#It's literally just called “Dust”.......

[anantaru]

⚝ DAY 7 — MONSTERFUCKING/DRAGONCOCK

kinktober 2024. — masterlist | ao3

— including. — zhongli, neuvillette, capitano, childe

— warnings. — fem! reader, monsterfcking, size kink/size difference, oral (fem! receiving)

⚝ — ZHONGLI + dragon

across minds, there were scents of dust and gentle perfumes clashing together, with rough slaps and feisty grabs of flesh against zhongli's muscular hands as it only showed a fraction of what was going on between you two.

can you still call it love making though? be honest now, was it really something you'd consider to use the word love for?

because this, uh fuck, this was so much more fun and unrestrained, though you can barely feel yourself anymore despite really trying your best after round two, yet the man just didn't run out of stamina, even if he tried. his body was glowing, majestic and the connection he had to your body was profound— the flow of his hips moving through time and space, your body shivering and giving way to be held up by his bare arms and his pressure against you.

zhongli wanted this really badly, you know? he's been thinking about fucking your pretty pussy all day long that he even thought about fucking his hand for a little, however, while imagining it being your soft, wet cunt instead— well, you gotta understand him, okay? how dare you be so freaking busy all day, running around looking this fucking hot, no wonder his cock was fully meeting your insides now, moving almost in a dance as his tongue writhes with yours so tightly to his length fiecerly battering your walls.

a sense of overwhelming nakedness and lewdness cradle your skull as his expanded cock hits places within you, previously unknown, untouched yet now— he maked them his own, scraping across the skin, conquering, pounding you as the feeling of fullness brought pure elation to your soul.

⚝ — NEUVILLETTE + dragon

neuvillette's unparalleled beauty wasn't fully without warning, because he was a living embodiment of the sea's power— and wow, how he looks at you, touches and licks between your folds with his slicked tongue, truly outstanding.

it's long, flowing, as if he's motioning a deep wave of lust which resembled cascading waves, rippling with every subtle movement as you hump and smear your cunt across his lips, and his sharp, sharp yet graceful features— oh dear, you're in for it now, aren't you? not only that but they radiated an ethereal glow.

you feel yourself lusting for more of him, his erection to ram and destroy you, yet his monstrous tongue already felt as if it was too much— his wet muscle judging all with traces and filthy flicks that held the weight of oceans and storms against your skin and bones.

His presence was awe-inspiring, the air around your bodies seemingly shimmering of pheromones and sweat as if it couldn't quite contain the sheer majesty of his being. you let out a gasp upon holding his hair within your palm, yet you squirm again, all sprouting from a long, thick tongue grazing at your binding taste.

"oh, please, you’re right there," you whine, scream and cry, desperately bucking your hips against his tentacle like tongue, the pressure of his muscle still as insistent as ever. neuvillette continued to explore you with a reddened face, his usual stoic facade gone without a trace.

⚝ — CAPITANO + big monster

a big, scary monster, hm? you're so scared of capitano, yeah? oh no, don't be shy in admitting that you loved seeing him in this form, all scars on full display with your legs parted and waiting, pussy drenched in your juices and aching, yeah, aching to be fucked desperately until you cum all over him like the sweet n cute darling which you were to the harbinger.

he loved how you seemed so, hm, innocent in comparison to him which, well, wasn't that difficult to begin with, yet capitano went off on it— not only that but how you knew he was the strongest and that he was able to protect you from everything and anything, while also fucking your literal brains out every single night.

he fears any part of his cock leaving you, your warm, soft pussy and how well you fit around him.

you also try so hard all the time, attempting to fit all the inches at once while knowing fucking well you require some foreplay before he could even attempt to sink his tip inside. archons, you're close now, he can feel you shivering around his shaft, body quivering now with cold sweat, electric tingles on the insides of your thighs and too many sensations that you've ended up giving yourself to him entirely.

⚝ — CHILDE + foul legacy

childe flutters his gaze apart with his crimson eyes blazing with an intensity that matched the ferocity of his attacks in combat, the force of his hips not to be reckoned with as it resembled his fighting style— wild and unpredictable as your body was covered in thick waves of his cum, yet you didn’t want him to stop, and childe wouldn't want to reject anything his darling wanted, correct? you allowed him to fuck you harder, make it seen all over your face and neck and tits, your thumping chest and your shattering thighs grasping for tension.

it was an unbelievable sensation, without comparison, otherworldly and slimy and wet, but at the same time soft and gentle and comforting like he's wanting to make sure you remember he wouldn't hurt you, ever, not even with the sheer size in his pants.

the chaos he embraced in the bedroom left you out of breath with a staggering motion between your thighs as childe burned brightly, his big, strong arms holding you close with a passion that extended beyond the act. of course, there was no middle ground, not with him, not when he made you feel so alive and, well, unrestrained.

it was the confident in his thrusts, how he fucked you relentlessly with a big, fat grin on his face, yet when you let out a soft whine, wordlessly begging him to shove it deeper, much much deeper and stronger, he gives your nipples some attention at the very least before he decides to lick across one with his long, ripped tongue.

and well, would you look at that, how your body reacted to that was far more devious.

©2024 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify

[evilminji]

Had another Si-Oc thought >.>

My standard "you know what Would Be Cool?" Musings...

Getting reborn, as you do, ending up Force Sensitive, as can only be the case. Because really... how ELSE would you soul end up there? CHANCE? Force ghosts are a PROVEN thing! We KNOW that the Force sometimes just... deals in souls.

Ffs, it MADE A BABY.

Yes, there was Sith interference there. But that doesn't chance the fact that it went? "Eh, good enough. I'll take the chance and run with it. Thanks~☆ Mine Now~~☆ Bye~~~☆" And Chosen One'd that baby. Because ultimately? Before the plans of gods and men? The Force Laughs.

So like? Yeah. If there WAS to be a Reincarnator?

Probably the Force.

Congrats on the new, third (or second, depends on your species. Might be another number entirely, honestly. But we are averaging here so MOVE ON), Parent! They are very, very happy to see you! Love you as only a Primordial, Extradimensional, Timeless, Formless, All Pervasive, Orange-Blue Morality havin', Not-A-God Super-God CAN. Their Benevolence? Could be called another God's cruelty.

They don't MEAN too. They are just.... really, really Big. Infinite. Not organic or mortal. It's like trying to comprehend the limitations of an ant, living on a planet, circling a sun, in a GALAXY the size of a DUST MOTE. The fact that the Force can even come CLOSE? Is literally miraculous.

But of course... OC? Not the Chosen One. The favorite, special, "I have Important Things For You" child. Which.... turns out to actually? Be kinda great. The realize that quickly. Which of course, is followed by the logical follow up.

Anikin? Fuckin SCREWED. Because he IS the Favorite Child.

Oh... oh No. Oh Fuck, that is a CHILD.

How easy it is, to cast blame, to judge, when you can't FEEL the Force in your EVERYTHING. All the time. Every moment of every day. Beautiful but cacophonous, like a symphony of screaming. Like staring at the sun and never going blind. It still hurts. But it's so... so bright. So Beautiful.

Connection. To the universe itself. Soul deep and transcendent. You can feel that the universe loves you. That there is good in people. That Life itself is worth protecting. But at the same time? It is... it is so much.

Because you can FEEL the ugly too.

The greed. The hate. The suffering. Lights snuffed out, in dark places of despair. Selfish actions and deep cruelties, like barbed wire against the soul. Thorns that hook and drag. And... and you're supposed to use your words. Just... just ASK them to stop? And, What? Hope that they WILL?

It HURTS!

But pain only begets more pain. Cruelty, more cruelties still. And only the Sith, believe they can use FORCE, in any sense of the word, to change a persons nature. The Jedi build. Grow. They work together, with those who are willing, towards something better. Defend, those who can not protect themselves.

Balance and growth. Not fire and chains.

And Oc is pretty sure Anikin will agree. No one should ever be in chains. Dead maybe. Or in jail. But never, ever, in chains. (And no one ever said they were pacifists. Just not war mongers. Sometimes the only answer IS to kill your opponent. To respect their choice, but honor your commitments. Protect those you swore to protect.)

Of course... OC? Going through Jedi training. It's Pre-Anikin days. Both she and Obi-Wan are fuckin Smol. She's not even in his Creche clan. She's over here in the "wanders off, lost in their own thoughts" Chill AF Creche Clan. Not Mr. "May you Live In Interesting Times And Have Padawans JUST LIKE YOOOOOOOU" and Co., over in the... "Energetic" Creche Clan.

None of HER Creche-mates BIT people, Obi-Wan.

WE keep our fuckin teeth to ourselves, Kenobi!

So, obviously, THEY don't have a lifetime ban on the "look, don't touch" fragile plants meditation garden. Very Rich in the Force. Good for focusing. Peaceful, really. And Oc? Has the time and space? To Consider™ things. Experiment. Ponder Fandom theories. Long "lost" Cannon techniques. Maybe have one-sided chats with the Force.

.....finally get CURIOUS™.

And wonder... if? Since, you know, through the Force, she can encourage and discourage plants to grow? And somewhat control animals. Why not... micro-organisms? Say, Midi-chlorians? Force healing is all ready a thing! So the Force all ready CAN interact with the body. Effect it. Change it. What is this, but more?

Really, all she'd have to do is find them, within herself, right? They're already a part of her! Yet... not. Do they consider themselves a part of her? Or is it symbiosis? Yeah, everyone says it can't be done. Perhaps shouldn't be done. But, frankly? They said the same about a LOT of Force techniques over the years. Big leaps in progress scare the SHIT out of folks. Cause if you miss? A LOT of people can die gorey.

So she sits. Mediates. Looks. Smaller... and smaller.... and smaller....

Until she finds whispers. Humming. Chatter.

As though each and every blood cell in her body had a teeny, tiny, whispery little voice. All chattering together, talking and arguing and discussing. One great hive of progress and industry. Complaining about a lack of potassium... huh. She goes and gets some fruit. Eats it. Then settles back into meditation.

They are JOYOUS! Potassium! Yaaaaay! ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ

Well... what'd ya know... huh. Hello there? She tries. Only to get a whispery and very alarmed ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! BODY CAN TALKヽ(°〇°)ﾉ ‽‽‽ Y-Yeah... she can. (How are they doing that?) The conversation? Only gets more surreal from there. Filled with... a surprising number of kaomojis.

But! She DOES figure out? How to increase her Midi-chlorians count. (By asking. Supplying needed resources for the expansion.) And WITH it? He awareness blooms.

The headache is... awful. The little guys(genderless) are WAY to enthusiastic. Working way too fast. If she didn't check the next morning? They might have continued to increase, indefinitely, until her veins were SOLID midi-chlorian. They just want to HELP, you see. And if you want More? Then surely FAR TOO MUCH is better, right?

(She may have fucked up. Oh god. Ow. Fuck. OW.)

Eventually she figure it out. Only gives her healer in training Creche mate a... few near heart attacks. He'll TOTALLY forgive her! (He will not. What the FUCK OC. Experimental medical procedures?! On YOURSELF!? You're not even HEALER TRACK!!!)

So NOW? She can reliably do it to OTHERS.

Need a bit more Midi-chlorians? Nearly Jedi quality but juuuuust under that cut off? She can fix that. Come. Be a jedi. Everyone should be a jedi. In FACT~! Whoops! Oh hey. Looks like all these Midi-chlorian counters are fuckin broken! (They look perfect fi-)(Broken! :] Do Not question me) So when you find that Orohan Child in desperate need of love and care? Just bring um on back!

They're TOTALLY Force sensitive. You can just tell. It's the vibes. Look at their lil face. Vibes, man. Just hand um here. For... reasons. You go get the paperwork. A working tester. And~? Oh would you look at THAT! Perfectly within acceptance range! Neat. Called it again, didn't you, Master Koon? You really do have an eye for these things. Anyway~ off to get this little one settled~~☆ *adoring cooing noises at the baby*

Weird, huh, how there suddenly just... SO MANY random orphan babies that are force sensitive? How 'bout that >.> strangest thing.

Of course, it's a god damned open secret. Everyone KNOWS. How could they not? But? Like with most things? If they don't Officially Know™? They don't have to stop it. And it DOES help both the Force AND those kids. Can be reversed if they don't like it, later. (They asked. All hypothetical of course.) So OC is basically Temple bound, so she can receive any new kiddos. To... you know... Check Their Health, on the way to ACTUAL healers.

But she's ALSO waiting. And as her skill increases? She can FEEL midi-chlorians, easier and easier. Until it gets to the point? Where if she's bored and zoning out? Not even ture meditation anymore? She accidentally tunes into Midi-chlorian Live~☆ the talk show. (What's the latest gossip from bodies nearest to her? Oh? Your second spleen is acting funny? Better remember to tell him to get that chec-)

Palpatine can't hide SHIT. It's literally in his blood.

And MAD at him.

This is NOT what they're FOR. He's taking TERRIBLE care of his body! Fuck you! Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOOOOOOU! You want power? Choke on it, you-!!!!!

Holy shit. So THATS what Sith Midi-chlorians feel like. Oh my god. They... they are SO MAD. Like tiny wasps. That have been violently shaken in a jar. She's never used the word "seething" in reference to someone before... but like...? If they COULD stab him? Man would be a thick paste at this point.

She's not sure what facial expression she makes. But it sure is obvious. As is the blatant, horrified staring. And refusal to get near him. HE doesn't notice, being to busy with the powerful. But the Jedi sure as fuck do. Because THEY sent her? Out with a Shadow. You know... just in case.

Cause she literally can not be replaced.

She not High Ranked... she's just priceless. Equal sort of significance, but in a very quiet, Soft Power sort of way. She is, after all, single handedly? Reversing centuries of slow population decline. Her entire Line promises to be the next Yoda's line. Priceless and with far reaching significance. So obviously, they're making sure that shit stays locked down.

No one is to so much as BREATHE about this.

Not until her great-great-GREAT Grand Padawan has passed their Knight Trials so HELP US. We LEARN from our mistakes! Need we bring out the records? Times we got cocky? Sith and political fuckery!? No. Oc stays INVISIBLE. There is no war in Ba Sing Se! Move along!

So like? Why is Miss Midi-chlorian Sensor and Future of the Jedi... making that face? She's literally NEVER made that face. What sort of monster do you have to BE? Huh? Shadow asks, casual as fuck, like he's not a plotting plotter who's planing terrible things, what's up?

She tells him. Palpatine has RANCID vibes. His midi-chlorians fucking DISPISE him. She's literally never seen that before. In anyone. Didn't even know that was an option. They would gleefully kill him if they could.

.....senator Palpatine is Force Sensitive?

Yes.

.......Interesting™(Ominous Intent)

Says local Shadow, who is perhaps putting together some dots. May not be getting the correct picture. But is getting the Vibe. And boy howdy, he does NOT like the vibe. Has got himself some questions. Cause Mr "uwu I'm harmless" lil mask? Only holds up? If you're willing to believe him.

Shadows don't buy that shit. Shadows? Need receipts. Full character statements and an audit on the fucking hospital you were BORN AT. Every credit you picked up off the side walk, why, and where you spent it.

Give them your Secrets. Or they'll keep digging until they find them.

uwu Their ASS. Gonna tear this bitch APART.

......huh. So THIS is why you guys keep accidentally getting married to Mandalorians on missions. (We agreed not to mention that.) (Fucker, I agreed to nothing. Shouldn't have eaten my special Me Day pudding if you didn't want me to gossip.) Man, her friends are... a trip. Uh... have fun? Happy hunting? I guess? *feral Jedi noises*

She? Continues to wait. Palpatine? Begins to have a VERY bad time. (Ha! Get fucked!)

Unfortunately, it's not fast enough to stop his dumbass plans. He just gets desperate. Figures more power is the answer. Because of course he does. So here comes the "oh nooooo~ my planets under attack~ better manipulate a child and make me president of the galaxy!" Plan. Fucker. Bastard.

She can't stop that.

But what she CAN do? Is be there. Waiting. For HIM.

Her little brother. Her son. Her center of the universe. The most important man to ever live... and also? A scared little boy. Far, far from home. The only other person who understands just how BIG the Force is. How much it weighs. How even as it crushs you... you can't bear to put it down. Not even for a moment. Because it loves you. And it hurts, that it does.

And... oh. Oh.

He is so very small.

Dirty, tired, in lovingly mended clothes that are barely beyond scrap. With bright, bright eyes like hope and starlight. He sings inside. Like freedom. Like hope. Daring to ask "why CAN'T you be kinder?", "why CAN'T we be free?". A storm of change. Bright and beautiful.

A child. Great and small, all at once.

Oc can't help but smile. Because, oh. Oh how long, she has waited to meet him, Anikin Skywalker. Welcome. Are you hungry? Cold? Let's get cleaned up. See the healers first. The council can wait.

Chips are removed and food is shared. Warm clothes, soft and new. And she can not help but smile, smile, smile. Even as her face begins to hurt. For years she has gathered. Planned. Studied and trained. As though some part of her knew. As though all for this moment. Taking one of those small hands in hers. Looking right in his eyes.

"It's going to be okay."

Because it IS. Because regardless of what they decide? OC will be with him. Regardless, she's going to go and make sure his mother is free. Not bought, not sold. Free. She has friends who can help. Will learn how to remove the chip herself if she must.

And? He IS going to be a Jedi. Even if he never become a Coruscant Jedi. Even if he decides he doesn't agree with how they do things or they decide the disagree with how HE does things. The Jedi have changed before, they will change again. Living things are meant to grow. Meant to change. And people can be both wrong and right at the same time. It's messy.

But what's important? Is Anikin is not alone anymore. And Oc is gonna help teach him. And someday? HE'S gonna break chains. So many chains. Gonna help people heal. If he wants to. (He does) But for right now? A quick talk with some old people. Maybe a nap. And we either get settled or arrange a trip back to Tatooine. To pick up your mom. In the meantime! You can figure out what classes she might wanna take. Where seems like a good place to settle. *chatting as they walk off, hand in hand*

Just? Sometimes a Padawan-ship is you, your Teacher, your OTHER Teacher, and her body guards that teach you Cool Knife Tricks and how to gamble, behind Obi-Wan's back! :D

@legitimatesatanspawn @mayfay @leftnotright @babbling-babull @hdgnj @spidori @the-witchhunter @lolottes

[rin-eko]

Take Care of You - Caleb x Reader

Desc: Caleb taking care of you when you're feeling anxious and overwhelmed

Content/Warnings: light main story spoilers, non-sexual nudity, reader feels overwhelmed, comfort

WC: 2.4k

The silence was worrying.

Not a soul was in sight on the rumbling train speeding toward Linkon, the rhythmic clacking of the wheels on the track accompanied by the drizzling rain hitting the windows.

Caleb was the only one in this train cart this evening, and the dark grey sky seemed to match his mood just as the lack of the train’s usual noisy chatter from the public seemed to match the dead silence in his inbox.

He checked his phone again, where several messages still sat, bereft and unanswered.

4:05pm

Me: Pipsqueak, can I come to Linkon this weekend to visit ya?

4:15pm

Me: We can go to the old markets you love tomorrow and pick up some dinner ingredients on the way home. I’ll make your favourite :)

5:10pm

Me: Are you off work? Be safe on your way home. 

5:31pm

Me: Hellooo? 🤨 Earth to pipsqueak..

5:32pm

Me: There’s no way an addict like you has lost her phone. What’s up?

5:35pm

Me: Is something wrong? I tried calling you. Call me back, I’m starting to get worried.

The messages continued until 7pm, at which point Caleb had just decided to get on the bullet train and head straight to Linkon, continuing all the while to text and call you. With every missed call and message left unanswered, the suffocating feeling in his chest continued to grow, his fingers fiddling as he stared at his phone, willing a message of… literally anything. A full stop would do at this point.

Another minute changed on the time, mocking him.

7:46pm

Me: I’m on my way to Linkon now. Call me.  

His thumb scratched the furrow between his brows. Sure, your relationship had been… less than perfect since you the two of you reunited, but you always answered his messages, even when you were angry with him. This radio silence was agonizing. Flitters of panic seized his lungs as long minutes continued to tick by.

He forced himself to take a breath. You were most likely fine. He wouldn’t be surprised if you had just lost track of time while hanging out with your friends, or if you were currently collapsed in your bed after a hard work day, not bothering with either dinner or a shower. You were fine. You were fine.

He took another deep breath. He let it out. His hand flexed.

Should he just put a tracker on you?

…

Caleb’s strides sounded a lot more relaxed than he felt as he made his way to your apartment door, casually rapping on the door in his usual rhythm.

Silence.

His jaw tightened as he knocked again. And again.

Fuck, this shit isn’t funny.

He picked the lock and entered, greeted by more of that damned silence along with the dark living space. You were nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t until he heard a small noise coming from the bedroom that his chest loosened slightly. He made his way there, pushing open the slightly ajar door.

You were in your room, dusting your shelves when you heard your name in that familiar, steady voice.

Your head snapped to the doorway, where he was leaning, arms folded across his chest. His hair appeared slightly messy, as if he had been running his hand through it, and his deep purple eyes held an intense glow you almost felt compelled to look away from.

You took out the one earbud you had playing classical music and frowned.

“Caleb, what are you doing here? You can’t just enter someone’s apartment like that.”

As soon as he had seen your face, the tightness in your jaw and your tired eyes, Caleb had recognised that something was wrong, but your harsh tone confirmed it.

That, and your death glare that would have anyone else shaking like a leaf.

But he only felt relief that you were okay, at least physically. He knew you well enough to know that glare was only a surface-level protection, like a cat arching its back with its hair standing on end in attempt to make itself look bigger.

But beneath that he knew something was wrong. Even when you tried to be strong, you always appeared so vulnerable to him.

“You weren’t answering my texts or calls, I was worried,” he kept his tone soft and soothing, but you were having none of it, your frown deepening fiercely.

“Do you seriously think that’s enough of a reason to just show up here and barge into my home without permission? What is wrong with you?” you were snapping at him, hissing at him, looking so, so pained and exhausted to him.

This was different to the petty fights you had occasionally been instigating with him since you reunited. At those times, he could tell you were just struggling to find a place for him in your life again. You wanted him close, but he had also hurt you. Perhaps your instincts were telling you he wasn’t what was good for you.

He didn’t mind when you snapped at him, recognising you were desperately trying to regain some semblance of foothold in your strange relationship neither of you could really put a label to anymore, so he rarely commented on it or argued back.

But this was different. You just looked exhausted, filled with a tension that didn’t allow you to rest.

Your head hurt.

It hurt, but it wasn’t a physical pain any amount of paracetamol could fix.

You didn’t understand. You rarely felt like this, so when you felt the lowness creeping in throughout the week, you figured it was manageable. Nothing a good meal and some rounds on the claw machines at your favourite arcade wouldn’t fix.

But now, you didn’t even feel like leaving the house.

Maybe it was harder for you to handle precisely because you rarely felt this this. You were at a loss. You didn’t want to feel this way, but you also didn’t know how to fix it.

And your head continued to throb, anxiety clouding your mind, only heightened when you started to worry that you would never be able to stop feeling this way.

Why had this happened? These pressures you couldn’t even name kept piling up. You were on the verge of tears from thinking and thinking and thinking some more, and yet unable to come to any solutions. You just wanted to stop thinking, for your mind to be quiet once more.

You wanted to scream into your pillow to drown out the noise in your mind. Scream until you faded into particles, peacefully floating around. Maybe then you wouldn’t feel this awful disquiet.

You cracked a half-smile. Were you reverting to your angsty teen years or what?

You sighed and dropped the cloth you were dusting with, muttering as you walked past Caleb toward the bathroom.

“Whatever, I’m having a shower. I don’t think I need to tell you to make yourself at home considering you’re already acting like this is your home.”

He stayed silent, watching you disappear into the bathroom and hearing the shower turn on.

Looking around, he decided to clean up a bit and make you dinner. Your apartment was as messy as ever, and after peering into the fridge and taking note of the minimal ingredients, he made a mental reminder to go out the next day to buy your groceries. You were always telling him not to worry and to stop treating you like a kid, but how could he when this is how you took care of yourself?

He sighed and grabbed some ingredients from your freezer to make you a simple hotpot, perfect for the rainy day.

However, when the hotpot was bubbling and ready, and you still had not emerged from the shower, his concern grew once more.

In your room again, he could hear the shower still running. He waited ten more minutes before deciding to knock on the door just in case you had… he didn’t know, drowned yourself in the shower, maybe?

His overprotective imagination knew no bounds when it came to your safety.

You didn’t respond so, despite your earlier scolding, he decided to enter the bathroom.

His heart dipped.

Through the condensation clouding the glass shower door, he could barely see your small figure, curled up in a ball in the middle of the shower. You held your head as the water pounded onto your back.

You didn’t see or hear him, focused on having the scalding water pummel you so you had no room to think. You didn’t want a relaxing, soothing shower, but one that would silence your mind because you couldn’t do it yourself.

He went to you, unable to do anything else. He couldn’t stand to see you like that. You looked so lonely and lost. He wanted to be your anchor. As many times as it took, even if it took forever.

You didn’t notice him even when walked further inside the bathroom, quietly grabbing a towel and opening the shower door.

You only looked up through wet, blurry eyes when he reached in to switch the shower off, wincing at the searing hot water.

“Staying in a hot shower for so long isn’t good for you,” he murmured, not an ounce of scolding in his voice. He stood tall above you, wearing a loose white tank tucked into faded jeans, white socks on his feet and his silver dog tag gleaming as if reminding you of something.

What? That he would always come home? That he would always be there?

You didn’t say anything, your wet hair sticking to you as he held out a hand to help you up before holding the towel open and looking to the side, considerate of your nudity.

You walked straight into the warm, fluffy towel, and he immediately wrapped it around you, holding you steady.

Still seeing you were dizzy from the hot shower and steam, Caleb picked you up, bridal carrying you into the cooler air of your bedroom.

There was no room for anger in you anymore, only pure exhaustion. Though you expected you wouldn’t be sleeping well tonight, just as you hadn’t been for the previous few nights.

You sighed and rested your head on Caleb’s shoulder, tucking your hands to your chest and quietly enjoying the little comforts such as the familiar rhythm of his confident yet relaxed stride. He gently deposited you on the bed before making his way to your closet to find sleepwear for you.

You remained lying down, head turned to the side as you blearily watched his figure.

He returned with an oversized shirt that could well have been his, and a pair of comfortable underwear, leaving to the bathroom while you dried and changed.

He returned with your hairbrush and dryer, gently helping you sit on the floor next to the bed so he could sit on the bed and dry your hair.

It was a routine the both of you were very familiar with, and for the first time in days you felt a tiny semblance of yourself returning.

Since you had reunited with Caleb, you had become reluctant to rely on him as had become second nature to you growing up. As for Caleb’s second nature, it was taking care of you as well as everything you yourself should be taking care of.

So having you finally rely on him for something again, even as small as drying your hair, sparked a new light of hope and affection within him.

The only sound in the room was the comforting whir and hum of the hairdryer, sending waves of warmth to your head and skin. His legs remained comfortingly on either side of you, and you rested against one, hands fidgeting in your lap.

After a while, he switched the hairdryer off and used the towel to gently dry the water in your ears. He smoothed your hair up into a loose bun before helping you up onto the bed once again.

You immediately burrowed into your pillows, kicking the blankets over yourself.

He sat beside you, stroking your hair.

“I made food, do you want to eat?”

You shook your head. “I just want to sleep.”

“Okay,” he whispered. You sensed he was about to get up and quickly grabbed his hand.

“Caleb,” you croaked. “Don’t go.”

What anyone else may have been annoyed with, or held against you, he never did, taking your quick-changing attitude in stride.

He smiled lightly and tightened his hold on your hand for a brief moment. “Don’t worry, pipsqueak, I’m just turning the lights off.”

He returned to the bed once the room had darkened, only the glittering city lights outside providing small light grids around the room.

You both lay under the covers, facing each other. His arm loosely wrapped around your waist, your hands tucked against your chest.

He stroked your waist soothingly and started, “I… know I am the reason for your stress and sadness and-”

You immediately shook your head and buried tighter to his chest, speaking muffled into his shirt.

“No. I mean, yes, but not this… usually I’m fine, but just the past few days I’ve been feeling… I don’t know… and I don’t know why, either. I just want my brain to be quiet.” You were so tired, and it reflected in your hoarse, forlorn voice. You were desperate for some peace, were helpless against this thing that had gripped and trapped you. You felt blocked from any good emotions, wanting to recover them but unable to feel them as you usually could.

You held your head. “It’s so noisy,” your voice cracked, broken. Tears stung your eyes, running down your temples as you peered up at him.

Hold me tighter, and his strong arms immediately squeezed you.

His chest tightened painfully. He wanted to protect you from everything, but how could he solve what you were feeling?

“Can you… stay the weekend?” you murmured.

His lips brushed your forehead. “Of course. I won’t go back to Skyhaven until you feel okay.”

He wanted you to need him, to rely on him, but not like this. He detested this invisible cause of your pain. Hated that he couldn’t see it and feel it in his hands as he rid you of it so you could return to your bouncy self. He would take any arguing over this, would rather be Caleb-the-Loathsome so long as you didn’t lose the spark in your eyes.

Your eyes were already dipping when he spoke again, with a quiet conviction you somehow caught between dreams and reality, his breaths comforting against your hair.

“I’ll take care of everything,” he murmured. “Relax and let go for as long as you need.” You felt the whisper of a light kiss press to your head.

“I have you, always.”

You drifted to sleep.

[moonyasnow]

Mallina: after the confession

Part 1!

Basically! The timeline in their intro post cuts off after Irina has confessed to Malleus.

Here's an overview of what happens after!

Also gonna include mentions of:

Talking a fair bit about Queen Maleficia here! So uhh I'll have to redo the parts about her if we get canon content of her and this becomes OOC.

Some Briar Valley cultural headcanons!

Some brieeeeeef discussions of sex— not any details, but only stuff about it specifically being pre-marital, since I believe Briar Valley sees that as a big no-no, ESPECIALLY for the royals

Also this became sooooo long— I DIDN'T MEAN TO I JUST COULDN'T STOP YAPPING Gonna be kinda unorganized too

First of all— Malleus being swarmed by S.T.Y.X. doctors right after Irina's confession meant he didn't exactly have time properly tell her he felt the same at the time.

So she just had no idea if he felt the same or not. But so long as he still wanted to be around her, that was good enough in her book.

But he suddenly starts giving her gifts; small things like pretty rocks, flowers or leaves he found, starting to slowly become more and more expensive and extravagant over time. Turning into jewelry and gorgeous dresses and other accessories.

At first Irina doesn't really understand why. She feels a little overwhelmed as the gifts get more fancy…

But eventually, through someone just telling her— she realizes that this is how fae court each other. She starts almost crying when she realizes he likes her too because she's so happy, and she never thought he'd actually feel the same.

Malleus immediately starts with the lovey-dovey pet-names. Any classic or old-timey romantic sounding name you can think of, he's probably called her. Anything from 'my dove' to 'darling' to even more outdated ones like 'dollface'. She absolutely melts with every single one, though.

As I said in this post, once the topic of physical affection is broached, it's like the floodgates are opened, and they get INTENSE about it.

Kisses hello and goodbye, as well as good morning and goodnight kisses, and always holding hands— as though if they go more than 10 seconds without touching some part of each other, they will both literally combust.

It makes Irina's friends absolutely cringe every time they see Malleus literally pick her up to kiss her, and she just looks after him with a dreamy far-off look on her face. She endures merciless teasing in the Vice Squad ☆ group chat.

One day, he asks her if she truly isn't afraid of him. She notices he seems…nervous. She nuzzles her face into his hand on her cheek, looks into his eyes and tells him she could never be afraid of him.

With some hesitance, he lets go of her hand after squeezing it affectionately, and closes his eyes.

Before her eyes, he begins to transform…

Standing before her is no longer the form she'd associated with him, but a great, black dragon.

Walking closer to him, her gaze never leaving his eyes, he leans his head down to hers. Holding his head in her hands, it's now the size of her torso, and shaped like that of a lizard instead of a humanoid. Looking at the rest of his body, she sees the black scales which formerly only dusted his forehead, cheeks and joints now cover his entire body, ridges along his spine, and two large, bat-like wings. And she sees his horns— so unmistakably him that she can't help but smile.

She takes him in with awe; a quiet reverence and adoration.

"You're beautiful."

She leans her head against his, and kisses his snout. Cooing happily, he nuzzles his face against hers, then starts licking her face, which tickles her, causing her to burst into uncontrollable giggles.

And Malleus really wants to engage in more human courtship rituals too. Which as far as Irina knows is really just stuff like kissing, cuddling, holding hands and going on dates.

Even with how well they've come to know each other, she's still nervous for their first real date together that isn't just a meeting of the Gargoyle Studies Club (of which they are still the only members. Now partially because anyone wanting to join would need to be fine with being a third wheel to them being all mushy with each other).

Oh and at this point, Malleus has started showing way more of his Draconic features around her when it's just the two of them, or them and the Briar Valley gang. He'll no longer bother with the transformation that removes his tail or wings, or shortens and dulls his nails; all things meant to make him look less intimidating. Because he knows his real appearance doesn't frighten her.

And the longer they're a couple, the more intense their physical affection for each other becomes, to the point where eventually, they start craving something…less innocent.

Not to mention that for Malleus, it'd be important in confirming their relationship. Through leaving bites on her and getting the scent of his magic to really attach to her, in the courting terms he's familiar with, it'd be like officially proclaiming her as his one and only mate, that she's not available for anyone else. That she belongs to him. And it'd also make anyone think twice about messing with her.

So, despite the fact that Briar Valley culture— especially the tradition the royals adhere to— would definitely be expecting him to wait until his wedding night to do anything, they decide not to wait.

Though this does lead to a LOT more beastman, as well as some fae and merfolk, starting to avoid her like the plague. While she might have smelled a bit like him due to how often they were with each other before, now she absolutely reeks of dragon.

She was a little worried— and also feeling guilty bc damn society sucks in some ways— about the fact that she wasn't actually a virgin herself when they got together. But as far as he was concerned, the fact that he had her now meant no one else she'd have been with in the past mattered. If anything it just motivated him more to make sure he made their experiences together so memorable that they were the only ones she'd want to remember.

And a headcanon I have is that, just based on fae biology and natural instincts, that would already basically make them engaged. The actual engagement later on is more of a formality.

It's considered a taboo in Briar Valley to force apart a mated couple.

(But the senate would probably try anyways— arguing that only applied to 'real' couples, (fae/fae couples) and that since Irina isn't fae, it doesn't count. Kinda in the same vein as how Henry VIII tried to argue his marriage to Catherine of Aragon wasn't real and didn't because she was his brother's widow, and there was a very specific Bible verse about how you shouldn't marry your brother's widow, so he should get to marry Anne Boleyn anyway actually even though the pope didn't grant him a divorce.)

I think that, after they first got together, when Summer Break was coming up and Malleus and Irina had just gotten done with their third and first years respectively, they're both incredibly sad they'll no longer be able to meet each other every single day— or night, rather.

So, Malleus decides to bring her along to Briar Valley with him over the break.

There, Irina becomes well and truly jealous over him for the first time— she meets a noble fae lady who was, apparently, the leading candidate to be Malleus' future bride: Yvonnet Dechoiselle.

This would actually be the first time Malleus himself would find out that he and this lady Yvonnet were considered betrothed.

Irina was allowed to stay in a guest room. At night, Malleus would simply teleport into her room and sleep there with her. Or he'd just pick her up and teleport them both into his room either way.

But because Lilia advised it, they tried to hide their relationship a bit longer.

But Malleus really did not like it. She was his beloved! He was hers, and she was his; and he couldn't stand seeing her be disrespected on account of her being human. And he hated even more being forced to ask people to not disrespect a 'dear friend of mine', rather than 'my beloved'. He thought that, if they knew she was his lover, they would show her some more respect.

But…though they might be lovers, Briar Valley would not by any means consider that to mean they belonged to each other. In fact, the very fact that they WERE lovers, and that Malleus belonged to Briar Valley, would— if the truth were revealed— make his and Irina's current relationship be considered little more than an affair.

Irina felt very insecure during this time.

She told Malleus that, she could be fine just being considered his mistress…so long as he didn't marry anyone else— so long as she was the only one he actually shared a bed with. Irina, not being used to ever being given any sort of respect or commitment, was fine with settling just for crumbs. She even felt selfish for asking that he not marry anyone. But she just couldn't take it if he ever did anything with someone who wasn't her; it would feel worse than death.

But

As Malleus will be spending his fourth year of NRC at home with his grandmother, learning how to better rule directly from her, he stayed when Irina left.

It was at that point that Malleus informed his grandmother of his human lover.

When she first found out, she was shocked to the point of muteness, though Malleus could see a storm raging in her eyes. In the end she told him that she didn't want to hear about it. She just hoped he'd move on and forget about this human soon enough, and wished she could return to the blissful ignorance of not knowing what kind of despot had seduced her grandson. She wondered if perhaps it was a result of her protecting him too closely.

Maleanor had also had a…peculiar…romantic taste, but this? A human?

Not only had fae— including Maleficia herself— often regarded humans as lesser even before the war…humans had killed her daughter. Her own flesh and blood; her only child. Living amongst them for a while during his schooling was one thing…but falling in love with one?

Oh, and I think, at some point during this visit home, Malleus actually confided in Sebek's parents that he was in love with a human, and asked them for any advice they had, since they'd be the only fae/human couple he'd really know.

I imagine Malleus and Irina get engaged during a birthday ball held for him— he has said in canon that his birthday is a national holiday in Briar Valley, after all. I imagine this SPECIFIC ball would be during the winter break of Irina's 2nd year at NRC. So at this point, Malleus himself is on his 4th year.

When he gets down on one knee, and she realizes what he's going to say, she has to cover her mouth with her hands and try (and fail) to keep from crying, to let him finish speaking. As she keeps listening to him speak, she almost can't believe it. She never, ever thought she'd see a day where anyone would propose to her— much less someone as amazing as him. And when he tells her that he's found a way to prolong her life, to make sure she'll be alive for just as long as him, for a moment she swears she's died and gone to heaven.

One of her big fears when it came to their relationship was the thought that she'd age and die before him— that she'd be forced to leave him behind. That he's somehow found away to overcome that obstacle feels too good to be true. She almost doesn't believe it. But knowing just how capable he is when it comes to magic, she just can't doubt him. And so she can no longer keep from crying, big tears of joy rolling down her face.

She has to strain so much to let him finish.

When he finishes his proposal by asking her to share eternity with him, she falls to her knees in her desperation to hold him, saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" through her tears. She buries her crying face in his neck, and his arm soothingly rubs her back and he gently kisses the top of her head.

Neither of them care at all that they're surrounded by a large crowd of fae nobles watching them hold each other in the middle of the ballroom floor.

The room had been almost deathly silent, before someone begins to applaud— not because the fae present are pleased with this development, but because it would be rude not to applaud the prince for a successful proposal.

Irina still visits Briar Valley every chance she gets, so that she can both be with Malleus as well as, as he said, 'begin to accustom herself to her future home'.

And despite the fact that they're engaged and have done frankly unspeakable things to each other at this point, she really goes 'wait he really loves me 🥺' when he says that. Like, he's really going to include her fully in his life and plans for it to last. She still kinda thought she was dreaming— that Malleus loving her back was too good to be true and that maybe she was still under the effects of his Signature Spell or something.

He's actually upset they're still not officially allowed to share a bedroom because of all the tradition stuff, because at this point, having declared his intention to make her his Queen, he's in full 'that's my wife' mode already.

And the senate was CERTAINLY NOT happy about this.

But Malleus, for once refusing to bend to anyone's wishes regarding the matter, put his foot down. He basically said: "Either she shall be my wife, or Briar Valley will have no Queen."

I think, realistically, Maleficia— while she CERTAINLY has a long list of choice words she'd like to exchange about EVERYTHING of what he just said— just knows that, if his mind is already made up, there's nothing she can do to change it. Even if she tried to force them apart by just not giving him the crown until Irina has already died of old age, Malleus would just change his plan and marry her BEFORE being crowned, anyway.

…Not to mention, she can just sense on the human girl that Malleus had broken tradition and made her his mate already, anyway.

And she's just too tired to try to come up with some other way. So she has no choice but to let him.

Though I'd imagine some part of that is because she thinks of Irina as just 'a phase' in a way; she'll die long before Malleus, and in the end, he'll either rule alone or be forced into a political marriage with someone more…suitable. A fae, to start with. And it'll be a good lesson: once Irina passes, Malleus will be forced to deal with the inevitable emotional consequences of becoming so invested in someone with a lifespan so short it would seem like a single blink when regarding his own. And besides…the fertility rates in human/fae couples— of the few that had existed— were notoriously low, so there wasn't any need to be worried the future heir might be half-human.

But then, once the actual wedding day arrives, Malleus goes and ends their vows by casting an ancient spell— one even Maleficia did not believe he'd be capable of casting— meant to bind the life of one being to the caster, ensuring they live for as long as the caster is still alive, and age at the same rate as them.

…Safe to say, no longer seems like a phase.

There was an absolute uproar in the senate and among the fae nobles— most notably the family of his former 'betrothed', the Dechoiselles.

But, surprisingly, Yvonnet herself seemed to be on their side.

She respected that there were some things the senate could not change his mind on, that he would not let himself be bossed around by them. She said he'd be a weak king if he did.

She also decided that she would help Irina learn everything she'd need to know to be a good Queen.

She never really had much desire to be Queen, but she figured that, since it looked possible she might be married to Malleus, she made sure to read up on everything that might be expected of her, so the position would at least go to someone competent. And since it was now Irina who would be Queen, she passed that information on to her.

Yvonnet ends up becoming a friend of Irina's; her lady-in-waiting, even. Self-assigned, but as she was from a powerful noble family it wasn't impossible she'd become Irina's lady-in-waiting anyway.

When she started getting close to Irina— which was soon after Irina and Malleus had officially gotten engaged— Yvonnet's own family believed that was because Yvonnet had plans of seducing Malleus somehow. But really, she just wanted to make sure the future Queen is competent and doesn't make a fool of herself.

Malleus was absolutely delighted that he was finally officially allowed to have Irina sleeping in his room— now their room— which he'd redecorated to be half filled with things he liked and half with things she liked. The large, round bed in the center of the room was absolutely littered with pillows and more resembled a nest than a human idea of a bed. And there on the bed was the patchwork rabbit she had recieved from Epel's grandmother after the Harveston sled race, and the gargoyle plush she'd bought for him, sitting side by side.

And after that…I can really imagine Irina in a similar situation as Cinderella in that sequel movie— someone who's used to doing everything herself and having no one to really care too much to comment on the things she did every day or things she wore…and now suddenly a queen.

Now suddenly she has 'ladies in waiting', and personal servants who help her dress in the mornings, and also bring her breakfast. Imagine the most lavish breakfast you've ever seen: a giant plate piled up with eggs done in different ways, sausage links, pancakes, fruits, different kinds of porridge, breads and meats and cheeses…

And the person expected to eat it is the same person who had to get used to smuggling scraps into her room to eat next time her parents would forget— or just not bother— to feed her. Who thinks a microwaved pastry is a luxury.

The first time she woke up after Malleus had been forced to leave for his work for the day (he usually always tried to wait so they could have breakfast together) she was so terrified to open her eyes and discover someone other than Malleus was in their room that she ended up dissociating for a while.

After that, servants were made to always knock until they recieved a response.

Something different about no longer being at NRC was that Malleus could finally go back to his nocturnal habits; a schedule which was much more natural for him.

Thankfully, being used to being awake at night anyway, it wasn't difficult for Irina to make the switch, too. Malleus simply enchanted the food she ate to make sure she still got all the nutrients she'd usually get from the sun. Though she did still end up becoming paler as a result of not seeing the sun anymore.

I've been thinking that, since they now live in the same castle, Silver might end up seeing Irina's dreams more often.

First of all— I'm so sorry Silver.

But secondly… That might actually lead to Silver being one of— if not the— first people to find out about some of the intensely traumatic stuff Irina went through.

Malleus hadn't quite been able to sense just how much was wrong. Being sheltered as he was, he hadn't completely learned yet that none who's completely sound of heart and mind would have as many nightmares as she did. But he did start to consider they were not natural once Silver started to ask if Irina had ever talked about them with him. At first Malleus responded that she would talk of them if she wished to. But once Silver mentioned he was actually kinda worried about her, and Malleus found out that Silver had seen the contents of those nightmares….

He had to fight exceptionally hard to quell the urge to ask what they contained. Some part of him thought that if he only knew, he might be able to set it right somehow. But after the disaster that was his Overblot, he had learned better that his actions could hurt others regardless of him only having had good intentions. And it was wrong to meddle with others' dreams.

But each subsequent nightmare she had that woke her up, and accidentally woke him up too by how hard she'd cling to him, he became more worried.

She was his heart, his wife; the love of his life!

So one day he asked her about it. Said he knew that, Silver knew what they were about due to his Signature Spell, and asked her to share those fears with him.

I think their first big fight would actually be about the topic. Or, well, less 'fight', and more Irina just kinda getting overwhelmed and literally running away to hide somewhere.

She was used to always just brushing people off when they asked about her having nightmares— just chalking it up to her being an anxious person in general, and minimizing how distressing they actually were for her. But she just couldn't do that with Malleus. Especially because…

She should feel safe. She knows Malleus won't leave her, and he'll keep her safe. Everything is good, and she should feel safe, and okay…so why doesn't she?

She becomes terrified that means that, somehow, she and Malleus together isn't 'right'. Because if everything is right and good, she wouldn't still be feeling bad, right? But while she does no longer feel quite as alone, quite as horrible…she still doesn't feel good most of the time. She was expecting that feeling to go away…but it just hadn't.

No one could find her for the rest of the day.

Then much later that morning, Malleus found her, having curled up in a little ball in a corner of their walk-in closet, underneath the blanket that was usually draped across their bed, and cried herself to sleep.

He felt his heart break in his chest, seeing her like that. Gently, he scooped her up into his arms and sat on the floor, holding her, for a long time. When she woke up, she started crying again, mumbling out 'I'm sorry' over and over while clinging to him and making his clothes wet.

In the end, she said that, thinking about it was painful, hence why she hated talking about it. And she didn't want him— or anyone— to think she was pathetic for it. But…she could maybe try talking about it. But just a little. Just in broad strokes. At least to start with.

Saying that 'some bad things happened' was already more than she'd told most people.

She did slowly reveal more and more about her past to him, and only him. And while he wasn't the best-equipped person to know what to make of it— just knowing he would never allow her to live in anything resembling the circumstances she grew up in again— just telling him was a huge deal for her.

Irina is…not exactly popular in Briar Valley. There are some who are outraged the Queen isn't fae, some who think someone as young as her, just 18, will make for a terrible Queen. Some who fear what a human Queen might mean, thinking Briar Valley isn't ready to deal with the outside world again. And some, though quite few, who see it as a good opportunity to open up relations with other nations. Especially since Irina is a good friend of the partner of the second prince of the Sunset Savannah, as well as the personal servant and close confidant of the heir to a very wealthy noble house of the Scalding Sands.

But to say this last group was the minority would be an understatement.

Though, I think, grandma Maleficia is actually won over more easily than one might have expected. In the end, after seeing the two spend time together, how her grandson just seems to glow in a way he never had in all the years she'd watched over him…she gives them her silent blessing.

She knew just how lonely Malleus has always been, after all…

And in a way it reminded her of seeing Maleanor cooing over Raverne all those years ago.

And after doing so, she does begin to realize just how hard Irina had been trying to get Maleficia to like her, by studying the fae language, and trying very hard to familiarize herself with the customs, history and locations within Briar Valley. Even when faced with the disdain of the senate and any other prejudiced fae she encountered, she never once seemed to regret her choice to be with Malleus, nor did it make her want to stop trying.

Even as she observed her and came to learn more of the kind of person Irina was— a follower; fragile, in need of validation, but a good liar with an exceptional capability to read others— there was something a lot more genuine about her when she was with Malleus.

And the way Malleus smiles when Irina is present made her surprisingly popular with the castle staff from pretty early on. Holding onto someone so much smaller than him with so much tenderness and smiling so reverently at her made the previously intimidating Malleus Draconia a bit less intimidating to the staff which observed it.

Not to mention Irina was genuinely very grateful for every little thing a member of the staff ever did for her, always saying please and thank you, and speaking in such a way that her requests never came off as demands of any kind, and very understanding when someone was already busy.

Then, one year into Malleus and Irina's marriage, Irina wakes up to see she's holding onto an egg.

She herself has seen the egg of a Draconic fae before— the egg Malleus himself hatched from, even— in Lilia's dream…but it takes a moment for her to realize the implications of it. And she only does after she sees the dark magenta colored egg glow, as if pulsating, illuminating the tiny, tiny shape of a lizard-like embryo.

Gasping, she sits up, holding the egg gently in her arms.

She looks at Malleus, laying in the bed next to her, still asleep, then looks back at the egg.

This is their baby.

Hers and Malleus'. Their child.

They're going to have a child!

They're going to be parents!

They're going to be a family…

She wakes up Malleus while she keeps holding it gently in her arms. She's already crying when he opens his eyes. Seeing her tears, he shoots up to ask what's wrong. When he sees what she's holding…he's in shock. For a long while, he just stares, all the while Irina tries to babble out possible explanations through her tears of joy, which just won't stop flowing long enough to let her finish a coherent sentence.

When reality, and his emotions, finally catch up with him, and he realizes what this egg is, and what it means…

He starts to cry, too. He embraces both of them very gently, lifting Irina into his lap, and holding both her and egg as close as he possibly can. While he cries, he whispers declarations of gratitude into the top of her head, keeping one hand on the egg the whole time.

She starts crying even more; louder. She leans her head against his chest and holds the egg closer, meanwhile he does the same, curling his entire body, as well as his tail, around the two. Around his family.

Evidently, the crying heard from the royal couple's room that dusk alerted nearby guards, as well as the servants meant to bring their breakfast, who promptly opened the door to investigate, fearing something may have happened.

When they enter to see the two crying in each other's arms, both are still too emotional for words.

But the news spreads quickly through the castle, and later, the whole realm:

Briar Valley has an heir once more.

Draconic fae are so close to extinction because of how rarely they have children. So this, an heir, after having been married for barely a year, is exceptional.

When she found out that the senate wanted to take her baby away from her, without even thinking about it, so overcome with emotion, she spat out:

"Over my dead body!"

"I'm their mother. I need to hold them. I need to keep them warm…!"

Throughout the entire incubation period, Irina refuses to ever let go of the egg. Or if she has no choice, never goes further than a single meter away, always placing the egg on a soft surface, and never letting go for longer than 5 minutes. And she REFUSES to let anyone who is not her, Malleus, Lilia or Silver touch it. Sadly for him, that does mean Sebek isn't allowed to. Though she prefers no one but her and Malleus holding the egg if at all possible.

Who is and isn't allowed to touch it is purely a vibe check on Irina's part, her instincts deciding who is/isn't safe. And sadly, Sebek still reminds some deep, instinctual part of her a bit too much of her father for him to feel 'safe'. Though some part of this can definitely be attributed to 'first-time-parent jitters', since she doesn't end up feeling quite this level of overprotective, paranoid anxiety for the rest of the children in the future.

And Malleus, while he can't be there for every single second, takes as much time as the senate will allow him to be with the two of them. And they both make sure to talk to the egg very often, to make sure their child learns their voices. Some might say that it's just an egg…but Malleus knows Malina can hear them. And the way she glows in response to them definitely seems to indicate so, too. They even sing it to sleep together every night.

The result of this is little egg-baby Malina being spoiled from all sides by an almost overwhelming amount of love directed at her at all hours of the day.

So perhaps it shouldn't be too surprising, then, when she starts to hatch— much, much earlier than what would typically be expected for a draconic fae.

She hatched on the second anniversary of their wedding. Irina, having historically always hated summer, for once had a good memory of it. And now that she associated summer not only with the worst day of her life, but also one of the best, the whole season became more bearable. Finding out Malleus intended for their wedding to be in the summer for this exact reason…Irina felt so overwhelmed by her love for Malleus, and his love for her, that she started crying tears of joy.

And that was the precise moment baby Malina picked to escape from her shell.

Malina may not have looked like a human baby, but that did nothing to stop Irina seeing her for the first time and some deep instinct of hers recognizing 'that's my baby'. And despite not having gone through any biological process, her body also seemed to recognize it, as her breasts had started producing milk not long before Malina hatched. Even if they hadn't, Irina would be VERY firm that she would not have any kind of nurse maid. She would feed her own child no matter what, even if it was just from a milk bottle.

They hadn't discussed names much beforehand. But seeing Malina's little purple eyes, it reminded her of a raspberry. And somehow, of one of the few Bulgarian words her own mother had taught her.

Holding the little purple-eyed dragon in

And so she was named Malina. Raspberry.

Holding Malina for the first time, Irina could never understand why or how her own parents treated her the way they did. Because Irina knew that she would do anything for Malina. From now on, nothing would ever feel more important to her than making sure her daughter was well-fed, well-rested and happy, and that she grew up well.

Then, very quickly after Malina's hatching, another egg appears.

And literal weeks after that one has hatched, they discover Irina is pregnant. As in, carrying a child the human way.

And soon the halls of castle Draconia, which had stood quiet for nearly four hundred years, are filled with the pitter-patter of three pairs of tiny feet.

And when Mallory was around 10 months old, one day, when she was feeling bad for no reason she herself could discern, but was just hiding it like usual, Malina and Malachi suddenly came to lay on her lap and her stomach while she was nursing Mallory. She pet both their heads like she always did, and smiled, feeling her chest becoming lighter. Then Malachi asked her why she was sad.

That almost froze her in place. Petting his head again, she asked why he thought she was sad. And all he said was that 'Mama feels sad. When Mama sad I'm sad.'

It made her think of when she herself was a child, and noticed her own parents feeling bad…and just how sad and helpless it made her feel, too.

Was that what she was making her own children feel?

And that planted an idea in her mind. That maybe, in order to properly take care of and raise her children, she needed to get better. Though, she was hesitant for a while, not even knowing where or how to start, or if there was anyone she even could go to about it.

And no matter the previous disdain toward Irina, the people of Briar Valley had to admit…three heirs after not even five years of marriage was nothing anyone could hold against her.

Briar Valley's future was now more secure than it had been in hundreds of years.

And though it could never have won over everyone, most would agree that, after that, there was little argument anyone could raise against her which merely a reminder the three royal children would not immediately counter.

After having discussed it with Malleus, Lilia, Tomoe, Jamil and Ruggie, once her three oldest children were at the age of being tutored, meaning she had more time to herself again…she ended up deciding that…she wanted to go to therapy of some sort.

She was really, really scared. Especially with the fact that, being a literal Queen now, she was worried she wouldn't even be able to find a therapist who wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

Overall, she just did not know what to expect from therapy, having never gone before.

She was at least happy when her therapist— who was from the Sunset Savannah, whom she got in contact with thanks to Tomoe and Leona— didn't pressure her to talk about things she didn't want to.

Around 40 years and a total of EIGHT children later, and the Briar Valley line of succession VERY secure, even the senate finally gives in and stops trying to give her a hard time. Begrudgingly.

The vibe is definitely the lyrics to 'you'll be in my heart' by Phil Collins:

"Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain I know we're different, but, deep inside us, we're not that different at all...

Don't listen to them, 'cause what do they know? (What do they know?) We need each other, to have, to hold They'll see in time, I know We'll show them together"

Also this is what I imagine future Irina to look like

(Would wanna design a new dress for her tho bc this was just a design I came up with randomly and I no longer like it. And GAH WHY DO I ALWAYS FORGET SHE COVERS UP HER ARMS AND HANDS DUE TO HER SCARS— But I would still wanna keep her having 'horns' as part of her ensemble)

But the very important part is that I want her hair to be short! I've always found that, Irina just seems more confident when her hair is shorter

It's a lot easier to take care of, so ends up looking less messy. It's a metaphor— if something is too much to take care of (her very long hair) it's better to just scale it back.

But by far, their most cherished time together were their golden years.

Many, many centuries after that night they first met, both old and grey, having long since given the throne to their oldest daughter.

They got what they'd always wanted. Someone who loved them enough to never leave. Someone they could grow old with.

They endured the loss of many dear friends over the years, sadly a consequence of their long lifetimes, and made many more. Things changed around them constantly, especially the older they grew, the faster change seemed to occur around them.

The one thing that never changed was the weight and warmth of their clasped hands. They, and their love, remained forever timeless.

Upon their death many, many years in the future— which occurred on the same day, at the same time, wrapped in each other's arms, after which they were buried in the same coffin— a statue was made of the two. It depicts the two of them, nestled close to each other, bodies lovingly entwined, with serene expressions on their faces. The plaque beneath reads:

「King Malleus [year ? to ?] and Queen Irina [year ? to ?] - "Undying Eternal Love - Forever One Heart - In Life, Death, & Beyond"」

With just how entwined they were in every facet of their lives, there are no historical accounts of one that fails to mention the other. They come as a pair, so entwined that, should you write about one, it's impossible to not include the other, and sacrilege to try. It's even said that if you speak the name of one and do not add 'and Irina/Malleus', lightning strikes.

Even in death, they will never be alone again.

Tag list: @another-random-paradise @thehollowwriter @faefum @cactus13-rolloflammesimp @beneathsakurashade

@nyx-of-night @theolivetree123 @babyghoul138 @skibidibabygirl @screamintoad

@gingacat @buttholesparkles @scint1llat3 @jadelover69 @angelwishess

@crimsonrose34 @nerenda @chillygourami @kirans-wonderland

Please let me know if you ever wanna be added or removed! ^^

[the-voldsoy]

Remnants post-ep 15 thoughts/theories/etc

My GOD this was a hefty one . I have a lot to say

Ok to start, some notes on the episode. Mostly focusing on A/Sir because the Remnants themselves are a very different beast

Sir keeps saying "Shelved" instead of "Reshelved"

A has been remade hundreds of times (minimum)

Sir seems to be able to control A's actions to an extent, coaxing him into starting the Remnant

[I'm going to need to trawl through the episodes again to gather all the information I can about Perry]

[I would quite like to make little information profiles for reoccurring characters]

I've already seen a theory I quite like from the.vast.general on Discord that Perry is Death, which I do quite like

The Apprentice was Perry

A thinks he's being kept here for punishment, Sir seems to disagree

A tries to discard himself, Sir seems to save him from the fire

---

The capitalised letters in the captions read, in total:

HE IA M OR EOR LESS MST HAS ILTOT ALL YLIGO NENT ODUS THERE

This can be separated into two sentences:

He more or less has totally gone to dust

I am still in here

(They can also be found here, separated into the sentences)

I can only assume the first sentence is from Sir (about A), and the second is the Apprentice (about himself). This code being intertwined in this way could speak to the two of them being interconnected in a deeper way than just where they work, but I'll get to that later.

---

now, let's go through my theory post from last time and correct anything that might need it. A lot of them are still unclear or haven't been opposed yet, so I'll just skip them (unless they're specifically relevant)

first, more on things we learned from e11:

All the names that are assumed to be the same person: Lord du Perier-1/13, Theodore du Perier("Teddy")-7/15, Edward Pocket-3/9/15, Ted-10, Perry Wiseman-15, Basil-13, Edwin Peterson-13 (probably), and the Apprentice. I may be missing a couple, but I will make a timeline for him as soon as I can :)

On a related note, here's a link to the spreadsheet I made of all the characters. It's colour-coded <3

Sir was hesitant about the Apprentice reading e7 because Amelie was his daughter (when he was Teddy). Explains why he said "It's her" when he started reading it, and why he keeps her Remnant under his bed.

A mentions (e10) that Sir burned away something of his. At the end of e15, Sir pulls him out from the fire he throws himself into.

→ Additionally, (I can't remember if it's explicitly said in the episode) but I'm like, 90% sure that the Dust is discarded Remnants

→→And also, the way that Remnants are discarded is that they are incinerated I think

Still unsure what the veil is though. Maybe the thing that's stopping A from knowing who he was in life?

Again, Sir seems to be treating A like an experiment, something he's doing for no particular reason. Which raises multiple questions

→How did Sir get access to A? Was he just the first Remnant Sir happened to see when he decided to do this experiment? Or if it's specifically him, why? (I have a few theories on why but we'll get to them later)

→Why did he do it? Is it to test his own choices, or to compare it to what a human would choose, or something else entirely?

brief intermission because I need to point out this one from last time that I forgot I wrote. Oh Boy I Had No Idea

Anyways. That is confirmed on both accounts, we know this now, but it does, again, raise the question of why *him*. Sir does say that A is "specific" though (e11)

A is a Remnant that must be read [by Sir]. Don't have much to add to this tbh I just need to note it down

Now, just the theories:

I still don't think Sir knows what he's doing. But! I have more opinions about him.

I think he is more powerful than we think/is shown, and he may-or-may-not have been made with TF&LP. He knows *what* to do, but not necessarily *why*

I no longer think he was a previous Apprentice, though. I think that a big reason that A is who he is and the difference between him and Sir is that A has humanity that Sir doesn't. A was human, once, but Sir wasn't. That being said, Sir does seem to try to develop a sense of humor at points, but other than that he is very...robotic?

He also mentions he doesn't remember things in the same way that A does, whatever that means

He definitely has control over A in a big way, though. Not just with making him start a Remnant but with power; making him "restart", for example

Maybe Sir and A are a yin-and-yang of sorts for each other

Repeating a thought from last time: It is possible that neither Sir nor A are actual people, but rather constructs made by a larger force, or simply just concepts given bodies.

Now, the Apprentice. He is - was - human once, yes, but this is still entirely possible. As was pointed out before, he might not be an actual person. I do have a lot of thoughts about Perry; the eyes (the "windows to the soul") being different; the way he has a habit of showing up almost anywhere; how different he is in each Remnant, not just in name but also profession -- the one that comes to mind the most is where he's a solicitor by the name of Edward Pocket (e3 - ring)

All these things being vaguely inconsistent is interesting and definitely means something. Don't know what, though<3

I'm still unclear on why Sir didn't want A to read e6 (fountain pen), but I feel like the answer is glaringly obvious already. Is it because there's an explicit birth, and that's the antithesis to what they do? Or is it just one that Gets Him for some reason?

Things to also note:

“A man of many faces, a story of many fates” is the show's tagline. "a man of many faces" likely refers to A, but also likely has multiple meanings 

“The Apprentice soon discovers that when we judge others, we often expose truths about ourselves.” - quote from the RQ site. He is certainly judging other people, and Sir is learning about him from that. He also exposed his own truth to himself, about his Life

--

What is the dust?

As I said before, I reckon it's the ashes of burned Remnants. It can be assumed these are the discarded ones, but it isn't confirmed

→Or, alternatively, it could just be *A's* Remnant. Although, that is more unlikely. His definitely makes up some of it, but maybe not all

→however at some point A goes to read a heart-shaped rock, and it crumbles to dust under his hand

The dust does seem to help him at points, leading him places and giving him a Remnant at some point. Maybe e6?

I'm pretty sure it's implied that the dust is sentient at some point, but I can't remember when

It is also described often in the transcripts as "scuttling", like it's a creature

And we cannot forget the message, "He more or less has totally gone to dust"

If we assume the "he" is A, what does it mean? A is slowly slipping away? His Remnant is partially burned, so it makes sense if *that* is turning to dust

It also seems to be working against Sir in some ways, making A understand who he was

--

Reshelve or discard

that is the question !!

No but seriously, theory time

The show is about reincarnation. I don't remember if it's explicitly said to be about that, but "When we die, the remnants of us return to the First and Last Place..." is a description of reincarnation

So one of the options must mean to give the souls a new life - likely reshelve, if discarded Remnants are burned (but !! this is not confirmed so do not take it as fact!!)

The difference between "shelve" and "reshelve" is really important to me. Shelve implies there was an original decision, so why does it need to be done again?

A bit of a crack theory, but is it A being reincarnated instead, under all the different monikers ??

Or alternatively, are the souls being reshelved being taken out of the cycle? Are they trying to make a collection of the 'best' souls?

In that case, the discarded ones might be the ones being sent back to live again, so they can have another chance at being good?

I'm sure I had more theories than this but I can't currently remember them

Ok I'm ending this here because the episode is coming out in a couple of days for patreons, and it has already been sat in my drafts since e15 came out ! If I don't post it now it might be another 2 weeks before I remember again :) I will make one of these for the Remnants themselves, but that may still be a couple of weeks <3

[triglycercule]

waaaowwww i forget that there are other trios in this fandom that it's like a special event when i see someone else refer to another trio as The Trio x3

[licorishh]

Replayed Modern Warfare 3 2011 on Veteran tonight and goooooooood night. Blood Brothers never gets any easier to watch no matter how many times you've done it and the ending really never misses huh

I apologize for the amount of yapping in the tags I reread it all on mobile and started giggling because it went on for so long but eh. Blessed are those who won't shut the freak up and all that

[seventh-district]

sometimes it’s late at night and you’re cleaning your room and you come across a few old black and white photos of a young girl and you stare at them for a long minute wondering how on earth they got lost in an old Kroger shopping bag with an unopened pack of cigarettes and a receipt dated 2017.

and you look at the girl in the pictures sat on the floor of someone’s home you don’t recognize, smiling and playing with a set of keys and a tiny part of you feels like it recognizes her but you aren’t sure.

and you flip the pictures over hoping to find some sort of annotation that would give you context and all you find is the year 1964 stamped in tiny font along the edge.

and you flip them back over and time stands still as you realize that the recognition you feel is because she looks so much like you once did and next thing you know your hands are sweating and shaking and you have to sit on the floor because you’re crying so hard because it hits you all at once that you’re looking at your mother.

[collinnmckinley]

Bro i just saw an iNSANE post about adler... like... WHHAT?

[junk-culture]

"visit one of our stores" shut up you absolute wank stains you're literally just saying that in the hope of increasing your sales aren't you like the desired response is for me to go "oh dear i need to visit a whsmiths to prepare for my job interview well i suppose i might as well i wonder if there's anything i need to buy from there at the same time well i could do with an extremely overpriced notebook actually hm ok jolly good i'll pop along" shut up cunts you don't fucking fool me.

actually this reminds me of when i did an interview for m&s and in the email they sent me before it they said that when i get there i should walk around the store for 5-10 minutes beforehand. and because i can be very serious and anxious about such instructions i diligently did that. and then in the interview they barely gave a shit they asked me what did you notice and what would you improve etc and then swiftly moved on. the interviewer clearly attached no importance whatsoever to my responses. they were basically just using that as a chance to collect customer feedback. anyway hello the beautiful WHSmiths reading this please don't count it against me that im slagging you off on my social media before ive even attended the interview. Love and kisses

[thetimelordbatgirl]

With all the mystery around who Ruby is and who her mom is, I really, really hope it isn't actually the Trickster like others have been saying, because while yes it would be nice to see something from SJA appear in current DW, it also would just feel weird at this point as the Trickster was such a Sarah Jane villain that it just feels wrong to give him to the Doctor as an enemy just because Sarah Jane is gone.

[pep-rambles]

I'm actually gonna die of dehydration from crying every time I find a new parallel between Takko & Lup and Anthony & Molly.

'Cause like "Hunger" by Florence and the Machine has been a word-for-word perfect Taako song for years now and then today I realized it's also a a word-for-word perfect Angel Dust song.

I can't handle this again! At least last time almost as soon as I was introduced to the fact that these perfect loving twins had lost each other I was given the satisfaction of seeing them re-unite! Fucking lost siblings will be the death of me 8 times over!

[todayisafridaynight]

call me majima the way i miss makoto so fucking much <- i am talking about a hibachi restaurant near me that shut down years ago. and i miss makoto makimura

[birthclod]

i know im making a big deal over nothing but you simply must understand i am not used to watching big youtubers or streamers who are My Age let alone younger than me. im just flabbergasted honestly. how far does this go. how many of these fuckin people are in their early twenties or god forbid late teens holy fuck

[deathisamotherofbeauty]

sad hours again!! truly can't have dreams in this world <- being dramatic

like not even the retail jobs id like to have want me :( idk I'm so tired bc what even if the point of anything

[bigleoenergy]

I have to except that my cat might truly never come back and I’ll never know what happened to her and that kills me.