#Cyrus: of Sand and Ruin

[reustari]

I'm back! Lets start off with the man, the myth, the legend, and my son,

Cyrus!

As I mentioned before, Cyrus is a bit of a dork. He loves learning about the world (considering he was isolated from it, it's understandable). He's most skilled in pensmithing and gathering materials for ink synthesizing.

Cyrus doesn't quite know what his likes and dislikes are apart from in-school. He was raised to be a pensmither, nothing more nothing less. He was taught that having a hobby or likes or even a favourite food was a distraction. So this new chapter of his life, away from his adoptive father, is full of new things for him. Is this the right thing though? Should he really stray from what he's known all his life.

Context: Cyrus grew up eating crushed and boiled beans he and his father gathered in their mini farm.

[oldestenemy]

“Shut up, Fitzhume.”

The wizard is so startled by the words out of Ione’s mouth that they almost laugh—despite everything. They look at her, wide eyed, mouth slightly agape. Fitzhume does not look much different. Ione turns her attention back to them, waving a hand towards the spiral door.

“Wizard, go see Bartleby, rest as needed, we will be in touch.”

A blink.

A nod.

The Eye of History clutched in one hand, the wizard steps back out into Ravenwood. It feels like it’s been longer than a couple days. It feels so much longer. But they’d been here earlier in the week. They’d faced Gretta, they’d brought Duncan back with them, they—

—breathe.

The scholars will locate Old Cob, and Mellori with him. And Raven, they suppose. They are trying to think about everything as little as possible. They feel barely awake, barely alive, a shadow shifting under the canopy of leaves stretching out into the street.

The Eye seems to pull itself from their grip as they look up at Bartleby, slotting itself with a dull thunk back into his empty socket. They think about Ozzy for a moment, glad that this sound is more earthen, less like bone—because well, it’s not bone.

“Thank you, Wizard. But I must beg your pardon now, I need time to myself as the past returns to me. I need time to remember everything.” They smile up at Bartleby weakly, gaze roaming his still autumn hued leaves. Perhaps it would take time, the green returning. They wouldn’t complain, it was still easier to pass through him with the different colors, ill an omen as everyone believed them to be.

…Now what?

The wizard loathes down time.

They despise being told to rest.

They hadn’t even stopped to see Baba Yaga.

Someone else is going to tell her Mellori is gone.

Someone else is going to tell her it’s the wizard’s fault.

They didn’t stop her. They were too slow. They didn’t—

—their footsteps pause just before the door to the Myth tower.

Had Baba Yaga known? She must have known. Could she have told them? Was the knowledge tucked away? Were the words out of reach just like their name?

Did any of that even matter now?

They ascend the spiraling steps into the tower proper, warm afternoon sun streams through the yellow and blue glass making up the windows. It throws triangular patterns into the floor, shimmering and shifting as though the light itself is trying to form magic. The wizard pulls a book from one of Cyrus Drake’s shelves, settling down on the floor in a sun spot, eyes glazed over, no words really getting through. They aren’t entirely sure why they chose here to wait, aside from the fact that they were not ready to talk to anyone else but Cyrus, knowing he wouldn’t return to the tower for some hours still. And yet…

The gentle sensation of touch, just over their shoulder, a faint breath drawing ozone and rain. The telltale flash of incoming teleportation—

~*~

Worlds away, in a shining city of barrows and coiling pathways rebuilt from crumbling stone, a necromancer is looking for a mouse. A mouse he has met all of once, only briefly, and is now—perhaps foolishly—trying to pick out from the dozens of armored rodent inhabitants of Bastion.

He is on the brink of frustration, a moments rest taken before a waterfall. A handful of orbs shimmer within the spray, dancing lights filled with deserts, forests, twisting mines, a palace dark and imposing. This world is a vast expanse, open and endless unlike anywhere else he’s ever been. Even the towering ruins of Dragonspyre shrink in his mind at the scale of this place. He feels small here, insignificant as a grain of sand.

It’s awful.

“You sent them away?” He is still new, he tries to keep the open incredulity from his voice but doesn’t quite manage it. “Alone?”

Ione Virga regards him with an intensity that almost makes him want to shrink away. It reminds him he is here on the word and mercy of other people. Maybe that’s her goal. “The wizard was sent to return the Eye of History, beyond that their orders are to rest. Whether they do so alone, or with company does not matter.”

Despite the way she is looking at him, the words don’t…feel hostile? Statement of fact. Little else.

On a ledge beside a waterfall, Duncan Grimwater sits and contemplates his next move. Wonders if coming here was pointless after all. Wonders what he was even trying to achieve.

He knows—

—that doesn’t mean he’s going to admit to it.

Even to himself.

“Hail, Spellbinder.”

He turns his head to see one of the mice striding towards him. Not just one of the mice. The one he’s here for, the one the wizard had spoken to so freely, who they had wanted a chance to say goodbye to, who had made them laugh.

Dyvim Whitehart stands near as tall as Duncan, sword sheathed at his side, a curious smile on his face. “We met in Sardonyx,” Statement, not question. “I see the armor forged as a result is still serving you well.”

Duncan is almost surprised. So used to those around him interacting with an edge of distaste. None of that exists here. “It is.” he agrees, swallowing the urge to silence his next words. He came here for a reason. He is repaying a debt. Even if he’s the only one who feels it needs doing. “I need your help with something.”

~*~

—the wizard is expecting one of the necromancers. Penny or Malorn most likely. Or maybe Suzie if the sharp tang of Storm magic present in the effect is anything to judge by—

—what they do not expect is for Dyvim Whitehart to materialize in a whirlwind of Death magic, looking as though the action itself has thrown him a touch off balance. They scrabble forward to help steady him, sitting back on their heels when all calms.

“Dyvim?” their voice comes quiet, muted and muffled by confusion.

“Someone told me you might be in need of a friend.”

A startled laugh forces itself sharp and ragged from their throat.

Dyvim has heard the sound before.

“It seems ill advised—sending one soldier to fight a war alone—a young one at that.”

The wizard laughs, a sharp and angry sound. Working its way past their lips before it can be stopped. “I’ve never known anything else.” Even before everything felt like a loss, like a pointless raging against inevitability. “Almost a decade of fighting and fighting and fighting.”

They watch Dyvim’s expression sour as he tries to place that range of years. They’d discussed their discrepancies in timing and maturity before, they are near the same sort of “age”, they can see he’s trying to figure out if he’s misunderstood, if all those years were still “adulthood”.

“You have allies who cannot reach this world, who direct you, who aid you—”

“—aid is a strong word.” the wizard replies, “I’m good at working alone. I’m used to it. You—” they stop for a moment, unsure how to admit that he is the first person to truly stick by them, to help them in a real tangible way. Eventually, voice dropping near a whisper. As though admitting it will make the truth of the words hurt. “You’re the first person who hasn’t left the moment I’ve saved them.”

It is not exactly easy to tell Dyvim what had transpired since they’d left him last. But it is easier than it has ever been to tell anyone else. They settle back to the floor, the sunlight almost warmer with Dyvim beside them. And all of it spills out.

“The waiting again is the worst—after Xiabalba, after—” Breathe, they live on, different but surviving. The wizard swallows. The pain recedes. “—there was a long stretch of nothing, there is always something in the way, now with Mellori it’s the same, I have to wait, I have to rest, I don’t—I lost her and I should have known better, I should never have let her come to Mirage with me—but I was too distracted by the Schism and I just—” Their words fall apart, disjointed and trailing off into nothing. “Old Cob tricked me again. Because I was desperate and reckless and stupid. It was the Moon Cliffs again. It was a danger I should have seen coming.”

They should have seen the signs.

Should have recognized Mellori for what and who she was born of.

Shaking. Only just. An unnatural chill to the dampness of their eyes. Swallow it. Keep it tamped down. Nothing good will come of that outpouring here.

“Spellbinder.”

It is nice.

Not being the Wizard.

It’s not their name.

But it is a name born of only one place.

A minute difference.

A hand on their shoulder.

More closeness than most are permitted.

A friend in arms.

Just enough.

Not fully their own—but not an empty shell—closer to who they are instead of what they are.

“You’re fighting another war alone.”

“Two under my belt since ours—if you count a revolution as a war, and a turf war as another.” Disconnect from it, set it apart and it won’t feel as bad. “There has been some help.” Ivan. Ozzy. Mellori—dammit. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” There is a glint of understanding in his eyes, a slight challenge in the words themselves. As though he is asking not what they are trying to apologize for—but rather asking they find the strength not to.

They know better, they know he doesn’t blame them. It doesn’t stop the words. “I never apologized—I was too slow then—and I was too slow now—and I can’t ever save anyone when it matters—”

“—stop.” Dyvim’s voice is just sharp enough to cut them off, it softens out as he continues “You brought life back to the husk of a world that Khrysalis became under the Shadow Queen. It sounds as though you have saved all of us from ruin again. You will find your friend, even if it takes time. And I’ll not hear you decrying the hero I’ve grown so fond of.”

Hero.

Always.

Never corrected, the weight still carried. Heroes don’t ask to watch as their enemies die. Heroes do not seek vengeance. Do not strike back at people who are meant to be on the same side. Do not sling spells before asking simple questions. Do not raise horrors beyond knowing from ancient pits. Or drag their friends into danger. Heroes do not lose themselves to Shadow magic and rip foes apart bare handed.

They haven’t felt like a hero in years.

The wizard doesn’t say it.

They lean into Dyvim. Head resting against his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

It can be enough.

It has to be.

read the rest here <3

[isnt-it-pretty]

Wip #4

Another of my wip collection that may or may not ever be finished. It's been a while since I last posted one, so here!

So far I've posted Cyno & Kaveh childhood friends, Cyno's Vision being stolen, and Windblume

This wip is inspired by this post of mine where I thoight it'd be cool if Kaveh and Tighnari teamed up to make something like automail for Amputee!Cyno.

...

Kaveh waited in tense silence, seated side-by-side with Cyrus and Tighnari in the Bimarstan's waiting room. He wished it was a less common occurrence, but he supposed it was what happened when his best friend was the General Mahamatra.

It was late, somewhere in the hours between midnight and dawn. Kaveh had already cancelled his guest lecture and various meetings for the next day, and he knew Cyrus had done the same. Tighnari's work was harder to get out of, but he must have handed it over to another Forest Watcher since there was no way he would leave when Cyno was injured.

None of them knew what to expect. The matra had alerted Kaveh and Cyrus that Cyno had been injured and was rushed into surgery in critical condition. They had sent word to Tighnari in Gandharva Ville, knowing he would want to be there.

That was hours ago. Tighnari had arrived not long before, but there was no news to give him. The nurses knew nothing when questioned-- only that Cyno was still in surgery‐- and the matra were tight-lipped over what happened, apparently unable to speak of an ongoing investigation. All Cyrus could tell them was that Cyno was out of the city on an investigation, but Cyno was always quiet about his work. It meant they had to wait until somebody of high enough rank deigned to tell them something. 

Finally, as the sky began to lighten with the pre-dawn sun, a doctor entered the waiting room. He looked exhausted, with hard lines on his features and deep bags beneath his eyes. 

Kaveh's heart stuttered in his chest, the fear that he had been suppressing roaring to life. He felt Cyrus tense next to him and knew the feeling was mutual. 

"Professor Cyrus," the doctor said, dipping his head in greeting. "You're here for the General Mahamatra, correct?"

Few people knew that Cyrus was Cyno's father. It was a matter of safety for them both, a way to lessen the scrutiny on Cyno during his Akademiya years and to keep his enemies from going after Cyrus as General Mahamatra. The only paper trail was the adoption record, buried deep within the archives with several layers of privacy, and that Cyrus was Cyno's next-of-kin on all medical paperwork. If the worst came to pass and Cyno couldn't make medical decisions for himself, it would fall to Cyrus to do it for him. 

"I am," Cyrus said. He stood, Kaveh and Tighnari following a moment later.

The doctor nodded. "I'm Dr. Adarsh," he introduced himself. "I'm the leading surgeon on General Mahamatra Cyno's case. Please, if you'd follow me, we can discuss this further somewhere more private."  

They followed. Cyrus nodded his permission at Dr. Adarsh's silent question, assuring him that Kaveh and Tighnari were allowed to be privy to whatever information he wished to share. 

The meeting room Dr. Adarsh took them to was small. It held a table surrounded by chairs and decorated with plants in the corners. They each took a seat, and Dr. Adarsh explained the situation. 

Cyno's leg had been crushed beneath a Ruin Drake, his arm partially amputated by a nearby Ruin Hunter's blades-- the fight with which left him with multiple lacerations across his body. The eremites who found him hours later, surrounded by other recently destroyed Ruin Machines and bleeding out among the sands, had no choice but to amputate the leg to free him. By the time he reached medical care in Caravan Ribat, his arm couldn't be saved.

Cyrus' breath caught audibly, the sound painful. Kaveh clenched his jaw so hard it ached. 

"He's stable and his prognosis is good," Dr. Adarsh assured them. "Barring any complications, he should recover."

There was a moment of silence as they each processed the information. Cyno had lost two limbs. It was surreal to think about, unbelievable. Cyno always seemed indestructible, his constitution and the spirit dwelling within him making him tougher than most.  Injuries were common, yes, but nothing to this degree. 

Kaveh wanted to laugh. His chest felt tight, an ache deep beneath his ribs. Cyno put everything he had into being the General Mahamatra-- it was how he defined himself. Kaveh didn't want to know what would happen with that taken away. 

"Where was the amputation?" Tighnari asked. 

"Mid-thigh, and about four inches below his shoulder," the doctor replied. 

Tighnari cursed. Kaveh was too shocked to make sense of what it meant, his hands trembling. 

"Can we see him?" Cyrus asked with a slight wave to his voice. If Kaveh hadn't known him so well, he would have missed it. 

End

...

That's all there is sadly, but I do love this concept. The fma fan in me craves it.

[theweirdkidinside03]

Benson Boone held tight on the top spot of Countdown Top 40 for the third consecutive weeks

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone

Training Season - Dua Lipa

Lose Control - Teddy Swims

Selfish - Justin Timberlake

Popular - The Weeknd, Madonna & Playboi Carti

yes, and? - Ariana Grande

Love wins all - IU

Whatever - Kygo & Ava Max

Doctor (Work It Out) - Pharrell Williams & Miley Cyrus

HISS - Megan Thee Stallion

B.A.D. (feat. P-Lo) - Denise Julia

Overcompensate - twenty one pilots

Never Be The One - Olivia O'Brien

MY MIND - Sarah Geronimo & Billy Crawford

Truth Or Dare - Tyla

exes - Tate McRae

Hands On Me (feat. Meghan Trainor) - Jason Derulo

Not My Fault - Megan Thee Stallion & Renee’ Rap

Like What (Freestyle) - Cardi B

My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski

greedy - Tate McRae

Agora Hills - Doja Cat

Lovin’ On Me - Jack Harlow

Sunday Service - Latto

REWIND - B1A4

Risk It All - Usher & H.E.R.

Hate You - Jung Kook

Ruin - Usher & Pheelz

Don’t Let Me Go - mgk

Deeper Well - Kacey Musgraves

Friendly Fire - Linkin Park

In Your Hands - Halle

Back To You - B1A4

Love On - Selena Gomez

Can’t Catch Me Now - Olivia Rodrigo

Let Her Go (feat. Ed Sheeran - Anniversary Edition) - Passenger

Sand - Dove Cameron

Feather - Sabrina Carpenter

Houdini - Dua Lipa

Heart over Mind - Alan Walker & Daya

[thegamecollection]

UBISOFT FORWARD 2023!

Good morning/afternoon/some time of the day or night from across the pond! I'm making the most of this jet lag with some Peanut Butter m&m's and a blog on our time at yesterday's Ubisoft Forward event! It was a morning accompanied by popcorn that showcased their (very) impressive lineup for this year and beyond!

Before I get into it, can you believe there's no coffee machine in this hotel room? Why must I suffer? It's simply unacceptable.

Now that I've had a moan we can get into it. Thanks for listening.

We had planned some video content for TikTok but upon arrival and having passed the awesome Assassin's Creed cosplayers above, we were met with this potentially day-ruining sign:

We're sorry. It's not our fault.

JUST DANCE 2024

The event got underway with one the most popular music game franchises (if not THE most popular) of all time, back for 2024 with 40 new tracks and a vibey trailer that somehow transitioned from screen to live dancers on stage! I'd be lying if I said Just Dance was personally my thing but its player numbers around the globe speaks for itself! Fans will be pleased to know that "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus has made the cut, as well as all-time banger "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston!

Launching on 24th October, you can now pre-order with us here.

AVATAR: FRONTIERS OF PANDORA

Getting to see more on this first person action adventure that gives us the opportunity to become Na'vi and seek revenge on the invading RDA, well, it was absolutely fantastic. We weren't exactly sure on how this title would play out but after yesterday's gameplay, consider us SOLD. Set after the events of the first Avatar film, you’ll embark on a journey across the Western Frontier, a never-before-seen continent of Pandora! Fans of Far Cry will no doubt have also been frothing at the choice of weapons, skills and stunning scenery that awaits on this breathtaking planet! Oh and we got a release date too...

Launching on 7th December, you can now pre-order with us here.

THE CREW MOTORFEST

Car enthusiasts, fasten your seatbelts! The Crew Motorfest will officially launch on 14th September and will be using the vibrant island of O’ahu, Hawaii as its playground! The 3rd instalment in the franchise looks the part, that's for sure. From the Lamborghini Revuelto to the Toyota Supra, Hummer EV or Porsche Taycan Turbo S, there's a set of wheels and a racing feel for EVERYONE!

We were told no photos but I did manage to snap this beauty as we were leaving! Sorry, Ubi - it was too good to leave without memento.

You can now pre-order with us here.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN

No, we didn't get any news on the Sands of Time Remake but after its announcement at Summer Game Fest last week, we did get to see more on this epic side-scrolling, sword slashing, time-dashing new adventure in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown! Play as Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new Time Powers and unique super abilities.

Having seen this earlier in the year on a confidential presentation, its improvements since then are astounding. This metroidvania type game has found huge popularity in recent years with many titles adopting the style! But nevertheless it stands out from a crowd and looks to be an absolute MUST play for me!

Launching on 18th January 2024, you can now pre-order with us here.

SKULL AND BONES

We're all familiar with this right me hearties? Of course. It's been due to set sail for a number of years but has regularly been met with choppy waters and uncertain tides...

Yesterday didn't deliver too much on when we can actually expect Skull and Bones to get those anchors away, but we were treated to this new trailer accompanied by a live performance from the band 'Home Free' as they sang their tune from the game!

The Closed Beta will be available 25th-28th August and you can now register here.

Of course with this already being announced, you can pre-order on our website here!

STAR WARS OUTLAWS

Having seen the trailer a couple of days ago for the long awaited open world Star Wars game that was originally teased in 2021, we've already been feeling pretty blessed... But seeing a 10 minute gameplay walk-through yesterday has excited all of us scummy, villainous gamers to no end!

Seeing Kay Vess and the adorable Nix in heist action reminded us of the loving relationship between Cal and BD-1, and that is NEVER a bad thing. From the heat of blaster-fire battle to the foot-down freedom of a speeder chase, this footage shows that 2024 will be a great time to be an Outlaw!

No official launch date has been confirmed and so there's no pre-orders just yet! But sit tight, watch the gameplay again and prepare to revel in what will be the first and incredibly ambitious open world Star Wars game to date!

ASSASSIN'S CREED MIRAGE

We're finishing up here with the extended gameplay section we saw from Assassin's Creed Mirage, and its back-to-basics stealth-centric footage that fans in the presentation were cheering for with joy and rapture!

Our assassin Basim is light on his feet and making even lighter work of those that stand in his way... The gameplay showed that mixing stealth with creativity really does deliver supreme results! Smoke bombs, blow-darts, hidden blades, it's all in a day's work for this agile and acrobatic executioner!

Ninth-century Baghdad has never looked better and we can't wait to take our place with an ancient organization known as the Hidden Ones...

Launching on 12th October, you can pre-order with us here.

If you've made it this far then I thank you for reading! For those wondering exactly how I've made it without that coffee, a five minute break at Dunkin' Doughnuts around the corner has gotten me over the line!

God bless America.

-Jack

[beantothemax]

The road out of Hornburg was long, littered with ruins of war.

They, too, had remants of war. Scars acquired through hard battles, weariness in their bones settled like the dust on old antiques. But amidst the dust and dirt and grime of the hearts of those 8 travellers was light that rivaled the brightness of the Sacred Flame.

Ophilia offered her hand to Cyrus as they stood in the light of the dawn, shining bright in the new future they had forged with the defeat of the wicked god. Cyrus accepted it. Their hands were rough with scarred callouses, but they had gotten used to the harsh feeling of their palms.

Cyrus extended a hand to Tressa, who grabbed it and squeezed it tight. She looked dazed, as though she was still in disbelief. Nobody could blame her- and nobody did.

Tressa took Olberic’s hand wordlessly, and Olberic held it steadily, though there was a noticeable tremble in his fingers. Tressa squeezed his hand briefly in reassurance. It was alright now. They were all okay.

Olberic turned to Primrose, who looked back at him. They settled for linking arms. Primrose had boundaries- lines etched clearly that no one crossed. They loved her too much to do that to her.

Primrose linked arms with Alfyn, but not before the apothecary gave her shoulder a brief squeeze. A reminder that he was right there, readily available to them all if they needed him. She smiled at him, her face full of a newfound hope. The brightness of her grin suited her.

Alfyn gently slipped his hand into Therion’s, and the thief ran his thumb lightly over one of the scars on the apothecary’s hand. Love in the ashes of hatred, burning like an ember. The new warmth in Therion’s touches felt nice, like a fire in the hearth on a chilly autumn day.

Therion looked at H’aanit. The huntress and her faithful feline companion returned his gaze. He quirked an eyebrow, and she nodded, allowing him to interlace their fingers. Her hands were bigger than his, he noted. It was almost funny. But he said nothing.

Finally, there was one. He stood in front of all of them, teary-eyed and hugging his elbows. Kit the traveller bowed his head to hide his tears, but it didn’t fool any of them.

Therion held out his free hand. “Come here, Kit. You’re one of us now. Alright?”

Kit looked up, clearly startled. Then, he rushed forward, hugging Therion. The thief hugged him back without a moment of hesitation.

“...Let’s go to Marsalim. The townsfolk there are waiting to throw us a banquet, after all,” Primrose said, shattering their silence. They all cheered their agreements, and H’aanit gently pulled Kit off of Therion, taking him by the hand and adding him to their queue.

Together, they walked into the light of the new sun, to the city of sand and hope.

There, they celebrated. They danced and cheered, drank themselves stupid and ate their fill. As the night grew into day, the 9 travellers sat together at a table in the tavern. They had been talking about their adventures since the feast ended, and now it was time to rest.

As a final sendoff, Therion lifted his mug of ale. “To Kit, the Traveller!”

They all raised their mugs, save for the subject of the toast, who simply bowed his head sheepishly.

“To Kit, the Traveller!”

AAAAAAAAAUGHHGGGGHVVVVGGGHHHHYUUUGGGHGGHHHaaaaaaaaa,,,,,,,,,,,

EVERYONE HOLDING HANDS AND BEING SO RELIEVED AND HAPPY AND TIRED AND THERI TELLING KIT HE’S A PART OF THEIR GROUP NOW AND EVERYONE CEEBRATING AND ‘to kit, the traveler!’ AGZGZGZG?<|,€|€]£+\+[¥|!,!\!’xososb!.££|€\€\€.?.?,?^]]+=[%~%~>~>^|€€\€~€|*{€€,>!,.

[dutycollapsed]

𝟎𝟎𝟏.

from the beginning , there was never a moments peace to the life of criston cole. born to lieutenant general cyrus cole and helia sand , his life was spent traveling across nations with a lack of any true home. broke into him from a young age was a core ethics of discipline and duty. the meaning of it all left a young cole isolated and alone from others his age. it was at the age of ten that his mother passed from an unknown illness , a tragedy that he and his father never recovered from. cyrus cole was driven completely into his work , and for that his son payed the price. at sixteen , after having enough of the hammer brought down upon him in dorne , criston made home in kings landing for his final years of school. his military family and dedication to discipline brought him into the life of private security where he was recruited to the targaryen family. for two and a half years he worked his way through the guards and was made head of security over the heir to the family line : rhaenyra. after a dispute took place between them , cole having no where else to go , thought only of making something for himself in dorne and returned home to join the army under his fathers influence. the next four years drove him to insanity. everything in his life seemed to weigh upon him and he thought there was no return. one night , after a particularly difficult encounter , the young cole made an attempt on his own life. after his father heard word of these actions , criston was dismissed from his active duties and banished from dorne , sworn never to return again for as long as he would live. disgraced and broken , no home to run too , the soldier of ruin went back to the city of kingslanding.

[sombrerokiwi]

The road out of Hornburg was long, littered with ruins of war.

They, too, had remants of war. Scars acquired through hard battles, weariness in their bones settled like the dust on old antiques. But amidst the dust and dirt and grime of the hearts of those 8 travellers was light that rivaled the brightness of the Sacred Flame.

Ophilia offered her hand to Cyrus as they stood in the light of the dawn, shining bright in the new future they had forged with the defeat of the wicked god. Cyrus accepted it. Their hands were rough with scarred callouses, but they had gotten used to the harsh feeling of their palms.

Cyrus extended a hand to Tressa, who grabbed it and squeezed it tight. She looked dazed, as though she was still in disbelief. Nobody could blame her- and nobody did.

Tressa took Olberic’s hand wordlessly, and Olberic held it steadily, though there was a noticeable tremble in his fingers. Tressa squeezed his hand briefly in reassurance. It was alright now. They were all okay.

Olberic turned to Primrose, who looked back at him. They settled for linking arms. Primrose had boundaries- lines etched clearly that no one crossed. They loved her too much to do that to her.

Primrose linked arms with Alfyn, but not before the apothecary gave her shoulder a brief squeeze. A reminder that he was right there, readily available to them all if they needed him. She smiled at him, her face full of a newfound hope. The brightness of her grin suited her.

Alfyn gently slipped his hand into Therion’s, and the thief ran his thumb lightly over one of the scars on the apothecary’s hand. Love in the ashes of hatred, burning like an ember. The new warmth in Therion’s touches felt nice, like a fire in the hearth on a chilly autumn day.

Therion looked at H’aanit. The huntress and her faithful feline companion returned his gaze. He quirked an eyebrow, and she nodded, allowing him to interlace their fingers. Her hands were bigger than his, he noted. It was almost funny. But he said nothing.

Finally, there was one. He stood in front of all of them, teary-eyed and hugging his elbows. Kit the traveller bowed his head to hide his tears, but it didn’t fool any of them.

Therion held out his free hand. “Come here, Kit. You’re one of us now. Alright?”

Kit looked up, clearly startled. Then, he rushed forward, hugging Therion. The thief hugged him back without a moment of hesitation.

“...Let’s go to Marsalim. The townsfolk there are waiting to throw us a banquet, after all,” Primrose said, shattering their silence. They all cheered their agreements, and H’aanit gently pulled Kit off of Therion, taking him by the hand and adding him to their queue.

Together, they walked into the light of the new sun, to the city of sand and hope.

There, they celebrated. They danced and cheered, drank themselves stupid and ate their fill. As the night grew into day, the 9 travellers sat together at a table in the tavern. They had been talking about their adventures since the feast ended, and now it was time to rest.

As a final sendoff, Therion lifted his mug of ale. “To Kit, the Traveller!”

They all raised their mugs, save for the subject of the toast, who simply bowed his head sheepishly.

“To Kit, the Traveller!”

*holds gently and then starts to cry*

FUCK. FUCK THEY ALL ARE A FAMILY MAV. THEY'RE A FAMILY AND THEY CARE FOR EACH OTHER AND AJDFKL;AJSDKLFQWJEIOHSKD;GJASDKFHJKLGBLAMA,

[222voyce]

pac reading.

presenting…

“What song is matching your current energy??”

in this reading I will be picking a song and talking about how it matches your current energy or situation💜

also, soon I will be doing personal readings. I post Info when I figure out the details!

pile 1. pile 2. pile 3.

pile one

song: talk is overrated by Jeremy Zucker and Blackbear.

“Girl time out, I know that you only with me For the clout, sit down. you had to much to drink/maybe it’s my fault. I remember you would pull up pouring Hennessy asking to smoke. No no here you go again—“

So from what I’m hearing, someone only wants to be around you for your status? Or because they see you doing good so now they want to talk and chill and vibe. But you’re telling them “hell no” and moving on. This could be an ex or an old friend trying to spin the block on you. You’re right to tell them no. They don’t want nothing lol, they just wanna bother you lol.

pile two

song: Malibu by Miley Cyrus.

“I never came to the beach Or stood by the ocean. I never sat by the shore, Under the sun with my feet in the sand. But you brought me here And I'm happy that you did, 'Cause now I'm as free As birds catching the wind. l always thought I would sink, so l never swam I never went boatin', don't get how they are floatin' And sometimes I get so scared ofwhat I can't understand but here I am.”

So I see that you could be in a new relationship that makes you or allows you get out of your shell. Or you could be taking a chance with things. Trying new things with friends or a lover. Doing things that you never thought you’d try. If not now, then very soon. Do it!! It seems so fun just don’t get into trouble. Trust the universe. This is a new good change. Plus this could also make you more risky and rebellious in a good way lol. I believe in you! Have fun!! 🤍🤍

pile three.

let’s kill tonight by Panic! At The Disco

“Lets kill tonignt. Kill tonight! Show them all you're not the ordinary type.”

Two things.

1. Someone is jealous of you and is trying to steal your shine, your hard work and throw you under the bus so they can be victorious but you come out on top and out shine them even MORE and they’re shocked. Absolutely stunned. But they will get karma.

2. You could be doing the stealing, and karma is going to get you. Or you could’ve had a break up that ended badly and now you want revenge.

Either or. But someone is trying to ruin someone’s reputation. This can end very badly. Stop it right now if it’s you. Someone is going to get caught and whatever happens in the dark will come to the light.

💜thank you guys for reading! Hope it resonated. Have a lovely day!!💜

[talaricula]

hi! i was wondering if you could share songs you associate with the ship of jess & lupe? :)

Well anon you get my current jesslupe writing playlist (yes on youtube bc i don't have spotify)

I'll write it out below, with particularly relevant lyrics included (though v often the whole song fits)

Your Type - Carly Rae Jepsen

I'm not the type of girl for you / and I'm not going to pretend / that I'm the type of girl you'd call more than a friend

More than a friend - Girli

I have you close but I want more / I want your tshirt on the floor (this is also just a severe banger, strongly recommend)

FU in my head - Cloudy June

Give me just a little sign and I'll confess / sometimes I fuck you in my head

Want you like that - Charlotte Sands

I brace for the damage / you're perfect I panic / so happy it's tragic / yeah I want you like that

Sucker - Jonas Brothers

I'm a sucker for / all the subliminal things / no one knows about you

Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys

It's just I'm constantly on the cusp / of trying to kiss you (this one's just mandatory in horny friends to lovers playlists)

What's It Gonna Be - Shura

I don't believe in forever / I still wanna give it a try

Ain't Together - King Princess

You think it's hard for me to tell you're falling / (we're falling)

Fools - Lauren Aquilina

What if we ruin it all / and we love like fools / and all we have / we lose (this one is just mandatory on angsty friends-to-lovers playlist, plus it's actually gay)

Sinners - Lauren Aquilina

The rules say our emotions don't comply / but we'll defy the rules until we die

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - Miley Cyrus (or, you know, Bob Dylan :p )

I've only known careless love / but this time around it's more correct / right on target so direct / you're gonna make me lonesome when you go

Tightrope - The Greatest Showman

So I risk it all just to be with you / and I risk it all for this life we choose

Lucky Ones - Lana Del Rey

I tried so hard to act nice like a lady / you taught me that it was good to be crazy and also Everybody told me love was blind / then I saw your face and you blew my mind

Ours - Taylor Swift

Your hands are tough but they are where mine belong (this song was already better gay and it's so much better butch4butch)

Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley

Shall I stay / would it be a sin / if I can't help / falling in love with you and of course Take my hand / take my whole life too / for I can't help / falling in love with you

Honourable mentions to:

Pussy is God - King Princess (you know why)

Taste of You - Razz ft. Dove Cameron (in honour of Jess' oral fixation and Lupe liking biters)

Boyfriend - Dove Cameron (just because the line "I could be such a gentleman / plus all my clothes would fit" is VERY JESS and also would be exponentially better if this was a butch4butch song)

Genghis Khan - Miiike Snow (For the still unjustified jealousy/possessiveness vibes of fucking other girls when you're in love with your bro)

Somebody I fucked once - Zolita (for the "girl i'm so hot all the girls want me but i fucked you once and now all i can think of is you" vibes)

Dress - Charlotte Sands (for the genderfuckery vibes - I know both of them hate dresses so it doesn't fit but also. the omg you're so masc and so gnc and it's so hot vibes do fit, you feel)

Willow - Taylor Swift (bc the "you threw all my life plans into disarray and i'm so much happier for it" vibes are v jesslupe and also bc jess deserves to hear "that's my man" as a gender treat)

Cornelia Street - Taylor Swift (if you imagine them as just-gotten-together in new york "hope i never lose you / hope this never ends / i'd never walk cornelia street again" hits rly rather hard)

[reustari]

Cyrus: of Sand and Ruin

I've been wanting to put this story out there for the longest while! I don't have much for it written down (brainworms I tell ya) but I figured I'd just bite the bullet.

Here's just a bit about each of the main cast. I'll drop more information about everyone in due time.

ps: these portraits are unfortunately a bit outdated, I will be coming out with new, more polished ones soon!

Cyrus

This is Cyrus, He's 16 years old and one of the biggest dorks in the entire empire. He was enrolled into the academia by his uncle, who just so happens to be the headmaster (nepo baby). Though, before living at the academia, he was a humble pensmith working with his adoptive father in rural Dicea. He doesn't actually want to be a caster, he prefers to create things, work with his hands. If only his uncle could see that.

Ameli

Daughter and heir to one of the largest merchant families this side of the Dicean Empire, Ameli Yen is a studious 16 year old girl with a knack for solving puzzles. She's been in the top 2 of her class since she was 6 years old. Why top 2 you ask? That conniving, stone faced dirtbag (her words, not mine) Serafhin has been taking her spot since kindergarten. Mark her words. She will be valedictorian this year and nothing will stand in her way.

And lastly...

Curao

Curao is the high priest and prince of the province of Kotya. He doesn't like many things, but what he does like, he holds with an iron grip. Curao is embodies every bit of the word, 'prince'. He is not afraid to use his power to get what he wants. That being said, he isn't evil, he was just raised that way. He may not be the most pleasant person, but he takes his responsibility as the high priest, a prince and a friend very seriously.

And that's it for now!

I'll drop some world building, magic system and character stuff soon. If you have any questions about CoSaR, you can send me and ask and I'll get right on to answering. If you'd like to post anything about them, please use the CoSaR tags below! :D

[blzzrdstryr]

Moth into flame. Yandere!Kaeya x gn!reader

Wordcount: 4k

A.N: It’s very self-indulgent, but I had this idea for 2 weeks now and needed to get it out. I’ve never written fanfiction and I am not a native speaker, so bear with me.

CW: Violence, unhealthy relationship

For as long as you know Kaeya, he feels different from other people. Odd in the way that empty alleyways and dark rooms are odd, a sense of barely concealed danger lurking underneath the layers of charm and friendliness. You always felt his darker nature, but never questioned it before - you are an adventurer after all, the danger is your thrill.

He must have known that you aren’t particularly repulsed by this side of him, as his friendly facade morphed into something darker right in front of you for a couple of times. You doubt a liar and an actor as skilled as he is would make such amateurish mistakes.

No, he can’t be ignorant about how his more ominous part is what makes your veins sing from the strange mix of fascination and fear. That must be why he kept flashing his less amiable side, enticing you further in his grasp, and you gladly took step after step in the carefully crafted trap he prepared just for you.

How could you not? Kaeya is charming and dangerous, like wildfire  and you are nothing but a moth, too blinded by his light to stop and just think.

And now, seeing an irrefutable, but faux proof of the crimes you didn’t commit in his hands, you feel it - how searing his casual coldness can be. Right now, Kaeya Alberich is no human in your heart, he is a small piece of abyss that made its way out of Khaenri’ahn ruins to drag you down the cosmic darkness, where you possibly truly belong.

***

Kaeya both loves and hates your first meeting and he avoids reminiscing about it. It sounds strange, right?

Back then he was still a part of Ragnvindr household and Diluc treated him like a brother, and maybe that is a small part of a reason why he feels such aversion to recalling it - those memories are tinted both by fond nostalgia and bitter loss, enough to make him itch for a bottle in his hand.

Both Kaeya and you were green rookies - a knight fresh from training and a beginner adventurer, accidentally teaming up against a gang of treasure hoarders. It all ended up with both of you victorious, but injured. Kaeya helped you to walk back to Monstadt as one of the criminal's bolts wounded your leg, enough to make you wince from pain at every step.

In the middle of the trail he suddenly grew bored from your barely suppressed pained expressions and soft pants, no matter how cute they were to him, and decided to carry you, just like the groom would carry his  bride. He quipped and joked about it, as he made his way to the city's general direction, and you laughed and made some witty remarks in return.

At the moment he didn't think too much of it - you were another adventurer in his eyes back then, a cute, but insignificant passerby in his life and he was just playing a role of gallant knight in shiny armor. Give it a week or two and he would forget your face and your name.

But he didn't.

Just as you were approaching city gates, a miracle happened - red vision materialized right in your hands. You clutched it tightly to the chest, a bright smile appearing on your face. You turned your head to Kaeya, and he could have swore you were using your newly acquired Pyro on him.

How else could he feel so warm inside all of a sudden?

He couldn't help but recall your smile for weeks after that.

***

Your second meeting happened when you were returning to Mondstadt after your first long expedition. Shortly after the word of your Pyro vision reached Cyrus' ears, he was dead set on sending you to Dragonspine to help other adventurers. You were hesitant at first, but then your natural thirst for thrill combined with a hefty pay he promised won over you, and here you were - carrying several stacks of starsilver, absolutely exhausted and frozen to the very bones walking back to Mondstadt.

To say that you were unprepared would be an understatement of the year - even with pyro vision the cold seemed absolutely unbearable and to make matters worse you almost had a run in with a frostarm lawachurl. To avoid hopeless fight, you had to hide behind the tall snowdrift, almost submerging your body in it, as you both admired and dreaded the ice cladden giant.

Nonetheless, you acquired all of the starsilver the adventure guild needed, and now you trekked through the forest as the sun started to set.

Straining your eyes to see through the heavy rain and approaching darkness you saw it - a bright red smudge against the dark tree bark and unmistakable scent of blood. Such stark contrasts were enough to shake off the tiredness. You slowly made your way to the source of the stench, both fearing and anticipating what may reveal itself to your curious eyes.

There was a silhouette of an injured man that started to slowly morph into a vaguely familiar figure as you got closer. Seeing that there was no threat, you threw your ore to the ground and ran to the unconscious person. It was that knight who helped you to defeat treasure hoarders, Kaeya.

He looked horrible - his normally rich bronze skin now looked ashen and grey from the bloodloss, the face that radiated smugness seemed as if it already belonged on the corpse, the blue vest that he was wearing dyed almost completely in purple from the bloodloss, but the most horrible thing was a shallow but wide gash on his chest.

Not wasting any second, you pulled out your trusty dagger, and sliced the vest to inspect the wound. As you pulled obstructing cloth away you noticed another detail - small burns, surrounding the gash, as if someone slashed Kaeya with something hot enough to scorch, but not hot enough to close the wound and most unexpectedly, faintly glowing blue orb. A cryo vision.

You sat on your knees to put his vision in your pocket and clean his wounds. It still bled, as you frantically searched for a way to close it your eyes fell on the small burns around the wound and suddenly a crazy idea popped up in your head.

With shaking hands you used a piece of sliced vest to muffle him and prevent Kaeya from accidentally biting his tongue off, and then you took the dagger again heating it up. You heard about cauterization from older adventurers, but hoped that you wouldn’t resort to using it.

Kaeya’s pained groans were muffled by the makeshift gag, yet it wasn’t enough to wake him. After you made sure that his bleeding stopped, you removed your outerwear and wrapped Kaeya up. You cursed, as you hoisted a heavier body on your back, an exhaustion you have forgotten moments ago hitting you with a renewed strength.

The path to the Mondstadt with a new burden on your back now felt ten times longer. Even if you two were barely an acquaintance, a cold coil of fear for Kaeya's life still set in the pit of your stomach, and it seemed that no amount of fire would make you feel warm again.

***

Waking up in the infirmary was one of the biggest surprises in Kaeya’s life.

There were times when he was sure of his imminent death - an abandoned shivering child all alone in the forest, a stranger in the strange land, a prince of nothing with the weight of the whole dying kingdom left on his shoulders; a rainy night reeking of death and loss, grief and fury burning him just as much as incandescent claymore, rapidly growing pool of bright red blood, just as red as a…

Kaeya was okay with dying - it would be a nice ending to his story. The dead saviour of an already dead nation, an outlander casted out from the only semblance of home he had. He liked the irony.

He could have asked for help right after the duel, calling out that person’s name, he knew that that person wouldn’t leave him if he was dying, but the possibility of seeing hatred in those eyes was too much for him. The second a fiery blade cut through his flesh was when Kaeya decided to die.

And honestly, he couldn't continue to live once he confirmed what kind of a monster he is - the first thing he felt when he saw Crepus Rangvindr, a person who took him in, kept him fed, warm, safe and clothed all these years, a person who loved him more than his own father did, slowly disintegrating under the strain of delusion Kaeya felt no sadness. No, a relief, as if he was freed of a tiresome burden came instead.

Kaeya was disgusted and horrified for even experiencing such feelings in the first place, but he also couldn't do anything with it - for the last few years he was torn apart between Mondstadt and his homeland, and Crepus’ death should have solved his internal dilemma, driving the final nail in the coffin.

Sometimes he felt as if he was no person at all, just an abyssal creature that took on a human form and was allowed to live only to be unleashed on Teyvat. The time at Khaenri’ah was something that stuck with him for the rest of his life - the fear and resignation he experienced there heavily imprinted on his brain.

Every once in a while he had impulses to lie, to hurt and do as he pleases, for a long time he stopped these urges at the root, maintaining the illusion of normalcy he built for Ragnvindr household. He knew it was from Khaenri’ah, a cursed  nation of sinners with all of its glorious legacy lost to the sands of time. Immoral impulses were something that would have helped him to survive among the endless darkness that surrounded god-forsaken place.

“Ugh”, he tried to get up, to shake intrusive and self-deprecating thoughts away, but failed. Pain, like melted iron, slowly spread from his chest to the points of his fingers in a second. Even breathing was hard - his entire body ached and burned, a shaking hand slowly touched bandaged torso. Alberich winced as he remembered why exactly it was aching.

“Sir Kaeya, you are already awake! Please, don’t move.”, pretty but forgettable nun fussed over him, rechecking his bandages and then taking out a foul smelling medicine. She made Kaeya drink it all. He still cringing from the bitter taste, half sat on the bed, leaning on the headrest, tried to flash her his most charming smile and asked:

“Do you know how I got there?”, it seemed his charms did work on the girl, as she started to describe the previous night in great detail: what she was doing prior to his arrival, how dark the sky was, how worried she was when she saw his battered body, how exhausted the adventurer and guards that delivered him looked.

“Do you happen to know the adventurer’s name? I would like to say my thanks once I get better”

“Oh, it was [First], I think, but I am not sure.  I believe I saw a pyro vision” Kaeya slid in the lying position again, as he remembered you, his first and only crush. Half buried feelings ignited in his chest with a renewed vigor.

Seeing that Kaeya paid her no mind, the nun headed to the exit of the infirmary, but right before she left she turned to Kaeya again, saying that you will visit him tomorrow.

****

Just as you thought Kaeya was conscious today. After you managed to carry him back to Mondstadt, worried but distrustful guards at city gates took away your load and delivered him to the Church of Favonius. You insisted at coming with them, still anxious for Kaeya’s life. Nuns almost showed you out of the infirmary and you, defeated, had to go home.

The next day you spent looking for the abandoned starsilver, thoughts occupied both by Kaeya and the payment Cyrus promised. Fortunately, the stacks lied right where you discarded them and after a quick trip back to the adventurer's guild, you had nothing to do - weekly commissions done days prior, so you decided to spend some time inside the city for once.

As you navigated the city square you felt the tense mood that hung in the air, Mondstadt usually cheerful and carefree now seemed uncharacteristically gloomy. You later learned that the local wine tycoon, Crepus Ragnvindr, died in the accident and his son and young the youngest captain in history of Ordo Favonius, Diluc, left the city and abandoned the knights.

Despite spending almost all of your time outside the city gates, even you were aware of the city's happenings and certainly heard about two dashing young gentlemen. Kaeya was rumored to be a foreign orphan taken in by Crepus and Diluc as you remembered is a claymore swinging pyro user - a picture of Kaeya’s injuries came to mind. Scattered details started to slowly gather into a sound theory.

A fight after Crepus' death(was accident Kaeya’s fault?), that resulted in Diluc abandoning the knights(Are knights also at fault?).

You quickly brushed it off, as theorizing without the concrete evidence was one of the biggest mistakes one could make. So instead of building baseless speculations, you decided to visit one of the key people, Kaeya. Occupied by your thoughts and curiosity, the travel to the church seemed almost momentarily.

Stepping in the infirmary you were hit with a strong bitter scent of the medicine, but Kaeya sitting on the bed seemed fine, if not a bit tired. He was reading a book, but put it aside as he noticed you and gave you a warm smile.“I remember you, [First], you were the one who saved me I was told. Seems I should make it up to you”

“No need for it, you were dying”, you head to him, a hand searching for the vision in the travelling bag. His smile doesn’t drop, even when a somewhat awkward silence hangs around you. Finally, you exclaim: “I found a vision near you, and kept it so it doesn’t get lost or anything”.

“Oh, that’s a surprise, give it to me” the vision in his hands glows alive with a gentle blue light, a small ice shard forming between his fingers and you find yourself holding your breath. Kaeya looks less impressed than you, a strange emotion written on his face,as he looks from the blue orb, to the ice, to your amazed face.

“It may sound rude, but do you remember who injured you?” Kaeya doesn’t appear phased, slowly blinking, a confusion written on his face, as he looks up in contemplation. “Hm, no, can’t remember anything” You shift a little, disappointment not reaching your face. Was Kaeya lying or not?

“I hope I didn’t mess up your adventuring schedule” Kaeya murmured, leaning a little closer to you.

“No. I planned on spending a week inside the city. Why do you ask?”

“Well” he smirks, “maybe a brave and strong adventurer will lend a hand to poor injured me and”, you felt your face slowly heating up “escort me to Good Hunter, the food here is abysmal and maybe your company and decent meal will clear my head a little”

Only a day later you realized that it was your first date.

***

Kaeya likes challenges, and maybe that is a reason why he’s so drawn to you - you’re smart, just not people-smart, and you have enough intuition to guide you away from the schemes and plans he tries to pull off. Of course, he wouldn’t risk your life or general wellbeing - he likes your presence far too much to do that - but the possible less savory reactions he could gauge out of you were too alluring to miss out - frustration, fear, anger.

Alberich is frustrated - a hunger that was ignited by you grew greater and greater with each day - he wants to see so much of you, see you in pain, see you helpless, see you defeated. Would you cry, would you yell, would you curse at him?

He tried to resist it in the beginning - just as he did when he was still a part of Ragnvindr family - but he failed. Maybe, Diluc’s dismissal of him and abandonment was something that broke Kaeya in the way that Khaenri’ah couldn’t. That rainy day he learned one lesson - everyone leaves, and Kaeya didn’t doubt that you would too.

You are an adventurer after all, as free as a wind. It’s just pure luck that someone as curious and thrill-seeking as you hasn't moved to the other nations in search of excitement.

Kaeya feels threatened.

Over the years, you both fell in the comfortable, but vague place between friendship and something-more-than-friendship,a status quo of sorts. You were a loner at heart - fine with keeping almost everyone at arm’s length and Kaeya, to his disappointment, found that even his charms wouldn’t bend your will.

He could see how uncomfortable yet excited you got, when he showed his less considerate side - when he arrested and fought criminals, when he pulled off his complex plans, when he turned and twisted the words of others to make them scream and writhe and beg. Oh, of course you tried to hide it, your face becoming akin to a mask of stone, but there were other tells - the shine in your eyes, the body language and accelerated breath.

Kaeya also knew what an excitement glutton you are - there is a flame inside of you, needing to consume and devour new tastes, sights, adventures and mysteries. You are predictable in that way, he has a gut feeling that you are wary of him, but the promise of a new enigmatic crime that needs your assistance is almost always enough to lure you back into his arms.

And now he has a new problem at hands - his failed plan. Months of subtle work and manipulation led and were supposed to build up your feelings for this. A public love confession, both sudden and extravagant. Kaeya thought that someone as awkward as you, would cave in under the pressure he would put you through by making his love public.

However you didn’t, even if some, if not most of the onlookers gasped in the shocked disappointment - Kaeya was sure that you two looked like a would-be-couple to the observer’s eye. You stuttered some apologies, hid your face and almost ran away from him.

It grates on Kaeya’s nerves in a special way, annoyance slowly building up. Fortunately, he has a strategy to relieve it, by methodically destroying it’s source.

***

“Thank you, let’s do the next commissions together” you wave goodbye to the fellow adventurer, missing an indiscernible look cavalry captain gives both of you.

Only when the said adventurer leaves, does Kaeya step out of the shadow, his single eyes wholly focused on you. After the confession you started to purposefully avoid him - something that Kaeya thought was possible, but didn’t entertain it enough.

Seeing him is what almost sends you to retreat - relationships are messy, especially after failed public confessions, there’s too much burden now and you never felt the desire to work on any of them leaving everything to take its course. Instead, you stand there, enduring his cold gaze and warm smile, hit by a sudden realization of how childish your thoughts are.

Kaeya must have taken your passiveness as an invitation, as his hand snakes around your shoulder, throwing you off your internal monologue. “[First], I have an interesting case again” he leans in, his breath tickling your neck, “and I need an assistant again, the pay will be like last time”.

In spite of your current discomfort you almost space out, body habitually relaxing near him. “What the thing about?” the cases that Kaeya involves you in are always bizarre and something never seen before, a mystery awaiting to be solved.

He begins describing it to you - a strange string of deaths of young adventurers, all of whom were visionless and most curiously they all died off duty. Young men and women did their commissions, plunged in the domains and fought with monsters, but died inside the city walls, inside their houses and beds, surrounded by safety and comfort.

Kaeya shares that his informant found a hearsay that there were some interesting potions on the black market and he needs you to infiltrate as a visionless adventurer and buy potions, as much as possible.

This evening you leave the city, your heart full of trust for Kaeya, even if your relationship did take a colder turn.

***

You, as Kaeya predicted, still believed him.  Alberich almost felt bad for exploiting and twisting your trust in him , but as he supposed there was nothing more he could do with himself. Your visage filled his head day and nights, sometimes he even daydreamed about the life he would have with you. It would be delightful - to have you underneath his thumb, ready for any whim and perversion he could come up with.

He came to the Angel’s share and ordered a glass of wine, ignoring judgemental stare Diluc pointed at him. He could almost hear Ragnvindr saying “already” and calling Knights inefficient and lazy drunkards. Kaeya happily took a sip of the liquid - all of his plans always carried an element of risk, so the cavalry captain felt a bit agitated. What if you don’t touch the potions? What if the gang will escape with them?

Nevertheless, if you did touch it or not wouldn’t really matter, as catching you red-handed was more important. He needed to make you look guilty - you worked with him unofficially, which meant that no one knew about it, not even Vile. Sure no one would take your word over his, even if you left significant evidence of your innocence, after all a lot of knights are weak to bribes.

He almost hummed, as he imagined things he would do to you once you were imprisoned and completely in his power. He, of course, would save you from the dank dark cell, finding an “overlooked” detail, but not before breaking and molding you a little.

Finishing his wine, he went to the knight’s headquarters, to request the assistance of other knights in the arrest of a dangerous criminal, a spring evident in his step.

***

It was treasure hoarders again, you silently cursed, while dodging one of the attacks. You weren’t the best actor and within the minutes they exposed you. Fighting among the fragile vials wasn’t the best idea, so you moved the fight to the outside. Once they all run after you, you jump over them, raining a constant stream of fire over them. Some of them started to scream, a pure agony written on their face.

Some of the hoarders used a hidden gas bomb, submerging the whole place in smoke and using it to run away. You didn’t run after them, and headed inside instead. There was a significant change: some of the vials that contained transparent liquid now were bright red. You took one of them in and gasped - it felt so warm in your hands - and then you recognized your own elemental energy.

Out of curiosity you reached for the “uncontaminated” one, the colorless liquid rapidly bloomed with scarlet red, as your vision came to life without your command. Was it that deadly potion that Kaeya talked about? You felt how it sucked some of the pyro energy from you, then it must transmit collected energy to its consumer. No wonder all of those adventurers died - without a vision their bodies weren’t used to receiving and processing such amounts of elemental energy.

You tried to take the vials with the “clear” potion, but no matter what you did all of them got dyed in red the second you stood a little closer. Sighing in defeat you collected ones contaminated with your energy and prepared to head back to Mondstadt. You needed to warn Kaeya to take some regular knights with him if Albedo needed samples for analysis.

Suddenly there was a sound of several people running up to you, a Favonius armor coming into the sight. You almost smiled as you saw Kaeya, happy that he decided to help you, until you heard it: “Arrest them!”

[auredosa]

Auredosa’s Rewritten Spiral: Arc 1

In light of me talking about how cool it is to share you canon with the rest of the fandom, here is my rehashing of Arc 1. Enjoy!

UPDATE 7/7/21 1:14 EST) Yeah, I guess the 2021 summer update still fits. Just know that I’ve considered it and acknowledge it exists, and I like it.

It’s been 7 years since Malistaire Drake lost his wife, sunk the Death School, and become a danger to the Spiral as it stood. In light of his graverobbing on Unicorn Way, Merle Ambrose and the community have been pushed to their limits. Offering a prayer to Grandmother Raven and Grandfather Spider, he is told that two students at Ravenwood can be given the powers needed to defeat Malistaire all on their own. After much debate and discussion with his fellow faculty, Ambrose reluctantly accepts the gods’ offer. From that day onward, two students, a pyromancer and a diviner about to begin their secondary school at Ravenwood, are tasked with hunting down Malistaire Drake.

Gifted with extraordinary magical abilities, the two travel across the Spiral, learning new spells from their professors as they inch closer to stopping Malistaire. At last, their journey points them to finally confront him in Dragonspyre. Cyrus Drake uses his own key and leads the Saviors into his ruined home world.

At the summit of the Great Spyre, a bloody, gruesome battle ensues against the Master of Death himself. They emerge victorious, barely. One of the saviors tends to their partner in crime, while Cyrus holds his twin brother for the first time in 7 years, and the for last time in their entire lives. Just as their draconian victory can’t possibly get any worse, the Dragon Titan roars to life. Cyrus frantically casts open a portal leading back to Headmaster Ambrose’s office, and they all flee, closing the cover on an unfortunate chapter that should have never, ever been written.

Upon arriving in the safety of Wizard City, the Saviors pass out in exhaustion. While they rest in blissful, well deserved slumber, Professor Drake explains everything by day, and deals with the loss of his brother by night in the empty isolation of his own schoolhouse. The children wake just in time for graduation, and a celebration is held in their honor. There is no funeral for the fallen necromancer, only a banquet celebrating his passing. Familiar faces pass by, giving their condolences to the last Drake. To the Saviors’ merit, Ambrose determines that the two are skilled enough to graduate that spring. They don’t protest. They never want to step foot in Ravenwood again.

Traumatized, angry, confused, and burdened with being the Saviors of the Spiral, Cyrus offers one last piece of advice: leave Wizard City. Whether he suggested this in anger or good will, it doesn’t matter anymore; they take heed.

The pyromancer travels to the distant world of Mirage, where the Spider who gave him his blessing in the first place resides in the sands. The thaumaturge, with her own blessing, disappears to Wintertusk and falling under the warm wings of Grandmother Raven.

And left all alone in Wizard City is Professor Drake, grappling with the loss of his brother. But he can’t cave now. The summer will not last long. He has a new class of students to prepare for. The Spiral keeps turning, and it’s not waiting for him.  A storm is brewing, and a storm is coming.

Professor Drake will meet her in the semester to come.

[theweirdkidinside03]

Beautiful Things stayed on top of Countdown Top 40 for the second week in a row

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone

Lose Control - Teddy Swims

Selfish - Justin Timberlake

Training Season - Dua Lipa

Love wins all - IU

yes, and? - Ariana Grande

Popular - The Weeknd, Madonna & Playboi Carti

HISS - Megan Thee Stallion

B.A.D. (feat. P-Lo) - Denise Julia

Whatever - Kygo & Ava Max

Truth Or Dare - Tyla

exes - Tate McRae

REWIND - B1A4

My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski

Agora Hills - Doja Cat

greedy - Tate McRae

Doctor (Work It Out) - Pharrell Williams & Miley Cyrus

Hands On Me (feat. Meghan Trainor) - Jason Derulo

Never Be The One - Olivia O'Brien

MY MIND - Sarah Geronimo & Billy Crawford

Not My Fault - Megan Thee Stallion & Renee’ Rap

Sunday Service - Latto

Like What (Freestyle) - Cardi B

Risk It All - Usher & H.E.R.

Hate You - Jung Kook

Lovin' On Me - Jack Harlow

Overcompensate - twenty one pilots

Can’t Catch Me Now - Olivia Rodrigo

Let Her Go (feat. Ed Sheeran - Anniversary Edition) - Passenger

Sand - Dove Cameron

Feather - Sabrina Carpenter

Houdini - Dua Lipa

Heart over Mind - Alan Walker & Daya

Water - Tyla

Ruin - Usher & Pheelz

Don't Let Me Go - mgk

Deeper Well - Kacey Musgraves

Entrapreneur - Central Cee

You Broke My Heart - Drake

Okay - French Montana & Lil Baby

[oleander-teacup]

Storytime

I've been made aware mostly by Gaud that people go absolutely batshit crazy for a good childhood mishap story. As it just so happens, I am chock full of them because I was, to say in the very least, an idiotic child.

I have not changed much, but I can in fact confirm that the years have brought me countless terrible stories to tell that I do hope will humor the general population.

I am supposed to be working on studying for my finals. Instead, I have decided to humor you, random internet strangers.

Without further ado, it is my pleasure to present the childhood story of...

The Homemade Ant Farm

Now, I know what you're thinking.

Cyrus. Homemade ant farm? Really? Is this the best you've got?

The title TRULY belies the magnitude, the magnificence, the overwhelming horror of the mistakes made during this terrible fiasco, but I digress.

As a first-grader, I wasn't very bright.

Quite the opposite, actually. Despite the fact I'd already been dubbed an honors kid, I had absolutely no sense of self-preservation and even less of a notion of common sense. I was a 5-year-old with a love of bugs, a terrible curse in bright and sunny Florida where everything is poisonous, mean as the devil, or just plain boring to catch.

Summer camp was a fantastic time. Children ran around outside and brought in the most magnificent bugs they could catch with their own two hands (mostly grasshoppers) and brought them inside, subsequently getting bugs EVERYWHERE.

The camp directors were getting fed up with the number of bugs making their way into the cafeteria, and so they came up with a clever plan. They gave us water bottles and told us to make our own "bug habitats".

I had a best friend, let's call him Harvey. Harvey and I did everything together. Harvey and I played on the monkey bars, in the sandbox, we played as a team in games that were traditionally made for 1V1, we were absolutely inseparable (except for during reading competitions. I beat him every time. Bitch couldn't finish a Junie B. Jones book in 30 minutes like I could.).

Harvey and I got to talking about making our own bug habitat. All the other kids were doing it!

One problem.

We wanted something different.

We wanted something unique.

We didn't want grasshoppers or beetles, no, no, we didn't want any of those.

It was with this mentality that Harvey and I made the fantastic decision to put ants in a water bottle.

We found an ant mound on the side of the four-square court absolutely SWARMING with ants and did what any discovery maddened 5-year-olds would do: we shoved our hands in it and began scooping handfuls of ant-filled sand into our very own ant habitat.

One other thing you might know about Florida: we have fire ants. Lots of them.

By some small miracle, Harvey and I escaped with few ant bites, slapping them off ourselves in the name of exploration and a unique bug habitat.

After dropping a few leaves into the bottle and screwing the cap on, Harvey and I were satisfied. Our bug habitat was AMAZING! Nobody else had one like it, we were sure we were going to be commended for our fantastic work as the marvelous explorers we were.

We walked into the activity room and poked breathing holes in our bottle so the ants could breathe and put it down on a table.

Giggling like the mischievous little hellions we were, the counselors immediately knew we had done something. They were presently unaware of the magnitude of that something, but they knew we had done something.

"Are you guys making a bug habitat?"

"Uh-huh!"

"What are you going to put in it?"

The ants were unnoticed.

The horror. The HELL we were about to unleash on this room. Went unnoticed.

"We have ants in it!"

The counselor IMMEDIATELY began yelling. We had to take our ant habitat outside! We had to dump it out!

Harvey and I were positively INCENSED.

When neither of us would remove it from the table, this poor counselor picked up the bottle and began to take it outside.

One last lovely fact I neglected to mention.

The lid was loose.

And there were a lot of angry fire ants in that bottle.

Once the lid was off, all hell broke loose. The bottle was dropped and the sand and fire ants spilled across the floor. I don't know who sprayed our ants to death, but I know they were sprayed to death promptly.

Harvey and I were sent outside.

Oh, and forbidden from making any more bug habitats.

Everybody else had to get rid of theirs too.

Apparently, it was just easier to deal with grasshoppers in the activity room than it was to deal with homemade 5-year-old crafted ant farms.

This isn't the first thing I've ruined for a large group of people, either. Tune in next time to hear how I singlehandedly (well, not singlehandedly, there was a friend involved) caused our entire camp to have a buddy system put in place that hasn't budged for 4 years.

[haddonfieldproject]

1.1.2 HALLOWEEN NIGHT, SAME TIME

<<PREVIOUS ⏺ <<CONTENTS>>

2️⃣

Haddonfield, Illinois

Chelsea Keane heard a noise downstairs. She was pretty sure it was a door slam, although it was so far away in this big huge house that it was hard to tell. She took one more long pull off of the joint and stubbed out the roach in the ashtray that sat on the little wicker table in front of her. Beside the little ceramic disc decorated in scenes of Tijuana—now covered in soot, and the remains of her joint, sat her purse. It was a bag really, one of those reusable shopping bags from McNary’s Supermarket, covered in floral prints and little orange and yellow suns, birds, and bees, and little green leafy vines that formed letters which read: Earth Day 2014.

Chelsea rummaged in the bag, around tampons and makeup cases, the occasional lipstick, chapstick, selfie-stick, and ladies speedstick and found what she was looking for. A stick of Wrigley’s Gum. She unwrapped the foil, popped the piece in her mouth, balled the wrapper up between her fingers into a nice neat silver ball, and flicked it across the space in front of her where it landed between a hot water heater and the Centra-Vac system.

She returned to her purse, retrieving a small glass cylinder bottle of Dimension, the new perfume by Jennifer Love Hewitt, and bathing herself in the baby powdery aroma, thinking to herself of a Halloween, perhaps almost twenty years previous, when she had sat on this very couch and watched the actress run screaming across a square-shaped television screen while being stalked by a hooded man with a hook for an arm. Chelsea brought a DVD case out of her purse/bag. Ripe Blood. She turned it over and looked at the screenshots on the back…and the rating. Rated R for Graphic Violence.

Haven’t come much far sense my VHS copy of I Know What You Did Last Summer, she thought. Well, at least the picture quality would be better.

Hell..it’d be a lot better.

Ellen had her own theater.

Complete with a fifteen foot by nine foot screen, reclining seats, surround sound, and even a little kitchenette to nuke some popcorn and retrieve a few ice cold pops.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous, she mused.

Well, definitely rich, but only famous if you’re into watching people have sex on camera.

And there were plenty of people who were, and they paid good money for it.

What can you say? Sex sells.

And didn’t Chelsea know it too. Hell, if she hadn’t let Zeke Yates knock her up in the VIP room almost eighteen years ago, she’d probably be doing just as good as Ellen.

Well…probably not.

Chelsea tossed the DVD case back in her purse/bag and stepped toward the door at the far end of the room, careful to stay on the plywood flooring that designated Ellen’s “Smoking Loft” from the rest of the attic.

Ellen had been the smartest girl Chelsea had ever known. Chelsea presumed she would have ended up like her older sister Deborah, who also got her start in life as a dancer at the Rabbit-in-Red, although, perhaps not quite like Deborah. She didn’t see her son turning into a psychopath anytime soon and she didn’t see herself blowing her head off in the forseeable future either. Like her sister Deborah however, who was actually her half-sister, and nearly twenty years older than her, she had commited the Cardinal Sin of the biz.

“Don’t lapse on your birth control,” Deborah had told the young Chelsea and Ellen as they stood behind her on their first day at work, watching her attach fake lashes in the dingy mirror in the back haunts of the Rabbit-in-Red. “Better yet..don’t fuck the customers at all. VIP is for dancing, not fucking.”

She had pointed a picture of her kids, taped to the mirror then. “See those.”

The girls had nodded nervously.

“That’s what I got for fucking a customer.”

Chelsea had made the mistake, which hadn’t been such a big mistake afterall. She of course was quite fond of her son Joshua, but it was safe to say that the nine and a half pound baby had tanked her stripping career and any possibility of moving into the Adult Film Industry. Chelsea had packed on over a hundred pounds during her pregnancy, and post-baby had only been able to shake twenty of it. So she had settled down with Josh’s father, gotten married, enrolled in Illinois Central College, and got her bachelors degree in Communications.

Lou Martini, the owner of Rabbit-in-Red industries had hired her back—as an editor. That, combined with the few bucks her husband Whitey made around town doing the odd handyman job here and there had afforded them a decent life, with a decent house, another child, a beautiful daughter, and an overall pretty damn fine life for herself.

Chelsea stepped out unto the landing and pulled the door shut to the attic behind her and then descended the stairs toward the common room on the third floor. There was a white leather couch and a coffee table. A mini bar sat in the corner of the room with liquor that probably hadn’t been touched in years and a few pieces of modern art on skimpy end tables that probably hadn’t been properly looked at or analyzed in the same amount of time. The room was just for show, just like a giant, lifesize poster on the wall behind a thirty inch flatscreen VIZIO. Ellen in a bikini too small for her surgically enhanced breasts, sprawled on some exotic beach, sand on her knees and elbows.

Ellen was smart.

🎃

“So who is this person?” Penny Cornell asked, popping her bubble gum loudly before she spoke.

Josh looked at her in the soft light of the poolhouse. She was dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo, and he had gone as Fred, only they hadn’t bothered to get wigs or color their hair, so she ended up being a blonde Velma and he ended up being a Fred with black hair, which, in actuality totally ruined the ensemble and had in fact led to many of their peers on the streets that night during their Trick-Or-Treating run to ask, “So..what are you guys again?”

While Josh searched the cabinets in the pool house kitchenette for a proper shot glass for the Captain Morgan he had stowed away, from a mini bar that saw quite a bit more action than the one on the third floor of the main house, Penny circled the Pool Table, the stained glass lamp casting bright and blazing hues on the side of her face as she looked at the pictures on the walls.

Plenty of pictures of a certain blonde woman in lingerie. Some in a bathing suit. Some wearing nothing at all but a properly placed palm frond, or towel, in one, the handlebars of a motorcycle. Many had the blonde woman with various celebrities. Kid Rock, holding her by the waist, holding a cigar and smiling. There was one with Charlie Sheen, another with Myley Cyrus, and an older one, faded a little, starting to yellow, with future President of the United States Donald Trump. Penny’s face as she beheld these pictures was expressionless, her unassuming eyes taking it all in like a pediatrician examining the X-Ray of a kid who just broke his arm in two places.

“She’s known as Misty Dawn.” Josh said, finding a suitable shotglass, this one featuring the skyline of Charlotte, North Carolina. “She works for Rabbit-in-Red Industries. She’s a model.”

“I can see that,” Penny said, popping her gum again. Her eyes didn’t deviate from the pictures.

“She’s been in some movies too.” Josh added, unscrewing the top of the rum, “X-rated movies. Also done some webcam and stuff.”

Penny sighed and leaned against the pool table. “I see.” She said yawning, her pink wad of bubble gum visible in the corner of her mouth. “Porn must pay pretty well to have all this.” She said, waving her hand across the room to indicate that by “this” she meant this particular poolhouse as well as the mansion and the grounds beyond.

Josh poured a shot and held it out to her. “She’s kind of a star.”

Penny grunted and took the shot glass. She downed it, winced, coughed, and held it back to him. “And your mom knows her from work?”

Josh took the glass and poured another shot. “She and my mom grew up together. They were best friends in high school. Her real name is Ellen.”

Josh took the shot. He also winced and coughed.

The sound of heavy metal filled the room.

It was Josh’s ringtone for his cellphone. He pulled it from his pocket, looked at it, and then looked at Penny frowning. “It’s my mom.” He said and hit the green button on the screen.

“Yeah?”

Penny pulled her own phone out to look at it. Josh replaced the cap on the Captain Morgan and went about replacing the bottle into the minibar and the shotglass into the cabinet from whence it came.

“We are back mom,” Josh was saying, “Penny and I are outside. You probably heard Maddie, Dylan, and Cammie come in.”

Josh rounded the bar and took his girlfriend’s hand, pulling her toward the sliding glass door that led to the pool deck.

“Yeah mom, we’re coming right now.”

He hung up the phone and slid the door shut behind them. Penny was looking at the pool and the adjacent spa.

“I wanna get in that hot tub.”

Josh put a hand on her butt. “I wanna get in there with you.” He smiled wryly.

“Shoot, it’s hot enough to get in the regular pool.” She said as they started toward the main house.

“You’re telling the truth.” Josh replied.

🔪

“You’re gonna fall and bust your head if you don’t stop running around with that sword!” Cammie Cornell, age eight, dressed like a bumble-bee, complete with clip on wings, said, standing cross armed on the hearth.

Dylan Rawls, age thirteen and dressed like a ninja, was chasing little Maddie Keane, age five, dressed as Princess Elsa from the animated Disney film Frozen. Dylan had a plastic sword and was waving it at Maddie as she ran away from him in a circle, laughing and screaming and all the while making motions with her hands in an effort to use her “powers” to freeze Dylan in ice like her character would have been able to do in the movies.

Dylan, despite having already started puberty, was not a very mature boy. This could have been due to a lack of attention given to him by his mother, or as some psuedo-scientists would have suggested, it could have been due to a diet high in processed foods and high fructose corn syrup. His mother had never had him tested for mental defficiencies, mostly due to a nagging worry that he would fail the thing. Dylan wasn’t mentally challenged, that wasn’t quite right. He had been tested for and diagnosed as ADHD by the time he was seven, but then again so many kids were and his mother hadn’t really believed in it or the medication that was supposed to, and probably would have, helped her son. Dylan was in ways a very bright child, better at all the household electronic devices than his own mother, but in other was he was just plain immature. Chasing around a five year old in a living room with a plastic sword dressed as a Ninja after acne was beginning to pop out on his face and sprouts of hair was beginning to pop out on his balls was just case in point.

Dylan stopped and glared at Cammie, about to display another example of his immaturity.

“Don’t tell me what to do, this is my house.” He said between panting breaths.

Maddie stopped and collapsed into the brown leather sofa that faced the fireplace. Her face was red and her breath was heavy, but the smile didn’t leave her little face, nor the brightness in her little brown eyes.

“Aren’t you a little old to be playing like that?” Cammie shot back.

Dylan was about to reply when they all heard a voice from behind them.

“Cammie! Get down from there.”

It was Chelsea, she was descending the stairs holding her cellphone in her hand.

“Maddie, off the furniture please.” She said.

“Yeah Cammie, get down!” Dylan added.

Cammie jumped down from the hearth and stuck her tongue out at Dylan. He returned the gesture.

“Where is all your candy?” Chelsea asked.

“We put it on the stove.” Dylan said, pointing toward the open kitchen with his sword.

“I see.” Chelsea said, her eyes beholding the three large hulking pillowcases.

“They got quite the big haul didn’t they.”

It was the voice of Josh. He and Penny entered the room from the opposite side.

“They certainly look like they made out.” Chelsea said, placing her cellphone in her pocket. She reached into her purse/bag and took out the DVD case and held it out for her son.

Josh snatched it up. “No way! Ripe Blood!? It hasn’t even stopped running in the theaters yet.”

Chelsea smiled, “The Rabbit uses the same packaging and distribution company as the company who made the film..Danger—something or other..”

“Dangertainment.” Josh corrected and passed the case to Penny who looked interested.

“Right,” Chelsea said, putting her purse/bag on the stove next to the three pillowcases full of candy. “Well they give all their clients some freebees as promotional items. That arrived this morning.”

“Are we gonna watch it?” Josh asked, eyes wide and bright.

“You better your ass we are,” Chelsea answered.

“In the theater upstairs?” Josh asked.

“Um…yeah.” answered Chelsea.

“I’m scared.” Penny frowned.

“You can’t be afraid of scary movies if you’re gonna date my son,” Chelsea said, “Joshua loves a good horror flick. He gets it from his mom.”

Josh hugged his mother. The sentiment surprised her, but she appreciated it.

“Can I watch it?” Dylan asked.

Chelsea shook her head. “It’s too scary for the younger kids Dylan. Why don’t you go upstairs and play with Maddie and Penny’s sister…” she looked to Penny, mind scrambling to remember the girl in the bee costume’s name.

“Cammie,” Penny corrected.

“That’s right, Cammie,” Chelsea continued, “until it’s time to go to bed.”

“You guys wanna see my playroom?” Dylan asked. “I have an Nintendo WiiU, a ballpit, a bouncy house, even some laser tag!”

“Yeah!” Maddie and Cammie replied in unison. The kids began to ascend the stairs.

Penny and Josh read the back of the DVD case together while Chelsea opened the fridge, looking over their snack options in regard to their theatre experience.

As Dylan, Maddie, and Cammie reached the top of the stairs, Maddie asked him.

“Can I take a turn at your Wii Dylan?”

Dylan looked back and smiled. “You can, but Cammie can’t!”

“Why not?” Cammie whined.

“I don’t let fat girls play!” Dylan replied, in another epic display of immaturity.

With their eyes on the DVD case, and her head in the fridge, Penny, Chelsea, and Josh didn’t notice or hear Cammie descend the stairs fighting back her tears and exit the front door of the home

NEXT>>