#Get steaky with it

[cheddartower]

I'M BACKKKKK

As a treat for now here's two more new characters for Pillar John and Gerome's roles!!

Clayland is a huge piece of steak cursed by Pizzaface to hold up the tower and its levels by serving as its core, having sub-Claylands around each level. Despite this, he tries his best to see the bright side in it, even if it's a fate worse than death.

Carl the worm is Clayland's best friend who was separated from the latter's curse. However, he wasn't spared in the slightest, being hired as the tower's security guard without much of a choice. Out of frustration and anxiousness, he usually rebels by giving Cheddar VIP access to his office, which contains the tower secret treasure!!

[bizarrelittlemew]

get your discord sticker here!!

⬆️ the above are discord sticker sized, save and upload to any server!

below is a bigger version if you need it for any reason ⬇️

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

RIP Steak Knife 😔😔😔

[spellboundtales]

Fic rec

here are some MASTERPIECES

🩰hurt/comfort

🧸Fluff

🦋Angst

🌺Smut

Spencer Reid

🩰 🧸what he knows by @luveline || reader is insecure and Spencer comforts her!

🧸 Love Sick by @criminalmindzjunkie || Spencer is jealous that reader has a date! Now he has to find a way to sabotage it

🌺the more loving one by @criminalmindzjunkie || Professor!Spencer catches himself falling for one of his students. i'm so down bad for Professor!Spencer

🧸Holy Ground by @writer-in-theory || Spencer is your neighbor! Reader and him start a conversation with…steaky notes!

🩰🧸You’re my future, past and present by @mismatched-sockss || exes to… what will happen when reader and Spencer will see each other again after years?

🩰🌺🦋A marriage story by @bunnylovesani || PostPrison!Spencer and reader have to deal with the aftermath, trying to save their marriage

🧸this request by @ddejavvu || sunshine!reader purposely telling wrong facts when Spencer is around

🧸i can see you by @januaryembrs || the desk jokey from the floor below has caught spencer's eye...maybe he caught her eyes too

🧸you're too sweet for me (you were like an angel to me and when you know, you know) by @januaryembrs || sunshineRookie!reader and PostPrison!Spencer in kinda 3 parts (literally the holy trinity)...you should def check all her works because this is g o l d

🩰🧸this request by @nereidprinc3ss || reader and spencer are friends and he comfrots her after a bad date with a real jerk... when i tell you that this one is one of my favorite...felt that

🧸this request by @nereidprinc3ss || Spencer helps reader to change her bandages...and things get...funny...

🦋🧸lovely to sit between comfort and chaos (pt2) by @cerisereids || reader meets Spencer when he's on a case in her hometown

🧸the Love Hypotesis (series) by @goldentournesol || reader kisses the first man she sees all because of a lie...turns out that man is also her professor

🧸this request by @reiderwriter || Spencer babying an obvlious reader... the team has enough.

🧸isn't she pretty, dad? by @reiderwriter || dad!Spencer and his son playing matchmaker with his teacher

🌺🩰following rules (+ we can't be friends) by @little-diable || reader is JJ's daughter...what could ever happen between her and Spencer? (spoiler: a lot)

🧸carriage six (+pt2 platform ten) by @avis-writeshq || Spencer can't help but notice the same pretty girl on his train ride to work...what happens when she catches him ogling her?

🧸🌺🩰Emergency room by @violetrainbow412-blog || in the middle of the night reader receives a call from the hospital...turns out reader is spencer's emergency contact...but they broke up over a year ago

Aaron Hotchner

🦋fix it and 🩰fix it together by @miley1442111 || this 2 part fic, in which Aaron and wife!reader fight, because he compares reader to Haley..can they fix their marriage? this is soul shattering guys... (check all her works because when i tell you her writing style is amazing...)

🩰not so subtle by @ssahotchnerr || (not so) secret relationship with Aaron, who desperatly wants to comfort reader after a though case...

🌺how did she? by @little-diable || Hotch and reader meet at a cafe...he looks familiar... (dad'sFriend!Hotch)

Remus Lupin

🧸“I am not very good at flirting, am I?” by @hello-everyfandom || a study date with remus..wait...is it even a date?

Anthony Bridgerton

🧸🌺🦋Take my hand by @rubysunnday || Anthony tries his best as a matchmaker for reader…truth is reader wants only Anthony…

Joel Miller

🧸weakness by @joelsgreys || a lovely afternoon at Bill and Frank's…what could go wrong?? maybe it's time that some feelings come out of the surface...

Din Djarin

🦋🧸touching din by @archieimagines || three times Din shows you that he cares...even bendin his rules a bit to do so

🧸 significant by @softlyspector || Din has called reader Riduur for months…but what does it mean?

[soupbitch-moneybitch]

you know what's so gd impressive about ofmd? like, maybe the most impressive part of the whole already very impressive show? how well-rounded the characters are for how little time they have to be on screen

i spent many years in the fandom of another ensemble cast show that had a million seasons and hour-long episodes, and maybe like, five of the characters were worth the time of day. ofmd, tho, not only has an incredibly quality core cast, but even the characters they introduce for five seconds manage to have depth and appeal

take ned low's crew for example. we have a bunch of people who take up maybe a third of the episode's screen time, but by the end, the script and acting are so good that you're rooting for them as they unionize and sail away to greater pastures

then you have characters that are great on their own, but also enhance the main characters in the span of like six seconds

evelyn? a godsend, 11/10, want her back, and she was the impetus for mary taking control back over her life. steak "steaky" knife? rip big man, we knew you for two minutes but loved you, and you gave us slight insight into izzy's history/influence on the republic of pirates. hornigold wasn't even really hornigold and yet we /still/ managed to get backstory about him and learn things that added context to how ed turned into blackbeard

honestly, the amount of talent it takes to be able to make almost every character on the screen someone who either 1. drives the plot forward somehow, 2. is just delightful and entertaining, or 3. is a combination of both, all within a space the size of a needle tip is fucking astonishing. as a professional writer i am horny for how well these mother fuckers hone their craft, and as a fan of the show i'm just extremely well-fed

i've said it before, but this is genuinely so much more than a gay little pirate show (although it is also that, and i love that about it). it has so much artistic depth and everyone involved has talent coming out every orifice. i am so glad i have the privilege of watching it. every part of it is so refreshing, i am genuinely in constant awe

[sarucane]

How did Stede leave pirating so easily?

So in the space of 2 episodes, Stede goes from being "the motherfucking man" to an innkeeper, and there's really not *much* in between there--all his scenes are primarily about other characters in the finale. So I wanted to rant about what I think fills in this gap.

Why did Stede become a pirate in the first place? Well, because he wanted to be a "real boy." He wanted to have a life that felt like his own, a life that wasn't swaddled in comfort (completely, at least). He wanted to break the monotony, the despair of a life without room for deep emotions or agency. And he became a certain kind of pirate because he wanted to be someone important and good in the lives of others, not just a marginal figure.

But why did Stede become a pirate the second time?

Ed.

Sure, there were other reasons: he didn't belong with his family anymore, didn't fit in his old life, and trying to have his cake (having run away) and eat it too (coming back) was just hurting everyone. He changed, and they changed, and a foundational truth of this show is that you can't change back.

But the reason he didn't belong with his family anymore was that he had gotten his original wish. He'd become a "real boy," someone who felt things deeply, who didn't need to keep one foot in his old life by hanging onto his wealth. He'd become important and valued in the lives of his crew, which they demonstrated when Chauncy challenged his right to the Act of Grace

But the moment Stede crosses the line forever between his old life and his new one is when he tells Mary "his name is Ed."

When Stede leaves, he falls in with the marooned crew--but he spends more time pining for Ed then talking to them. There's a place for him with his crew, and he fits in it, and we see in E5-6 that he cares deeply about doing right by them.

But neither Ed nor Stede fully fit into the crew when everyone's back together. Ed's caught up in his own self-reckoning, and Stede's splitting attention between the crew and Ed. In a way, they've outgrown Stede: they no longer need his help to enable the community on the ship. They've reached a point where they can deal with the conflicts in E4 by themselves, can absorb Archie and then Izzy and give both of them space to relax and integrate. They like having Stede as captain, but they don't need him anymore. In E7, Stede takes Olu leaving as a betrayal, but even that goes back to Stede being more focused on Ed than on the crew, and acting out over hurt feelings from a fight.

The only thing left that Stede can only get through piracy is the lure of fame. And that's a real perk--Stede genuinely enjoys his taste of infamy in E7. It's fun, it's a fulfillment of a childhood dream.

But it's also hollow, and it's a trap. It's hollow because Bill isn't Stede's real friend, and the loss of Steak Knife wasn't worth Stede dying by challenging Zheng (nor was Stede's ego worth Steaky's death, but that's another thing). And it's a trap because Stede really is a terrible pirate. Stede has to deal with the pirate world without Ed three times during the show. The first time, the Spanish almost kill him; the second time, Spanish Jackie almost maims him; the third time, he challenges Zheng to a duel and refuses to back down, then tries to "ambush" British officers who kick his butt. Stede's fantastic when he stays in his lane of nontraditional piracy, but if he became a really successful traditionally infamous pirate, he'd no longer be Stede.

So Stede doesn't need the infamy of success as a pirate, any more than he needs is pretty clothes (though he likes both). Stede doesn't need to stay a pirate to keep his relationship with the crew, and they don't need him either. Stede doesn't need to go out and be a pirate to feel real things, or think he's "adequate" enough for his father.

But Stede does need to give his relationship with Ed a real chance, to be what they want it to be. And Ed just cannot be a pirate anymore--there's too much damage and pain. Plus, living on the ship, their lives in danger all the time, heightening everything, pushing their actions out of their control. Their relationship was crushed under that pressure in S2, and it's still a pretty fragile thing. They need space and time. And by leaving the ship, they can have it.

For Stede, piracy meant belonging, love, and fulfillment.

He has those things now: He's got Ed. He doesn't need piracy anymore.

[izzysillyhandsy]

What if the whole plot of S3 is just Izzy's ghost appearing to every single character we've ever met.

Over the season, everybody's desperately trying to get rid of him by making peace with whatever unresolved business their version of Izzy represents.

And when I say every character, I mean every character - even those who've never met him like Mary, Doug and the kids. Ivan, Jack and Steaky come back just for their own personal haunting.

Famously, DJ said there's no version of OFMD without Izzy Hands. What about there's no second of OFMD without Izzy Hands?

In S3 there will be at least one ghostly Izzy in every scene, acting as a plot device/mentor/father figure for every character and every relationship on the show.

In the end, everybody will get their well-deserved happy ending. All the ghost Izzys, their missions accomplished, will slowly dissolve into sea foam upon the waves.

[7ndipity]

You had to pick out that one thing that I was doubting about, and then also almost entirely correctly say how it would've gone if I had chosen the other option.

At first I thought Tae would be like that too, and have an epiphany, but I think his epiphany will be that he loves you. Which then leads to the marriage. Like, you'd both be free, and decide to just have a lazy day. Sleep in, cuddle a bit, get breakfast, all just very simple and low effort. Of course it'll get a little steaky cause sometimes his schedule just does not allow it, and so you always make the most of it. Right after, he'd still be inside you, and you'd look up at him and smile and it would hit him that he loves you. That he would take a bullet for you and commit the most horrendous crimes just to see you happy.

This is a bit where I wasn't sure where to go with the marriage thing. He knows now and he decides then and there that he's going to marry you. But is he doing that casually and right away like you said? Or is he going to wait for a signal? Like maybe when his angel says okay now its the right time, go for it?

I still stand by him not dating much. Especially considering who he is and how many people would just want to take advantage. So he'd have to be sure and maybe even have the angel on board as well before he starts a relationship.

Lol, great minds think alike, I guess!🤭

I love your idea tho, it's so sweet! And I agree with you about him not dating much, he has to be really sure about someone before he considers a relationship

As for the confession/proposal, I think if he had the realization in the way you described, he might hold off from saying anything for a while, just to be sure it wasn't a heat of the moment thing and to see if there's another sign to confirm his feelings.

But I also feel like once he has that thought in his head, it won't leave him alone. It just keeps echoing around and around like "just tell them already!" until he just can't stand it anymore and has to tell you. It might annoy him that his own over-eager impatience got the better of him, but he can't help it. He loves you too much and he needs you to know that.💜

[deviantplum]

Things you can say to your cat that you could also say to That Thing That Lives in the Attic:

Hey! That's my flesh! We talked about this!

WHAT IS IN YOUR MOUTH??

No! Do not get yourself stuck in the walls!!

When you're not snarling you're pretty cute!

Leave the neighbor's cat alone!!

Pspsps you want steaky steak treats?

[theworkshopmann]

Jarate Jinx

In this first Jarate Taunt ever, Sniper's confidence gets shattered.

Type: Taunt

Class: Sniper

Accepted in game: no

This taunt was made by Steam users Kostamoinen and Steaky. Posted on August 19th 2023, you can vote for this here!

[myfriendgoo94]

so i’ve seen 3 posts about taco bell in the last hour and now I’m putting pants on for the first time all day to get a steakie grilled cheese burrito at 11 pm ARE YOU HAPPY????

[three--rings]

OFMD ep 7 holy shit let's go

HE's THROWING OUT THE BLACKBEARD OUTFIT AND HE'S WEARING VELVET. MY FIC MY FIC It's...no fine fine, he was gonna through out the leather I promise I just didn't write it yet, but I talked about his thing for velvet...at length tho.

Oh come on fine clothes ED. My babygirl.

So...do we all need to make new robes now? I could get into this emerald number. I don't have a velvet one afterall, just the bird cotton.

They're so cute.

OH OH OH Izzy. Izzy. Izzy. Well and truly docked. Okay. Whew here comes the sweating again.

He's jealous, and smug Stede, omg, what is this fucking energy my dudes.

There are bombs in the clocks. Or something.

God this is fascinating. Am I nervous, yes. But only mildly so? I mean, I fully do NOT doubt D.Jenk's ability and willingness to emotionally destroy us at the end of a season.

But...IDK.

Setting that guy on fire concerns me, though.

Yikes okay that was a scene. So, yeah, I'm...Stede is right, basically, Ed is panicking. He's not good at being vulnerable and he's suddenly not the one in control, not in the place he's been comfortable and stifling.

Steak Knife. Okay. .

Why do I get the feeling there's going to be a few Steak Knife/Izzy Hands fics on Ao3 soon?

And um, what was THAT look Stede and Izzy, huh?

Fucking Rhys Darby taking me OUT with Fight It Steaky.

I'm trying to come up with what to say at this point. I was right about the clocks, and that does take out Zheng Yi Sao's leverage.

So, big action finale. Happy ending? Maybe? I do feel like even though I wasn't ever sure how this season was ending that it's possible David might give us a non-tragic ending in case he doesn't get S3, all things being what they are. And I feel like, him being so much more in tune with the fans now.

Yeah, yeah I feel good about all of this. And damn, but like the Steddyhands folks be winning, I swear. Cause like, it's hard not to 👀 at all of that.

Though it does feel like Izzy got at least an episode of emotional maturity growth without the actual episode.

Now I have to fucking stop sweating and try to calm down. I don't even have any alcohol. Gonna need to get some for next week.

Hmm, ice cream.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

pitchfork larry fanart!

only physical detail I had to go off of was "very burly man" so very burly he is

I had a lot of fun with his tattoos xD the combination skulls and and ghost and devil and fire and sword with the heart and butterfly and bulldog and carnation & vine just make for a very interesting bit of characterization methinks

Noa you are INCREDIBLE. My beautiful son Pitchfork Larry!

I originally meant Pitchfork Larry to be a one-off character but you KNOW that's not happening now. And what's great is he can actually fit in so so so well as the missing piece of Steak Knife's upcoming entry into the story! After his encounter with Stede and Ed, Steak Knife is going to decide to leave behind a life of crime in favor of following his dream to open a cupcake bakery, and Pitchfork Larry is going to be his boyfriend!

Near the end of the story Ed and Stede are going to get invited for dinner over at Steaky's, and Pitchfork Larry will have taken the experience of meeting Stede (someone who not very stereotypically masculine but was still very competent) to heart. He's a very introspective guy, and it will inspire him to realize that he can still find joy and fulfilment in a very masculine self-presentation but that doesn't mean he needs to hide or be ashamed of his sensitive side. He's trying to be a better role model for his young niece.

Stede's like "oooh yeah sorry about...y'know" *mimes bludgeoning him with a blunt object*

And Pitchfork Larry will very seriously put a hand on Stede's shoulder and go "Bonnet. Trying to bash my skull in with a whimsical whale-shaped lawn ornament was the best thing you ever could've done for me"

(Also, absolutely no pressure, but I can link to this on the fic? I want everyone to have the chance to see Pitchfork Larry)

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

bringing steak knife back would be funny for exactly one (1) joke. honestly same with izzy depending on how they write it. but cj is the only one who would be funny for an entire episode which is why i voted for him before i realized steak knife is the only one who has a chance to beat izzy

Yeah exactly I love Steak knife a lot but I don't think he has the sheer nonsense to carry an episode. Where as I really feel like bringing back Izzy would be so fucking cheap after they spent the season redeeming and killing him. Like you don't get to take that decision to bury him like that back, sorry. That was a writing choice you made no ret cons this isn't the MCU. But with Jack's death we didn't see the body and it didn't carry any like emotional story weight it was just funny, and Steak Knife just sorta got pressure pointed until he fell over and Stede mourned him for like 5 seconds, but it would be very easy to say "he's back now he was passed out and Stede was drunk who cares" So to me because of death circumstances Izzy is out right away and this is between Jack and Steaky. And unfortunately Steaky is less of a presence despite the fact that I think his tits are very sexy. From a comedy and narrative perspective they would just straight up get more out of a Jack reprise than a Steak Knife reprise.

[selchwife]

Emetwol Week Day Six: Stolen Moments

The Scions have made plans to meet in the Ocular, which is nothing unusual. Pfeil, Keeper of the Moon that he is, wonders why they could not have done it later in the day; most other peoples in the world are strictly diurnal, true, but he is a little insulted that his family so readily forgets he is not, and requests of him a functioning brain so few bells after dawn. He paces the halls of the Pendants with a hot mug of coffee and tries to shake away sleep for a good bell or so, and then, tired and depleted of coffee, he decides he may as well fetch a pastry at the markets and find his way to the Ocular, although he will be a little early.

At least the morning sun is pretty. It streams down in gently blushing hues onto the still-waking Crystarium, as if placing a tender kiss on the forehead of a lover who is still asleep. The metaphor, springing unbidden to his mind, makes him wish he was the sleeping lover. He resolves to purchase himself a second, very strong cup of coffee with his morning pastry, and makes his way to the Musica Universalis. This morning his bad leg aches, and he is favoring the good one more than usual; the limp slows him a little, but he is in no hurry. It is still a touch chilly, and the air is dewy and fresh, even in the city. The coffee will be a nice way to warm up, he thinks. His stomach growls.

Before he can reach the stalls, a broad, leather-clad hand grips his shoulder. Adrenaline floods him and kicks the bottom of his stomach out until he turns around to see that it is Emet-Selch, who is a dumb asshole and apparently cannot be bothered to say "hey, please turn around, won't you, hero?" to get his attention.

"Menphina's tits, what's your problem?" He tries to will the fur on his tail to lay flat again and gives Emet-Selch a curt look.

The old bastard does look a little chastened. "I didn't mean to startle you," he protests, which Pfeil takes to be an apology in whatever roundabout language Emet-Selch speaks.

"What do you want?" He's being too snappish, so he reels it back a little. "Sorry. It's too godsdamned early…"

Emet-Selch laughs at him a little. "I don't suppose you might be convinced to abandon your post for the day?"

"You're asking me to play hooky?" Certainly Pfeil would happily oblige, but he hardly wants him to think it will be easy. "Wow…you're such a bad influence on your young, impressionable partner."

Emet-Selch looks as though he has eaten a lemon when he is reminded of the disparity in their ages. "Never say that again."

Pfeil laughs and rubs some sleep from his eyes as Emet-Selch regains his composure. He's amusing to get a rise out of, at least, although it usually isn't nearly so simple.

Emet-selch clears his throat. "I would like to show you something," he says sternly, "if you are amenable, and will behave yourself —"

"Is it your dick?"

Pfeil should not have said that.

Several moments of horribly protracted silence pass between them. "I think the first thing I will show you is a cup of coffee," says Emet-Selch.

-

He is taken to a little tavern in Sullen, and Pfeil is surprised Emet-Selch of all people should even know the place, humble as it is. Emet-Selch gets him breakfast — coffee with cream and sugar, pancakes with maple tapped from Lakeland's violet trees, popotoes diced with garlic and wild onions dug from the purplish soil, little strips of fatty, steaky fish pan-seared alongside the popotoes. It is all insanely delicious, and Pfeil is hardly surprised to find that Emet-Selch eats as much of it as he does. The waitress seems quite used to Emet-Selch's abrasive attitude, and smiles a little sympathetically at Pfeil when she passes the table.

"Are you a regular here?" asks Pfeil, more than a bit amused at the idea.

"It is quaint, and the food is good enough," says Emet-Selch. It is not an answer to the question, but Pfeil is used to this.

He takes another bite of the pancakes, which are wonderfully fluffy and sticky-sweet. "You know," he says, gesturing to the waitress with his fork, "I used to be a barmaid."

"I don't believe it."

Pfeil nods and swallows. "Mmhm. I worked the Carline Canopy for two years. Everyone loved me." He spears a few popotoes with his fork.

"How old were you?"

"Started when I was ten," says Pfeil around his cheekful of popotoes. "Mother Miounne made a fortune off me, I was so godsdamned cute."

Emet-Selch laughs almost too loudly, as though he is trying to picture world-weary Pfeil, broad and battle-scarred, in a little pink pinafore. "I'm sure she did," he says. "Although I imagine it must have been a challenge for you, laboring to see the patrons over the table."

"Shut up!" Pfeil reaches across the table and smacks his arm, and Emet-Selch grins smugly at him because he knows he is right.

They pass a few moments in comfortable silence. Pfeil takes a sip of the coffee. It will not do much, he thinks; the meal is large and heavy enough, and the hour early enough, that he will struggle to stay awake anyway. It's worth it, though, and it's better than meeting to discuss what he already knows — "no, we have not found any trace of the next Lightwarden, yes, we will remain vigilant, let us meet again in two days — hello again, no, we have not found any trace of the next Lightwarden," ad infinitum.

Emet-Selch seems to know what he's thinking, because he drums his fingers on the table to get Pfeil's attention. "I did have something to show you, remember," he says.

"I thought you were just showing me breakfast," Pfeil admits.

Emet-Selch laughs and shakes his head. "No, no," he says, digging through his breast-pocket. "If you're quite finished, come outside with me, hm?" He stands, ruffles Pfeil's hair, leaves a little gratuity on the table, and leaves through the front door.

There is not much left on the plate, but Pfeil eats it anyway, a little hurriedly — he does not like the idea of it going to waste. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and follows Emet-Selch.

The sun has come up in earnest now, and it is a little uncomfortably bright when he journeys outdoors, the glare momentarily compromising his vision. When his eyes focus again, he sees Emet-Selch a good number of yalms away, sitting under a tree by the shore of the lake. He looks thoughtful like this, thinks Pfeil, and for a moment he is content to look. But Emet-Selch wants to show him something, so he approaches him and settles close to his side beneath the shade of the tree.

Pfeil isn't sure where he's been hiding it, but Emet-Selch wordlessly hands him something heavy and rectangular, a present wrapped in brown paper and twine. Equally as taciturn, Pfeil rips the paper away from the package. He draws a soft, awed breath as the paper falls to the ground and the contents are revealed.

"It's hardly a replacement for your bird in the Source, I should think," says Emet-Selch, "but I know you are something of a reader."

The volume he has presented to Pfeil is beautiful and rare. It is an illustrated history of chocobo husbandry and the roles the birds have held in societies stretching back to the dawn of the Allagan empire. Pfeil has never told Emet-Selch this, but it is a volume he had always privately wished was in his parents' library in the hazy days of his sullen childhood, and to see it now in his hands is overwhelming. His eyes grow misty, and he is afraid his voice will come out badly, so he sets the book in Emet-Selch's lap and hugs him close.

Emet-Selch gives him a little squeeze in turn. "You are going to read it, aren't you?"

"Of course," says Pfeil. He takes the book again and settles into Emet-Selch's lap in its place. Emet-Selch does not complain, and adjusts his back against the tree so Pfeil might rest his head comfortably in the space between his neck and shoulder, cheek cushioned by the fur on his collar. Light reflects in strange translucent patterns from the surface of the lake onto their arms, and Pfeil opens the volume.

He resolves to read aloud to Emet-Selch, and for a space he does very well at this. Eventually he notices his voice has become a little slow, his eyelids a little heavy; the words begin to swim on the page like the light dancing against his hands, and he relies on the use of his pointer finger to trace his place in the book.

He is jolted awake by Shtola's voice — "Pfeil Nehwa, there you are!" — and he does not know when he fell asleep. He is still cradled in Emet-Selch's arms; Shtola is blind, but he knows enough of her aethersight to know she is well aware of the compromising position in which she has found the pair.

Pfeil coughs twice, unconvincingly. "Oh, Shtola, I'm sorry," he says. "I'm very sick. I can't make it —"

"Come to the Ocular now," she insists. Her expression softens a little. "It's hardly any of my concern if you play hooky for a day, but Thancred is —"

"Oh, shit, Thancred!" He springs to his feet from his place on Emet-Selch's lap, suddenly aware of the magnitude of his mistake. "I'll be right there."

He hurries off as Emet-Selch stands. "Such a difficult boy," he hears Emet-Selch tut in mock sympathy to Shtola, and it is enough to make him laugh as he makes the jog back to the Crystarium.