#Hopefully this clears everything up and explains where I've been and what I've been doing!

[clockwayswrites]

Bitty birb in the nest is worth...? Part 19

Masterpost This is going to have many typos and spelling issues, but it currently feels like I've got an ice pick in my temple and my skin hurts so there's no rereading happening atm. Sorry!

-

Danny looked up as Tim Drake-Wayne strode into the lab and closed the door quietly behind himself.

“Tim?”

“Mm-hum?” Tim hummed as he sat down his thermos before he shed his messenger bag, coat, and school jacket onto an open part of desk.

Danny watched on with bemusement. The kid looked half asleep. “Not that it isn’t great to see you again, but what are you doing here, honey?”

“Bruce is on a call running Luthor in circles and then has to talk to legal about some stuff because Luthor is always an ass. We’re supposed to go run an errand and then to dinner together, so I’m stuck here until he’s ready to leave for the day.”

“I’m sorry,” Danny said honestly.

“It’s okay, at least Bruce won’t forget, not like—” Tim shut his mouth with a snap, seemingly suddenly thinking about what he was saying.

“It’s okay, I get it,” Danny said, because he did. “You need somewhere to hide out then?”

“Yeah, it’s… calm here.”

“Okay. Sit wherever you want that’s clear. If you need to move something, let me know first, okay?”

“Thanks,” Tim said, shoulders finally losing some of their tension.

“Of course, whenever you need.”

Not wanting to push Tim in any way, Danny kept a subtle eye on the boy as Tim absently wandered around Danny’s office. To Tim’s credit, he did try to touch anything or move things around, even as he obviously grew increasingly tired.

It would be a lot, Danny supposed, to be a teen ager trying to live up to the legacy of two important families in the area, learn the business, go to school, and (hopefully) also spend time with friends. Danny knew how hard it had been only having Phantom as an obligation.

While, sure, Danny wished Tim had made chosen a less neck cramping spot, he was happy to see Tim finally settle down and seemingly fall asleep… under one of Danny’s work benches. Danny couldn’t fuss too much, he’d done that plenty in grad school himself. Once Tim seemed properly asleep, Danny got up to fetch his cardigan from the hook by the door and took it to drape over the sleeping kid. Tim let a little huffed breath of air before he snuggled further into the cardigan and settled back into sleep.

It made Danny’s heart melt in a way that he didn’t want to think too hard about.

It really was no surprise when about forty-five minutes later one Bruce Wayne poked his head into Danny’s office. The door was hardly open when Danny had his finger up and over his mouth in the universal sign of ‘shush’.

Bruce titled his head curiously. Danny gave a little nod of his head towards the workbench that Tim was sleeping under. Silently, Bruce moved to the work bench and crouched down next to it. There was a soft, amused sound before Bruce reached out to brush his hand over Tim’s forehead, as if habitually checking for a fever.

When Bruce returned to where Danny was working, he asked softly, “How long has he been asleep?”

“A little over a half hour. It took him about ten minutes to settle in,” Danny answered, voice equally quiet.

“Then do you mind if I let him keep resting for another fifteen minutes or so? He’s likely to wake up on his own then.”

Danny shook his head. “Nope, let the kid rest. He seems like he needs it.”

Bruce glanced at Tim, his expression that soft sort of worried only parents seemed to get. “He does. He works too hard at… everything. He’s always trying to prove himself even when he doesn’t need to anymore.”

Danny made a little questioning noise as he got back to fiddling with the annoyingly tiny screws.

“His parents were… demanding. They had very exacting ideas of what proper high society behavior was,” Bruce explained. “I’m sadly not the best suited at dismantling those ideas either.”

“Ah… well, what do you do that encourages him to be a kid?” Danny asked.

“He skateboards, actually. And he enjoys photography, but even that became a goal what with art competitions at school.”

“Maybe take him and Damian on a mini art vacation? Somewhere pretty. Somewhere where it’s not about judges,” Danny suggested. He finally got the last screw seated so he glanced up at Bruce’s thoughtful face.

“That’s a good idea,” Bruce said. “I’ll start looking at what might work. Thank you.”

“Sure, ideas are kinda what I do,” Danny said and motioned to the office around him with the screwdriver.

Bruce’s answering chuckle was low and warm. “I suppose it is. I hope you’re also not overworking yourself.”

“I’m doing much better,” Danny assured Bruce. “I just needed some rest.”

“Which my children made sure you got. I’m still sorry that they kept you so long on Friday.”

It was Danny’s turn to laugh. “Honestly, I don’t think you really have much control over what they do.”

“No, I really don’t,” Bruce admitted. “But I wouldn’t have them any other way.”

“That’s good; they’re a pretty amazing family,” Danny said with a soft smile. “And if I don’t get to be sorry about falling asleep, you don’t get to be sorry about making me rest.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but deal.”

“I am a master business man,” Danny teased and ducked his head to hide his smile.

“I’ll have to watch for corporate take overs. Keep an eye on the stocks and papers.”

“Maybe. Oh, speaking of… Well, not speaking of but sort of related? You know, I was joking about us making the papers.”

Bruce hummed curiously so Danny set aside his tools to pull up the story that several coworkers had sent him on his table. He spun it to face Bruce. The picture of them in the box was big on the screen. They were pressed almost chest to chest with Bruce’s arms around Danny. It certainly looked incriminating.

“Well shit,” Bruce said with a sigh. He picked up the tablet to scan through the article. There wasn’t anything in it, of course, just wild speculation. “I hope you haven’t been harassed about this by anyone.”

“I don’t think anyone knows who I am to harass me,” Danny said honestly. “Some coworkers have sent me it, but apparently it’s just my luck to have both randomly run into a Wayne and be invited to an event and have one of my ‘spells’ when I’m around them.”

Bruce looked at him with one well manicured brow raised. “You have interesting luck.”

“Yep. It’s been quite a life so far. I was pretty much born into interesting luck and life has really lived up to that luck and died by it,” Danny said with a little chuckle as he took his tablet back.

“I feel concerned by that last part.”

Danny hummed in question, distracted by pulling his notes back up.

“The having died by the luck part.”

“Oh.” Danny smiled, but he knew that expression was less than a happy one. “I think I mentioned that there was an accident when I was a kid?”

Bruce nodded and lean his elbows on the work bench and crosses his arms. “You did. One that is apparently still affecting your pulse to this day.”

“Yes, well,” Danny glanced away from Bruce. Why was it still so hard to talk about. “When I was fourteen, I was electrocuted at at an… industrial level of voltage. Unsurprisingly it killed me. And hey, obviously I came back! But that sort of thing sticks around.”

“I’m sorry.”

Danny looked back at Bruce, honestly startled. In all this time, Danny wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard a ‘I’m sorry’ about his accident, not without strings attached. His lips quirked into a smile again. This one felt more pleasant. “Thanks. Trust me though, I’m grateful that life has, had been calmer.”

Whatever Bruce was going to say to that was cut off by a loud yawn, the sound of someone shifting around, and then the unmistakable bang of a limb against the metal legs of one of the workbenches.

Quiet cussing followed a moment later.

“You okay there, Tim?” Danny asked.

“Fine,” Tim hissed back.

“I’m sure I have an instant icepack in my office. We can grab one before we leave,” Bruce said.

“B?” Tim asked, voice noticeably brighter. A moment later he appeared out from under the desk.

“Hi, sweetheart, sorry that I had to take that call,” Bruce said as he stepped over to Tim. He reached out to brush the teen’s hair a little straighter.

“It’s fine, it’s Lex, I get it.”

“I know you get it, but that doesn’t mean it has to be fine.”

Tim just shrugged. The action made him notice the the cardigan draped over his shoulders. A little blush rose on his cheeks as he took it off and handed it back to Danny. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for Tim, you weren’t any problem,” Danny assured him. “You’re welcome in my office whenever.”

“You’re going to regret that,” Tim said.

Danny just shrugged with a smile.

“Come on, chum, let’s go find that icepack. We’ll still get to your store before it closes,” Bruce said and started to guide Tim out by the shoulder.

Bruce glanced behind him and Danny gave a little wave to the retreating Waynes.

His luck indeed.

-

“What happened in Danny’s office that’s bothering you?” Tim asked. He had the icepack pressed against his elbow and was sitting almost sideways so that he could take in all of Bruce’s expression.

Bruce was doing that thing where he was feeling big, complicated emotions and wishing he wasn’t. Tim could read it in the way that Bruce’s shoulders were set, that little bit of tightening under his eyes, and the way he was very purposefully not frowning.

“B,” Tim pressed.

Bruce sighed, the sound all of his air. “I think we should leave Danny alone, both as Waynes and as Bats.”

Tim jolted and scrambled to sit up further. “Wait, what? Bruce, what happened?”

“Nothing bad,” Bruce assured Tim. “Nothing bad happened. Vicky got a picture of Danny and I at the ballet. We spoke some about it and Danny talked about how he had interesting luck. He said he was grateful that life has been calmer; he had to change that to had.”

“…oh.”

“It’s just that—”

“No, you’re right. I’ll try to talk to the others about it because you know they won’t listen to you about it.”

“I’m sorry, Tim.”

“It’s fine, I get it.”

[myfictionaldreams]

I saw your post about poly marauders x reader inspo. What about angst and fluff where the reader is working really hard and doesn't take care of herself? She ends up fainting, hitting her head and having a seizure. (This is common for me.) The boys freak out and rush her to the infirmary. Maybe they take her back after she's given the all-clear and take care of her.

-🐍

Working Hard // Poly!Marauders x Fem!Reader

A/N: hello, thank you so much for this request! I hope I've been able to write the information about seizures ok, I personally don't have them so was worried I'd get the information wrong but hopefully, this is alright!

Tags: angst, fluff, fainting, head injury, seizures, not looking after yourself, anxiety/crying, emotional hurt, protective marauders, cuddling/kissing etc.

Words: k

my masterlist 📚 AO3 Link

The library was fairly vacant of students as it approached the evening time, not that you’d noticed. At one swift glance, anyone could have seen the state of disarray that you were in. Ink stained your fingers and clothes, the whites of your eyes were bloodshot and dry from the lack of blinking, sweat on your brow and hair unkept from the number of times you’d brushed it out of your eyes.

Not to mention the disorganised surroundings you were sitting in with multiple stacks of books covering the desk space with different length parchment paper, ink pots and a single quill also messing up the area.

“How long has she been like this?”, Sirius asked Lily, concern etching deep into his face as he’d just arrived at the library following his day of lessons. Lily briefly looked up at Sirius with the same look of worry on her face from where she sat at a different desk, having been there most of the day just to keep an eye on you as she knew you were slowly spiralling into madness.

“She’s been like this since this morning. I’ve tried to convince her to have a break but she just wants to finish the work. I’m kind of getting worried about her, she hasn’t stopped in hours and keeps pushing my glasses of water away saying she’ll have it later but she’s yet to have any”, Lily explained to Sirius who was now clenching the strap of his school bag so tightly in his hands that his knuckles turned a ghastly shade of white.

“Thanks, Evans, I’ll stay with her don’t worry”, Sirius explained, patting his friend on the shoulder as she stood, having packed her bags ages ago but was reluctant to leave you on your own. “If you see Moony or Prongs, could you tell them where we are please?”

“No worries, I hope you can get through to her”.

Sirius sighed, shaking his head hard enough that his shoulder-length, silky hair flew in all directions as he walked over to your desk. You didn’t so much as flinch when the chair next to you scrapped along the stone floor as he dumped his bag onto the floor.

As he began to talk to you, he kept his voice calm, not wanting to frighten you out of the deep focus you were in. “Darling? Is everything alright?” When you again didn’t respond to having heard his arrival, he reached across and took the quill out of your fierce grip. This snapped you out of your trance as your head whipped in his direction, body jumping in a startle at finding one of your boyfriends casually sitting next to you. Your heart was already racing before the jump scare are you looked between Sirius and the quill you so desperately needed.

“What are you doing? I’m not finished my work yet Sirius and I am not in the mood to mess around, I just want to get it finished”, you demanded to him, reaching out with a trembling hand that had Sirius’ worries increasing.

“What was the last time that you even ate anything? Or had a drink of water?” Sirius asked whilst continuing to hold your quill out of your reach.

Shaking your head in annoyance, you shrugged your shoulders, “I don’t know, a couple of hours ago maybe, I can remember. Now please, can I have my quill back!”

Sirius looked at the mess on the desk surrounding you, “Honey, this assignment isn’t even due for another week. You’ve got plenty of time to finish it another day but you need to look after yourself. Let’s have a little break, maybe go and get something to eat and drink and then depending on how you’re feeling, we could potentially finish this later”.

The marauder spoke calmly and slowly, taking in all the signs of your declining health. There were only a few occasions where you had been like this, neglecting to look after yourself and it usually ended with you crying from exhaustion or sleeping a whole day away feeling ill so he needed to be a good protector and make sure this didn’t get any worse but he feared that it was already at that stage anyway with how reluctant you were to listen to his advice.

“No, you aren’t listening to me! I don’t need any of that right now, I just need to finish this today because there’s still the potions assignment due in two days and I need to plot this week's stars for astronomy. There’s also the herbology that I haven’t even started yet so I don’t have time to go for your breaks! Just give it back to me Sirius!” As you were beginning to raise your voice, you caught the attention of the handful of other students who were studying. Sirius didn’t react to being shouted at, especially as it was never something you’d done before, he knew he was getting to the point of no return and was unsure just what it was that he was supposed to do. Let you carry on? Force feed you a snack and make you have a break but then would that anger you more?

Thankfully backup had arrived in the form of Remus and James. “What’s going on here?” the taller Marauder asked, his scarred face flicking back and forth between Sirius and where you were glaring at him.

“We were just about to have a little break”, Sirius began to explain with caution but you were quick to interrupt.

“No we aren’t Sirius! I’m fine, just let me continue other I’ll forget what I’m going to write!”. You were breathing heavily now, like you’d just run up a flight of stairs and Sirius couldn’t tell if it was because of your anger or just another symptom of how worn down you were getting.

It looked like you were close to a panic attack with the way you were reacting irrationally and the two Marauders that were standing took a protective step forward, placing their bags onto the floor.

“My Love”, James spoke carefully, “just take a deep breath for us, okay? We’ll just have a small break and then we’ll help you finish this assignment”.

Your hateful gaze turned to him, “I don’t need help James”.

The way you spoke didn’t falter him in any way as he continued, “Why don’t we just quickly get a drink of water and some fresh air and then we can come back-”

“Don’t talk to me like a child James, I know my limits. I’m just studying, I’m fine, I just need to finish this, but you’re all prolonging it!” You glared at all three of them, not thinking clearly at all and when Sirius once again held the quill away from you, you snapped. “You know what? Fine. Keep the quill. I’ve got plenty more in my dormitory which luckily doesn’t let guys in so I can continue this in some peace and quiet.”

You gathered as many books as possible into a messy pile, bundling them into your arms, along with your parchment paper.

“Wait, Sweetheart, just give us a moment-”. Sirius began reaching forward as you stood abruptly.

One minute you were taking a step forward and then next, it felt like the floor was moving, your eyes unfocused as the books dropped to the floor, swiftly followed by your body as you fainted, accidentally knocking your temple on the corner of your desk as you fell.

Remus, James and Sirius all lurched forward trying to soften your fall but to no avail, as they all watched you hit your head and collapse to the floor However the panic didn’t end there as your body began to convulse, eyes rolling back in your head as you didn’t respond to shouts.

“Shit! Go and get Madam Pomfrey!”, James demanded to Sirius who was out of his chair and sprinting within a second as a crowd began to form of scared students. This didn’t stop James though as he remained calm, kneeling next to your head but holding out a hand for Remus, “Hand me your jumper”. Remus pulled the clothing over his head and handed it to his boyfriend who balled it up and gently placed it under your head. “It’s ok baby, it’s going to be ok, it’ll be over soon, you’re safe, everything with be alright”.

With each word that he spoke, he remained calm, even managing to loosen your tie so that it didn’t restrict your breathing as you eventually calmed with your convulsions and remained unmoving on the floor, breathing heavily.

“Remus, help me roll her onto her side”, he asked the man who was also on his knees next to you, looking paler than usual. He followed James’ movements until you were lying in the recovery position, your hair carefully being moved out of your face so that they could assess your head injury as well. Thankfully there was no cut or blood but the area had already begun to swell into a small bump.

Remus shook his head, trying to process anything that had just happened as he then gazed towards James. “How…how did you know what to do?”

“My mum had seizures, usually she takes some potions to stop them from happening but on rare occasions they still do so she and Dad have taught me what to do if they were to happen, It’s not like I’ve done much anyway”. James looked you over, as Remus shook his head in disbelief, feeling guilty that he hadn’t come and found you at an earlier time but just assumed you were doing your usual revision in the library.

Sirius soon arrived with Madam Pomfrey who did her own assessment and praised James for the bits of care that he provided like putting you into the recovery position. You were then moved to the Hospital wing where you remained asleep for the next 12 hours which is what you needed, lots of rest and sleep.

When you did eventually awake, the sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains and you were disorientated and confused, being in an unknown area and alone, not remembering how or why you’d gotten there.

Thankfully the Matron was already working and hovering nearby so was able to come over and explain the events that had occurred whilst making sure you drank the numerous healing potions she’d decided you needed. With each glug of the horrible tasting, colourful concoctions, you could feel life beginning to pour back into your body, no longer feeling dehydrated or shaky, however, there was still some memory loss but she explained that was the side effect of the seizure. Your stomach twisted with guilt at not prioritising your health which was also the same sentiment expressed by Madam Pomfrey as she gave you a talking too as well about looking after yourself and making sure to take regular breaks, having food and drink nearby during long study sessions.

Finally, after she declared that you were safe to leave but only if you returned to the dormitory to rest for the next few days, she explained that James, Sirius and Remus had been by your side until late at night. Each of them outright refused to leave your side but as they all fell into their own emotional and physical exhaustion, Madam Pomfrey called for McGonagall who helped to send them to their beds.

The guilt now only increased tenfold at the thought of how worried they must have been. The Matron tried to encourage you to not worry about those emotions for now, but to go and rest and that you’d need to return every morning for additional potions and investigations for the seizure.

Every step towards the Gryffindor common room, nerves bubbled in your stomach, wondering if you should follow the woman's advice and just go to your own dormitory and sleep the day away or knock on the Marauders’ room and discuss what had happened.

Thankfully for your exhausted mind, you didn’t need to decide as soon as you entered the homely common room, the three of them were already rushing down the stairs, dressed in their casual clothes and looking like they were about to run somewhere. They were all startled to see you standing there, relief and worry expressed on each of their faces, along with dark circles under their eyes from the lack of sleep.

Hating the uncomfortable silence, you nervously twisted your fingers together, glancing at the floor, unable to hold their burning eye contact anymore. “Madam Pomfrey said I was okay to leave but said I needed to get some rest”.

Another wave of relief rushed through your boyfriends as they each visibly dropped the tension from their shoulders as they stepped forward. “How are you feeling?”, Remus asked carefully, not being able to watch your nervous twitches anymore as he grabbed your fingers and linked both of your hands with his.

“I feel fine”, you answered honestly, looking guilty up at them still through your lashes.

“What about your head?”, Sirius continued the question, standing to your left and stroking the strand of hair away from the area that he’d seen hit the corner of your desk.

“It doesn’t hurt at all but Pomfrey said those sorts of injuries are easy for her to fix anyway. I um, I don’t actually remember what happened, or even from the last few days but everything else is better, my head doesn’t hurt at all”.

James was the last to approach to your right and you were thankful to see a loving smile on his handsome face as he pushed the rim of his glasses up his nose whilst asking, “And what about the seizures?”

“She said they could happen again but it was mostly triggered because I hadn’t eaten, drank or slept properly and that I needed to be careful in the future. I think it’s something that I had dealt with in my childhood as I remember my mum saying that I used to have some sort of seizures but it’s been so long that I didn’t think it was an issue anymore. She also told me about what you did James and I just… I can’t thank you enough and I’m so so sorry for putting you all through this”. Your eyes were full of tears that quickly escaped and flowed down your cheeks.

James couldn’t watch you cry and rushed to wrap his arms around your body, cupping the back of your head to hold you against his warm, firm chest. Remus and Sirius also managed to join the cuddle. The three of them didn’t expect any sort of apology from you, the anger that had been there initially for you not looking after yourself had swiftly changed to worry and fear so just making sure you were okay was their only goal.

“Shh Sweetheart, please don’t cry. We’re just glad you’re safe. You scared us so much, all I could think about last night was having you in my arms again”, Remus calmed your cries down as he kissed your shoulder, trying not to unload too much of his worries onto you.

The three of them held you for long enough that other students began to wake and enter the common room, rushing past so as to not ruin the sentimental moment. As your sobs turned into hiccups and the tears stopped staining Sirius’ shirt, the long-haired Marauder pulled away to cup your cheeks. “Come on, it’ll do us all no good crying in the middle of the common room and you’re supposed to be resting and to be honest I think we could all do with a rest so let's go upstairs”.

Wiping your nose with your sleeve, you smiled and accepted his outstretched hand, his much larger palm engulfing yours as he gently tugged you along to the boys’ room. The sight of the magically enlarged bed only increased your exhaustion as your body seemed to slump with the need to crawl beneath the sheets.

Before you could do as you wished whilst still wearing your day clothes, James stepped behind, his arms around your waist and held you for a second, swaying slightly on the spot as he dipped to kiss your cheek. “Do you want my jumper? Might be more comfortable than what you’re wearing?” he asked with hope in his voice and you knew he always loved seeing you in his clothes.

Turning in his arms and stroking your fingers through his hair to brush it out of his face you nodded tiredly, “Yes please!”

James grinned, pecking your lips before swiftly pulling his jumper off and then helping you to underdress down to your underwear and helping you into his jumper. Remus and Sirius were already down to their boxers and in bed, Sirius in the centre with his arms open and you smiled in relief, crawling over his body and settling on top of his chest. Everything seemed to fall into place as James followed behind you and lay next to Sirius, all three of their arms wrapping around you like a weighted blanket and a breath later all four of you were asleep.

When you woke next, it was because something was tickling your nose. Squinting open your eyes, you were welcomed to the sight of Sirius’ silky hair completely covering your face and his warm breath only an inch away from yours. Laughing under your breath, being careful not to wake the Marauder, you brushed the strands out of yours and his face, tucking it behind his ear.

As your fingers settled back cuddled into your chest, Sirius’ eyebrows furrowed followed by him groaning and bringing your fingers back up to his hair. You giggled louder now as you began to play with his hair and scratch your nails against his scalp, loving the sweet smile on his pretty-boy face.

“You know Pads, asking her to pet you, isn’t what I’m sure Madam Pomfrey classed as resting”, James mused from across the room, no longer by your side. Peaking open your eyes once more, you lifted your head as Sirius flipped off James who was sitting across the room, playing with his gold snitch with a pile of food waiting beside him.

“Is that pancakes?” you asked hopefully, sitting up further by pushing off of Sirius’ chest. Remus who was also still resting on the bed perked up at his, opening one eye and rolling over, his hair sticking up in all directions nearly as dramatically as James’ as he looked for the food.

“It is indeed, and there’s also toast, sausages, eggs, bacon, fruit, anything you might need”.

The four of you repositioned on the bed, leaving space in the middle to carefully lay the trays of food that James had managed to steal from the kitchens and all ate until stomachs were full and happy.

“What time is it?”, Sirius asked, still trying to wipe the sleep out of his eyes.

“Just after lunch, so we’ve only slept for a few hours but seeing as we missed breakfast I thought it might be a good idea to get some food into our systems”.

“Thanks, Prongs”, Remus said before taking another bite of his toast and looking in your direction. “How are you feeling after a bit more sleep?”

“Good, like nothing even happened, I feel like I’m back to normal”. Remus nodded at your words, giving you a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, causing you to sigh and place your fork back onto your plate that was balanced on your nap. “I know we need to discuss what has happened and I’d rather do it now instead of waiting”.

The three Marauders looked at each other, unsure of how to approach the subject before James took one for the team and spoke first. “So you said you don’t remember anything, is that still the case?”

“The last thing I remember is going to Potions on Monday afternoon which was apparently a few days ago, I don't remember anything up until waking up in the hospital wing”.

“Do you understand what’s happened though? And how serious it was?”, James continued, his usual light and laughter not present in his eyes and you had to look at your fingers holding onto your plate as you felt the intensity of his emotions.

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey explained everything and why I had the seizure. I know I hadn’t looked after myself that day, but sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in my assignments for classes and if I don’t do them as soon as they are given to me, I’ll run out of time to complete them and then I’ll fail and then they’ll kick me out of the school and-”.

A scarred, rough hand pulled the plate from your grip so that he could gently hold both of your hands, tipping your chin back so that you were looking up at him as Remus came through with his words of wisdom. “You know that’s just your anxiety talking, there’s no way they would ever kick a talented witch like you from Hogwarts. You’re nearly top of all classes, always help others with their work and get good grades on your own. But you really need to look after yourself. To even get to the point of fainting is so dangerous Sweetheart, imagine if we weren’t there when this all happened?”

It was Sirius who began talking next, “We aren’t saying you need to completely change your ways but you fought us so hard in the library to even just have a little break. From now on, maybe we should put a bottle of water and some snacks in your bag and please, if you’re studying, just give yourself a rest every hour or so, even if it's to have a walk around the library to stretch your legs. Is that ok?”

The way he was speaking to you so softly and kindly had your heart melting and you hated how quickly tears were in your eyes again. You were so thankful for them, expecting them to be angry in some sort of way but once again proving how much you loved them and they loved you.

Unable to form any words, you nodded your response towards Sirius who smiled and opened his arms for you to crawl into again, his hands rubbing up and down your spine, soothing the emotions away.

James sighed away his own anxieties, moving over to kiss the back of your head before clearing away the food, waving his wand and everything disappearing back to the kitchens. “Right, a day of relaxation coming your way my love”, he began, trying to cheer the atmosphere and already causing you to laugh through the tears. “We will be having regular naps throughout the day, and plenty of food that will be ready whenever we are, All I need to do is summon one of the house elves. We have books, Sirius record player, we could even venture down to the common room if we’re feeling adventurous. Oh! I also caught Lily on my way back from the kitchens and she gave me some fruity bubble bath that her muggle parents have sent her that’s supposed to be nice so a nice candlelight bath will be ready whenever you are Love”.

You were beaming at all three of them, “Thank you! For this and everything else you’ve ever done, thank you”.

James shifted closer so that he could peck your lips, slowly and with love. The action was repeated by Remus and Sirius as you all naturally linked together in a cocoon of warmth and safety as you all hugged each other.

“I love you”, you whispered against whichever one of their shoulders you were nuzzling into. The three of them promised their love back to you before deciding on the first plan of the day.

[remcycl333]

HOW DO I GET INTO A STATE?

after posting my states post, i've been getting a lot of asks asking me how to get into the state, despite already having explained how to get into a state in the post.

i think the issue is that for so long the loass community has become overrun by a sort of grind culture with affirmations, where people have become convinced that you need to put in an immense amount of effort before you can get your manifestation in your 3d. i.e. affirm 10k times, flip every thought, etc. but manifestation has always been EFFORTLESS. so you need to get used to the idea that you don't have to work 24 hours a day 7 days a week in order to get your desire. manifestation is not a TRYING process!

so here is how to get into your desired state:

intend.

that's it! its as easy and simple as that.

but what does it mean to intend?

intend: have (a course of action) as one's purpose or objective; plan.

for example, say that you want to read a book tomorrow. that is you intending to read a book tomorrow. you may not actually do it, but you still intended to do it.

but with states, you don't actually have to do anything to get into a state. JUST intend.

to make it easier on you guys, bc i get that it's hard to tell if you intended to do it or not, whenever you realized you slipped out of your desired state, you can say something like:

"i am in my desired state now"

"i am in the state of ____"

"i am in the state of the wish fulfilled"

"i have entered the state"

"it is done"

etc!

it's not necessary to say these things to get into a state, but if you want to say one of them in order to assure yourself that you actually successfully shifted into the state, feel free!

how do you know if you've slipped out of the state of the wish fulfilled?

-you're thinking negative thoughts about your desire

-you're doubting

-you're checking the 3d

view these things as tools. they are there as indicators that you slipped out of the state and you need to shift yourself back to your desired state. these are all just thoughts, and they have no power unless you give it to them. you don't need to flip those thoughts, or freak out bc "they ruined everything" (they didn't), or "start over"

just go back to your desired state!

where do methods come in?

you can use methods to MAINTAIN the state of the wish fulfilled. you do not do methods to get into the state. as we have previously covered, all you need to get into the state is intention.

you do not need to do methods every time you get into the state. intending is enough. however, if you are having a hard time staying the state (you get into it and then immediately fall back out bc doubts come back), you can do methods to help maintain it.

methods include affirmations, scripting, visualizing, vaunting, inner conversations, etc.

pay attention while you do these methods. focus on conjuring the feeling of the state of the wish fulfilled, aka the feeling of knowing.

feeling ≠ emotions

the feeling of knowing can be a feeling of calm, peace, contentedness, relief, etc.

it is NOT happiness, sadness, anger, etc. those are EMOTIONS.

once again: methods are useful to help you maintain the state of the wish fulfilled, they are not what gets you into the state.

hopefully this clears some things up for you guys! <3

[kittyball23]

Chewed (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: Poppy confronts her father and her boyfriend on a matter that’s been bugging her

A/N: Requested by @webslingerofthegalaxy :)

__________________________________________

“Alright, folks, what'll it be tonight?”

While Poppy, Branch, and Viva were quick to reply to Bruce’s query with their orders of fricassee squid, jellyfish sliders, and nachos, Peppy took a minute for himself, humming thoughtfully at the menu in his hands.

“Hmmm… those fried clams sound delicious!” he said finally, with a nod to confirm his order.

But Bruce grimaced. “Oof, yeah, sorry I forgot to mention it, but you're not gonna wanna order those, trust me.” Then, with a dramatic lowering of his voice to a hushed whisper, he added, “Don't ask why.”

The former Pop King looked confused for a moment, but then shrugged it off. “Ah well, alright. I guess I'll take the menudo instead.”

Bruce beamed as he grabbed the menus. “Ah, much better! You'll love it. Be right back with everything, alright!”

The four watched as the purple-haired Troll scurried back to the kitchen to assist his wife with the meals, and then they turned to each other.

“Huh… I wonder what the deal is with those clams?” Viva wondered aloud.

Poppy shrugged. “Don't know! But, hopefully he won't keep it a secret for long.” The Pop Queen ensured to put emphasis on the word secret, shooting a glance at her boyfriend and her father and hoping that they caught her drift. There was something she had been meaning to address with the two of them, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring it up.

But, as it was, neither one of them had taken notice. Branch and King Peppy’s gazes had drifted towards the karaoke stage, where their attention was taken by a performer's rendition of “Vacation.”

Viva’s face lit. “Ooo, I love this song!” she exclaimed. Then, getting an idea, she turned to Peppy. “Daddy, we should all go on there next!”

King Peppy, however, kindly declined, waving a hand. “Oho, no dear, I couldn't.”

“Sure you could!” Viva encouraged. “Poppy, Branch, and I did just the other day! Right?”

“Uh-huh!” the pink Troll agreed, while the blue nodded.

“And you all were wonderful,” Peppy complimented. “But, I'm afraid I can't sing and dance the way you and your band do,” he explained. “And besides… I've already thrown my back out one too many times in the morning songs as it is!” He admitted it with a sheepish grin, rubbing where the ache still lingered.

Viva pouted a little, but Peppy offered her reassurance. “But don't worry - I'll be right in the front row, cheering you on. I wouldn't miss one of your performances for the world!”

Viva grinned and nudged her sister. “Remember how excited you got when Branch asked you to join the band?” she giggled.

“Uh, yeah! How can I forget!” Poppy exclaimed, shooting a grateful glance at her boyfriend.

Branch chuckled. “Yeah, neither can I.” 

“And me neither!” Peppy pitched in, putting one of his hands on his heart, and the other on Branch’s shoulder. “My boy, you nearly startled me out of my wits! If I hadn't known any better, I would've thought your ‘proposal’ would have ended differently.”

“You mean like my sis and Branch getting married?” Viva blurted gleefully. Her words caused the pink and blue Trolls to grow bashful, and Peppy's eyes to widen. Viva rolled her eyes. “Come on, guys, is it really that weird now? I've already planned out the flower colors for your bouquet, you know!”

Poppy gasped. “Viva!”

“Sis, you know it's gonna happen one day! Don't act so surprised!”

Poppy did little more than blush, and Branch cleared his throat, noticing how awkward King Peppy was looking. “Well, only if you will approve, sir,” Branch said respectfully.

King Peppy suddenly looked guilty and sighed. “Of course I do, my boy. And I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise. I guess it's just… I can't believe my little girl has already grown up so fast!”

“Tell me about it!” Viva shouted. “The last time I saw her she was so teeny weeny!” she giggled, showcasing the size with her hands.

“Yes,” King Peppy laughed, smiling at both his daughters. He then continued, addressing Branch. “You’ll make a fine partner for my Poppy. And an excellent king, too!”

Branch cocked his head, pleasantly surprised to hear this. “Really?”

“Indeed,” Peppy replied without hesitation. “Why, you remind me much of myself!”

The blue Troll glowed. “Um… how?” he asked curiously.

“Maybe how you both like to keep secrets from me?”

This time, Poppy’s statement did not go unnoticed by Peppy or Branch. Both Trolls turned to her, coming face-to-face with the sudden stern expression she wore on her face.

“Huh?” Branch practically squeaked.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know!” she chided. “You said nothing about being in not just one, but TWO super amazing boybands! I have every single record of BroZone and Kismet!”

Branch tried to stammer a response. “Well, I, um… you see, it’s just that - “

“And then, to top it off, you don’t tell me that you had FOUR brothers? Oh no, not one, not, two, not even three - but FOUR?!”

“Well, um…” Branch tried again, “Yooouu… didn’t tell me you had a sister!” he defended, gesturing at Viva.

“I didn’t know!” Poppy exclaimed. “Wanna know why I didn’t know?!” She crossed her arms at her father, who wished he could pull a hocus-pocus and disappear right then and there.

Viva cast Peppy nearly the same identical look Poppy was giving him. “She’s got a point, Dad. Poppy had no clue who I was when we met up again!”

“Yeah! That's just like when you didn’t tell me about all the other music tribes!”

Peppy put his hands up and waved them in a calming motion. “Poppy, darling, you know I'm incredibly regretful for not having told you either one of those things. I was just trying - “

“To protect me,” Poppy finished at the same time he did. She let the initial disappointment in her Dad fizzle away so she could give him a sincere look. “Dad, I love you… and, as a family, I want us to be honest with each other, no matter how scary or painful or downright shocking the truth might be! We can work through it… okay?” She opened her arms for him, and he leaned towards her so they could share a hug.

“Yes, Poppy. I'm so sorry…”

This time, Poppy giggled. “You don't have to keep apologizing, Dad. I've forgiven you, like, a dozen times!”

“Right, yes,” he mumbled rather meekly, and then straightened himself out. They smiled at each other, and then Poppy glared at Branch.

“Now. As for you…”

Branch sighed. “You're right, Poppy. As a friend, and girlfriend, I trust you. I'll open up to you more, I promise… is there anything I can do to make up for the secrets I did keep?”

Poppy liked this question, and pretended to tap her chin and give it deep thought. “Hmmm… well, you could let me have a couple bites of the sliders you ordered…” she said.

But Branch could tell there was more she wanted to add to that. “And?” he prompted.

She batted her lashes and whispered. “...And also maybe give me a kiss?”

Her boyfriend’s eyes widened. “In front of your Dad?”

Having been in earshot, Peppy chuckled. “Branch, there's nothing to worry about. You two are in love.” He gestured his hand out, as if saying, “Now, go on with it!”

So Branch did. He kissed Poppy sweetly, Peppy looking on proudly and Viva tucking her hands under her chin while gushing.

“Awwww, that’s exactly how I imagine your wedding smooch to be!” the golden-curled Troll squealed.

“Viva!”

“STOP DENYING WHAT’S TRUE, SIS!!”

[nixie-writes]

Hopefully a simple request, just something I've not seen a lot off but understandably so. Any chance for a romantic/fluff Velvette x male reader where she's somehow developed feelings for them and wants to admit/show them? To clarify I'm not asking for smut with it.

-Velvette, as we know, is a big fan of fashion. She practically made the industry in Hell, and as she said herself, her influence on the internet makes her the "backbone" of the V's.

-so, if she caught feelings for someone, and she wanted to pursue them, she would start by promoting them on her Instagram. She'd boost their posts on Twitter, retweet selfies saying something like "damn [Y/N] looking good! But I can hook you up with a better style."

-and so the trap was laid. She DM'd you where to meet her and you arrived a little late because of traffic at this hour but you made it nonetheless. Velvette was doing everything in her power to look calm and collected but inside she was fearful. What if you denied her feelings and told her to never do anything to boost them again?

-clearing her throat after you explained the traffic situation, she offered you a couple bags of clothes from her designer brand. At least $500 worth of clothes.

-taking a deep breath Velvette began to speak. "Look, don't make this a scene or anythin' but I like you, for more than your looks. I think together we'd make a great team, with me as the social product and you behind the scenes." I get the feeling that she's pretty logistical about work, unlike Vox or Valentino. "So, I guess what I'm doin' is... Making a romantic proposal of sorts. Will you be my partner?"

-she held out her hand to you, offering you the opportunity of a lifetime. You knew you'd been following her for a long time and you really liked her as well, so what was there to lose? You took her hand and shook it firmly. "There's no one I'd rather spend my afterlife with," you replied.

[allthingsfangirl101]

A Man of Mistakes – Gator Tillman

Masterlist

Everyone makes mistakes in their life. The biggest mistake I made was trusting Gator Tillman. We have been together since high school. At the beginning of this year, I found out I was pregnant. I don't think I've ever seen Gator more excited.

But that's when he started to change.

He didn't change toward me or the baby. He came home later and later. When he did finally come home, he was angry and jittery. I tried talking to him about it, several times. Each time, he'd brush me off and tell me he was fine.

Things escalated.

I was about six months pregnant when Gator came home drunk.

~•~

I jumped when the door was kicked open. I looked over my shoulder to see Gator struggling to take off his shoes.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled.

"Gator?" I took off my blanket and slowly stood up. I couldn't help but place my hands over my belly.

"Sorry, baby," he whispered loudly. "Did I wake you?"

"Wake me? Gator, it's 5 o'clock."

"Oh," he chuckled. "My bad. Time got away from me."

"Where were you?"

"Hanging with my dad," he slurred.

Oh no.

"And he took you to a bar," I said instead of asking.

"Duh," Gator scoffed. I jumped when he threw his gun belt over onto the table.

"Gator," I hesitated.

"Don't start with me, Y/N," he snapped. He brushed past me, slightly bumping my shoulder. My heart sank when he went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

"Are you sure you should. . ."

Gator cut me off by throwing the completely full beer at me. Luckily he was drunk so it hit the wall to my right instead of me. I looked at the broken beer bottle before turning my shocked eyes to my boyfriend.

"Get out."

"Y/N. . ."

"Get out!"

~•~

Gator came back the next day completely sober. He apologized and begged me to take him back. I was firm and clear about what he needed to do if he wanted to be a part of our child's life. He swore that he would do everything.

At first, it seemed like he really meant it. He started coming home right at 5:10. He'd bring home dinner and a gift for the baby. He was with me when I went into labor and he stayed by my side until we brought our daughter, Annabelle, home. Everything was going great. I actually started to believe that we could build a life, a family, together.

I woke up from that fantasy real quick.

It only took one shoot-out at the grocery store that Annabelle and I got in the middle of for me to kick him out for good.

~•~

"Y/N? What the hell are you doing here?"

"We needed more diapers," I said slowly, still shaken from the shoot-out.

Gator looked down at Annabelle in my arms. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her still asleep.

"Damn," he chuckled. "This little babe can sleep through just about anything."

My anger took over when he reached for her. I used my arm that wasn't holding her and pushed him away.

"I'm done," I said through my teeth. "Stay the hell away from me and my daughter."

"Y/N. . ."

"This wasn't a normal police shoot-out," I cut him off. "You and your crew were wearing masks. What were you doing? Robbing the place?!"

"No," he said slowly.

"Then what. . ." I didn't need to finish my question. "You are just like your father," I said under my breath. "And I will not allow my baby girl to be around someone like him."

~•~

Ever since the store shoot-out, I've ignored Gator's many attempts to see me and our daughter. I also haven't slept. I kept having nightmares about that day. I looked over at the clock and sighed when I saw it was almost two in the morning.

I got out of bed and went to the kitchen. I made some tea to hopefully help me sleep. I had barely started my first cup when I heard sirens. I didn't get nervous until the lights started bouncing off my kitchen. I jumped when the front door was forced open.

"Y/N!" Gator yelled as he ran to me. "I'm so happy you're okay. I can explain. . ."

"Gator! There's a baby in this house!" I yelled, pushing him away from me. "You can't come barging in here with the lights going and the sirens blaring as our two-month-old daughter sleeps!"

"I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I was just. . . I can explain."

"I can't wait to hear this," I scoffed as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Please, explain."

"We need to get you and Annabelle out of here." He started to walk toward her nursery, but I pushed him again.

"That's not an explanation," I said through my teeth. "And I am not taking her anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

"Okay," he sighed. "Look, a while ago I arrested a guy connected to a pretty big drug smuggling ring. And now. . ."

"Now what?"

"They threatened you and Annabelle."

"Wait, what?" I asked, taking a step away from him.

"They left me a message that if I don't release their boss, they'll come after my family."

"So, what are you saying?" I asked my voice low.

"I need to put you in protective custody," he said. I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off. "I'm sorry, but I have to make sure you're safe. They threatened you, Y/N. They threatened our daughter. I know you and I are working through some things right now, but that doesn't mean I am going to sit back and let them take you from me."

"Gator," I sighed. "Why would you get involved with those kind of guys?"

"My dad. . ."

"Would you stop with that?!" I snapped. "Gator, you are not your father!"

"I want to be!"

"You shouldn't," I said, strangely calm. Gator's face fell as I took a small step closer to him. "You have the ability of being better than your father. He did his job horribly. You know that. You know how many people got hurt, how many criminals he let slide. When I told you I was pregnant, do you remember the promise you made me?"

"I promised to make the town safe for our daughter," he answered, his voice soft.

"So let me ask you something," I said, softening my own voice. "Do you think you've done that?"

Gator opened and closed his mouth. I could see the tears threatening to spill.

"I haven't," he admitted. He quickly added, "I can start though. If you and Annabelle come with me, I can keep you guys safe. And once the threat is gone. . ."

"There will be another one," I sighed. "You can't fix these types of things, Gator. Once you get started down that road, it's nearly impossible to go back. I can't keep my daughter close to trouble."

I started to walk away, but Gator grabbed my hand. "What are you saying?" He stuttered.

"I'm saying that my top priority is keeping my baby safe," I said, my voice breaking, "even if that means taking her away from here."

"Away from me," he said slowly.

"It's not like it's an easy decision," I scoffed. "You have to understand why I would make it, Gator."

"I do," he stuttered. "But that doesn't mean. . ."

"I've been having nightmares."

"You what?" Gator gasped, stepping toward me. "What are your nightmares about, baby?"

"That day," I said, my voice breaking. "At the grocery store. It's one of two dreams. Either I get shot or. . ."

"Or?" Gator gently pushed as he cupped my cheek.

"Or Annabelle."

"Shit," he mumbled. He took another step closer to me and gently grabbed my arms. "I'm so sorry, baby. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I said softly. "I just. . . I don't want to have them anymore."

Gator pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around me. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"You know," he whispered, "sleeping next to someone who would take a bullet for you helps get rid of nightmares."

"That's kind of hard when the person next to you is mixed up in what's causing your nightmares," I said softly as I pulled out of his embrace.

"What if I wasn't in a job that gave you nightmares?"

"What?" I stuttered. "Gator. . . You can't. . . Are you. . ."

"Sir?"

Gator sighed when we were interrupted. "What?" He snapped at the officer.

"We should really get your family out of here," the guy said slowly. Gator turned toward me with pleading eyes.

"Please," he whispered. "We will have this conversation, I promise, but can we do it at a safe house?"

"I'll go pack a bag for me," I said softly. "Will you pack some things for Annabelle?"

"Of course," he said letting out a sigh of relief.

He leaned in and quickly kissed me before jogging to the nursery. I messed with my hands as I went to my room. My mind was swarming with questions and what-ifs as I packed a bag. When I was done, I put it on the kitchen table and went to check on Gator.

I froze in the doorway when I saw him in the rocking chair, holding our daughter. My heart jumped into my throat as he softly sang her favorite lullaby.

"I see you haven't started packing her bag," I said my voice almost a whisper. Gator looked up at me and smiled.

"She woke up," he smiled. I walked over, leaned down, grabbed his face, and pressed my lips to his. I had tears streaming down my face as our lips moved in sync. I broke the kiss and pressed my forehead against his.

"I've missed you."

"Really?" He asked as I leaned back. "I've missed you too, baby. And our little girl. I promise I will do whatever it takes to protect both of you. Even if that means leaving my job and this town."

"This is everything you've ever worked for, Gator. You'd really walk away?"

"For you and Annabelle?" He whispered. He stood up, still holding our daughter, and pulled me into his side. "I'd do anything to protect my family."

[pinkriaji]

✨️Reminder✨️

Live in the desires

What I meant with this is that, you need to accept that you have what you want, in your mind first, and from that, start living your day to day with that acceptance.

If you've been in the community, I'm pretty sure you must have read a post about how "your desires are like ordering something and knowing it will arrive" and ngl, I've been in this community for 2 whole years now, and it's only just recently that I *finally* got it.

So I'm going to explain it to you, in the way I understand it, and hopefully it can clear some doubts away💕

Disclaimer, long post a head and I'm explaining things my way, pls take what resonates with you and leave the rest✨️

Number 1:

By this point, we know that reality is only a reflection right? Good, now that you know it, I want you to really grasp it and accept it.

Our imagination is our real reality, but the imagination is not what you think it is. Hear me out, imagination is not that meme of Bob square pants about rainbows and daydreams, (it could be if that's what you want) nooo, the real imagination that i am talking about is the one that you are always using to think things, the one that says: "I have to do this hw", "I'm getting hungry, I should eat something", "my celebrity crush is so cool" "wow I can't stop remembering that cringe moment from years ago" etc.

Now that's your real imagination and that's the one that we need to learn how to "control". Not by force but by understanding how it works.

When we have a desire, it's easy to think of it from a place where you don't have it yet, and the mind just like an algorithm, it's going to keep creating more thoughts that imply you don't have it yet, and since the 3D reflects our imagination, well we keep not seeing our desires.

Knowing this, we can go to number 2:

When you enter any page, you see something you like, so you naturally order it, and what is the feeling that you get when the order is already placed?

You feel that the item you ordered, is yours already, so you start thinking about how to use it and when you are going to use it.

When you get a desire, you liking it and wanting it, is choosing it, when you decide you are going to manifest it, that is you placing the order. From that moment on, you need to start thinking is yours already, there's no "if" anymore, there's only now, whatever you desire, start feeling it yours.

If you want a desired face? Start telling yourself you're pretty, start owning the fact that you are the most beautiful person in the world.

You want your sp? Start relating to the happy love songs, start owning the fact that you have a happy relationship

Whatever you desire, start owning the natural things that will come with your desire.

You need to know that the only difference is that with manifesting, there's no waiting time. Why? Because you control everything, and you can even control when and how you are getting your desire.

And you know the best part? You can decide if you want to know how it manifests, if you just want to wake up with it, if you want to shift for it, or even if it manifest as a complete surprise.

From one reality creator to another reality creator.

You can do this, you got this!!!

[conkers-thecosy]

Bagginshield-tober / Day 1 / Breakfast

I've decided to take part in the lovely "Bagginshield-tober" prompt list by the excellent @smolestboop 💛

I've always wanted to write some reshirement stuff for Thorin and Bilbo, but never really had a definitive plot bunny for it, so this works out quite nicely! Going to keep them fairly short (although who knows what that actually means, when it comes to me and writing, lmao) but ideally all following on from one another! Hopefully they come out okay!

~*~*~

Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain for a mere nine days, all told, was getting pudgy.

It had been only six months since he had followed Bilbo Baggins to his home back in the Shire under the guise of an escort, unsure what to do with himself after his abdication. In that time he had let out his belt by two notches, and was starting to feel that he might need to purchase new clothes entirely, both for his own comfort, and for the sake of decency. Everything was decidedly tight, including his temper, as he'd had to lay back on the bed to fasten his trousers that morning.

Simmering with suppressed annoyance, Thorin entered the bright and warm kitchen to find his retired burglar already cooking up a vast and sumptuous breakfast for the two of them. He stood in the doorway, looking warily around at all the hustle and bustle, fried potatoes, ham, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes. There was toast piled high beside the already open butter dish, where one half eaten slice was laying, slathered with strawberry preserve. Tea was being brewed, already laid out on the table with milk, sugar, and two cups and saucers, waiting with another two jars for the toast of marmalade and raspberry jam.

This was the issue. He tried to stay active, he really did. He chopped wood, he mended things about the smial, carried groceries (which was quite the undertaking given the amount of food the pair of them seemed to get through), he'd even taken to helping in Bilbo's garden, which he had found surprisingly back-breaking. Still, it wasn't enough to counteract the vast amount of meals the Hobbit seemed intent on feeding him.

He watched Bilbo from the doorway, still unnoticed by his host, and felt a little of his annoyance fade at the sight. He was humming merrily to himself, standing over the hob and frying a pan of eggs, the early morning sunlight streaming in through the window and catching the gold and copper in his hair. His small hands were delicate, but deft as he cooked with practised ease, and Thorin couldn't help but notice how radiant Bilbo looked. There had been a time when he had been deeply concerned about how small the Hobbit had grown on their journey, and to see him now filling out his clothes better, looking round and soft again as he ought, filled Thorin with a quiet sense of relief.

Just then, Bilbo turned to remove the pan from the heat, the eggs apparently now done, and saw his long-term house-guest watching him with, what was quite likely, a besotted look upon his face. Thorin straightened, feeling his cheeks heat, and cleared his throat. Before he had time to apologise, to explain, or anything really, Bilbo's eyes lit up and he smiled widely.

"Good morning!" he practically chirruped as he scooped the eggs onto the serving platter with the rest of the food. "I trust you slept well?"

"I did indeed," Thorin replied. "And yourself?"

"Very well, thank you, yes!"

It was a lie they both told one another each day. Neither of them slept well anymore. Thorin awoke often with nightmares, and from the bedroom beside him, he often heard that Bilbo suffered in much the same way. It was likely they both knew it was happening, but neither wanted to admit it to the other, and so they pretended every day that the fear, grief, heart-ache, and deep, abiding shame was nonexistent.

Suddenly Bilbo was standing right in front of him, eyes too kind, yet somehow hesitant, and Thorin wondered if perhaps the Hobbit was about to break their mutual silence on the matter. Instead he reached forward and almost absently patted Thorin's tummy with those small, deft hands he had been admiring only moments before, and smiled warmly.

"You're looking so much healthier lately, Thorin," he said, blushing gently. "I'm pleased to see it."

In the face of such honest concern and happiness, Thorin felt all of his previous annoyance melt away to nothing. Bilbo had worried for him, just as he had worried for Bilbo. What did it matter if he needed to purchase new clothes or let out his belt a little more, when the one he loved was so determined to see him along the road to recovery? It wasn't as though the physical changes to his body were a hindrance to him, and perhaps he might see about working in the smithy if he was going to stay a while yet in Bag End.

He hoped he would never have to leave, in truth, but that decision was not up to him, and not one he had felt able to broach just yet.

"Thank you," Thorin said instead, smiling gently down at Bilbo and fighting the urge to reach up and caress his slightly pink, rounded cheek. "You are looking healthier, as well."

There was a moment between them, a pull that happened more and more lately, but Bilbo only winked and stepped back. "Come along then, breakfast is getting cold. I didn't bother making porridge this morning, but if you like we can have some with fruit for second breakfast later."

Thorin smothered a chuckle as he followed Bilbo to the table as he was bid. Yes, perhaps some time working at a forge would be a good idea, after all.

[virusgeist]

REGARDING THE "STOP BEING CUTE MOTHERFUCKER BEFORE I KISS YOU" WOLFWOOD STYLE VASHWOOD

I mean I like it a lot tbh... these are more ideas than anything...

I can see Wolfwood bringing it up a lot like 'stop looking at me like that' or 'stop making those noises' or 'stop acting like that' and Vash usually automatically assumes it's cause he's done something wrong. He confronts him one time about why he's always bullying him but Wolfwood laughs at him for even thinking like that like...

"No... I'm warning you for your own good."

Vash gets angry about him laughing and the rather vague answer. They argue and get into a little scuffle. Wolfwood slamming him up against the wall trying to make him see eye to eye with him. Vash still not getting it and Wolfwood still dancing around the truth.

Wolfwood half yells at him having to explain further, "I'm trying to save you from this nearly uncontrollable animalistic hunger that rises within me when I'm with you!!"

Vash blinks. Finally catching on to what he means and his face flushing ten shades of red. Wolfwood realizing what he's said he blushes too. He didn't mean for it to be as intense as that, more or less merely kissing but... he wasn't going to correct himself sense it still technically was the truth.

He lets Vash go and tries to play it off cool taking out a cigarette.

A few minutes go by and Vash breaks the silence, "I... I didn't know you felt that way around me... I'm sorry."

Wolfwood surprised at how unbelievable Vash is, he truly thinks everything is his fault, "What are you sorry for Blondie- I like you dumbass. That's just how it is."

Vash looks at him bewildered. Nicholas liking the likes of him? It seems unreal... and even wanting to do... Was he even gay-

Wolfwood snaps his fingers in his face,"C'mon say something-"

Vash focuses on Wolfwood again. He wasn't sure what to say. "I... uh... I don't... know what to say."

Vash can visibly see the total disappointment settling in Wolfwood's face. He scrambles for more words not wanting to see him upset,

"I mean- I think I like you too! I just- I don't..." he scratches the back of his head unsure how to put it. "I have never... really been in a relationship like that before?"

Now it was Wolfwood's turn to be bewildered. "You're telling me you're 150 years old and you've never been in a relationship?" Wolfwood furrows his eyebrows and Vash nods.

"Never kissed-" he continues and Vash shakes his head.

"No sex?" He asked hopefully a last time. Vash shook his head again feeling a little embarrassed at these invasive questions.

Wolfwood clears his throat and throws his cigarette on the ground stomping it with his foot.

He starts chuckling to himself and looks up Vash like he's some kind of delicious meal, "Huh. Just... no time for it? or..."

Vash starts shifting in place and just folds his arms not sure where else to put them. "I've never really had the chance okay-"

Wolfwood walks closer to him. Vash stepping backwards till his back hits that same wall they were fighting on before. Wolfwood putting his hand on the wall next to his head and Vash's breath hitched. Unsure of his intentions but Wolfwood grabbing his chin gently with his other hand leaning ever so close making said intentions more clear.

"Well how about now, do you want me to kiss you?" His voice was sultry and his closeness made Vash forget how to speak. All he could manage was a faint, "Uh-huh." and a small nod.

His reaction made Wolfwood smirk and brush Vash's bottom lip with his thumb. "You're so perfect."

...

This is also like. In the middle of a mission and nobody else can get ahold of these fucks for a long while and everybody is worried and when they finally show up they keep asking where the fuck they were and what da fuck they were doing the whole time. Getting angry cause they were worried.

Wolfwood just tells them them they were really busy and didn't look at the time and not to worry about it besides its none of their business. They bicker for a while longer and she notices Vash hasn't said a word.

Meryl glances at Vash and he's just avoiding eye contact at all cost with a permanent blush across his face. She's getting ideas and overprotectively YELLS AT WOLFWOOD LIKE WTF DID YOU DO TO VASH!?

Wolfwood assures her he didn't do anything Vash didn't want him to do. Vash just coughs and suggests everybody to focus on their task again and to forget about it. Which saying that he unknowingly hurts Wolfwood's feelings... like he wants to forget... what they had done and said back there. Like it was just some spur of the moment thing or something.

Though he wouldn't let anyone know he was upset. Not even Vash. He scoffs and says, "Fine." Pulling out a cigarette and walking away cause that's his fuckin coping mechanism bshdjxm

He starts to be cold towards Vash and Vash takes notice almost immediately. Though they only talk about it in the middle of a gun fight later. Which is unfortunate to say the least lol.

Wolfwood pulls Vash off to a safer area and point his own gun at Vash and ask him why he shouldn't kill him where he stands for using him like that. Vash is EXTREMELY confused and Wolfwood has to explain further. Vash understands now how he might have taken it- assuring him that it's a misunderstanding...

He informs him he was honestly embarrassed about the whole ordeal and he didn't mean to hurt his feelings... and that he doesnt wanna forget and is sure he loves him. He does want him to be his first and hopefully last boyfriend.

Wolfwood looks into his eyes for a good few seconds before crashing his lips into Vash's in the most sloppy way. He smiles at him and tells him he's got a gunfight to get back to.

[imagines-by-cleo]

Hello!! I recently got into mgsv and I love your fics so much it’s like free therapy to me<3 Are you currently accepting requests? If so, can I get a readerxKaz where Kaz has unrequited feelings to the reader but they end up being together? (And yes NSFW please haha)

But it’s alright if you’re not open for requests, absolutely no pressure!!

Absolutely friend! It makes me so happy that someone out there wants some more metal gear fics!

Kaz is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters ever pretty much so the hardest thing about writing this was picking from the ideas I already had and choosing which ones to save for another fic. Hopefully when I get some more time on my hands I can write more of our Kazzy boi but for now I hope you'll enjoy this!

CW: SMUT, masturbation, accidental voyerism/exhibitionism, sex pollen, unintentional edging, fingering, begging, wall sex, dirty talk, unprotected sex

Kaz usually didn't have a problem with visiting the R&D unit, it was just another part of making sure the base was running smoothly, but ever since he recruited this new girl checking up on operations was getting increasingly difficult.

He stood at the door to the workshop and took a deep breath, his heart dropped knowing you was on the other side. Trying to clear his thoughts before he made a fool of himself in front of you again, his hands were shaking as he reached to open the door. When he stepped through he saw people were drawing up blueprints, putting together weapons, everything was business as usual at least as far as he could tell until his gaze steered toward the desk were you sat alone. Before he knew it he was making a beeline toward your workspace, it wasn’t until he got there that he realized he had no idea what to say to you.

It must have been more than his own discomfort making the room warm. There you sat with your fatigues folded down at the waist leaving your upper half in only a tank top, your exposed skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat. Completely unaware of his presence as you were engrossed in putting together some little device. Which he was glad for since he already lost track of how long he had been standing there staring at you.

"Uhhh, what's this?" He asked, not knowing how else to break the silence.

It was no secret that he was an effortless flirt when it came to literally anyone else, but his usual pick up lines and general amorous attitude didn't feel right to use on you. A little startled at the sudden realization of his presence you looked over at him, eyes wide making him freeze under your gaze.

"Oh, it's just a new design for the codec. We already improved the sound and the broadcasting range so I was just working on the fit, now you can hardly tell you have it on." You explained, extremely proud of your design.

If he was being honest he barely processed a word you said, all too engrossed in just the sound of your voice and the passion in your eyes while you showed him your project. His efforts were focused on keeping his gaze from dropping down to your cleavage.

"Do you want to try it on?" You asked, presenting the device to him and snapping him out of the trance you had him in.

"Yeah, I guess." He replied, leaning forward.

Kaz stiffened up at the touch of your fingers on his skin while you secured the codec around his neck, taking special care to hold his quickening breath and keep from shaking visibly. As if he wasn't feeling akward enough, he felt his pants get ever so slightly tighter, making him change his stance to make it slightly less noticeable.

"See? you'll barely feel a thing." You remarked, once you finished. "I have some other designs I've been working on if you want to see them."

Before he could agree you were already bending over to reach something in a bottom drawer of your desk, exposing the waistband of your brightly colored underwear as you continued searching. Kaz felt dirty looking at you like this even though he had seen more than his fair share of naked flesh in his day, and he was very thankful for the dark sunglasses that hid the direction of his line of sight. Despite what little conscience he had left screaming at him, he couldn't bring himself to look away, watching every little movement of your body as you rummaged through the drawer while the guilt made his heart pound and his face hot.

"Here, this is a new serum I was designing with the medical team for- Are you okay?" You inquired, turning to see his flustered state.

"I'm fine." He answered, perhaps too bluntly while tugging at his shirt collar.

"Are you sure? You must to be roasting in that coat." You continued, with more genuine concern then he believed a man like him deserved.

"Don't worry about it, just tell me more about this thing." He dismissed the subject before taking a seat on the edge of your desk.

Once again he had no idea what exactly you were talking about but he knew he could listen to you for hours. Most of the room was was filled with the scent of gunpowder and oiled metals but through the thick air Kaz could get the occasional whiff of a sweet musk that could only be coming from your perfume. That certainly wasn't helping the tent in his pants go down as he had to pull his overcoat tighter around his body in order to conceal it. The fabric practically suffocated him, but now he didn't have the option of taking it off, eventually he would need to leave before he gave himself heatstroke.

"This looks great, but I have some work I need to get back to." He excused himself, it wasn’t an entire lie but the urgency of the situation was exaggerated.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you this long, I must be talking your ear off." You apologized, the thought of disappointing you by sounding disinterested made him panic.

"It's no trouble, you could talk my ear off anytime." Kaz chimed, trying to remedy the situation.

"But not now, of course." You added.

"What?" He asked.

"You have work to do." You reminded him, with a smile.

"Right." He answered, resisting the urge to smack his forehead.

Waiting until after he was out of earshot to begin muttering to himself, Kaz decided it was better to just go straight to his quarters and sort himself out before he went back to work. Stomping down the halls on his way there, thinking of all the things he maybe should have said to you and all the ways he made himself look completely stupid.

At least he could be greatful that you were the only witness to his awkward antics, he couldn't imagine what he would be in for if Ocelot or Snake saw him like that.

It was almost like the scent of your perfume was following him all the way to his room, that sweet musk filling the air even as he closed the door behind him. Ripping off his coat and hat and tossing them across the room before ungracefully throwing himself onto the bed, it was no surprise to find that his little 'problem' hadn't gone away. He frowned looking down at the ever growing bulge in his pants, his stifled cock throbbing and begging to be released.

"Making me hard in the middle of the day like that." He grumbled, unbuckling his belt.

Sighing, he realized as frustrated as he was he couldn't even bring himself to be mad at you. All you did was exist and here he was acting like some horny teenager who couldn't control himself.

"You don't even know what you do to me." He whispered, biting the fingertips of his gloves to pull them off.

Those thoughts kept coming as he slipped his hand under the waistband of his boxers, you invaded every corner of his mind like some kind of virus. He couldn't imagine how you would react if you could see the pictures he crafted in his mind, you were too good for the filthy scenarios he put you in. Of course he respected you, you were an excellent engineer with a brilliant mind and one of the most genuinely good people he had ever met, so why couldn't he stop thinking of fucking you like you were anything less than that?

Your name left his lips like a prayer for forgiveness. There was no concern for volume anymore as he pulled out his hard length and stroked it with a firm grip.

He let his mind wander to a scene of him bending you over that desk of yours and telling you to keep talking about your little inventions while he pounded into you, making you explain every detail while you tried not to whimper and moan. Kaz let out a shuddering sigh, wondering how that sweet voice of yours would sound while you were on the brink of an orgasm.

"I bet you sound so fucking pretty, don't you?" He breathed out.

Having to slow the speed of his strokes in order to savor the thought, he let the image continue to dance in his mind. In a way, this was as close as he could be to you without becoming an absolute nervous wreck, so why not make it last as long as possible?

Remembering how your fingers felt on his skin for that brief time, he moved his hand to his neck, trying to mimic the way you had touched him. Accidentally brushing against a switch on the codec collar he forgot to return before leaving, the speaker made a small feedback noise and a gasp from a familiar voice cane from the other side.

Kaz made a mistake.

Not only did he forget he was wearing it but the damn thing was on the whole time he was touching himself, not to mention he had no idea what you heard or what channel he was on and who else might have heard. Tearing the device off and making sure it wasn't recording anymore, he had to keep himself from throwing it at the wall while he cursed at the tiny object in his hand.

A soft knock came from the other side of the door making Kaz nearly jump out of his skin. It could have only been a minute since he discovered the codec but it felt like hours, someone was probably here to confront him about his broadcast. Hurriedly stuffing his erection back into his pants he went to grab his crutch so he could answer whoever was on the other side. He wiped the sweat from his brow, fastened his belt and smoothed out his hair, trying to look as normal as possible before answering the door.

He was surprised further to see the very subject of his previous fantasies waiting outside, wearing an uneasy look similar to the one he usually wore around you. Before you could even speak he knew he had been caught, his body went stiff as held his breath waiting for you to say anything.

"So uhhh... I forgot to ask for the codec back." You explained, the tone of your voice confirming his fears.

Slowly and wordlessly he handed the device over to you, there was nothing he could say to make this situation any worse. Perhaps there was some comfort in that simple fact, but Kaz began to doubt that once you began to speak again.

"That's not all." You continued, sounding increasingly nervous. "I didn't notice it until you left, but some chemicals from that serum I was working on earlier spilled all over it, and you're probably feeling it's effects right now."

"What? What does the serum do?" He asked, accidentally poisoning himself would be the cherry on top of this shit sundae of a situation.

"You weren't paying attention? That makes sense now, I suppose." You answered bluntly. "It's an aphrodisiac."

"Why would you make that?" The crack in his voice was unexpected, the confusion getting the better of him.

"For interrogations and things like that." You explained, your body was visibly shaking as your breathing grew heavier. "It's only supposed to last a couple hours."

"Say, you're not feeling the same effects are you?" He asked, noticing how flustered you seemed to be.

"Well... maybe a little." You responded, your eyes could never quite meet his. "But not as bad as you, from what could hear."

"Right, how much trouble am I in?" He sighed, taking his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Not much, you were on a private channel just for testing, but I heard everything." You replied, your face getting redder by the second. "That's the reason I came looking for you, part of it anyway."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I was thinking since this is kind of my fault, I could maybe help you out." You proposed, meeting his gaze and falling silent.

He had to think long and hard before responding, that look you gave him made the offer hard to refuse. "Are you sure about that? I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything for me."

"No, I want to." You replied, Kaz never thought he would hear those words from you. "Just tell me what you need."

The air between the two of you grew heavy, he could almost hear your hearts pounding. This wasn't an opportunity he would pass up, but he wouldn't simply take advantage of the situation.

"If you're sure about this." He chimed, before cupping your cheek in his hand and gently touching his lips to yours. "Let me show you."

As the kiss slowly deepened you set your hands against his chest, grasping at his uniform while he slid his tongue against your bottom lip. Pushing you up against the wall earned a small gasp from you, parting your mouth just enough to allow his tongue to explore inside. His hand dropped to your waist, tracing your curves before wrapping his arm around and pulling you tight against him. You lifted your hips, grinding over the bulge in his pants that was begging for any kind of attention, and would have to wait a little longer unfortunately.

Kaz groaned into your mouth before pulling away to get a look at your face, searching for any kind of doubt or remorse. It occurred to him as you stared back with a slightly awestruck gaze that this was the first time you had seen him without his glasses, he felt as if he was meeting you for the first time.

"Still sure about this? We can stop if you want to." He asked again,

"Keep going." You panted.

Kissing your lips one more time before dipping down below your chin, trailing lower as you moved your hair away to give him more access to your skin. He was absolutely drowning in your scent, trying to get a taste while he teased the spots that gained the most reaction from you with his tongue.

"You smell so sweet." He chided, grinning against your neck.

"It's the chemicals." you giggled.

Serum or not, Kaz couldn't keep his eyes or his mouth off of you. He pulled your jumpsuit off your shoulders inch by inch, kissing every newly revealed bit of your body like it was the only time he would have the chance, because as far as he knew that was likely the case. You looked so cute wiggling out of your clothes, struggling to get your boots out of your pant legs so you didn't have to part from him to take them off.

While he was giving your body the attention it deserved, you were working on uncovering his. Deftly undoing each button on his uniform and gently pulling off his tie. When your hands finally reached the last layer he shuddered at your fingers touching his bare skin, a feeling he wouldn't mind getting used to but for now was completely foreign. His body wasn't as toned as it was the last time someone touched him like this, the sense of pride he felt when a partners fingers explored perfectly firm abs was replaced with an anticipated of rejection.

"You still want this?" He asked.

"Of course." You assured him.

"You're positive?"

"Just fuck me already Kaz." You urged him, sounding as annoyed as you were desperate.

He didn't have to be told twice, pulling your panties to the side and sliding his fingers between your folds to test if you were wet enough. The sounds you made while he explored had him torn between fucking you now or just stuffing you with his fingers until you were screaming his name. It was easy to push one past your entrance given how soaked you were, you must have downplayed your own exposure to the serum.

"I'm not so convinced you're doing this all for me now." He teased, shoving his middle finger as deep inside of you as it could go.

"Please, I need it." You breathed out.

"Show me how much you need it." He ordered.

Without hesitation you put hand behind his head and shoved his mouth against yours, whining and panting helplessly into the kiss. The way you rocked against his hand showed him how impatient you were getting, it wasn’t long before you were palming the front of his pants, wordlessly begging for him to take things to the next level. He had to take extra care and control himself, being so sensitive from bringing himself to the edge right before being interrupted had every touch making him feel like he was about to cum from that alone. When you pulled his cock out it was already twitching and leaking in anticipation, Kaz could honestly say it was the hardest he'd ever been and it would still be a while before he could get the release he needed.

Gritting his teeth he let you give him a few quick pumps before guiding him inside, he hooked his hand under your thigh to lift your leg and spread you just a little wider. He felt like everything was moving in slow motion, the moment he was completely enveloped in your wet heat seemed to last hours. He would have to move slow, ignoring your desperate moans promting him to go faster so he could last longer.

Your body was so close to his, rocking, writhing, squeezeing, flexing. Any part of you that wasn't pressed together was mere inches away, every breath and moan was shared and your bodies moved in perfect unision. It was hard to think that only an hour ago this was could only have been a daydream. He never wanted this to end, your arms around his chest, your legs wrapped around his hips, and your teeth sinking into his shoulder as you tried and failed to stifle your moans. This was more than a drug, this was heaven, he finally found it.

A set of stomping footsteps came down the adjacent hall made Kaz reflexively put his hand over your mouth. A gaurd walked right past the corridor you both were in without even looking in your direction. The two of you stilled as he passed, sobered by the realization that you were out in the open and barely even dressed. As a Commander, Kaz couldn't help but be a little disgusted with the lack of awareness in his soldiers, but for now he was glad he wasn't literally caught with his pants down.

"Can we maybe do this on a bed?" You requested with a slurred voice while your eyes looked over at the bedroom door only a few feet away.

"Good idea." He replied.

He made a less than dignified noise when he pulled out and stuffed his cock haphazardly back into his boxers, there was no way he was going to be able to do that again but for now it was better than walking around with it out. The two of you made your way into his room half dressed and fully determined to continue what you started once Kaz made sure to lock the door behind you. The short distance from the hall to the door felt like miles and the distance from the door to the bed felt longer, luckily he had the sight of you dressed in nothing but a tank top and soaked panties to keep him occupied.

In a race to get undressed he waited for you to get on the bed, not expecting you to shove him on it first and climb on top of him. At first he was understandably taken aback but he discovered he liked this more aggressive side of you that he hadn't seen before. Seeing you completely naked for the first time made his cock twitch as you started to stroke it while straddling him. He couldn't wait any longer, his resolve was wearing thiner with every touch and he would prefer to make you cum before letting go himself.

"What's taking you so long?" Kaz blurted out without thinking.

"Give me a second, I haven't done this before." You answered, shifting your knees to the least awkward position.

"You what?" He almost shouted.

"No, I mean I haven't been on top before. Hang on a second." You clarified, much to his relief.

He sighed as you finally sunk down on him setting a steady pace that didn't last long. His hand settled on your hip, urging you to go faster and faster until the bed was creaking underneath you.

"How's that feel?" He asked, lifting hips to match your every move.

"It's... It's different like this." You whined, the series of dirty wet noises getting louder. "Mmh... I'm making such a mess."

Kaz laughed, he wanted to tease you but at this point he wasn't doing much better. "You're doing so good."

The way you were rolling your hips gave him the impression that you were now focused on chasing your own pleasure, he sharply thrusted up just to hear you gasp and then whisper a few feverish curses. He hadn't done this since he lost his dominant hand but he was determined to make it work as he reached between your thighs, rubbing in circles with his thumb until he found the tiny spot that made you cry out. Your nails raked into the skin on his abdomen, leaving light red stripes he hoped would never fade.

A sense of accomplishment overtook him when your thighs started to shake, letting him know he didn't have to hold back anymore. He lifted his hips into yours while you bounced rhythmlessly on his cock, throwing his head back as he reveled in the feeling completely. Your bodies twitched and flexed together much like before, the intensity growing as you both chased the mind numbing orgasm. Kaz panted and growled like an animal feeling hot spurts of his cum empty into your tight hole and then drip out onto his skin.

Continuing long after you both had finished, he could only guess that you stopped just because your legs didn't have the strength anymore. As you laid overtop of him you covered his neck and the underside of his chin in light kisses, he sat back too exhausted to question your overly amorous attitude. Wrapping his arm around your waist he pulled you down, wanting to feel the warmth of your skin on his for a little longer.

Unsure if this was genuine affection or some other symptom of the chemicals he dared to let himself believe that you meant every touch and kiss, returning them where he could reach to the point where it threatened to get him going again. Nuzzling against him like a kitten and acting like you hadn't touched another person in years, even when you rested your head on his chest you were still drawing shapes on his skin. Kaz wanted to say something, anything to address what had just happened but he feared he would spoil the blissful silence.

"If you're feeling any lingering side effects in the next couple days, I'd be happy to help you out again." You offered.

"Oh yeah? I think I might start feeling something this Friday night" He joked earning a soft laugh from you.

"You're funny, it's too bad we only got together because of an experiment gone wrong." You remarked.

"I think something would have happened eventually." Kaz replied, there was no harm in putting it all out there at this point.

"What do you mean?" You asked, it was hard to believe even now you had no idea.

"I mean you could have got me without the serum." He explained, looking down into your eyes. "You're sweet, smart, and not to mention gorgeous.

"Aww you have a crush on me!" You teased, booping your finger on his nose.

"Cut it out, you're making me blush." He laughed.

"I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about drugging you after all." You replied.

"Don't forget, there's still a couple side effects." He reminded you.

"Already?" You asked after looking down to discover he was ready for another round

"It's your experiment, I thought you would expect this." He answered.

"I think I'll have to run a few more tests." You teased, climbing back on top of him.

"I'm all yours." He promised.

[muninnhuginn]

hello! for the wip ask game: 🌀🌧️☔

hi! sorry for taking ridiculously long to answer this, but thanks for asking ^^

🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing...

Went for the placeholder summary of the angsty CXS-QL siblingisms fic I've been stalled on for months:

It's not that Cheng Xiaoshi wouldn't like Qiao Ling as a sister. It's just that she has her family; he has his. That's all there is to it. That's all there will ever be.

🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP.

This is from the siblingisms fic. Hopefully makes sense without much context, but tldr Cheng Xiaoshi and Xiao Li are at the store having accidental emotional (un)honesty hours:

Cheng Xiaoshi muttered, “I’m not going to make the mistake of pushing myself into somewhere I’m not wanted.” That hadn’t been what he’d meant to say. “Not that I think– Maybe when we were younger, it was one thing, but Qiao Ling has her own stuff on, nowadays.” Better. Xiao Li's expression was unreadable at that, so Cheng Xiaoshi cleared his throat and continued, “You do get that, right?” It came out more pleading than he was comfortable with. He clearly hadn't convinced Xiao Li, whose eyes narrowed. For a second, Cheng Xiaoshi thought he might leave it be, but then he moved closer. Cheng Xiaoshi resisted the urge to shy back, well aware there was a shelf directly behind him. “Look,” Xiao Li said, resting a hand on Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulder. “You’re young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Now is the time for you to make mistakes, alright?” The grip on his shoulder tightened until it verged on painful. “Make your mistakes now so you don’t make them later.” Xiao Li looked away then, allowing the harsh lights of the store to catch his wrinkles. He seemed old, all of a sudden. “Don’t presume you know what’s going on in someone’s else’s mind.”

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I've got two here. One Link Click (donghua version), one White Cat Legend (cdrama version specifically).

The Link Click concept is something I may attempt one day, but eh, for now it's just in my head. So, the hospital-boat loop in season two. I subscribe to the idea that Lu Guang never meant for Cheng Xiaoshi to loop back in his place at the hospital. And I'd love to explore the implications of that if you actually follow them through. Lu Guang may not have even *realised* that Cheng Xiaoshi went back at first, so in this concept, when he realises what happened (due to CXS casually referencing the phone passcode of trauma LG did not know he knew), he freaks. Thinks CXS could have seen something when was possessing him (s2 finale spoilers obviously :V). And in trying to dig to figure out *what* Cheng Xiaoshi knows from his possession that time (which is... basically nothing) Lu Guang would basically give the game away to some extent. Hadn't decided if to make it full reveal or not, but that was the gist (still not written a proper reveal in general, but at some point I should at least try rather than dancing around it).

The other concept. So, honestly, I *know* there are probably fic with this as the basis but none of it is in English so I'm stuck pawing sadly at the sidelines. White Cat Legend (cdrama not donghua) time travel fix-it with qiubing. Where they both go back and don't realise the other has also gone back and so spend the whole time suspicious of each other. I hadn't gone any further than that because I know time travel fix-it deals tend to be longer than a short one-shot which is all I trust myself to write, but their whole canon loyalty/distrust dynamic is so compelling. They're both falling on swords for each other whilst refusing to clear any of the misunderstandings up. So turbo charging that dynamic with time travel and giving them the chance to fix everything if they'd just talk *properly* to each other is like catnip to me.

[cathalbravecog]

long ramble, haven't had one of these in a while! if you read this, have fun. it's headcanons/thoughts on some stuff. i don't talk about my thoughts on story stuff publicly much anymore especially because 1) i'm shy 2) trust issues 3) bad rsd 4) i forgot the last point

i was writing for oNCE yesterday (some headcanon stuff, for myself, won't be posting that unless i change the wording of some of it to make more sense because i ramble a lot and it's a mess. like i am doing right now. also that turned into being mostly about hr in the end because i am ill. now hopefully this motivation will get me to write my mary and archie stuff.)

and when i went to bed i was thinking about some stuff in toontown, mostly the cogs - and how things work. these are things i ponder on very often and have talked about with my friends many time, throwing ideas back and forth and my headcanons for how things work.

though, there's one thing i really wonder about, and that's where cogs come from in ttcc exactly. in 'that' way though of course to keep things on the same rating as the game is i won't discuss anything explicit so don't worry. (besides they're robots and also are sexless to me, anything related to gender is purely cosmetic to them. you are usually assigned a certain expression when built though, but can change that later on. that's how i explain trans cogs.)

i think about how there are canonical families and children, and that they have "built" dates and places where they've been built. it's obvious as they're robots, they're not born they're built and made.

it's a bit difficult to explore with the limited info we have, which is kind of both an hassle to work with, but also beautiful because you can let your creativity go and make up your own headcanons, without things being set in too much canon. it's also difficult due to how different the suit culture is to us humans and also what we see from the toons which is by nature more familiar to us.

we also do not know much about suitopia, or other possible places where cogs live.

(i, personally, imagine suitopia as essentially a big country where most if not all cogs live. it has it's own regions, cities... all that. where as c.o.g.s. inc has built itself to be essentially it's own small country/community, if that makes sense. though cogs don't always only mention suitopia, at least once 'the whole world' is used. this is irrelevant tho so i won't discuss that but it's still a 'core' headcanon i have - as other things i may hc rely on this personal interpretation / headcanon.

but be aware i do not know everything is canon and can discuss things outside my realm of HCs and interpretations, but if i go deeper into like, let's say, analyzing a cog and imagining their backstory, instantly assume i'm using all these things. sorry for the side ramble, i want to make things clear for possible future reference.)

i wish it will be expanded upon slightly in the future, even a slightest crumb of what it's like out there and i can have a field day with it. i do enjoy the vagueness tho, again, as i've said we do not need to have all the information out there and it's not necessary to the main stories that are being told but MAN my brain itches for MORE. i demand EXPLANATIONS. and so i make up my own lol and i love that i can do that /gen (there's some stuff i do have an issue with that it was not explained better, but again, fixed that with hcs. talking abt atticus but im not getting into that rn)

there also may be things i am missing - i have known of ttcc's existence since it's early days, but i wasn't there for it and missed being there in person for any lore until i started playing for real in early 2023 and became a part of the community. like, there ARE things i have missed AND small details i am missing. that's one criticism i have about some info being more difficult to access now, but the main stuff is on the wiki an all luckily.

anyways that ramble out of the way... how the heck are cogs made? there's a few ways, that seem contradictory in some ways at first but i just see it as different methods.

we know cogs can change their appearances (their shell) and be "upgraded". we know cogs can even choose to be just their skelecogs (Atticus) and i suppose every other skelecog we see.) we know cogs have families and have their own kids. (cathal and bobby jr come to mind, and also belle's own kids and grandkids. not to mention, we have siblings too - thomas and robert. and their whole family drama DOES involve their unseen parents.) we know many cogs, mostly the managers, come into the company as their are - but also new parts are built, at least for the employee cogs in sellbot hq. (recently re-read the dialogue which confirmed this - literally as you're building your sellbot suit.)

we know cogs are more than just some working machines and do have deeper lives and desires and even relationships, though all instances of a parent/child relationship in ttcc have only one parent. makes sense after all they don't reproduce sexually to put it that way, again they're built and they're robots.)

it's easy to conclude, that, cogs are just built. which is true. but it just makes me wonder. we know they age. we have at least 1 cog who is a literal child, and bobby, in human years at least, looks no older than like, 8 years old. (we also don't know how cogs age. we also know cog's don't die like that, due to the whole deal with atticus. i will talk about this one day i have so many thoughts on it)

we know they grow up and even have schools - they're not programmed with everything. they earn experience as they live life and even have?? education systems? like they're more like people than we thought. (ttcc does make cogs more easily sympathized with and gives us INDIVIDUAL cogs and not just... 'The Cogs'. cogs are the focus of ttcc so of course they're developed more and are more 'human' despite being machines.)

so clearly, there's cogs like bobby. who are built young and eventually grow up. we have not seen a cog growing up yet, at least i don't think. but i wonder how that works. through cartoon logic, do they just grow up? their skelecog and perhaps their shell, too? or do they periodically get upgraded to be larger - wouldn't it make sense to built a cog as, well, an adult already? to program all these things? there may be more limits to this than we think, but also just... cultural things possibly.

the only cog CHILD (not just the child of someone - cathal's an adult. also, redd mention, but redd's adopted so he doesn't count) we ever see is bobby and, he is the child of robert, who is known to be very short. we don't know if bobby's going to grow up, or if this height is what he's just going to be like. we have one image where he's way smaller than robert, and other, more recent ones, where they're a similar heights. is that just art inconsistency due to the nature of all the (amazing) artwork being, well, volounteer work and that not everything is (or has to be) perfect? or did bobby really grow up. i'm talking about the wallet picture and the comics featuring bobby, by the way.

though, as things are, i'm sort of assuming that bobby's going to grow up or be upgraded in some way to "grow up"? i don't think we need an clear explanation for that, and in a universe like this 'cartoon logic' would be enough, but it's still something to think about.

like...how do cogs go about having kids, anyways? all instances we see are visually similar as well. cathal has the same gear for his neck as allan's body does, and they have the same head lightbulbs and wires. bobby jr and robert are both furniture.

i've always assumed that it's like in robots (the movie, that i havent watched in years which would be helpful for all this, probably.) if you decide to have a child just for the experience of raising a child, to have a legacy, or due to a bond with a partner - you literally just build one. perhaps not in the same way as in the movie - in here it definitely requires more paperwork and blueprints. but again, it's interesting to think about! hey company i want a CHILD. i look like this build them like me thanks here's some blueprints. (this also explains the amount of single parents. though belle has to have been married/is married as her honorific is listed as mrs. hey fun fact, non native english speaker here. i didnt know 'mrs' means a lady is married until like this year. i've been on this earth for 19 years.)

like the concept of family is possibly just more social there than anything. duh... can't exactly have the same oil and wires inside of you as Robots .

anyways, so that explains kids... but what about the others? some cogs don't have any families mentioned but it's not hard to assume they come from families with parents and siblings as well. what about the employee cogs? who are quite literally very disposable in a way?

we do have to take into account that after all, employee cogs we see just on and about on the streets are mostly a game mechanic, and there are some individual cogs who ARE cogs who would typically be employees cogs. (jennifer comes to mind first, she's a micromanager but also a secretary and counts as a manager. same goes for judy and so forth.)

and y'know, the game won't have a personality and backstory for each random flunky on the streets you fight. but with often they get destroyed and repaired and that there's just... so many of them! of the same model and appearance... makes you think. is that why they were made? are they truly more robotic than the others, more devoid of 'humanity'? or were they different cogs, perhaps more lower class, who's appearances were changed entirely to fit into more easily fixable and replaceable shell forms? something that's less expensive for the company and for them? i swear i am missing some details on this, but that's for me to re read the wiki and cogs ink for on my own later. (i need to have full info n everything and if i dont bring up that i know one small detail i will explode bc someone will bring it up and make me feel dumb and that's the rsd part and it's often physically painful!)

very hard to tell, i'm sort of content with my thoughts on how cogs have kids, but i hope we ever get a bit more clarity on employee cogs - though it is a bit problematic as these are the guys you beat up on the daily who don't have individual personalities.

like i'm just rambling as i go here man, it was gonna be cohesive but i'm just spitting thoughts here now. like, we have 3 seperate skelecog types - all cogs come with a skelecog like we have a skeleton so that also comes into play. it can be adjusted in ways, most notably the head and also in size. though we do have a 4 arm cog. jason please i love you /p we need more jason content. it's wacky, it's tacky - it's toontown!

fun stuff to think about but i just deep fried my brain. tdlr i guess.

how cogs made. how cogs have kids. how cogs work in general. very swag very cool. guzma cathal spades spamtongender goes on 1568854 different tangents while saying they wont aka your swagesty your adhd symptoms are showing

that's it fellas enjoy 2k words of incomprehensible rambles that i am happy to finally get out! you see the way i explain things is precisely why i almost never do it publicly and i need practice shortening things.

[cometcon]

THE PRICE OF DUTY

- Chapter 1

Summary:

The expectations of a Royal can be stressful. Coranda Akroahm, Queen-In-Waiting of Akiridion-5, is no exception to this rule, and she wants to party. Luckily, her two closest friends know exactly where all the best spots are.

Coranda expects a fun night out. What she does not expect is for the presence of a mysterious club performer to change her life - and the future of the entire Akiridion System - forever.

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

Notes:

This is rated M on A03 and will be raised to Explicit once I get to those chapters. 18 AND OVER ONLY PLEASE.

So I've been getting back into 3Below again lately, especially with Vexando as a ship. I've been writing that one for a bit and finally finished it today and decided I wanted to share it on here too, but thought I'd share this one first because it has a lot of the worldbuilding explanations in the notes and delves a little more into my playing around with the world than The Price of Honour does.

When writing this, I was exploring taylon cultural things and playing around with a lot of stuff. One of the things I explore in this is culturally using their names the way we use multi-pronouns for people or fictional characters with multi-pronouns. They're changed up as you go with the understanding (hopefully) that it is the same person based on context. So if you meet Veyla Varda, then see her called Veyla one moment and Varda the next, hopefully it's clear from the fact she introduced herself as Veyla Varda that they're both the same person and Coranda is just used to respecting the name culture I'm playing around with. (That is also an undercover name so that will change in the next chapter to her actual name. Sorry lol. Just remember context is your best friend and hopefully that'll help keeping up with this thing.)

Also keep in mind critical consumption as always, and that Coranda is 100% intended to be the villain of this story.

More explained in the end notes but the short version is:

Expect a lot of things presented in here that have nothing to do with the show and everything to do with me going "hmm, I see your under-developed/scrapped concept ideas the corporate people at Netflix wouldn't let you go into, and raise you actually spending time having fun with your outer space society concept and removing the sanitization required for a PG-aged audience because I'm not writing for a kids show."

Basically, if it's casually stated but you've never seen it in the show, figure it out from the context or expect that it will be explained/covered further at some point if I continue. This is very much an experimental piece for the funsies, and because my brain wouldn't leave me alone about it, an actual chapter exists now with plans for subsequent chapters in the works. :D

Longer notes at the end if you're interested in more writer waffle about why this thing came to be and more detail about wtf is going on in my head. XD

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

Rise and fall, spin and sway. The taylon's stunning form held Coranda in a trance as she watched her move gracefully to the rhythm pulsing through the room. Time had lost all meaning around the eighth glass and she was beginning to regret listening to her friends' encouragement. 

Where were they?

She had half a mind to peer around for them, but that would require tearing her eyes off the dancer, which most certainly wouldn't do. Not when it seemed she might be approaching, the space between them growing ever shorter as a mekron passed. Then another. And another. 

Coranda wished she would hurry up already, wondering if it would risk her own cover too much to ask for a name, once she came close enough. Did people even do that in places like this, or was everyone supposed to remain anonymous? Her hidden pair of arms twitched restlessly in their bindings, wishing to reach out and touch, though she knew that would instantly bring the whole night to a frustrating conclusion. 

The three akiron had snuck out on Vasilica's suggestion to take part in the nightlife on Akiridion-8's most far flung lunar settlements. The excitement and risk of being caught mingling with the common masses was giddying, and they weren't the only ones seeking such forbidden revelry. Nobles from all branches of major and minor houses alike ventured into these areas for a bit of merrymaking whenever it suited them. Any who recognised one usually knew better than to cause genuine trouble, though the danger of being noticed by the wrong people was never completely absent. Others were all too eager in handing them back over to their families, in exchange for a tidy sum of crestons to keep their mouths shut.

Back and forth the dancer went, as though intentionally taunting Coranda, ever so slowly creeping toward her.

Just a little more. Please. 

"Come on," she muttered before she could stop herself, then froze as four breathtaking eyes flickered down to meet hers. Oh no. 

"Eager are we?"

A broad face with glowing stripes filled her vision for several sectons and part of Coranda instinctively tried to flinch away. Another wondered how it would feel to- 

One massive hand encased her wrist - and half her forearm - halting the thought in its tracks. She hadn't meant to act on it. An apology bubbled up in her mind, but she was released before she could say it aloud. The taylon gave her a knowing smile, then called something to a server nearby. Coranda vaguely recognised the language, her tutor's lessons in other native Akridion tongues labouring through the mire of intoxication. 'No more' was in there somewhere, she was certain. The server's quick nod and aboutface practically confirmed it. Well that was rude. She was here to escape people making decisions on her behalf. How dare-

"So where are you coming from tonight?" 

The platform lifted a fraction beneath her hand as the dancer stepped off, landing much more lightly than Coranda had expected from a being so large, she still towered over the Royal even on equal ground. Coranda wasn't sure how to answer, thoroughly distracted by the way her new companion looked leaning casually against the stage. 

"What's your name?" she blurted, instantly hoping it had been drowned out by the environment. No such luck, of course; taylon audial slits could often pick up the smallest of things in the noisiest of soundscapes. 

"Veyla Varda," she said with a laugh, "You?"

Her strong voice carried easily to Coranda, who awkwardly tried to copy the relaxed pose and immediately missed the edge she'd aimed to put her weight on.  

"I'm Cor- ah!"

She was caught before she face-planted, though embarrassment warmed her cheeks all the same. Veyla's deceptively gentle grip made something equally warm creep through her lower region and she desperately prayed it wouldn't show.

"Cora, huh? You don't look like a Cora, though I suppose that's hardly my business. Are you here with company?" 

"Friends, somewhere," Coranda mumbled, most of her attention a little pre-occupied with how the light struck Veyla's muscular chest. She wanted to trace the creases in that flimsy shirt, perhaps even take a fistful and hope Varda let herself be drawn down for-

"Maybe buy me a drink first, eh?"

A playful chuckle accompanied Coranda's fingers being patiently extracted from the fabric and placed back at her own side. Seklos and Gaylen, she'd done it again! 

"Sorry," she managed this time, glaring at the offending appendage, "They keep doing that." 

"Tell you what: I promise I won't hold it against them, providing they do something for me." 

This was followed by an expectant tilt of her head and Coranda's knees almost buckled at the indescribably filthy implication, even as she mentally flopped in confusion. Veyla Varda had rejected her but was still flirting? Her mind tried and failed to decisively identify what it all meant together, giving up about three sectons in to simply nod instead. Things would be clarified soon enough and the longer she delayed, the more likely it was she'd be banished to the faceless crowd. 

Varda's fingers enveloped her arm and drew her along, patrons parting before the Queen-in-waiting's enormous chaperone as she navigated toward the bar. Coranda could see glimpses of it through the bodies still ahead, though not much else. Her arm felt secure in the taylon's grasp and she took comfort from its reassuring presence. Her mind had just visited her with a tantalising image of that hand going far less appropriate places when they finally reached their destination.

A grizzled old voltarian pottered around behind the bar, pouring drinks and wiping up a particularly broad spill while scowling at the patron whose careless gesturing had caused the mess. Veyla caught his attention and spoke to him in the same language again, accepting the small vial he passed to her with an appreciative smile. Gaylen's Blade, how far did her lips spread? Coranda stared for over a mekron, before she realised those lips were moving in speech patterns she recognised better. 

"Cora? You with me?" 

"Ah, yes! Sorry! What were you saying?" 

Two eyes rolled so quickly she almost missed it, while the other pair dropped to the bottle, Veyla popping the lid with a flick and holding it out to her charge. Coranda blinked stupidly, unsure what to make of the situation. Was it safe to accept drinks from random strangers if they were employees? She had been told not to accept from just anyone, but this seemed different somehow. 

"Come on. You'll feel better. Here."

Veyla pressed the bottle into her hand and Coranda decided she didn't care, the barely concealed strength in that touch teasing her imagination until she haphazardly threw the drink back and chugged. The taste was… definitely like nothing she had ever imbibed before, and she made a vow on the spot never to repeat this mistake. 

"I can see how you got lost so fast. Slow down there," Veyla laughed, raising a browridge when she glanced downward and noticed the bottle was nearly empty, "Alright then. Why don't you sit tight while we wait for it to kick in." 

"Wait for what?" Coranda asked, surprised by how much easier her words were forming now. 

"That. Heh, lightweight." 

"What is this?" she asked as the room around her came into better focus. 

"Rapid-Grade Detox Formula. Good to have in a pinch, in case someone has clearly overestimated their resilience. You probably should have gone slower with it though." 

Coranda bristled, her steadily clearing head now capable of retrieving prior grudges. 

"I'll thank you not to decide what I should or should not be doing," she thumped the decanter onto the bartop, not bothering to catch it as its sideways position lent it the ability to roll off the edge. Unfortunately, it didn't smash, though the konk as it hit the floor was satisfying enough. "I get plenty of that at-" 

Her abdomen tensing sharply cut her off mid-rant and she groaned, clutching her waist. 

"I think you'll want to be heading for the purge-room now. But far be it from me to tell you what to do." 

Her self-appointed guardian was smirking and Coranda wanted nothing more than to punch her square in her unfairly solid jawline.

"Where?" she forced through gritted teeth, sliding off the stool and staggering toward the door the moment it was pointed out to her. 

It opened automatically and she silently praised the foresight of whoever had taken pity on the desperate when choosing that function, allowing her to make a beeline straight for the nearest purging pool unhindered. The fourth wave of nausea relieved her of her stomach's contents, her sides beginning to ache from the involuntary contractions. A clear fluid flowed through the pool, washing it all away down a drain hole hidden beneath the edging. She dunked her two free hands into the stream, scooping up enough to splash her face before swishing a mouthful around and spitting it out. 

Coranda didn't even notice anyone had followed her in, until a heavy warm touch she was quickly growing familiar with settled on her head. It took everything she had not to lean into it like an overly enthusiastic fugu-dog, reminding herself she was very annoyed right now and not remotely in the mood for-

Those huge fingers shifted her dangling hair over her neck, trailing briefly across the skin there and causing a delightful shiver and a soft sigh she immediately regretted. There was no way anyone looking directly at her could miss her darkening cheeks now. She wanted Veyla to do so much more, to take every thought away and make her forget what awaited upon her return tomorrow. She had arched upward without realising and was met with a deep rumble of amusement. 

"Feeling better then? Good. Maybe next time you'll pace yourself and not wander off on your own." 

Coranda groaned, her miffed tone somewhat dulled by a sudden wave of drowsiness.

"I didn't wander. I'm not a child, Varda, and for your information, I stayed exactly where we were supposed to be. They left." 

"I see," Veyla's voice had grown colder and Coranda instinctively drew into herself. A moment later however, she relaxed again, soothed by the deliciously rhythmic movements of the hand on her neck and primary shoulder set as they were gently massaged. "Do these 'friends' have names? I could send someone to collect them." 

"Oh no no, I wouldn't want to be a bother." 

"To us or to them?" she thought she heard Varda mutter, but it was lost under the door sliding open and the muted sounds of the club suddenly increasing in volume.

"There you are! We could-oof!" 

Patrizia stopped dead in her tracks and stumbled forward as someone ran into her.

"What in Gaylen's name- Move!" She was shoved aside, leaving Vasilica standing in her place. The taller akiron righted her own clothing with an aggravated expression, until she also noticed Coranda's unexpected companion and paused. "Who is this? Should I be calling Security?" 

Coranda winced at the pompous tone, thanking her fortune she wasn't in any actual danger while simultaneously cursing her friend's idiocy. If the taylon were a real threat, she was well and truly close enough to snap Coranda's neck with a flick, and it would take even less effort to crush her core within the next secton. 

"And how would I be assisting you today?" Veyla stood slowly, reminding Coranda again just how much bigger she was than the three Royals in the room as she reached her full imposing height. Patrizia gulped and edged a little closer to the exit. Vasilica's face had turned a delightfully paler shade of blue, tilting upward to follow Varda's rising eyes with increasing dismay. "Have you lost someone, perhaps?"

"It's fine. They're here now. I'll be alright." Coranda tried getting to her own feet as she spoke, only to find her legs refused to work. Her fall was arrested once more as Varda's hand whipped out to catch her arm, then gently lowered her to the ground. Seklos, she had extremely good reflexes, even by normal taylon standards.

"Sit down before you hurt yourself."

"What did you do to her?" Patrizia asked, the concern in her words almost sounding genuine. She hid herself behind her sister when Veyla gave them both a withering look, stepping toward the two and driving them ahead of her as they backed away.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear. We all need a break sometimes. But there are responsibilities we do not shirk, at any point, under any circumstances. One of those is not leaving a first timer alone in a loud enclosed space, completely incapacitated and barely aware of what's happening. Considering you've clearly been to places like this before, I'd have thought you'd know that."

The door sensor activated, allowing them an escape into the crowd if they wished. Yet Vasilica stopped, likely regaining confidence with a room full of witnesses at her disposal. "How dare you?" she said angrily, her voice even more shrill and grating than usual. Patrizia was tugging her arm, but she shook her off. "Do you have any idea who we are?"

"I do not," the taylon replied, and while Coranda could no longer see her expression, something about her air seemed to shift. A jovially challenging tone accompanied her next words as her head performed that delightful little tilt again, though in a considerably less friendly manner than earlier, and Coranda felt a flash of excitement imagining what having that directed at her might be like. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

Vasilica's mouth hung open, staring helplessly. Coranda couldn't recall a time she'd ever seen the bossy noble actually struck speechless. There was nothing to be said, unless they were ready to meet with an unpleasant end to their fun little jaunt. 

She knows we're not supposed to be here. Don't take the bait, you fool. Walk away. Please. 

Loud screaming and the shatter of multiple glass objects breaking at once cut through the moment, Vasilica falling to the floor as Veyla immediately barged past her toward the source. The patrons near the bar were scrambling to vacate the area, leaving Coranda a clear view of what they were fleeing from. 

A large family of foo-foo, two voltarians, one kaygon and possibly a dozen or more gaalahni had stolen the attention of the entire club, poised in a threatening formation around the bar. On the other side, the old voltarion barkeep stood braced for further violence. Behind him, a particularly lanky akiron pushed himself away from the destruction his body had made, glass tinkling to the floor as he staggered upright, clothing drenched in a variety of imbibements. 

Veyla Varda halted, clearly noticing the numerous blasters now trained on her companion, who calmly raised his hands. The newcomers hadn't spotted her yet, too focused on the target of their ire, but she couldn't just attack outright without putting her friend at risk. To Coranda's surprise, the dancer suddenly pressed a finger to her temple, activating an ionic earpiece and speaking in a disapproving murmur. 

“Mernos. We talked about this.” 

“You disappeared. And Ceylen insulted my hredni mix. The young these days have no respect for their elders. He was practically begging for a toss,” the barkeep replied to the air, tail waving lazily at his dripping victim, who drew his own gun with a look of barely contained fury.

“You crazy- All you needed to do… the one thing he asked from you…” the akiron caught himself and inhaled slowly, releasing it on a mirthless chuckle, his blaster making an ominous whine as he clicked its settings to fatal, “‘Accept the payment and get out.’ That was it. One simple little task, and you could've been gone, free to roam and richer than some lower Houses! Everyone else knew what was good for them. But the soolian here? Noooo. He just had to be difficult.”

Coranda had been glancing at the dancing platform throughout the altercation, a glimmer of a definitely terrible, but potentially necessary idea forming in her mind. Veyla and Mernos were both unarmed, out-numbered and outgunned. The odds now were surely far worse than any half-baked plan to tip them could be. She made up her mind and began creeping toward her goal the moment she heard Ceylen’s blaster escalate its intent, screaming at herself the entire way, yet determined to see it through. They may be mere acquaintances, but they’d taken care of a complete stranger in her time of need. It was only right to return the favour.

“The Councillor has no say here and your behaviour is disrupting the peace. Do yourself a favour and lower those weapons. Now. I will not warn you again.”

Varda's carefully even tone and more than significant body mass stepping forward would have made a sharper group think twice about their next decision. Unfortunately, this did not appear to be an altogether bright collection of individuals. They turned to regard her, their initial fearful reaction quickly replaced by a ripple of laughter once they realised she was alone.

Meanwhile, Coranda had managed to use a nearby chair to reach the dance platform, hauling herself up and creeping to the end nearest the bar. The height was a little dizzying and she planted her feet to steady herself, shakily reaching around to begin unclipping the bindings hiding her true identity.

“And who might you be? The floor sweep?” Ceylen snorted, his blaster’s muzzle dropping as his focus switched from Mernos to Veyla.

“Something like that.” The joviality from earlier had entered her voice again, this time with a much deadlier edge, and Coranda couldn't help the thrill it sent through her upon hearing it. Varda took another slow step, then another, every eye riveted on her gradual approach, her stripes seeming to pulse brighter in the dim lighting. “Though it looks like you've done most of my work for me. All the space trash neatly gathered in one corner.”

Ceylen squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as though to clear it, natural akiron resistance breaking Veyla's hypnotic hold far more quickly than his less fortunate followers, his blaster raising to point at her head. 

Time for a new distraction. 

"By order of the Fifth Akiridion Throne," Coranda called as she wrenched the final clip away, tossing her bindings to the side and finally allowing her secondary arms to stretch happily into their newfound freedom, "Drop your weapons and kneel!"

It had the desired effect, every eye in the room turning to look straight at the Royal in full view on stage, Veyla’s exasperated mutter the only sound cutting through the stunned silence.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." 

Laughter broke out among the gang and the kaygon started toward Coranda, the leer on his face as he spoke making her hand itch for a weapon of her own.

“Looks like our payment’s about to get a whole lot fatter. Why don't you come down here so we can get acquainted, princ-!”

Veyla moved, her form a blur as she launched the kaygon horizontally, kindly acquainting him with the solid base of the dance platform instead. The goon closest to him found himself locked to her front as a gaalahnian shield before anyone else could react, Varda sending another flying into a nearby table with a kick when he hesitated to shoot. The rest opened fire on her, forcing her to take cover behind the overturned table and the unfortunate gaalahni. Mernos took advantage of their surprise to repeat his earlier action, seizing Ceylen and hurling him back over the bartop. Then he bent to retrieve something from beneath the counter, throwing two objects to his ally.

"Zi- Veyla!"

She prioritised the catching of one, allowing the other to clatter to the ground beside her. The next secton, Coranda understood why, as Veyla Varda slapped the item in her hand to her chest and activated an armour module. Its articulated flexi-plate enveloped her massive form, swiftly rendering both the table and dead gaalahni unnecessary. She let him slip from her grasp, ignoring the petering blasts absorbed by her new plating as she picked up the serrator from the floor and faced her surprised opponents. 

Coranda couldn't believe her eyes. Apparently she wasn't the only one here under false pretences. 

A fully armoured officer of the Talyon Phalanx stood before them, rolling her powerful shoulders and neck in readiness to dish out their inevitable demise. There was no question now who possessed the upper hand as terrifying reality began to dawn on the gang members.

"Those of you who wish to leave in one piece, kindly exit in an orderly fashion. Anyone who craves death…" Veyla grinned and manifested a broad-sabre, its ionic edge humming a deadly drone beneath her words, "Feel free to linger. I've been suffering the lack of a good dance partner." 

The extra-curious patrons still observing regained their senses then, fleeing in a decidedly less than orderly fashion and stumbling over each other in their bid to escape. Coranda looked around for her companions, spotting them still huddled against the wall where she'd left them. She slipped down off the platform again, gesturing to them from the shadows to follow her. If they could move fast enough, they might be able to- 

Patrizia shook her head, face contorted with fear. She wasn't moving any time soon. Vasilica was in no better shape, clutching tight to her sister, wide eyes staring at the stand-off barely a stone's throw away.

Kleb!

She glanced back at the unfolding scene behind her. Would it escalate into a full on battle? One stray blaster beam could spell the end for any of them. Luckily, the group of extortionists didn't seem all that eager to take a trained soldier up on her challenge, self-preservation finally making an appearance.

Albeit far too late. 

“It's one guard and an ancient lizard! Just kill them!” Ceylen barked, firing on Mernos and forcing the voltarion to create a shield with his own serrator. 

Chaos descended quickly, Varda trusting her friend to take care of himself while she charged the thugs. They parted before her, some barely avoiding her swings, others who weren't so lucky shredded to flexel and staining the club grounds with a gory rainbow of diverse innards. Those who survived her opening attack spread out, desperately trying to stay clear of her range and develop a strategy against her on the fly. The voltarion pair ignored the panicked yells of their team, launching a series of ruthless electrical attacks, then phasing out and retreating into the energy grids before she could counter. Veyla stumbled and slowed, emboldening the rest to try a united assault, half-burying her under a writhing pile-on of foo-foo and the remaining few gaalahni. The voltarions reformed and raced to join in, but Mernos zapped himself between them and the struggling taylon, wrapping his tail around the neck of one and seizing the other in a headlock. All three vanished, leaving Veyla to finish the fight alone.

Without the damage the voltarions had provided, that proved a lot easier. Caught mid-reckless attack at close range and faltering, her assailants had even less leeway than before to elude her. Many more fell to her vicious blows as she bucked them off and struck, crushing and slicing her way to freedom and an ever nearing victory.

A handful of the wilier foo-foo had hung back, noticing Patrizia and Vasilica and breaking off from the main pack to bound toward them with desperation in their eyes. Coranda dove for the nearest corpse, snatching up a weapon. Unwilling to risk hitting her friends, she fired at the ground ahead of the threat to get their attention. It worked a little too well, reminding them of her higher hostage value the moment they saw her. She had just started for the door in the hope of drawing them away enough to aim properly, when an enormous mass of gleaming phalanx armour cut off her view of the oncoming foo-foo, scattering them as they abruptly changed direction. The one foolish enough to try again for their initial plan was swiftly decapitated, while the rest leapt for the stage to gain the high ground.

"Get down before you get hurt, your highness," Veyla snarled, snatching Coranda by the wrist to haul her swiftly across the space and smack into Patrizia, the taylon warrior using her body and serrator both to shield the three akiron nobles in the nick of time as the foo-foo turned their weapons on them. Her glowing face offset the blinding light of the beams pelting ionic barrier and exposed form alike, double sets of eyes glaring directly at Coranda while she steeled herself against the onslaught with a grimace. Armour or no, those blasters were nothing to scoff at and the Queen-In-Waiting felt a twinge of sympathy for each grunt punched from Veyla's throat.

It seemed like an eternity went by before the blasterfire abruptly ended, a powerful electric current frying the foo-foos where they stood as Mernos returned in a flash of crackling energy. Their blackened corpses slumped around him and he dropped gracefully to the floor without so much as another glance toward his handiwork. He seemed more concerned about Varda's, scowling at the gore coating nearly every surface of his club.

"What a mess."

“Apologies. In future I'll do my best to massacre your enemies with more focus on preserving the upholstery,” she retorted, though there was a distinct note of genuine humour underpinning her tone. Rising from her protective position, she deactivated her serrator, magnetising the circular hilt and releasing it to rest in its proper position on her hip.

Mernos let out a dry chuckle, stretching his neck and shaking off some extra sparks as he approached a long groaning lump sprawled in front of the bar. Ceylen struggled weakly, the sudden firm grip on his collar allowing him no room for escape. Mernos hauled him into a sitting position, examining the burns over the akiron's arms and chest with a cold expression.

“Someone really should teach these pests not to bring a blaster to a lightning-fight.” 

“You left him alive? Generous of you,” Veyla commented, detatching a set of cuffs from her other side and tossing them to the barkeep. "Watch him. I'll be back to clean things up. I have an unexpected wrinkle to deal with first."

Coranda did her best to glare at Veyla when she returned to them, having noticed her secondary shoulderblade was aching from how roughly the guard had manoeuvred her.

"I do not appreciate being dragged around."

"I don't appreciate Royals interfering with my job,” Varda snapped, the disdain and authority colouring her words surprising Coranda into subdued silence. There was no trace left of the exasperated but kind employee who’d been caring for her not fifteen mekrons earlier. “Who brought you here? Call them."

"He's already coming. I pinged him when that awful gang showed up." Patrizia sounded thoroughly rattled and Coranda could hardly blame her.

"Whatever for? It's fine now! I need a drink." Vasilica, on the other hand, seemed ready to pretend nothing had happened. She made toward an intact table, ignoring the morbid tableau surrounding them, but stopped as a huge armoured limb barred her way.

"With all due respect, my lady, you are fully aware it's illegal for this establishment to knowingly host people of your status." 

"Your families would have our heads, and I've had enough excitement for one night," Mernos chimed in, grabbing a surviving bottle of something bright purple and pouring himself a glass. 

"I strongly suggest you return to whichever palace you reside in. I will escort you to your vehicle," Veyla said firmly, and began herding them toward the door, giving them no room to argue or try to move past her. 

Vasilica put on her best outraged face but did as she was told, Patrizia following with her arms folded around her and shoulders hunched. Coranda silently walked ahead of them, scanning the docking bay for their driver. He was just pulling in when they arrived and looked highly concerned, rushing to open the doors and usher them inside. He bowed to the nobles, then dipped his head to their unsolicited protector. She gave a curt nod and turned, leaving without another word or a single glance back at them as they departed.

“I cannot believe the nerve of those waitstaff!” Vasilica started mere sectons after the door was closed on them, “First they try to cut us off, then that taylon dragged you into a purge room to do who knows what to you! We should report them. Have them shut down and exiled, servers decommissioned, the whole procedure! I'll need your statements of course and-” 

Patrizia just put her slitbuds in and curled up under her travel blanket, pulling the edge over her head. The glow of her sound-ball generated a soft light to banish a little of the darkness, though its reflection against Coranda’s window was too weak to challenge the star clusters outside their pod. She tuned out both the orb and the rest of Vasilica’s whining prattle, a single thought sticking in her mind. 

‘Who knew what’ indeed? What incredible delights might she have experienced, had they not been so rudely interrupted? Had she not been required to reveal the truth. Would Veyla have reacted the same way once the binding came off while undressing her, without the presence of danger? Perhaps those hands would have stroked further down her back, hopefully pausing only long enough to recognize she was touching royalty, before deciding to take her chances regardless and venture lower…

The lunar settlements of Akiridion-8 dropped quickly away in their wake, leaving only the vast reaches of space, and the yearning ache filled by her increasingly depraved fantasies.

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

So I was writing a Vexando fic because my brain was going brrrrrrrr on them, and I wanted to flesh out and play around more with the Taylon and two-armed/four-armed Akiridions (which I gave the separate species name 'akiron' for) as two different but similar species, because why not? Which led to thinking about reproductive processes for them to understand smutt options better.

Then I remembered the Steve-preg situation in that awful Rise of the Titans movie hinted at Akiridions being like seahorses which, on its own has some cool potential, but I decided to do away with the kiss thing and human m-preg (human m-preg people are valid there are just perfectly good unexplored alien species right there in this universe and I'd rather do it with them) and play around with alien reproduction systems more.

And that also led to an interest in trying out writing a matriarchal society and how that might look and be experienced by and effect the interactions of the characters.

Which led to my best friends asking me "ok but how would two female akiridions do things together/how would you write that?" which of course required actual characters to pair together. So we had a light-hearted, mostly joking (at first) chat about Coranda in her stupid college-age-equivalent years sneaking out to a bar, getting drunk and hitting on a dancer there.

"Ok so who is the dancer?"

"Ooh you know what? Fuck it. Let's grab that random female taylon OC from my Vexando wip and make her also a dancer in a club."

"Ok, why is she there? Does she just enjoy dancing? Does she need it as a night job?"

"Ooh how about she's under cover doing a personal favour for the bar owner who has had a local gang harassing him for money" and then because I've watched a lot of shows with corporate bullshittery redevelopment projects as plot points on Netflix recently, that turned into "rich powerful bastard wants to own the moon these clubs are on/monopolize them himself so he's paying people off to get them to leave, but the OC's friend is an old stubborn voltarion who refuses to sell his club" etc etc and then my brain gave me words for an actual start to the opening scene and uh...

Now I'm writing a story about Queen Coranda and her bodyguard back in her earlier years when things were easy and she didn't have an entire planetry system under her leadership to fuck up. XD

I was also curious about how they had two houses of Akiridion warring and then coming together to form the Royals from the show. Also it's called Akiridion-5, hinting at other planets also part of a wider Akiridion empire type thing and the concept of four-armed Royal Akiridions seemed like something to be fleshed out more so I thought "ok why not have multiple major and minor Houses, not just Ventis and Akraohm" and "what if there were minor Houses marrying into major Houses and different families greasing up to more powerful ones seeking political marriages and deals etc etc."

You get the point. Basically it rabbit-holed really fast like all these things do when my brain latches onto them. XD

I do intend to address things associated with more serious themes properly in the narrative, so feel free to talk to me if I do a tone-deaf while trying to do a subversion or other explorations of things by the way.

[tkachuktkaching]

Matthew Tkachuk healthy, ‘chomping at the bit’ after Stanley Cup Final defeat

Tkachuk has been back on the ice for over a month and is ready for Panthers training camp

“I'm feeling great, excited to be back,” Tkachuk said. “It was a very short offseason, which is exactly how I want it going forward. Just a lot of excitement level to be back down here in Florida. After last year and the way it finished up, I’m just chomping at the bit right now.”

Between coming up short in the Stanley Cup Final and then having to suffer through the recovery process of an extremely painful injury, Tkachuk was also chomping at the bit to get his offseason started.

The plan had been to do some traveling with family and friends, but that became a challenge.

Once he was able to move around comfortably, Tkachuk had to squeeze everything he wanted to do into a limited time window.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It's exactly how I want it,” he said. “I want to be a short offseason for the rest of my career.”

Tkachuk and his teammates were all together on Monday at the swank Weston Hills Country Club to take part in the Florida Panthers Foundation annual golf tournament.

Similarly to his summer travel schedule delay, Tkachuk had to wait until getting the green light from doctors before he could get back on the golf course.

“I got cleared a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “So I’ve played a few times. This is like my fourth time in two weeks, so I’m trying to cram it all in before the season starts.”

It was Thursday, June 8 when Tkachuk suffered his broken sternum during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. He played his last game on June 10, and Florida’s season ended three nights later.

An offseason that began with healing and rest was eventually able to resume some sense of normalcy in terms of on-ice training.

It was about two months after initially suffering the injury when Tkachuk was able to get back on the ice and start shooting a puck again.

From there, as Tkachuk explained, it was just a matter of getting back into a familiar frame of mind.

“Once you do it a few times and you're comfortable, like I've been doing all the normal stuff for a few weeks now,” he said. “I worked super hard to get myself feeling like I am right now, and to be honest, I thought it was going to be a little bit longer than what it was.

“It was, right out of the gate, definitely very frustrating. I didn’t think I was ever going to get better, I'm sure it's what everybody says of injuries, but I'm very happy with where I'm at right now and hopefully peaking at the right time here.”

Another thing that comes with an athlete recovering from a serious injury is that they can now shift their focus elsewhere.

In Tkachuk’s case, that meant remembering what it felt like to go on that playoff run, and knowing the blood, sweat and tears that must be sacrificed to reach the mountaintop.

“There's definitely that hunger, especially when you get that that close,” he said. “I think we're in a great spot mindset-wise, where we know what it takes and we have the hunger to do it. It's a pretty short-term mindset though right now, it's have a good camp, get off to a good start. I'd say the long-term goal is we’ve got to make playoffs. We saw what happened last year, so we can't think too far ahead, but playoffs is what's on everybody's mind, certainly on ours.”

The Panthers will take the ice for training camp on Thursday at the Ice Den in Coral Springs. Their season begins on Oct. 12 in Minnesota. 

“It's exactly how I want it,” he said. “I want to be a short offseason for the rest of my career.”

“I got cleared a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “So I’ve played a few times. This is like my fourth time in two weeks, so I’m trying to cram it all in before the season starts.”

It was about two months after initially suffering the injury when Tkachuk was able to get back on the ice and start shooting a puck again.

From there, as Tkachuk explained, it was just a matter of getting back into a familiar frame of mind.

“Once you do it a few times and you're comfortable, like I've been doing all the normal stuff for a few weeks now,” he said. “I worked super hard to get myself feeling like I am right now, and to be honest, I thought it was going to be a little bit longer than what it was.

“It was, right out of the gate, definitely very frustrating. I didn’t think I was ever going to get better, I'm sure it's what everybody says of injuries, but I'm very happy with where I'm at right now and hopefully peaking at the right time here.”

In Tkachuk’s case, that meant remembering what it felt like to go on that playoff run, and knowing the blood, sweat and tears that must be sacrificed to reach the mountaintop.

“There's definitely that hunger, especially when you get that that close,” he said. “I think we're in a great spot mindset-wise, where we know what it takes and we have the hunger to do it. It's a pretty short-term mindset though right now, it's have a good camp, get off to a good start. I'd say the long-term goal is we’ve got to make playoffs. We saw what happened last year, so we can't think too far ahead, but playoffs is what's on everybody's mind, certainly on ours.”

The Panthers will take the ice for training camp on Thursday at the Ice Den in Coral Springs.

[minquiec]

since you were kind enough to like the song i recommended you, i wanted to send you more ZZZ items i found useful. i have a distany memory of you saying you wanted to learn more about ZZZ's lore before developing more of your OC that you ship with Billy Kid and i have provided two videos for you to potentially help you out! no worries if you dont want to watch either for any reasons, all optional obviously. im just trying to be helpful with what is p rapidly becoming either a hyperfixation or a special interest, and i love the content youve made so far about it!

(video 1:) https://youtu.be/WaW6Sy8o6dI?si=ldFSS7w9qLFaMig2

this (⬆️ video 1) is a video that explores the lore about ZZZ so far without going into spoilers. i hope there will be a part 2 that does include spoilers at some point. but, as is, this is really interesting. and really succint at just 14 minutes

(which i find to be short, but all the other ZZZ lore and theory videos i have seen are all even shorter (guess there isnt much to lore to unpack so far, no matter how much i want to have everything ever in ZZZ all analyzed and explained in one video already as is). so this is both a baby and a biggie. but i like how little guessing at what could be in this video, as we instead mostly analyze what is currently in-game, is my point)

(video 2:) https://youtu.be/mR0s11XrSlU?si=6FYAUtF6iq7OxBod

and this (⬆️ video 2) is a video that compiles all the cut-scenes so far (it was posted within the last week) of the animated scenes, the comic-book-scenes, and other voice-acted scenes within ZZZ so far. it's very long. but ive been watching it in pieces over the past few days and have found it fun, but that's just me. im on hour 7. wild that there is THIS many scenes in a video of an app-game, in a video that doesnt even include any gameplay no less lol

but yeah! watching through these two videos have helped me understand ZZZ better and develop my own ZZZ OC. im still looking into lore and theory videos about ZZZ that aren't fully based on conjecture, and if i run into any more then i can let you know? only if you want tho. i dont wanna infodump unwarrantedly lol

hopefully, we will eventually learn Billy lore. do you have any theories or hcs about Billy yet?

i know his wiki confirms he is fully robot, just one who passed The Forbidden Fruit Test, but i was so convinced before that he used to be human lol and now i have a lot of hcs and curiosities about why he exists and who made him, but my biggest focus is the obvious "ohhh this bitch is functionally immortal, huh? he's going to outlive all his teammates unless he's killed or something" element. i wish we knew more about the Starlight Knights as part of said Billy lore, but as is i hc theyre like Voltron or outerspace Power-Rangers so that it can explain part of Billy's interest as then in part due to them using robots to save the world. maybe one or more of them IS a robot or cyborg even, idk lol

but i digress. i hope you have a good day!! 👋

OOOO THANK U FOR SENDING ME THESE that first one was insanely helpful 😭😭 bc half the time while I'm playing the game I zone out and just end up missing dialogue JAJDJS

Dw about infodumping JAJDJS I practically do that everyone bc I can't learn to shut up but YES FEEL FREE TO SEND MY WAY it's always a bit frustrating when a media is new cause there's just not that much confirmed information 😭 so hopefully we'll get more lore soon 🙂‍↕️

I'm not sure if you're seen but there's a character teaser released by hyverse where he talks abt being made from old technology and used to be part of a gang on the outer ring of new eridu (??) there's been some speculation it could be a new upcoming faction called sons of calydon since the insignia on their back is somewhat similar to the one on billys (?) but that's what I've seen other people speculate

I think he also talks abt being made as a combat android but its not clear who made him exactly or his exact purpose 🤷‍♀️

As for the starlight knight aspect from my personal opinion I think it's to play into his childish personality almost by giving him a silly interest akdjsk THIS PART IS A HEADCANON but in his teaser he also talks about 'gaining a taste of freedom' so I'm assuming he enjoys the show bc it's kind of him indulging in this freedom he's found if that makes any sense IDK KEFNKWKSN cause he's a silly character so they gave him some silly traits to make him an enjoyable character :]

But yea that's what I think so far I HOPE THEY CAN RELEASE MORE CONTENT SOON IM SO IMPATIENNTTT JAJDJJJD

This is the character teaser if you haven't seen already ⬇️⬇️

[wirewitchviolet]

Console Design- Can I have my cake and eat it too?

Recently I spilled the beans that I have a little hobby project slowly brewing away where I am designing a new game console. I'm still not ready to really properly pitch the whole thing, but between sharing that, explaining computer architecture, and seeing people's feedback, it keeps pushing itself towards the front burners over more practical projects I SHOULD be giving my focus to, and while people are paying attention, I might as well try to crowdsource answers to some questions I'm getting hung up on.

So... a lot of what I'm doing here is, I'll be honest, rooted in nostalgia for 16-bit consoles. There's a certain retro appeal to the look, speed, and general immediacy of 8-bit games, and more than plenty of support for making games that evoke that feel, and even recently made free dev tools for people to just make new games for older systems, and as I'm writing this, there is this massive renaissance going on with indie devs restricting them to the constraints of early polygonal-graphics-focused consoles, but we mostly skipped right past that 16-bit period, and all its hallmarks:

2D graphics with more color-depth than people really knew what to do with. All sorts of hardware-level flashy effects like transparency, resolution changes, neat little raster effects. A soundscape of crunchy FM synth and sparingly used sampling with distortion effects. Just a little taste of support for polygonal graphics. Not enough to go all-in, but enough to make a nice spice here and there. A general push to show off with fancy jointed paper doll sprites, 3D effects from sprite-scaling, just... clear ambitions all over to make low res 2D eye candy. Plus everything was cartridge based, allowing people to add extra custom chips for things they really wanted that they didn't quite have the power for.

So that's basically what I want to deliver here. A platform where you have more toys and tricks than you know what to do with if you're coming from 8-bit style stuff, but a real tricky set of restrictions to work around from a more modern approach, hopefully with its own look and sound. To that end I've been doing a ton of research into how some of those work... and a lot of it involves fun little tricks between scanlines. In particular, if you look at that mode 7 video above, right around 7:50, we've got this real eye-popping barrel distortion background. What's going on here, on a hardware level, is we have the ability to, essentially, apply one single image as a texture to a single parallelogram, which in this case is just taking a rectangular background and squishing it in towards the center then out towards its regular dimensions... but where doing that squishing and stretching between individual scan lines as we send the video out to the screen. Several changes to the shape before we've even finished rendering out one frame of the video, and tada, weird barrel.

Being able to support tricks like THAT, specifically, is a must-have feature for what I'm working on, and I'm pretty confident I can design the hardware with that exact capability... but the original hardware doing that was, to my understanding, very much working with the peculiarities of how a CRT worked and the exact number of operations it could get done while the beam was swiping back to the left to draw the next line, and I legitimately have no idea if tricks like this are even really possible if I slap together a similar chipset and send video out an HDMI cord to a modern display.

Like, I know I can fake that. I've got a Retron 5 hooked to a cheap flat panel TV with Castlevania 4 plugged in, but my understanding is that's actually emulating an SNES in software on some very-much-overkill for this sort of thing modern processor. What I would LIKE to do is build this with a chipset you really can push to its limits, hooked to modern display, and get this sort of effect. Because while I realize a big chunk of the audience for this sort of thing totally have nice well-maintained CRTs, I don't want to be married to hardware people no longer manufacture. And I'd rather not have some way more capable sub-processor wedged in here just to get the video output of whatever cheap fast legit 16-bit chipset I use otherwise to play nice with HDMI standards.

I'm still sort of in the dark about HDMI and modern display options, to be clear. And you know in a perfect world I'd like to have support built into this if you want to hook it to a CRT, but at the end of the day I need to pick an aspect ratio, and it's probably gonna be 16:9.

A similar fork in the road I may need to pick a lane for before I can really get going is looking at ASIC chips. What I'd really love is to be able to just point people at a design files for the casing and PCBs, and a warehouse of old mass-produced chips that sell for pennies, make the whole thing a neat little home electronics kit where the total price of everything is like, maybe $10 or $20 or something, you get out a soldering iron, and assemble it all yourself. But, I might need to custom design a chip or two in the end, and there's a chance it ends up being cheaper to just build literally the whole system on one chip. Simpler, easier to make a portable version of the whole thing, but it loses that DIY feel.

And of course there's also the risk that the overall architecture and chipset I'm looking at isn't going to have the oomph to do what I want it to do at a nice steady 60 FPS (maybe 120?) I'm just kind of assuming once I commit to a path I'll be able to find a dirt cheap chipset covering all the bases I need it to that'll hold up at a faster clock speed than consoles really ran at in the mid-90s. I want people to be able to do things smoothly that historically really had some slowdown, and you know, I AM planning to have a higher base resolution than the systems I'm taking inspiration from (maybe the same height but clearly more width).

And of course the real pain is going to be prototyping all this since none of it's going to work without hooking display AND something popped into a cartridge slot. I'm at least saving myself some headache starting with a controller I can at least test in other things, but wow there's gonna be so many different potential failure points to worry about at one step in here.