#It's been immensely helpful. XD

[loupy-mongoose]

Is Eirwen also a werewolf?

Yup!

She's based on a Lupe Neopet my bro or I got from McDonalds as kids.

I'm repurposing it into a wolf~ (Also I only recently learned that the fabrics on the side of it's mouth is a little mustache, not teeth. I grew up believing it had Poochyena fangs. XD)

[fanged-fanfics]

Not asking on Anon even though I'm a coward because I want to see if this actually gets done XD Would you consider PolyAncients x GN Reader or PolyBeasts x GN Reader? You don't have to do both or anything, I just think they're both fun ideas :] (Whether the Reader is a 6th Ancient/Beast or a cute normal cookie they've absorbed into the polycule, I'll leave up to you lol)

☆ Their Hope — PolyAncients x Reader HCs ☆

Genre: Fluff, Poly || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

──────.𖥔 ݁ ˖˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ──────

ᯓᡣ𐭩 You were just an average Cookie, but you'd always worked closely with the Ancients. You believed in their cause, and was a sort of insider spy for them to know how Cookies were doing on the ground level

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Golden Cheese was basically the only Ancient to openly flirt with you rather than showing affection through actions. She was as dedicated to her cause as anyone else, of course, but had you been told yet that your eyes shine so beautifully bright, or your smile warmed their hearts? Someone had to tell you, and she made it her job to do so

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Dark Cacao always made sure you were safe. He protects you, acting as a direct body guard against anything that comes near you due to your association with them

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Hollyberry helps you have fun and cut loose when you have free time. Things are scary, sure, but with her and the others by your side, you have nothing to fear! So relax, have a drink, and remember to enjoy yourself

ᯓᡣ𐭩 White Lily soothed you whenever you became anxious. She knew all the best spots to take a seat and have some time to yourself, holding you close while assuring that she had your back

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Pure Vanilla worked to lighten your mood, guiding you to walk with him and the animals to make sure you were happy. He'd promise that you were safe from all harm, and was one of the calmest presences there to turn to

ᯓᡣ𐭩 You weren't just another member of the team, you could feel that by now. You were as closely bonded to them as they were to one another. The way they'd fret over you, protect you first in all situations, and laugh with you during celebrations all signified that

ᯓᡣ𐭩 You could always feel that there was something more, however. And, to your surprise, they had felt the same. They awkwardly came to you all at once to confess. What settled in their souls the most was the fear of you not accepting them all, not a single one could imagine living without you. To their immense relief, you accepted them all, and they all devoted themselves then and there to your heart

[floridecuts]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Epilogue

And here's finally the loooong last part of this comic project! It's a weird feeling to finally reach the end, after all these months. But I'm especially proud of how these pages turned out! ^.^ They somehow look so much better compared to all the others! As I already mentioned this is a collaboration with my friend MoonflowerSong. Actually, it is thanks to her that this part even exists, as she was the one to got me into this shipping with her wonderful Yashita Fanfictions! She helped me immensely with this part when I was struggling (I'm better at dramatic stuff than fluff tbh ^^'). So, while the art was done by me, the whole script behind this part is her work, apart from some tiny adjustments/additions. So I want to thank her one more time for that, and give another shoutout for her works! I'm gonna put a link to her AO3 profile at the bottom, go check her works out if you're interested, they're super sweet! Also again, and sadly for the last time, I want to express my gratitude to everyone reading, liking and/or reblogging this project, especially the ones who left comments!! I don't think I would have come this far without the motivational boost from you, as usually my motivation to work on longer project drains very quickly. So, thank you so much for joining and supporting me on this ride! <3 <3 I am glad that there is some people who enjoyed this random story idea! Though, this will not be my last post for Death Mark for sure! I will draw more art for this fandom, just no comic anytime soon, I need a break after this one. xD

Sooo, after all this rambling, about this part: Yashiki and Mashita have finally become a couple, hooray!! I think the comic explains it all, but to be sure here's a quick summary: Yashiki has had feelings for Mashita for a while, but wasn't aware of them. Though, when he was under the Departed's curse, locked inside his own thoughts in some kind of semi-conscious state, he had a lot of time to think about himself and his life. After he started sensing the emotions of his friends around him when they visited him in the hospital - especially Mashita's - Yashiki became aware of these feelings and finally figured out their meaning, while also realizing how similar they felt to what he picked up from Mashita. After yashiki woke from the coma and was recovered enough, he felt the need to talk about it with Mashita as soon as possible. After all this time he had spent thinking about how to confess to him, Yashiki wanted to get these words out before he'd loose his confidence.

In the end, neither of them realized they had been watched the whole time by two nosy teenagers. Keeping the change in their relationship a secret will be impossible now, as I'm sure the news will spread quickly among the Mark Bearers. xD I actually had planned to give Daimon a last appearance here, catching the girls spying and shooing them off. But this part already got longer than anticipated and this actually seemed to be a good point to end it on, so I left it there.

Thank you again for reading! Hope you all have a nice week! I will be back, probably next weekend, with new Death Mark art.

Thanks for taking a look! :)

Link: MoonflowerSong on AO3

[Personal thoughts/review on this project: I am amazed how much drawing this comic has helped me improve my art skills in several fields! It might not be visible for some, but I clearly feel the change. I can really recommend to give it a try, especially artists who are struggling to improve! Not only does it keep you in a drawing routine, but it also forces you to go out of your comfort zone for some poses or perspectives you want to depict. And lastly it is also very fun and satisfying to get a story idea onto paper and see the results! ^^]

[desultory-novice]

...Did everyone Read The Announcement Post Very Carefully?

That's right. Kirby of the Stars: The Magic Crystal and The Mysterious Maze was my "A.P.R.I.L. F.O.O.L.S" joke! Sorry! XD

It started at the end of January when I remembered that I'd made a joke grouping of the four Dream Friends that get consistently left out of the novels: Marx, Adeleine, Ribbon, and Dark Meta Knight. I wanted to do something special for them and, partly inspired by Jojo's roleswap cover emulating the FL novels, I thought to make a fake novel cover just for MY forgotten favorites! Gryll and the Fairy Queen are a bonus, because if I was doing this, I would go all out!

I took a huge amount of reference photos, both from the novels and from Tau and Poto's "Find Kirby" books (the only place they've ever drawn Gryll! The Fairy Queen I referenced from Wave 2's ending picture in Star Allies - that's why her crown looks slightly different. Speaking of, Ripple Star Castle (?) is WEIRD looking, y'all!)

At ~40 hours~ of sketching, drawing, painting, refining, trying to get those distinctive Kirby novel touches right (don't get me started on emulating the cover's texture. I was a dumb bunny and remade it by HAND out of a clean scrap about the size of Kirby's body!) this was an immense challenge and the most time I’ve ever put into any illustration, but it was also a huge labor of love for Kirby and its cast!

For what it's worth, I actually did come up with a full on "plot" for this fake novel of mine! (And yes, it was a big stretch to combine Kirby 64 with Amazing Mirror, Milky Way Wishes, and Star Stacker!!)

Here is the "chapter list" (in English and Japanese!)

1 / "Marx the Magician Comes to Town!" 魔法使いマルクがやってきたのサ！

2 / "Into The Mysterious Mirror Maze" いざ！不思議なミラー迷宮へ

3/ "Ribbon The Fairy and The Missing Crystal" 妖精リボンちゃんと失われたクリスタル

4 / "Moving Reflections?! The Maze's Secret!" 動く反映？！迷宮の秘密！

5 / "Adeleine and The Path Leading Out" アドレーヌと出口への道

6 / "Oh No! The Jumbled Dimensions!" 大変！バラバラの次元回路！

7 / "Marx's Mocking Laughter?!" マルクの嘲笑？！

8 / "Catch That Clown!" あの道化師を捕まえろ！

9 / "A Day Packed Full of Delights" 楽しい満喫な一日

-

In the "backstory" Marx attempted to steal/use the large Crystal from Ripple Star ("It's just a prank, bro!") but something happened (maybe the Queen did something) and the Crystal split into shards.

So Marx makes up a fake show and comes to Popstar to dupe all the simpletons there (his words, not mine) to do the bothersome task of gathering all the shards for him to fix the crystal while he sits back and waits, disguising this arduous task as a "fun game."

Kirby and the rest fall for it and start to do Marx's dirty work, going into the mirror maze (related to the Mirror World?) But there, Kirby meets the hardworking fairy, Ribbon, who is working all on her own to try and get the crystals back before Marx can. (Or, if Marx duped the folks of Ripple Star that he'd fix his own mess, he then trapped Ribbon in the maze once they were out of sight!) But so far, she has failed to convince any of his "guests" that she is anything other than a clever attraction. Kirby believes her though and offers his help!

I hadn't fully figured out how the mirror worlders were connected, but I thought it might have been possible they were working with Ripple Star/the good guys (but seemed to be "bad" because they were "scaring" the carnival attendees) or maybe, DMK and Shadow Kirby (who I was originally going to put in the cover as well but it got too crowded for him) were there as guardians to warn everyone to stop messing around with powers they don't understand.

Bandee spends most of his time in the novel outside the maze (to skirt any questions of a mirror Bandanna Waddle Dee) waiting for everyone alongside Marx, where he will eventually figure the jester's game and goes into the maze to warn Kirby and friends. Just as the group seems lost, they will encounter Adeleine, who will be all big sister like and help guide the kids to the exit (using the never fail maze escape strategy of "keep your hand on the right-hand wall")

However, just as things seem to be going well, Marx has used what pieces of the crystal the Popstarians have collected for him to pull his prank, and the gang find themselves lost not in the maze, but in a cartoonish jumble of dimensions!! (Picture each door you go through, whether it's to the kitchen or the castle, leading you to an entirely different planet!) It's amidst this wacky dimensional comedy, trying to grab Marx to get him to Cut! It! Out! that they meet Gryll, who knows Marx well and gives the gang a tip to lure him out (probably involving them all NOT panicking and instead sitting down amidst the chaos and enjoying a simple Adeleine-sponsored picnic, pretending like they're having a great time without him.)

They defeat Marx once he shows up to confront them, complaining they aren't "playing along right" and Gryll takes the battered, bruised jester back for "remedial magic training" or something equally embarrassing for Marx. Back home at last, they find it's sunset now and Marx's One Day Carnival (now being run by the Waddle Dees, who just can't help from helping out) is coming to an end!

However, Kirby, Bandee, Meta Knight, and King Dedede invite Ribbon (and Adeleine and the Mirror Worlders) to enjoy the last hours of the carnival with them before bidding everyone goodbye.

They promise to remain friends, however!

-

Speaking of friends...

I'm taking a long break from fandom to tackle some new things and take on a new direction in my life. As such, I have taken down all my old work from this blog to get some much needed emotional distance from certain things. That said, I don't require anyone who reblogged any of it in the past to delete those reblogs, nor do you have to cease sharing/distributing things of mine. Just know that if you ask questions, I probably won't be here to answer them.

My love for Kirby and its cast will continue, despite this change. And I do hope the fandom will continue to bloom in my absence.

To everyone who left me such beautiful messages on my previous post, thank you so, so much. I won't forget you all. I hope if our paths cross again, it will be as friends once more. And if not...rest assured that you will forever be a part of my precious memories.

[hi-ilikeyourbutt]

«Homecoming»

No warnings, just pure fluff with our golden boy 💛 Enjoy!

I accidently posted this as opposed to saving to my drafts XD so if it keeps changing it's because I keep going through and refining it until I'm happy with it (never gonna be happy with it).

Life was settling down on Knowhere after the defeat of the High Evolutionary, normality slowing the tempo of everyday life. You were never good with children, and so instead of helping to care for the orphans, you were tasked with looking after Adam and Blurp as a favor to Nebula. You didn't mind it all that much. You were one of the only citizens with room to spare in your apartment, being one of the more wealthy traders that settled down at the port. Nebula knew you could handle the task. You were gritty and tough, firm enough to keep him in his place while he acclimated. And because you had your own ship, you could keep him plenty busy between missions by taking him along on your trade route and supply runs.

Adam had grown very fond of you in the short month since he had moved in and started spending time with you. The crippling sadness at the loss of his mother was softened and blurred in your presence, washed away like a warm shower. You issued tasks and answered his questions gently, sincerely, even though you weren't a particularly patient or sentimental person. It made him feel a little less like an outlier. The loneliness of this strange limbo swept away the moment he walked into the shared space of your apartment.

You were always hospitable towards him. Sometimes you would invite him to sit on the couch, Blurp in between you, and watch movies until the early hours of the morning. Those were his favorite kinds of evenings. And every time he asked a question about the strange human behavior or a scenario pictured, your face would light up unbeknownst to you as you explained it to him. He could listen to you for hours, loved the light in your eyes when you laughed.

You were also an excellent cook, and though he had no physical need to consume food, he found himself craving it whenever he smelled your cooking. You always made sure there was enough for him and Blurp to eat. The more Adam thought of it, the more he realized you were special. You fed him, made sure his clothes and bedding were clean, helped him decorate his room with things that made him feel happy and safe. Always there in the background working quietly to ensure you both lived happily, comfortably as the months passed like minutes.

He had made many friends being a guardian, but as time passed, he discovered that no one else sparked that warm glow in his heart that you did. In fact, if he paid attention, he would notice that the glow was transforming into something else, something more intense and consuming. You occupied nearly every thought, there was no corner of his mind that wasn't touched by you in some way.

He found that while he was away with the Guardians, his heart ached immensely for his home with you. The warm light of your presence replaced with a longing so sharp and intense he could barely stand it. Adam had never been away from you for more than a day, and this mission was a particularly long one, adding to the depth of his misery. His team noticed his melancholy and quickly deduced the reason after speaking with him. He was completely smitten, "whipped" as Kraglin had put it. Though nobody explained what it really meant to Adam, they thankfully didn't tease him too badly over it.

Matters were made worse when he returned home and you weren't there. His eyebrows knit together, the pain of his shattered excitement and your absence nearly doubling him over. He discovered the note that you scribbled and left on the counter while absentmindedly ambling about in the kitchen.

'Hey Adam, I'm out on a run. Should be back in about a week.'

You had mercifully dated the note so he could deduce that you would be back in just a day or two. Still, it was such a long time to wait... He didn't have it in him to throw it away, so he folded the little paper and took it to his room, tucking it into his top dresser drawer. He sat with Blurp on the edge of his bed afterward, at a complete loss as to how to pass the time without you here accompanying him.

He had guiltily snuck into your room, touching nothing but a shirt in your hamper before quickly exiting, blushing furiously at his intrusion into your space. He didn't understand his own actions, but having a piece of you near him seemed to ease the pain of your absence slightly. He found himself tenderly pressing the soft fabric to his face, inhaling your faint scent from time to time as he sat on the couch with Blurp, watching all your favorite movies that first night. He left early the next morning in search of some task, to be useful in some way, he would do anything to quicken the pace of the dragging minutes.

Unbeknownst to him, you were also pressed to be home, speeding through jumps and rushing trade negotiations in an effort to start heading back. Though you refused to admit it, leaving home without Adam was becoming harder for you. The solitary confines of your cockpit used to be a safe haven. Now, it was all you could do to avoid staring longingly over at the empty copilot's seat. You cursed yourself, cursed Adam, cursed Nebula, cursed every living being in the galaxy for the familiar pain of longing growing in your heart.

You loved Knowhere because it was tightly knit, yet utterly detached, its own small society floating along the outskirts of space. You were comfortable with the level of interaction here, people liked you and treated you as a pillar of the community while still respecting your privacy, always giving you a wide berth knowing it's what you preferred. You had abandoned the sentiment of loving others a long time ago, finding the emotion itself burdensome. And it was burdensome, the pain of missing him sitting like a boulder on your back. You scowled at it while pressing the accelerator up into the red zone.

Finally... after docking the ship and logging all goods, you made your way back to your dingy little apartment. You sighed, the return process was exhausting and had seemed to drag on forever. You still had to document the trip when you got home and submit it by this evening too. It was hard to stay lost in your thoughts for very long, though, as you noticed a strange shift in the atmosphere.

The people seemed different, looking up at you as you passed and covering their smiles. You hardened your gaze and quickened your pace, feeling completely out of place. While rounding the last corner to get to your apartment you caught a woman gasp, happily rushing inside the little building she was guarding, then, not even three seconds after, Adam burst out of of the door. His golden eyes were wide with elation as they connected to you and you found yourself unable to look away, momentarily entranced as he was while the world stood still. You blinked, breaking the spell, and in a fraction of a second he blew towards you like a missile, crushing you against him.

The action had stunned you, but the impact of it was what knocked the literal air out of your lungs. He was wrapped tightly around you, his face buried deeply in your hair. His overwhelming joy had made him forget himself entirely, all his inhibitions gone with the wind. Your fists balled up, back stiff as as a board while he innocently rubbed his hands up and down your back.

"I missed you..." was all he could manage at this moment. You coughed, doing your best not to squirm or cringe at the sentiment he had just whispered into your hair. Completely unable to admit to him that you might have missed him too. Time passed, but his embrace remained snug and warm until you relaxed your fists and returned his hug briefly. You gave him a pat on his back after a few seconds, signaling him to break contact. The way he looked down at you as he pulled away nearly melted you... his eyes sung with unrestrained emotion. Pure joy, tenderness, perhaps even just a touch of longing, all of which he didn't care to hide from you. You found it terribly sweet how open he was. He wasn't afraid to be honest with you and it was refreshing.

Standing before him now, you felt the exhaustion leave your body, solar charged by just a look from him... the cynic in you slowly drowning underneath his honied gaze. Finally, you reached up to him, placing a hand gently on his arm,

"Are you hungry?" His eyes crinkled in delight at your simple question and you felt a hot blush bloom across your face. Since when had that smile of his become so adorable to you?

"Terribly so." His answer was soft and knowing, loving the way you stared at him with those lovely dark eyes. Eyes that were so sharp to everyone else, but not to him.

You noted the people that had gathered at the spectacle of you both and blushed deeper as they smiled knowingly. Adam had not shut up about you all day, apparently, and word gets around fast on Knowhere. You would have to scold him gently for wrecking your image, but that could come later. After dinner, you decided.

[dragonrider9905]

Infectious Love

Summery: After a failed, almost confession of love, you and Hunter's relationship is skating on thin ice...that is, until someone falls through (or gets stabbed in the gut), so to speak.

Warnings: Angst, lots of it, but comfort too. Lots of emotions. Mentions of blood and sickness.

Hellooooooooo @imaginesfordifferentfandoms tis I, your Secret Santa in the @cloneficgiftexchange!!!!! I really, really, hope you like it. I worked really hard on it ;D So I hope it turned out the way I imagined it in my head ;D Enjoy this kinda longish drabble XD Hehehehe now you understand all the questions I asked. I hope you don't mind I went with Hunter. You seemed to not mind any of them; he's my favorite so I know I can get carried away :D and I wanted to make sure the story was nice! Also, I gave Hunter's scarf a destiny. A fate. A sense of purpose. We now know what happened to it. I have spoken.

Furthermore, I'd like to throw a huge shout out to some people who deserve it. Firstly, @ghostofskywalker. Thank you so much for organizing this event and all the other ones like it. They are always so much fun and I enjoy them immensely. It is safe to say the others who join feel the same way. Thank you for all the hard work you put into it all! Also, thank you to @photogirl894 for being an awesome beta reader and supportive friend. I don't know if I would have finished this fic on time if she hadn't helped me through all the rough spots by her encouraging words. Bestie, you read everything but the ending...I hope you like it <3

The decree is written, now, let the story unfold.

“As a father, you couldn’t ask for a better place to raise a child.”

You’d heard Shep say these words to Hunter your first day on Pabu, and you had to admit, it made your heart flutter a little bit. You’d fallen hard for Hunter a long time ago but duty always got in the way. At first, you hadn’t realized just how much you cared for him during the Clone War, serving as their medic, until Hunter received a shot in the chest. It was then that you realized, or rather were honest with yourself, that your friendship was always more than just a friendship. Almost losing him gave you a clarity and an honesty with yourself that you needed, but that didn’t make things easy. In fact, they made them harder.

Because now you knew how YOU felt, but you had NO IDEA how he felt. Every day, you’d face a new challenge, a new battle, overcome insurmountable odds against the Separatists on top secret missions and won. Every night, you’d have a heart to heart with Hunter, talking about things that made him laugh, made you laugh, things that made you cry, or things that upset him. 

But never unburying that heavy secret locked away in your heart. 

You considered yourself brave in many aspects but not when it came to problems with the heart. You could tell Hunter anything and everything, except how you felt about him. Instead, you’d find little things every day to show him you loved him. You’d fix his caf the way he liked it, you’d make sure the others were considerate of his sense, you listened to him when he wanted to rant, you showed him you trusted him. You were his shoulder to lean on, his unofficial right hand man. Technically, Crosshair filled those shoes but not always. You tried to be the head of reason when the boys fought and patched them up when they were done arguing. 

Then the Clone War ended with fateful Order 66. Your world turned upside down and even though circumstances were different, your situation was the same. 

That secret would have to be pried out of your cold dead hands. 

You’d been on the run, constantly in fear for your lives and that of the child in your care. You’d started to love her as your own daughter, and you could see Hunter did too. You’d seen Hunter with Cut and Suu’s children before, but somehow, this was different. He’d cared for her as a father would. And that made your heart melt more than you ever thought it could. 

Now, here on Pabu, having something that resembled peace and a chance at a life, was it time? Could you actually have the dream you despaired of. The dream which was a nightly comfort but in the morning seemed unreachable as something you thought you couldn’t hope for? 

Shep’s words teased you. Taunted you. Pried at you. 

Perhaps, perhaps it was time to open your heart? 

“So have you reconsidered staying?”

“For soldiers, putting down roots is an occupational hazard.” 

“Is that all you are? Soldiers?”

You’d seen the thoughtful look on Hunter’s face. It was the one he made when he was considering something. There was no contention, just thoughtful pondering. 

Somehow, some way, that moment spurred you and you worked up the courage. 

Hunter sat in the cockpit, swirling his knife. You approached and leaned against the door. You’d love to sit there and watch that for hours. You smiled a little to yourself, waiting for him to recognize your presence so as to not scare him into a mistake (not that he’d ever but…better be safe than sorry.) 

“Echo said he’s on his way. Will be here in a few rotations.” he said without looking up. “Omega will be glad to see him.”

“Yeah, she misses him, the poor kid.”

Sheaving his knife, he turned to you. 

“So, what can I help you with?”

“Oh, you know, just checking in on my Sargeant. You’ve been in here all day.” You placed some fruit native to Pabu in front of him. You never could remember the name, but you’d noticed he liked them. 

“Thanks,” he gave half a smile while you took the seat next to him. “What kind of trouble are Wrecker and Omega getting into?”

“Ohhhh probably best not to know right now. Just enjoy the few moments of peace while you can.”

He chuckled and cut into the fruit.

“Soooooo” your heart pounded. You were actually going to do it. You got this…just had to breathe and remain steady, it’d be ok. 

Hunter gave you a side eye, silently offering you a piece of the fruit. Kriff, he can tell. You tried to slow your heart best you could. 

“So.” He prompted you.

You laughed. “I heard Shep the other day. Something about settling down…ever think about it?”

He sighed. “More than you know. I honestly don’t know what to do about it. I’d like to but… It’s … complicated.”

“Ever think about marrying a pretty woman and having a family? Raising Omega somewhere safe where she’d be happy…”

He huffed a little. 

“Who’d I marry? Please don’t suggest the woman Wrecker’s friend was trying to set me up with.” 

At the words, the muscles in your face felt heavy and turned sour. The twinkle in your eye went out and the joy in your demeanor dissolved. 

An empty smile remained on your face. No indication to the outsider that anything had changed. But Hunter wasn’t an outsider. He knew you inside and out. 

Who’d I marry? You weren’t even a consideration. You weren’t on the list. Of course you wouldn’t be. It’d be foolish for you to think that. Why’d you hope in the first place? You should have known better. 

Swallowing hard, you bit back tears and forced a laugh. 

You had Hunter’s full attention now. He sat up straight and leaned forward a bit. 

He immediately sensed the change of demeanor. Your heart rate plummeted but beat hard. Your focus was gone, staring into nothing. Even if it was just for a millisecond, he’d have noticed it, but it lasted longer than that. 

Your hollow laugh filled the cabin.   

He knew he messed up.

Hunter moved to speak again but it was too late. You’d gotten up and moved toward the door. 

“Well um, I should go check on Omega and Wrecker and see what they’re up to before they do too much damage. Yeah, yeah…”

The next moment you were out of the cabin and down the ramp without a second look behind you. 

Kriff. He had to fix this. 

He almost went after you. He almost made it out the ship, but an incoming transmission stopped him. This could be the one he was waiting for. He looked longingly out to where he saw you hugging yourself, making your way slowly across the shipyard, and went back inside the ship. 

Kark it all. This’d better be important, Echo.

Tech was gone. Omega was taken. Crosshair a prisoner. Echo abandoned them, again. It was just you, Wrecker and Hunter now. A ship once filled to bursting with life and light, warm with the love and laughter shared between its walls, was now cold with an emptiness, a magnanimous devoid maw that the ship had never known before. 

Tech was dead. Crosshair was gone. Omega was taken. 

He was lost. 

Hunter might as well have added you to the list of lost as well, because even though you were physically on the ship, you weren’t with him. You were distant. Gone. In every way possible other than physical. You’d done your best to keep Wrecker and himself together. You’d been the same insurmountable strength you’d always been for them to lean on. You were being the strong one for them because you knew they couldn’t right now. He was angry, frustrated, focused and lost all in one but didn’t know where to direct that energy. As always, you came through. You acted the same as how you did throughout the entire Clone War, except not. The actions were all there, but there was a lost life to it. 

A lost love. 

And it was his fault. 

Though you were strong, you weren’t invincible. 

During the day you’d serve them. Got them food, made sure they rested, used every resource imaginable to find the little lost loved one. You tried to make them laugh and smile if you could or focus on the task at hand. Completing small missions to get by was his bane, because all Hunter wanted to do was find Omega, but you brought him back to the present, reeled in his reckless side when it got to be too much. You kept track of the inventory and how and when to push on. 

But every night he’d hear you silently cry yourself to sleep. 

You’d go and comfort Wrecker, then you’d offer the best gesture you could to him to encourage him, then you’d retire to your bed, broken down by the day. Tired, exhausted, empty. 

He saw it. And he caused it. 

And he hated himself for it. 

He’d lost you in a hasty, foolish sentence. One he’d said without much forethought. One he said because he was afraid if he’d said too much, or given any indication of the deeper feelings he had for you, you’d have rejected him and he’d lose you entirely. He thought he could be your friend. You deserved so much more. So much more than himself and what he could offer. He’d wanted to stay your friend so that way, even though he couldn’t have you, you’d be happy. He’d make sure that whoever he was, the man you’d marry would give you all the love he couldn’t. 

Turns out he was wrong.  

You did return his feelings and he broke you.

He should have gone after you, but he didn’t. He thought he’d have time. He thought he could do it when you’d return to the ship and he could sit down with you uninterrupted but he was wrong, so wrong. Echo arrived and in moments, though he didn’t know it, his life turned upside down. When the mission was declared, his focus turned to that. 

He should have talked to you. He should have let you know how he felt. 

But the manner of your hurt shifted. You were no longer hurt, but cold. 

Perhaps you didn’t want him to love you anymore. He didn’t know what to do. So much was wrong. So much that shouldn’t have been, was now his reality. 

In truth, you DID deserve more than him. Perhaps this was for the best. This hurt would pass and you’d meet the one you were supposed to be with. You could get over this fancy for him and live an actual life with someone else. 

The thought made his stomach churn and threatened to vomit, but perhaps, that’s what was meant to be. 

After all, sometimes to love someone you had to let them go. And Omega, she needed him right now, fully focused on nothing else but finding her. 

It was late in the night watch, Hunter sat alone staring at the broken pair of goggles and a plush toy that belonged to the child of the ship. His child, not by blood but by choice. 

Taken from him in a cruel twist of fate. 

He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. Hunter wasn’t normally one for crying but he felt close to it now. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew Omega took priority over himself. He HAD to find her. Bring her home. Oh Force, what was Hemlock doing to her?

He felt his head start to pound and his brow furrowed. 

It hurt so much to love. This was love, wasn’t it? After all, what would he know? All he knew of it was what was in the novels and holofilms…

Something cold touched his head and he jumped in surprise. Opening his eyes, he found you had taken a few steps back surprised, with a blanket and an ice pack in hand. 

It didn’t go unnoticed you’d had the scent of fresh tears on your hands. 

“I’m sorry, I thought you were in one of your uncomfortable sleep cycles.” You offered gently. “You looked like you had a headache so I brought you this.” You shook the ice pack. 

Hunter sat up and rubbed his head. “I…can’t sleep.”

He looked down. It was so hard to keep your gaze. His throat tightened and tears sprung against his will. All he could do was sigh, long and heavy. 

Hunter was silent, not knowing what to say. He tried opening his mouth a few times but closed it at every attempt, frustrated. 

You slowly drew near him, considerate as you always were. Giving him a chance to stop you if he wanted or needed, but he didn’t. You crouched down in front of him and took his hands. 

A shock of surprise sprung his head up immediately and sent a shiver through his body. His brain registered your hands were cold and instinctively he moved to warm them, covering them completely with his own. But his mind was fully focused on your face. 

Your eyes glittered with unshed tears and your mouth had a half, crooked smile. A ghost of the one you’d had before. But there was something in your gaze he’d missed, he’d longed for. 

It was ‘that’ look. 

You hadn't looked at him like that in a long time. 

There was a warmth and a love aflame. A gentleness that hadn’t been there these long past few weeks.  

If eyes were truly the window to the soul, he’d seen that the embers were dying, but not gone. 

You squeezed his hand. 

“We’ll find her. I promise.” 

There was such a conviction in your voice, determination. A rawness that almost freighted him. A testament to the power you had. The power of your will and spirit. The power of your determination. One of the reasons he loved you so much. One of the elements in your looks that he yearned to see again after missing it for so long. 

He squeezed your hands. 

“Thank you for everything.” He swallowed hard, voice now scratchy and sore. 

You nodded and stood, pulling your hands from his. You placed the pack on his forehead and placed the blanket on him in two swift motions and made to go. You were fast, but not too fast for him. You’d tried to retreat, but Hunter jumped and grabbed your arms, centering you to himself. 

A surprised look crossed your face and he saw you searching him, wondering. 

“We need to talk.”

You looked away, tears starting to gather again, a breath catching in your throat wanting to break free. 

Hunter cupped your face with his hand and slowly, softly turned your gaze back to him. 

“Please.”

You nodded, but then looked away again. 

“Ok, but not now.” Your voice was heavy and empty. That void look entered your eyes, extinguishing the flame that was there before. 

“No, you should get some sleep, you look exhausted. You’re always looking after us. Tonight, take care of yourself, yeah?” He rubbed his thumb against your cheek, whipping away a tear that escaped. “Tomorrow.”

You nodded. “Tomorrow.”  

Lifting the blanket you’d brought for him, Hunter placed it over your shoulders with a reassuring squeeze then turned back to his chair, cradling the ice pack to his forehead. 

Tomorrow came, but started off all wrong. Emergency lights flashed and sirens blared. The Marauder made an emergency landing on the treacherous mountainous planet below. The hyperdrive malfunctioned and threw you out of hyperspace. It was a tumultuous, uncontrolled landing but Hunter managed with minimal damage to the exterior of the ship. The haul was a little banged up, but other than that, the smoking hyperdrive was the focus of your concern.

There was no Tech to fix the ship now. You were on your own.

“Do you think you can fix it?” Hunter looked at you worriedly. You’d helped Tech plenty of times in the past. You considered yourself pretty capable with all the training you received from him. 

Taking a look around, you carefully considered. 

“I think so, but it’s going to take time. This superficial stuff I’m not too worried about. We’ll have to make port somewhere soon anyway for supplies. We’re low on everything.” You’d been looking at the inventory the last few days and the lists were concerning. “I think we have enough credits to get by until we can do a job and earn more.” You rubbed your forehead. “I’ve been running numbers on how to keep ourselves sustained without needing to distract ourselves from our mission with a whole bunch of side missions anymore. I think it’ll work but you’re going to have to trust me. But I digress. I’ll patch up the hyperdrive which seems to be the main problem. I’ve got a weird feeling about this place, I don’t want to be here too long. Weather might not hold out for extensive repairs either.”

“Alright, we’ll discuss this when I get back. I’ll scout the area and see what we’re dealing with.” Hunter turned to leave, then paused. Half looking back he spoke: “And, I do. Trust you, I mean.” 

With that he put his helmet on and shouted to Wrecker. 

“Keep her safe. I’ll be right back.”

It’d been an hour. And Hunter wasn’t back. 

Whipping the sweat from your forehead you heaved a big breath.

“I think that’ll do it Wreck. Where’s Hunt?” 

Wrecker looked nervous. “Not back yet.” 

You looked at your wrist chrono and raised your eyebrows in surprise. Highly unusual.

“Ok, I’ll go look for him. Protect the ship.” 

“We should stay together.” Wrecker added quickly, “I’ll come with you.”

“I would like that too but at this moment that’s a luxury we can’t afford. We have to split up.”

Wrecker groaned. “Bad things ALWAYS happen when we split up.”

You softened and patted his shoulder comfortingly. 

“I know, big guy, I know. But the less we argue, the sooner we get Hunt back.”

Wrecker paused and nodded. “Ok.” He sighed and took his place by the ramp of the ship. “And…..it’s good to hear you call Hunter, Hunt again…”he trailed off uncertainly, “but it’s kinda making me scared. You think he’s….?” 

Your heart clenched in realization. You didn’t think how your hurt would shed and affect others. “Oh Wrecker….” You started but he stopped you. 

“Aw Doc, I am just worried about ya. You two always meshed together, you know? So when you didn’t, and now get soft again…” He shook his head. “Get Hunter back, and everything will be ok, yeah?”

“Yeah, it will. I promise.” You started off your sentence quaking but with every word you found your conviction. It was time to go. 

“I hope you two can work things out. I always liked it that way, ya know?”

You smiled, “Yeah I do actually, and I did too.”

“Well, do you think that … whatever happened…you two can fix it?”

Your smile faltered a little bit but Wrecker didn’t see that. Really, only Hunter would have been the one to notice.

“I’ll do my best.”

With one last nod to Wrecker, you set out.

You weren’t exceptional at tracking but Hunter taught you a thing or two. 

It was time to bring Hunter home.

Hunter skirted the edge of the cliff carefully. His foot set a few loose rocks tumbling into the unknown. Knife unsheathed and corned against the endless void beneath him, he glared at his enemy. Hunter met these villains almost as soon as he left the ship. It didn’t take him long to realize their harmful intentions and led them away from the ship, hoping to buy you as much time as he could to fix the ship. He’d taken out ten of these bandits already, but this one was of a higher status, he could tell by the large hat he wore and more expensive weapons he possessed. He’d be more of a challenge but that would only make it more fun. 

Hunter growled and lifted his knife in the ready. Blood and sweat dripped from his face from the few scratches and scrapes he had. 

He was prepared for anything.

“Get away from him!” An agonized voice filled with terror screamed. 

Your voice. 

Hunter’s heart dropped to his stomach and for the first time since the crash, terror entered his veins. He was prepared for everything, except that.

Garnishing your blade, you swiped the air to show the mysterious stranger you were serious. “Leave him alone!”

Hunter’s throat closed up. You didn’t have your blaster, and while still decent with the blade, you weren’t ready for this yet. He hadn’t finished your training. 

“Meshla, no!” 

Hunter reached out, distracted only for a moment but a moment is all it took. In the second he tried to get in between you and the enemy, a kick to his stomach sent Hunter over the side

“Hunter!” You screamed after him in terror. 

What you didn’t see was the flip he made or how he grappled onto the rock. If only you had the enhanced senses he did, you might have heard his hard breathing, the uneven sob, and the continuous prayer that somehow you could live long enough for him to get to you. 

His heart pounded. He wanted to call for you but that’d only make things worse for you. He grunted as silently as he could. He had to get to you. 

He heard your angry grunts, the slices of knives through the air, missing their marks. He heard you yelling unintelligibly and savagely. The man’s gleeful laughter. 

Your painful cry.

No

Those were some of the longest seconds of his life. What happened? He tried to climb faster but the rock was so slippery.

Watching Hunter get shot. Finding him shot again in the same place all this time later by Cad Bane, and now seeing Hunter tumble over the edge was more than you could handle. Anger like you’d never felt it bubbling all over you, tingling your fingers and guiding your blade’s every movement with hardened focus.

No, you couldn’t lose him like this. You wouldn’t. The man was quick, practiced. But you’d had a good teacher. Now wasn’t the time to doubt. Sure, you wished your blaster had survived the raid on Ord Mantel but there was nothing you could do about that except replace it when you made port.

You tumbled, dived, parried. This demon wouldn’t win. He made a hit on your arm and you cried out. The evil, smug smile he had was enough to refocus you instantly. Jumping for him unexpectedly, you caught him by surprise. You pushed your entire body against his in a close roll.

And your blade found a home in his heart. 

Breathing hard, it took you a moment to realize…you’d won. You defeated him! Hunter would be so proud.

Hunter!

Diving for the cliff, you slid toward the edge. 

“Hunter? Hunter!”

Hunter looked up at you, face hidden behind his visor but all the emotions were spilling from his mouth. “Are you ok? Mesh’la, what the karking hells?”

“Grab my hand!” Ignoring him, you reached down. “I’ll pull you up.” 

Hunter clasped your hand but you let out a cry of agony. Collapsing in a heaping pile. You were shaking but your grip held firm.

“Mesh’la…” 

“Don’t you dare let go. Don’t you dare.” Your demand was dry and forceful, but fear spilled from every word. “Please.” Your plea was soft, broken.

“Alright.” He tightened his grip.

Tears streamed down your face as you panted, hulling him up. Hunter seemed so heavy. You’d done exercises like this before and it was a lot easier. Hunter seemed to notice your lack of strength too.

You pulled and heaved and scooted and rolled until you managed to get his body over the lump. Immediately, Hunter started his barrage on you in between heaving breaths of his own.

“What were you thinking? Don’t you know you could have gotten yourself killed?”

You got to your feet and brushed yourself off, head dizzy with emotion and adrenaline.

“Do you,” you panted, “have any idea what you did to me? Don’t start with me…”

“Oh honey, just wait until I get started—“ 

You turned to look at Hunter who also had gotten to his feet, the words registering, but sounding quite distant. Was he yelling? You weren't sure. Suddenly, your breath was knocked from your lungs and a sharp pain invaded your entire body. 

Falling to your knees, you clutched your side to find it wet and sticky, and warm. You didn't need to pull your hand away to look at it to know there was blood, yet that's what you did, and you were shocked nevertheless to find the red, sticky substance on your hands. Gasping with wide eyes, you missed Hunter’s cry of alarm.  

“You’re bleeding!”

Hunter ran over to you and caught you as you crumpled to the ground in pain. Gathering you to himself, he rested your body against his.

Tearing off his scarf from around his neck, Hunter pressed it to your wound.

“You’re losing so much blood.”

“Nah, I know exactly where it is. Here, there, and a little over there.”

“Not funny.”

“I thought it was.” you faintly chuckled. 

With a dark look, he cut the red fabric into strips and bound your abdomen tightly. 

“I’ll get you back to the ship as soon as I can, just hold on for me ok?” 

You nodded but your eyes now felt so heavy. You just wanted to sleep. 

Scooping you up, Hunter started at a full run. 

The bouncing hurt. Every pounding bounce sent fire mixed with ice through your body. Your head rolled back and your eyes shut.

“Hey, hey, cyare, look at me. Look at me! Don’t give up on me yet, please.” 

Hunter came in running. 

“Wrecker! Wrecker! Get the ship started, we’re leaving NOW!”

Wrecker didn’t miss a beat. He saw you dangling limpless in Hunter’s arms and dashed up the walkway. Wrecker tore through the room, doing the start up sequences as fast as he could then meeting Hunter in the gangway, he threw the med kit at him. 

Back in the cockpit, Wrecker took the controls. 

Placing you in his bed, Hunter slapped your face.

“I know you’re in there, wake up! Wake up! Don’t leave me now, I need you. I can’t do this without you. Omega is depending on you. You’re stronger than this, come on!”

Injecting you quickly with a stim and re-wrapping your wounds, Hunter frantically chaffed your wrists until your eyes fluttered open. 

“Hunter?” You were looking around, trying to sit up. 

“Hey, hey don’t get up.” He placed a hand on your forehead, then your pulse points. He felt you slowly but surely starting to equalize. “Just rest for a bit, ok? I’m going to stay right here if you need anything.” He pulled up a chair next to you. 

“I’m ok,” you smiled weakly, “I was so scared when I saw those tracks. I thought I’d lost you again. But you’re ok, and that’s all that matters to me.” You squeezed his hand, then let the darkness take you.

All was still and dark. The Marauder gently rocked in what would pass for the early hours of the morning, if there really could be a morning or night in space. 

All was still and quiet inside the Marauder. Wrecker was by the controls watching the ship’s course and motion beacons, Hunter was fast asleep, leaned over the bed and holding your hand. 

You on the other hand were restless. Buckets of sweat fell from your forehead. Dizzy and disoriented, even laying down, a nauseous feeling crept up your stomach into your throat. 

You wormed your hand out of Hunters, not wanting to wake him. It’d been too long since he’d gotten any sleep at all and at last the complete and utter exhaustion took him over. You pushed on the bed, attempting and failing to drag yourself up. 

You glanced at Hunter, considering only for a moment, then resurfaced your determination. No, you’d let him rest. You could do this. Grasping the blanket’s cocooning you, you attempted to untangle the heavy sheet entwining you. It was so heavy, suffocating. 

With a heaving breath, you pushed your feet off the bed and lunged your body forward.

You were standing. 

But as soon as you got up, you realized your mistake. The ship spun and the dull aches over your body were awakened. Your stomach’s pain blew its trumpet and your ears felt like balloons that were going to pop. You must have swallowed marbles because there was barely any room in your throat. 

Oh well, you could only push forward. 

Stumbling into the bathroom, you turned on the cold water. Perhaps that would help. 

The first thing Hunter noticed was his hand was cold and clammy. The lack of warmth left a devoid and empty feeling embedded with a nervous foreboding. 

Next came the darkness, which became a haze, and that haze turned into a bubble as he fought he was to consciousness. The bed in front of him was empty and Hunter could vaguely make out the things around him, noises indecipherable. He thought he heard trudging of feet scraping against the floor, the turning of a facet with the gush of water, then a loud crash, and thud with a BAM!

Instantly his body was alert. Dashing toward the source of the sound, he knew subconsciously what he’d find. Your body on the floor, sprawled out and drained. Your face was pale as death, eyes hollow. You didn’t look like this a few hours ago? 

“Mesh’la? mesh’la! what happened? Did you hit your head? Why are you up?” A thousand questions spilled from his mouth in worry. 

Worming his body behind yours, he gathered you up gently. You mumbled something that was lost even to his hearing. 

Concerned, Hunter removed his gloves, and placed them on your face. 

You leaned into his warmth, shivering, unable to get warm, yet your skin felt like fire to him. You were burning. Beads of sweat danced on your forehead as large as the tears that fell from your eyes.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Cradling you now, he carefully wrapped himself around your body. This allowed you to curl in on yourself and tuck yourself in further to his chest.

“‘M sry.”

Kriff, you could barely speak. 

“Don’t be sorry. I got you now.”

“Hunter, I-I can’t hear you too well.”

A wall of realization hit him hard. Kark it, he knew what happened. 

The fever, the swelling, the loss of balance and your voice, not to mention your hearing? 

You had an infection. 

Fear invaded Hunter’s senses. He’d never been sick like this, having super immune genetics (one thing to thank the long necks for he supposed). But now, how could he help if he didn’t know what you were going through exactly? 

This wasn’t the first time you were sick like this. He remembered the story you told of your childhood, and how one winter, you fell through the ice which resulted in something like this. The incident left you vulnerable and weakened, and he worried about you. 

You were tough and fought it out. But what if you couldn’t fight this one off? Would your second brush with death be enough to claim you?

Tears swelled your eyes and poured onto your cheeks. Small sobs started to wrack your body as emotion overtook you.

“I…sorry…don’t burnden…’Mega, gotta find…” 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, I got you, I got you. You’re not a burden. We’ll get you better then we’ll find her. Hey, I got you, it’s ok.” Hunter had no idea how he managed to sound so calm. He’d never seen you like this before and it terrified him. Your small sniffles and hiccups reminded him of a small child. Every nerve and essence of his being screamed at him to protect you. 

“I’ll get you some water, I’ll be back. You have to stay hydrated.”

“Stay, I’ll get it.”

Hunter looked up to find Wrecker looking down at the two of you with a sad look in his eyes. “You should be with her.” He disappeared then returned a few minutes later with a full flask of cold water. 

Hunter brought it to your lips, but you barely swallowed any before relinquishing your strength to an empty sleep, exhausted by the struggle. 

Silence bore down on the three of you as Hunter and Wrecker looked on while you slept an uncomfortable sleep.

“I knew we should have stuck together.” Wrecker said sadly at last, not looking at Hunter. “I told her I’d come with her…”

“It’s not your fault, Wreck.”

“Bad things happen when we split up, I told her that….”

“This is all my fault.” Hunter hung his head. “I—”

“That kind of talk isn’t going to help her, Hunt. Don’t even think that. She made up her own mind. She was scared for ya, Hunt. She even started calling you ‘Hunt’ again.”

Hunter looked up surprised, then back down towards you. You’d stopped that since that morning on Pabu. You’d been formal with him afterward. It was either Sargeant or Hunter. 

He shifted then lifted you in his arms, bringing you back to the bed. He set you down then ran his fingers through your damp hair, worry evident in his eyes. 

“We need to get her to a hospital, Wreck. I don’t know what to do…Without Tech…I’m really scared right now.”

Wrecker placed a large, comforting hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Then we go. We’ll get her better, Hunt. Don’t worry. I think we have a few of those fake IDs left Tech made. We’ll make something work.”

Swallowing hard, Hunter nodded.

Instead of letting go, Wrecker’s grip tightened. In one swift motion, Hunter was enveloped in a hug. If he was being honest, he didn’t mind in the least. 

Hunter sat by you in silence as the ship flew through hyperspace toward the hospital, watching your fitful sleep. Your forehead was creased in pain and your mouth turned into a pout. One hand carefully stroked your sweat soaked hair, the other intertwined with yours.

The waiting was the worst part. Not being able to do anything to help or accept, fate could only take its course and he could only stand by and watch. The worst enemies were the ones he couldn’t protect you from and he hated that. He couldn’t fight the infection with his blade, or take away your pain by shooting the cause with a blaster bolt. 

He leaned his forehead against yours and swallowed a sigh. Was this agony what you'd felt when he'd been shot? He remembered what delicate care you took of him. You'd been more than thoughtful, and tried not to show your concerns but he saw them anyway; just as he could always see you. But there was something else there that at the time he hadn't realized. And now he hoped he hadn't realized it too late. 

“You asked me before if I’d settle down like Shep asked……………and in my dreams, yes. I always wanted to, even before he asked, with you. It was you, it was always and only you.”

Silence was your response. 

 “Please, don’t leave me now. I already lost the others, I can’t lose you too.”

The steady rhythm of your heart was promise enough for him right now, he had to hold onto hope. 

“We can take it slow. Take our time. We don’t have to rush into anything but please, please stay with me and I’ll be yours for the rest of our lives. That’s my promise to you. I–I love you. Always have, always will.”

Perhaps if he’d hadn’t been so tired, he would have noticed the slight squeeze of his hand you have him. 

Hunter walked into the hospital carrying you wearing civilian clothing hoping he looked more inconspicuous than he felt. He approached the nurse at the front desk. 

“Excuse me, my wife needs help. She had an accident…”

“Chain codes.” the nurse said flatly without looking up but holding out her hand. 

Hunter fished them out and gave them to her. 

“It’s urgent, she needs to see a doctor ri–”

“Just sit down over there and the nurse will be with you shortly.”

“But she needs a doctor NOW!”

The nurse glanced up annoyed. 

“Keep that up and she’ll have to wait a full rotation, buddy.”

Hunter glared but didn’t say a word. Normally he would have fought back harder but with your life on the line, he couldn’t find it in himself to do it. So he did as he was bid, and took a seat in the waiting area. 

You blinked your eyes open with a smile. 

“Hey Handsome.” 

You reached up for his face, and he took your hand in his and gave it a quick kiss. 

“Hey,” Hunter kept his voice low, giving you a quick smile before making a quick survey of the area, “to catch you up real quick, we’re married. You’re my wife and we took you here after an accident on our farm. You’re going to be ok, ok?” 

His eyes darted across your face, looking, searching, for any indication that his words would come true. Even here and now on the brink of being saved, he felt like you’d suddenly vanish and be taken from him. 

He didn’t know what he expected from you, a nod of recognition maybe? But he didn’t get that. Instead, you chuckled. 

“Married? Already? So much for wanting to take it slow, Hunter.” 

To his surprise, a laugh burst from his lips, a smile replacing the worry for a second. He shook his head. Even now, you were trying to look out for him, making him laugh while you were the one who needed help. 

“Always looking out for me, aren’t you?” His voice was warm and full. The deepness of his voice like chocolate on your sore ears, not that he’d know that of course. All he could hope for was that you could hear the depth of love and gratitude he had in such a few words. 

You smiled, “always have, always will, I promise you that.” 

Hunter heard the nurse approach and looked up, only to be faced with a jaw dropping phenomenon. 

“How can I help you today? Wait…Hunter?”

It was Nala, your old classmate.

“Nala?” Hunter repeated, stunned. “You work here?”

“Yes…” her eyes drifted down to you. 

An unsettled feeling came over Hunter. You hadn’t been in touch with anyone since Order 66. Whose side was Nala on?

He didn’t have to wonder long when her face went white and she dropped down on one knee to be at your level. 

“What do you need? Let me assess her and see what I can do.”

Nala came running up carrying various vials and all but shoved them in Hunter’s pockets. 

“Give her this as soon as possible. It’s safer for all of you if you just take it and administer it on your ship. I got word of Imperials coming here shortly. I’ve listed instructions on how to give it to her safely. You should go before someone recognizes you and hands you over. Goodbye, and good luck. Take good care of my friend. When she gets better, tell her to give me a call!”

With that, Nala turned and left, trying her hardest not to give an impression of concern. 

Back on the ship, Hunter did as instructed. After making sure you were carefully placed in bed and made as comfortable as possible, he enlisted Wrecker’s help as soon as they’d jumped to hyperspace. Hunter knew Wrecker wasn’t going to like it, but there wasn’t another way. 

You’ll want to give this one to her first. It’ll regulate her body so she can take the following medications. It’ll help her breathe easier and adjust to what’s coming…it won’t appear so right away so don’t worry. You’re going to need to give this to her in quick succession so don’t wait to see the effects.

Hunter injected the hypo into your arm. 

This one is the IV with the antibiotics. Get her hooked up quickly and make sure the bag is drained before you take it out. 

He rubbed your arm and inserted the needle.

This one, inject into her chest near her heart. This one will hurt the most. 

This one, he couldn’t do. 

“This…is going to hurt.”

“I know.” You stared at the ceiling, trying to catch your breath and collect your courage. “It’s ok.”

Of course you knew, you were a medic. He would have cringed at his own words, but he couldn’t help it. His own fear mocked him and he wasn’t ashamed of it. Pain was pain, and nothing could make him like it or want that for you. All he could do was prepare you in any way he could. 

Your breathing was labored, huffing your breaths, greedy for air, gluttonously swallowing in as much as your lungs would let you. 

“Tell me.” You looked into his eyes, trying to focus, “tell me about it? I can’t seem to remember anything from our big day. What happened? Who was there? How did it go….How did I look?” You huffed a little laugh at the last question, “nevermind, don’t answer that.” Your laugh caused a coughing fit to follow. 

Hunter gripped you firmer as your body racked, fear unmasked in his eyes. 

Shutting your own, you tried to center yourself. 

“Crosshair probably made trouble, didn't he. He and Wreck competed to see who could eat the most cake and got sick, right?” Your voice was nothing other than a whisper, but Hunter could still pick up the dream-like tilt in your voice. The little smile as if it was a real memory, breaking across your lips. 

“Of course, would you expect anything less?”

Another chuckle turned into a gasp of air. 

Hunter kept his gaze on you as he spoke, his hand on your cheek facing him so you wouldn’t have to see what was to come. Rubbing gentle circles in your cheek and wiping away tears, he tried to speak without a shake in his voice. He didn’t know if he succeeded, but ever after that, he’d remember the images burned in his mind both, of the story he was telling and the raw reality of your pain. 

“Tech filmed the entire thing; we’ll have to rewatch it; would you believe Echo had more champagne to drink than anyone? He was so happy the entire night. He was also the only one next to Wrecker to cry.”

You smiled through gritted teeth.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You looked beautiful all dressed in white…” he stumbled over his words now as Wrecker garnished the needle, “your dress dazzled with little jewel thingies and you liked spinning in it because it reminded you of a waterfall or a butterfly’s wing. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. And when you walked toward me, I was a mess, because I knew I was the luckiest man in the world, and I couldn’t ever have imagined you more beautiful.”

You swallowed hard. 

“Omega couldn’t stop smiling or singing; and when the music at the Pabu sunsets starts and the orange sun starts setting in the sky, it hit you just right and…”

You screamed as muffled of a scream as you could, but it rang in Hunter’s head so loud it bounced around until he felt like he was going to be sick.  

“Aaand, and, when the sun set, we resaid our vows under the stars, just you and me. Always, just you and me. I’ve got you, it’s ok.”

Your eyes rolled back and all went dark.

Breathing never felt so sweet. You smiled, feeling like you could laugh and cry at the same time. The pain was gone and you felt great! Energy was surging, and life felt beautiful again. Despite the illness, you remembered everything that happened with vivid accuracy. Though your eyes were closed, your mind was very awake and registered everything in perfect memory.

Not just the pain, but the sweet moments too. Hunter taking such good care of you, his poor fear and concern, the thoughts he confessed because he thought you couldn't hear.

You felt the urge to stretch but couldn't move. Opening your eyes and looking around, the sight made your heart melt. Hunter was curled up half beside and half behind you. His body was curled in around yours, holding you as if he feared when he woke, you wouldn't be there. 

Your heart was gripped by the softness of the gesture and you didn't want it to end.

You reached your hand up, running your fingers down his face and neck. The touch was enough to wake him. He stirred, then jolted with realization.

“You're awake!!!” Tears gathered in his eyes as he cupped your face with both his hands. “You're ok.” He smiled and swallowed so hard you could hear it. You embraced him, burying your face in his neck.

“I love you.” 

You froze. You didn't expect him to actually confess to you while you were awake. Hunter sensed your hesitancy and started to pull away, but before he could move an inch, you were grabbing him toward yourself again. 

“I love you, too. So much.”

“Can…we talk? I can't wait anymore.”

“Of course.”

Hunter turned shy. He found his hands extremely interesting as he fiddled with the blanket rim. His face turned red and he tripped over his words.

“I only said what I did because besides you….I wouldn't want to marry any other woman. Who would I even marry…if it wasn't you?”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“I always felt like you deserved way better than me…I can't offer you anything but myself and that's not much of a gift.”

“Hunter! No! You—” 

He gave you a sheepish look and cut you off.

“And I'm so sorry for everything that happened, for how I hurt you. I should have gone to you sooner, I should have…”

Now it was your turn to cut him off, but instead of with words, you captured his mouth with yours in a kiss 

You felt his shock, which made you smile, and soon he joined and returned your soft show of love, holding you even closer than before.

“You scared me.” Hunter said, kisses becoming needier. 

“You scared me first!” You countered, meeting his veracity. “More than once!”

When you both stopped for breath, you settled back in his embrace. 

“Hunter, you're all I could ever need or want. The gift of yourself is more precious than anything or anyone in the galaxy, and that's more than I deserve. All I've ever wanted was the war to end so we could have a family of our own, your brothers all be near us if they're not with us while we raise Omega and children of our own.”

Hunter's face darkened. 

“I wasn't strong enough to protect you or keep this family together. I lost Omega.”

“You didn't lose her, Hunter. She made a choice. She didn't want to lose you, and neither did I. You don't control the galaxy or have some responsibility for everything that happens. It's ok to breathe, Hunt, and let go. All we can do is move onward and face the galaxy together, just like we always do.”

Hunter nodded, the shadow slowly falling from his face, replaced with something gentler. 

“And that story I told before, about you in the white dress?”

“Yeah?” You blushed sheepishly, recalling with a bubbling laugh trapped inside your chest. 

“What do you say we make that real?” Leaning closer, he whispered in your ear, “I want to see you all in white, for real. I want to be yours, only yours, forever. I want to have a family, with you and only you. My brothers can all live close by and we can all be together. We can raise Omega the way she deserves to be raised…and I can love you, the way you deserve to be loved.”

“Yes! Oh yes! My sergeant, I am yours and only yours, now and forever!”

Filled with new determination, you smiled even wider, gripped his hand and got out of bed.

“Come on, now, love, let's go get our kid. Time to bring our family home. Time to start healing and growing.”

"The Empire be warned, we're coming."

Dividers by @stars-n-spice @ve-ti-ver and @djarrex

[smashmeleeganondorfsno1fan]

Okay, I finally had an idea that might be fun. Though, only if you hc Linkle as being HW Link's monozygotic twin sister like was originally intended & that both of them are at least 20 or so.

I like to think... That HW Ganondorf might be ever so slightly wary of cuccos.

Not afraid of; Wary.

No, instead, if there is any sort of legitimate fear in him, then it is toward the blond madwoman that said cuccos know as their mistress.

Now, originally, he disregarded her every bit as much as her brother.

But THEN... HW Ganondorf (I like to call him Bloodlust or Hedony due to my personal hcs for him, but ya know) actually faced her...

And this was the end result:

Not my art, but it IS one of my absolute favorite pieces.

I mean, I know that this isn't canon, but I believe that it's only because I don't think there was ever a chance for them to fight in-story.

I don't know. I just really love the idea that this big hulking giant of a man might be low-key terrified of her. And... maybe would have a very slight crush on her because of that.

I mean, some players consider her to be the same tier as Ganondorf, while others actually see her as a tier above him. So, I guess that I just find the idea hilarious, is all.

Sorry, I guess that wasn't much of a request, huh?

Anyway, I guess that I was just hoping for a bit of comedic hijinx with a light dusting of romance between the 2?

Like, I dunno why, but I kinda see HW Ganondorf as the Casanova among the Dorfs, so I like to think that he'd try flirting with her, but that she'd just raise her crossbow & press the point of the already loaded bolt against his jugular, causing him to hold up his hands like he's being held up by the cops or something. (But I also think he'd find it hot.) XD

Sorry if that's a bit outta nowhere.

I'm actually not a big fan of Linkle as Link's twin sister, though I don't really know all that much about her because I'm not crazy familiar with Hyrule Warriors. I mean, theoretically, can't the Triforce of courage be wielded by anyone of Skyward Sword Link's bloodline, regardless of sex? What I mean is, if people want a female link, then I'd rather just have her on her own.

Excuse the rant lol. But I can do that for you. Thanks for the ask :)

HW Ganondorf and the Heroine - Headcanons

Firstly, Ganondorf would have a decent level of respect for the heroine right off the bat. She's a warrior; an entirely respectable, desirable, even, occupation in the mind of any Gerudo.

Ganondorf's flirting style with the heroine would lean toward being more praise heavy, albeit still smooth and suave.

He finds her abilities somewhat beguiling and can't help but desire to make his feelings known. He can be very emotionally led at times, less so in matters such as these, but still.

If she expressed genuine dislike for his flirtations, he respects her enough to stop. But even so, he can't help the way he feels...

Part of the attraction is because she reminds him of Gerudo women he used to know; fearless, talented, with spirits like wild sandstorms housed within beautiful, sunkissed bodies of pure strength. Once he figures that out, he's absolutely enthralled.

Especially seeing as (and I might be wrong about this, but all the sources I could find said female Gerudo were featured in Age of Calamity and not regular HW) he is the last of his race. It stirs something deep within his heart to be reminded of all those years ago...

He finds her anger quite attractive; the fire within her. He'd only tease to get a little rise out of her, if he did.

His previous disregard came partially from underestimating her strength. Hylians are small, at least by Gerudo standards, and it doesn't help that the heroine doesn't exactly look the toughest warrior. But he couldn't have been more wrong.

In regards to Link being the heroine's brother, I think Ganondorf's opinions on him would either improve or worsen depending on how he measures up to his sister's immense skill. Though, if Ganondorf is trying to get into the heroine's good graces, he'd likely be more courteous anyways.

Ganondorf can't exactly place why he's somewhat weary of cuccos outside of their relation to the heroine. He just doesn't like the way they look at him, not that he'd ever admit to such a thing.

Though, he can't help but somewhat admire her bond with such creatures.

Ganondorf gazed down at the heroine, his lips curling into a smirk as he took in her annoyed expression. He spoke, his voice warm and comforting, yet the heroine couldn't help but feel a slight uneasiness as his yellow eyes lingered on her face. "You did very well out there. I'm almost impressed." "Almost?" She replied, raising an eyebrow and causing Ganondorf to chuckle slightly. Her reactions were most amusing. "There were a few things you ought to work on in future. But you were quite the warrior." He quipped in response, his tone an impossible blend of sincerity and smugness that practically made the heroine scratch her head in confusion. She spoke again, clearly becoming more annoyed. "What are you trying to do?" Ganondorf gave a look of mock-offence, putting his large hands up so as to show her he wasn't a threat. He couldn't help but grin at her remark. "Nothing. I'm only being encouraging."

I feel like this Ganondorf's teasing has a lot of potential to be misunderstood. The heroine may not even discover his true feelings until it is too late and she has already decided to dislike him.

One can only imagine how he'd actually end up professing his love...

[erisweekofficial]

We're thrilled to shine a light on @zenkindoflove!!! Amanda is an absolute gem in the Elucien fandom AND Eris fandom and has also blessed us with Alexius, her incredible OC for her Eris x OC fics.

Alexius stands out as one of the few male OCs in the community, and the dynamic between him and Eris is nothing short of captivating. Think forced proximity, delicious yearning, witty banter, political intrigue, and all the tension you could dream of. You can see them in both Summer Heat (which has Elucien) and Pull Me in Deeper, which... y'all you gotta read this asap😍🤭🥵 Also the mods are begging you to read Taste of You, a short and delightfully smutty one shot.

And PLEASE admire this amazing art of Alexius and Eris!

Read more to learn about how @zenkindoflove was inspired to create content about Eris AND her extremely helpful tips for writing content about him. (We're taking notes)

What inspired you to start creating content about Eris?  I became curious about writing Eris after he was featured in some of my Elucien fics. When I started my multichapter Elucien fic Summer Heat, I decided that I would give him a male love interest in that fic and create an OC - which ended up being Alexius who you see featured in all of my Eris work. I originally intended for it to be a background relationship, but I decided to experiment and write the scene of their first meeting (a very smutty scene) just to do some character exploration. I didn’t intend to include it in the fic, but then once I wrote it, I knew that it was something special and Eris x Alexius became a true B storyline in that fic with a fully fleshed out love story. After that, I wanted to expand and write fics that focused on them which I've written several now and more to come for Eris Week! It's a bit niche. Hardly anyone writes Eris x Male OC but I'm obsessed now.

What's your favorite piece you've created featuring Eris and why? 

That would be my Eris x Alexius multichapter fic - Pull Me in Deeper. I love it because it was a way for me to explore Eris’ character when he is out of the watchful eye of his father and others in Prythian. It’s also just a fun action/adventure/romance story and I got to explore more lore and character building for my OC Alexius as well. Alexius was designed to be, in my opinion, the perfect person for Eris and that means often standing in contrast to a lot of his personality traits and pushing him outside of his comfort zone. So it was an incredibly fun dynamic to explore. And it’s two gay men who are on a quest to find out (*spoilers*) if unicorns exist XD.

How do you approach writing dialogue for Eris? 

I tend to lean into Eris being more careful with his words - so he is sharp, concise, and efficient in his word choice. Depending on who he’s sharing a scene with and the context, he can be severe and short or he can be long-winded and eloquent. And of course, he has banter and jabs a plenty. So I try to balance all those sides of him depending on the context.

Do you have any advice for other creators wanting to make Eris content? 

Eris inhabits a unique space in canon where he is truly a free agent when it comes to relationships. So, I would recommend if you want to write romances with Eris to lean into self-indulgence and write the pairing/story you really want to tell and try to let go of what you think will be popular. And if that ends up being Eris x OC rather than a canon character, know that it can actually be such a rewarding experience even if you don’t have a built in audience. Creating an OC to pair with Eris has been immensely fun and has broadened my creativity. Eris is a complex, interesting character with so many layers and building someone to fit him and find out what is underneath all of those layers can lead you down quite an obsessive path. But a fun one. 

Please give us a name for one of Eris’s Brothers

Kian. He is the third oldest and is more of a scholarly type. Now that second brother Conan is dead, he is next in line after Eris.

Please give us a name for one of Eris's Dogs.

Lithia. She just had puppies in PMID and Eris is worried about her. 

[wyvernspirit]

What I actually want from a Jentry Chau season 2 is to properly anime this bitch and give us OVA's

Give us missing scenes from season 1 that help bridge character development and growth

Show the gang actually hanging out and being friends

Just do some fun silly episodes that the jam packed season 1 didn't have time for

Do everything, every single thing that felt like it was missing from season 1

And I can assure you as long as you keep each episode OVA on the same timeline as it's self

(So one episode will have missing scenes that can slot between episode say 6+7 but won't suddenly have a scene from episode 11 or 3. If that makes sense)

Then the fandom will eat it up

And we will make a watch order list that hundreds of people will use and adore

Like trust me I have done this for shows before and I will easily do it again

I was a miraculous ladybug fan I've been in the trenches before of fixing a correct watching order

And it will help the show immensely without like, feeling like a backtrack or a desperate attempt to add more on to a finished story

We don't need the next year of Jentrys life

We just need to see more of her life that a limited runtime took from us

Or idk give us a season focused primarily on character backstory like kit, Michaels parents, hell and episode with Jentry in Seoul after just moving could be nice and Gugu's wild early days

Just, the one thing I would be almost entirely not interested in would be to see a season 2 of Jentry settling back into Seoul and dating Michael and his powers situation

But maybe I'm alone in these thoughts! Who knows? not me xD

[princessanonymous]

Of Trials- Part 2/3 (Ask)

Platonic Yandere Vampire

Previous Part | Next Part

Story Chapter list

Finally another one posted! Y'all, I'm a slow updater,but you best believe I'll update nonetheless. Better late than never. XD

As I said last time, this is from an ask someone sent to me privatly. Once again, you'll need to read the main story, When Night Comes (Linked aboved) to understand this. :)

┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

Immortal Children were children who had been turned into vampires at a far too young age.  These children, once transformed, became uncontrollable beings, driven by impulses they could not yet understand or manage. Their beauty was unmatched; they were truly irresistible beings fated to remain untouched by the sands of time. Their physical perfection was a double-edged sword, enchanting and deadly in equal measure.

With red eyes that shone like bright fire and smiles that retained an eerie innocence, Immortal Children possessed an almost angelic appearance. This innocent facade belied the dark reality of their existence. Despite their sweet appearance, they carried the same capacity for horrific violence every other vampire had. Their enchanting smiles masked the bloodshed and destruction they were capable of. The problem lay in their inability to control their impulses and the immense danger they posed to both humans and vampires alike. Immortal Children brought chaos wherever they went, leaving a trail of death and suspicion that threatened the secrecy of the vampiric community. Their very existence was a cause of disaster, as their actions could not be predicted or controlled.

The creation of an Immortal Child was considered a crime of the highest order within the vampire world, a transgression with severe penalties for both the sire and the fledgling. It was seen as a reckless act, bringing risks that outweigh the benefits. A crime Dorian had now been accused of.

"We can leave," Killian suggested, pacing around the room frantically. So frantically, in fact, that he didn't notice when his feet reached the wall, and he began to walk up it. Had Dorian not been so preoccupied, he would have commented on the impropriety of such behavior. "You always said you wished to visit Japan again; we should go. I'm sure (Y/n) would find it lovely.”

Dorian wanted to pull his own hair out in frustration. "They will find us," he promised. He was sure of that. "And when they do, no trial shall be held and we will both be made to burn under the deadly sun. You might suffer the same fate, for helping us."

Killian stopped and turned to face Dorian, standing upside down on the ceiling with a look of incredulity. "So you want us to wait until they come to take you both? Have you lost your mind?"

Dorian's eyes burned with a mix of fear and resolve. "I haven't lost my mind, Killian. I'm trying to protect us. Running would only delay the inevitable and draw more suspicion. They have eyes everywhere. Leaving now would be a death sentence."

"So you will let her die?" Killian demanded in outrage. "You turned her, and I won’t allow you to do that to her." Killian had grown to care deeply for (Y/n), just as much as Dorian did. It had taken some time, but he had come to take on a more important role, that of a second father to her.

"Oh, don't you dare accuse me of that!" Dorian's eyes flashed with anger, his voice rising defensively.

"You created this problem!" Killian bit back, pointing a finger at Dorian. "(Y/n) could have had a perfect, happy, and fulfilling life without your interference."

"She would be dead!" Dorian screamed at him, his voice cracking with the intensity of his emotions. "Dead and rotting in the ground, eaten by maggots, larvae, and any other pests wanting a piece of her!"

Killian recoiled slightly, the rawness of Dorian's words hitting him hard. But he quickly composed himself, his own emotions bubbling to the surface. "And instead, she’s trapped in this cursed existence. Is that really any better?"

Dorian's eyes blazed with a mixture of rage and desperation. "I couldn’t just let her go! You don’t understand, when I looked at her for the first time, I just… I just knew she would complete us. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing while she slipped away.”

Then, there was a knock at the door, and they paused, their argument abruptly silenced. Dorian took a deep breath and called out sweetly, "What is it, starshine?" He wondered how long the girl had been standing behind the door, listening to their heated exchange.

The door slowly creaked open, and the girl who was the subject of their worries stepped in. Her red eyes gleamed with an innocence that belied the turmoil surrounding her. She looked between Dorian and Killian, sensing the tension in the room.She had her face scrunched up in an adorable mou that drew a smile on his own face.

"Was it a nightmare?" Asked his now calmer partner.

She shook her head looking frustrated. "You're arguing more than usual.”

Killian agreed with her, sending her an apologetic look. “We apologize, dear. Your father and I have been terribly preoccupied recently.”

"Because of that lady?" she probed further, her keen intelligence shining through.

Dorian shook his head, trying to maintain a calm demeanor. "Why don’t I take you back to your room?" he suggested gently.

"I don’t like her," (Y/n) said, clutching the hem of her nightgown, “She was awfully unpleasant. I don't want to see her again."

Dorian smiled weakly at her, feeling a pang of guilt for having brought her such distress. He planted a gentle kiss on her head. "That is alright. You won’t," he assured her softly.

He walked her to her room in silence, aware that she sensed his restlessness. They had tried to curb her habit of sensing the emotions of everyone around her, but their efforts had never worked. Over time, they had grown accustomed to this small breach of privacy, deciding to simply try to keep their emotions in check, knowing that she was affected by strong emotions. By the way she clutched his hand, trembling slightly, he knew their attempts hadn't quite succeeded.

"I can feel how scared you are," she whispered. "It makes me scared too." 

Dorian's heart ached at her words. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. The weight of his emotions was heavy, but he forced himself to remain composed for her sake. As they reached her room, he opened the door, intending to tuck her into her coffin.

But as the door swung open, the metallic scent of blood assaulted his senses, pulling him abruptly back to reality. His only reaction was to raise his eyebrows as he took in the scene before him: a woman's body lay sprawled on the floor, lifeless and drenched in blood. Despite the horror of the sight, a strange sense of resignation settled over him. He felt an astounding lack of surprise as he gazed at the corpse on the floor.

"(Y/n)," Dorian breathed out in defeat, his voice heavy with a mix of relief and frustration.

"Mayella cut herself while cooking today," (Y/n) explained with a shrug as she walked over to the corpse, completely unfazed by the sight. She plopped herself down on her coffin, swinging her legs casually. "I kissed the hurt goodbye."

"Starshine," he began, struggling to keep his voice calm, "you can't just—"

But as he looked into her innocent eyes, he felt his throat close up with a mixture of frustration and despair. It seemed they had tried to teach her better self-control, but it never seemed to stick. Feeding was always at the forefront of her mind, even after she had eaten only a few hours ago.

He looked at her tenderly and laughed wetly.  "You did well," he whispered, hoping she didn't notice the despair that overtook him.

[ranger-jahen]

Your OC as a Deity

hello!! I believe I’ve been tagged by 87% of my mutuals at this point for this game. Cx I explained it more in-depth in this post, but basically, Im not able to complete the quiz for Jahen because his personality test results either don’t make sense or aren’t available in the quiz’s answer selections.

but when I made that post, the wonderful @themightynine-nine commented and asked me what kind of god I thought Jahen might be, and I disregarded the formal quiz and just put something together of my own accord. ^u^ so thank you so much for that nudge! I thought it was so sweet.

Jahen would be a god whose domain encompassed "The Open Road." a less powerful deity in the grand scheme of things, but also someone who has a lot of things sort of unexpectedly fall within their influence.

He would be a benevolent deity, so I'd imagine most people would pray to him for something like safe travels or swift paces. but he'd also be immensely important to wanderers, people who don't have a home of their own to go back to, or people fleeing from one place in search of a better life elsewhere.

There would be a complexity to his powers and hints of the untamed sides of him, like unexpected twists and turns or the forces of nature, wild growth and wind and rain, away from major towns or cities, but there would still be a certain steadiness and call to hope and endurance underneath. if someone were lost, either on a real, physical road, or perhaps lost in a more spiritual sense, such as wandering planes after death unable to find their way home, he'd be a good one to pray to in order to retrieve or guide them back to familiar paths.

I also think his powers could be called upon in a more vengeful way, such as deliberate misguidance, keeping someone lost, or troubles befalling someone out in the open where there's little help to be had. but i think if someone were praying for that kind of outcome, there'd have to be a reason for him to follow through that didn't go against his better nature. he'd be far more likely to act maliciously towards someone if they themselves were villainous in some way. and he would do more for compassionate prayers than vicious ones if he was acting of his own accord.

I’d like to tag @goldenflowers and @rivereverie and if you haven’t done it yet and want to! c: I did include the quiz link up top for the regular version. xD but also if you wanted to just write something up like this version, I’d be stoked to see that too!

@themightynine-nine - perhaps you'd enjoy doing the freehanded version as well? :3c (no pressure!)

legit anyone who sees this though and wants to try it out I am giving you big cheers

[privatebooth]

Previously

idk how the Fade works, really. Maybe it changes around Hawke? A mage's material form's presence here is not an ordinary occurence, after all. Suppose it takes some immense brain work, but Hawke is dead set on finding his love.

He stumbles upon a solid locked door of Fenris's mind (a door from his Hightown mansion). Hope really can't help here because Fenris willfully denies it access, it couldn't enter even without a barrier. Hawke could decimate the door with his attack spells... Because Fenris is accepting of his powers? He trusts Hawke and wouldn't deny his magic?

Or maybe he could unlock it gently? When Hawke touches the door he can sense Fenris's consciousness behind it. They've spent so much time together and know the most intimate aspects of each other...

No, I got it! He presses himself close to the door, trying to get a better feel of Fenris. They were both set on spending the rest of their lives together, their souls are connected, and in a way, they are ONE. He focuses on... how much he wants to be by his side now? POWER OF LOVE FTW! bwahaha, why the hell not?

So, he presses on the door, and slowly sort of phases through it! Without destroying any locks/doors, he goes THROUGH like a ghost!

When he finally reaches the core of Fenris's mind - and it's a lot further away than last time, since Fen's mental defences are all up. His mind is strong and he is under some serious stress.

Hawke is greeted by an imagery of himself standing limp and hollow, a desire demon whispering into his ear.

(The original idea comes from https://marty-mc.tumblr.com/post/115496986080/thats-what-i-imagined-would-happen-if-you-choose

I liked this comic so much I replicated that frame back in 2019 Can't believe I can actually use it in my story!!!)

On the other side - Fenris, face unreadable, reluctantly clutching his sword (Blade of Mercy btw XD). Hawke spots a fear demon behind him lurking in shadows.

He realises that demons have been sending Fenris disturbing visions to break his will. With Hawke trapped in the Fade, Fenris fears that he'll succumb to demons in his despair, and Fenris will have to end him.

Hawke finds it a tiny bit ironic that currently it's working out the other way around.

Next

[thehollowwriter]

All of my non-twst ocs are old ones I've had for a while. I have considered making them into twst ocs too as an au or smt... Let's see what we have:

☆My first ever queer couple consisting of a butch bi ginger (Cassandra- though she prefers being called Casey- Russou) and a lesbian ex gymnast (CatherineHarris). Both are assassins (or spies? A weird mix of the two idk little me was cooking and the food was a mystery). Casey's a sniper who's tough as hell and will fight you in the alleyway, and Catherine is as elegant and charming as can be and you'll be quite seduced until poison gets slipped into your drink.

☆Twin brother (Alekai Snow) and sister (Chromespear Snow. I'm working on the name change, okay) from another planet. They're part of a species I called the Nocturi. Well, half Nocturi and half Solarian. Alekai's a doctor who was forcibly declawed and needs tech to help his fingers move bc it caused nerve damage, and Chromespear's a blacksmith, and she needed more development tbh but she was iconic

☆The boss of my two assassins who's just an incredibly superfluous, cartoony supervillain simply known as "The Director" (nobody knows his name and neither does he 💀) He's shipped with an irl friend's oc who's a mafia boss and they're both incredibly evil together

☆The powerful mage and general (Ephemeris Vikatte) who's got a whole *gestures* thing going on with Alekai. The two of them are basically just "enemies" (in a petty way) to friends to lovers. He's a bit of a dumbass tbh XD himbo energy

☆The guy who in retrospect is low-key a beta Silas. (Kurai Dusk) He's traumatised and tired but he loves his wifey to the ends of the earth. He's also the second in command to the Empress who I'm considering making a Queen instead because little Quinn did not understand what that title meant lmao

☆Another doctor guy (Assegai Copper) but he has anxiety and mommy issues and powerful magic and is trying his best. He's a small-town GP (like REALLY small-town. Like a village) and he accidentally saved an assassin named Crimson (unrelated to my other two assassins) who he has a situationship with now XD (I actually started writing a story for them when I was like... 12/13. Rewrite? 👀)

☆My beloved Empress/Queen (Achlys) who's the last of her species, and whose species in question I actually wanted to be a mimicry of the Nocturi. She has immensely powerful magic and control of shadows and the darkness (was known as "the Shadow Empress" Can you tell this was my edgy phase yet)

☆My mad scientist (Dr. Maddeline Kruger) who "killed" Catherine. Casey's been hunting Dr. Kruger down ever since, but she doesn't know Catherine is still alive. I'm probably gonna change this storyline there was a lot wrong in retrospect 💀

Okay I'm tired now but tadaaaa should I make twst versions of them

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @jovieinramshackle

@galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00

@krenenbaker @offorestsongs @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops

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[artdragon22]

Stardust beings AU and stardust being!Eclipse (left) belongs to: @maudiemoods Cryo (right) belongs to me

Please click for better quality! Reblogs greatly appreciated!

Eclipse had been chasing Cryo for a few hours, dodging and weaving between asteroids or shooting them with the retractable laser guns on each of his arm guards to break them apart as they both navigated an asteroid belt, and he was enjoying the chase immensely. Cryo on the other hand was desperately trying to evade and escape what he knew was a dangerous cannibal…and yet, the whole time he couldn't help but pause and look back every once in a while when it seemed like Eclipse had given up the chase, only to scramble to pick up momentum again when Eclipse suddenly rounded an asteroid and proved to be much closer than when Cryo last saw him.

Though he knew it was foolish, Cryo couldn't deny that he'd been attracted to Eclipse for quite a while and just couldn't seem to escape the magnetic pull of his charm. However, he knew to stay at a distance at least and to never let Eclipse catch him. After trying and failing to escape Eclipse by flying through the asteroids, Cryo decided to try hiding and hoped Eclipse would lose interest after failing to find him. He landed on a large asteroid and hid the best he could. Unfortunately for him, Eclipse was determined, patient, and a very good hunter and so found him in no time, pinning Cryo to the wall of the cliff he had been hiding behind.

At first Cryo was terrified, but quickly became flustered at the position he was trapped in and the triumphant look on Eclipse's face. Cryo felt his face become bright pink as Eclipse gently took his chin between his thumb and index finger while his other three arms kept him caged in against the cliffside.

"Looks like I finally caught you, my little comet~"

At the sound of Eclipse's smooth voice, Cryo felt all fear and self-preservation leave him as his face, cranial flares, and tail all started to glow brightly and the instinct to perform a courtship lightshow began to prod at him. It was common for comet beings like him to take a liking to potential partners who were tall, strong, clever, excellent flyers, and good navigators…and Eclipse had proven to be all that and more. Cryo was starting to think he truly was never going to be able to escape Eclipse's magnetic pull…but a part of him was becoming more and more okay with that.

Bonus:

At first I made a black & white version to make sure things weren't too muddy, but then it reminded me of those old black & white horror movies, which sometimes included aliens, so I thought it'd be fitting : D I think the B&W version does a good job of showing just how freakin' BRIGHT Cryo is in this moment lmao XD It's a good thing Eclipse isn't human or he'd probably need new eyeballs

[cowedeakamatsu]

THIS POST IS THE PART 2 OF THE REBELION ROUTE FOCUS I JUST POSTED (use the cowede talk about tag to find it easily) DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU CHECKED THE OTHER FIRST, SPOILERS

In ending 4, everything goes south after a very stupid decision from takumi escalates in 2 death that leads to a eternal war that is a hellscape for everyone, takumi too, who is now isolated, and just surviving to survive, without will. ending 5 has takumi take a selfish choice but not entirely bad, and while the world will be at war, its a bit bittersweet with showing that the sdu (or at least nozomi and takumi) didnt loose hope, and are trying to make it so peace can one day happen, with nozomi teaching to the new generation. And finally the Ending 6 has takumi make a huge personal saccrfifice, and work his ass of with the rebellion and the sdu for 15 years, never loosing sight of their objective, which leads to peace being achived between all of futurum, but also with mankind, which feels immensely right, as both sides have a VAST MAJORITY of civils who just want to leave peacefull life, the ending being not entirely happy since 1) obviosuly nozomi dies, and even 15 years later, takumi hasnt forgot this sacrifice, 2) It did took 15 years. (btw since i dont know where to say it, the white class uniform for taku and kamyuhn looks DOPE AF This to me, gives ending 6 a "worthy peace" Of course i'm still sad, and if you tell me theres a peace ending somewhere (but dont tell me if its the case) in which things end up as well, and nozomi or like, just a few of the dead ones from this route (darumi, kyoshika, kurara, eva) survive ? Ill be all for it, but i think this ending makes a lot of sense for this story, without being too depressive. it gives kind of kill la kill / guren lagann ending vibes if you get what i mean, its a happy ending, but with some losses that wont be able to just be forget (even if for kill la kill admitedly the point is to move up, check klk and guren if you havent, they are VERY good stories). + unlike 001, its actual peace, not just "war ended because 1 side won, but its the other side than usual"

Like I said though, the very positive fact that i found "my ending" comes with a bit of a dissapointement. its that, while i really like how the ending goes, and the dialog is pretty damn spot on for me to get into, and the cg is great it feels like... "wait thats it ?" not in terms of Thats it ? 15 years later they ended war ? that part is well enough explained and deserved, especially after playing so many route (even though im only at 33 endings, but like, one of the remaining routes gotta have like 30 endings or something, no way theres still twice as many routes as i did so far XD) Its totally fine having just a resume of what went through. No the issue is.. what about the SDU ? their dreams ? Is this really all we get ? one CG of takumi being emotionally conflicted and kamyuhn (in very very cool outfits, still) ? not even a word about the rest of them ? what about eito's book ? and kako, did she found her new dream ? and takemaru and tsubasa and moko ? or yugamu who wanted to become a doctor in the school nozomi was gonna create, we can assume they ended well and like, are all kinda heroes for the people, and all of them helped the rebellion til peace, with the class uniform (now white) being a symbol of the group and of peace. but like...really ? just one cg and them not even being mentioned ? and the photograph ? did they just set all of that for nothing ? i dunno, just a tiny bit of text, just a few line would have been enough, and dare i dream, a second cg, alternate of the first one of maybe takumi responding to the crowd, with a bit of a tear up but a smile, thinking about nozomi ? But i guess they really wanted to hammer in that this ending was like any other importance wide, so tt gets the same very low production that some, but like, several endings have multiple cgs, that THIS ONE in particular has this and ends so abruptly ? feels a bit exagerated, ITS PEACE, for f sake, its like, KIND OF A HUGE GOAL in this game, for the kodaka side of the story at least (i barely tackled the hiruko centric S.F / mystery uchikoshi focus side yet). But like i said, its a small dissapointement, it didnt change that i loved this ending and route, and consider it as my "canon ending" because of how positive it is for the overall verse, and even quite a few of our guys. Even if the game just forgot them lmao. Big shotout to the two writers of the route (who's names i sadly forgot) who arent kodaka or uchikoshi (and while im at it, big shotout to ALL the writers of this game.)

My next route will be the last possible in the "the cast know about their origin" side of the story, not let eito join the crew after he redempted, (day 82 of the Second scenario route) Which is i guess the "goodbye eito" route, in which there's 1 ending according to the list i have and credits, it should be short. then i'll tackle a few more route branching off the second scenario, and move back to the "kill eito at the very start" side or possibly the "g 'ie" / visitiors (that we know now to be takumi and hiruko leaping... unless ?) side of the game, i think our final route will be the hiruko leaping one, as it feels like its gonna be heavy, and connect to the other routes so we might want to see what happened in those first (we saw visitors in retsnom briefly and in slasher wayyyy more)

[the-crimson]

I am so fascinated by when q!bbh talks to the eggs like they are real and when he’s talking to them as a standin for the real thing. I think it’s mostly a tone of voice/body language thing but there is definitely a difference.

(Discussions of q!bbh’s hallucinations and deteriorating mental health. I’m not a mental health professional this is just how I’m interpreting his story so far)

There is a difference between when bbh is delusional and talking to them like they are real and when he knows they aren’t but talks to them as a way to vent his grief.

Today and yesterday in contrast with the last few weeks are kinda what helped me solidify my view on this. He indeed talked to the eggs like they were here but it felt different to me. It felt like he was talking to pictures. It felt like he was using the pictures as representations of the eggs instead of actual eggs as he has in the past. He’s talking to them, not conversing with them. Idk if I’m making any sense XD

The moment that really made me think was when Bad said goodbye to the eggs the other day in a way that made it sound like he was fucking dying. There was a sober ness to his voice and a stillness to his body language that was so incredibly grounded. It felt like a soldier at war saying goodbye to a picture of their loved ones before going off to die in battle.

All of today felt the exact same way. Bad was carrying around a picture of Dapper and Pomme most of the day but it never felt like he was talking to them to me. There was a soberness and wistfulness on top of the immense grief that felt different. He made the whole party to celebrate Dapper’s birthday and acted like they were gonna come home while around others but at the end of the day when he was alone, he just sat there and quietly read a letter to Dapper. He wasn’t disappointed or distraught that they didn’t attend the party… he was just sad. Through out today’s stream he seemed to play up the crazy around others when before he continued the crazy into the privacy of his house. Do I think bbh’s mental health troubles are solved now that he got a good sleep? HELL NO he’s still hallucinating to a much smaller degree and has significant memory loss. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks again.

But I want to jump back to before his breakdown because the way he talked to the eggs was fascinating. At first, weeks ago, it felt natural. He wanted to express how he felt to his kids but they were gone so he talked to a picture just to get the emotions out. He knew they weren’t real, he knew they couldn’t hear him, but it was a way to vent his grief. But over time as his mental health worsened the way he spoke to them/his tone of voice changed. The way he approached them and his body language changed. He was much more energetic and you could feel how much he needed them to be real. You could tell he knew on a logical level they weren’t real but emotions ignore all logic. There was desperation and urgency in his voice as he approached the pictures and prompted conversations with the eggs. Part of him knew it was pretend but the mind’s defense mechanisms against pain hold no prisoners.

Then at the very end just before his mental break Bad had completely lost sight of reality. Dapper’s room was a special place where he allowed the delusions to roam freely. While out about talking with others he could handle the weight of their disappearance because he allowed himself room for his delusions in a safe space. He allowed himself time to indulge in the fantasy without letting it consume him - by keeping it confined to Dapper’s room.

This isn’t new either. Bad has been using this method of keeping his delusions/longing in check for months via his diamond Skeppy statues. He talks to them like they are real because it’s a way to vent his longing and the pain of being separated from his soulmate. It’s no surprise this coping method eventually spread to the eggs.

Then we come to the big break where Bad’s ability to distinguish between reality and delusion was completely compromised. It began with the idea that the federation might have tampered with his memories (the ticket could have been from a previous visit) and that fact caused his paranoia to spiral when Aypierre told him to look around his house for something. The combination of these two events in addition to the lack of sleep and build up of the last months caused bbh’s mind to snap entirely.

Bad doesn’t remember anything that happened after he left Max’s base. That’s two whole days he doesn’t remember and bbh doesn’t even notice. He’s in such a daze and emotionally/physically exhausted after the break that he literally doesn’t notice a massive blank spot in his memory. He doesn’t question why he was in Ron’s cell and why the cell was a mess. He wasn’t capable of thinking clearly because - often times - after a mental break like this or a significant dissociative episode, the mind is too exhausted to really process information. I’m honestly shocked bbh was able to handle Fred’s investigation as well as he did but then again manipulation and generally being a menace is as easy as breathing for bbh.

What makes analyzing q!bbh’s mental health so difficult is that he plays up the pathetic sad card in front of other people. His whole plan with Fred was to convince him that he’s just a sad loser who misses his kids - and it worked. Bad has always wanted people to underestimate him so it’s so incredibly difficult to tell when he’s intentionally playing into the crazy and when it’s genuine.

Like today with Dapper’s party. He was inviting everyone into his house left and right which is a massive sign he isn’t okay because he never lets anyone into his house ever. Was he bringing everyone here so they could see how pathetic and sad he is? Was he genuinely trying to celebrate the eggs birthday with as many guests as possible? His tone at the start of the stream, the soberness as he addressed all the dead eggs, was completely different than his performance during Dapper’s party. The drastic tone shift when bbh is alone vs with others is so stark and intentional. We know bbh is putting on a performance for others - he’s confirmed this in character - but how much of it is a performance?

Idk if any of this is coherent but the evolution of the way bbh interacts with the egg photos has been fascinating to watch and tells us so much about where he’s at mentally. Bbh has never been in a “good” spot mentally but everything since the election has been a seizeless downward spiral. He’s playing puppet master with his grand plan and is clinging to this plan so desperately that he’s ignoring all the red flags that he’s losing control, that he’s dying. All that matters is his plan. He doesn’t care if he loses himself along the way. As he’s said before, he is expendable. He’s a necessary sacrifice to bring the eggs home. He needs to keep it together just long enough. Anything else is a luxury.