) (contingent on answers 1 and 2) thoughts on scrooge and beakley both falling for tiny evil women

1) & 2)

I think the toxic yuri polycule height chart is something like this—!

They all wear heels so it’s not exact (also I whipped this up in like 5 minutes lol)

Huifen is tall, she’s a black heron after all, and though they’re not the tallest birds ever they’re still pretty long! But she looks short standing next to Beakley, because everyone does (also I undersized her a little bit in my first human drawing by accident, whoops). Goldie is a short queen LMAO, she’s not minuscule, only slightly shorter than the average person, but she looks tiny next to these two (she might be slightly shorter than I drew her here, idk, I struggled to scale her LOL). Scrooge, for the record, is around the same height as Goldie!

In terms of their builds btw, Beakley is, obviously, very muscular! Though she might seem like a tank, she’s actually very soft — big ol squishy teddy bear! Heron on the other hand is a gangly mf, long, skinny, and sharp. Goldie is sort of in between them, an hourglass build like Huifen, but with more muscle on her (not half as much as Beakley, though).

3)

Heron might not be tiny but Beakley treats her like she is, picks her up like a feral cat when she’s being too much 😌 Scrooge and Goldie only have a very slight height difference, but I think he’s very smug about it lol

Also, my funniest headcanon ever is that Beakley has a thing for bad girls, and she HATES IT. She’s so embarrassed about it and fully intends to take it to her grave. This also leads to her hating the aforementioned bad girls even more, bc she’s so frustrated with herself for liking the in the first place. So Beakley can spend 24 hours a day ranting about how much she hates someone, and be blushing the entire time. All this to say, Beakley might not technically have a leg to stand on when it comes to criticising Scrooge’s relationship, but that doesn’t stop her.

I think they’re both massive hypocrites about it, bc they wanna protect eachother despite the other really not needing the help. They’re also endlessly frustrated with eachother’s toxic Yuri partners. Beakley to a much bigger degree because she definitely has a thing for Goldie, which only makes her hate her even more. Scrooge is more annoyed by Beakley and Heron than anything else bc he just does not understand what the hell is going on there, but he’ll also occasionally be all,

In conclusion, Beakley and Scrooge being a disaster sibling duo is my favourite thing ever. Scrooge is practically immortal, nothing can take him down. Beakley is a walking tank, she could walk off a bullet. They looked at eachother and went “that idiot needs me to protect them from their own love life” and they were kind of right??

[reineydraws]

i have a soft spot for fics where billy sort of ends up adopting el and will alongside max. like, these are the kids that get dibs for rides in the camaro haha.

also im unfortunately not participating bc prev commitments but #harringrove for turkey is happening right now if yall want to donate to the earthquake relief funds for turkey & syria and get some art/fic back from harringrove fans! :) check out the tag if you're interested!!

[beetlebabby]

day 23. swamp

a young woman and a little boy invite you to their house while you're lost in the swamp. do you accept?

[melrosing]

do you remember that time GRRM wrote a GOT episode and decided to cut the bs for a minute and just throw in that ‘but you love him’ line for JB. like go hard or go home ig

[sanasanakun]

Tbh this account’s become my “let’s rant about random shit” place but I have another thing to bitch about lol yall who keep whining about people creating “good ending” AUs where Anya keeps the baby are annoying. Her keeping the baby doesn’t make it a bad ending. That’s like a real thing that many victims do? And we don’t even know what her choice would have been, so her keeping or getting rid of the baby are both totally valid portrayals of her character. IMO both are interesting ways to explore her character more since both have equal amounts of weight to them as choices. Godddd please just have some nuisance in a game that opens itself up to heavy interpretation.

[revvethasmythh]

it's been weeks and i'm still so compelled by the background storyline of hawke going to weisshaupt after here lies the abyss. like. it makes no damn sense. maybe if hawke has a living sibling who is a grey warden, you can twist the logic of it, but i did not have that and also hawke said she wanted to make sure corypheus died and neither staying in the fade NOR going to weisshaupt really accomplishes this goal. like there is NO reason for hawke to be up at weisshaupt, this is not in her lane, this is not her business, her skin is NOT clear, her crops are NOT watered. the wardens are not the responsibility of your Just Some Guy from Kirkwall who has potentially zero connections to the wardens at all except for that one time they super causally tried to use her as a blood sacrifice (maybe she and the first warden can laugh about it some day, but somehow i doubt it!).

BUT. but. the mental imagine of hawke going there and then her sibling (if alive) and her love interest ALSO going there, just to meet up with her, makes it so bonkers funny i don't even care if it doesn't make sense. wtf do you mean hawke family reunion relationship drama in the austere home of the wardens where they all show up and then the entire leadership of the wardens suddenly implodes as civil war breaks out and then their asses get STUCK there. wtf do you mean hawke inadvertently sticks her ass in the middle of yet another civil war while simultaneously having to patch things up with her LI and deal with a sibling dynamic at the same time. hawke can't catch a fucking break istg. it's just her, her sibling, and her LI as their own little three person party while some truly WILD shit goes down and the epilogues are all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about what happens other than like two lines that put the most insane images into my head. there's a sped-up video of this going down in my mind with the benny hill theme playing in the background. why does varric talk like hawke is still at weisshaupt during trespasser, which takes place two entire years after hawke was meant to go there to give a basic report and then dip. how is this THE most hawke thing to ever happen and we're just. told nothing more about it except that varric got One™️ message from her via an entire smuggling syndicate that essentially says "damn, shits crazy here" and that he assumes hawke will walk away from the building while it's exploding sometime in the near future because apparently the conflict there is not yet resolved. again, this is TWO YEARS LATER. like trespasser is fun and all but truly can we revisit wtf this was all about because WHAT

[cluescorner]

Little Bits I got from the hangout (Spoilers for Kaeya’s Hangout)

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

Things in parentheses are my own thoughts rather than canon stuff. 

- Kaeya is a very kind person at his core. Both to those he loves and total strangers. 

- So many people love Kaeya. From the staff at the Winery to the KoF to the citizenry of Mond to mild acquaintances to total strangers, Kaeya is truly loved by those around him. 

- The KoF are all co-parenting Klee together, though they disagree a bit on exactly HOW to parent her. 

- Kaeya is a great schemer but he TERRIBLE at coming up with fake names (Albert Rich...really?)

- Kaeya was a very shy child while Diluc was rambunctious. Diluc would get them into trouble and Kaeya would go along with whatever Diluc wanted. (I hope that we get a bit more of their dynamic when they were younger explored and that we see more of what Diluc did to be a good brother to Kaeya)

- The entire winery loves Kaeya. Not just Adelinde, not just Adelinde and Elzer. Everyone. They watched him grow up into the man he is today and they consider him a member of the family. 

- Adelinde has covered for Diluc and Kaeya’s antics in the past. (probably why she’s so adept at covering for Diluc’s darknight hero stuff.)

- Tunner knew that something bothered young Kaeya, that there was some sort of deep-rooted issue that it’s implied Kaeya never talked to them about. (If Tunner knew, it is very likely that others at the Winery knew that this kid had TRAUMA. My guess is that at some point somebody brought it up to Crepus, who had noticed something similar, and he then asked Kaeya about it. Whether Kaeya confessed at that point...IDK)

- Klee is the cutest thing to ever exist and she loves Kaeya so much (that is not opinion, it is fact). 

- Kaeya sometimes forgets which lie he has told to a person before and uses it twice. Diluc WILL call him out on this, before inevitably capitulating to whatever Kaeya asks. (Standard older sibling behavior, you put up a fuss but ultimately you will do literally anything to make them happy. It’s why I think Diluc is the older of the two, even if Kaeya also has many older sibling traits). 

- Kaeya got sick fairly often as a child, but has grown up to be healthier. Adelinde took good care of him whenever that happened. (Chronically ill Kaeya truthers rise up! Also, he was probably sickly because of a few factors: not having the immune system for Mond’s diseases, probably living in the Abyss, probably having malnutrition, he was abandoned in the MIDDLE OF A STORM, and because winters in Mond are harsh).

- Adelinde knows exactly how Kaeya likes his food.

- Adelinde cares a lot about how maids are supposed to behave, but only on the surface level. If Kaeya can word something correctly, she’ll happily capitulate. 

- Kaeya knows a lot about the winery business. (Supports my personal headcanon that Kaeya was supposed to take over the Winery’s business after Crepus’s death, but then the fight happened). 

- Kaeya loves to act and would consider doing it full-time. He is also apparently very good at it (wow shocker. Boy who was raised as a child-spy and is constantly lying is good at acting.)

- While onstage, Kaeya is allergic to subtlety. (I love this. 10/10, throw off the shackles of destiny and toss a prop into the audience). 

- Kaeya doesn’t like to bask in the glory of the good things he does, sneaking out just as songwriting preparations are getting good (Kaeya is also fairly shy at his core, but the persona he’s formed won’t allow for that). 

- Kaeya is known to be thoughtful and is a good gift-giver. 

- Venti wholeheartedly accepts Kaeya as a child of Mondstadt, considers him a friend, and wants to see him throw off the shackles fate placed upon him. (I actually liked Venti a lot this hangout. We get to see him be silly but also wise, understand how he feels about the whole ‘worshipping Barbatos’ thing, and watch him encourage the creativity of others. Plus, imo this hangout basically confirms that Venti 100% knows about Kaeya’s predicament and more than anything wants to see that Kaeya is happy and cared for in Mondstadt). 

- (Kaeya at least suspects that Venti is Barbatos. The way the english VA acted things was a little too pointed to seem like genuine lack of knowledge about Venti’s identity.)

- Barbara cares about family the most, to the point that she will suggest that over even the worship of Barbatos himself (this is unsurprising, but also very sad considering how rarely she and Jean get to interact as sisters). 

- Diona will sing hymns about fish-related foods and Venti 100% supports singing about that over Barbatos (also unsurprising). 

- Diluc CAN AND WILL kill anyone who harasses his staff (somebody please draw fanart of Diluc fucking bumrushing poor Captain Wu to defend the maids, the image is simultaneously sweet and HILARIOUS). 

[slavhew]

best part about watching a movie is making an au with your (and friend's) ocs

reference imagesssss

[blackjackkent]

Fresh Meat

Pairing: Karlach/Tav (at end of fic) Characters: Karlach, Florenta the Garroter, Custom Male Tav (Hector Carlisle) Rating: G Warnings: Dark Themes Descriptors: Flashback, Military Backstory, Dark, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Happy/Bittersweet Ending Chapter Word Count: 2.2k Chapter Setting: Ten years pre-game, then early Act 3

Summary: 

Memories of a young Karlach's first days in Zariel's army.

This fic is a character study investigation of some of Karlach's experiences in Avernus, inspired by this gorgeous and devastating piece of art by @featherwurm. Please go check them out; their Karlach-related art is some of my favorite in the fandom. <3

The ending of the fic is also a response to a prompt from @astreamofstars from this ask meme.

read on ao3 | send me fic requests!

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Sweat trickles down her spine, pools at the base of her neck. It's so fucking hot in Avernus, like being buried in the depths of a coal fire. It matches the burning in her chest, the boiling in her guts. She fidgets her weight from one leg to the other, back and forth, as if that’d somehow ease the volcanic pressure behind each pneumatic pulse of molten blood in her veins. 

“I said ATTENTION!” Legate Jastor pauses in his inspection of his troops and halts in front of her, bellowing in her face. The pit fiend’s pale red eyes are filled with disdainful loathing. “I don't care if you’re Zariel's new pet, Cliffgate; you'll hold still when you're told!” He lifts a hand and cuffs her in a vicious backhand slap across the face. 

She squeezes her eyes shut, forcing herself not to react to the pain. Easier than it should be, really, because everything else hurts too. Her chest hurts and her head hurts. The exhaust vents along her shoulders burn with searing chemical heat. The bruising sting of the slap disappears, swallowed up by the inferno. 

“Yes, sir,” she grinds out. 

This isn't real, some part of her brain still stubbornly insists. No fucking way this is real. I'm dreaming. Gonna wake up any second and go see Gortash and laugh - hey, boss, you'll never guess the shit I dreamed you did to me!

It can't be real, that he betrayed her, after everything they've been through together. It can't be real that she’s on another plane in the fires of the Hells themselves. It can't be real that she met the Archdevil of Avernus, and the bitch cut out her heart.

It can't be real. It can't be real. It can't be real. It's not real. 

She opens her eyes again and stares into Jastor's smirking, grotesque face. His breath stinks of brimstone as he laughs. “Fidgety little fuck, aren't you, Dart? We'll fix that soon enough.”

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