#I love thinking about the bard recruits figuring it out

[ultimablades]

I hope you don’t mind silly anons. If not

I hear “Sanson overhears Guydelot working on a love song” and offer you “a couple of the recruits happen across Guydelot working in a love song, immediately realize who it’s about and neither party can figure out why these trainees are being so giggly around them.”

I always love silly anons!!!

And ooooohhh I love the ideal of the recruits somehow figuring it out first and bouncing back and forth between “it’s none of our business, we should pretend like we don’t know!!” To gossiping with each other whenever they see Sanson and Guydelot wandering off together. They’re always like is it happening???? Is it happening????

One of them is like we should start a betting pool on when theyll finally admit they have feelings and the other one is like omg, we can’t do that!!! But then he immediately gets in on it and they start getting other recruits on it. Vorsie finds out and they think they’re going to be in trouble but Vorise just wants to place a bet too. Everyone is having a good time except for Sanson and Guydelot, who are too busy pining for each other to notice.

[zoloteh-volossya]

I love your reblog on that Astarion post! What do you think is the best way to recruit Minthara while aiming for a more positive outcome for her? Personally, my favorite approach is "accidentally" destroying the grove by stealing the idol and then reluctantly aligning with Minthara. It feels like the character is acting out of confusion or desperation, not malice. This way, you still get that pivotal moment where she feels safe with your character and begins to break free from the Absolute. (and when you rescue her later she still hoped you would save her)

I'm basic - I personally prefer the knockout method. It's a pity that you miss the discussion after the sex scene and the romanced version of the conversation at Moonrise - it was a gifset of that conversation (see my pinned post) that grabbed me by the heart and dragged me into this fandom, after all.

But to me, it's important that Minthara isn't special. Her life isn't worth more than Alfira's or Dammon's or Mol's, ultimately. I personally care about her more, am more invested in her character, but struggle to justify the deaths of the refugees in the stories I want to tell. It's a different story, the act 1 scene, but to me the meat of the Minthmance happens once she gets her mind back so it's an acceptable loss.

(Of course, in my personal Mintharamance playthrough, I did commit Grovicide. My Dark Urge Krov was largely uninterested in getting involved in other people’s business, so I engineered the Worst Possible Grove Visit. She entered the grove, got robbed, didn’t step up for Arabella so she died, got poisoned by (then killed) Nettie, got arrested for trespassing in the kids’ hideout to get her stuff back, broke out, talked to Sazza and freed her, got the hell out of town, and then ended up murdering Alfira that night anyway. When Minthy told her to help raid it she was like, might as well, fuck that place, the only person I liked there is already dead by my hand.)

I think that triggering the Grove's violence via following Mol's request makes a lot of sense! It's definitely the way I'd go in a fic if I were writing a scenario where Tav/Durge romances Minthara in act 1.

In my fic ideas, I 'justify' the nonsense knockout option in different ways.

With my good bard Tav, she infiltrates the goblin camp for several days, slowly pitting Dror Razglin against Minthara (using Gut's death to stoke tensions between them). She was hoping to have the two sides fight it out and then have her team sweep in and clean up the survivors. However, all the goblins side with Dror. So then she just focuses on buffing and healing Minthara, figuring that the more goblins she kills the fewer the Tadfools will need to deal with. To her surprise, Minthara both wins and is genuinely grateful, tending to Tav's own wounds. In return for this unexpected kindness, she helps Minthara escape when 'adventurers' attack the camp, promising to distract them and then meet up with her at Moonrise later. (This fic idea began before the knockout method was added to the game, so you can tell I've been on my bullshit for a while.)

With my neutral ranger Tav, she doesn't infiltrate the camp at all. She sneaks into the camp via the other bridge, gets to high ground, and starts an outright assault. By the time Minthara is informed that the camp is under attack, everyone outside the shattered sanctum is dead. The bulk of the battle happens in the throne room, with all of the goblins and True Souls mounting a desperate defense against a two-pronged attack by Team Tadpole. They lose, but Minthara is able to overwhelm my Tav (mechanically much weaker than her) and make an escape, and the team is too exhausted to give chase.

Both of these have a very different dynamic with Minthy than a Tav/Durge who romanced her in act 1, of course. With my bard Tav, there's a preexisting connection, but also a betrayal - Minthara was used by this person, unknowingly danced on her strings. Regaining trust after that is a key plot point. With my ranger Tav, the arc is more one of coming to trust a former enemy (and dealing with the repercussions of becoming a drider, but that's unrelated.)

Thanks for the ask! That was... a very long answer. Hope you enjoyed it, at least.

[yennefer-of-vengerbergs]

FUN FACTS ABOUT YOUR TAV!

Thank you for the tag @bhaal-battle-beer-bard 💖

I will absolutely take any and all opportunities to babble about my girl Syanna 💖

~Is your character good, evil, or neutral (makes some good decisions, some bad ones)?

She ends up being chaotic good by the end of her story but she does start out being more on the neutral side, being much more practical and wanting to help herself first (it's how she justifies picking up the other companions, why she gets involved in the goblin fight outside of the Emerald Grove and so on), but along the way, she actually finds out she doesn't mind doing good things, and that she actually likes being capable of kindness (pretty much the whole premise of my longfic)

Pre-tadpole though? Definitely on the evil side.

~What hobbies do they partake in?

She tries out a lot of stuff, especially post-game. It's one of her ways of finding out who she is and what she likes, so she'll pick up any and all hobbies she can think of, and sees what sticks.

She likes reading, especially mystery and adventure books (it's also a hobby that she and Astarion share - a lot of times, during and post-game, they actually cuddle and read together, either each of them with their own book, or they share one and end up bickering about how one or the other should read faster if they don't want the other to turn the page before they finish reading).

Then, there's playing with Scratch and the owlbear cub (she loves them both so much, your honor 💖)

Another thing she likes doing is trying to find other ways to use her magic, be it just for fun, or for whatever would make her day to day life easier (like using mage hands to do her hair while she does something else, a fire spell to keep the water in the bathtub warm; basically, the faerun equivalent of life hacks).

Also, cuddling with Astarion, because obviously.

As for the failed ones, she tries to pick up cooking post-game, but finds out she is horrendous at it and that she doesn't enjoy it at all anyway. She also tried to get into more artistic hobbies. As it turns out, she can, at most, draw stick figures, and trying to learn to play an instrument would require someone to actually teach her how to do it, if she wants it to sound better than painful, out of tune squeaks or like nails on a chalkboard.

~Do they own any heirlooms from their family or ancestors?

Do the urges count?

She does get rid of those by rejecting Bhaal though, so maybe not 😅

~ Can your character cook?

Absolutely not😂Besides, she doesn't like doing it, so most of the times, for herself, she prefers to just buy something already made from whatever inn she and Astarion are staying at during their travels, or from a market (or Astarion ends up stealing it for her).

~Does your character have a best friend?

Karlach and Jaheira 😁

She immediately got along with Karlach and they became fast friends, with Syanna appreciating the fact that Karlach was more supportive, more understanding of her after finding out what happened to Alfira, which Syanna ends up telling her about (in my runs it's always happened that way, I get the Alfira scene before recruiting Karlach). There's a lot of support and understanding and friendship there, both of them think of the other as a sister, so it's unsurprisingly bad when it's found that Syanna is a bhaalspawn and was also behind the Absolute plot. But the worst part for Karlach is by far how she used to be allied with Gortash, which feels like a huge betrayal in the moment and drives a wedge between them both for a good while. They do make up in the end though and their friendship is absolutely stronger afterwards. And you would not believe how much time they spend together at the reunion party catching up and just how happy Syanna is when she hears that Karlach and Wyll might be able to find a way for Karlach's engine to be fixed ❤️

With Jaheira, they're both sarcastic little shits with each other from the start, but they also end up getting along. Jaheira does begin to think that something is off about Syanna at one point and eventually begins to suspect that she might be a bhaalspawn, judging by how she acts and everything going on with her (which leads to the scene in early act 3 where she confronts her about it). And although she is worried about what that means, she does also notice how Syanna struggles with everything, so she keeps an eye on her and is there for her and eventually becomes somewhat of a mother figure for her too (and I just love it when you get to good enough approval with her that she starts calling you 'cub' 🥹)

~Their biggest fear?

Her more unusual fear (to others, but understandable, given her circumstances) would be losing her memories again, especially after finally making new, happy ones alongside Astarion - she'd hate even the thought of not remembering her life with him. Other than that, she spends a good chunk of the game events afraid of being abandoned/alone.

An example of that is when, the closer they get to Baldur's Gate, things between her and Astarion start to get tense, because he's obviously worried about confronting Cazador and thinks about the ritual and wanting to complete it himself; Syanna isn't so sure about it and tries to reason with him but it ends up being the subject of several arguments between them, which only make her worry that it might end up being what drives them apart. Then add in all the durge revelations that happen shortly after, and she is not having a great time - most of the companions take the news poorly and she ends up just fearing they will all turn their backs on her, despite everything they've been through and how she no longer wanted anything to do with her old life (which is another thing I want to write about in my fic).

~Name one of their red flags.

Well, she did use to be the leader of the cult of Bhaal so...🫣

No pressure tags: @iizven @ratchsellsfornax @mercymaker @casualya @zyana-wyvern

[songbirdtales]

Small Talk (OC Tav)

Author's note:

Hey folks! I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to add this little scene into something bigger so it's just a little bite sized jawn based on one of the little conversations the NPCs have when you're running around in early game. I'm just a little too obsessed with my own OCs sorry lol

“Any special someones waiting at home?” Astarion knew when he was barking up the wrong tree, which is why despite looking straight at Shadowheart, he wasn’t really using her as a gauge. If anything her exasperation fueled his real target. He caught their face in his peripheral vision, a soft grin that consciously hid the tiefling fangs underneath. Their hesitation told him enough.

The young elf was more than a little flustered as the party trekked through the bog. “And what about you?” She deflected in the way a young woman with no interest in men desperately shoves off their attention.

“The only woman waiting on word from me would be my mother.” Gale said in an attempt to defuse the tension. The words had drawn Tav’s attention.

“Could be a good thing? A boy your age could use some adventure.” They couldn’t help but tease. 

“And what of our bard? Surely there’s at least one waiting to hear from you.” Gale could take a joke, his smile warm and cheerful despite their circumstances.

Tav’s blue fire eyes stayed on the road ahead as the 4 slowed to a stroll to conceive their strength. “Well,” They tilted their head side to side. The group swelled with excitement as they egged Tav on, all curious to draw out the tale. “I used to travel with a Paladin of Lathander. We’d split ways just a few moon before all this… I don’t know if he even knows I’m missing, but I know once he finds out he’ll be worried. Can’t help himself like that.”

“A fearsome ally,” Gale mused. “Could be worth having such a warrior on our side.”

Shadowheart scoffed. “We don’t need another follower of a conflicting god at camp.” She’d feel less strongly about this when it came to Halsin, but a paladin of Lathander was to Shadowheart like recruiting another Githyanki.

“A paladin?” Astarion almost sounded disgusted. “Sounds annoying. I can see why you left.”

“It wasn’t like that.” Tav said with a shake of their head. “We could have kept having adventures, living on the edge of what we should have been and what we wanted, but sooner or later something was going to give.” They seemed lost in the thought of this mystery man. “He’s so… true. Like a fairy tale. Someone like that is too precious to the world for me to ruin.” Tav shrugged. “So he’ll remain my untouchable champion and I will be alone on stage singing his praise.”

“That’s…” Shadowheart’s awe quickly shifted to annoyance. “So twistedly tragic. And you… think that’s romantic?”

Tav flashed Shadowheart a fanged smile, only pulling them to view for a purpose. “A little madness is part of the trade, love.” One eye closed as Tav winked at Shadowheart. Her reaction was much different to Tav. Despite Astarion’s elegance, there was something feminine about Tav that he just didn’t have. Their androgyny tripped Shadowheart up. A man would never make her melt, but Tav wasn’t a man, or perhaps was more than just a man.  

They all fell just a little more under Tav’s charm, Astarion could even feel the tug of their charisma on his opinion of them. His eyes narrowed as he watched them focus on Shadowheart now, fully committed to flirting with her until her face was bright red. She could only give half hearted refusals to their words as the ground she tried to stand crumbled from under her with the wash of Tav’s gaze. 

This kind of power, the charm to talk their way out of anything… A lot of things were adding up. Astarion had been decided right then and there that he’d seduce Tav, make them his shield from the others. And if he was lucky, maybe even his weapon against Cazidor.

[rubyvroom]

BG1 playthrough 1 ending: excellent, no notes. okay some notes.

My blundering first playthrough gets funnier and funnier the more I get into the second playthrough and realize all the mistakes I made. For example:

I did not save anybody from the fire at Wakeugan's Rest. XD I thought I had time! I did not!

Did not save the kid from the Harpies! I thought I had time! I did not!

Did not realize there was a faerie in the lantern. I thought the game was glitching because the little voice came up right after the kid was snatched up at Last Light.

WHY DID I NEVER USE TALK TO ANIMALS SPELL ON SCRATCH. I COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO SCRATCH THE WHOLE ASS TIME. I did this accidentally on playthrough 2 and I just about fell out of my chair.

Zevlor and a bunch of the Tieflings just disappeared and I never got them back. IDK.

In retrospect, I should have reloaded when Jaheira died storming Moonlight Towers. I didn't know I would be able to keep her!

Apparently I should not have murdered Minsc? Boy was I surprised to learn he can be a companion. With no Jaheira that was not at all clear.

Ditto Minthara, although really I can't imagine recruiting her. I don't want to destroy the Emerald Grove and my tiefling bros

Did not grasp that you can change classes for the origins characters. Which I am immediately doing for my next playthrough because some of the character class choices are... weird.

I can learn new spells from scrolls? Whoops. I think I knew I could do this but I never saw HOW so I just used them up at random.

I super did not do enough long rests, I missed a lot of cut scenes. I thought there were a lot more timed quest consequences than there actually are.

And yet! I still got the "good" endings for all the companions I think. Selunite Shadowheart, not-exploded Gale back with Mystra, Karlach and Wyll adventuring through the hells together (aw), Asterion non-ascended but kind of self-actualized, La'zel working as a diplomat for Orpheus. It leaves me sort of wondering if my second playthrough will be satisfying, since I can't imagine I'd want to get different endings for any of the above. I might like to not end up transforming into a mind-flayer next time in order to defeat the uber-brain? That was a little bit of a bummer even though it was perfectly in character for my paladin.

Despite getting the "right" endings I clearly didn't get anyone's approval up very high, and in fact I didn't know on my first playthrough where to even FIND the approval levels, which explains why I couldn't get anyone to romance me except Halsin. Which turned out fine - Halsin is great. A huge beefy elf druid who turns into a bear? Yes please!

Anyway I am already getting all these extra character moments this time through because I figured out to have a Mean Girls party (Astarion, Shadowheart, Laezel) and a Do-Gooder party (Karlach, Wyll/Gale, Halsin) depending on the quest. Now everyone loves me. This should result in some extra quests I imagine? This time out my halfling is romancing both Asterion and Shadowheart. Already turned down La'zel and Gale. She may be short but she got game.

(I tried to start a Durge playthrough but I wimped out on being evil very quickly. Maybe next time. I want to romance some of the party members before I start accidentally killing them, yes I've read the spoilers now that I finished. )

Also playing on higher difficulty this time and it's a lot easier now that I understand how the game works. The learning curve is a little brutal if you are new to this series, but I got there. For playthrough #2 I am classing like this: Karlach is a Monk which is hilarious. Will is going to be a Warlock/Ranger once he gets one more level. Dual-wielding shadow assassin Astarion is very fun. Shadowheart will take on sorcerer soon I think. La'zel is still just a fighter but that's fine, she's a beast given the right equipment. My main is a bard/warlock so extra squishy but the rest of the party steamrolls every fight.

Anyway, thats my BG3 experience, I am unblocking the tags now that I'm not avoiding spoilers.

[stevecoven]

"talk to me about my ocs" on it, boss!!

what's Murph's relationship with the BATs, like how do they fit in?? do they get along with everyone, do they like to hang out with one of them in particular?? (if you're cool answering that, that is)

Murph worked with the BATTs for maybe ~6 months before the Day of Unity as part of the rebellion (I messed with the timeline a little bit, Steve joins at least a month before the DoU rather than a few days for plot convenience) and gets on with all of them pretty well

Katya: the reason Murph is here. One of Murph's infamous prison breaks (get arrested on purpose, get locked up in the Conformatorium, bust out of jail and free all the other prisoners in the process) was also one of Katya's several stints behind bars. She feels indebted to this stranger, who also happens to be a mad powerful witch who seems to hate everything to do with the Emperor, so when Raine tells their bards about assembling a rebellion against the DoU Katya insists on tracking down the Rustwarden and recruiting them to the cause. Murph, relieved to know they're not the only one in this fight any more, accepts right away. The two become fast friends quickly and Katya becomes Murph's confidant/emotional support buddy. She's a hopeless romantic (and a fanfic writer) so I see her getting obsessively invested in the drama between Murph and Steve, but she knows better than to get involved. Also Murph went to school with her cousin Roscoe (another OC of mine) who is a dick and they bond over teasing him too. Post-canon they get even closer and Katya is definitely Murph's girl bestie (except when Delphy is in town)

Amber: I feel like she's super easy to get on with. Definitely super nosy and asks way too many invasive questions about Murph's past, but Murph likes her enthusiasm and goofing around with her. Like Katya, Amber is super invested in the drama with Steve because she's a slut for gossip but far more meddlesome/awful at keeping her mouth shut so Murph doesn't trust her with quite as many deep secrets. Loves to braid Murph's hair when their mutated hands can't do it anymore, which is a key bonding experience for Murph. Murph has a lot of affection for her in an annoying younger sister kinda way

Derwin: he's an absolute fucking mystery. Murph can't figure out how this soft-spoken eloquent guy ended up so close with the other two but somehow it works. He doesn't ask nosy questions like the other two, to the point where Murph assumes he's just not interested in getting to know them, but he's extremely observant and picks up on all sorts of little things. Murph finds him a little strange but often enjoys his calm and collected presence compared to the hyperactive nature of the girls, and every so often he'll drop the most sage and life-changing advice you've ever heard out of nowhere

and of COURSE Steve gets adopted into this group dynamic pretty quickly too. He's excited to have new friends who think he's cool and they're all pretty trusting of him considering he's ex-EC (mainly because if they said anything mean Murph would eat them). Post-DoU they're a close friend group and regularly go out for drinks/food/movies together

[tuxedo-rabbit]

Estryd Playthrough part 1

I want to talk a little bit about my Estryd playthrough so far, spoilers for Dark Urge will be discussed

Playing an Amnesiac in D&D is always fun. It gives you time to figure out who this character is exactly, because they don't know either.

At first, I was really leaning in to the dark urges with Estryd, you get prompts every once in a while to think violent things, a couple prompts to do violent things, but really, in the very beginning of the game there isn't a whole lot about it that seems too terribly irredeemable. And the big thing is you can also just choose to ignore the prompts, it's not so much an urge as an option.

So, Estryd was a little off-put by these darker thoughts, but altogether she was more bothered by the fact that she couldn't remember who she was and that she suddenly had magic powers and a tadpole in her head. She only mentioned these violent urges to Lae'zel, and only after Lae'zel described the symptoms of ceremorphosis and Estryd realized that the two may not be related after all.

Things Estryd learned about herself as she collected her party and explored the tiefling camp:

She has violent urges

She's a Warlock, but she doesn't know who her patron is and if they're related to her dark urges

She's got a good amount of knowledge when it comes to the arcane and history

She really likes books

She knows things about plants and alchemy

She's good at convincing people to do what she wants, whether that be through lying, intimidating, or simply persuading. She's best at intimidation.

It was all fun and games until it wasn't.

Estryd met Alfira the bard, and initially, refused to help her. The song was bad and Alfira's sweet peronality got on Estryd's nerves. The only reason she went back and helped is because she thought it would be funny to piss off some nearby squirrels who hated the music (Estryd can be a bit of an ass at times, I mean she is a Dark Urge character after all).

This is when it started to feel like the dark urges may be a separate entity from Estryd.

See, when you refuse the narrator implies you are disgusted by Alfira's too-sweet personality. But when you choose to help, the phrasing changes ever so slightly, to imply that something within you, different from the part of you that chose to help Alfira, is disgusted at your own too-sweet behavior. I can't remember the exact phrasing, but it's the first time the urge is described as not coming from your own psyche but something else within you instead.

After helping Alfira, when the party takes a long rest, Alfira joins your camp. I don't know what happens when you are not playing a dark urge character, probably fun things. What happened with Estryd is that she woke up covered in blood with Alfira's corpse at her feet.

I cannot describe how completely unprepared I was for this. There had been no consequences thus far, and now suddenly you feel dangerous. Estryd was horrified. She didn't even try to hide the body (the game gives you that option though), she just waited for everyone to wake up so they could decide whether or not to kill her.

The companion reactions were interesting.

Gale and Lae'zel were squarely in the "You're dangerous and completely at fault" camp,

Shadowheart was the same except with a slight "but you clearly feel guilty and that says something"

Wyll was 100% in denial that it was Estryd. The man truly thought someone else broke into camp and framed her. Like, so sweet my dude, but no. it was her.

And my favorite, Astarion, Mr. "I'm not even bothered but you really should have hidden the body better"

Also you can ask Withers to resurrect her and he will bluntly tell you "No :)"

Love these guys so much. (No Karlach because she was not recruited yet.)

This was a game changer. How do you move forward after discovering you can literally wake up to find out you've killed a potential companion? Estryd was no longer neutral about the situation. She vowed to never let this happen again. She would find a way to stop them whatever caused these dark urges, or die before she let it overtake her.

She also kept Alfira's lute as a reminder, and I had her multiclass as bard for rp flavor. It's maybe a bit...macabre....for Estryd to keep the lute of the girl she murdered and to start studying how to be a bard to honor her memory, but idk, i like it for this character.

I think I'm going to end this here because it's gotten very long, but I want to record more of Estryd's journey later. I'm currently in the Underdark with her and unlocked a specific memory after the game let me do something that felt very D&D-esque. Loving the Dark Urge so far, what a way to tell the player this origin is serious.

[mpsideadump]

me and my dad playing Baldur's Gate 3

So our physical copy of Baldur's Gate 3 arrived a few weeks ago now and both my dad and I have been having a blast playing this game! I wanted to just ramble about the game but mostly I want to highlight my dad in this post. I do want to say that I knew some act 1 and act 2 stuff (never even seen act 3) before playing the game myself cuz I didn't think that a physical ps5 version of the game would ever come out but my dad is going in completely blind!

We're playing on our own campaigns on our own accounts. I've just made my way to Act 2 meanwhile my dad's just found the tiefling Grove because he's getting used to the mechanics (never played DnD before but does enjoy the turn based combat system).

I'm playing a half-drow bard (I had been planning my character for a long time since we pre-ordered the physical edition) while Dad's playing an elf monk. Funnily enough we stayed up til like 1 a.m. as I helped him create his character (like explaining race bonuses, Stat distribution, proficiencies etc.). The actual character creation (appearance and stuff like that) took 2 whole hours as he kept on discovering what features the creator allowed. I'm never gonna forget his reaction to being able to have two different eye colors. He went something like "oh hell yeah I'll have that!".

And I legit laughed my ass off at his reaction to the genital customization and how he actually took like 2 minutes (I'm not joking) looking through the options and trying to figure out the differences between them 😂

Anyways, aside from character creation, I'm watching my dad play through the beginning of act 1 to see his reactions to everyone and giving him tips and pointers for combat and exploration (organizing the party, what can and can't be used as an action, etc.). I'm completely hands off on what he does though such as decisions and where to go .

Some highlights of his campaign so far:

Shadowheart being missing on the beach cuz he went to camp first thing after the ship crashed (and me discovering a new way to meet her at the tiefling grove)

Him not liking Astarion upon first meeting but keeping him around cuz, again, he's missing Shadowheart and really needs another party member.

Giving Astarion the ugly leather helmet and NOT EVEN HIDING IT because he's punishing him for insulting his character for "being from different circles" (from the Baldurian dialogue option)

Immediately liking Gale and saying he looks like Jesus Christ

Going to the tomb and losing two hours of progress after meeting Withers because the Gane crashed as he was organizing stuff (he thus learned the lesson of always saving before and after something important happens)

Speaking of, he spends A LOT of time organizing his things like actually putting collected books in book stacks and even placing bottles on the bottle rack

Becoming a fellow Lae'zel enjoyer and (please remember both of us haven't gotten far enough in the game to learn more of the characters just yet) agreeing that Shadowheart is annoying with her racism (though I do understand githyanki are extremists in their own way)

Sending Lae'zel to camp begrudgingly to recruit Shadowheart then immediately sending her to camp as well (thankfully they didn't kill each other while he was away but I have seen the moment where they do actually try to kill each other during a long rest 😉)

almost losing Gale because he used the tadpole on him as he was confessing about his condition and had to pass a DC 10 persuasion check (without proficiency and Shadowheart's guidance) to keep him around

Karlach is the only origin character he's yet to find but he's currently thinking of finding her after going to the goblin camp cuz he wants to focus on the main story. I predict that he's gonna love her upon meeting her!

While I'm pursuing Gale and Lae'zel for a romance (I'll choose which one I commit to throughout Act 2), I'm not too sure on who Dad is gonna pursue or if he'll even pursue anyone at all. If trends are anything to go off of, I think he might end up going for Shadowheart cuz he's romanced Miranda in Mass Effect and Yennefer in Witcher 3. However, if he's got taste, he's gonna go for Karlach is my guess.

All in all, I'm happy that both of us are playing this game because it's been a long time since we've had a game to bond over. We tried playing Final Fantasy 16 together but he couldn't get into the combat and I felt bad wanting to continue by myself when this same thing happened with FF15. He introduced me to video games and I loved watching him play when I was a kid and then eventually going on to play and beat multiple games he wasn't able to complete himself.

I hope both of us are able to get to the end eventually for this adventure :)

Dad's character: Soon-tion

My character: Tala

[chaoticbard]

3, 4, 22

3. Do they multiclass? Why (not)?

Out of character, not technically because I didn't realize you could in the game. In-game, sort of. I put her in College of Valor so she'd get buffs with swords so she's vaguely a fighter as well as a bard. She's- not unlike Flynn Rider in terms of fighter style and I think it's hilarious.

4. Is there a reason why your Tav starts out as Level 1?

She only ever made it to level 5 in Dragon Heist so her losing that wasn't the biggest of deals to me outta game. In-game, I figure she's been out of practice with combat for one thing and the tadpole gave her a setback for another.

22. What is your Tav's first impression of the other companions (Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Wyll ...)

Astarion: An annoying rogue. Seriously, what a cunt for trying to slit her throat, hahaha. Her opinion isn't improved when he tries to drink her blood.

Gale: He's a guy with his head clear up his own arsehole. That's hilarious given the fact he needed help out of his portal. She's immediately amused. Also mildly annoyed. Cue eyeroll.

Halsin: He's her new big tiddy earth boyfriend He's physically strong but he's got depth to him. He isn't just a meathead; he's really wise, and has good advice to hand out when asked. He's concerned about nature, about the shadow curse, and yet still wants to help everyone after you help him. Can also be a bear??? 10/10.

Jaheira: She's a legend, but she could stand to trust a little more. A really dumb/naive thing for Alaara to think given all that Jaheira's seen and done just before they met. They get along well after she decides to join them. Alaara prods the hell outta her before then though.

Karlach: I bungled this one so hard lads. Just fucked it up entirely. We killed her because I made a misstep with Sazza. BUT Alaara would have very immediately loved her had I not been a silly goose. (I thought about it when playing as her sister, who did recruit her LOL). Also a bit scared for her life when Karlach rages post-paladin battle.

Lae'zel: Stiff and stern as a flipping board. She can get the job done. A strong ally to have in such dangerous times.

Minthara: Didn't realize I could recruit her so she died lmao. But like with Karlach I've ideas. She'd feel anger before the grove thing was done, because this woman wants to wipe out all these people? Death to you, lady. But then she gains sympathy once they get to Moonrise and see she was forced into doing what she had.

Shadowheart: Catty as fuck. She needs to take the stick out of her ass and be a team player.

Wyll: An absolute character. Corny, but she likes corny. Just a gosh darned delight, and a most welcome addition to the party. Look at him.

Scratch and the owlbear: The best boys ever.

[herbertwest]

In today's BG3 adventures, I'm gonna put stuff under a readmore since I'm getting into pretty serious spoiler territory (I'm in Act II now).

I wrapped up everything I felt like doing in the Underdark and above ground. I skipped the adamantine quests because even though it would have been useful, it was just too much to do.

The MOST IMPORTANT THING I did in this section was recruiting Scratch the dog to my camp.

AND HE BECAME BEST FRIENDS WITH THE BABY OWLBEAR!!! AAAA!!!! I pet them both at the same time and got an achievement.

I ended up actually going to the Arcane Tower, which ended up being fun once I got past the turrets.

Then on to the shadowlands! I can't say I'm loving them so far, and I can't figure out how to use my magic items (I want to cast Light using a ring but ????). Luckily I do have some torches, but they're not super convenient.

Anyway, I made it to the Last Light Inn, managed to skip EVERY sidequest, and started the fight to save Isobel (I don't have the heart to side with the other guy, though I'm curious about what would happen). Luckily, I failed a bunch so when I play tomorrow I'm going to do some side quests before I attempt the fight again. I'm thinking about switching up my party composition a bit so I can deal more damage (a reminder that my party is me (bard), Gale, Wyll, and Astarion, and only I am suited for close-quarters combat, and also the only source of healing). I'm thinking of bringing in Karlach for a while instead of Gale, and maybe Lae'zel even though I don't like her very much instead of Wyll just so I can finish off Bird Guy more quickly.

If it's worthwhile NOT to fight Bird Guy and to let him take Isobel, I'd love to hear about that.

While I was in an earlier part of the Shadowlands, Gale revealed that he desired my character carnally, which is very funny and also I feel bad because my character is loyal to Astarion. That does not stop my character from being a tremendous flirt though.

[silverwhittlingknife]

Red Robin 1-12: a love letter to continuity

a.k.a. I could footnote this entire run and that's so much of what I love about it

This is an incredibly minor one-off moment with intense awareness of what’s going on in other comics, done with a thoroughness that is 1) totally unnecessary because 99% of readers will never notice, and therefore 2) SO GREAT

References!!! So many references!!!

(This is a really long post because there are just SO MANY references; I’m so sorry; I’m just very enthusiastic; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!)

Okay!  So I like a lot of things about Red Robin 1-12 (such as DICK and TIM), but one of the things I like most about it is pretty low-key: it’s very grounded in continuity, and it really rewards people who’ve read a lot of comics.  Chris Yost - who wrote the 12-issue arc that culminates in a fight with Ra’s - is really careful about keeping track of recent events and crossovers and who-knows-what and who’s-friends-with-who, and he brings in characters from Tim’s solo and his team books and past Batman crossovers.

Among other things, Yost explicitly references a ton of characters and events from the final issues of Robin, including:

Tim’s high school friends Zo and Ives, and his contacts Harper and Bard

Tim’s final battle with Shiva in R 183

the new Anarchy killing his siblings in R 182

Dick and Tim’s final encounter in R 183

Tim's go-to fake name "Alvin Draper" (a deep dive going all the way back to the 90s, when Tim uses the alias in Robin, Young Justice, and issues like Detective Comics 697)

Tim telling Steph to stop wearing the Spoiler costume in R 182 after he finds out she hired someone to attack him in R 177 (...it’s complicated, but look, none of this is Yost’s fault)

Tim worrying that Batman was going crazy in R 176

Tim breaking Jason out of prison in R 182

Yost's also careful to keep track of and reference events from other comic books around this time, including:

Jason’s murder spree in Battle for the Cowl (and we even get Tim having the logical emotional response of blaming himself for freeing Jason),

Hush replacing Bruce in Batman: Streets of Gotham (and Ra’s tries to figure out what’s going on!), 

Superman being the one who (apparently) brings back Bruce’s body in Final Crisis, 

the attack of the Justifiers with the Anti-Life Equation in Final Crisis,

Tim and Cassie grieving Conner in Teen Titans,

Tim and Cassie’s goodbye in Teen Titans, 

Tim’s meeting with Conner in Adventure Comics (and Tim muses on what Conner deduced about his costume),

Tim’s meetup with Dick in Batman: Blackest Night (and Tim second-guesses not telling Dick about his evidence), 

Dick and Damian moving to the Penthouse in Batman, and Steph and Babs moving to the Batcave in Batgirl (when Tim heads to the Batcave, he's startled to run into Steph instead of Dick, and when Babs calls Dick later, she also calls from there)

But that's not all! Yost's also really interested in older comics!

The entire plot of RR is a follow-up on Ra’s’ interest in recruiting Tim from all the way back in the Resurrection of Ra’s al-Ghul crossover!!

plus Yost creates a League character who specifically remembers and references Resurrection, 

plus Tim notices that the current White Ghost is different from the old White Ghost, 

plus Tim talks to Bruce’s gravestone, much like he talks to his parents’ gravestones in Robin,

plus Cassie mentions Tim’s Batman needs a Robin catchphrase from all the way back in Lonely Place of Dying,

plus in one of Dick and Tim’s fights, Dick says Tim should get therapy in Metropolis, which is a very in-character thing for Dick to think of because Dick himself seeks therapy from a Dr. Parker in New Teen Titans and kinda low-key tries to get informal therapy from Clancy in Brothers in Blood, plus I’m 90% sure that this refers specifically to Dr. Claire Foster, a Metropolis psychologist and minor Superman character (who Yost has Donna suggest that Kory see in the Titans issue he wrote),

plus Dick and Tim have a fight when Tim’s heading to the airport, and the fight starts when Dick tries to grab Tim and hold him back, and Tim throws him off, which is exactly how their fight over the Lazarus Pit in Resurrection starts too,

plus Tim only wins his physical fight with Dick because Dick has second thoughts and backs off and lets him win, rather than actually losing, which—again—is basically how their fight went in Resurrection,

plus Dick’s "Tim’s my equal, Damian’s my responsibility” line is a nice shorthand that’s very in-character and true to how Dick thinks of them in other comics (Dick has a high opinion of Tim and generally thinks of him as an equal or even better than Dick at things in New Titans and Nightwing; Alfred just told Dick that Damian is his “responsibility” in Batman and their relationship will continue to be ‘guardian and child’ in Batman and Robin),

plus RR 1 has some clever visual and verbal parallels to Batman 416, and just generally I love the idea of low-key replaying the Bruce-Dick-Jason / Bruce-Dick-Azrael dustups with a new Dick-Tim-Damian dustup which is both completely different and extremely similar,

plus, Yost adds some fun original characters (Tam and the assassin trio), but without introducing them at the expense of Tim’s previous relationships - Tam and the assassins aren’t the focus in the big finale, and Tim’s traditional friends and allies are,

and Yost neatly introduces the new characters by fitting them into existing mythology (you already know Lucius’s daughter Tiffany, now meet her younger sister; you already know Ra’s has assassins, now learn some of their names).

Non-Batfamily Characters

But wait! I’m not done!  There are even more continuity references!  Consider how RR keeps track of—and references—what’s going on with non-Batfamily characters:

The Wild Huntsman, an incredibly minor character from Justice League: Europe, shows up to try to stop Tim from stealing from a museum in Germany.

Tim runs into a new Killer Moth and mentions that he’s hard to identify because “the costume and the man” change regularly, and Killer Moth panics and asks if Tim’s with the Atom, which is a reference to the Atom fighting Killer Moth and torturing people in Cry for Justice (and Tim has “no idea” what Killer Moth’s talking about, as indeed he wouldn’t!)

In order to kidnap Hush, Ra’s and his group of assassins have to knock out Katana, because she’s one of the former Outsiders that Dick asked to start guarding Hush in Batman: Streets of Gotham,

The montage of Ra’s’ targets and Tim’s allies spotlights a bunch of lesser-known Batfamily allies and Bruce Wayne love interests from Batman/Batfamily comics through the years!!  Man-Bat!!  Huntress!!

I’M STILL NOT DONE.  Consider how careful Red Robin is about names:

When one of the assassins says, “Flash,” Tim guesses that they probably don’t mean “Wally” or “Mister Allen,” which is a short-and-sweet way of clearly distinguishing between Tim’s relationship to Wally (part of Dick’s generation, someone he’s worked with before) and Barry Allen (older, Tim never met him).

Ra’s al-Ghul calls Tim “Timothy,” just like he does in Resurrection, and Tim remembers that Ra’s usually calls Bruce “Detective,” which nicely sets up the coming-of-age moment when Tim does something clever and Ra’s calls him “Detective” 

When Tim says the name “Hush,” Steph misunderstands and thinks he’s telling her to be quiet, because Steph was presumed dead during Batman: Hush so—unlike a lot of the other characters—she has no reason to recognize the name.

Tim’s inner monologue refers to himself as Robin and then he has to course-correct as he tries to figure out what he should call himself (and just in general Tim’s identity-crisis inner monologues where he distinguishes between himself as “Tim Drake” or “Tim Wayne” or “Robin” or someone else are straight from similar musings throughout Robin)

Harvey Bullock thinks Tim is Dr. Mid-Nite because their costumes look similar.

Relatedly, Red Robin is careful about keeping track of who-knows-what and which characters have relationships to which other characters. Thus for example:

Alfred doesn’t know that Tim’s taken off until he goes upstairs and finds that his bedroom is empty,

Dick finds out about Tim’s theory that Bruce is alive because Tim tells Cassie and she calls Dick,

Nobody knows Tim’s new codename unless they ask him and he tells them,

Tim doesn’t know that Dick and Damian are now in the Penthouse instead of the Cave (and that Babs and Steph are now in the Cave), because that move happened while he was gone,

Dick finds out that Tim’s in Gotham because Babs calls him to let him know, and Babs knows because Steph got in touch with her when she ran into Tim,

Damian and Prudence recognize each other from Damian’s days in the League.

Also, I am a connoisseur of character flaws and weaknesses and insecurities and mayyyybe less-than-ideal coping mechanisms, and Red Robin is ON POINT.  Among other things:

The specific Brucequest plan of “run away from home on an impulsive quest without telling anyone where I’m going” is SUCH a classic Tim Drake response to personal problems I CANNOT TELL YOU.  There was the time he ran away to Paris without leaving a note in Robin (while in a guilt-spiral), or the time he ran away from Central City, or the time he snuck into NML, or the time he quit Robin and didn’t tell his teammates, I COULD GO ON,

plus Tim’s insecurities about his place in the family (and the ways he ties that place and his identity to the Robin costume) are straight out of Robin and Nightwing and Damian’s first appearance in Batman and Resurrection, and ditto feeling threatened by Damian and being super-hostile toward him as a result, plus Tim’s idea of Robin both as something you earn and as a symbol of love (and as something that’s Dick’s to give and take) goes all the way back to his origin story,

plus the “I’m fine” line, and lying, and not confiding anything in anyone, and just generally responding to a personal crisis by getting super-involved in crimefighting and pretending he’s totally fine are all Peak Tim Drake, and very reminiscent of how Tim responds to the aftermath of Darla’s death in War Games and the aftermath of his dad’s death in Teen Titans and the aftermath of Dodge’s death in Robin (in Tim’s defense, his role models are Bruce and Dick, so...yeah),

plus in RR 12 Tim’s—not trying to die, he’s trying to win, but he’s also extremely willing to risk or sacrifice his life in ways that the people who love him might be understandably unnerved by, and that feels very true to some moments in Teen Titans,

And this is kind of fuzzier, but one thing that I really, really love about RR is that even though it’s very much a Tim story, it’s got a lot of love for the supporting cast.  

Lucius Fox is the one who realizes Hush needs to be stopped and that he can use a legal trick involving Tim to do it, and the reason why he has the authority to pull it off is because that’s how much Bruce trusts him, which is a very nice way of honoring how important Lucius is to Wayne Enterprises and the Batfamily

Bruce is the one who trusted Lucius and trusted Tim in return and that’s why they’re able to pull it off; 

Tim only saves the day in the end because he calls on a bunch of Batfamily and Titans allies; 

In the finale, Tim loses his physical fight with Ra’s!!!  I will never be over how great this is.  Tim wins the protect-everyone battle that matters to him, via cleverness and trickery and allies and friends and figuring out what Ra’s is up to and asking the right people for help, but he loses the physical fight, because Ra’s is a fantastic fighter and there’s no possible way for Tim to beat him.  How many superhero comics end in a triumph where the character knows he’s gonna lose the physical fight and then does indeed lose it and you’re still cheering for him and understand why it’s a victory?  Not a lot.

Ra’s doesn’t lose the battle of wits because he’s an idiot—he loses because he doesn’t anticipate Tim calling on allies, which is a very reasonable assumption because Tim hasn’t been doing that; 

plus an after-fight scene tells us that Ra’s wasn’t trying his hardest because this was mostly a test for Tim; 

We end not with Tim saving someone but with Dick saving him.

Like. It’s a great Tim showcase that still saves some key BAMF moments for other characters, and it lets Tim have conflict with other people while still keeping the other people understandable and sympathetic, and it does all this while still giving Tim his own genuinely satisfying victories: his hunch that Bruce is alive is right, and his evidence will save Bruce; the final confrontation with Ra’s is enormously fun.

There are also just a bunch of ways the story feels right on a thematic level!

The whole storyline starts with a fight with Dick and ends with a reconciliation with Dick AS IT SHOULD because Tim’s relationship with Dick is at the CORE OF HIS CHARACTER okay i might be a little biased here but I am also RIGHT

Tim figures out that Bruce is alive via a split-second instinctive visual recognition, followed by a bunch of actual detective work to confirm the split-second insight, which is a PERFECT way for Tim in particular to make the deduction because that’s exactly how Tim figures out Dick’s secret identity in Lonely Place of Dying,

Tim’s big issue 12 finale involves him declaring, “I’m not Batman—I have friends,” which is a version of things that Tim says repeatedly in Young Justice and Teen Titans, but more broadly, the importance of “nobody works alone, we have to lean on each other and ask for help” is, like, the Ur-Tim-Drake-thematic thing, the core insight at the heart of Batman needs a Robin,

plus it’s an insight that Tim consistently struggles to apply to himself in Robin and Teen Titans, so Tim forgetting this and relearning it again is a great thematic arc for the whole twelve-issue story

And of course, the big finale ends with Dick CATCHING Tim while he’s FALLING, which is the most thematically appropriate thing you could possibly have happen for those two characters IN PARTICULAR.

And Red Robin works with the other comics and the history of the DC universe and relies on them, as opposed to being its own self-contained solo act that warps everything around it, so on a meta level it’s enacting the same in-universe moral that Tim uses to defeat Ra’s.

IT’S JUST SO GOOD YOU GUYS

[drabbles-of-writing]

heyo! same anon who had the "Raine adopts Hunter" au and i come bearing HCs! ok ok ok so basically Raine Knows about lil rascal bc they were leaving a note and heard the sound of bird chirps and the soft thunk of wood on wood. as a result they sometimes leave little pet toys they find along with the other notes and gifts. Hunter meanwhile is DEADSET on figuring out who tf is leaving shit under his door all the time and he set up all sorts of dumb booby traps (as much as he could being in the castle) and every time Raine just- uses their bard magic to hide themselves or something and it pisses off Hunter to NO END. but at the same time Hunter starts to think of the letter bringer as a parent figure since they give advice in their letters about an area hes going to for a mission or brings him candy if he gets punished for something stupid. and then Hunter first finds out that Raine was the letter bringer when lil rascal saw their picture in the news about them being caught and making sad noises and Hunter just starts to think about the timeline and how insanely op bard magic can be in the right hands and you can almost hear the gears turning until he goes "oh shit thats THEM" and rushes off to recruit the owl fam to steal back his psuedo parent. when Eda finds out that the little twit Raine was leaving shit for was THE FUCKING GOLDEN GUARD AND ALSO LUZ KNEW HIM TOO AND DIDNT SAY ANYTHING???? shes just. so confused. but a person she loves is on the line and the kid doesnt seem too bad underneath the mask.

Hunter, kicking in the front door of the owl house: HEY DO YOU GUYS WANNA PISS OFF BELOS Eda: I mean, yes, always, but who are you

Hunter originally just wanted Luz specifically but Luz was immediately like "yeah I should probably get Eda's help for this I do Not want to face Belos on my own again" and the two of them figh each other as Luz is trying to wriggle out of his grip going "EDAAA EDA I HAVE SOMETHIN TO TELL YOU" and Hunter is trying to strangle her to keep her Quiet

Eda shows up and is like "who??? are you??" and Hunter is about to just say his name and leave it at that. just a normal witch boy here don't mind him but of course Luz is just deadpan "hes the golden guard. we're kind of friends. i wanna help him anger belos" and Hunter immediately tries to strangle her again

Eda is going about a million miles an hour when Hunter also brings up "yeah i wanna rescue Raine Whispers bc they were kinda nice to me n stuff and I feel really bad" and Eda is almost hysterical like "RAINE??? YOU????? WHEN THE HELL DID RAINE GET A KID" but honesty shes just trying to focus on one thing at a time and grabs everyone like "okay yes we can rescue Raine but lets rescue their Batts friends first since we could use some help, and also Katya probably knows the prison pretty well by now" and thus its a bunch of hijinks to try and rescue Raine but then they find Raine is mind controlled in some thicket stuff and both Hunter and Eda are Not having a good time right now

[joonie-beanie]

Present | Diluc x Reader

Word Count: 6,692

Pairing: Diluc x GN Reader (Traveler)

Preview: After realizing that Diluc never gives himself a chance to relax and enjoy the many festivals of Mondstadt, you and Kaeya come up with a plan to create a festival specifically for Diluc. One that he won't have a choice but to enjoy.

"I want this all to work, because more than anything, I want to see the look on that bastard’s face when he realizes we’ve created an event so perfect that he’ll have no reason not to relax. He’ll be pissed.”

In which Kaeya is a little shit, Diluc doesn't know what's coming, and you're a bit of a (love-stricken) fool.

Mondstadt, as the city of freedom, has no shortage of festivals.

Each year, there’s at least half a dozen festivals—well, official ones, at least. Sometimes Good Hunter or Angel’s Share just happen to be doing a special of sorts—you know, a new wine tasting, a limited-time seasonal recipe, and all of the sudden the entirety of Mondstadt is out enjoying themselves and creating a festival of their own.

During the first leg of your journey, when you’d crusaded with the Knights in order to stop Dvalin, you’d experienced your fair share of the city’s festivities. On a handful of occasions, you’d ended up nursing a glass of Dandelion wine—watching as Mondstadt’s residents mingled in the bars, and seeped out into the music filled streets.

Venti had a habit of putting on a show, his cheeks flushed pink as his melody entranced his audience. Jean tended to immerse herself in her work, but Lisa and Amber always managed to drag her away—the trio getting a bite to eat, and a bottle to share. And Kaeya…well, Kaeya could typically be found in Cat’s Tail—flirting his way through the evening with no shortage of confidence. And if he ever felt like being a bit more mischievous, he’d head over to Angel’s Share and see if he could rile Diluc’s feathers.

Speaking of…the red-headed winery owner never quite seemed to enjoy the liveliness of Mondstadt. No matter how much his workers tried to relieve him of his place behind the bar, he never opted to indulge himself. On occasion, he would leave Charles to run things by himself—quietly slipping out the back door and returning no more than 15 minutes later, not a hair out of place.

It wasn’t until after you’d figured out exactly who the Darknight Hero was that you realized what exactly it was he was doing in those short reprieves of his.

“You know,” you say, the evening of your last festival in Mondstadt. Diluc is making his way back in from the side gate—the masks of defeated Hilichurls left in the grass behind him. “You deserve a break.”

“The Knights use the city’s festivities as an excuse to get drunk and shirk their duties,” he responds, crimson gaze turning to you. “If I don’t keep an eye out, Mondstadt will be left undefended.”

“But that’s not fair to you!” Paimon argues over your shoulder, peeved on his behalf. “Even Master Diluc deserves some downtime!”

“I feel better when I’m doing something—slacking off doesn’t suit me.”

“It’s not slacking off it's relaxing,” you argue, scooting from your spot atop the short concrete wall and following after him once he makes his way up the stairs. “Everyone deserves to relax, especially you, Diluc.”

He sighs at your persistence, B-lining for the back door to the bar.

“You don’t need to worry about me, Y/N.”

“I don’t need to, but I am.”

He pauses in his stride, turning to look at you. Confusion creases his brow, as if he’s not used to anyone outside of his staff genuinely worrying for his well being.

He stares at you for a few seconds, his gaze flitting to the slight pout of your lips. Unfortunately, a little pout isn’t enough to break him.

“Please don’t worry, I promise I’m fine,” he says, his features softening. He doesn’t smile, but the look in his eye is enough to have your heart skipping a beat. Luckily, if your cheeks flush, it can easily be passed off as a side effect of the glass of alcohol you’d already downed.

Without waiting for a response, Diluc then strides forward and returns to the bar. You’re left alone in the street, staring after him--at least, until someone else saddles up beside you.

“I came looking for our dear old friend Diluc since I noticed he was gone, and here I find him out here with you,” Kaeya’s teasing voice reaches your ear. You glance over your shoulder at him, rolling your eyes when he cocks an insinuating brow.

“15 minutes is long enough for a quickie, no?”

“Oh hush,” you say, slapping the front of your hand against his chest. He chuckles.

“Hey, don’t tell me you would be opposed.”

You decide not to respond to that, opting to change the topic, and while Kaeya certainly notices, he chooses not to push it.

“You know,” you start. “Diluc never participates in these festivals because he knows the Knight’s are out enjoying themselves.”

“Ah, and by that you mean “Diluc hates the fact that the Knights are taking a break, and is busy masquerading as the Darknight Hero to protect the city instead, since he thinks we’re incompetent”.”

You wince at his wording. “Well…I wouldn’t put it like that.”

“But he would,” Kaeya scoffs. He eyes the drink in his hand, swirling the contents at the bottom of the glass. Silence stretches for a moment.

“You’re worried about him.”

“I think he just deserves to…I don’t know…enjoy himself??”

A grin stretches at Kaeya’s lips. “Well, if you show up in his bedroom wearing a cute little lingerie set I’m sure he’d—”

“Paimon, look! There’s Venti!” you hurriedly interrupt him, pointing at the intoxicated bard that has come into view just up the road. “Didn’t you say he owes you a meal at Good Hunter?!”

Luckily, the distraction works. Paimon gasps, realizing you’re right, and floats away from your side.

“Hey! Good for nothing bard! Time to pay up!”

You breathe a sigh of relief before turning a narrowed gaze on Kaeya. He holds his hands up innocently.

“Whoops~”

“You have no self-control,” you tell him with a huff, attempting to brush past him and head back into the bar. The cryo-user catches your wrist, however, before you can get too far. With little trouble, he tugs you backwards—your bottom bumping into a wooden table set out behind you, and you reach back to steady yourself. Kaeya places his hands on either side of you, effectively caging you in.

He smiles cheekily.

“If I had no self-control, you’d be flung over my shoulder as I carried you back to your lodgings.”

You cock an eyebrow at him. “Then what’s stopping you?”

The question isn’t teasing, but curious. This is far from the first time Kaeya has entered your personal space, or made naughty insinuations while around you. In fact, once before he had thrown you over his shoulder and attempted to escape, only to be stopped by Jean along the way.

This time, however, despite his bold words, he’s not moving to follow-through.

You hold his gaze, waiting for an answer, and he sighs.

Hanging his head, his soft hair brushes against the skin of your neck as he rests his forehead on your shoulder.

“Because…I think you’re right.”

“…what?”

“I think you’re right,” he repeats, finally taking a step back and giving you some space. There’s a disgruntled yet bashful look on his face.

“I think…maybe…Diluc should relax for a day. Even just an evening, really. I mean, after all, if he doesn’t relax every now and then he’ll age horribly.”

You breathe a laugh at that.

Pushing yourself up, you eye the Knight considerately.

“…you really do care about him, don’t you?”

Kaeya shoots you a look—one that obviously screams “don’t you dare say a word more”—and luckily for him, you don’t. At least, not about his secret concern for Diluc.

“So, if we want to get him to relax for once, how do we do it?”

Kaeya pauses, considering how exactly the two of you can take on this nearly-impossible task. It will be no easy feat to get Diluc to relax, even if only for a few hours. He doesn’t trust a majority of the Knights of Favonius, if any, so even if Kaeya recruited other Knights to guard the city during the next festival, he doubts Diluc would simply accept the increased defense in Mondstadt and relax.

No…of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

“The city is too big,” Kaeya says, making his thoughts known. “Even if the Knights didn’t take a break during the next festival, and chose to patrol instead, I don’t think Diluc would see them as competent enough to actually prevent an attack. He’d assume they’re pouting about being on guard while the rest of the city is having fun, which…wouldn’t exactly be wrong, I’m afraid to admit.”

“Then…why not have a festival in a smaller area?” you suggest. “Maybe the area around the cathedral, or—”

“The winery…”

There’s a look of surprise on Kaeya’s face, like he’s taken aback by his own brilliant idea. But, the more you think about it, the winery would be a perfect place. The area to survey isn’t nearly as large as the entire city, and the winery is already bustling with staff that could help out with the preparations.

“That…yeah, that would definitely work,” you agree, feeling excited that this plan might actually be successful. But…then you remember your sibling, and the fact that you’re leaving for Liyue in the upcoming days, and your cheery demeanor quickly melts away. Kaeya, even while buzzed, is quick to notice.

“Leave all the preparation to me,” he says. “I can ask Jean, and Venti…maybe even Amber to help out too. I want this all to work, because more than anything, I want to see the look on that bastard’s face when he realizes we’ve created an event so perfect that he’ll have no reason not to relax. He’ll be pissed.”

You laugh at that. “Okay, I feel bad leaving you to do everything, but…I trust you, if only because I know your need to see him pissed off is genuine.”

“Perfect,” he says. “You just need to meet me at the Winery at noon exactly 30 days from now.”

“30 days from now?” you blink, head tilting to the side. “Why--?”

“April 30th,” he responds, not bothering to explain when you don’t register the significance of the date. “You’ll see. Just be there.”

“Got it,” you nod. “April 30th.”

Kaeya hums, pleased that you won’t be forgetting anytime soon, and then leans in. Before you can register the movement—too busy thinking about your and Kaeya’s newly formed scheme—you feel a pair of lips press against your cheek.

Kaeya smiles as he inches back.

“Now, be safe in Liyue, alright?”

As annoying and flirtatious as Kaeya can be at times, you sense a sincerity in his words and his actions.

“I will,” you promise softly, and with that, Kaeya turns and disappears back into the city. Two days later you leave Mondstadt behind as you make your way to Liyue, and never once do you forget to count down the days each time the sun sets.

Exactly 30 days after your conversation with Kaeya, you wake up in a bed at the Wanshu Inn. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon, and you feel the most rested you’ve felt in the last month of traversing all over Liyue. You assume it’s thanks to being able to sleep in a real bed—not a sleeping bag, in a tent, with one eye open in case any monsters come your way.

No, after accepting a commission for the Inn, they’d offered you mora as a reward, and immediately you’d turned around and given it right back.

“Can I…have a room for the night, instead?”

Thankfully, they’d been more than happy to oblige.

“Today’s the day!” Paimon exclaims as the two of you make your way out of Wanshu, and up the road to the North. “We get to see all our friends from Mondstadt! Aren’t you excited??”

“Of course I am!” you respond with a quiet laugh, eyes trailed on the path ahead. It will be a few hours walk to make it to the winery, but you should make it there by noon no problem.

“I’m just…a little worried. I hope Kaeya’s planning went alright…”

“Oh, don’t start worrying about silly stuff!” Paimon scolds you. “We’ll be there soon, so don’t start thinking bad things! Just trust Kaeya, okay?”

You look at her curiously.

“…do you trust Kaeya?”

Paimon stares blankly. Then, she speeds up the path, arm outstretched.

“Okay! Let’s get a move on!”

You make it through the mountain pass between Mondstadt and Liyue just as the sun hits its highest point in the warm spring sky. Across the lake, you can spot the Dawn Winery and a smile tugs at your lips.

While you’re learning to love Liyue, Mondstadt and its people had been the first to come into your life. For that reason, the familiar sights and sounds have you feeling just a bit more at ease.

“Look! There’s Kaeya!”

Paimon points up the path, and you spot Kaeya’s blue hair in the distance. There are other figures bustling around him, and judging by their outfits, you can only assume they’re employees of Dawn Winery.

Seems like Kaeya did manage to get Diluc’s people in on the surprise.

“Kaeyaaaaa~” Paimon cries as she floats on ahead, catching the Knights’ attention. He smiles charmingly at spotting you both.

“My favorite mysterious traveler and Paimon! Welcome back to Mondstadt.”

“Good to be back,” you respond with a smile as you make your way up the small set of steps. Your gaze sweeps across the winery, and you note the tables that have been set out on one end of the patio. On the other is a small wooden stage, and on either side of the entrance are long banquet tables.

“I see you actually planned something. I’m impressed.”

Kaeya looks seriously offended at the comment.

“What? You thought I would forget? Do you really think that little of me?” he sighs dramatically, but smiles when you roll your eyes and smack his arm.

“Well, you did good, Captain Kaeya, I have to admit.”

“Thank you,” he responds, turning to survey the progress of the winery workers. It’d taken up a chunk of his free time—getting this all planned—but hopefully the look of disbelief on Diluc’s face will make it all worthwhile.

“So,” you say, breaking the silence. “What is the plan?”

“Well,” Kaeya starts. He crosses his arms, looking up to the sun in the sky. “Master Diluc is away on a trip to Starfell Lake to meet with a potential vendor for the winery. He should be back at…eh…I’d say 3, normally, but my guess is he’ll make some pit stops on the road home to take care of some rouge slimes and hilichurls, so let’s go with 4.”

You breathe a laugh, realizing he’s right. “Okay, fair. So until then it’s just preparation here, I’m guessing. What are we doing about defending the city?”

“Jean asked Lisa to lead a training exercise with the rest of the Knights. An all-night patrol of both the outside and inside of the city walls—a “test” of their will-power.”

“So…trying not to fall asleep on the job?”

Kaeya smiles. “Maybe.”

“Well, so long as the city is being protected, I can’t say anything. Hopefully that will be enough to reassure Diluc.”

“If it’s not, we can just force-feed him a few glasses of wine.”

Speaking of, you watch as two of the winery workers roll out a HUGE barrel of wine. Apparently, there are no holds barred when it comes to throwing an event for their master…

“We’re also using protection for the winery,” Kaeya pipes up, turning to stare to the North. “Amber managed to talk to that wolf boy, Razor, and he agreed to keep an eye out across Wolvendom. Amber volunteered herself to keep tabs on the area between here and Springville, so I don’t think the Abyss Order will get away with trying anything tonight.”

You nod, surprised at the lengths Kaeya had gone to make this a perfect chance for Diluc to relax.

“…god he’s gonna hate us for this,” you sigh, holding your face in your hands. You care about Diluc so much it’s insane, and the only thing you want for him is to take a little break, but man he is gonna be pissed.

“There there,” Kaeya says, patting your back. “No sense worrying now—everything is already in motion. For now, why don’t you see if you can help the preparations in some way? Everything needs to be perfect for Master Diluc, after all.”

You shoot him a disgruntled look. “Ugh, it’s so weird when you call him that. Stop it.”

“I think he gets off on it,” Kaeya responds, an amused glint in his eyes. “Maybe you should try calling him that when the two of you are alone—see if it makes him blush.”

“I’ll hurt you,” you deadpan.

“Maybe I get off on that.”

Wow, he doesn’t miss a beat.

Snorting a laugh, you turn away from him and move to help the winery staff. In just a few hours, you’ll see Diluc for the first time in too long (although you won’t admit that to anyone), and you want to do what you can to make this evening great for him.

Everything goes swimmingly until Jean arrives just before 4pm—jogging up to you and Kaeya with a perplexed look on her face.

“I know how important it is for there to be guards in order to get Master Diluc to relax, but a large number of slimes were spotted near Windrise, and with the Knights of Favonius doing their training exercise tonight in the city, I had no one available to send except Amber,” she explains with a sigh, rubbing her fingers against her forehead.

Worry knots in your throat, eyes scanning the crowd of people that have already gathered. Many of the guests are employees of the winery and patrons of Angel Share that Diluc gets along with. Only a handful of the people present have Visions, but asking any of them to give up being a part of the fun to go and stand watch in the nearby hills sounds like a terrible thing to do.

“Well--,” Kaeya interrupts your thoughts, rolling one of his shoulders. “Guess I’ll have to take over. My dear friend doesn’t seem to enjoy seeing my face around here anyway, so I might as well—”

“No,” you interrupt him. “I’ll play guard.”

Both Kaeya and Jean pause.

“Y/N…,” Jean starts, looking torn. “You traveled all this way. Out of anyone here, you should get to stay and enjoy the festivities…”

“No, it’s okay—Diluc doesn’t even know I’m here, right? I can watch for enemies. You both stay here and enjoy yourselves.”

Paimon looks heartbroken. “Well…if you insist, but won’t you miss seeing Master Diluc?”

You smile at her, attempting to be reassuring. The idea of coming all this way and not getting to mingle with your friends certainly does make your heart ache, but the entire point of this event is to let Diluc relax, and have fun. So, long as he does, you’ll be happy.

“He’ll be here soon,” you respond. Jean and Kaeya notice how you avoid answering the question—instead taking a step back and looking towards the northeast. “I should get going.”

You run off without waiting for the others to comment. Paimon scurries after you, shouting something about how she’ll keep you company instead.

“Idiot,” Kaeya sighs as Jean shakes her head.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late!” Venti says, coming up behind them. He’s got a bottle of wine tucked under his arm and a bright smile on his face. His eyes scan the nearby area, and when he spots that someone is missing, he frowns.

“Wasn’t Y/N supposed to be here?”

You’ve just arrived at the Statue of The Seven when you hear a chorus of cheers from the Winery. Turning, you watch over the treetops as the intimately sized crowd raises their glasses—sharing a toast before the merry music begins—rolling over the hills.

“I guess Diluc just arrived,” Paimon surmises, face drawn into a pout. You can tell that she wants to be down there, joining in on all the fun, and you can’t say you don’t share the sentiment.

“Looks like he took the long way around,” you say, turning away from the winery, and seating yourself at the base of the statue. “Otherwise, we would have passed him on the way here.”

Paimon frowns at you, floating down to look you in the eyes.

“Why does it seem like you’re trying to avoid Master Diluc?”

“I’m not,” you respond with a huff. “It’s just easier this way.”

Paimon doesn’t buy it.

“You know, Kaeya offered to keep guard. I’m sure Master Diluc would prefer to have you at the festival, rather than him.”

“Even if they act like brats towards one another, they’re still…frienemies,” you say, for lack of a better term. Silently, you attempt to block out the jovial noises behind you. You don’t want to be focused on something that you’re missing out on.

Paimon pouts even harder at your argument, looking like she’ll start stomping her foot midair, but she keeps her mouth shut for now. Even if you won’t say it, she knows you’re sacrificing your own wants at the moment, and bickering with you won’t do anything to help.

So, instead she flies down and sits herself snuggly in your lap—determined to make you feel better.

“I feel like any Hilichurls in Mondstadt already know not to mess with you,” she says, changing the subject. “Do you think any will show up?”

You breathe a laugh.

“I hope not. But they are quite dumb.”

Diluc has to admit…he was not expecting to come back to the winery to find that a makeshift festival had been staged at his very own home.

And on his birthday, no less.

“Surprise!”

“Welcome home!”

“Happy birthday!”

An array of familiar faces greet him as he steps into view—caught on the path between the rows of grapes. Understandably, he’s speechless. He typically is aware of the happenings of his staff, and if an event had planned in Mondstadt, surely he’d have gotten word, but…here he is, and here they are, and at the front of the pack is a certain Cryo-wielding Knight, grinning ear to ear.

Of course he had something to do with this.

“To Diluc!” Kaeya cheers, holding up his mug.

“To Diluc!” the rest of the guests’ chorus, and as if on cue, the music starts.

Diluc, perplexed, remains where he is. At least, until Jean and Venti make their way to him.

“I hope you don’t hate the surprise,” Jean speaks, offering him a glass of wine. “We just…wanted you to be able to relax for once. We know how busy you always are, and I also wanted to thank you for your help with Dvalin.”

“We?” Diluc echoes, taking the glass from her. He stares at it for a moment, hesitating, but then he remembers that Kaeya is here, and he takes a long swig.

“Yep! Me, Jean, Kaeya, Y/N--,” Venti doesn’t notice the way Diluc’s eyes light up with interest at the sound of your name. “—and even the people who frequent Angel’s Share, or work at Dawn Winery! We all thought it would be nice to hold something like this for you! And hey—no better time than your birthday.”

Diluc is silent for a moment, his scarlet eyes scanning over the crowd.

“Well,” he finally responds, apparently not having found what he’d been looking for. “If anything, I’m surprised. I should have suspected something was happening when I noticed the Knights patrolling the city in full force on my way back…”

Jean laughs—reaching out and giving his arm a friendly pat.

“Just try to enjoy yourself, alright? For one night.”

Diluc sighs heavily, but he can’t ignore the efforts everyone had put into throwing this mini-festival for him. Doing so would make him just as bad as anyone in the Abyss Order.

“Fine.”

Venti beams a smile, reaching out and snagging his wrist. Diluc’s eyes widen in shock.

“Good! Now let’s get you some food, and some more alcohol!”

For what it’s worth, Kaeya really does try to lay off the teasing. It’s Diluc’s birthday, after all. He can manage to be civil for a few hours, right? Right.

So, the cavalry captain keeps his distance—enjoys his alcohol and female companions at least 20ft away from Diluc. He dances along with the music, cracks jokes with the crowd, and flirts his way into more than a few women’s hearts. (And maybe even a man or two).

However, even while doing so, Kaeya quietly keeps tabs on the birthday boy. He is far from blind to the way Diluc’s gaze searches the grounds every so often, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone he’s sure not to find.

And yet, that doesn’t stop him from doing so time after time. Poor bastard.

Sighing, Kaeya stares past the winery, into the northeastern hills. He can see the light from the Anemo Statue beaming into the sky. A silent beacon of where to find you.

“You know,” Kaeya says, saddling up next to Diluc. He has decided to break his imaginary 20ft rule for the first time tonight—leaning back against the winery wall. Diluc is standing in front of him, eating a skewer, and blatantly avoiding making eye contact.

“It was Y/N’s idea—all of this. They wanted you to be able to relax for once.”

The redhead pauses for a millisecond at the mention of your name, before he quickly resumes chewing. Kaeya takes the opportunity to continue talking.

“I decided to help out, considering they were leaving for Liyue. Oh, and also because I wanted to see the look on your face.”

At that, Diluc shoots him a glare.

“Are you pleased with yourself?”

“Very,” Kaeya grins, swirling the wine in his glass. “You’re on your third drink, you’ve had two plates of food, and I’ve seen you smile nearly half a dozen times—which I’m pretty sure is a daily record.”

Diluc glares harder. Kaeya smiles wider.

“You’re enjoying yourself and hate me for it. This is the perfect outcome.”

Rolling his eyes, Diluc tosses the empty wooden skewer into a nearby trash bin and turns away. Kaeya is less than a step behind him—following Diluc as he makes his way to the edge of the crowd. As the two distance themselves from the heart of the festivities, Kaeya can spot the serenity swirling in the winery master’s colorful orbs. However, beneath it all, he sees a twinge of disappointment.

Once again, he finds his attention turning to nearby Anemo Statue.

Silence stretches. Then—

“I got you a present.”

Diluc cocks an eyebrow.

“I hope it’s not another vase.”

“No, that beauty is one of a kind,” Kaeya responds with a snort. “The issue is, my present…is playing hard to get. If you want to be able to unwrap it, you need to go to the Statue of The Seven.”

Now, Diluc just looks confused.

“You…left your present at the statue?”

“Actually, I think it’s hiding there.”

Worry etches into Diluc’s handsome face. Kaeya rolls his eyes.

“Why not go and see, Master Diluc? No harm in a little walk to get some fresh air, right?”

Diluc doesn’t grace him with a response. Instead, he stares at the blue-haired Knight with genuine concern. At least, until a small figure floats down the hillside and into view.

“Is that--?”

“Paimon!” Kaeya greets, not showing the least bit of surprise. “Wh—”

“Can’t talk! Gotta find a bathroom!” she yells, floating right past the two and towards the front door of the manner. Diluc stares after her, wondering if his eyes are playing tricks on him. However, when his gaze shifts to Kaeya, and he finds the Knight sipping on his wine, all while shooting him a teasing side-eye, Diluc knows what’s waiting for him at the statue.

“How long were you planning to hide from me up here?”

The sound of Diluc’s voice sends a shiver straight up your spine. Your entire body freezes, head stiffly turning to look at the man who now stands only a few feet behind you.

“I…I wasn’t hiding,” you say, jumping to your feet. You attempt to avoid his gaze, but his crimson orbs pull you in—refusing to let you look away.

Heat rises on your cheeks.

“I just…Amber was supposed to guard this area, but something came up, and I decided that since you didn’t know I was back, it wouldn’t be a loss, you know?”

Diluc’s brows furrow at your comment, but he says nothing. You cough, hoping to ease some of the tension.

“…how did you know I was up here, anyway?”

“Paimon floated down the hill from this direction,” he responds. He finally breaks eye contact, glancing up at the stars overhead. “Also, Kaeya told me that he’d left me a birthday present by the statue.”

For a moment, the cogs in your brain grind to a halt. A…what?

“It’s your birthday?!”

Diluc’s eyes widen innocently at your outburst. He looks confused, but judging by the way you’re quickly flushing red and looking bewildered, he can only assume you truly had no idea that today was his birthday.

“…you planned this event and didn’t even know the significance of the day?”

“Kaeya picked the day!” you respond, groaning into your hands. If you had known it was his birthday, you at least would have gotten a present for him! Something nice from Liyue! “I just wanted to have a festival where you could actually relax, and not be playing the hero to make up for the Knights slack! Ahhhh~”

You crouch down, holding your head between your hands. Dammit, if only you had known!

“I’m so sorry,” you finally say after a moment. “I didn’t know. I don’t have a present for you.”

If you weren’t freaking out, maybe you would have noticed the breath of laughter behind you, or the sound of footsteps making their way towards you through the thick grass. It’s not until Diluc crouches down in front of you and tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear that you notice just how close he’s gotten.

“You’re present enough,” he says quietly, sincerely. His eyes are fond, his lips turned up into a soft smile, and for the first time in 30 days, you feel your heart skip a beat.

His fingers skim behind your ear—lingering longer than they need to—and you lift your hand—placing it atop his own and trapping it there.

“I missed you,” you admit, unable to look at him. “I didn’t want to hide myself away up here, but I thought it would be the best thing to do. I just wanted you to have a good time.”

“I am,” he reassures you, his gloved fingers curling around your own, and giving them a squeeze. He presses back to his full height, tugging you to your feet along with him. And when he releases your hand, you immediately find yourself missing his warmth.

“It just would have been nice to know that you were here. I could have snuck away sooner to come and visit.”

“Your friends are all down there.”

“But you’re here,” he immediately reminds you, the tips of his ears turning red. “And you also matter.”

The “to me” is left unspoken, but is certainly implied.

You chew the inside of your cheek. His admission—while it certainly causes your heart to race—has you feeling a bit worried.

“…are you drunk?”

The glare Diluc sends your way is telling enough, and you quickly try to backpedal.

“It—It’s just!” you spring forward, placing yourself in front of him just as he turns to leave. Your palms reach forward to press against his hard chest, effectively keeping him from going another step.

“I’m not used to…feelings…from you,” you admit, your thoughts coming out in a jumble. You don’t want him to go anywhere. He can’t just say something like that and then walk away. Doesn’t he know what he’s doing to your poor little heart??

“Of course, I’m not saying I don’t enjoy you opening up to me. I definitely do. I want you to be able to talk to me, and trust me. It was just…unexpected, okay?”

Your fingers curl into his black coat. Your eyes trace the checked pattern of his shirt.

“I…I like that I matter to you.”

You finally find the courage to look up at him, and damn, he’s so beautiful. You’re not even sure when it was that you fell for him. Perhaps it was when he faced the Abyss Order head-on at Mondstadt’s gate without anyone knowing, or when he followed you into Dvalin’s layer and fought alongside you for the first time. Really, you have no idea, but the fact of the matter is: you have feelings for him—feelings that you’ve been attempting to ignore.

“I…like you,” you admit, no more than a whisper.

On a quest for your lost sibling, you shouldn’t have time for inklings of love. Or, at least, that’s what you tell yourself. It feels selfish—falling for Diluc, of all people, because charming as he is, he’s also stubborn, and closed-off.

You know this, and yet, you can’t stop yourself from yearning.

Unfortunately, you’re not sure he feels the same wa—

“Mmph—"

Diluc’s lips on yours is what manages to stop your worrying.

He wraps an arm around your waist, holding you close as his free hand cups your cheek. While at first you go stiff with shock, you quickly melt into him. He tastes like sweet wine, and smells like firewood, and gosh, he’s oh-so-warm.

“Mm,” you can’t help the appreciative groan, pressing yourself closer to him in a bid to soak up all the heat you can. Since the sun had set, the chilling air had soaked into your skin, and while you hadn’t realized it before, you certainly notice it now.

As your lips connect—once, twice, and again—a part of Diluc’s brain acknowledges that he should grace you with a response. That he should tell you how he feels. But…he’s not exactly good at that, and actions speak louder than words, right?

So, he tilts your head up—deepens the kiss. His brows furrow as he soaks up any sounds that escape you, internally conflicted by his actions. He’s not used to doing this--feeling this way. He never intended to feel anything for you—to feel sad when you left, and excited when you returned, but…here he is, and Barbatos be damned if he was going to let you slip away now.

“Diluc,” you pant, cheeks flushed as you manage to nudge the man away. As much as you enjoy his kisses, you need air.

“Sorry…,” he says, looking bashful. His cheeks are rosy, and his eyes nervous. He had acted on pure desire, without considering your feelings, or how his actions might be perceived.

“This isn’t like me,” he continues after a moment with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

Diluc attempts to take a step back, but your grip on his jacket holds him steady.

“No, don’t be sorry,” you say. You give him a gentle tug—drawing him into you once again. Your eyes fall to his lips. “Just…shut up, and kiss me again.”

Diluc can see the desire in your eyes, and he’s not used to such an emotion being directed his way. Sure, he’s aware that a few select citizen’s perhaps have affections for him, but this is the first time anything has felt…mutual.

It’s terrifying.

Leaning in, he captures your lips once more—not hesitating to slot your mouths together and deepen the kiss. And when you make a contented sound, your fingers tracing up his chest and moving to wrap around his neck, Diluc immediately forgets about his inner conflict.

Right now, he refuses to waste the time he has with you. He can overthink his emotions later.

Wanting to be closer—to feel more of you—Diluc briefly breaks the kiss. He leans down, wrapping his arms beneath your thighs, and hefts you upwards. You make a sound of surprise, more heat rising on your face as you feel your back rest against the Anemo statue.

“This really isn’t like you,” you say, your palms moving to cup his face. Your thumbs brush over his cheeks, and you silently carve this version of him into your mind. His hair tousled and cheeks red—his body flush against yours. This is a Diluc you never want to forget.

“Shall I stop?” he asks, voice quiet. You immediately shake your head, drawing him into another kiss.

“No…it’s just a side of you I’m discovering for the first time. I don’t dislike it at all.”

You feel him smile against your lips.

“Good.”

Things begin to blur after that. The two of you forget about the festival being held in Diluc’s honor just a short way down the hill. You don’t consider that people are likely looking for the master of the winery—wondering exactly where he’d gone off to. No, the only thing the two of you think about is the feel of each other’s bodies pressed together, and the heated kisses you exchange.

Quiet gasps and moans begin to fill the area around the statue—your hands wandering against Diluc’s torso, and his lips moving to trail kisses against the sensitive skin of your throat. It’s very possible that things would have continued to get even more intimate…had someone not interrupted.

“I see you like my present.”

You can almost tangibly feel Diluc’s annoyance.

“I’ll kill you.”

Kaeya chooses to ignore that.

“It’s been over half an hour. People are starting to get worried about the birthday boy.”

“Let them worry.”

“No, hey, c’mon,” you say, brushing his hair away from his eyes and catching his attention. You smile sweetly, nodding your head towards his residence. “You should get back. This whole event is for you, after all.”

With a sigh, he loosens his grip on you—his hands moving to hold your waist as your feet touch the ground for the first time in minutes.

“Fine, but only if you come too.”

You frown. “But…the whole point of me being out here is to keep guard so you can rela—”

“I won’t be able to relax knowing you’re out here,” he argues, and the look on his face tells you he won’t be taking “no” for an answer.

“Okay, okay, fine—guess I have no choice,” Kaeya breaks the tension, sighing somewhat dramatically. For the first time, you note that there’s a bottle of dandelion wine tucked under his arm.

“You two lovebirds go enjoy the festivities. I’ll play guard until the night winds down. I’ve already had my share in the fun anyway.”

“Perfect,” Diluc says, grabbing your wrist and tugging you away. Helplessly being dragged toward the winery by its master, you at least manage to turn and mouth a “thank you” to Kaeya. Because despite your determination to guard over the area, you really are looking forward to being able to spend some time at the party with Diluc and your friends.

Kaeya flashes you a smile in response, his lips innocently parting as he mouths back some words of his own.

“Use protection.”

Sometimes, you really hate him. Tonight though…

You glance to the redhead in front of you, moving your hand so your fingers slot through his own. He slows his stride—allowing you to catch up—and then gives your hand a squeeze.

You can’t help but smile.

Tonight, you can’t find it in yourself to be mad. Not when Diluc looks so happy.

[poobletoods]

oh boy here I go rambling about a psychonauts but it’s taz balance au

Alright here’s what we got so far

Also in all of this instead of D&D-style magic it’s psychic powers

A giant mass of living water (known as the Deluge) destroys the home plane of the Psychonauts, who were studying the psitanium that had been discovered on their planet and was thought to be the source of psychic powers

they flee to another plane on an interplanar jet and work towards defeating the Deluge with the help of the last remaining piece of psitanium

Lucrecia Mux kept records of the Psychonauts’ discoveries and adventures in her journals (the lonely journal keeper)

Ford Cruller was the “captain” of the jet, kinda the leader of the whole expedition and the one who brought its members together (the broken one)

While Ford handled recruiting people, Otto Mentallis was the one behind most of the tech they used on the mission (the dreamer)

Bob Zanotto was an expert in psychic botany and helped the group when they were getting acclimated to new planets, also acted as a mediator whenever there were disagreements (the peacemaker)

Helmut Fullbear was basically a psychic bard, he boosted morale and was loved by the whole crew (the lover)

Compton Boole has a psychic connection to animals, could talk to them and gather information (undecided on his title)

Before she was recruited Cassie O’Pia wrote a book on her psychic experiences that caught otto’s attention, he thought she would be a helpful addition to the team (the collaborator)

Over the course of the century, Bob and Helmut fell in love and got married, and Ford and Lucrecia started dating

One of the seven also found a way to communicate with the Deluge, and figured out that it was being controlled by a human man who simply went by “Nick” and was basically just an asshole

At the end of every year, the Deluge reaches them again and destroys the planet where they’re staying

After 100 years they decide to split the psitanium up amongst themselves and make items that contain its power, then hide them across the planet

This keeps the Deluge away, but in the process of hiding them Helmut is lost, and the group is heartbroken, especially Bob

To keep them safe, Lucrecia erases the rest of the seven’s memories of the 100-year journey and the psitanium objects

After erasing their memories, Ford’s mind was almost completely shattered, and Lucrecia made him her assistant at (BoB but for this au) to keep an eye on him and make sure he was safe

Bob Zanotto does what Barry did with cloning himself and getting his body back whenever he died (using some of otto’s old tech), but instead of being a lich he’s a brain in a hamster ball

He encounters the main 3 every so often and tries to warn them about what’s happening

Otto is dropped in some city where he remakes all the gadgets the Psychonauts had on their adventure because they’re still in his mind to some degree

Cassie becomes fairly well-known author in this world

Compton works with animals

When Lucy realizes the Deluge is approaching again, she finds Otto, Cassie, and Compton, and sends them out to get the objects under a cover story

Somewhere along the way when Otto, Cassie, and Compton are finding the objects, they come across Helmut’s body (they don’t know who it is obviously) and find his brain in some kind of device nearby that they take with them (I don’t think they even know there’s a brain in it)

Raz replaces Angus, but also Lili shows up later and they have two kid detectives working with them now

Sasha and Milla replace Carey and Killian

Hollis replaces Kravitz and instead of falling in love with one of the main three they just help her with something or make a deal with her and she lets them off the hook

Sam and Dogen replace Mavis and Mookie

Linda replaces Noelle as a brain in a robot

Loboto replaces Lucas

[elvish-sky]

Look Back {Thorin x Reader}

A.N: A thousand thanks to @guardianofrivendell , who kinda kickstarted this entire fic with their great idea (everyone go check out their work, it’s incredible!). Quick note on character ages- after the five years later bit Sigrid is 20, Otto is 3, and Kieran of course is relative to your age. I honestly really enjoyed writing this, even the parts where it made me cry (a good emotional outlet. Send me more angsty requests!) so I really hope it’s what you wanted, Anon! 

Requested by Anon on Tumblr: Thanks for answering my ask about angst! No worries if it'll take a while, so long as you're healthy and not stressing out about it, I will wait cuz your writing is soo worth it)I was wondering if I could request an either thorin x reader(f!human) or kili x Reader(f!human) where the reader is dumped by them and she moves on (like ends up with an elf or another dwarf) and lives a happy life, and thorin or kili regrets having left them and tries to get them back but sees that they lost their One cuz of their mistake and regrets it? (Is that too angsty?? I'm so sorry if it is!)

Word Count: 4,576. The longest thing I’ve ever written is an angst fic. Huh. 

Summary: Thorin doesn’t want to push back against the council when they say you cannot be married.

Pairings: Thorin x Reader, OC (I have those now. Huh.) x Reader

Warnings: Angst, Regret, End of Relationship, Sadness, Fluff

Director’s Commentary

****

Look Back

“It is the will of the council that, since Y/N is not a dwarf, the two of you shall not be married, and cannot be together.” 

Your head jerked up. You had been expecting pushback, but not a flat-out refusal. Turning your head to look at Thorin, you saw him bow his head in defeat.

“Very well. If it is the will of the council.” 

The words hit you in the chest like an arrow. You thought he would fight for you, but no. You weren’t worth it. You rose and left without another word, slipping between the doors as the council watched you go. Balin sighed from his seat midway down the stone table, shaking his head in disappointment at the whole room. 

Arriving at your rooms, the ones right next to Thorin’s that you had been so proud of, you started shoving your belongings into a sack, leaving anything that had been given to you by your former love out. You didn’t want any reminders of him, even to see him ever again. 

Sadly, your wish to not see him didn’t work, as shown very quickly. Barely three minutes after you had entered your rooms, he came bursting through the carved double doors. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N, but I can’t disobey the council.”

You scoffed, grabbing your few tunics and folding them into the bag. 

He continued, “You can stay, we can ask again in a few months, give them more time to warm up to the idea.”

“No. If I’m not worth fighting for now, how do I know I’ll be worth it then?”

You were drawing the string closed on your meager bag of belongings. It was rather sad to think how little you actually owned, versus what had been gifted to you by your former betrothed.

“I’m not going to risk my heart like this, Thorin. I can see that I never actually mattered.”

“Y/N-” 

You cut him off.

“You’ve broken promises before, but I never thought you’d break this one, Thorin Oakenshield.” 

You had been undoing your courting braid as you spoke, and now flung the bead at him. It fell into his hand, and you didn’t even spare a moment for the pain in his eyes as you slammed the door behind you, leaving a king with everything feeling as if he had just lost the one thing that really mattered. 

You arrived at the gates to Erebor to see something rather unexpected. The entire company was gathered there, and you stopped in front of them. They were all gazing at you with unshed tears in their eyes, and looking at them you couldn’t believe how far you all had come from that ragged company running for their lives. It made you sad to think about leaving, when the reminders of what you were giving up were all right there.

“I’m sorry about the council, lass.” Balin was the first to speak. “I tried to sway them, but it just couldn’t be done. I’ll keep trying.” 

You mustered a small smile for the old dwarf. “Thank you, Balin, but you don’t have to keep beating a dead horse. We both know nothing will come of it.” 

Each member of the company stepped forward and said goodbye, hugging you before moving back to the group. Dwalin settled for briefly squeezing you, before stepping back with a muttered, “I’ll miss yeh, lass.” You saw him surreptitiously wipe a tear from his cheek, and giggled a little.

Nori slipped a few coins into your pocket, as well as a set of lock picks. “You never know when they’ll come in handy.” 

Dori was crying as he pressed several bags of tea leaves into your hand. You sniffed them, recognizing the scent of your favorite kind.

Ori was also teary as he quickly wrapped a knitted scarf around your neck. “It gets cold out there,” were his parting words before he retreated to stand next to  Dori.

You let out a small laugh as Gloin handed you an ax. “I already have my sword!”

“Yes, lassie, but everyone knows axes are better.” There were gasps of outrage, but you were glad that the dwarf had lightened the mood, even just a little. Besides, the axe truly was gorgeous. A lovely specimen of dwarven craftsmanship, with a beautifully carved handle. 

“Is that a dragon?” Gloin nodded, and you marveled at the intricacies. 

Bifur approached next, pressing a carving into your hand. You looked at the figure. “That’s me!” He nodded, and you gazed at the detail he had worked in, even the etchings on your sword were visible in the wood. 

Bombur handed you a satchel, and you opened it. You gave the dwarf a big hug as you saw the honey-scones packing it to the brim. “My favorite.” 

“The recipe is in there too.” You couldn”t resist giving him a second hug of thanks.

Bofur came forward after his brother. “I’d sing you something, but I’m not sure I can do it without crying.” You straightened his hat, which had been set askew by your hug, as he stepped back. 

Fili and Kili were last. Fili approached you slowly, but Kili shoved him out of the way and crashed into you. Burying his face in your coat, he whispered, “I really wanted to get to call you Auntie.” 

You choked back tears, wrapping your arms around him as his brother joined the hug. 

“You’ll write to us?” Fili looked as if he was trying not to cry as well, while Kili had given up and had tears visibly streaming down his cheeks. 

“I will.” You broke away with difficulty and gave the group one last look. “Thank you all, so much.” They nodded, and you turned and walked out of the gates, leaving your old love behind. 

Thorin watched from the ramparts high above as you left. He knew he had made the right choice for his kingdom, but it hurt. The expression on your face was slowly killing him, and he knew whatever his doubts had been that you had truly loved him. He had loved you too, but he thought he loved his kingdom more. Nevertheless, he found himself hoping that you would turn around, come back, even though he knew he would have to turn you away. 

You didn’t turn around. 

You didn’t even look back.

*Five Years Later*

You shouldered the door open, arms full of papers. “I’m home!” 

“Mama!” A small shape barreled into you and you barely managed to hold onto the papers, handing them to your husband before scooping the three-year-old up.

“Otto! How was your day?” You pressed a kiss to Otto’s forehead before pecking Kieran on the cheek as you brushed by him into the sitting room. There was a fire going, smoke drifting up the chimney and you stood near it, warming hands chilled by the brisk fall air. 

“Good! Look what I made!” Otto wiggled out of your grasp and trotted over to the table, where after lots of jumping he finally managed to catch hold of something. He placed it in your lap, and you weren’t sure whether to be mad or touched. You settled for shooting a glare at Kieran before oohing and ahhing over the crudely carved figure.

“It’s you, Mommy! Like the one on the table!” 

Examining it closer, you could see something that looked like a sword. It was nowhere near the skill of Bifur’s carving that you still treasured, but it was very sweet nonetheless. 

“Wonderful job, darling.” 

“Are we going to the market today?” Otto looked up at you with pleading eyes.

“Why?” You shot a suspicious glance at Kieran, who assumed a very innocent expression.

“Because Da said that if we went to the market and got ingredients you would make the honey scones!”

“He did, did he?” 

Kieran looked guilty as you frowned at him.

“Don’t worry. Let’s put our boots on and head out!”

Otto jumped with excitement and ran to grab his boots. 

You crossed your arms and glared at your husband. “I cannot believe you let him use a knife.”

“He’s three! He’s old enough. Besides, I was watching him the whole time.”

“That doesn’t make it any better!” You threw your hands up in exasperation before kissing him. 

“But don’t worry, I still love you.”

“I love you too.” Kieran drew you in for a deeper kiss, and you responded enthusiastically.

“Let’s go!!” Your moment was interrupted by Otto, practically bouncing with excitement by the door. You laughed at him and wrapped your scarf, still holding up five years later, around your neck. Linking arms with Kieran, you giggled as Otto tugged on his hat from his perch on his father’s shoulders, and walked out the door. 

The streets of Dale were bustling, people going to the market, or the King’s house just down your street. 

Having been a hero of the Battle of the Five Armies, and one of two members of the company who had seen reason (the other being Bilbo, of course), you had a close friendship with King Bard. When you had marched into Dale after leaving Erebor, eyes still swollen with tears, he and his children had taken care of you, and it was because of him that you had met Kieran. 

Two months after leaving Erebor, you had been helping Bard train recruits for Dale’s army. Most of the men disliked being trained by a girl, but one had taken your advice and training exactly as he would a man’s. He had grown skilled, and after striking up a friendship had asked to court you. You had said yes, even though you weren’t over Thorin, but had quickly fallen head over heels in love. Kieran was perfect. He respected your fighting skills and didn’t mind your closeness to the king. He was sweet, kind, funny, and in his eyes every was perfect until proven otherwise. He always saw the best in people, never the worst. In other words, he was everything Thorin hadn’t been, and more. 

The two of you were married in a ceremony officiated by the King Bard six months after he had asked to court you, a year after leaving Erebor. Fili, Kili, and Balin had attended the ceremony, sneaking away from their royal duties for a day on the pretense of a diplomatic mission. You had kept your promise to write, and although the news of you finding someone else was hard for the two princes, they were happy your heart had started to heal. You had gotten pregnant two months later, news which was received with joy from everyone who heard. Upon reading your letter announcing the news that Fili decided to show him in the middle of a council meeting (later recognized as an extremely bad decision), Kili had let out a whoop of joy, looking guilty when everyone looked at him and promptly throwing the letter into the fire. You had laughed uproariously upon hearing this story from Fili the next time he made it to Dale. The day that Otto was born, your heart healed more. You still remembered the pain you had felt leaving Erebor, of feeling like you did not matter, but it was better now. You had been able to keep in touch with most of the company, all who had been to visit at some point after his birth. You didn’t know if Thorin knew you had moved on or had a child, but you were getting to the point where you could forgive him, just a little, for the past. 

Swinging your hand entwined with Kieran’s, you made your way through the market, stopping at all your favorite stalls to chat and pick out baking ingredients. Noticing Sigrid, Bard’s eldest daughter, picking up honey, you talked while inspecting the jars. 

“Da’s been taking half a jar to put in his tea, lately. I think he’s craving sugar.”

“More than usual?”

You laughed at Kieran’s comment. “Tell him we’re making honey scones tonight. I’ll bring some up later.”

“He’ll appreciate that, although hopefully, Bain doesn’t eat them all first like he did last time!” 

“I wanna eat all the scones with Bain!” Otto was feeling left out from his perch.

“I’m sure he’ll be pleased to have the company.” Sigrid giggled at him, passing a flower up to him before waving goodbye.

“She’s a good kid.” Kieran looked after her fondly.

“We’re not that much older than she is!” You pointed this out as you brushed flower petals out of his hair, Otto looking sad as his work was undone. 

“Now c’mon. We still need to buy more flour, especially if we’re making scones for Bard!” 

You set off again, laughing with your family as you wound through the market. You were in the middle of the artisanal section when a hush fell, the sea of people parting as something made its way through. You kept moving forward, pushing people aside to see what was happening, until you came face to face with Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain.

“Y/N.” He was the first to acknowledge you, looking as if it pained him to do so.

“Thorin.” There were gasps at your familiarity, but you didn’t care. You promptly turned around, grabbing your husband’s hand and dragging him, a silent Otto clinging to his shoulders, away. 

You didn’t look back this time, either.

“You didn’t tell me she had a child!” 

Thorin was back in Erebor, pacing around his chambers as Balin watched. He had been unable to think properly after seeing you in the market, and Fili and Balin had decided that the best course of action, or at least the one least likely to cause a diplomatic incident, was to reschedule the meeting with Bard and bring him back to the Lonely Mountain.

“You never asked.” Balin had resigned himself to having a hard conversation the minute he saw you in the market, he just didn’t know what exactly that conversation would be like. They had managed to keep the two of you apart for the last five years, but it was bound to happen sometime.

“But...she has a child.” Thorin was devastated. 

He had found out that you had kept in touch with the company six months after you left, coming across Kili reading a letter from you in the library. The fact that Kili was in the library in the first place was suspicious enough, and his doubts had been confirmed when he snuck up behind his nephew and read the letter over his shoulder. 

His gasp of, “She’s courting someone,” had been loud enough to startle half the library. Kili had jumped and tried to hide the parchment, but Thorin had simply crashed down into the chair, head in his hands. 

After taking several deep breaths, all the king said was, “She’s moved on. I have to as well,” before rising and brushing himself off, as if to brush the memories of you away. He had seemed fine, but Fili had heard the muttering coming from his room that night, of loss and grief and mistakes. 

After that, they had been much better at hiding their correspondence. The brothers had only decided to tell him about your life one more time, a year after you left, saying you had been married. He had taken that news well, it seemed, but Kili had heard the broken sobs coming from the king’s chambers late that night. 

“She cannot be happy with that- that man!” Now, Thorin seemed to be taking this news hardest of all.

“She is, lad. We’ve all seen her with them. They’re a family.” Balin was trying to calm him down, but it just wasn’t working.

“But, she’d be happier here. With me!” He was pacing the room now, raking his hands through his hair in greater distress.

“Thorin,” Balin grabbed him, stopping him so that the two were face to face, “you still love her.” 

The king staggered back, falling onto his bed. His head was in his hands again, almost mirroring how he had looked with Kili four years ago. 

“Lad?”

“Leave.” 

The one word was whispered, quieter than Balin had ever heard his king. He left, closing the door and signaling to the guard outside that the king was not to be disturbed.

The next morning, Thorin walked out of his rooms with an air of purpose about him. He was wearing an old cloak, to not be recognized as the king. Fili and Kili still managed to notice the distinct gait of their uncle and stopped him in the halls right near the gate. 

“Where are you going?” Kili looked concerned.

“Balin was right last night. I am still in love with Y/N, so I’m going to bring her back.” 

The identical looks of shock on his nephew’s face would have been hilarious in other circumstances.

“You’re still in love with Y/N?!” 

“Keep up, Kili!” Fili smacked his brother before continuing. 

“Uncle, I hate to say this, but remember how she looked at you yesterday? I don’t think she’ll be happy to see you.” 

Kili nodded at his brother’s words. “Besides, you’re the king. How are you going to convince the council when you failed five years ago?” 

Thorin looked a little surprised at that, as if he hadn’t quite thought that far ahead, but shook it off. “She will be happy to see me this time. I’m going to Dale.”

“Uncle, no!” Kili tried to block his way, but Thorin shoved past him, disappearing quickly.

“Follow him to Dale, I’ll tell Balin and the rest of the company.” Fili brushed his brother off and turned to go back to the royal wing as Kili disappeared after their uncle. 

You were making your way through the twisting streets of Dale, delivering scones to friends as you went. You had stopped at the market to give some to the honey-vendor, who always appreciated them, before turning back the direction you came. You stopped back home to pick up the basket you had made for Bard, walking in on Kieran and Otto stuffing their faces with scones and looking incredibly guilty, before continuing the walk up the hill. You were ushered in by Hakon, as usual (Bard didn’t like keeping servants, he said it made him feel “stuffy,” but a king was afforded certain privileges), and you gave him a grateful smile as he took your heavy scarf to hang up. 

“I have scones!” You entered Bard’s office, plopping the basket on his desk from which he immediately grabbed one. 

“Delicious.” 

You smiled at his praise, laughing as Bain burst through the doorway behind you.

“Did I hear scones?” He quickly dove for the basket, grabbing two.

“One for each hand!” He tried to justify this before shrugging and taking a bite, giving you a thumbs up.  

“I’ve got to go home, make sure Kieran and Otto aren’t in a food coma, but I’m glad you like them!” 

The king and his son nodded at you, waving goodbye as their mouths were still stuffed with a scone.

“And save some for the girls!” You left with that, laughing at their sad faces. 

It was pleasant out, the sort of fall day you looked forward to, so you decided that Kieran and Otto could spare you for a little while, just long enough for you to take a walk on the walls of the city. 

The view of the mountain was gorgeous from here. When you had first left, you had spent hours staring, wondering if you had made a mistake by leaving. Now, you just liked to appreciate the view.

“Want to come back?”     

You jumped, spinning to see Thorin standing behind you. You hadn’t really paused to look at him the day before, but now you noticed he looked different. Not bad, but it didn’t look as if he’d found happiness the way you had.

He stepped forward. “Y/N. I’ve come to ask you to rejoin me in the mountain.”

Your jaw dropped. “What? Do you want me to move in with my family? That seems like a bad idea.”

“No, Y/N,” he took your hand and you were too surprised to remove it from his grasp, “I want you to be my queen.”

You laughed and jerked your hand away. It wasn’t a sound of amusement, no. It sounded empty.

Hollow. 

“We saw how well that went last time.” 

“No, Y/N. This time I mean it. Come to Erebor.”

“I’m happy here, Thorin. I have a husband and a child.”

“Your child can come too, and I’m sure I can do much better for you than that man!”

Your cheeks reddened with anger as you balled up your fists, trying to restrain yourself. “I’m happy here, Thorin! I don’t need you to take me to Erebor when I have everything I could possibly want already!”

He looked as if you had physically hit him.

“Y/N, you deserve more than this, though! The council won’t be any trouble this time.”

“And you think you’re the one who can give me what I deserve?” You laughed again, the hollow sound caught by the wind.

“No, dwarf. I have everything I deserve right here and I’m not going to let you ruin it. This is my happiness, and I will be damned if I let you take that away!”

“Y/N-”

“No. I wasn’t worth fighting for then, I know I won’t be worth it now.”

“But I love you, Y/N.”

“And I loved you, once. But you’re too late.”

He watched as you walked away for the third time, knowing that this was the last.

You didn’t look back.

Kieran knew something was wrong the minute you walked through the door. 

“Otto, say bye-bye to Mama and get ready to go with Sigrid!” He strode over to you and hugged you quickly before pulling away. 

“Sigrid’s going to take Otto for a few hours.” 

“Thank you, Sigrid.” You mustered a smile for her as she tugged her boots back on. 

“Of course! C’mon Otto, Bain’s waiting!” She giggled as the child trotted out of his room, looking squishy and adorable in his winter clothes.

He ran over to you and you bent down and hugged him. 

“I love you, Mama!” 

You kissed his forehead before ushering him to Kieran, who got the same treatment before Otto trotted over to Sigrid and grabbed her hand. 

“Bye Y/N! Bye Kieran!” You lifted a hand in farewell as they left, waiting for the door to close behind them before collapsing into Kieran’s arms.

He immediately started to murmur to you, whispering reassurances in your ear as he guided you to sit next to him. He waited for your sobs to fade before speaking.

“What happened?”

“I went for a- a walk on the walls and I ran into Th- Thorin,” you choked out, voice breaking when you said his name.

You could see Kieran’s face soften in understanding. 

“Did he harm you?”

You shook your head. “He wanted me to marry him. He…” you hesitated as you saw Kieran’s eyes spark with anger, but continued. 

“He said you weren’t good enough for me. I told him you were better than I deserved.”

His eyes lightened again and he pressed a kiss to your cheek. 

“Do you need to talk it out?” That was one of the things you loved about Kieran, he didn’t offer solutions or try to fix all your problems, he just listened. He knew that when you had an issue, you just wanted someone to talk to, not to come up with ideas but just to support you.

You nodded. “I just, I felt so bad for him. And I know I shouldn’t, but he just seems so lonely.”

“Do you want to go back? He’s right, you deserve more than me.” 

Your head snapped up. “No! Kieran, why would you think that? I’m happy here. I have the perfect husband and a wonderful child, and I wouldn’t trade any of that for the world.”

He still looked doubtful. 

“Kieran, he broke my heart five years ago, and yes, I was in love with him then, but you picked up the broken pieces and helped me heal. I’d never leave you.” 

You kissed him on the lips this time, trying to convey just how much he meant to you. “I love you,” you whispered, pulling away. 

“I love you too.” He pulled you back in for another kiss. When you broke apart you lay your head on his chest as he moved to lay down. 

“Let’s take advantage of the extra rest before Otto gets back.”

You laughed at him and felt the rumble of his chest as his breaths deepened, watching him fall asleep. As you faded into unconsciousness, you couldn’t help but think that after all you’d been through, you were so unbelievably lucky to have found Kieran. 

Thorin had never understood what people meant when they called Erebor The Lonely Mountain. Now, walking up to the gates alone, he got it. Something was missing, something that he’d never noticed before but now felt the absence of more keenly than ever. He couldn’t believe that he had failed to win you back. He hadn’t realized just how much he had hurt you five years ago, but the pain in your eyes had made it very clear. 

“I’m sorry, Uncle.” Kili appeared next to him as he walked up to the gates. 

Thorin ignored him, ignored the salutes and waves he got from his subjects as he made a beeline for his rooms, Kili dashing around in his wake to fix the wounded pride of every dwarf he ignored. 

Once Thorin made it to his rooms he locked the door behind him, taking slight delight even through his misery at the thump meaning Kili had crashed into it, before collapsing in his chair. 

He still was in shock. No, not shock, he was devastated. It had never occurred to him that you would be happy in Dale, wouldn’t want to rule a kingdom. He had thought that he wasn’t in love with you for the better part of five years, and once he realized he still was he hadn’t thought you wouldn’t feel the same. 

A knock sounded at the door. “Please let us in, Uncle.”

Thorin sighed and went to undo the bolts. 

Fili and Kili entered, both looking much more subdued than usual. Fili took in how Thorin’s coat was thrown on the floor, his boots tossed haphazardly in each direction and sighed. 

“What do you need?” Despite knowing how Thorin had hurt you, Kili couldn’t help but feel bad for his uncle. He had never seen Thorin like this. He looked broken. 

“I need to be alone.”

His nephews nodded, actually obeying him for once, and slipped out the door. 

Thorin was again left alone with his thoughts. Somehow, he had realized that you had been his One. That was why he had said out to make things better. But he had failed. He had lost his One, the only person who he could ever love didn’t love him back. 

Thorin buried his head in his hands, letting out a broken sob. For the fourth time in his life, he had failed. He was too late. 

Everything tag <3: @entishramblings @itgetsatadhazy @anjhope1 @boyruins

Thorin tag <3: @lathalea

[lilyclawthorne]

Anyways now that we’ve been given this description

I wanna talk about what I think a rebellion against the emperor may look like and who exactly may already be involved. Of course I’m spitballing and guessing a LOT here so I could end up being very wrong but that’s what makes this so much fun. Also let me say I’m kinda glad there’s already one forming because I didn’t want that responsibility to fall on the kids.

Of course, we’ve all already guessed it, the special witch is probably going to be Rayne, Eda’s old friend/possible ex-lover. It makes sense because they’re from Eda’s past and we don’t know too many people from her past that are also likely to become increasingly relevant soon. It also seems they’ve been newly appointed to head of the bard coven. A member of a rebellion gaining a new position of power could be a key step in a rebellion’s plan. It could very well mean it’s time for next steps to be taken, such as recruiting new members, especially one like Eda who's probably considered a notable public figure at this point and will probably agree with the idea of rebellion. (I’m not so sure she’ll be down to actually participate now that she has a whole family to look out for)

Additionally, we don’t actually know much about bard magic, aside from it relating to music/instruments/storytelling etc. It doesn’t sound like a type of magic that could be a threat. However, in general, bards typically aren’t just entertaining, but they serve another more important purpose. They tell stories through song to preserve lore and history. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the bards that know the most truth about what life was like before Belos, and what happened when he came to power. So if the head of the bard coven is also a rebellion member, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some more bards learning the true history of the Boiling Isles and turning their allegiances away from the emperor. 

Now, bear with me here, but I also think the Blight’s could be involved with this rebellion. I think they’ve been playing the long game and have quietly sat and gained power and status for the time being. Now they have a full weapons company at their hands. They may suck, but unfortunately sometimes awful people have goals that align with the protagonists, and then you have to work with them (yeah i don’t love it either). Weapons and a full on abomination army would be helpful for a rebellion.  Also they have private demos for their company. Who are they trying to hide from?? My guess is the emperor and his coven, seeing how shocked they were to see GG come in, and even though Odalia said the emperor investing in the abomitons was great news, you can tell she sounds scared. In my opinion, what GG told them was a thinly veiled threat: you are creating a private army, you have one chance to back down now and give it to us or things will end badly for you.

Of course they’re not going to argue, they’re not in a position to. They have power, but not that much. They need more, which is why their long-term plans have Amity becoming a coven head. Only Amity has expressed the need to join the Emperor’s Coven, she’s told she needs to be the best and society says the EC is the best, but I think her parents just want her in the abominations coven so she can become the abominations head. It’d probably happen much faster than becoming head of the Emperor’s Coven anyways. They could be treating her like a pawn in their own rebellion game. Our kid will have power, so therefore we will have power is their mentality. Plus putting their own daughter in the middle of a rebellion and endangering her and not themselves is kinda cowardly and in character of them.

Additionally, I think the head of the Illusions coven is a Blight and is in on this as well (this is a complete and utter guess). So if you have the Bard, Illusions, and one day the Abomination heads on your side, that’s already a third of the coven heads. The idea here being, the more people who are on the side of the rebellion that we can get to become coven heads, the more of a chance we have at overthrowing the emperor. Perhaps staging a coup of sorts. After all, whole covens probably also look up to their heads, maybe they even pick them themselves. And if the head they love and chose sees an issue with their Emperor, maybe the people will be inclined to listen 

Of course, I don’t think Amity will ever get to the spot of coven head before the rebellion really begins. I’m thinking the rebellion would still be years away from happening if it wasn’t for Luz coming to isles, discovering ancient forms of magic, and showing to the people the Emperor is not as invincible as they may have once thought, and now it’s gonna be coming much much sooner.