#I originally did this with Aloy

[incorrectfandomsapphic]

Horizon: Forbidden West #085

Source: Modern Family

Alva: Oh, by the way, if you ever speak disrespectfully again about my wife, I'll kill you. Alva: Sorry, that sounded like a joke. Alva: I will actually kill you. Kotallo: Where did that come from? Alva: Life is too short to be ruled by fear.

[robo-dino-puppy]

horizon forbidden west | aloy 138/?

[eemoo1o-animoo]

I’m a simple woman. I see a good character analysis of Claude, or Claude and Alois, I read it. So spicy. The only spice we will ever get out of Claude.

[littlelionpaw]

Erend finally agrees to ditch the heavy Vanguard steel for a more comfortable, breezy Tenakth outfit while traveling the Forbidden West. Aloy gladly helps with the body paint.

Remasters are the hot shit right now -- so I went ahead and did a redraw of this piece!

A closeup and the original below the cut!

I'm rather pleased with how Erend's face turned out ❤️

The original. I mostly gave Erend's face and his proportions a makeover.

[grimmcheems]

More Bb ❤️‍🩹😔🔪

I just now managed to finish this because I kept goofing during the rendering process 😔 I'm gonna be real, I legitimately thought Alois was gonna be canonized in the public school arc when Ciel confronted Maurice for whatever reason. Just my regular delulu thoughts. Don't ask why, ik he's not even a canon character but I'm just slow y'all.

I also had a phase where I was SO CONVINCED (fighting the air rn) Ciel and Alois were siblings, ik it doesn't make sense but 14yr old me was knee deep in theorizing when I watched his season and I was so certain that these two were actually each others siblings but they grew in such ways that they did not recognize each other and it kept my angst heart fed. Idk but I had an obsession with this theory and I think I was the only one with this specific theory lmao. Might add more onto this as an Au where Alois was actually real 😭i loved him so much and I never understood the hate towards him, leave my baby alone. I also had the biggest crush on Claude but we don't talk about that🗿👹

Anyways. I originally wanted to draw Clayton and Bluewer treating Ciel like a precious little brother but ended up with this instead oop.🚶🏽‍♀️

[pastel-peach-writes]

i love ur caitvi stories so much bru 😭 can u do caitvi x reader who’s likes to flirt with them to see them flustered (especially vi 😫)

flustered VIIII. i swear y'alls ideas are good asf. also, thank you! PS, more content is coming soon! CaitVi, Aloy, Ellie, and LoK writings are in the works <3

Catch My Breath | CaitVi x Reader

╰┈➤ PLOT: The reactions on how our pinkette and bluenette respond and act when you flirt with them! Plus bonus content of the reader and Vi messing with baby Cait <3

╰┈➤ WARNINGS: Suggestive themes, Brief Modern!AU, Not Proofread, More On Vi (as anon suggested), Don't Worry Cait Gets Her Moment Too!, Lower Case Indented(Proper Nouns Excluded)

⍣ ೋ Enjoy!⍣ ೋ

– flirting with Vi and Caitlyn comes easy.

– they're attractive, tall(even if they're shorter than you), and they both admire witty conversations.

– even if Caitlyn rolls her eyes at some of your witty comebacks, she'd never deny that she loves it.

– that being said, there is a time and place for your flirts.

– you know this, but you can't help but flirt at the most inappropriate times possible.

– the reactions you get are priceless and you'd do anything to see their flustered reactions and regrouping.

– one time that will forever be stuck in your head is when Vi was going through training to be an enforcer.

-

Vi had just finished her endurance and integration training. The endurance was a breeze, naturally, but the integration part made her steam come out of her ears and her fists clenched.

The person she integrated refused to talk and would beat around the bush when they did. so what she yelled at them? called them pieces of shit. they weren't giving her the answers she needed!

her reactions were justified.

in her white tank with her wrists and hands wrapped up in dirty white tape, Vi walked past you in the kitchen with a sneer. she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

you were leaning on the island counter, holding a mug of your favorite warm beverage. you took no insult to her sneer. she was emitting pissed-off energy and you grew to not take her pissiness to heart. "where you goin', cute ass?"

not even turning back to face you, Vi walked to the kitchen cabinets. "'m getting protein powder. i need to blow off some steam."

"daw, wouldn't you rather use me to blow off steam?"

vi took a sharp inhale. you watched as her shoulders rose to her ears. with the tilt of her head and the tensing of her jaw, Vi relaxed again. she ignored you. she took a white container of protein powder out of the cabinet.

you watched as she scavenged the kitchen for a clean cup. you had just finished the dishes, but instead of letting them dry on the counter, you put them in the dishwasher. "looking for something, gorgeous?"

vi set her container on the counter. she was on the opposite side of you. she wanted to wipe the smugness of your face so badly with kisses, but she wasn't in the right headspace to do that right now. all she could feel was the heat on her skin and the anger in her chest rising. she took another deep breath.

you hummed, content. normally, seeing your partner pissed off was something someone hated to see, but you loved seeing Vi battle between her original plan or taking you up on your offer.

you set your mug on the counter. in confidence, and maybe even seduction, you strode towards the dishwasher. taking your time as you bent down to open the latch, you took out a pristine glass cup.

vi's gaze was locked onto you. she took sight of your skin, body, and she was very well aware you were trying something. and dammit, it was working.

your smirk turned cocky as you handed the cup to her. she grabbed it and you made sure your fingers touched hers. you let your soft fingers linger on hers. the difference between your soft and moisturized skin gave her rigid tape and dry skin gave a different sensory.

if you pointed out how her cheeks matched the color of her hair, Vi would deny it.

"i really think you should up on my offer," you chimed after moments of silence. Vi took the cup out of your grasp. her breath hitched as if she forgot breathing was mandatory. "imagine, us two trying to clear that mind of yours."

you put your hand on her shoulder, faking a pout. you leaned into her ear and whispered unspeakable things to her. as you spoke, you made sure to let your lips graze against her earlobe.

Vi literally squirmed underneath your touch. she almost let out a whimper but she caught herself.

her cheeks were as red as her jacket.

she discarded the idea of punching a leather bag to blow off steam. Vi put the glass on the counter with her lips tight and her ears matching the shade of her cheeks.

Rough and swift, she grabbed your hips and pushed you against the tall refrigerator. "what are you up to?" her voice husked, and her eyelids dropped as she spoke to you.

gliding your fingers along her shoulders, neck, and even her biceps, you responded, "i think you know."

-

– As mentioned before, flirting with the two of them comes easy but there's an achievement that comes with flirting with them.

– their reactions!!

– Vi's flustered reactions is very puppy-like. Her eyes go wide, a bashful smile shows on her face, and if you bring this up, she'll deny it, but she blushes too.

– oh God and when you catch her by surprise with your flirts, she's stammering over her words. her eyes would scan the area you're in as she tries to avoid your gaze.

– Caitlyn's reactions are similar, but think more like "shy girl next door" rather than "brute turned soft"

– Caitlyn's easy to fluster and it's the most adorable thing in the world

– even if you're not flirting, if you catch her doing something embarrassing, her voice gets higher and she defends herself.

– think of the scene where Vi teasingly called Caitlyn her hero.

– the whole, huffy puffy and almost whiny voice is what caitlyn typically sounds like when she tries to defend herself after doing something embarrassing.

– anyways!

– "shy girl next door" Caitlyn always smiles when you flirt with her.

– it's not always a gummy, face-lit-up smile, but more so a shy, i-cant-believe-they-like-me! smile. the smile you do when your crush kisses your cheek for the first time. yeah, that smile.

– along with her smiles, Caitlyn's eyes would soften. she'd try to make eye contact with you, but when she thinks she's looking for too long, she'll look away.

– oHHH my god Vi absolutely teases the shit outta her for this.

– if you two team up to flirt with Cait, or maybe Vi feels like being a little shit, Vi would be like "oh cupcake~ what's the matter? you can't look at us or something?"

– Vi would even go as far as faking a pout and giving Caitlyn her signature puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, come on. look at us, please? you're so pretty and we just wanna see youuuu"

– vi is literally so hot for that but caitlyn would never tell her.

– you would laugh a bit at vi's teasing, but then immediately fawn over Caitlyn's bright pink cheeks and Charlie Brown smile.

– she is ABSOLUTELY smitten and would shyly ask for cuddles because you two made her into mush.

– sorry not sorry cait!

WC: 1,149

[the-horizon-lounge3041]

It would be awesome to see how beta would react to Aloy having the arm from tears of the kingdom

I don’t think Beta would understand or take it well😂 ngl when I did the original role swap drawings I thought “man Beta is going to be confused and scared”

[froglegzsblog]

To people that make black Butler X reader fic or more specifically the Sebastian Michaelis X reader ones stop making them cringe. It’s like reading Twilight Reject from 2014 if you don’t put some balls on and start writing good fanfic. You’ll are writing like 13-year-olds come up with something original and do not make it where the reader is powerful and bullshit like that. Also, make more Female readers That isn’t smut also I’m kinda tired of reading fanfic, and halfway through I see “they” ( listen y'all no hate to the people that read it) but god damn (no disrespect to the lord name), and like I need new material for Sebastian I’ve been a fan since 2013-2014 so I’ve been through a lot of cringes in my lifetime and was IN 2024 give me something new and I’m an absolute hater when it comes to Yandere Sebastian like it just grides my gears and along with Sebastian Claude that bitch ain't even canon and him and Alois was a bitch to so fuck them (to people that like that them that’s your cup of tea). Some of y'all make Lizzie seem like bitch or a brat she ain't she a boss bitch like I can't be the only one that saw a book of the Atlantic and cause sure as hell everyone did so get you’ll shit straight.

Anyway, y'all thank you for coming to my ted talk.

P.S RUN ME MY MOTHERFUCKING MONEY BITCHS IF YOU'LL AGREE. If not you'll are haters

[aloyxtilda]

What do you think made Lis and Tilda break up? Did Tilda steal something (prior to attempting to steal GAIA), or do something else unsavory? And if she did, why would she risk losing Lis over something like that considering how much she loved her? Or was it Lis who just decided she doesn't want to be in a relationship anymore because it was distracting or too much work to learn how to give so much of her attention and time to Tilda? I'm curious about other people's ideas regarding this because I can't think of anything that would explain to me in a satisfactory way what went wrong and why. :D

I love this question, and I think of it often. My theory on this is that Tilda was already with the Zeniths before she met Lis. There may have been a reason Tilda was investigating Lis, so to speak. She was a data broker, and there may have been something Tilda was hired by the Zeniths to obtain.

Perhaps hired by the original founder of Zenith, Peter. He was obsessed with immortality and transhumanism. Maybe Elizabet was working on something he wanted. Something secret that not even we know of yet. A lot of data pads tell us about the zeniths facination with transhumanism.

A hint is where Tilda says Elizabet had trouble accepting her mother's death. She even calls Lis a mad scientist. What if (and this is a big if) Lis worked on some form of transhumanism in order to preserve her mother's consciousness in some way? And the zeniths wanted this tech.

Now, here is Tilda, beautiful, smart, and available for hire. She talks about being recruited by the zeniths back when they were a think tank. That was way before the Faro plague. The time Peter was the head. Tilda may have attempted to get close to Lis to steal this data, but instead, she fell deeply and madly, obsessively in love with Lis.

Lis, however, she was the one to show that love first. Tilda points that out at the breakfast. I think they both were fascinated and taken by each other. Realized they were a lot alike. Tilda's feelings opened after Lis began to show interest in Tilda. So we know from that Lis was honestly in love with Tilda. She also knew who and what Tilda was. This impressed the data broker.

Fast forward to the end of days. I think Elizabet knew what Tilda may have wanted all along but didn't care. They fell in love with each other. Maybe even talked about this. But I think Lis never fell out of love for Tilda. I think as time went on, Lis got more involved in her work. She may have felt she couldn't have a normal love life. Tilda may have wanted more. A family. While Lis felt a duty in herself to save the world with her knowledge and tech. I think she wanted the family Tilda wanted. A daughter with her. A happy life. But maybe she didn't want to raise a daughter in a world that was dying. It was dying before the Faro plague.

To know Lis, we simply have to look at Aloy. Aloy isn't living her happy life with someone she loves because she doesn't want to. We see she wants that. But she doesn't feel through most of the story that she can have that. Until she meets Tilda and learns about Lis, then meets Seyka. When Aloy asks what Lis was like, Tilda says she's like Lis and so much more.

So, I think in all this, we will learn more. There are obviously more secrets to Lis and even to Tilda. Their relationship may be kept secret for many reasons. I think we will learn more about them. And I also believe neither of them are dead. Because transhumanism seems to be the big secret behind all this. Especially in the data pads. Something here is brewing. We may learn Lis never died. Somehow, she preserved herself. And, maybe Tilda too. Not just through a failed experiment that the Odyssey Zeniths did with Nemesis, but through another way that Lis created.

But their love was strong and special. That I believe. Thanks for asking Jane! I always love talking Tilda and Lis with you.

[twisted-in-underland]

I’ve had this in my drafts for a while now but here’s more Alois x twst! Look at my little man, I love him 🤧

I wasn’t having it with the boots so Alois is shoeless in this one. It’s what he would have wanted 😌

I used one of the pose references @trash-cass created for this doodle!

This one was actually a manga panel redraw of Q from bungo stray dogs, specifically from BSD WAN 🤧

I substituted the crape that Q had in the original for an ice cream cone. Idk why, I just thought it would be a little silly. I used the story image of the stretching ice cream from the Scalding Sands event as a reference for the type of ice cream/the colour so maybe Alois got it from Kalim or Jamil? That or, maybe Malleus was trying to befriend Alois (I imagine Alois mistakes the fae trio for demons at first) and it just happens to be a flavour that’s the same colour as the stretching ice cream. It’s open to interpretation 😌

And here’s another WAN Q manga redraw 💕

In place of Q’s doll I wanted to use the plushies you can get for the guest rooms in game. I couldn’t decide on if I wanted the white rabbit one or the Iago one so I did both! I also thought about adding in the soldier one (maybe one of the Daisomnia boys gave it to Alois is a “peace treaty” gift) but ngl these two plushies were hard enough 💀

I also included Alois’s coat b/c I didn’t draw it in the other doodle or the sprite 💀

Here are the Q WAN manga panels I referenced 💕

[maleyanderecafe]

Male Lead, I'll Respect Your Taste (Webcomic)

Created by: Jugyeoul,Studio Inus

Genre: Isekai

This one was kind of a pain to read because it was completely machine translated, but it does have a yandere in it. Currently they're all still children so I'm assuming it builds up a timeskip later as it goes on. It's one of the stories where the original was a BL but as the main character changes what's happens, the male lead falls in love with the female lead. As of writing this there are 33 chapters translated, but I honestly would wait until there's a proper translation out.

The story starts out with Alice being reincarnated into a BL novel that she read. She's inside of a character that dies in the beginning, so she intends to survive. She is tended by Evan, the doctor and meanwhile, the male lead, Edwin is being tortured by Alice's mother, Karina. To save her hide, she decides to go and find Edwin in the castle by walking there. After finally being able to get enough stamina to do so, she is able to find Edwin though she is attacked by him. Despite this, she continues to come back and try to feed him. He initially rejects the food, and Karina comes back to torture Edwin, but is met by Alice instead, who has told her mother that she's changed the lock to Edwin's cell, pretending that she is torturing him in her steed. Alice seems to blackmail her mother stating that she knows who Edwin really is- the duke's son. Karina accepts this because she knows Alice is simply lonely, but makes sure that it doesn't stay that way for long. To tend to Edwin's wounds, Alice invites Evan to the tower, though Evan passes out due to fatigue. Alice is able to get closer to Edwin and we learn more about the second male lead thorough Evan, as he is his younger brother. Alice is able to read to Edwin various books so that he can feel comforted as well as teach him how to read. Alice even meets the other male lead, Michael who is pretty much just a giant tsundere and gives a flower garland to both Edwin and Michael. Alice gets sick again, and Michael tends to her (and he's really bad at it), while Alice asks Evan to take care of Edwin in her steed. Alice invites Michael to eat cake with her to befriend him, however, Michael ends up getting poisoned. Alice realizes that someone (probably Karina) was trying to poison her. She pretends to throw a tantrum so that she can throw off the maid that she suspects is working with her mother.

Alice ends up going out to find the person the mother got the drugs from, a witch hidden in the night. She gains the tea with the poison, but also gains a marking from the witch. Not sure about what to think of the curse, she consults Evan. Evan while tending to Edwin gets knocked out while Alice is dragged to the castle by the maid. While there, we learned that Karina was indeed the one who tried to poison Alice. After threatening to murder the maid who helped her and Alice herself, Edwin ends up attacking Karina to protect Alice. The duke comes to see what is going on leading him to gather everyone in his estate. Alice presents the tea leaves to him as proof that she was poisoned and testifies to what she did to Edwin. Alice ends up escaping and trying to run away, however, is eventually caught at the pier, where she also meets a knight in training named Alois. When she does go back, she's found that Edwin had incapacitated a lot of the people there just to look for her. Edwin ends up staying in Alice's room (and getting jealous at maids and others who tends to her) while Evan takes care of her. Edwin is sad that Alice tried to leave him behind while Karina is in anxiety due to her next trial and her possible execution. Edwin and Alice are educated within the Duke's place, with Edwin being a very fast learner and a strong swordsman. The two end up going to the town together, while Evan worries about his brother Michael as gotten sick from playing in the snow too much. Alice finds this the perfect opportunity for Edwin to fall for Michael like in the original, but the two end up hating each other instead. This leads to Edwin destroying the flower garland that Alice made for Michael in jealousy, angering Michael. Alice defuses the situation, and believes they have some sort of "enemies to lovers" trope going on.

Alice is unable to sleep as she can hear someone trying to get into her room at night but is unable to stop them. This later leads to Edwin incapacitating them while Alice isn't around. The duke reminds Alice and Edwin that they will need to be there for Karina's trial to provide testimony and eyewitness on what happened. Alice gives Edwin a bowl haircut and some cute things happen before the trial. Karina's trial goes swiftly and she is sentenced for her crime, but because of a deal made with the Duke she will not be killed but rather exiled. Alice realizes that there is a conspiracy deeper than she realizes, but is happy that she is able to survive. The last couple of chapters time jump a year ahead with Alice passing out due to her sickness and some blood loss.

As I've said, kind of a headache to read through machine translated things and even worse it ended on a cliffhanger (at least for me) where now I do want to know what will happen with Alice. That being said, it does feel pretty standard for one of these types of stories where the main character is sent to a BL world, where it's pretty typical that the two male leads who are suppose to fall with each other end up falling for the female character as well. Technically speaking, Alice and Edwin are siblings through adoption, with Karina having poisoned Edwin's original mother and taken him in to torture him into shape, though considering one is locked in a tower for most of his life, it doesn't really feel that weird since they basically don't interact until after Alice goes to find him. Normally I would find that a bit disturbing, but the way that it's presented in the story basically shows that Karina didn't really adopt him as her son but rather as something that she could torture, considering that she never treated him as an actual human. Anyways, a slight nitpick. I still think the story itself so far is pretty cute, there's always something enduring about a character who teaches another character love (in one way or another) but as of the current webcomic story, they haven't really reached the stage of actually loving each other or anything, so it's just a lot of cute fluff mixed in with some abusive mom things.

Michael kind of takes third wheel in this entire thing since he was not only introduced later in the story but also falls ill for quite some time due to him being poisoned. Alice goes really really out of her way to try to free Edwin as a way for her to not get herself killed early (as is what happens when the two first meet)- though honestly I'm not really sure what her plan was the entire time- like was she just going to befriend Edwin or free him or something? The ploy with her and Karina was kind of dumb, with her basically keeping the key so that she wouldn't be able to get in which... how did she do that exactly without her noticing? Aren't the people where she live keeping an eye on her or like at least noting down what happens. The translation was kind of weird for that, but if she had just taken the key, wouldn't Karina have another one? It seems like a really weird plot point. I do like that Alice and Evan have this kind of big brother - little sister relationship though, I think that it's pretty cute that they're able to trust each other a lot, even to the point of him introducing Michael to him and Alice trusting him with Edwin's health. I wonder where that plot with the marking is going to go though since that seems like it's going to be important in the future.

Edwin as a yandere is expectant, since originally he was more obsessed over Michael rather than Alice. Again, it does kind of make sense because Alice met Edwin in the tower which is where Michael was suppose to meet him in the original and where they fall in love. In this version though he gets released a lot later, and thanks to the connection that Alice made with Edwin while trapped becomes protective over her, attacking Karina when she was about to kill Alice, Evan and the maid as well as getting pretty jealous when Alice is with another guy, whether it be Michael, Evan or even Alois, even going so far as to intimidate Evan (only to be stopped when Evan mentions that Alice was the one who asked him to do this) and destroying the garland that Michael made for Alice. He also seems to get rid of whoever was trying to stalk (?) Alice which leads her to not sleep, as shown by the body on the ground as she is able to regain her sleep. In the original, he seems to be a lot more cold and bloodthirsty towards Michael, and while he still does regain these traits to a certain degree, it's a lot less violent because of Alice's kindness towards him. At least for now, maybe while he's still a child he's a lot less bloodthirsty but it's possible that in the future it will be a lot worse. I don't know what will happen with Michael though since he clearly also loves Alice but very obviously has second male lead syndrome. Maybe he gets killed by Edwin at some point.

Overall, kind of interesting? This is one of the few otome isekai into a BL story I've read, so I'm not sure how it compares to others. Probably would wait for proper translations instead of reading machine translated things, but the artwork is fairly nice and they all look really adorable.

[agerefandom]

not a request but question..saw you were against Content Police and was wondering if you allow proship requests (agere related for when your asks are open again ofcc)

Combining these asks to minimize the shipcourse mentions on this blog, but also thank you for both of the asks!!!

In response to the question, I will gently reinforce that the label 'proship' is a belief about fiction, and not a specific genre of content. Even if it was a genre, I've seen a massive range in what would fall under that terminology (for example, self-identified antis who run Hannibal blogs).

I originally decided to put antis on my DNI when I posted some imagines for caregiver!Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast.

In these headcanons, I did include some caregiver dynamics that are little nods to his canon tendency to try and control the people around him, and how those toxic traits might reflect in his behaviour as a caregiver.

In my opinion, it's very important when you read villain imagines to remember that it's okay to fantasize about caregivers who take away your control and agency to make you feel small and cozy and protected, but it's a big red flag and completely unacceptable if a caregiver ever does that without your explicit permission and expressing that it's something you want from them!!!

So the answer is that yes, I will write some stories that reflect dynamics that I don't want people to think are healthy IRL: for example, anything with Hannibal Lecter, or Elias Bouchard. I will occasionally write about manipulation and control and helplessness, and I will do my very best to tag those dynamics so that people can avoid them if they so wish. (ie. my Alois and Claude fic)

I don't write explicit content or very much romantic shipping content, so I don't think that the most traditional 'proship' associated things are a risk/relevant discussion for this blog. But I do sometimes write about unhealthy relationships (ie. Rick and Morty are an abusive familial relationship, but I might write about how Morty feels complicated love and dependence towards Rick). Again, all of this material will be tagged, and I think I heavily lean towards the more fluffy kinds of dynamics.

As my rule has always been, you can request anything SFW you'd like when requests are open, and I'll make my decisions about what I'm comfortable writing! I turn down requests for many reasons, but I try to never be judgmental or rude about it.

[robo-dino-puppy]

let the girl nap

[not-poignant]

did you intend background characters like faber or temsen to be such a relevant and reoccurring characters ?

Hi hi anon!

I really didn't.

In fact I didn't even intend characters like Dr Gary to be such relevant and reoccurring characters. The same can be said for Augus and Gwyn and Anton and Alois and Efnisien and Ash and almost every single original character I ever introduced as a side character into a story.

A lot of my stories have been happy accidents in that sense. :D

[joyfuladorable]

Pretend That I Never Left by @redstringraven (More Doodles >)

“Th-thanks,” he said. “Heh. I really thought I was a goner, the—“

She whirled around, and Mikey squeaked as the end of her spear caught the backs of his heels and swept them out from under him. He hit the ground hard, and in the same second he did, he felt pressure shove against his collar right at the base of his neck. He opened his eyes, intaking a strained breath, to see the very, very pointed end of the spear inches from his face, and the woman—half-standing on his upper chest—leaning over him.

“—hey—HEY!” He raised his hands. “Wait!!!”

“What are you?!” The woman demanded. Though the sun overhead silhouetted her face, he could make out hints of her expression: a blend of confusion and possibly fear. So, the usual when a human is met by a giant, mutant turtle. Juuuust another Thursday afternoon.

“Um!” Words, Mikey. You need to use your words! “I’m. I’m a turtle?!”

This goddamn fic has changed my Brain Chemistry!! Nearly 100k words of Mikey bonding with Aloy as he tries to get back home and helps her beat a cult and discover her origin. Literally no HZD knowledge needed. Mikey and Aloy easily carry this thing on their ride-or-die friendship alone!!

[ragingbookdragon]

Stand And Deliver

Kotallo x Reader

Word Count: 3.6K Warnings: Fighting, Violence, Wounds

Author's Note: Yeah...I forgot how much I loved this guy. -Thorne

**********************************************************************

“How’s the new Focus treating you?” she asked, repositioning the gauntlet between her knees as she nimbly worked the threads with her hands.

It is odd…if I’m being honest. Aloy and you have always been open about using yours and while I was always curious, I never thought I’d be using one myself.

She gave an amused smile. “Seeing the world in a new way is odd. You’ll get used to it though.” Tying a new line of beads into the thread, she started a new braid. “How’s Marad handling the slack I left behind?”

How he always did before you arrived. Did your squad make it to the Memorial Grove safely?

“They did,” she answered with an annoyance. “Thanks for telling me they were on their way. It sure wasn’t a major surprise at midday when Kotallo and I were still asleep.”

Well, as Tashid probably mentioned, you didn’t leave instruction behind for them.

“Oh, for the love of God, it was implied that they were supposed to go to Marad for instruction, Avad.” She inhaled deeply and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter now though.”

How are they managing the transition from Carjan society to Tenakth?

“Not too terribly. Kotallo and I have been pairing mine and Tenakth soldiers together for training exercises. The hope is to make a strike squad of infiltration soldiers.” She leaned over to her side and shifted around the three bowls of light blue, dark blue, and yellow beads until she found the one she wanted. “It’s coming along nicely. So far, we’ve seen reliable results. I assume the next time Hekarro calls a Kulrut, we’ll have the squad in place.”

Kulrut? What’s that?

She glared into the distance. “Out of all I said, that’s what caught your attention, Avad? Really?” Rolling her eyes, she said, “The Kulrut is essentially the tournament that Hekarro holds to make his Marshals from. It’s what saved Fashav’s life when they brought him here.”

Yes, you’d mentioned he was a Marshal…what does the tournament entail? Physical prowess?

“In a way,” she answered, tipping her head side to side, even though he couldn’t see her. “Challengers are dispatched from all three of the Tenakth clans to fight against machines in the arena a few hundred meters from the Grove. Those that manage to survive and make something of themselves are made Marshals and serve Hekarro directly.”

Your lover, Kotallo, he’s one of the Marshals that survived the Embassy Massacre, yes?

She grimaced at the mention but felt a warmth in her chest from his name. “Yeah, technically he’s the senior Marshal now. It’s a shame Fashav died…those two could’ve been a new generation of Marshals.”

How so?

“Well, I’ve no doubts that Fashav would’ve come back here after spending time in Meridian. He probably would’ve brought Carjans to perform in the Kulrut.”

They can?

“Well, it saved his life, so, I’m assuming. Though there were many, like Regalla, who were opposed to it. Probably still many who are.”

…Have you ever thought about it?

Her hands stilled in the middle of the braid, and she blinked. “What?”

The Kulrut. Have you ever thought about performing in it?

“Avad, if I were to perform in the Kulrut, I would have to forsake being a Carjan citizen to be in service of Hekarro. I couldn’t hold my position at your side anymore.”

I understand. But have you ever considered what advantage it would be to be a Marshal? You said Fashav pushed Carjan relations with the Tenakth farther than ever before by being one.

“Well, yeah,” she answered. “But you have to remember that Fashav becoming a Marshal was originally the plan to save his own ass. I don’t think he intended to survive and become a Marshal. From what Aloy told me, he wanted the win to request a boon of being delivered back into Carjan custody.”

I think you should strongly consider becoming a Marshal.

“I think you should strongly consider what you just said to me a little bit longer,” she griped. “Avad, if I pass the Kulrut, I cannot serve any other leader other than Hekarro. I would not be under your command anymore.”

And when have you ever truly been under anyone’s command? I know what I’m telling you. You forget that while physical prowess might not be my strong suit, intelligence is. Besides, you’re practically married to your Marshal anyways. Are you really going to leave his side?

She fell silent, cheeks heating and she looked down at her hands, knowing on some level that he was absolutely correct in his assumptions.

Are you still there?

“I’m here,” she muttered, fumbling with the ties. “Even if I wanted to fight in the Kulrut, Hekarro probably won’t call one any time soon. Not since the last with Aloy where they were replaced.”

Did any fall during the assault on the Grove?

“I think one or two, but not many. Most survived.”

Then there will be a chance when he calls a Kulrut again.

“Avad…think about this, please,” she begged. “Do you truly want this?”

I think you should ask yourself if you want this. Being the ambassador to the Tenakth allows you to travel to and from Meridian to the Forbidden West, but being a Marshal would solidify a position amongst the Tenakth. In a way, you’d become one. You’re not Carja, but if I had to give you my most honest opinion, and not as your King, but as your friend…you are more at home amongst the Tenakth then I have ever seen or heard you. From what you’ve said of your homeland…the Tenakth are just like your people.

She tied the last braid on the gauntlet and set it aside. “Avad, I—”

If you truly don’t want to fight in the Kulrut, you don’t have to. But…I encourage you to put your roots somewhere. You’ve spent so much time afraid to be tied down in one place, but I, honest to the Sun, think that the Tenakth are where you belong.

A noise sounded behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Kotallo coming her way. “I have to go, Avad.”

I understand. Just…think about what I’ve said, okay?

“I will,” she answered, and tapped her Focus, ending the call to the Sun-King; Kotallo reached out his hand and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet. “Hey.”

He frowned. “You sound upset. Is there trouble?”

“No,” she said, giving him a tired smile, pressing her lips to his cheek. “Nothing’s wrong, my beloved.”

Kotallo pulled back and gazed at her, dark eyes drifting over her face, then he murmured, “You don’t wish to speak of it now?”

She huffed a laugh and ultimately nodded her head. “Something like that.”

“I understand. Just know that whatever is weighing on you, my heart, I will help you all I can.”

“I know you will, and I appreciate that.” She smiled, then bent down and picked up the gauntlet she’d been working on. “I fixed your laces for you and added a few new designs. Some from my clan.”

Kotallo took it in his hand and lifted it up, gazing at them, then handed it back to her so she could tie it on his wrist. “Thank you, I’ll carry you and your people with me wherever I am.”

She smiled at him and patted his arm. “C’mon, let’s go bug Hekarro into letting us take a scouting mission down by the beach.”

His usual stoic expression split into a calm grin, and he slipped his hand into hers. “I would love to get down to the beach again.”

“And we’re about to bug the Chief into letting us go!”

“You mean bugging him into putting us out there just so we’ll leave him alone?”

“Same thing, more words.”

***

The call for another Kulrut came faster than she’d expected it to. A few challengers from every tribe came, as they had when Aloy had been helping the Tenakth, and the arena was filled with a palpable, electric energy as cheers and cries sounded from the spectators.

A churning feeling in her stomach made her sick as she fumbled with the weapon at her side. Moments before, she had left Kotallo and the Chief from the stop of the arena and come back to her and Kotallo’s shelter to put her gear on. She paused as she grabbed her mask and stared at the mirror set up in the corner, a makeshift vanity for her morning routine.

Something unclear was in her eyes, just as cloudy as her heart felt. She felt torn between her obvious desire to be something closer to Kotallo and the Tenakth, and her understanding of what would come after the Kulrut should she survive. Avad’s words kept running through her mind, only clouding the turmoil she felt. The cheering reached her ears and she inhaled sharply, putting the mask over her face, shoving the internal churning deep down and let the desire to fight come over her.

By the time she got back to Kotallo and Chief Hekarro, the Kulrut was about to begin, and she walked between them, both turning to her with confusion. “There’s one more challenger ready to compete.”

“Who?” Kotallo asked, and rather dumbly for such a smart man.

She glanced at him. “Me.” It was all she said before leaping off, raising her arm to unleash the vibrant blue glider, courtesy of Aloy. Her feet hit the sand and she didn’t speak as she stood up and walked to where the other challengers were waiting, some glaring at her, others with looks of shock at the insert of her. She looked up to where Hekarro was watching her; she nodded at him.

Chief Hekarro raised his hands. “Let the Kulrut commence!”

She waited, her heart picking up in her chest as the gates began to open all around the arena, the echoes and cries of deadly machines coming from their bellows. Her eyes met another woman’s around the same age as her and they shared a look of hesitation before a flash darted between them. Dodging back, she lifted her sword and watched as at least fifteen Clawstriders darted between her and the other warriors.

The Tenakth in the pit with her began furiously attacking, intent with claiming victory with their life, yet she climbed up into one of the taller wooden platforms and watched, scanning the ground and the combatants below. Something didn’t feel right. The fight she witnessed Aloy in was full of much more deadlier machines, and yet, this many Clawstriders against a group of trained warriors seemed like child’s play. She continued to watch when something slammed into the platform below her and she gasped in shock, looking down to see one of the warriors stuck to a post, a Clawstrider screeching at him.

Her eyes narrowed and she shifted, leaping below to slam her sword down into its head; it jolted, electricity crackling as it died and she pulled her sword free, kicking the machine aside. “Are you okay?” she asked him, and he breathed heavily, holding his side; crimson soaked from below his fingers. “You need to get up to safety.”

“I can still fight,” he shot back but she was hearing none of it as she hefted his arm over her shoulder and started to lead him back towards the easiest ledge of the platform.

“Over here,” she said. “You’ll be able to climb up and provide support fire for the rest of us.”

“A Marshal is supposed to fight along his fellow warriors.”

“A man won’t become a Marshal if he’s dead,” she retorted and looked at him as he stared back. “Just because you’re not in the thick of it, doesn’t mean you won’t be fighting. You’ll be surviving.”

“Why would you help me?” he questioned, watching as she shoved a cloth beneath his armor.

“Tenakth, Carja, or even my people, the Pumarians, we all bleed red in the end.” She gave him a tight smile as an arrow pierced a machine a few feet from her. “And if we survive, we’re all on the same side.”

“Your words carry—”

A duel set of roars echoed through the arena and the two turned their heads, eyes widening at the Slitherfang and Thunderjaw coming out of the two opposite openings.

“Get up,” she commanded, bending down to give him her hands for his feet. “Get up now and do not be seen.”

He obeyed and disappeared into the platform as she ran to where the other warriors were huddled behind a wall; bodies from the other tribes littered the ground but she paid them no mind, yanking free a bow and set of arrows, as she skidded to a stop behind the wall.

“I need you all to focus on the Slitherfang.”

They looked up at her and one glared. “Who made you leader of us? This is a fight for us all.”

“All for one, one for all,” she growled. “If we don’t fight together, we all die. I can take on the Thunderjaw by myself, but I can’t kill it if the Slitherfang is spitting acid at my back.” She stared them down. “This fight makes us Marshals under one banner. Not Carja, not Tenakth. Marshals of Hekarro. We have to work together.”

For a moment, no one spoke, and she felt her heart thump ominously in her chest as the screeches echoed again, until the woman she met eyes with at the start rose and said, “I can keep it tied down with ropes.”

Another nodded. “I have fire arrows.”

More began to agree and she gave a huff, gripping the bow in her hands. “Then let’s get out there and win this thing.”

As they dispersed, she went the other way, watching as the group began attacking the giant metal snake, and she saw the Thunderjaw coming towards them, but she raised the bow and pulled an arrow back, pointer out as she inhaled, focused on the disc launcher on its left. Exhaling, she let the arrow go and it hit the launcher, burrowing deep inside, parts shattering off it.

It did the trick, as the Thunderjaw turned to her, glowing eyes angered and it shifted, bending low as the cannons at its jaw fired up.

“Ah crap,” she growled, ducking behind a rock that seemed to shatter bit by bit as the energy blasts hit it; she waited until the fire ceased and she rose again, firing an arrow at one of the blasters.

It exploded in a hail of sparks and the Thunderjaw let out a cry as it turned away and seemed to cradle its wound. Without wasting time, she threw the bow down and pulled her sword out and ran towards it, slamming the blade deep within the joint of its right knee as hard as she could. The machine screeched, slapping her with its tail but it started to wobble and went down onto its wounded leg.

Her back hit the wall of the arena, blood splattering the sand in front of her as she slid down, hands hitting the floor. She coughed, reaching up to wipe her mouth and cursed again as she heard the remaining disc launcher start up. looking up, she saw multiple discs coming her way and she exhaled, pulling up her glider. The first disc missed her as she rolled out of the way, ignoring the pain in her back, the second and third discs hit her head on, but she hunkered down in the sand, using the glider as a shield. The third disc shattered the glider, and she threw it down, rising to her feet as she broke out in another dead sprint, narrowly dodging the cannon fire.

She neared the Thunderjaw, sliding to her feet and bending back as the tail swiped inches above her face; kicking up, she grabbed a fistful of metal and put her foot on her sword, forcing her way up the side of the machine until she was on its back. With as much grip as she could, she ambled her way along the Thunderjaw’s back, trying to hold on as it thrashed around, hoping to dislodge her. She grabbed hold of the radar and slung down, slamming the heel of her boot into the piece of metal protecting its core. Once it knew what she was going for, it started rampaging, slamming itself against the arena walls and she had to stop whenever she slipped, dropping a foot down, no longer grasping the radar but wires on its back below the detection device—but she was face level with the core.

Unsheathing her knife, she stuck it between the back and the panel, forcing her way until it was pried away, exposing the pulsing core. A jerk threw her again and she dropped her knife in the sand below, holding on for dear life as the Thunderjaw began thrashing even more wildly. She couldn’t even try to take it down without a weapon and she started looking around for anything, eyes darting up to meet her lover’s; Kotallo stood on the edge of the platform, his heart in his throat as he watched his love dangle helplessly from the side of the massive machine.

As her grip began to go slack, an arrow shot past her head and into the tip of the core and she turned, glancing towards where it possibly had come from, only to see the Tenakth she’d helped sinking back down behind the wooden wall. It was her only assist and she wasn’t about to lose it.

Grasping the arrow, she shoved it between her teeth and curled her fist tight, slamming it down repeatedly into the glass covering the core. Blood splattered along the cracking glass as her knuckles, beaten and battered, continued to meet it. All at once, the glass gave way, heat scorching the back of her leather-clad hand and she pulled her hand out, grabbing the arrow, and jammed it down into the core with as much force as she could manage.

The Thunderjaw bellowed, thrashed a few times, then the lights began to snap out as it went down and she jumped, rolling a few times in the sand. Coming to a stop, she pushed herself up, yanking her sword from the dead machine’s leg, intent to help the others take out the Slitherfang when it hit the ground moments later, cheering echoing from the other side.

A smile passed her lips as the arena erupted into cheers and they found their way to the center, watching as their people screamed for them. The man she’d helped managed to make his way there as well and as he spoke to her, she couldn’t help but feel that his words were so far away.

And she suddenly realized as the world tilted and she swayed, feet coming from beneath her as she hit the ground, the faces of the other Marshals in her gaze being the last thing she saw as darkness overtook her.

***

Someone’s hand was soft against her head, a gentle caress that had her groaning and turning her head to the side, eyes still shut tight, body aching from every limb. The hand stilled, then drifted down beneath her jaw, fingers softly tracing along her jugular.

“You were phenomenal, my heart,” they said, and she recognized the voice, even in her haze of exhaustion. “You are a Marshal now.”

“Yay,” she muttered beneath her breath. “How bad am I?”

“Severely broken ribs. A concussion. Many cuts and bruises. You took quite a beating with the Thunderjaw. Your hand it broken too.”

“Killed it though.”

“You could’ve been killed,” Kotallo stressed, and she finally opened her eyes to see him bent above her, expression drawn in concern. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why would you keep me in the dark about joining in the Kulrut? Did you not trust me?” he seemed extremely upset at her lack of honesty.

“It was kind of spur of the moment to be completely honest,” she admitted, looking away. “But I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was on my mind. I should’ve.”

He was silent for a few moments then he let out a sigh and lowered himself to lay beside her, pressing his forehead to her temple. “It matters not now. You survived and are a Marshal.”

Turning back to face him, she asked, “Are you upset with this? Becoming a Marshal?” her tone seemed downcast. “Avad, he said…he said I belonged here, with the Tenakth…with you. That I felt most at home here because of the similarities with my people. I just…I kept thinking about leaving you behind and if I were a Marshal I would never have to and I—”

Kotallo reached over and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, and she was shocked—she hadn’t even realized she was crying. “My heart, I am honored that you chose this for me.” He nuzzled her cheek, pressing his lips to her skin. “It makes me even happier to know that we will always fight together now. We will lead our people to peace.”

“You’re not mad?”

“I’m mad that you put yourself in harm’s way,” he replied. “But what good would being mad do? It’s passed and you are a Marshal now. We are Marshals.” Kotallo smiled softly at her. “Together. Always.”

She leaned into him, tucking her head between his neck and shoulder. “Together.”