#Grim can try and be difficult all he wants one way or another someones getting in that bath

[merakiui]

JADE MUSHROOM DILDOS????? THE SENTIENT DOLL PROMPT?? WOULD SOME MORE DETAILS! WHENEVER I TRY TO RUN, THE TWEELS ENSNARE MY ATTENTION AND HEART BY WRAPPING THEIR LONG AND SLIMY TAILS AROUND IT <333

(Fem darling)

Although they're nerds... Maidenless, pathetic (absolutely adorable) I still adore the trope of suave and sleek on the outside, handsome and reliable (yet dubious) Jade, wild and free Floyd who wants to get freaky.. They're what the freshmen of NRC aspire to be. Charismatic and enigmatic.

Yet when behind closed doors, both of them are absolute loser virgins. Nerds who haven't lost their first kiss. Nerds that simply can't admit to liking the prefect~ They're always bullying darling cause it's "fun".

It's not like they could ever harbour feelings for a lil shrimpie! That's ridiculous! Their sex doll? Pfft! Doesn't resemble that shrimpie at all! (This reminds me a little bit of that onna hole series but the difference being that, darling doesn't feel it.)

They're just in complete denial aren't they? They both hide the sexdoll they have, Floyd doesn't know that Jade has one that's nearly the same, Jade doesn't either. Despite them having their own respective ones, their interpretation of darling is totally different! The dolls aren't literally alive, but when they're shoving their cocks, darling's moaning along with them.

When they're in a horny daze, the doll comes to life. (Like in Tatami Galaxy if you happen to know! Difficult to explain but I hope this made sense anyways (⁠ ⁠≧⁠Д⁠≦⁠) )

Floyd interprets darling as completely inexperienced, and really docile and responsive. Whimpers a lot and has this shimmery look in her eyes. (Another example of sex dolls in this instance would be Interspecies reviewer, it's an ecchi anime but I needed inspo ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ)

"N-no Floyd don't lick me there! Hyaaah! No! Floyd! Floyd-senpai! Nghh!" The pseudo darling whimpers and moans even if his performance is utterly sloppy! A darling that can unravel faster than him (who cums prematurely, wayyy too quickly! Too quick for an athlete!)

"Senpai's too big! You can't!" The cliché subby H-manga character that's catered to loser incels like him. Babbling way too quickly. (Realistically, it takes wayyyy more work to dumbify a person, a quick cummer would never get a real lady to reach that point of babbling in five minutes. Better luck next time, virgin eel!)

Jade interprets darling as someone that's bratty and just as passive aggressive as him. Darling usually wouldn't bother in engaging with Floyd since it doesn't change what Floyd's going to feel about doing his chores. Floyd is just such an unreckoned force, darling always does his bidding to shut his whining. Jade on the other hand is occasionally negotiable.

When the prefect is doing part time in the lounge, Jade's always attempting to break that patient exterior of hers just for his own amusement. (Cuz this loser does not know how to flirt.) Unlike the other staff who immediately lose their tempers and quit within the end of their contract, the prefect always smiles back at him. Giving Jade backhanded compliments, retorts that aren't explicitly rude. The prefect is resilient after all, she successfully negotiated with that stubborn tako for a fat check at every end of the month. This slimy eel can't just push her down so easily!

Darling will never back down, this check has given her and Grim more than just stale bread and leftovers for meals! Jade is sleek and cunning, but Prefect is not an idiot! Jade has met his match for backhanded comments and sly forms of insulting. Saccharine "service" smiles, never a frown on darling.

Jade wants to break that resilience. Something he can't have in reality.. A bratty darling that's easy to manipulate. A bratty darling who messes up her responses. He wants the prefect to feel shame. He wants her to fall for his figurative traps. He wants to utterly humiliate her just like how he did to all the employees that were subject to his bullying.

"Fuck you Jade! Fuuugh!" Insults just turn into moans as he erratically fucks his 'darling', it's not the prefect! It just coincidentally looks like her! The real prefect would never utter a single cuss, she has an image to uphold, but this doll right here? So utterly lewd! So bratty and potty mouthed. So vulgar! What a harlot! A horny harlot that's starved of cock! Jade's cock, a brat that gets trained into being an absolute shameless harlot, stripped off any form of dignity. Stripped off that elegant facade. So utterly dirty and below him.

For as long as those two don't work on their actual plans to get their hands on the real darling, they're left with the sad reality of cumming into lifeless caricatures of the real prefect. (They have zero rizz, they just keep fucking up their flirting attempts and opportunities.)

It would be even funnier if they read the doujins Idia makes. The MC is oddly familiar, can't think of who it resembles... Oh well, it gets the junk junkin!!!

I wanted a bit of a different trope for darling and the tweels! I hope it was good to read, Mera! I don't see a lot of Floyd pacifying darlings. (Maybe I haven't been looking in the right areas.) I just love a dynamic with Jade where he isn't as sleek with rude innuendos as he thought. Someone finally matched his passive aggressive freak!!

Always remember to prioritise yourself over content creation! It's quite easy to neglect the little things like hydration! It's been way too long since I last sent you an ask <3

Xoxo, Izuna.

꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

IZUNA...... IZUNA!!!!! GRABBING YOU BY THE SHOULDERS!!! AAAAAAA THIS IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A GOOD READ. THIS WAS BRILLIANT AND SO DELICIOUS AND AN ENTIRE FIVE-STAR MEAL!!!!!

(๑﹏๑//) I'm eating so incredibly good with this omg,,,, the different interpretations of darling for each eel is so yummy. Aaaaa Floyd would absolutely have a thing for being called senpai,,, it just sounds so lovely coming from your mouth... Floyb with his cock-drunk and no-thoughts-in-head-other-than-cum doll and Jade with his brat of a doll who fights him until the very end when she's unraveling beneath him....... so good. orz orz orz

They're both such losers!!! T_T getting off with a doll while imagining it to be the real you even though the spell breaks when they're no longer horny,, >_< aaaaa so maidenless!

That line in the beginning of your ask regarding mushroom dildos... 👀 there are so many thoughts in my mind... Jade is a freak when it comes to his mushrooms!!! You just happen to be his favorite darling to test these things on. <3

[coffeeshades]

credits to the gif maker!

LOVE IS COMPLICATED - PART V

—firsts, lasts and never agains

summary: the trials and tribulations of falling in love or two idiots who can't get their shit together.

pairing: pedro pascal x actress/singer!reader.

word count: 2.3k

warnings: 18+ (minors dni). mentions of sex. angst. cussing, age gap, mentions of drugs and alcohol. no use of y/n, if i missed something please let me know!

a/n: hi everyone! i know i owe you guys SO MUCH so here's a short lil chapter to quench your thirst. more on the way i promise!!! btw this isn't proofread so if u spot any mistakes hit me up. happy reading (or not cause the angst won once again besties, sorry in advance) <3

masterlist!

August 23rd, 2019 

Anaheim, California

You thought that having a shot of tequila would take off the edge of anxiety that had you shaking in your seat, but there you were taking another one, and the tingling in your hands still hadn’t ceased. "Want another?" Renata asked, a bottle in hand and a glint of worry in her eyes as she noticed your unsteady movements. You shook your head; you wouldn't risk it with a third. She waited until the hair and makeup team left the room before putting a hand on your shoulder, the cold of her ring pressing into your skin. "You want to talk about it?"

"It's just nerves," you mumbled, toying with your fingers, trying to brush off her concern. But Renata wasn't convinced, her gaze piercing through your facade. "Is it because of—" she said before you cut her off.

"No," you interrupted firmly, not wanting to dive into that topic. Renata nodded, understanding your reluctance. She simply squeezed your shoulder in silent support, knowing damn well what it was about. As she started to lead you out of the room, you continued. "We haven't seen each other in months."

There it is.

"And the last time we talked, he basically told me he didn't want to do anything with me." Renata's eyes softened; her empathy evident. "He didn't say that," she murmured, her grip on your shoulder tightening.

Your eyes met hers, filled with anger and confusion. "He did. He slept with me and then decided that was it." Renata's expression turned grim as she guided you out of the halls and onto the red carpet. She knew there was more to it than what you were letting on, but who was she to pry?

She faced you while gently fixing your hair as you continued. "But I'm with someone else now, and I'm happy, and I just need to get my shit together." Renata nodded. "You deserve to be happy and move on from this," she said softly.

The chatter of everyone on the carpet and the click of cameras surrounded you both, louder than before. "It'll be just a couple of interviews and photos now. After that, you and—" she hesitated.

"It's okay, you can say his name, Ren."

"You and Pedro will be taken into a photo studio for the official portraits," Renata finished. "Let's just make this quick and painless."

"I can assure you this will be everything except quick and painless," you replied with a forced smile, trying to ignore the knot in your stomach. "But I appreciate your attempt to lighten the mood." She mouthed sorry for a moment before leading you both towards the line of press, where the bright lights and flashing cameras awaited. As you stepped into position to talk to the reporters, you reminded yourself to take a deep breath and stay composed, knowing that it would be okay.

•••

It was, in fact, not okay.

The groan that escaped your lips and the rolling of your eyes were unavoidable. You'd managed to stay clear of him for as long as you could—a complete victory by your standards—and now, with only seconds before you escaped, the very man you had tried to evade appeared before you.

Being within meters of him now, all those firsts, lasts, and never agains were as sharp and vivid as they'd ever been, forming a knot of unease in your chest that made breathing difficult. You hadn't spoken yet, both preoccupied with the rush of media attention surrounding you.

Nonetheless, you took quick glances at him whenever you could.

"Time for the portraits," Renata whispered, as you finished talking to a reporter for the LA Times. "Looking forward to seeing the show!" you nodded, trying to keep your smile in place as you followed Renata. It was a small room with bright lights and a white backdrop, but all you could focus on was the man standing across from you, getting his hair touched up by a stylist. Your own team hovered around you, adjusting your outfit and makeup, but your eyes kept drifting back to him.

The photographer introduced herself, and you were instructed to stand in the middle of the backdrop. You looked each other up and down. God, he looked good, you thought. And then you cursed yourself. Your groan at the sight of him was barely audible, but Renata shot you a knowing look.

"You kinda stole my look," he said, raising an eyebrow. The audacity of this man was infurating. How dare he, after what happened, address you so casually, like nothing has changed between you two?

"Hm, no, you kinda stole my look," you retorted, no emotion in your voice. The tension between you was palpable as the photographer began snapping photos, capturing the silent competition between you two. He was wearing a floral shirt that perfectly complemented your own outfit—a corset-like black top with floral details and black dress pants. However, one little detail caught your eye: the shiny gold chain decorating his neck.

Stop, don't go there. It suddenly became necessary to wash away the awful thought that little piece of jewelry was attractive in the slightest and that cold shower and glass of wine you had been looking forward to at home would now have to happen—but instead of a glass, it would be a whole bottle.

"Okay guys, now let's take some shots pretending to laugh together," the photographer suggested, breaking the tension. You both shared a forced smile, trying to outdo each other in the fake laughter department. "And get closer, please," she added, gesturing for you to move in towards each other. As you leaned in, you couldn't help but notice the faint scent of his cologne. "Pedro, put your arm around her waist," the photographer instructed, prompting Pedro to look down on you.

"Can I?" he asked, ever so politely. The question transported you to a room in Chile, where the tips of his fingers were under your shorts and your mouths were enticingly close.

Stop, stop, stop.

"Sure, whatever," you replied, trying to shake off the memories flooding back. Pedro hesitated for a moment before standing behind you and gently placing his arm around your waist—a moment of unexpected intimacy as your hand followed and rested on top of his. The photographer snapped the picture just as you forced another smile, masking the turmoil within.

"Are we done?" Pedro asked, his voice rumbling in your ear. Despite his complaints, he enjoyed doing photoshoots. They catered to his need to show off.

"Yes, we have everything we need. Thanks guys!"

Both of you quickly separated, relieved to put some distance between yourselves. You didn't say another word as you both gathered your things and headed out of the studio, tension lingering in the air, unsure of what would come next and hating every second of the awkwardness that now hung between you.

•••

The D23 Expo was not turning out to be the fun experience you had hoped for. You've been sitting in the panel room with the rest of the cast and crew for about half an hour, actively avoiding eye contact with the source of your anxiety. Dave was talking about what a huge honor it is to continue his Star Wars journey with a live action series, having previously only worked on animated projects. Jon followed suit, expressing his excitement for the opportunity to develop the series on a more cinematic scale.

Everyone was buzzing with enthusiasm, but you.

"Now I'm going to give the floor to the fans for any questions," the moderator announced, turning towards the crowd with a smile. A teenager in the front row was handed a microphone, anticipation rippling through the audience as she prepared to ask her question.

"Hi, my name's Sarah, and I just wanted to say how thrilled I am for this new series. I am a huge fan of Star Wars, and pretty much everyone here," she said, "especially you and Pedro," gesturing towards you and finally asking the question you've successfully avoided answering all night. "I know you've been friends for a long time. Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories from filming, and how was it working together on this project?"

"Oh, they have a lot. These two were menaces on set," Jon interjected, eliciting laughter from the audience. You exchanged a knowing glance with Pedro before sharing a bright smile with the girl. "I think Jon is specifically referring to the time I broke Pedro's nose and ended up in the hospital."

The audience erupted into a mix of laughter and gasps, clearly entertained by the unexpected revelation as you continued to recount the hilarious mishap. "But yeah, overall, it was definitely a fun and memorable experience working together. We had some great times on set, despite the occasional injury," you added with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she's a brilliant scene partner; I wouldn't change a thing about it," Pedro chimed in, nodding in agreement. If you didn't know better, you would think he actually meant it. The girl beamed at the two of you, clearly enjoying the interaction between you and Pedro, oblivious to the fact that you couldn't wait to get out of there and never see him again.

The moderator intervened, clearly interested in picking up more about the dynamics. "Now that it's been brought up, I was one of the few people who got to see the first episode yesterday, and I have to say there's a lot of on-screen chemistry between the two of you. Is it possible that a romantic relationship will develop in future episodes?"

The answer escaped from your lips instantly. "Not that we can confirm or deny anything at this point, but I think that these characters are very different and have a complex relationship that will continue to evolve as the series progresses, and maybe they work better as friends or allies rather than romantically involved." The moderator nodded, satisfied with the somewhat vague response.

Pedro's eyes caught yours, puzzled by the subtle shift in your tone, before adding, "But I wouldn't rule that out completely."

He was so infuriatingly annoying.

•••

You were in the same room; circling each other the entire day, but he still missed you so much that a brief moment of broken eye contact sent a deep ache cutting through his chest.

Pedro watched you exit the panel room, knowing that he needed to find a way to talk to you. He called your name, making you stop in your tracks and turn around, your face unreadable. Pedro hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to approach you, before finally blurting out, "Hey, do you have a sec?"

He saw you reluctantly give your PA a nod, motioning for her to leave the both of you alone.

Pedro felt tension slip through him and iron in his spine, and he looked around swiftly to see if anyone was paying attention to them. He spotted a door leading to an empty room and gestured for you to follow him inside. As you both entered the room, Pedro closed the door behind you.

This conversation is inevitable.

Pedro waited for a moment before speaking. "We're working together, and will continue to do so."

"So?" your voice was cold and guarded.

He took a deep breath before continuing, "I think we should try to find a way to make it work."

"I think it's working well enough as it is," you replied, crossing your arms. Pedro couldn't help but laugh at your stubbornness. "Come on, we both know that's not true. You've avoided me all day. People are asking if things are okay between us."

"Isn't that what you wanted, though?"

Pedro shook his head. "What? I never said that."

"You might as well have," you spat back. "Because the way I see it, you don't want anything to do with me." He wanted to reach out, grab your hand and tell you that's not all what he meant but he stopped.

You are being so careful with each other now. It was breaking Pedro’s heart a little.

"That's not true. It drives me crazy when you won’t talk to me,” he muttered. "I…just didn't want to complicate things back then."

"Well, things got complicated the moment we slept together," you reminded him. "And that's on both of us."

Pedro sighed, feeling the weight of the situation. "I know," he said softly. "I'm sorry… I didn't handle that conversation very well. I was…" he can't bring himself to finish the sentence. "I don't know."

"You have a tendency of hurting my feelings, disappearing, and then coming back asking for forgiveness," your words come out measured and unexpectedly calm. Bordering on cold.

It was such a sharp, perfect little sting that it made heat pool in his stomach. It made him want to cry.

He said your name ever so tenderly, a plea in his voice.

"I don't know what you want from me," you say, a defeated tone lacing your words. "I moved on, and yet, you keep coming back, reopening old wounds. It happens every time. I can't keep doing this dance with you."

"Yeah, you moved on," and before he can stop himself, Pedro blurts out, dripping in sarcasm, "Quite fast."

Pedro still remembers the shiver that ran down his spine when he picked up his phone one morning, only to see you parading around with Daniel on social media. The worst part was that he knew he had no one to blame but himself.

You raise an eyebrow, surprised by his response. He could tell it echoed through the small space and grated on your every last nerve.

"Fuck you."

A snarl forms on his face, and his upper lip slightly curls. His anger rising to match your own. "Is that all you have to say?" Pedro's voice is laced with bitterness as he struggles to keep his emotions in check. Your eyes burning through him, the air suffocating.

"I had to move on," you simply reply. "You should try it as well." you slipped past him, bumping into his shoulder as you made your way out of the room, leaving him there, trying to remember why he had convinced himself that everything was safer this way because you were too important to risk losing, when in reality, he had already lost you.

And Pedro tries not to love you. He really tries.

a/n: don't kill me please, i know. their time will come, i just need them to reaaaally go through it.

Reblog or like if you enjoyed it! thank you for reading :)

[phantombanquet]

Main Story: Diasomnia Book Chapter 8 Episode 7-117: Preparation for Departure! (Translation)

Episode 7-117

⚠️ Major Diasomnia spoilers! Proceed with caution.

translation by: phantombanquet

Idia: MALLEUS-SHI, HUH~~~~! 

THIS GRUDGE… SHOULD I LEAVE IT UNSETTLED~~!! ¹

If that happens, that pretentious inexpressive² guy, who usually keeps up his strong chara moves up in his sleeves…..

I can't help but feel sorry for myself if I don't see his pathetic figure sobbing with a runny nose and begging for forgiveness!

Now, what should I do…… Heh… Ehehehehehe!

Ortho: W-What a malicious scheming face…

This… May have angered someone who shouldn't be angered~

Idia: Heheh…… I'll show you. The ultimate power of a lone wolf³ trained in the gloomy “underworld.”

Just you wait, Malleus Draconia……

I'LL GET REVENGE BY SEIZING YOUR SPECIAL WEAKNESS!!!

Ortho: ……That's all.

From the magical disaster caused by Malleus Draconia until the awakening of Idia Shroud. This concludes the progress report.

Grim: Oohh~~! While we were fightin’ over in Lilia's dream, that's what happened to you guys.

Silver: I see. So Idia-senpai and Ortho are outside of the magical realm. It means that there is support coming from the real world. 

Idia: Y-Yeah, t-that sort of thing…… Well, for now, we'll be playing a dummy video on the surveillance camera for a short while……

I can only do this much.

Sebek: So, even if you have woken up, Malleus-sama will fail to notice and the “darkness” will not attack you.

Ortho: Yes.. And like I said earlier, Malleus-san is currently……

Focused on putting Lilia Vanrouge-san to sleep. 

So, I expect that he has not traced down the whereabouts of Silver-san and the others.

Sebek: Hm. I honestly want to praise your skills, but it is quite complicated when you are outsmarting Malleus-sama……

Idia: Well, that other guy is a battleship-like⁴ cheater so… We're still far off from completely capturing him.

Silver: However… I had no idea that Malleus-sama continued to expand his magical realm beyond the island……

Sebek: Furthermore, if the area is forcibly destroyed from the  outside, there is a possibility that the trapped person's psyche could also become destroyed!?

Grim: Somehow it's a real mess for real.

[Choice 1] Yuu: Can we do something about this?

[Choice 2] Yuu: (If this continues on, Tsunotarou will become the enemy of mankind.) 

Ortho: Yes. That's why we need your power!

Silver: Our… Power?

Ortho: Currently, the S.T.Y.X. staff is working together to assign ID numbers to the dreams of those trapped in the magical realm. 

During that time, we captured your magical reaction as you “moved around on your own” in the dream.

Silver: Could it be that it was my “Meet in a Dream?”

It's my unique magic that allows me to cross between dreams……

Ortho: Yes! That one, that one!

When traces of someone moving from one human dream to another were discovered, the engineers at S.T.Y.X. were in a commotion.

So that was Silver-san's unique magic, after all. Magic is a really mysterious power, huh.

Silver: However, my magic is to reliably travel to the dream of the person I'm targeting after, like you guys. I can't call someone into my dream.

I don’t know what else to say; it's hard to explain… It's a very intuitive kind of magic……

That’s why I was really surprised when Ortho appeared in the Dream Corridor and led us here. 

Ortho: What are you saying?

S.T.Y.X. prides themselves on their super computers and experts in magical engineering and magical analysis. 

They tried their best to analyze magic and they finally found a way to travel from dream to dream. 

Moreover, it is difficult to say that the current method is 100% reproducible so they said: “it's still a beta version.”

The mere fact that you can do it intuitively is astonishing.

Sebek: Hm. So the “power” that you need is Silver's unique magic?

Ortho: That's a part of it, too, but…

Sebek Zigvolt-san, Grim-san, and Yuu-san, your cooperation is essential.

Grim: Hmph! You're just trying to make us do the messy work, aren't ya!

Ortho: Wow♡ Grim-san, you talk too fast. 

[Choice 1] Yuu: This pattern is similar to the headmage……

[Choice 2] Yuu: I don't see any other reason to  be called out……

Sebek: Hmph, I don't like this sluggishness. Get to the point!!

Idia: S-So, uhhh……. While you guys were chattering in Lilia-shi's dream..

I-I was trying to think of a way to escape from my dream world……

Or rather, I've been trying to come up with a strategy to deal with Malleus-shi.

[Choice 1] Yuu: Is your strategy to get him to cry and beg for forgiveness while his nose is runny?

[Choice 2] Yuu: Is it a strategy to take revenge by capturing their special weakness?

Idia: Y-Yeah. That… Hih, hihi.

Anyhow, I made a video to explain that strategy…… W-Would you like to watch it?

Grim, Silver, Sebek: Video?

Idia: Waah~♪ Only good things have been happening lately~ It's so fun every day~ It's just like a dream~♬ Well. It was, in fact, really just a dream. Welcome, all you carefree people who live in the world of empty dreams. I am Idia Shroud. So for today, a cheat trick to create a dream world using magic — — was used by The Most Evil☆Final Boss Mage. Let me explain the strategy used by Malleus-shi. The magical realm that Malleus-shi created is kinda like a server running a huge MMORPG. And each dream of someone sleeping is managed individually. Malleus-shi is using himself and his alter ego to keep an eye on this server. To give you an idea, Malleus-shi is a server admin. And his alter ego is cracking down on users to commit violations in the online game — like a gamemaster. Malleus-shi, with the authority to operate and manage over the entire server, is currently in the state of a demon king who has the world right under his thumb.

Under Malleus-shi's control, we have NO chance of succeeding…… BUT! Because of the super geek hacker group S.T.Y.X. and Ortho's attack, all of the server's source code (construction formulas of the magical realm) has been analyzed and is now completely visible!

So — I'm going to use that data from my dream to develop and build a cheat tool. And then get rid of that damned invulnerable status! It seems like a perfect strategy at first glance, but in fact, there’s actually a flaw in this cheat strategy……. If Malleus-shi (the server admin) discovers this during development— IT'S GAME OVER IN AN INSTANT. But hold your horses! Despite that his alter ego uses autonomous magic, with the total population of Sage Island, monitoring and managing the dreams of about 20,000 people is not an easy task — even for Malleus-shi. If a problem happens here and there in your dream, there's a high chance that you'll have to deal with it by yourself! Therefore — I’ll be developing a cheat tool. I want you guys to catch Malleus-shi's eye and gather party members so we can subdue the demon king.

When everyone wakes up, we'll hand out invite codes that will allow them to travel to my dream.

Then, when all the preparations are ready, Malleus-shi will be lured to my dream and that's when the cheat tool that I developed turns on!! As planned, Malleus-shi's invulnerability will be canceled. And by using the invite codes that were diligently handed out, everyone will gather in my dream! We're going to beat him up with our sheer numbers of forces!

If things go as expected, Malleus-shi will also lift the spell and free us—! How was it!? “A lone wolf magician engineering guy explains how to capture the demon king in three minutes video.” If you think this video was good, leave a like! And this was Idia Shroud.

Grim, Silver, Sebek: ............

Idia: Ummm, e-everyone… Thank you for your attention. ⁵

Th-that’s why……

I ask you guys to go on a journey to gather “the strongest party members who will take on the challenge of defeating the demon king!”

Grim, Silver, Sebek: EHHHHH~~~!?

TO BE CONTINUED...

translator notes:

¹ - 「この怨はらさでおくべきか」 is an old Kansai (Osaka) dialect phrase. This phrase, although it seems like one will forever hold a grudge, actually means something along the lines of: “Shall I leave this grudge unresolved? (No, I actually have to solve this),” due to how the phrase is structured (which would be too deep to delve into but it’s mainly because of the か and べき/べし in the phrase).

² - 「スカしま」 is a Japanese slang usually used as an insult

³ - 「陰キャ」 is yet another Japanese slang used to describe someone with a gloomy or reserved personality or introverts. I used a known English slang instead of translating literally to preserve the meaning of the word.

⁴ - 「弩級 (どきゅう)」 is the Japanese translation of “Dreadnought,” which is a type of battleship in the early 20th century. Idia was just being a nerd again by using game-like terms so I decided to stick with using “battleship” instead of the literal translation.

⁵ - I wanted to note that Idia addressed them as 「皆様」which is a polite way of addressing others due to the inclusion of 様 (sama). Also, the “thank you for your attention” line was written as 「ご清聴アリガトウゴザイマシタ」 in the text instead of the usual 「ご清聴ありがとうございました」 which I think it's just to note Idia's personality www.

personal notes: this wasn't jp proofread so there might be inaccuracies;;; additionally aniplex jp actually posted the "how to subjugate the demon king" video but it's only available in japan.. you can still access it by using a vpn though~

[yuri-is-online]

The Rains Have Ceased (Riddle, Cater, and Idia x Yuu)

You have been having strange dreams lately. Every time you go to sleep you se the same set of flashing images, a carriage ride, a crumbling castle under a ink stained sky, ending in the jaws of a monster. The pain you feel from the flames makes you wonder, on nights when you are alone in Ramshackle with Grim, if those dreams are less fiction and more of a memory.

You are not the only one who has those dreams. There's another, laying awake in his bed, hand clutched tightly over his frantically beating heart trying desperately to hold the fraying edges of his sanity together. How many times has he done this? How many times has he tried to hold onto the last fleeting traces of warmth in you with his cold, unworthy hands.

Again. He loves you, that is the one thing that refuses to change no matter how many times the world is reset. He loves you, he has no choice but to try again.

notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu,more of this here (ie which boys would go insane trying to save Yuu from a time loop), heavy angst, hurt almost no comfort, borderline yandere behavior, major character death, references to murder, everyone is self destructing. If this made you feel something you can check out my masterlist here.

Riddle

He handles things extremely poorly when there is no guide book or rules he can follow. If it is made clear to him that there is no way of saving Yuu, that cosmic law has decreed they die, then he has no real choice but to let them... unless there is some way to take their place. Riddle is determined to be the very best at everything, and he is a bit of a brat when it comes to things that make him angry, but he becomes desperate help his friends when they find themselves in situations he feels that he has caused. He can accept that there is no way for you to be together, the chances of that were admittedly already pretty slim; you are from a different world and his mother almost certainly has plans for him he would find difficult to ignore. What he cannot accept there is no chance for you to live, he'd even be content to watch you fall in love with someone else just please, please live. He cannot bring himself to confess to anyone what it is he is trying to do, Trey would absolutely try to stop him, Ace and Deuce wouldn't accept your fate, and he doesn't know how Cater would react. He satisfies himself with telling you he loves you every time he dies in your place, whether it is in your arms or not.

Cater

TBH he is not really someone you can rely on in this situation bestie. Not because he doesn't love you, he's past denying that, but because Cater already doesn't want to dwell on what things could have been. His dorm uniform has a voice line lamenting you aren't in Heartsabyul but brushing it off because there just isn't any use in wishing for things. With each reset he spirals further and further, it gets harder for him to keep his mask in place. Why do you keep dying if he isn't going out of his way to save you? And why can't he stop caring about you? Is it because in spite of everything he still loves you? Cater is actually pretty good at dealing with people and making plans, he could maybe keep you alive a little bit longer if he helped. He eventually lets that thought slip to Lilia, who believes him purely based on the fact it's him saying it. Lilia does his best to help, picking Cater's mind for observations of each loop and trying to make a plan. He wonders if he is even worthy of you if he cannot make a plan to save you, if you will hate him if you realize how passive he has been. No matter how many times Lilia points out that you have loved him in every life time, or that he can say he has been passive all he likes but he has been going out of his way to watch over you from the shadows, Cater refuses to accept that he is just as faultless in this as you. His smile and optimism are determined to stay gone.

Idia

So. The last time someone in his life died in front of him he turned them into a robot. While you were dying in front of him the thought of making a new Yuu did cross his mind, he almost had a stroke from how pleased he was when he woke up before orientation for a second go with all his memories in tact. Ortho is brought into the loop immediately, as is Styx. As mixed as Idia's feelings are about the family business, he recognizes this has something to do with blot and that Styx is his best bet of saving you. Chapter 6 already proved he doesn't have much... emotion about conducting experiments that deal with blot, as a method of coping with his current situation he starts to try and gamify the time loop, or view it as an experiment. He won't feel bad about imprisoning the overblot students or deciding to take the time to study Grim. Ortho is probably the one who suggests kidnapping you before Crowley can bring you back into the mirror chamber and keeping you safe... somewhere. Maybe he takes you back to Styx, maybe he just keeps you in Ignihyde with a robot child soldier guarding you at all times. He doesn't care if you hate him, well that's not true. Idia want you to love him, he wants you to play games with him just like you used to. But something in this world is trying to kill you, and until it is gone he cannot let you out of his sight; a flower that's doomed to stay in the underworld, forevermore.

[magicwhiskers29]

More Prime season 3 thoughts/analysis, because I'm not done!

Time to talk about Shadow again!

He honestly came back after episode one a lot faster than I was expecting, haha. I really thought they would do a season 2 again, and wait until like. The final episode to give him time to do anything much, except for maybe give the odd line here or there, but I was pleasantly surprised to see him from episode five onwards! (I also did keep expecting him to have a snarky one-liner for Nine any time we cut back to Nine exasperated at stuff not working, but... That wouldn't exactly make sense with the explanation for where Shadow was...)

For starters, yeah, him having just been fighting robots the whole time checks out. That... was what he said he was going to do... Makes his uh... bloodlust? For a fight with Nine more understandable too. I'd want a fight with the guy who'd been sending robot clones after me all day, too.

But... His dynamic with Sonic! This was such a good conclusion to it! In episode one, we saw him finally show a bit of trust in Sonic, and here we see him fighting alongside Sonic, that trust paying off best it can. He offers to keep helping. This is a big display for Shadow, who previously in this show wanted to just get things done himself.

I was a bit concerned at first about how they seemed to be not including him as part of the friends Sonic wanted to save, but no, they were just holding back. And I think that divide is deliberate, the same way it is with Nine. Shadow isn't just someone he's found in the Shatterverse and wants to now save; Shaodw is someone he knows from home. The kind of saving Shadow needs is very different.

And... the thing is, defining Sonic and Shadow's relationship in this show is difficult, and also really interesting. (Yes, they're every fruity aghkgkghgjkhhhjjh, but in a more serious sense...)

At first, we get the sense that they don't like. fully hate each other, but that they do not listen to each other, and definitely would be best known as rivals. The implication at the start of season 1 is that they show up weekly to brawl or something. Because they don't agree on things, and tussle over the smallest things.

In season 2, Sonic is thrilled to see someone from home, even if it is his rival, and basically seems to use that to declare Shadow his friend on the spot. (Kinda like how he assumes all the Au versions of his friends are just his friends because the originals are, at first.) Shadow still sees Sonic as his rival at this point though, and more importantly, as someone who caused this mess, and is thus too unreliable to fix it. He attacks Sonic to get him out of the way, and probably also to vent a little bit. They are not prepared to work together in s2e1.

Through out season 2, we see them have to work together, for better and worse, and yeah, they still don't really losten to each other. Sonicnot about Nine, and Shadow in only focusing on the mission -- still assuming Sonic's flaws are faults. They aren't really team players.

But then! S3e1! Shadow starts to plan around Sonic's flaws, and Sonic starts to listen. They actually put trust in one another, and it's quite clear that they do care about each other, even if before they'd both just thought of each other as rivals. I've talked about this before. Shadow starts trying not to get angry at Sonic fo his mistakes, and they both try to understand each other.

And when they reunite? They start fighting together again fairly seemlessly. Shadow has Sonic's back for the big fight scenes, even if he has gone off to do his own thing again. (Sidenote, I really like the implication that maybe Shadow really did want to prove himself better than Grim Sonic, quite possibly just because Sonic said it could be modelled after him too lmao) Shadow doesn't even complain too much when Sonic hugs him and introduces him to everyone! He just gets on with things, becaus ehe knows things are serious, and he does sort of trust Sonic.

And hey! By episode 6, he's not the one saying that they can't trust Sonic's plan! He has no objections to it, and goes along with it!

He goes for Nine still at the end, because of course he does, but he stops when Sonic tells him to. He does trust in Nine for Sonic, and... Well, he lets Sonic make the sacrifice. His facial expressions (Sorry, don't have screenshots this time...) make it clear that he is reluctant to do so, and hates this, but he doesn't complain. He knows it's the only way, even if he has now realised that it will hurt him to lose Sonic.

Shadow standing on the other side to Nine, flanking him too, in the sacrifice scene, alongside him being the first to mourn, really does put into perspective how Shadow here has come to care. How he is more than just another in the crowd of Sonic's friends.

And THE ENDING. AGHHHHHH! Him saving Sonic at the end was adorable, and the line about hugging? He doesn't even deny it! He likes being close to Sonic now!! 🥺

And I really do get the sense that he's learnt something too, in the end. He trusts Sonic and Sonic's growth, so they work together in the retake of the prism fight. That little nod before the chaos control of the prism is everything. (Sonic 06 vibes haha)

Their banter is also on point... When Sonic mocks him saying "Modest, too" after the first Ultimate Life Form line? Love it. Made me laugh a little in shock. Same deal with the hugging line, haha.

They're immaculate. From a sonadow perspective and a character dynamic perspective, I love their dynamics, and I love the feeling of their parallel arcs where they grow around each other and for each other.

Oh, also I forgot about it before, but when Sonic yells out for Shadow and sounds so worried mid-battle?? That's his link back home! That's the guy he's doing this quest with!! They both want the same thing, so it's so fitting that they need each other for it, and in the end, they make it together. Shadow saves Sonic by bringing him through the gate to Green Hill, and that is the big symbol of change.

He couldn't go through gates before. But just like at the start of the season, thanks to Sonic, he finds another way. He makes it through in this new, fixed universe that he helped to make.

[the-trinket-witch]

Trinket's TWST OCs x Reader Headcanons

(I blame @thehollowwriter for inspiring this one XD)

These Headcanons are a mix of platonic/romantic, ignoring any 'canon' pairings they might already have (Lookin' at you, Al)

His love language is Acts of Service, so when he starts trying to do stuff for you? Keep an eye out. The problem is he's usually friendly to everyone so it's the subtleties to look out for.

To this point he's one to pine after someone. He hopes his actions might speak louder than words, so there might not be an outright 'I fancy you'. The only reason he actively pursued/told Azul outright was because subtlety can be easily dismissed by a guarded heart.

He will insist on public transit if going anywhere if a car is a viable option. Likewise he could come off as obnoxious when it comes to driver/passenger safety. Seatbelt before keys, music isn't too loud, put the phone down, etc.

Oddly, if you really want to know the biggest tell you are In With Him? The mask starts coming off. His chipper, stiff upper lip attitude gives way to a more calm, almost melancholy air. He's gotten comfortable enough with you to open up about certain things, things he hasn't so much 'lied' about so much as 'omitted details to let you make your own truth'.

For as much as they give airs of 'being more mature' than their peers, there's still a 16yr old there. If they start trying to show you some of their art/music tastes, that's def a path of at the very least friendship.

If you find yourselves having a good whinge over something to drink? You're DEFINITELY friends. Being a Prefect is difficult, they gotta let things out somtime and there's only so many suggestions of 'Just Burn them to a Crisp' from Grim that they can take.

If comes a crisis and they feel need to give Grim to YOU? Congrats you now have a relationship with a Prefect.

Ya boi is awkward. He's acutely aware of his size and strength so his attempts to make friends usually has him trying to seem as unimposing as possible. But if he can't, he'll content do just stand off to the side for you

He's not writing or drawing anything lewd, he swears! Catching him sketching you or writing observations is a bit of a tightrope. Either you can make him clam up about how much of a muse you are to him, or you can open the floodgates to more information about human culture (whether you're human or otherwise) that you would have any idea what to do with.

Dates may be sparse at first, as he'd want to go to a local cultural or holiday event with you. Him burying his nose in another journal isn't him ignoring you or his way to call you boring, he's just really invested in the atmosphere (and maybe observing how you're enjoying things to note for later)

Laz is kind of a flirt, so off the bat it'll be hard to tell if he's just being him or if there's anything more.

Like a lot of guys, if he's inviting you to band practice, it's to show off. 'Mira, any requests?'

He loves the idea of being on the road for shows, but deep down he wants someone who is willing to wait for him at homebase, cheering him on. He just needs to prove it's just his music and not his heart that likes to rove.

It should be first and foremost stated that no matter what he says, he has no interest in friends or romantic partners. Less people to share his success with.

However, one can find themselves more often at his side with a few points of navigation.

How gullible are you? How willing are you to ignore the progression in things he asks of you? How much do you need to see a therapist? How well connected are you? These are a few deciding factors in how close the Python will allow you to get.

Depending on what you can give him, he has the means to pull out quite a few stops. Gifts, travel, physical intimacy, it's all in the name of dividends.

Of course, when it comes to wits and intelligence, is where you can genuinely start to 'charm' him instead of the other way around. If you can out-psychology him or evade all his attempts to crack you, while also showing off what you know but aren't willing to divulge, will make him utterly writhe.

He's a king looking for a ruling partner (that isn't going to threaten his status)

Friendships (or 'alliances') are mutually beneficial. He knows just the right balance of give and take.

He can smell a gold-digger a mile off. It's happened enough times he knows all the steps. Because of how often younger folks tend to shoot their shot that way, he tends to go romantically for those 30+.

While he doesn't want a leech on his arm, he doesn't want someone overly codependent either. He's a busy man, so someone with hobbies and a general maturity of independence would be ideal.

Friendly gatherings tend to be part of public events, but he's a busy man so compile your stories into elevator pitches.

'Dates' on the same hand, are typically in those same spaces. hearkening back to a need for maturity, he isn't going to bring someone who's going to get him in the paper for all the wrong reasons.

[ENTRY REDACTED. CANDIDATE NOT AVAILABLE FOR ROMANCE]

TAGLIST: (lemme know if you want added/removed)

@ceruleancattail @squidwen @thecosmicjackalope @vaporvipermedia@writing-heiress

@oya-oya-okay @k-looking-glass-house @thehollowwriter @rainesol @cyn-write

@heartscrypt @honey-milk-depresso @br3adtoasty @jackiecronefield @ruggiethethuggie

@hoboyherewego @achy-boo @oreoskys @oseathepebble @oathofoaks

@tunabesimpin @hamstergal @fumikomiyasaki@valse-a-mille-temps

@hallowed-delights @kimikitti @plutos-hell @thetwstwildcard @atwstedstory

@comingyourlugubriousness @ice-cweam-sod4 @twst-the-night-away @nammanarin

[psychedelic-ink]

( ✉︎ ) SHORTCUTS TO MY MULTI-CHAP FICS!

This masterlist has got all my series in one spot. I put it together because my pinned post was getting way too long, so now it's easier for you to find and enjoy everything hassle-free. And of course all series can be find in the characters respective masterlists as well!

[✦] MLISTS .  LIBRARY

ego & black powder: pero tovar x prisonguard!reader

ongoing series, loose-fit fic

A prison guard shouldn’t be infatuated with a prisoner. Simple as that. But this new prisoner who you didn’t know the name of, made this rule very difficult to follow.

million dollar man: jack daniels x reader x frankie morales

ongoing series

Two years had passed since your break up with Jack, a fellow Statesmen agent. But everything re-ignites again when Champ asks you to go to San Francisco to investigate the disappearance of multiple women across the country and, sadly enough, agent Malibu. While doing anything with Jack is chaos enough, you also run in to another ex, a man that actually showed you kindness and someone you thought you could spend the rest of your days with that is until he started asking too many questions about your job, Frankie Morales.

we fall like snow: dieter bravo x bodyguard!ofc!amina addams

completed

After the events that took place at the Cliff Beasts set, needless to say as his bodyguard (and friend) you became overprotective of Dieter. You have all your worries under control until you accidentally flip over a young fan by grabbing her wrist, causing the media to stir with speculations as to why. Luckily Dieter's family arrives in the nick of time, scooping you both from New York to their cozy cabin; however winter wonderland can't last forever and you need to face the consequences of your actions sooner or later.

advanced politics of human sexuality: javi g x ofc!mia pradera

ongoing series

Still struggling to come to terms with his father’s recent passing, burdened by the weight of the business he left behind, Javi feels adrift. Meanwhile, years later, an unexpected twist of fate brings you back into Javi’s life again—the daughter of his favorite housekeeper. Uncertain about your future and what to do with it, you find yourself at a crossroads, while Javi wrestles with the irresistible pull he feels towards you.

i've got you darlin': moonknight x reader x din djarin

ongoing series

you find yourself in the middle of a dangerous race of who will steal priam's treasure first; a mysterious cloaked figure who calls himself moon knight or a man in clad armor who calls himself the mandalorian. amongst the chaos, you and steven try to protect the remnants of history.

watercolor eyes: sw!santiago garcia x reader

loose-fit fic, ongoing

After another day of lack of customers and loneliness, you come across a flyer that might grant you a night of relief and pleasure.

musician!joel miller masterlist

loose-fit fic, complete

One night you decide to visit a bar all by yourself. There you meet a guitarist, Joel miller, and things escalate from there. Here you'll find snippets and one-shots of the relationship.

exile: joel miller x ofc!june

Completed

Runners. Stalkers. Clickers. Shamblers. Bloaters. Domestics. All infected. One unlike the other. You expect the infection to eat you from the inside out, turning you into something horrid. But instead, you find yourself with leaf-shaped ears and antlers that belong to a deer. While you live out the rest of your days trying to adjust to your new features and survive, you meet Joel, a survivor just like you but with a more grim approach to life. Both of you adopt the forest as your home. One wants the other gone, meanwhile the other will do anything to not be left alone.

stay in bed: joel miller x reader, one sided tommy miller x reader

Ongoing series

After your grandfather’s passing, you find yourself moving into his home in Texas. You meet the Millers; Tommy, his older brother Joel and his daughter Sarah. With time, you and Tommy become close friends and Sarah visits you often. But Joel…Joel keeps his distance. The reason for this is due to one crucial fact you don’t know but he does; Tommy has a crush on you. Which means you’re off limits no matter what. But as your own feelings for Joel grow, things start to get more and more complicated.

Infections Of a Different Kind (TLOU AU): FEDRA javier p. x firefly!reader

Completed

Javier, a former member of the Federal Disaster Response Agency in Kansas City, is haunted by the guilt and violence he indirectly caused by not taking action when he should have. After fleeing Kansas City in the aftermath of Kathleen's violent overthrow of FEDRA, you and Javier seek refuge in an abandoned train in the middle of a forest. As you and Javier turn the train into a living space and learn to navigate the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world, you gradually overcome your differences and form an unlikely bond. But when your pasts catch up with you, you must confront the demons that haunt you and make a choice that could mean the difference between life and death. Will you choose to protect each other and find a way to build a new life together, or will the ghosts of your pasts tear you apart?

dark hearted people: joel miller x reader x ezra

Ongoing series

Trying to reach Tommy, you and Joel meet a charming stranger. He persuades the two of you into helping him find his stolen equipment. During your travels, none of you expect to fall for one another.

behind the velvet rope: joel miller x actress!reader x dieter bravo

loose-fit fic, Completed

a grumpy bodyguard, an eccentric actor, and you, who is thrust into the limelight. What can go wrong? The three navigate the challenges of Hollywood, tensions may arise and conflicts may occur but they’ll always have each other to lean on.

move me | the stripper saga: stripper!jack daniels x f!reader

Completed

frustrated by your everyday life, you seek solace at a male strip club. It's your first time and you're instantly mesmerized by the one that calls himself "whiskey".

ravish masterlist: joel miller x webcam model!reader

loose-fit fic, Completed

Joel, only now starting to feel the impending sense of loneliness, decides to listen to Tommy and sign up on an online streaming service called Ravish.

GLOSSARY

loose-fit fic: A fan fiction style characterized by a series that lacks a strict, predetermined plot or timeline, often with irregularly posted chapters.

loose-fit fic, complete: A series that is complete but might produce new chapters typically driven by audience demand or interest.

loose-fit fic, ongoing: A series that lacks a strict, predetermined plot or timeline, often with irregularly posted chapters.

[hanafubukki]

Hello hello I just saw that you answered my ask about royalty!Yuu x Lilia (I was distracted by fields of mistria and delico's nursery) and I'm surprised that not only you but a lot of other people liked it 🥹

I saw someone talking in the tags and wanna add on some extra stuff:

-Even if Malmal becomes king Lilia still outranks him because Lilia is now emperor consort akskshddhsjn

-Yuu's world has magic, the magic however relies less on tools and more on biology and training (sorta like bending in avatar) it also has magical creatures (dragons, kelpies,harpies,etc)

-Succession depends on if the young monarch is capable of taming said creatures or not, if they pass the test only then can they start taking classes for subjects that will help them run the empire

-The moment the worlds merged all Yuu's friends started interrogating them about their past and status and Yuu is looking at them like that one hamster meme with the sad violin

"you've been royalty this whole time and never made a fuss about the way you're being treated in that dorm?"

"I didn't think it'd matter since this is a different world 🥺"

-I HC that since the world of twst has many monarchies and a nobility system it also has special laws for how students with royal status must be treated to enable both respect and neutrality

-The moment Yuu's status was publicly shared both sides of the the worlds went insane because on Yuu's side it was believed that Yuu, the people's monarch, was kidnapped but now there's an announcement for their upcoming engagement????? That will be followed by a wedding then coronation???? And on the twst side there's this new empire that has tamed dragons and other beasts that LITERALLY CAME OUT OF NOWHERE and has foreign magic right next door, but don't worry because apparently the monarch is going to marry some Fae???? so everything is fine

"there goes my freedom.."

"Dude- uh.. your highness, with all due respect, shouldn't you worry more about your side starting a war if you don't set the record straight? They seem very on edge."

"It's fine just call me Yuu as you always have, Ace. No there won't be a war, I already sent a message so a small delegation will arrive and I'll explain to them"

"does that mean we won't see you anymore?"

"of course not Deuce, I'll still be here and I'll fight to finish my studies... I just need to prepare what I'll tell them. I can't let them know about- oh my goodness! Lilia! I can never let them know about him as is!"

"why not?"

"From what I've seen this world believes in true love... My family does not and never will. Lilia could make a good marriage candidate because he's a retired general, but I can never let them know that he courted me. My family holds the sentiment that love clouds judgement and if you try to rule your empire with rose tinted glasses you'll be blind to any faults your partner would make at the expense of the people."

"I see, then Ace and I as well as our friends can help you guys out! We'll relay they message to Cater so he can tell Lilia and be on watch for any posts that could out you guys. You can count on us!"

"You guys would do that? Thank you so much. We just have to keep it up until the wedding because royal marriages are difficult to annul so it can't be contested, And seeing how I'm drowning in letters, they probably will speed through the wedding to get to the coronation "

"we'll let them know"

"wait if you guys got married does that make silver a prince?"

"Ace!"

"okay okay! I'm coming! Yeesh"

"Can't believe you're relying on those idiots"

"Be nice Grim. If they do as they say you'll be the ring bearer aaand you'll have more tuna than you could ever dream of"

"oooh I'm sold! Wait if I'm the ring guy then who's the flower person?"

"that'll be Sebek"

"oh you're mean hehehe"

Aaaaa this was an ooc mess but I really wanted to infodump

[referring to this ask]

Hello Empress Anonie 💚🌺💕

I'm happy many other's enjoyed your ask 💕💚 It's so cute. Also, Yessss another one who love's Delico Nursery 🥰💕 I haven't played fields of mistra but have friends who love it.

Going to call you empress anonie 💕💚

Yuu: My status means nothing, treat me the same.

Also Yuu: Shit, my love life needs to be a secret.

😂😂😂 Sebek is the flower boy is so cute. I can imagine him not knowing how to treat yuu either after the revelation too.

Silver is a prince....well, everyone thought he was always princely lolol

[crowfeatherquill]

Hindsight

“If…if you had the chance to end the Blights. Would you?”

Alistair looked up at his oldest friend, backlit by the fire in his private rooms. Elyon had changed considerably in the years since the fifth Blight. His frame had filled out and his freckles had multiplied during his time abroad. At the same time, though, he seemed just as tired as he ever had. Moreso, even, at times.

“I dunno if you remember this, but I actually did end a Blight once-upon-a-time,” he said, hoping to coerce a rare smile out of his companion, “You were even there, I think. It’s difficult to remember -- everything that happened before all this King business gets a little fuzzy these days.”

He trailed off when he saw that Elyon hadn’t taken his offer of humor -- just turned to the side to glance over his shoulder at the crackling fire.

“I didn’t say Blight, singular,” he said, and his tone was unsettlingly grim. “I mean all of them. If you could put a stop to it, forever, would you?”

Alistair frowned. This wasn’t the first time that Elyon had posed a strange hypothetical just to see what he would say, but they had never seemed to weigh on him so heavily. There was something…different about this one that made him want to pay it more mind.

“I mean. An end to the Blights doesn’t seem so bad on the surface, but I doubt it’d be as simple as asking the Darkspawn really really nicely, would it?”

Elyon sighed -- an immensely world-weary sound that made Alistair itch to ask what had happened at Vigil’s Keep. It had been over a year and they still hadn’t talked about it -- not in a way that mattered, anyway. Any time Alistair had tried to broach the subject, Elyon had found a convenient bit of Warden Commander dreck to bury himself in and stopped responding to missives until Alistair inevitably gave up and let the subject drop.

“How much would you do? If someone told you there was a chance that you could put an end to all of it, how far would you be willing to go? If it meant you might save hundreds of people…”

“Might save?” Alistair leaned forward onto his elbows, wishing Elyon would look at him so he could read his face better, “So it’s not a guarantee then.”

“Well. No. It’s not.” Elyon reached up to fiddle with his Warden’s Oath, twisting the vial between his fingers. “Does it matter, though? Could you live with yourself, if you passed up the chance to spare countless lives because it wasn’t a sure thing?”

“I think it does. Lot less I’m willing to risk on a guess than on a certainty.”

Even at the angle his head was turned, Alistair could see Elyon’s brow crease into a scowl.

“You mean to tell me that you wouldn’t bother to try sparing all those families the cost of losing somebody unless it was guaranteed to work? Doesn’t sound much like the Alistair I know.”

Alistair sighed, tried to think of a way to divert course away from the nerve he’d so clearly struck, and found none. In the absence of other options, he pressed forward. It was a familiar feeling -- advancing into a mess he could see coming from miles away, resolved to do whatever he could to clean it up, even if he didn’t think he stood a very good chance.

“Am I putting an end to all war while I’m at it?”

Elyon’s frown shifted just slightly, away from anger and toward confusion.

“What?”

“Well, stopping Blights is one thing, but it seems a bit like you’re talking about trying to stop people from dying tragically at all, which. Well. That’s a lot more involved, isn’t it? Even if we never see another Blight, there’ll still be wars. Obviously, you know, I’ll be doing my best to keep everybody away from each other’s throats -- fabulous King that I am -- but I can’t pretend like it’s always going to work out that way. ‘Specially with all those other royals out there, making decisions and such. Ah- and, plagues. Those just happen sometimes, not much I can really do about those either, would I be trying to stop plagues, too? And hunting accidents? Any messy business with frightened livestock you think I’d-”

“Alright.” Elyon snapped, “Enough. I get it. Forget I asked.”

“People die. El.” Alistair reached across the table to put his hand on Elyon’s arm. Elyon seemed to startle, and for the first time, he turned to look at Alistair fully. “I’m not sure where you got this idea in your head that it’s your job to save everyone in Thedas, but it isn’t. You do what you can. We all do. And that’s fine.”

For a moment, Elyon’s eyes flickered over Alistair’s face, never quite landing for too long in any one spot. But it was only a moment. And then they were brimming with tears.

“It always feels like I could be doing more. How- how am I supposed to know whether I’m doing enough if it never seems-”

“Hey.” Alistair shook Elyon’s arm gently, cutting him off. “If you let yourself go on like that, it’s never going to feel like you’ve done enough. Not until you’re dead. You’re so concerned about perfect strangers losing their loved ones, and whether there’s anything you could do to stop it, but how do you think we’d all feel if you dropped dead? You can spare your family too, you know.”

Elyon’s tears spilled over, and for a long moment, he simply looked at Alistair, cheeks wet, breathing just the slightest bit unsteady. Eventually, he turned back to the fire. He didn’t say anything else, but his shoulders seemed to drop a few degrees. He relaxed a little into his chair.

Alistair kept his hand on Elyon’s arm. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he thought it would actually help, or because he couldn’t think of anything else to do.

[nirikeehan]

Happy Friday!!! I'm sure you can writing some soul killing angst 🤣 "Taking the blame" - Thalia/Blackwall

I sure did! I added Cullen/Thalia to the mix and a tiny bit of Cassandra, too. A direct continuation of this trainwreck that I started last week. Love triangle drama!

IDK if I stuck the landing on this one, but oh well, I got Cullen to punch Blackwall and that's the important thing.

For @dadrunkwriting and @badthingshappenbingo

WC: 1853

Series: Dragon Age: Inquisition

---

She sits alone in the war room, watching the slanted sunlight creep across the floor. 

“Inquisitor?” Cullen’s voice, from the hall. 

Thalia starts, thinks absurdly of hiding under the table, but the heavy wooden door swings open and the Commander pokes his head through. He spots her immediately, slips in through the narrow space. “There you are. Josephine’s been trying to locate you all afternoon. We’ve no meeting today, but there’s a number of reports that need your…” 

He trails off, getting a good look at her face. His brow creases. “Are you all right?” 

She must look a fright. The skin around her eyes feels hot and puffy. Her eyes itch from crying. Her red hair is gathered low at the nape of her neck, a poor show for someone of her calibre, but this morning her wrist throbbed when she tried to do one of her usual elaborate plaits. She swallows and averts her gaze. “I’m fine.” 

Cullen wavers in the doorway. His hand moves to the hilt of his sword, as if he could use it to slash at her emotional distress. “I’ll tell her it can wait.” 

“Good. Thanks.” Her voice is faint. Her head pounds with humiliation.

The door closes. She waits to hear the heavy tread of his boots recede. Instead, they move toward her. She looks up; he’s pulling out a chair, sitting beside her. Her chest tightens. He’s so handsome in the soft glow of the afternoon light, hazel eyes soft with concern, that it’s difficult to look at him.

“Would you like to talk about it?” he asks quietly. 

“Not really.” She stares at the map spread across the table before them. So many tokens laid across the map, each representing obstacles she had tried her best to overcome. “I’m just wondering where I went wrong.” 

“With what?” he asks, though she suspects he knows. She’d spied him in the crowd at the judgment, way in the back, wearing a grim expression. 

“Thom Rainier.” The name scalds her tongue.

Cullen’s face hardens. “You showed him great mercy. If he cannot handle it, that’s his problem.” 

Thalia snorts. Leave it to Cullen to have such a straightforward view. “Did he have a point, I wonder?”

“About?” 

“He called me corrupt. A criminal. Just like him.” 

Cullen narrows his eyes. “Thalia, with all due respect— I don’t think you ought to pay such prattle any mind. He was goading you. Trying to drag you down to his level. That’s how men like Rainier operate.”

“Men like Rainier.” Everything about the distinction feels foreign. 

“Bruisers. Thugs. Men who’ll do anything if the price is right.” 

He’s not like that at all, she wants to say, chest tight. He’s noble and good, I know he is, I just don’t understand why he’s so intent upon proving otherwise.

“Do you think I did the right thing, freeing him?” Thalia asks quietly. 

“That’s not for me to say.” Cullen’s response is immediate, voice resolute. She forgets, sometimes, how much of his life he has spent answering to others.

“It is, though.” Thalia shifts in her seat, fixing him with a stern look. “You’re one of my top advisors. I take input from you every day.” 

“I think…” He pauses, eyes skittering across the wide, worn map. “I think nothing was going to stop you from giving him another chance, whether he deserves it or not.” Cullen locks his gaze on hers, fierce and electric. “What Rainier chooses to do with it now is up to him.” 

Thalia’s heart thumps. She feels self-conscious, this close to him, alone. Something between them has been intensifying since that terrible night in Val Royeaux. She’d opened the door in the jail and there he stood, ready to fix this, whatever the cost. He rode all night. Left as soon as he heard, Josephine told her later, Thalia’s mouth open in a tiny o of surprise. 

“Thank you, Cullen.” The gratitude wells in her. He’s been here all along, unwavering, despite fighting demons of his own. She smiles, painful at it is against her chapped lips. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

He clears his throat. Is the color rising in his cheeks? “You’re the Inquisitor. You’d be fine, I expect.” 

She shakes her head. “No, I’m serious. I don’t think I’d’ve got this far if I didn’t have you. Your support. I just… I wanted to thank you.” Maker, now she’s blushing. The war room has gone terribly hot. 

He reaches over and takes her hand. Stunned, Thalia stares, then slowly lets her fingers thread through his. He wears soft, downy gloves, and she wishes he might remove them, so that she would feel his skin on hers. 

She twinges her wrist, and pain reverberates up her arm. She winces. 

“What?” Alarmed, Cullen loosens his grip. “I’m sorry, did I—?” 

“No, no, it’s nothing,” Thalia says. “Don’t worry about it.” 

But he’s watching her with careful eyes, measuring the way she’s holding her arm. He’s a warrior, no stranger to injury. He leans forward and gently slides up the sleeve of her cobalt blue tunic, revealing beneath the ring of grey bruises. He studies them, turning her hand over to get a better look. 

“Did he do this?” Cullen asks in a low voice, devoid of tenderness.

Thalia shivers and pulls away. “Cullen…” 

“Did he do this?” Urgent now, sharp and dangerous. 

Thalia presses her lips together, swallows the affirmative. Cullen’s face changes from open and expressive to the visage she spied on the night Haven fell, and at the battle for Adamant. The corner of his lip by his scar twitches. All at once he’s on his feet, he’s storming away, to the heavy wooden door and out into the corridor. 

“Cullen. Cullen, wait!” Thalia dashes after him, panic seizing her. 

She doesn’t know what he’ll do, but she feels the promise of it welling around her, threatening to shatter the brittle peace that has gripped Skyhold. By the hole in the stone hallway, she grabs his elbow. “It was me. It’s my fault. I tried— I was so angry, and I tried to strike him—”

Cullen whirls on her. “And so that justifies hurting you? A man three times your size?” He shakes his head, lets out a wry laugh. “There are a dozen ways he could have deflected a blow without leaving bruises, Thalia.” 

He sidesteps her grip, as if to prove his point, and keeps walking. His strides are long and sure, and she’s left scrambling to keep up. “Cullen, please. You don’t understand.” 

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” 

The door to Josephine’s office lies open, and mercifully she is not present. In the light cast from the fireplace, Thalia again reaches for his arm. “Cullen, please, where are you going?” She fears she already knows, and that she won’t be able to stop him. 

“I need to have a word with Rainier.” 

She shakes her head frantically. “Please don’t. Please. You’re just going to make it worse.”

“How can it be worse?” He takes her gently by the shoulders, bends down slightly to look her in the face. “Listen to me, Thalia. None of this is your fault.” She sees every facet of his hazel eyes; this close, they look flecked with gold. “You have done nothing but give that man grace, and all he’s done is spit it back at you. That ends now.” 

Cullen releases her, leaving the impression of warmth on her skin. He strides out into the Main Hall, and Thalia follows him. There’s no other way. If she thought she could run down a secret stairwell and beat him outside, she would, but there’s no time. 

Everyone sees: the visiting dignitaries, the soldiers on watch, the servants and the refugees looking for a meal, Varric snug in his seat at his writing table, watching over the top of the manuscript he’s proofreading. Vivienne stands at the balcony above, one hand curling on the balustrade. They all see the Commander marching through the hall, face stony with determination, and the Inquisitor running shortly behind in a panic. 

The cold outside air hits them. Cullen does not even slow. Down the stairs, past the landing, deftly dodging a masked Orlesian admiring the view. Thalia is right behind him, eyes darting about, praying she might spot Blackwall first. She could run to the barn and warn him — and then what?

Cullen reaches the grass of the upper courtyard. When the Commander arrives, people stop what they are doing and stand to attention. He’s been counting on this, it’s clear. He searches the crowd, looking into the eyes of soldiers and citizens alike. He raises his voice, projects with authority. “Have any of you seen Thom Rainier?”

“Er, he went into the tavern a little while ago, Commander,” says Scout Harding, from her usual resting spot near its entrance. Her green-eyed gaze travels from Cullen to Thalia, and the pleasant expression freezes on her face. Her brows furrow, as if aware she may have made a mistake, but not sure why. By the training dummies, Cassandra and the Iron Bull abandon their battle stances, straighten, and stare. 

“Cullen,” Thalia tries once more. “Please. Leave it alone.” 

He turns to her, and she thinks that perhaps she’s finally gotten through to him. 

The door to Herald’s Rest opens, and Blackwall steps out, head ducked to clear the low threshold. Cullen steps forward, jaw set. “Hey, Rainier.” 

Blackwall looks up, and Cullen punches him in the mouth. 

Thalia gasps. Blackwall’s head snaps back. He rocks on his heels from the blow, recovers, and faces front, strands of hair knocked loose into his face. Blood drips from his lower lip as he fixes Cullen a look of icy hatred. The courtyard is silent.

“Touch her again,” Cullen says, “and I’ll drag you back down to the dungeons myself. Is that understood?” 

Blackwall turns his head and spits blood-tinged saliva into the grass. He straightens, eyes narrowed. “Yes, ser.” His voice is steely, unyielding. 

“Good.” Cullen turns on his heels and walks away. 

Blackwall wipes his mouth with the back of his gauntlet, squares his shoulders, and returns to the tavern. 

The people frozen in the courtyard begin to thaw. Heart thudding, Thalia tries to rush forward, but someone grabs her arm. Cassandra is by her side, a grim expression on her face. “I wouldn’t.”

“But—” Thalia shakes herself away. “I’ve got to talk to him.”

“Who?” Cassandra arches a brow.

“Blackwall. Cullen.” Thalia huffs. “Both of them.”

“Inquisitor,” Cassandra says, exasperated, “were you never taught not to kick a hornet’s nest?”

Thalia swallows hard. “Cullen, he… he shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, he should not have.” Cassandra fixes her with a shrewd eye. “But I have never known him to act without cause.” 

Thalia chews her lip.

“You ought to go get some rest, Inquisitor.” Cassandra’s gaze travels over the courtyard, at the spectators awaiting any sign of an encore. She angles Thalia toward the respite of the keep. “It has been a trying few weeks for us all.” 

[jessepinwheel]

42k or chapter 5

42k puts you somewhere in maul's physical therapy arc

Eventually, Maul got through all the first-connection procedures with a certain air of grim dignity. The physical therapy, on the other hand…not so much.

"Why is this so difficult?" Maul snarled as he tried to rotate his legs and could only get an abortive stuttering motion.

"It's because your brain is trying to operate muscle groups, not motors," I said, pulling his legs straight again. "And because of the way synthneurons are connected semi-randomly, most of the connections are scrambled now."

Maul tried to move his legs again, to no better success. "You mean my nerves aren't even connected to the right parts of the leg? What idiot designed uplink this way?"

"The same idiot who realized having full fusion uplink was more important in the long term than trying to graft each connection to the exact right place. Old uplink methods caused chronic nerve pain and neural degeneration--modern auto-grafting methods don't," I said. "And trying to connect the right nerves to the right parts of the limb is pointless anyways. Motors and muscles don't induce movement in the same way."

"Is this really the time for another lecture?" Maul snapped back.

chapter 5 is another one of the early detective obi-wan and maul chapters

I leaned back, looking up into the deep red sky. Even in my darkest moments, I had never been as angry and cruel as Maul had been, chained to the Dark and the Sith the way he had. Still, I knew what it was like to kill innocents, and to kill in anger or desperation. I had done too many things in my war that were unforgivable, and after years of regret and frustration and guilt, I had moved on from them. Not forgiven or forgotten, but let go.

I could never erase my past, but I was a different person now, and that meant something.

"I don't have the power to forgive you," I said. "And I know you've hurt more people than I ever want to think about. Maybe it was because Palpatine forced you to, or maybe it was because you wanted to, but those are actions you'll carry with you for the rest of your life. Chances are, you will never be forgiven for the pain you've caused and the lives you've taken, nor should you be.

"But forgiveness has nothing to do with your ability to change. No matter what you've done, you can move forward. You can stop hurting people. You can be better. And I think you do want to be better, you just don't know how."

Maul snarled. "Don't presume to know anything about me, Kenobi."

"I guess that is a little presumptuous of me," I said. "But to more directly answer your question, I care because you're someone I can help, here and now." I smiled at him softly. "And because in a big strange galaxy full of strangers, I could use a friend, too."

"You are soft."

I shrugged. "It's not a bad thing to be kind or to reach out, Maul. I always wish I were better at it."

I honestly don't know what people think is going on in race con from these out-of-context teasers. There is just So Much that happens in race con. so much, my dudes.

send me a number between 1 and 116 or a chapter between 1 and 19 and I'll post a teaser from race con

[velvetvexations]

I'm "TMA" and I disagree.

being visible as a transmasc does involve gaining privilege

From whom? In what situations? A stealth trans man may have privilege over others - assuming he doesn't tick any other boxes, unless you want to pretend that the average Black man has privilege over the average White woman - but generally speaking trans men are not advantaged by transitioning at all. There may be some TERFier queer spaces that are more welcoming to them than trans women, but on the other hand, trans men are often kicked out of supposedly trans friendly spaces on the grounds that their masculinity makes everyone else uncomfortable. No group of trans people consistent privilege over another.

we may feel entitled to

If someone is an asshole, I guess? The self-identified TMEs who seem to expect privilege come off as massive creeps to me, like they find the idea of being a part of the patriarchy gender validating and even empowering while claiming they recognize it purely as responsibility to their poor trans sisters. They can fuck all the way off with that weird loser shit.

The desire to have known we could have had that privilege sooner makes a grim amount of sense.

I can't even begin to engage with this so I'm going to skip it.

What many of us do not understand is that representation of TMA folks, in contrast, is usually appalling,

I mean, yes, it used to be, and it still is in many ways, but often people will inflate lists of transmisogynistic characters almost entirely with movies and TV shows from the previous century. Rep is getting better for everyone and has been for awhile, but there's this weird tendency to act like you can't watch a single piece of media without it being about a transfem serial killer, which I just find ridiculous.

trans visibility *is* beneficial as inspiration if you're transitioning away from being the subject of misogyny, as opposed to towards it.

This isn't about transitioning out of misogyny, which, by the way, is a TERF talking point, it's about the fact that if anyone is talking about transmascs literally at all they're probably trans friendly and are likely to include other forms of trans rep as well. That means that, yes, on one hand, you may have negative depictions of trans women turning some* AMAB children away from exploring their feelings, but also AFAB children being lost and having no framework to understand their feelings at all, especially in light of what limited ways women have are granted greater allowances with gender variance in less strictly conservative areas**, both having a roughly equal chance of positive rep. Neither is better or worse.

*Given the historical prevalence trans women who got into humiliating forcefem first, including myself, depictions of AMAB people wearing dresses being a bad thing did not stop many from knowing they wanted to be girls. Of course there doubtlessly were plenty of AMAB children who did not develop any such adaptation and did just fully internalize the negativity, I'm only bringing up the forcefem thing to highlight how complicated and contextual these things can be. Obviously my experience is growing up transfem, so that's why I'm talking about one of the transfem complications, but transmascs could testify to similar layers of nuance.

**Those in conservative areas are stuck in situations where women wearing pants or cutting their hair short is dangled in front of them as a possibility that should theoretically be normalized, but are nonetheless faced with immense pressure and even flat-out abuse if they try to engage with what media from outside their local bubble tells them is so permissible as to not even be even a little bit notable, which further confuses them and makes it difficult to understand or allow the things that they feel. It's interesting too that, if you look at history, there were many more "men" who acted as women out of public view, but for the longest time there were very few examples of the equivalent for "women." That's because "woman" has always been a very niche thing but behaving and being treated in a masculine way was and is simply considered the default desirable human experience - think about how toy aisle can be divided between "girl's toys" and "everything else."*** That's still an issue to this day because of transmasc invisibility.

***which I say as someone who, in coming up with that example, teared up thinking about all the times my mother told me I should be satisfied with the nine options I had and not the tenth I really wanted. Again, my point is that none of us have it better or worse than the other. I have to specify because this is apparently radical crypto-TERF shit to some people and everyone assumes I, someone who has suffered for being transfem, think transfem people don't suffer.

Trans guys / transmascs can be annoying about visibility because being visible as a transmasc does involve gaining privilege we may feel entitled to, without realizing that's what the feeling is about. The desire to have known we could have had that privilege sooner makes a grim amount of sense. What many of us do not understand is that representation of TMA folks, in contrast, is usually appalling, due to society's lens of transmisogyny coloring everyone "visible" with all shades of disgust and hate. This happens to the point of *dissuading* many women and transfems from transitioning instead of inspiring transition.

I think it's important to understand this piece of why visibility is such a "transandrophobia" talking point: trans visibility *is* beneficial as inspiration if you're transitioning away from being the subject of misogyny, as opposed to towards it.

[thebadboyfanclub]

My Little Sea Snake (Aemond x Reader)

Requested by @duhitzdae. Your requests are getting more and more difficult so I hope I wrote this the way you wished!

(Y/n) Velaryon was the first born child of Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon, a true born heir created during the few times that her parents laid together, Rhaenyra was relieved when she was born, she had successfully done her part and completed her duty, it is rather grim to look at one’s birth as a simple duty but that was the truth of it.

(Y/n) inherited her fathers skin tone and long white mane yet her eyes were ice blue, to look at her was to love her, she was a beauty in her own way. As a babe she would cause a ruckus until she was safely tucked in her fathers eyes, “my little sea snake” he would teasingly call her as he rocked her back and forth and sang lullabies to her, every night before Laenor snuck out of the castle he would only do so after he rocked his baby girl to sleep, all the wet nurses were at awe at the devoted father. Laenor loved all his… children however would someone blame him for having a soft spot for (y/n)? She was his heir, his blood ran through her veins.

Her home was the ocean and the little girl would squeal with joy when her father brought her to sea for the first time, the water splashing on her brought her an immense amount of bliss while her father held her tightly, Laenor would often reminisce of that morrow, his pride and joy was the reason he upheld his marriage even in the slightest.

Rhaenyra loved her daughter yet when he looked at she represented everything she hated, a forced marriage out of convenience, she did not despise her husband nor her child but her heart resided somewhere else.

When her brother Jacaerys was born (y/n) tried to take a peek at the small babe, it was love at first sight for her although as he grew she heard whispers of how different they looked.

Time seemed to fly by and now her mother had given birth to another son, “another child to love while she ignores me” she thought, she put on the best show for everyone as she congratulated her mother who only half smiled and looked away from (y/n).

She had grown to turn a blind eye to her mothers cold manner, on the other hand it still hurt for a daughter to be brushed away from her own mother, she would have to stand by while her mother coddled her brothers, petting them and kissing them all the time, her father would pick up on his daughters sadness and run to her to smother her.

She had just landed from her dragon when she heard a loud cry from inside the castle at driftmark, the ceremony of her dear aunt leanas funeral had been heavy on her, especially when she saw her father grieving while he stood in the ocean with the water up to his waist.

Instinctively she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The sight she met was brutal, her grandmother crying on top of a half burned corpse as her grandfather yelled at some soldier

“Father?”

She mumbled as her eyes filled with tears, she did not feel the impact of her knees crashing on the floor, she crawled next to the body still trying to process what was happening, her grandmothers crying made her want to rip off her ears from her head.

“It cannot be, Grandmother… it’s not my father is it?”

The last thing she remembers was her grandmothers blue eyes looking back at her, collapsing at the floor unconscious while her grandfather took her in his arms.

“Oh my dear, my dear (y/n)”

-

She watched from afar the wedding ceremony take place, her mother marrying Prince Daemon while her father had just lost his life hours ago. How ruthless can one be? She had enough when she saw them kiss, commanding her dragon to fly and land right in front of them. Everyone stepped back except the couple, Vermithor was one of the biggest dragons to ever grace the earth, an intimidating beast that (y/n) managed to claim stood before them while the girl looked down of them, tears streaming down her eyes.

“Congratulations to the happy couple. You two deserve each other, do not worry Rhaenyra I won’t spoil your marriage but just remember, I owe you a death”

-

(Y/n) flew and found safety to Pentos, she was greeted and treated like royalty as the Prince of Pentos gifted her a small castle and the land that surrounded it, (y/n) had changed from a girl to a cold hearted person in one nightfall. She trained until her feet bled, she had suffered so many injuries that after a while she didn’t really experience pain, (y/n) had cuts and scars all over her arms and legs from the battles she had part taken in honour of her grandsire Corlys, she stood by him and was willing to give her life towards his cause.

“The Faceless nightmare” was the nickname she had earned, a particular thing she had picked up was covering her face from the nose and down when she fought while her dragon flew above her and burned everything in her command, no one really knew what she looked like except her ice cold eyes, the most brutal and strongest soldier her grandisre had.

When Corlys laid ill of blood fever she could sense what was going to come for them, Vaemond was a crow that circled patiently until he saw a corpse he could feast on, specifically her grandsire, it truly disgusted her how can one secretly hope for the death of their own blood for glory.

“They cannot allow this grandsire, you are not dead”

“They know that my dearest, it is just another shot to Rhaenyra”

“I do not care about the throne but I must put a stop to this sick claim that wishes for you to die”

“Come here my little sea snake”

Corlys laid in his bed as (y/n) paced back and forth. The man could barely speak due to his fever, however as (y/n)s parental figure he felt obligated to support her in her delirium that had her causing up a storm with her circles.

(Y/n) complied, she sat next to his bed with her knees touching the floor as she took his warm hands in hers, his fever had gotten the best of him.

“Listen to me, you must go to the red keep on my behalf, back your mothers claim”

“No, I will not stand on her side”

“Your brother will be a good ruler, I know my brother and he will bring our Velaryon legacy to its knees. Don’t do it for her, do it for your grandsire, you will be heir one day, put your differences aside and do what’s right for the family”

-

When Rhaenyra arrived with her family at the red keep she was surprised to see the bronze fury outside of the castle, the humungous beast could only mean that her daughter was also close by, countless questions occupied her mind, has she sided with Vaemond? Was she here to claim driftmark for herself? Endless possible schemes made Rhaenyras head ache.

What was even more surprising was when Rhaenyra saw her daughter holding king Viserys as the walked in the throne room side by side.

“King Viserys of house Targaryen, the first of his name, king of the andals and the rhoynar and the first men, lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm, with his grand daughter princess (y/n) Velaryon, princess of dragon stone and a swore knight to Lord Corlys Velaryon”

(Y/n) was still dressed in armour attire as she supported her grandsire, her face covered like she was going to battle, mentally she was, she would actually feel more comfortable if she charged in the room with her sword in hand as she slashed through every single one of them. Now she had to play pretend and act all prim and proper in the presence of “noble” people that most of them wanted her dead.

“My grandsire will sit on the iron throne today Lord Otto”

(Y/n) declared as the older man stepped aside, she was never fond of Otto, he had ambitions and was an extremely calculated person, there was no authenticity when it came to his behaviour.

Meeting her mothers eyes was surreal. She was covered in scars from wounds that had fully healed yet the scar that her mother had created all these years ago still bled, all a girl ever needs is her mother, (y/n) never had that and then Rhaenyra robbed her from her father as well.

“Here my king”

She whispered to Viserys as she assisted him to settle on the throne. The sick old man looked at his grand daughter, with his weak hand he reached up to take off the cloth that covered her face, she saw how Viserys smiled fondly at the sight of her face being exposed, under all this armour and the tough facade was his little grand daughter was hiding, as the moments went by he could see her clear as the sky.

“My dearest (y/n)”

He managed to speak, (y/n) leaned into his hand that caressed her cheek, the touch deprived teenager in her screamed for comfort as her grandsire showed the affection she had missed, if her father was here everything would have been so different.

“May I speak my king?”

“Of course”

(Y/n) left her grandsires side to join the others, before she spoke she walked towards her grandmothers side to hold her hand. Rhaenys squeeze with might, to gaze at her grand daughter was like looking into Laenor, Rhaenys adored (y/n) ever since she was born, she was completely aware of her sons nature and her arrival was gods gift.

“My grandsire Lord Corlys is alive and resting, his recovery is slow yet steady, he send me here as his messenger. Firstly, he told me to hold his wife tightly and tell her how much he missed her. Second, he is severely disheartened about any petitions when it comes to his successor, my grandsire has always wished for my brother to take his place at drift mark, he asks for my aunt Leanas daughters to be betrothed to Jacaerys and Lucerys so we can strengthen the Velaryon Legacy. Lastly I wish to announce my proposition on my betrothal, it is not tradition still I ask of king Viserys to allow my betrothal with Aemond Targaryen, I have been informed that he is a fine sword man as well as a mighty dragon rider, let us join our houses once again”

Whispers took over the room as the news of her betrothal were heard.(y/n) had not seen Aemond since the incident at driftmark, she was the only one to defend him that night as the others scarred him for life for what (y/n) considered a petty argument, till this day she could not forgive herself when it came to her fail of protecting the young boy, this was her way to make up for the damage she allowed to take place.

“What bliss! My dearest (y/n)-“

“No”

Rhaenyra interrupted the king. She was fuming, how dare she match in here and declare her betrothal to a green, she could not comprehend that her own daughter was scheming against her. (Y/n) spun to face her mother, confusion written all over her face, she had backed up Rhaenyras claim, she secured her brothers succession what more did she want?

“No?”

“You have some nerve, overshadowing your brothers with your so called wedding plans, you want driftmark to pass to your brother while you scheme against the throne”

“It is an honest offering to uphold the peace that you keep disturbing”

“It is a malicious and calculated movement against your own family, have you no shame?”

(Y/n) did not speak, she just kept eye contact with the woman she called mother. (Y/n) had pushed her pride aside, she swallowed her pain, she ran away and came back to support her, yet nothing was good enough. Tears welled up in (y/n)s eyes as Rhaenyra scoffed at the vulnerable movement of her daughter that she thought was another play for manipulation.

“Tears? Really?”

“That is enough! As your king I command you to stop”

“You speak of family? All I ever craved was your love, I did everything to make you proud and you casted me aside, what do they have that I don’t? You were my mother”

“settle down now”

(Y/n) heard Aemond whisper to her at an attempt to console her while he rubbed her upper arms compassionately, tears had managed to escape (y/n)s eyes as she tried so desperately to find some type of emotion in her mothers eyes.

Aemond felt his heart ache at the sight, (y/n) had managed to go from a fierce warrior to a little girl in a blink of an eye, begging for a crumb of her mothers affection, he could not stand for it.

He had always kept the warm memory of her standing between him and her brothers to protect him in his mind for all these years or when she held his hand while the maester stitched up his eye, she was gentle soul which was something he could not say he would often listen to stories about her brothers.

Aemond would sometimes listen to conversations about (y/n)s accomplishments and admire her courage, now it was time for him to pay her back with the same kindness.

“The matter is settled, again. I hereby reaffirm prince Jacaerys of house Velaryon as heir to driftmark, the driftwood throne and the next lord of the tides. Let it be known that princess (y/n) of house Velaryon is betrothed to my son prince Aemond Targaryen, after their wedding (y/n) will be announced as my successor as I declare that my throne will pass to princess (y/n), making prince Aemond the next king consort”

“What?”

“Father you cannot-“

“You are a cruel woman Rhaenyra, your own daughter came from the battlefield to support you, to honour your family and you spoke in such… viciousness. You are not worthy of the throne, but (y/n)…. She is… destined to become a legend”

The man started to breathe heavy as you could listen to the pain he was experiencing. (Y/n) froze in her spot while Aemond held her hand, an act of intimacy he performed to show support in his betrothed, her hand was cold as Aemonds thumb made circles on her flesh, a subtle way to say “I am here”

“Let us be done with this”

Was the last thing the king declared before his wife tended to him and called for the maesters. If looks could kill Rhaenyra would have stabbed her daughter right in the heart, that was until Aemond did what (y/n) had done for him in his time of need, he took one step to stand in front of (y/n), acting like a human shield for the vulnerable woman while her mother was ready to assault her.

“Congratulations nephew, I look forward to the small court meetings we will attend together”

Aemond teased Jacaerys, he had no reason to do it other than taking the attention off of (y/n) who gripped his hand with all her might, before Jacaerys could respond Aemond turned his back on them and wrapped a hand around (y/n)s shoulders, to him it seemed like he was putting a wall between them and her, a wall (y/n) desperately needed.

(Y/n) gazed up at him with eyes full of gratitude, her bottom lip trembling as she put a fight to not sob in his arms, Aemond was a stranger, a distant family member yet he rose to the occasion better than her immediate family.

(Y/n) had to admit that after years of fighting and killing it felt nice to allow someone to protect her, even if the person he protected her from was the woman that broke her hips and went through hours of pain. (Y/n) thought of how she had paid back for those labour pains, (y/n) had been in pain all her life.

“Come along (y/n), I believe we have so much to talk about”

Requests are open!

@lightdragonrayne

[yandere-daydreams]

Someone's been leaving you gifts, recently.

'Someone', because you've never once woken up during their little visits and no one you could name would think to be so secretive (or so quiet) if they stopped by, let alone leave before you woke up, and 'gifts' because, to be completely honest, you're not really sure what else to call them. You're not really sure if you want to call them anything, but you don't really have much of a choice.

They're not exactly gifts, anymore, either. They used to be, when it first started, when the most worrying thing you ever found was a dozen roses scattered across your windowsill or a few books you'd left in class left on your doorstep, bound together with a pretty, black ribbon and topped off with a hand-made bow. You'd been a little unnerved, sure, but flattered too, despite the way Ace teased you whenever your not-so-subtle admirer left another container of your favorite chocolates, another hand-written note in neat, swirling cursive tucked inside of your rusted mailbox. It was sweet, if a little over-romantic. You were flattered, even if it did little to spark any fondness in your heart. It was fine.

And then, the gifts started showing up in other places, places they shouldn't have been. In the locker you always use before gym, in your bag when you make it to your first class, in your dorm - obviously, or else you wouldn't be as worried as you are. Grim says it must be magic, that there's no way anyone would ever make it past the door without getting burnt to a crisp by his fire, but that doesn't really matter to you, it doesn't help to calm that bolt of panic you have to swallow back every time you wake up to a bundle of blackened, burnt feathers on the end of your bed. Duece and Jack have offered to spend the night a few times, and Ace and Epel never bother to ask, but you don't really think it helps. The gifts only get worse, more visceral, more likely to be spotted in little, crimson dots and contain certain... things. Sometimes, you can tell what they're supposed to be, and sometimes, they're so eviscerated, so broken down, it's all you can do to tell what's bone and what used to be flesh. Those are the worst ones, the ones that you always have to ask someone else to get rid of. You can take the love letters, the braided flower crowns that make you feel dizzy and exhausted to hold for too long. The dripping, stained cloth bags with something that might've been a bird, once - those are more difficult to stomach.

You've told Malleus, too, if only because he's so charming and so comforting, you can't really help yourself. He seems to think it's another fae student, telling you at-length about courting rituals in Briar Valley and how sacred the gift-giving period is meant to be, to those who still follow such ancient traditions. He's offered to host you in Disomnia, before, to express that you (and Grim, even if Malleus always forgets to mention him) are under his protection, and you've always turned him down, but it's only getting harder and harder to justify trying to weather out your elusive stalker, only feeling less and less safe to stay in a dorm that so clearly wasn't built to protect you from, well, whatever you're dealing with. He's such a good friend, too, and he's always been so willing to help you.

You're sure he'd keep you safe, and more importantly, keep you just a little farther from whoever's been so determined to scare you, lately.

[vaguely-concerned]

after some reflection I've reached the conclusion that to my mind nona the ninth did need to be its own book -- not in terms of delivering the plot or character developments, necessarily, but to be a thematic mirror to harrow the ninth in a way I don't think you could have done if this was also trying to do its job as the last book of a trilogy.

harrow the ninth is about the horror of nothing changing -- the grim, unending slog of mental illness, the inexorable method in madness grinding along, grinding you down, moment upon moment; it's about how grief can seem to create its own pockets of eternity. it's about how some things can only be remembered in forgetting.

nona the ninth is about the horror of everything changing all the time forever -- the people you love, until they aren't quite the people you loved any more, the places you love, until it's become somewhere you can never go back to, the world, every day -- you, until you die one way or another, in truth or in no longer recognizing yourself. you go to school for the hour of science and noodle every day, until one day you just don't anymore, and nothing can be done about that. nona is about 'life is too short, and love is too long', but also 'you can't take 'loved' away'. pyrrha, who's tried for ten thousand years to kill her feelings but "Don't worry, kiddie. I'll keep loving you -- my problem is I don't know how to stop." even when it just hurts us, we love. we just can't help ourselves. and at the end alecto remembers herself (itself?), which means forgetting nona.

the strange paradoxical comfort of madness vs. the unbearable loneliness of sanity. harrow is mad, and for all her suffering it keeps her from having to face the most inconceivable, the thing she can't live with: a universe without gideon. cam and pal are so so sane, and they can't bear it. they die to live in a way they can... uh, well, live with, and it's a crazy thing to do but it's the kindest thing they could find for themselves. the world of harrow the ninth is so dead and deadened, and the world of nona is so unbearably alive.

(ironically ntn was a much more difficult read for me than htn, because the way htn works is already so close to how my own mind works (yes, unfortunately, really. no, I'm not okay, but not in a way anyone can do anything about with any immediacy so let's ignore that for now lol). I understand the logic of it intimately, for all it looks confusing if you just see the surface. but the ongoing nature of the restless dread in ntn -- the way you love these people, and through the book they keep drifting away from you so steadily and gradually that you can't even put your finger on exactly when you really lost them as they were at the beginning. at the end, when pyrrha is carrying nona because she can't stand anymore (carrying her in 'the halo of her arms'...... god. yes, that is what a parent feels like for a child huh), I vicariously felt what I suspect is pyrrha's train of thought as well that like... what if you could just hold her close enough, love her hard enough, that she won't have to go, that she could get to live. what if you could just refuse to let go of her, what if you could be strong enough for that. and one person in this universe is that strong-- why would you let someone go -- away from you -- untouchable? John's obsession with being able to touch his loved ones, except he's so profoundly fucked up he doesn't understand any way to do it but to make them into extensions of himself, to consume them and transform them into himself, the very hungry caterpillar style -- he wanted to touch so he made them his hands, and he doesn't understand why it doesn't fulfil him. and thank god pyrrha has the soul and sense to understand why you can't just eat what you love, narrowly, but I still wanted her to be able to still hold nona and protect her from everything including death so fucking bad, and of course she can't. that's the tragedy of it, that's the beauty of it. love doesn't change anything, and we just can't help but love anyway, and it changes everything, and it's all we can do sometimes. fuck I'm going to need a lot of lying face down on the floor for a few hours to process this book huh lmao)

[ninjastormhawkkat]

BANG! Another guard went down. Victor smiled. It was difficult at first taking out the guards but then it became like shooting fish in a barrel for the assassin. He just hoped his brother and dads were doing okay. Suddenly the earpiece he was wearing began ringing, signaling someone wanted to talk with him. “Hello.” Victor called out as he pressed down on the earpiece. “Victor, this is Gene. We need you right now.” Gene spoke on the other end. A look of concern flashed across his face as he shot at another guard. “Are you guys in trouble?” Victor asked. “Not in the way you think.” Gene responded. “Look, we are trying to find the master control for all the chips so we can turn it off and free the scientists and people who were captured by B.E.A.W labs. Neither dad nor Blur knows what it looks like. We did catch a lucky break though. Dad found a scientist on the monitor screens and he says we can use him to find the master control switch. He is just a few rooms ahead of you. We need you to bring him back here alive.” Gene explained. Victor gave a nod. “Got it. I’m on my way and I’ll bring you the guy.” Victor then hung up and went to retrieve his target. Back in the control room, Gene hung up and looked at his dad with concern and worry. Carl had a grim and dark expression on his face. While it was well deserved, it still unnerved Gene to see his dad like that. “Dad, are you sure you’re okay?” Gene asked. Carl’s expression dropped as he registered his youngest son’s worry. “I’ll…I’ll be okay Gene.” Carl finally admitted. Gene didn’t look convinced. “Look I know I told you what that monster did to me after I attacked him for hurting your cousin, but believe me. This isn’t a personal vendetta. I know that man has high clearance around here. He would not be able to get away with what he did if he didn’t have any.” Despite the immoral practices of the organization, they did have some standards. One standard being is that no scientist could freely torture an imprisoned worker. Punishments for insubordination or misbehavior were only delegated to security personnel and higher ups. Lower ranking scientists who disobeyed were punished severely. Carl only saw the man get a verbal warning for what he did but that was it. He was positive the man who tortured him and his nephew besides Moran knew what the master control switch looked like. By all accounts Carl’s plan was logical. That did not mean Carl would not take pleasure in “getting” the information out of the man when they were done. Constance let out a mad cackle when she saw the guards and scientists screaming like little girls from the wasp stings. She was glad she kept some of her old Mad Monarch tech around from her villain days. Especially her sonic whistle which allowed her to summon and command wasps to be used on her enemies. The best part about using wasps was that, unlike bees, they don’t die after one sting. Those little rascals could sting and attack to their heart's content. Constance was proud of her work. She was always careful on which insects to use in her schemes. She didn’t want to sacrifice any little ones just so she could successfully commit crimes. She also planned to give the wasps a proper reward for their hard work after she was done. Wordman along with Becky flew up to the woman. “Very effective tactics Mrs. Webber.” Wordman commented. Constance preened at the praise. “Thank you but please you can call me Constance. Mrs. Webber makes me feel old.” She commented. Becky suddenly froze as her super hearing picked up something. She then pulled at her dad’s sleeves. “Grandpa, Sunny, and Archie in trouble.” Becky exclaimed with a worried expression. This made Constance and Wordman both look worried as the superhero lifted his head and tried focusing on what his child was hearing. Soon his face darkened. “It’s Moran.”  Wordman exclaimed. “Looks like he has gotten a few nasty surprises with him.” The alien growled.  @dualnaturedscientist

Matthew wasn't sure if he should be so surprised by how resilient his son was. Hugh though wasn't looking very pleased. His expression was one of absolute exhaustion and worry. Gene of course picked up on this, honestly feeling slightly guilty over putting the alien through so much stress in such a short time. Matthew had shared that same worry over the mad scientist, knowing just how little time his son had to recover. Yet he couldn't say no. What would've that done? Make Gene all the more stubborn and make him do something just as rash as he did? No. He knew better than to do so. “As long as you don't overdo it. Of course. I don't think your friend could take much more of our recklessness.” Gene gave him an apologetic expression as he knew what his father said was true. “I know. I'm sorry Hugh. You know I have to do this. I'm not going to just stay in bed while all this goes down. I'll stay in bed rest after this all you want. I promise.” Hugh sighed, crossing his arms. “You wouldn't listen to me anyway. Don't you get yourself hurt during this or I swear I will strap you down and leave you like that while you heal up.” Gene couldn't help but let out a little laugh at that. He knew that the alien would absolutely do that. His eyes went back to the silver falcon in his hand. The mad scientist was still slightly worn out but he's never felt so revitalized like this. Given life anew in a strange way. It didn't take long for the mad scientist to get himself dressed. Alex and Tristan had wanted to intervene and keep him from joining but they knew that would've encouraged him more as well. Though that couldn't stop either of them from helping Gene. He gave them both a look that showed he wasn't going to let them coddle him. He's never let them do so before. Even when he wore himself down to the bone when Becky went missing. That thought had made him stop and looked around for her. Having lost track of the girl during his identity crisis. No one else seemed to have noticed until they heard a whoosh and saw Becky nearly tackled her father over. She hugged onto him, holding something with one hand. “Hey, kiddo. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you again. I'll be fine, I promise. Confused but fine.” Becky looked up at him, still not quite believing him. She quickly then placed another item within his hand. It was the goop ray he had left behind during the chaos. She had gone back to find it to give it back to Gene. He stared down at it. “Aw, thank you for getting this for me.” In another city, they were unaware that there was another gathering. The mayor of Newport had just finished giving the heroes the go ahead to storm the B.E.A.W Labs near their city. They were met with a riled up crowd filled with villains, civilians and other heroes alike. They didn't appreciate that these people were messing with their heroes as well. Ones they've grown to love over the years. They were just as inspired by Maddrixs broadcast. Sure they were a bit more on the bloodthirsty side but they were nowhere near the level of Darius. He had angered them so much they've put aside their differences temporarily. Having a bigger goal to accomplish first before resuming the status quo. It was unsettling just how quiet they went when they had seen the heroes step out. Waiting with bated breath for them to give them instructions on exactly where to go. Hydro had been surprised to see an old friend among the crowd. J.J. the villainous jester. There were a few others they've recognized. The circus themed villains that loved to team up with the jester. A certain doll who was once part of the villain roster of Fair City. They were going to bring every single one of them to the facility. To wait for Maddrix the malicious to take lead and destroy the hellish place. Taking down all those who willingly worked within there. Experimenting on innocent lives. They weren't going to stand for it at all. Even Atomic Steele knew to finally put aside his fury whether he liked it or not. He still despised him but he trusted his friend despite what happened. He still cared.

It still felt weird to Atomic, learning all that he did about his father's biological relationship to Maddrix. From what that woman Margaret told him, it made the hero think back to moments of his childhood before the massacre. How his dad never talked about his grandfather only telling the boy he had one who died. His dad only talking in details about his grandmother. There were times his dad seemed sad and frustrated about something, when a younger version of Max tried asking his dad what was wrong, all his dad would say was that he was just worried about and missing someone. At the time Atomic had no clue his dad was referring to an estranged cousin. The last time Atomic saw his dad alive, before he told the young hero to stay put and safe, was when his dad was watching the television and seeing what was going on. Atomic clearly remembered his dad having a horrified look but also a pained and guilt ridden expression. Although Max still hated Matthew, there was a part of the young hero that took some pity on Matthew and his father's past. A part of him that was strangely glad his grandfather perished by Maddrix's hands. Gene was ready to leave with Matthew and the others to head back to city hall. He had finished assembling his gear and putting on his attire for battle. Hey this was a serious matter but Gene didn't want to look like a bum going into battle. He also was kind of unsure about putting on his old Dr. Two Brains attire, which was just his work clothes. So Gene decided to make a compromise combining his former villain attires with his own spin. With Alex's and Tristan's help, the two aliens gathered a new lab coat for Gene along with a new change of clothes. These clothes were in clean and pristine condition. They also helped him gather a top hat and a silver mask, something similar to his old Professor Terror outfit. He didn't have the original clothing since he burned his outfit after the massacre. There was also no time to add some special sequins or elegant designs to his clothing much to Gene's chagrin. Gene looked into the mirror one last time before he left with Matthew, Alex, and Tristan. Gene's still white hair was pulled back into a ponytail. This earned an odd reaction from Becky as she muttered "no sandwich words" which made Gene recall Becky once telling him about the Chucktopia incident. Becky otherwise reassured her dad that she wasn't bothered by his style. Gene's silver mask was similar to how his old one was. It was an eye mask with embedded designs. The top hat Alex got him was definitely something similar to a Victorian era top hat but with modern designs. Gene had kept his gloves as his hands were still altered. He had gotten rid of his usual goggles as he saw no reason to wear them over his mask. As Gene held his old staff in his hands, the one thing from his Terror days he could never part with, an eerie feeling went down his spine. He recalled memories of his past, when he first joined his dad into the field of villainy, when he lead his own rebellion of villains against his father, and when he took down Atomic Steele. That wasn't Squeaky in action nor was it connected to his old Two Brains gimmick. That was all him. Gene let out a sigh and small smile. He had no idea what he was going to do after everything was over. Gene definitely planned to give Steven back his name and identity since he was going back to his old name that had been established on official, yet forged, documents. Gene wasn't sure if he was going back into the field as a villain or take a break after everything he had been through. One thing that was for sure, Gene was going to determine his own path and no sabotaged experiments or crazy animals and people was going to affect what he wanted to do with his life from now on. Meanwhile back outside the hallways of the medical clinic, Matthew was learning one of the most shocking things in his life. "You were in the mafia!" Matthew exclaimed in a shocked tone. @dualnaturedscientist