#Misty Memory Boost

[digi-lov]

Cherrymon BT2-048 by koki from BT-02 Booster Ultimate Power Mist Memory Boost! BT8-108 by tessy from BT-08 Booster New Awakening

These card are both a nod to "The Teachings of the Forest" from Digimon World.

[bewitchedbg3]

Been going through a art funk but drawing @mistystepmoonbeam ‘s Tav from their fanfic ‘Reborn in Baldur's Gate 3 With No Memory and Plenty of Gold’ gave me a bit of a muse boost 👍

Working with Misty’s profile pic that’s of Tav and description in the fanfic ✌️

[dailycharacteroption]

Races Among the Stars 9: Thyr

Our dive into the various playable species of Starfinder takes us back to the Port of Call book today, with the second ooze species we’ve ever seen in published materials, and an unusual one at that!

The Thyr are a species of gaseous beings native to the Scoured Stars system, which was once held in the grip of an overbearing and controllingly protective deity. Though they fled that system with the other intelligent natives the moment they could, they still took part in ridding the system of the arachnoid jinsul aggressors (in the Starfinder Society event of the same name).

Despite this victory, only a small percentage of thyr have returned to the system, many more opting to remain on the many new homes they and their stellar neighbors have made for themselves across the cosmos.

Thyr live for centuries, and as such are valued by other peoples of the Scoured Stars for their wisdom, though they can die of old age by breaking down, or by undergoing a form of mitosis into two younglings of their kind.

However, their bodies are notoriously frail, so thyr found outside of their gas giant homeworld typically wear environmental suits and armor at all times in public, not only to protect them from the hustle and bustle that comes with living on terrestrial planets, but also to give their fleshy neighbors a little more to interact with.

Thyr outside of their armor resemble nothing more than a cloud of mist that moves of it’s own volition and can reshape itself into various forms, though lacking in detail. Structurally, their bodies are a combination of complex gases and particle chains which allow them to perform complex biological structures and even neuron-like pathways in order to form a functional sapient mind as well as long and detailed memories, all while outwardly appearing totally gaseous. Indeed, their outer edges are made of up complex chains that form a nearly imperceptible “skin” which allows for movement and shaping of the form.

However, most thyr are seen inside their armor, appearing like an environmental suit filled with no occupant other than a misty interior. The rigidity and internal servos of the armor also gives them strength and stability to better interact with the solid world around them.

The thyr favor intellectualism and learning, and are ever eager to meet new people, learn their languages, and test their minds against logic puzzles and conundrums. Were it not for that fascination with other peoples and the wider universe, they might have been content to eke out their days in passive ascetic intellectualism, but thanks to the wonders of their neighbor’s technology and their endless fascination with new experiences, they are more than happy actively engage with the galaxy, rather than simply passively watch it go by from a single, limited perspective. Naturally, their love of new knowledge means they make fast-friends with others of a similar mind, such as scientists of all species, as well as urog and contemplatives in particular.

Thyr are cunning and wise, but being made of gas means you can’t exert as much force on your surroundings the way some good old fashion muscle fiber could. What’s more, the delicate nature of their bodies means they can’t take as much damage either.

They are, however, entirely lacking in vital organs, meaning that there is no body part that can be struck for critical damage.

They are a bit awkward and sluggish on land, but their buoyant nature means they can float at a decent clip through the air.

Thyr also possess limited telepathy, and can bridge the normal language gap by using some innate psychic magic to understand and even speak any language.

Additionally, thyr have a metabolism mostly based on absorbing ambient heat as an energy source. As such, they are resistant to extreme heat damage and can even actively choose to absorb said heat, giving them a boost of energy and speed for a short while afterwards.

With two ability score bonuses focused on mental stats, the thyr can certainly be very appealing to those wanting to play a hyperintelligent alien doing space nerd things. Either flavor of biohacker, the mechanic, skill-focused operatives and envoys are all good options. And one couldn’t go without mentioning they mystic and technomancer as caster, though precog and witchwarper are good too. Their strength penalty does mean that melee is a hard sell, with most vanguards being out, and classes like evolutionist, solarian, soldier, and nanocyte being relegated to ranged builds, but like anything, this can be overcome.

I will note, however, that the game rules assume that the thyr remain in their armored bodysuits at all times save for the most intimate of downtime roleplay moments, saving room on what could have been a whole page worth of rules for being gaseous organisms in a galaxy of strong winds and climate controlled buildings.

That does it for today, but tomorrow will end off this special with another blast from Golarion’s past.

[captainderyn]

for the lotro ask game, what would an intro quest/questline starring Raenor look like? 👀

I saw this pop up and then a lot of stuff went down at work BUT I am answering it now!

An intro quest line with Raenor would first trigger by the ruins of Edhelion when the MC returns there. While wandering around the ruins you can find an old, tattered leather bound notebook protected from the six hundred years of elements by a painted lock box buried beneath the fallen remains of the buildings. Inside the book are time and weather-worn pages filled with poems, sonnets, ballads, and beautiful written words. It will pop up a quest to find the owner of the book and directs the MC to ask around the Refuge of Edhelion where Elladan and Elrohir are for more information on who the owner might be.

The handful of elves there hum and haw at the MC, throwing around how to sonnets sound familiar and how they just can't quite place in their long memories whose book it may be because there have been so many bards throughout the years. Finally, one elf flips through the notebook and lights up, saying they remember the day that one of the poems if referring to. This elf states the notebook is owned by an elf named Raenor and if he is in Ered Luin at all, it would be worth checking in Celondim for him. This elf suggests following the sound of a lute and a voice that sounds like summer rain.

When the MC travels to Celondim they can find Raenor in one of the gazebos around the settlement, near the outskirts closest to the farming fields and wildflowers. The MC will hear him humming as they approach and he will be idly picking at lute strings, tuning it as he goes.

The MC introduces themselves and Raenor is friendly, if reserved, until you attempt to hand him the notebook. At that, his face fills with pain, and he pushes it away saying he wants no part of the memories that book holds. That if you really want something to do with it, throw it into the gorge and be done with it. The MC can ask if that's what he really wants done with it, and that will earn a smile.

If the MC interacts with him again, Raenor will say that if you really wish to know his story, that he will tell you, but on the condition that you actually do toss the the notebook into the River Lune and if you collect five specific herbs and flowers so that he may repaint his lute, decorated with a gorgeous scene that he explains is Rivendell and the Misty Mountains beyond.

Collecting the herbs/flowers and tossing the notebook will bring you back to Raenor, where he will tell you of what happened to him at Edhelion and his journey back to Rivendell after. Mechanics wise, it would probably trigger an instance where you go through the day and the journey with him. The quest rewards you a pocket item that is a small notebook filled with half written songs and poems with a boost for Fate and Will.

Later on, when the MC reaches Rivendell, you can find Raenor in one of the gazebos by the gorge, strumming on his lute. If you speak with him, his dialogue will show that he is singing a longing song for a forlorn woman, but no further quest line triggers.

Even further up the line when the MC reaches Gondor, you can find Raenor again in Minas Tirith. Post War of the Ring he has an optional quest to help find Faewryn, his wayward daughter, who is playing hide-and-seek around the area. The MC can help find her, and she will run from hiding spot to hiding spot. If you find all of Faewryn's hiding spots within the time limit, Raenor will thank you and wish you well and congratulates you on long journey well completed. He promises to spin songs and tales of your heroics, and completion of the quest will grant you a title of 'Song Spinner' which describes you as a inspiration for songs all across Middle Earth, as well as a housing decoration musical instrument of choice, hand painted with the view from Minas Tirith.

[arlxcchino]

OH WHO IS SHE ? A MISTY MEMORY . . . A HAUNTING FACE - IS SHE A LOST EMBRACE ? I CALL HER NAME . . . ACROSS AN ENDLESS PLAIN - SHE'LL ANSWER ME , WHEREVER SHE MAY BE .

an hiding tale about arlecchino of genshin impact . written by pichu , 22 , she / her + they / them . gmt +1 , beta editor ONLY .

   ※ important links : rules ( google docs ) . about ( google docs ) . self - boost .

   ※ extra links : spotify . pinterest board .

THE WORLD IS BURNING WITH FLAGRANT DESIRE - OUR FLEETING SENSE OF COMPASSION REWIRED ! THE WORLD IS BURNING , WE WELCOME THE FIRE - REVERING THE LIARS !

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

✈️😁😤😗

MUNDAY ASKS ✈️ — ever traveled anywhere interesting? 😁 — what’s your favorite part about being part of the rpc? 😤 — what do you dislike the most about being part of the rpc? 😗 — what are some of your favorite things to do when you have some time to yourself? ((Cut for length!))

✈️---I've been to a lot of places in my life, but I do have a few very core memories from those areas that I think fundamentally changed me as a person. This might be long, so, sorry!

One of my first times outside of the country of my birth was when I visited Mexico, I was maybe 8 years old, and I remember vividly there was a tiny black cat that kept following me. I spend every waking minute I could with this cat, feeding her, taking her into our hotel room so she could have a safe place to be, brushing her and holding her often. I think about her often, and I remember having to leave her behind, it was somewhat devastating for me and even thinking about her now makes me misty eyed. I know she grew older, and eventually passed, but I hope her life was filled with other little children who would take her inside and give her kisses and pieces of fish from their dinner. She deserved that. And it was a privilege to be able to love her.

😁---ALL OF YOU! It sounds immensely cheesy, but you all have really helped me improve my confidence in writing and my art. I've gained a very wonderful group of people I'm happy to call my friends that I feel like I can connect with so easily; it's a breath of fresh air. To be able to just..talk and discuss ideas freely is so calming. I genuinely didn't think Robin would be as well liked as he is, so that's been a very big boost.

😤---To be honest, I've only really had a single bad experience so far, and I'm very grateful for that. I don't like adding to drama or call-out culture because I think it's extremely immature haha--so I won't go over it here! I've buried the incident and would like to keep it under the dirt, I've healed from it, gained people I genuinely love, and won't let it bring me down or let that painful time define me. The world is so much more than that.

😗---Oh geez, well, I often write on here! I really love writing, plotting and allowing the expanse of my emotions to be placed into something positive! I also sew, cook and garden. Granted these are all also things to actively do, one of my favorite things to do, and due to my sleeping schedule it happens often, I love to go onto my porch late at night, maybe 2-3am, and just...look up? There's something so calming, and haunting, to me about just gazing up into the wide abyss above, an infinite stretch far greater than anything I could ever hope to imagine. Untouchable, and so distant, and yet, inspiring. I see the beauty of the stars and am reminded that that is what I'm built from, stardust and trillions of years in the making. I realize then that...I am alive, and I am here in the present moment...What a wonderful and rare thing, even if its only for a blip in the cosmic timeline, and even if I ultimately don't leave anything lasting I will always have the knowledge that I was here. I got to experience the world, my life, my loves, my anger, sadness, the cool grass under my feet, and moments of joy that make me laugh so hard I cry--and in that moment I feel truly relaxed and at peace.

[arlxcchino-a]

OH WHO IS SHE ? A MISTY MEMORY . . . A HAUNTING FACE - IS SHE A LOST EMBRACE ? I CALL HER NAME . . . ACROSS AN ENDLESS PLAIN - SHE'LL ANSWER ME , WHEREVER SHE MAY BE .

an hiding tale about arlecchino of genshin impact . written by pichu , 21 , she / her + they / them . gmt +1 , beta editor ONLY . sideblog to @thyjester .

   ※ important links : rules ( google docs ) . about ( google docs ) . self - boost .

   ※ extra links : spotify . pinterest board .

THE WORLD IS BURNING WITH FLAGRANT DESIRE - OUR FLEETING SENSE OF COMPASSION REWIRED ! THE WORLD IS BURNING , WE WELCOME THE FIRE - REVERING THE LIARS !

[ninjastormhawkkat]

It was an awkward moment with Jenkins as he waited with Carl and Steven while Two Brains went to check on Tim and most likely fetch Maddrix. All three of them just sat around. Carl and Steven seemed to be admiring the place. They looked over the photos while waiting in the living room. Jenkins could see Carl's eyes become a bit misty as he looked over photos of Two Brains, Tristan, Alex, Bob and Becky. Jenkins felt awful for the man, having to miss so much of his children's lives. Jenkins couldn't imagine anyone having to go through that. Although Jenkins wanted these men to have their peace, his mind was teeming with many questions, mostly about Dr. Two Brains, or "Gene" as Carl and Steven called him. Why did his former mentor use a different name for so long? Jenkins didn't blame Two Brains for not talking about his past. He definitely understood why the mad scientist would want to keep it hidden that his father was Maddrix the Malicious. Still, Jenkins still had lingering questions. He figured it was best to wait for Dr. Two Brains to spill the tea on his own time. Jenkins then caught Carl and Steven staring at him which unnerved the young man a bit. Thought their gazes were more curious than interrogating, Jenkins never liked being the center of attention that in front of more than one person. "How long have you known Gene?" Carl asked in a calm and warm tone. Jenkins blinked in confusion until he remembered that Gene in this case was Two Brains. "I have known him for about 12 years now. I was his assistant back when he worked in the Fair City Science and Research Department." Jenkins answered. He didn't mind starting a conversation as it seemed to help relieve the awkwardness. Carl nodded, accepting his answer, but his face had a deep and worried frown. "I was told by one of your friends Gene had an accident some time back. Did that attribute to how he is now?" Jenkins gave the man a sympathetic but somber look. Those who were closest to Dr. Two Brains prior to the fusion didn't like talking about the incident. Jenkins didn't feel like explaining it to the man's own father, but he had to give him an explanation. "Back then, Dr. Two Brains was known as Professor Steven Boxleitner. He was working on an invention that would allow him to read the minds of any rodent in the world. I was helping him but I got held back after lunch because I accidentally bumped into another scientist and they spent 30 minutes verbally berating me for being a klutz and ruining their clothes even though it was an accident." Jenkins gritted his teeth in anger at the memory. He should have just shoved the person away and take the consequences of his actions later. "During my absences, Professor Boxleitner had already begun the first tests of the device. According to what I found out later from cameras and what Tristan and Alex told me, he had stepped away and left Squeaky alone still attached to the machine while he went to get his pastrami sandwich that had just finished warming in the microwave. Squeaky in the meantime pressed a button attached to the machine that was intended to give an extra boost of power should the original test not work the first time. It wasn't ready yet. It created an electrical surge that fused Squeaky and Steven together, creating Dr. Two Brains. Squeaky was a parasitic, vicious, and cheese obsessed mouse that Steven only had with him because he got him on sale from a pet store. Squeaky's nasty traits forced Dr. Two Brains into stealing or turning stuff into cheese just to satisfy the cravings. Unfortunately Dr. Two Brains is not mentally stable, but he still has Steven's feelings and character. Despite everything, Two Brains loves his child and spouses to bits He still respects me and my work. Your son is a good man, he was just forced into the life of a villain by an unfortunate accident and a vicious lab mouse." "Thank you for the dinner and the warm clothing Mr. and Mrs. Botsford. It is very kind of you to do this." Maddrix thanked his hosts with a genuine tone of voice. @dualnaturedscientist

Fair City vs The Facility Revised

Matthew felt someone tug at his clothes. He looked down and saw an anthropomorphic monkey girl stare at him with pleading eyes. Matthew sighed. "Really again?" He asked in a slightly annoyed tone of voice. The little girl didn't seem to notice and just nodded her head vigorously. "Okay hop on." Matthew spoke in a defeated tone as he bent down and let the monkey girl climb on his back. The little girl put her arms around Matthew's neck gently but firmly so as to not fall of while he walked. Matthew tenderly got up and began to catch up with the other members of the party who had stopped when they noticed him and the girl lagging a bit behind. "Everything alright?" Carl asked with some concern. Matthew just gave a shrug towards his former partner. "She wanted another piggy back ride. She's probably getting tired again." Matthew stated. He didn't mind giving the strange child a piggy back ride. It brought back fond memories of when he did it with his own kids. But that was back when he was younger and didn't have to walk for so many miles on foot. Carl gave him a sympathetic look. He knew that they were all getting exhausted and a bit hungry as well. It didn't help that he and Matthew were both old men in their sixties. His nephew Steven, the young girl, and the bizarre looking monkey could make it on foot better than they could. Sadly even the youngest members of their group were also feeling the effects of hunger. Unfortunately none of them could right now afford the luxuries of finding a place to stop and eat nor hitchhiking with a kind stranger. For good reasons. They had fled a week and a half ago from a horrible place that could be described as hell on earth. A well hidden lab facility where each of them were taken and basically kept as prisoners. 'Well in Matthew's case it was more of a transfer.' Carl thought. Though deep down he still dreaded to think what would have happened to Matthew if they were still back there. He and Steven were kidnapped and forced to work for that facility twenty years ago. They were treated no better than the prisoners with the exception of not becoming latest test subjects if they behaved. Matthew was transferred there about a month back which was how he met his ex again. Carl was aghast and more enraged with these people. Were his tormentors not only power hungry but also stupid? Carl would soon realize that his views of the facility would be very accurate. Sometime ago an explosion had occurred at the facility. During the chaos and confusion, Matthew broke out and rescued Carl and Steven. None of the trio of men knew what was causing this outbreak until they ran into a young girl. Not only was her abnormal monkey appearance a surprise, but the fact that she was floating in mid air like nothing also caught them off guard. Carl believed he and the others shared the idea that this poor girl had caused the explosion that lead to their escape. Who knows how long she was a prisoner at that awful place. The three men were able to escape with her and were soon joined by a genetically altered monkey who seemed to take particular interest in protecting the child. The group set off to find a way to get to a safer location and far away from that facility as possible. They had to avoid any help out of slight fear of running into people that worked at the facility who survived. It was also difficult to seek aid due to the appearance of the monkey and Matthew who would for sure cause an unnecessary mass panic. Carl also had another mission in mind. He hoped to find the family of the little girl and her monkey friend. That too proved difficult as she couldn't speak in human tongue nor did she seem to understand much of what they said. Carl and the others took note with both anger and sorrow that the young girl and monkey seemed wary and fearful of Carl and Steven at first. Carl didn't realize why until he looked at Steven and his own lab gear. He saw how the girl and monkey seemed to be transfixed in fear at the clothing. @erraticeris @dualnaturedscientist

[helgabatwrittings]

When your world comes crashing down don't cry

Chapter 2: Running

AO3

He glanced once again at Adrien, who was still staring right ahead, frozen in some kind of spell that has been affecting him for almost a week now. He wasn’t even writing down anything, in his somehow simultaneously messy and tidy notes. And Adrien always participated in Physics class. He would bounce his leg in excitement while quickly solving all the different problems assigned to them, making Nino wonder, more than once, if he was one of those genius kids he sometimes read about on the internet. But now? He was just staring, the only sign of life from him were the occasional trembling sighs and the subtle shakiness of his hands.

Nino was absolutely certain that something was going on with his best friend. If he were to describe the major shift in Adrien’s behaviour from last week to this one in just one word, he would choose the word “slow”. Everything Adrien did now was slower than anything he had seen from the boy. The way he would take a couple of seconds to answer whatever Nino asked him, how he would trail behind him and the girls when they walked together through the halls of the school, the time Adrien took to look him in the eyes as if he was gathering the courage to do so.

Something was wrong and Nino, no matter how hard he tried, didn’t seem to be going anywhere in finding out what… in trying to help his best friend…

His leg was bouncing up and down, both in frustration and anxiety. Something was very wrong with Adrien, and he kept pretending he was fine! Even now, when Adrien was clearly pretending to be paying attention to class, Nino could tell that he was nowhere near that classroom. Heck! Even Miss Mendeleiev could tell it by the worried and subtle glances she kept throwing at Adrien. So yeah, this was serious if even Miss Mendeleiev was concerned.

The class was silent, except for the occasional whispers that could be heard, it was usually quiet, due to the strict style Miss Mendeleiev loved to adopt, so it’s not like anything was out of place. Nino looked around. Kim was subtlety passing a note to Alix who sat in front of him, while Max kept writing down the Gravity formulas that were on the blackboard. Rose and Juleka were quietly whispering between them, shy blushes and soft giggles could be observed if one was attentive enough. Nathaniel kept his head bowed down, probably drawing some doodles for his comic.

Nino looked behind him, noticing that Marinette’s eyes were completely fixed at the back of his bro’s head, her face twisted with the same concerned frown Nino was probably sporting as well. Alya noticed him staring and smiled adoringly at him to which he answered with a smile of his own.

He glanced once again at Adrien, who was still staring right ahead, frozen in some kind of spell that has been affecting him for almost a week now. He wasn’t even writing down anything, in his somehow simultaneously messy and tidy notes. And Adrien always participated in Physics class. He would bounce his leg in excitement while quickly solving all the different problems assigned to them, making Nino wonder, more than once, if he was one of those genius kids he sometimes read about on the internet. But now? He was just staring, the only sign of life from him were the occasional trembling sighs and the subtle shakiness of his hands.

Like he had read Nino’s mind, Adrien finally moved his head, looking down at his hands, and quickly shoved them under the desk.

Nino knew that this lesson was of extreme importance for their test next week. He knew that, and he also knew that unlike the blond sitting right beside him, he sucked at physics, so he really should be absorbing every piece of wisdom Miss Mendeleiev was sharing with them. But no matter how much he tried, his eyes couldn’t drift from the still image of his best friend. Even his blinks were slow, and… wait a second… Nino’s eyes narrowed to better focus on a small detail they caught. Was that powder on Adrien’s face? Was Adrien wearing make-up? He only wore make-up when he was trying to hide the tiredness on his face, it was always applied so lightly that it was almost imperceptible, but this one was obvious, it was so so obvious…

Something was definitely going on…

Riiiiiiiiiiiing

Nino jumped in his seat. The class was officially over, and he didn’t listen to a single word Miss Mendeleiev had said. He was so screwed for next week test…

He started packing all his stuff into his backpack, while Adrien just stood there, still frozen in the same spell that had overtaken him during class. When Nino finally tore his gaze away from his bro, he saw Alya and Marinette standing right in front of their desk, Marinette was frowning at Adrien, her face was pensive as if trying to come up for an explanation to Adrien’s odd behaviour, while Alya started to snap her fingers right in front of his face.

“Earth to Sunshine!” She called. Nino saw him slowly raise his head in Alya’s direction, seemingly looking past her.

Nino raised his hand to rest on Adrien’s shoulder, which made the other boy flinch and jump in his seat like a scared cat, he immediately retracted his hand. “Hey, dude, is everything okay?” He finally asked.

Green eyes suddenly turned to him, misty and full of sorrow, and Nino finally saw the mask crumbling down. He finally saw the exhaustion emanating in huge waves from Adrien’s inner core.

Adrien then snapped his head in Marinette’s direction, then Alya’s, then Nino’s again. He suddenly stood, and haphazardly shoved all the scattered papers and books inside his messenger’s bag, “I have to go”, he muttered, and without giving them any chance to even react to his sudden burst of energy, he bolted out of the classroom.

“What was that?” Alya asked perplexed.

Nino sighed.

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

The violent wind hitting his face felt like a blessing, while Adrien, now in the safety that being Chat Noir brought him, ran across the Parisian rooftops. It kept him awake, it gave him a boost of energy even though his lungs were burning, and all his muscles were screaming from the exertion.

He should have gone back to school, he still had more classes for the day, but he physically couldn’t go back to that classroom and face his friends. The memory of Alya’s, Marinette’s and Nino’s frowns was enough to make his stomach fold in itself, threatening to expel all the little contents inside.

The violent vibration coming from the impact of his baton against the rooftop quickly spread throughout his arms, furthering straining his increasingly weak muscles.

“Ladybug thinks he’s obnoxious, and she’s right!”

All his forces vanished, making him lose his grip on the baton. The velocity in which he was running made him fly across the rooftop with no support whatsoever. He crashed against the black rooftop, his body rolling over it, being only propelled by inertia.

His body finally hit the brick wall of a chimney, and even though Adrien was wearing a super-suit, and his resistance was considerably more significant than if he was untransformed, every single part of him still seemed to be protesting in pain, rendering him immobile, lying down in foetal position with his back resting against that final chimney.

Being Chat Noir used to grant him the freedom he has always craved. He was free from all the press, all the people who chased after Adrien as if they knew him better than he knew himself. He was free from all the expectations, all the demands, all the disappointed looks his father threw at him. He could be whoever he wanted as Chat Noir, and so he pretended and pretended, clowning around, because no one expected anything from him, so he was free to do whatever he wanted, to say whatever he was thinking.

All his troubles would be left behind as soon as he said the magical words, but of course, he knew that they would catch up to him eventually because he was still Adrien underneath that black mask. It was easier to pretend though. And so, he acted and acted, until the act became the person, and he didn’t know who he was anymore. Who was he kidding? He never really knew who he was.

Adrien released a shaky breath. His back was killing him, and the left side of his hip was burning. He would have to apply so much concealer to hide the bruises that have for sure started to form.

Being Chat Noir used to be a blessing in his everyday life, a getaway from being Adrien. But now? It was starting to feel more like a curse. All because of Adrien’s problems, Adrien’s inner defects have caught up to Chat Noir.

Adrien wasn’t trustworthy, he knew that from the way his parents have always pretended that his mum was perfectly fine even though she was bedridden most of the time, that last year she was still around. He knew that from how his father would still not tell him anything about what happened to her. From how they didn’t trust him around other kids, thinking he was just a porcelain doll that would break at the slightest touch. How his father still wouldn’t trust him with Nathalie’s condition. And so, because Adrien wasn’t trustworthy, and Adrien and Chat Noir were the same person, Chat Noir wasn’t trustworthy. And that was why Ladybug was hiding so much from him.

Adrien was unlovable. He could tell by the way his father looked at him, with so much disdain, as if it would be better that he was gone instead of his mother, and perhaps he was right. Perhaps everyone would be better off without him in the pic-

His ring beeped suddenly as if it was trying to stop his downward spiralling thoughts. Adrien slowly raised his hand to his eyes’ level, pondering if he really deserved to be Chat Noir.

No one seemed to like Chat Noir, no one seemed to need him. Not even Ladybug. Ladybug is amazing, she has all those other superheroes to help her, and lately, she has been relying on them more and more, rendering him useless. He didn’t even use cataclysm in some of the last missions. Heck, Rena was already giving him orders and making plans with Ladybug.

They seemed to be so close lately. Adrien wouldn’t be surprised if Ladybug decided to tell her her secret identity, before telling him. And Adrien wouldn’t really condemn her. Rena was a far more competent partner than he ever was.

His breaths started to get more frantic for the third time that day. He had lost everyone. Ladybug, Nathalie, Kagami, Chloé, even Nino. Nino was his best friend, but he hated Chat Noir, who was a part of him, so if he found out his identity, what would that mean for their friendship?

And maybe he’s being overdramatic like he’s prone to be, and Nino really was only mad because he thought Aya was cheating on him, but could Adrien really risk it? Could Adrien ever tell him his secret and risk losing him as a friend because Nino really hates Chat Noir?

He felt like he was going to throw up, the lodge in his throat seemed to be the only thing stopping it.

A sudden flash of green light enveloped him, and the pain from his fall seemed to have doubled, which interrupted the train wreck that his mind had caught itself in. The pain was good. It distracted him. It was good.

A dark shadow flew across his blurry vision, and he felt something hit his wet face.

“-rien” He squinted at the shadow that seemed to be speaking. Adrien is going crazy. He finally snapped and this is how his fractured mind is showing him just how broken it is.

“Adrien, kid, c’mon!”

Plagg was frantically waving his little paws right in from of his eyes. His leg was vibrating.

Adrien further curled in himself, shielding himself from the cold wind that was sweeping through Paris. Shielding himself from all the voices laughing at him for being the joke he is.

“Kid, please say something, blink at me, anything! Let me know you’re here!” Green eyes slowly drifted to Plagg.

“Pl-Plagg…” God, his voice was trembling so much. Speaking was taking an awfully pained effort.

“Your phone is ringing, it’s that hat boy.” Plagg was holding his phone after diving into Adrien’s pocket. “Please, Adrien, speak to someone, anyone!”

“I can’t… He hates me…” He couldn’t look at his phone. His eyes drifting everywhere but the black blob in front of him.

“He doesn’t, I promise you that he doesn’t! Please, talk to him, Adrien!” Plagg cried, further pushing the phone to his face. Nino’s face was highlighted as he tried to videocall him.

The device kept vibrating. Adrien weakly grabbed it, but it fell to the floor as if his fingers had stopped working and lost all sense of how to grip an object. It hit his leg on the way, which seemed to have softened the fall, so the phone didn’t break. His leg though had just earned one more bruise for the collection.

Adrien’s mind was too sluggish, like an old car running its last miles, that it took him a while to realise that a new voice had joined him and Plagg on the rooftop.

[crystalelemental]

Legendary Gauntlet - Entei/Azelf/Cobalion

Alright, first ever Legendary Gauntlet is set to drop on the 20th, and their selections were Entei, Azelf, and Cobalion.  We are...so blessed it doesn’t involve Moltres or Cresslia.  While some factors are unclear, I think it’s still a good plan to look at these fights and try to workshop what can clear them.  Because ultimately, this isn’t as simple as bringing your best team, you have to leverage your threats to clear them 3-4 times each.  So that’s what I’m going to do: workshop teams, trying to stay within the bounds of “general pool and commonly available,” to create four teams for each fight that seem like they should have pretty decent answers to what the fight brings.

Entei In my head, Entei is likely the toughest one here, because it’s weak to Water.  “I don’t get it, aren’t there a ton of Water units?”  Yes but mostly as support, not offense.  Main pool offensive threats include SS Misty, Kris, May, Barry, SS Grimsley, and Nessa.  Barry and Misty being only good for sync, and Kris not even being good enough to get her EX.  So that’s dire.  We also have a pretty even split between physical and special offensive units, with...oh my god, only Nessa can boost her own crit rate.  I mean, Grimsley can, but...yeah.  So this match is gonna be a delight.  Moreover, Water thrives with Rain, and Rain setters are...around, but not plentiful.  Winona, May (one of your offense threats), and Archie are the only Rain setters.  May is notable for covering both the Rain and offense, and at least operates independently in a team, but Archie is super limited, and you may not have him, meaning you’ve got two that are easy clears, and two that are not.  Make it count.

As for Entei itself, Hostile Environment 10 and Piercing Gaze on Heat Wave means you are going to be burned in the final bar.  The only ways around this are potential flinch, and finishing it off instantly in the last bar.  Easier for tech than striker.  It also means special threats are more devastating than physical, unless your team support includes healing off status.  I also know for a fact it sets sun halfway through the last bad.  I vividly remember this, so any rain setting needs to be ready for that.

Team 1: May, Sabrina, Cyrus Cyrus’ Hydro Pump and May’s Muddy Water makes an absurdly good combo for Water damage.  Sabrina can power up crit rate for the team, and each heal increases special attack, though really, May just needs Inclement Intellect for that 70% self buff to special attack each move under rain.  Also, Reflect.  Entei from my memory is mostly physical, and that’s a very valuable tool to have.

Team 2: Winona, Barry, Sycamore Sycamore is the god-tank, who cannot die.  Barry can buff his crit but not special attack, while Winona can set rain for his sync nuke to thrive.  Barry can actually deal good damage, he just needs this support to make it happen.  The major trouble with this is Winona’s rain being limited to 2MP, but Sycamore is the stall god and should be able to handle it, with enough gauge control that Barry can get his sync going routinely.

Team 3: Nessa, Misty/Psyduck, Brock/Onix This one’s weird, but Nessa can cap her attack and crit rate, while Brock offers speed drops and potential attack drops off of Rock Tomb.  He also packs Potion, which is great.  Misty/Psyduck offers great defensive benefits, but because this team has no rain and is slower acting, she has something important for phase 3: Full Heal.  Removing status is hugely important, especially when your damage dealer is physical.

Team 4: SS Grimsley, Leaf, BP Zinnia You ever feel stupid just talking about something?  This is it.  SS Grimsley self-buffs crit to max, at the cost of 90% HP.  But Leaf can heal him up, and each sync is +2 to all stats.  The dumb thing is having all three with the capacity to flinch.  So no rain, but consider: flinch.  At least up until you mega evolve Grimsley.  BP Zinnia also has the benefit of Status Shield, which can completely block Hostile Environment 10 Heat Wave in the third phase.

Cobalion Cobalion is weak to Fire, and that’s actually the easiest one to work with here.  While limited, Sygna Suit Red and Anni N are near win-conditions on their own here.  Other easily available threats include Silver, Ethan, Hilda, and Serena, who range from really good to Ethan.  Much like Water, Fire needs sun, but there are actually a lot of threats that work well with sun for this match.  Blaine and SS Erika are the big two that pack this naturally, but you have Silver and Lyra for setting on sync, which...actually means you have four sets of reasonably available teams ready to throw down with Cobalion.  The spread this time is much more specially offensive, but Silver and Hilda are more physically aligned.  Much like Water, the grand majority also cannot buff their crit rate, and may be inefficient about buffing their other needed stats.  Silver can buff crit, but needs support with his offensive stat of choice.  Lyra is a very notable support for this fight not just because Sun, but because she can apply crit and both offense buffs, as well as speed for the speed-based multipliers that Hilda and Silver pack.

Cobalion reduces a ton of damage unless statused.  Anni N could care less, because everything bypasses that check, but the rest need a status supporter involved.  Silver is notable for this fight, thanks to Sacred Fire having a 100% chance to burn after grid.  However, Coblaion is a DPS race, as the status does not last forever, it will dispel it, and when it does, it increases its resistance, shortening the time and eventually becoming immune.  It only does this, however, when it actively dispels the status; a change in HP bar does not seem to increase this resistance.  This means you really need to be ready to lay on the damage before applying the status, and then apply it so viciously that it ends the HP bar before it ends, something incredibly important to note for Serena, whose sleep is imperative for her dealing like any damage.  Also important to note is that flinch and trap do not count for status, so Serena really is a bit fucked here.

Team 1: Serena, Lyra, Dawn Lyra sets sun for Serena’s powerful attacks, and can buff all needed offensive stats for Serena.  They’re absolutely fantastic on their own, but Dawn acts as added insurance, cutting into Cobalion’s attack stat and boosting the team’s defense, while carrying Gradual Healing and a Full Restore.  This one definitely needs to be perfectly set up before trying to Hypnosis though.  If you try too soon, you’re only making the fight worse.

Team 2: Silver, Hilbert, BP Morty Morty can provide heals and defensive buffs, while Hilbert provides the offensive buffs Silver needs.  Silver also has 100% burn rate on Sacred Fire, making this incredibly valuable for the fight.

Team 3: Hilda, Sonia, Blaine/BP Erika This one’s a bit costly, but Hilda hits really hard with Sonia’s support.  Sonia can offer Hostile Environment if living dangerously with one Potion MPR.  In that scenario, take Blaine, he’ll do fine.  If you don’t want to take Blaine, take BP Erika and free up Sonia to double Potion MPR.  Hilda takes a lot of recoil from Flare Blitz so that’s likely safer.

Team 4: Ethan, Blaine/SS Erika, Falkner Falkner is literally the only general pool option left who can help him. Crit and offense buffs, potential healing on sync, and even covers SS Erika as needed. Ethan may not be great but I actually think this works.

Azelf Probably the hardest entirely by weakness to Bug, but otherwise its gimmick seems the least devastating.  Essentially, it cuts physical in half the first half of the HP bar, then cuts special in half the second half of the bar, and it’s not until phase 3 that this extends to Sync moves.  As a result, sync moves shred.  This is really important, since it means Lusamine, who can attack on both ends of the offensive spectrum, is in the clear, and can sync nuke to her heart’s content.  Guzma has it a bit tougher since it starts resistant to his moves, while Alder is in fantastic position as a special attacker.  Burgh is also there.  Notably, this is also heavily special-offense oriented.  It’s also the smallest pool, with three 5* options and one limited availability option.  As a result, if you need some cheese mons, this is your time.  Bust out Lear, bust out Knight Diantha, get the job done.  Because this little shit is otherwise trickier to hit with super-effective shots.  As an absolutely hysterical note, Alder sets up slowly, but the only other option that can buff both offense and crit is Guzma.  Lusamine needs support with her offense, and Burgh with crit.

There isn’t anything particularly complex here that I can find.  It’s pretty direct, just watch for damage reduction.

Team 1: Lusamine, Lillie, Elio Lillie can max Lusamine’s offense, and the accuracy buffs come with Catalytic Cure, meaning there’s a chance for heals.  Elio has Sparking Aria debuffs on either defensive stat, Fast Track, and the rare but possible application of Sing for a team heal, or at least disruption of the opponent.

Team 2: Guzma, Bugsy/Scyther, Skyla Bugsy can reduce defense, cap crit and attack to help, and Skyla has defense, speed, and double Potion MPR.

Team 3: Burgh, Kiawe, Viola Kiawe has double Potion MPR, and the ability to cap Burgh’s crit.  Viola packs Struggle Bug to reduce special attack, as well as her own gradual healing to play center tank for once.

Team 4: Alder, Cheryl, Misty/Starmie There are literally not enough bugs to do a clear using general pool options.  This last clear is a wild card.  Hopefully you can do the other two to 4 so this one isn’t too tough, if nothing else.  Cheryl provides great utility as a healer for this fight, thanks to massive special defense, and self-heals that can boost both defenses.  Misty gives the extra Sp Def right away, as well as some passive regen.  Alder nukes to high hell.

Final Thoughts Developing these teams was way harder than I thought, and pretty much convinces me every clear of any stage goes toward win rate, not clearing all three.  There’s no way.  More importantly though, trying to do this with just general pool options was...a challenge.  I blame Ethan, and the lack of Bug-types.  I expected Entei to be the toughest option, but Cobalion was really challenging, working around damage reduction while also keeping in mind the need for weather effects.  Without limited pairs, your options are constrained.  It’s technically possible, but looking at this, you basically need every BP pair 3/5, the limited time units in Swimsuit Misty and Bugsy/Scyther, as well as a ton of 5* exclusive options that hopefully are also up to 3/5, and all of them need grids.  This definitely lives up to the statement of “needing a lot of sync pairs,” because wow, it’s really hard to break the pattern of going to the same few old faithful supporters.

[theaurahunter]

dnd notes 3/20/22

further into the cave is a figure

the group croud into the tunnel to try to take their shots at it

shawty takes some damage

misty pulls back shawty and boosts his ac

oboron telmaria and ragnar wail on it

shawty uses shatter to get the killing blow

telmaria opens the chest

oboron grabs the boots and the hat

misty grabs the goggles and the pearl

shawty takes the cloak

oboron investigates the water by the bridge

he feels a warmth and slight scent of magic with a hint of death

a moment passes he feels another breeze

he jumps into the water

he enters a dark cave

he feels still feels the hot breath

something moves in the dark scraping agaisnt the rock

oboron approaches

Progenitor i have found you at last. i am oboron...  i need your guidance

a breath escapes its nostrils

the cave illuminates softly

Oroborod lets gazes at us

he offers his clawed hand to oboron

oboron climbs onto it

he lifts oboron

so you are the great grand son however many thats is. i see youve brought others.

yes i hope thats all right they have helped me to get here

shawty remembers the conflict in the book between zenith and an unnamed dragon

sh what hav eyou come here for

i was hoping to find out why my family loses their teeth

...

long time ago

was a proud bronze dragon one of many of the ancient brood

we had a defacto leader named zenith

she wanted things done a particular way you could say. i wanted it done another

so i recruited some help from a plane lets say lower than this one

i was able to recruit many others but was banished

then i got a visit from an old friend thats when i lost my first one

(everysingle tooth is fake)

he demanded i hold up my end of the bargain

and it was

where do i fall in all of this

demand

maybe you will be the one to break it

if you could end this deal another way

so were looking for a loophole

a loophole or destroy the being that holds the contract

how would we go about tracking the ddevil down

i would not reccomend going to the nine hells

usually he appears to you there is a way to summon him

how i summoned it just a general ritual to summon a devil

i chose a specific ritual for a specific demon but my memory is foggy

 i see youre in possession of some magical items

much to know about ice dragons

[nereol]

Cyberpunk 2077 Prompt Event (10/30)

As usual you can read this on AO3.

Daily Prompt: April 10 - sitch - Only one bed

Technical Prompt: 8. Reversed madlibs: four adjectives: perpendicular, radiant, discombobulated, preposterous; three nouns: cat, spaghetti, momento; two verbs: thrust, capitulate; one adverb: petulantly

2K+ words RipperMerc fluff and pining

It's the first time, after Jackie's ofrenda, that they wanted to meet as a group. Well, that already doesn't work out as planned, because Misty canceled. 'At least Vince will be there, too... it's not like I'm alone with her...' Viktor leaves the elevator. He had never been at Val's apartment before. They had met mostly at El Coyote Cojo, sometimes just in the back of his clinic, at different diners....

He knocks on her door, the bag of food in his other hand. He can hear music playing quietly. "¡Espera un momento!" Val's muffled voice from the other side. Viktor can't help but grin. He leans one shoulder against the doorframe and waits. The door opens, Val stands in front of him with a grin. She has no makeup on, looks different to her usual dark purple lipstick. With one hand she pulls down her tank top as if she had just put it on. Her grin is - as always - catching and Viktor smiles down at her. "V, I don't speak Spanish." "Me neither." She chuckles and shrugs. "I understand much more than I speak."

Viktor holds up the bag with the take away. "Spaghetti?" Val's eyes grow wide and with a small joyful squeak, she takes Viktor's other hand in both of her smaller ones and pulls him into her apartment. Viktor laughs. "Hungry, huh?" Val lets go of him and pushes the button to close the door. "Pasta is always good!" She says firmly.

"Misty sends her apologies." Viktor looks around her apartment. "She has a migraine." "Oh, poor thing, I'll write to her right away." Val walks to the couch and picks up her agent from the coffee table. As she leans over, her purple braids, which she has not tied into a bun as she does when she works, fall forward over her shoulders. "Why are ya still standin' around?" She looks up at Viktor. "Get comfy."

Viktor flinches for a second, then walks over to the couch, puts down the food bag, and sits down. Val frowns as she goes through her messages. "Everything okay?" Viktor knows her well enough to see that something is bothering her. She shakes her head slightly. "Vince gets here later, he's still at a gig." She puts the agent back on the table and walks around the couch to the storage room. So they are alone after all. At least for now... "Beer?" Val's voice snaps Viktor out of his thoughts. "Eh, sure." Viktor nods, although she cannot see him.

A meow makes Viktor look towards her bed - something he had actually been trying to avoid. The naked cat jumps off the bed, remains sitting in front of it and looks at him suspiciously, while the tip of its tail twitches petulantly. Val puts the beer on the table. "Just ignore him, he doesn't like strangers." She sits down opposite Viktor and grabs a box with food out of the bag. "So, if Vince is late - more pasta for me." She grins. As she leans forward, Viktor can't help it, his gaze falls on her cleavage. She wears, as always, no bra and her pierced nipples outline through the top.

Viktor has seen Val only in panties already after the Delamain cab dropped her and Takemura off, when Misty helped him take off her suit, he cleaned and bandaged her wounds. But he had been so focused then that he hadn't paid attention to her body - not in that way. She leans back on the couch and opens her takeout box, clearly happy. Viktor reaches for a beer. "You okay?" Val asks with her mouth full. She slurps up a couple of spaghetti that was hanging out of her mouth. "You're so quiet." She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

Viktor takes a sip to buy himself some time. Then he puts the bottle down. "Sure," he says without looking at her and takes a takeout box as well. "Long, busy day." "Hmm..." Val humms, as if she was thinking. As she swallows the next bite of pasta, she reaches for her beer. Viktor's gaze is on her mouth as she takes a few sips. Her pout mouth. He glances down at his food so she doesn't catch him staring at her.

"I've been thinking, now that I've finally paid off my debt ..." She threads some spaghetti on her fork. "Next, I need Mantis Blades." A low chuckle from Viktor. "You need?" He looks at her with raised eyebrows. Val nods eagerly as she puts the fork into her mouth. After she has swallowed, she continues. "And a better cyberdeck. Somethin' with lots of ram and slots." Viktor nods as while chewing. "I'll get you one," he says, after swallowing.

"Nova." Val puts another way-too-large bite into her mouth and looks around as if she's thinking. After swallowing, she points at Viktor with her fork. "Bet you know what else I need." "Hmm..." Viktor hums his mouth full, eyes her. "Matching the new cyberdeck some RAM update, Memory Boost..." Val nods her head while chewing. "Detoxifier... or maybe at least a basic Cataresist until you can afford better."

Val swallows. "I also want some tendons or ankles." She lifts her bare feet and wiggles her toes. Viktor laughs and shakes his head. "V, I'm eatin'." But he doesn't really sound bothered - it's hard for him to be annoyed by Val. She pouts and lowers her legs again. "They are clean - I just showered." She looks at him with big puppy eyes. Viktor sighs, pushing aside the pictures of Val in the shower. "Anyway - that'd be pretty expensive."

Val finished before him, puts the empty box on the table. "Don't tell me you're going to eat more." Viktor asks with amusement, eyebrows raised, fork halfway to his mouth, as Val looks down at the bag which still contains Vince's serving. "Hmm..." She takes her beer and leans back. "Maybe later." She grins at Viktor and takes a sip. Then she reaches for her agent again. Viktor watches her while he eats the last bites of spaghetti. "I texted Vince that if he isn't here soon, I'll eat his pasta." She grins widely as she leans forward to place the agent back on the coffee table.

"You've got..." Viktor points at her mouth. "Sauce?" Val asks, and he nods. "Wanna lick it off?" She winks at him with a smirk and Viktor chokes on his food, but Val is already reaching over to grab a napkin. As she looks up again and sees his expression, she laughs out loud. "Oh, come on, Vik. You're way to easy to tease." "You can't do this to an old man, V." He takes a sip of his beer and shakes his head, avoiding her gaze. "Your not that old, Vik." Val giggles and Viktor puts down his empty takeout box.

"Did ya bring the movie?" That was one reason for the meeting. Val and Vince wanted to see Viktor boxing. Viktor takes a shard out of his pocket. "Don't wanna wait for Vince?" Val looks at her agent - no new messages. "When he comes, we can watch it again." She takes the last sip of beer and stands up. "Turn it on." She gestures to the TV behind Viktor and then goes into the storage room to get two new bottles of beer.

Viktor slots in the shard and stands up to go around the coffee table and sit on the other side so he can see the TV. Val sits down next to him. He had not hesitated when Vince had asked if there were records from Viktor's active days. But watching them now, alone with Val, in her apartment, made him feel a little uncomfortable. Viktor says nothing, sipping his beer from time to time and watching Val out of the corner of his eye, who is watching the TV.

"I have to admit, you were pretty hot, Vik." She looks over at him with a cheeky grin. "Yeah, well..." He shrugs. "It's been a while." He takes a sip. Val giggles, and Viktor looks over at her. "What's so funny?" She looks back at the TV. "You underestimate yourself, Vik." He does not know what to say in response. Does she mean... No, she can't mean that. "Oh, that's a cool move!" She suddenly says enthusiastically and points to the TV. Viktor, torn from his thoughts, looks at the screen. "What?"

Val rewinds. "This." Viktor chuckles low, her enthusiasm is adorable. "Show me!" She looks over at Viktor, who looks at her in disbelief. "What?" Val pauses the movie. "Show me!" Val says again and jumps up. She takes his hand, which is not holding a beer bottle and pulls on it. Well, if he didn't want to, she wouldn't have a chance to move him even an inch. "Come on." She looks at him with big green puppy eyes again. Viktor sighs and stands up. "Yes!" Val rejoices like a child at her triumph.

Viktor explains, showing her the positions. Val looks concentrated and tries to follow his instructions exactly. They stand opposite each other in the middle of her apartment. Nibbles lies on the desk chair and watches with annoyance. "Okay, hands up like this." Val mirrows his position. "...okay and now your feet perpendicular to your shins and..." Viktor points to Val's feet. "Wait, what?" She looks down with a puzzled expression on her face. "You can't explain that even more complicated, can you?" Viktor chuckles. He has to admit that she looks cute, totally confused.

"Hey, you're makin' fun of me." Val looks up at him and Viktor shakes his head, chuckling. "Yes, you are!" She walks up to him and punches him playfully in the chest. Val's agent on the coffee table beeps and she turns away from Viktor to check the message. Viktor sighs with relief and sits down on the couch again. "It's Vince..." Val sits down next to him, closer than before. Probably unintentionally, because she didn't even look where he was sitting, her eyes still on the message. "He's still on his gig." She sighs and puts the agent aside. "He'll not come anymore - it's getting too late."

Viktor frowns a little. He had hoped that Vince would come over. Now it was clear that he would spend the rest of the evening alone with Val. This almost feels like a date now - even though he knew she'd never call it that, even if it was a date. They finish watching the shard, Val asks a few questions now and then, but most of the time it's quiet. She sits so close to him, he can feel her radiant body heat.

When the recording is over, both have emptied their second beer. Val reaches for the empty bottles on the table. "Another one?" "Sure." Viktor nods and stands up to put his shard back in his pocket before sitting down again. She thrust a drink into his hand and sits down beside him. "So, what to watch now?" "Whatever you want." Viktor says and opens his beer.

"We could watch my old movies." She winks at him with a naughty grin. Viktor almost chokes on his beer. "Your..." he coughs and Val laughs. "Your BDs?" He looks at her in disbelief. Val shakes her head, giggling. "Why not?" Viktor notices how he blushes slightly and Val notices it too. "Oh, Vik - it's not porn." He avoids her eyes. "Still... I... no..." he stuttered. Val pats his shoulder with a giggle. "Okay, okay. Calm down." She turns on the TV and browses through the channels.

They stick with some action movie. Val has been leaning against his shoulder since a few minutes now, her legs pulled up on the couch. Viktor doesn't pay much attention to the movie. He is busy convincing himself that it doesn't matter that she is cuddling up to him. Val is a very flirty and handsy person. She used to cuddle with Jackie as well. She hasn't said anything for some time and her breathing is calm and steady. "Don't fall asleep on me, kid." He can't help but grin. "Vik..." She actually sounds a little sleepy. "If ya don't stop callin' me kid, I'll start callin' you daddy."

Viktor only swallows. His mind's going places and his thoughts straight to his dick. He can feel himself blushing. When he says nothing, Val looks up at him. He clenches his jaw and avoids her gaze, looking at the screen. "Oh, you're blushing." She giggles. "Guess you'd like that, huh?" He still looks straight ahead stubbornly. "Leave it alone, V." She giggles and kisses him on the cheek. "You're adorable, Vik." She leans against him again.

His cheek feels as if it has caught fire where her lips have just touched it. "Just teasing a lil'. You know that." She shifts a little to make herself more comfortable. Viktor puts his arm around her. "Yeah, I know..." He knows it very well. She enjoys teasing him, testing his reactions. But that's it. As if a pretty young woman like her would want anything from him. Anything more than just a friend or a shoulder to lean on. She could have anyone - and she has anyone she wants, Viktor knows that very well.

When the movie ends, Val yawns heavily as she sits up. "I should leave and let you get some sleep." Viktor says and stands up. "Hmm..." Val looks up at him with tired eyes. "It's late, you don't have to drive all the way home." Val looks at the empty beer bottles on the coffee table. "And you drank." "Oh, I didn't drink that much." Viktor also looks at the bottles to avoid her gaze. "Vik, come on." She stands up and looks at him with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, okay." Viktor looks around. "I'll take the couch." Val sighs as she turns off the TV. "That's preposterous. First - you are way too big for the couch. Second - we are adults, we can share a bed." Viktor sighs and nods, still without looking at her. He capitulates - he knows arguing with Val is useless. Adults... Yes, he always says that he's an old man. But sharing a bed with this woman. He feels more like a fucking teenager. Viktor swallows hard while taking off his shoes.

---

Okay, the "only one bed" situation isn't an actual part of this, cause it's already 2k+ words. I tried to fit in all the words for the tech prompt and then I came up with more and more details. So I hope this is still fine for the prompt.

Val grew up in Heywood with lots of 'Tinos and speaks broken Spanish. I'd guess she uses several phrases and wordings in Spain, kinda like I and my family uses particular in Danish. Val was with the Mox and a dancer at Lizzie's before she left NC for Atlanta. Many people asume her old BDs are XBDs but they are in fact lap dances, striptease and other stuff - sexy but not sex.

I like the scene, I like some of the dialogues and I like how giddy Val is in the first part. I'm not totally happy with the writing, but it's to long to rewrite it. So for now, for the event this has to be good enough. I'll rewrite it and continue (have a draft already) at some point after the event.

[ily2sian]

09:37pm, rooftop terrace a misty memory with @d3throned

most faces come with invisible tags underneath them: they state their names, their families, and the house they belong to. most of the guests are just that, a face with a label related to it; sian doesn’t know anything more other than the information everyone else has, but he’d be willing to learn more if he was given the opportunity — and he often is given the opportunity, such as this event itself, but he’s always too nervous to engage in a conversation with other people. even if they’re around the same age as him.

and yet, when he spots kang hwanhee ( his invisible tag reads: the second son of the kang family, emphasis on ‘second’ ) he feels something deep inside of him boost his courage to a level that makes him feel a little more social. maybe it’s the curiosity that sparks it, the desire to know more about a boy that he knows and ye doesn’t know at the same time. after all, sian has seen hwanhee around many times, they’ve exchanged a few words here and there, but never took some time out of their lives to simply talk to each other.

sian is willing to change it this time. after all, no one could stop him this time, no one could catch his attention before he could attempt to make a friend in an event that he has no interest in.

“excuse me,” he says when he’s finally near the other man, with a soft smile on his lips and a hand awkwardly touching the other’s shoulder. “you’re kang hwanhee, right? i’m not sure if you remember me, i saw you at an orchestra i played at a couple of months ago.”

always so formal and respectful, his face turns a faint shade of red when he notices it.

“i’m gong sian, i hope i’m not bothering you...”

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #34: William Shakespeare

Welcome back to Fate and Phantasms, where today we’re making the most famous playwright ever in D&D. To no one’s surprise, the eloquent bard is an eloquence bard, abusing creatures’ wisdom saves almost as badly as Petruchio abused Katherina.

As always, there’s a spreadsheet for this build over here, and a level-by-level breakdown below the cut!

Race and Background

Shakespeare is definitely Human, but he’s definitely unusual to count as a Variant. This gives him +1 to Charisma and Wisdom, proficiency in Performance, and the Actor feat. This adds one point to Charisma, advantage on deception and performance checks to act (shocking) as a different person, and listening to someone for 1 minute lets you copy their voice. People listening to you can make an insight check against one of your deception checks to try and figure that out.

Shakespeare’s also a Guild Artisan, giving him proficiency in Insight and Persuasion.

Stats

Put your highest score in Charisma; Shakespeare’s one of the most famous writers in existence, of course this is going to be high. Next is Intelligence: the Bard may have invented some 1,700 words and made Julius Caesar look good, neither of which are small feats. Wisdom is third, you can’t write about the human condition if you don’t know the human condition. Fourth is Constitution, you’re healthy enough to survive a couple all-nighters, at least. Last is Dexterity, followed by Strength. Unlike Shakespearicles, Shakespeare is not known for his physical prowess.

Class Levels

1. The Bard is a Bard, giving him proficiency in Deception to fill out the skills needed to be the face of the party, as well as History and Arcana to gain a wider range of subjects for your plays. You also get proficiency in Dexterity and Charisma saving throws. First level bards learn Spellcasting using charisma as your spellcasting ability, and gain Bardic Inspiration, some d6 you can throw at people who aren’t performing at your expectations which come back on long rests. 

First level bards learn a bunch of spells, and yours include Friends and Charm Person, to help quarrelsome NPC realize their issues are Much Ado About Nothing; Minor Illusion, the first of many illusions; Disguise Self, in case you have to fill a role here or there; Sleep to keep things quiet during intermission; and Comprehend Languages to make sure everyone’s on the same page when you give them stage directions.

2. Second level bards become a Jack of All Trades, adding half their proficiency bonus to checks that don’t otherwise use it. You also learn a Song (Sonnet) of Rest, adding an extra d6 to healing done over short rests. For this level’s spell, grab Heroism to make some protagonists.

3. Shakespeare gains Expertise in two skills of your choice (here they’re Persuasion and Deception), and also graduates from Theros’ prestigious College of Eloquence. Upon graduation, eloquence bards have a Silver Tongue, meaning they can’t roll lower than a 10 on persuasion and deception checks. Combined with the expertise you also just got, your minimum deception roll is now a 17, which is pretty silly at level 3. Maybe if you told Hamlet to kill his uncle he’d listen, instead of dallying for a full play. You also can throw out Unsettling Words, burning a use of inspiration and a bonus action to roll an inspiration die and subtract that from a creature’s next saving throw. This also would have been a great ability for Andersen, but frankly there’s already enough thematic overlap between the two without sharing a subclass.

For your spell, grab Phantasmal Force. That isn’t a dagger they see before them, but it will do a bit of damage. 

4. At fourth level, bards get their first ASI. You’ve written enough about the Seelie court to be Fey Touched, adding 1 to your charisma, as well as giving you a free copy of Misty Step and Command, either of which can be cast for free once per long rest, using charisma as your casting ability. You can then continue casting them with spell slots as normal.

For your other spells, grab Vicious Mockery for what is literally the most offensive spell you’ll get all game, and Enthrall to make sure your audience is paying attention to the fourth soliloquy you jammed into Hamlet.

5. Your Inspiration begins using d8s, and you become a Font of Inspiration, regaining your dice on short rests instead of long ones. For your spell, grab Enemies Abound, turning a well-organized formation into a tragedy waiting to happen.

6. At sixth level, your plays become so enrapturing they become Countercharms, preventing allies from being charmed by people other than you. As an eloquence bard, you also gain the amazing Unfailing Inspiration, meaning if your inspiration die is used and the roll still fails, whoever used it gets to hang onto it. This means your inspiration is now harder to kill than Macbeth, and your party can use inspiration in more daring ways. You also learn Universal Speech, meaning you spend an action to make a number of creatures up to your charisma modifier able to understand you for an hour. It’s one-way, but you’re the one telling them what to do, so that shouldn’t be an issue. You can use this once per long rest, or by burning a spell slot.

For your spell this level, grab Hypnotic Pattern to add some spectacle to your performances.

7. So far your plays have consisted entirely of humanoids. This level’s spell fixes this issue by being Charm Monster, letting you turn any living thing into the star of your show. Or the villain, or even the comic relief-you’re the writer here, not me.

8. Use your next ASI to maximize your Charisma for more inspiration, tougher spell saves, and more people you can make understand you at once. For your spell this level, grab Hallucinatory Terrain to instantly set the stage, as long as your play doesn’t take place in a city. Defeating a lich by making it perform an accurate rendition of Romeo and Juliet would be cool, but we’re not there yet.

9. Your Sonnet of Rest increases to a d8, and you can now Dominate Person, turning one lucky sod into your star performer. Since you’ll basically be taking over a person’s body, the actor feat may come in handy here.

10. At tenth level, your Inspiration dice become d10s and you gain another round of Expertise. This time you’re improving your Performance and History for better and more varied plays. You also learn Magical Secrets, grabbing spells from any class.

Firstly, you learn the Prestidigitation cantrip, because you can’t go wrong with a little stage magic. You also learn to Modify Memory to cover up all that dominating you’re doing and Dream, because nothing’s more Shakespearean than an ominous portent delivered by sleep.

11. Eleventh level bards learn a sixth level spell, and yours is Mass Suggestion. Your plays aren’t just one-person productions, so lets add in some crowd scenes! The spell lasts for 24 hours, so handing out scripts and telling them to literally perform a play isn’t out of the question.

12. You’re not great at not dying, so lets try and fix that as best we can with the remaining ASI. This time, bump up your Dexterity for a better AC.

13. Your Sonnet of Rest becomes a d10, and you learn how to Mislead opponents for dramatic escapes, or if you just want to be mouthy at an enemy without being filled with arrows.

14. You learn another round of Magical Secrets and your plays become so potent they have Infectious Inspiration. When a creature within 60′ of you succeeds on a roll because of your inspiration, you can use your reaction to give another creature (who isn’t you) within 60′ of you inspiration for free. You can make this reaction a number of times equal to your charisma modifier per long rest. To recap: failing a roll doesn’t destroy your inspiration, and succeeding a roll now passes it to someone else.

For your secrets, you can now make a Mental Prison far more literal than in your tragedies. You can also enchant Magic Weapons for other people to use. Fighting things yourself  really isn’t your style.

15. Your inspiration is boosted one last time, now using d12. You also learn your first eighth level spell, Dominate Monster. A hydra sleeping peacefully in a swamp? Passe. The real drama is if it’s attacking a town somewhere. With this spell, you can make that happen.

16. Not much happens at this level, but thanks to an ASI your Dexterity goes up again for hopefully less getting hit!

17. Your Sonnet of Rest finally reaches d12 as well, and you could learn a ninth level spell, but instead we’re going for Mirage Arcane. finally, proper stagework!

18. With your last Magical Secrets you learn Globe (heh heh) of Invulnerability to keep yourself safe when people realize you’re behind that “hydra” thing and Control Weather to set the perfect Dramatic Confrontation conditions.

19. Your final ASI is going towards Constitution for more health and better concentration. You’ll need both if there’s an angry mob after you (there should be an angry mob after you).

20. Your capstone ability is Superior Inspiration, giving you even more inspiration to use if you start a fight without any.

Pros: You have very good face skills, and they become very good early on. By the time you’re level 20, you literally can’t roll below a 27 when persuading or deceiving people. Your inspiration also lasts you a long time, and can be used to destroy an enemy’s saving throw against your spells.

Cons: Most of your spells require concentration, and you’re not good at that. Fortunately, most of them are best used out of combat, so picking a spell to use shouldn’t be an issue in the heat of things. Your entire kit is stopped by anything immune to charms though, and that includes a lot of higher end enemies. If you end up fighting one of them, you’ll find your damage dealing capabilities really aren’t there, with your best attack being Vicious Mockery.

That’s just par for the course of being Shakespeare, though. At the end of the day, you’re here to cause problems on purpose and then run away from the consequences.

[intergalactic-padawan]

For emergencies - Ezra Bridger

Requested: no, but i've had this idea for a while and decided to give it a go.

Warnings: none

A/N: I created this O/C, Astra, and she's probably going to be in more ezra fics in the future, who knows. I have no idea who she is yet, but i'll wait for her to come to life as i go!

Pronouns of O/C: she/her

*ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE! I make mistakes just like everybody else 😉*

AU where Ezra never went away and they have a cerimony in Lothal like at the end of a new hope. Astra is a rebel who has never met Ezra before, but has heard of him.

At the cerimony, Ezra couldn't focus on anything else other than his crew, the other spectres.

They had been by his side through thick and thin, and even when loosing one of the most important members of their family, they stood together to help liberate his home world Lothal and bring an end to the Empire's control over its citizens.

Now, they proudly looked at him while he walked down the Lothal Senate building's main corridor, ready to recieve a medal of honor and bravery for being, as the governor said, "an outstanding citizen and a beacon of hope for better days". Other rebels and sympathizers also got their medals while he stood on the side, misty-eyed as Hera tried her best not to burst out tears of joy; a dynamic that lasted for the rest of the afternoon.

At the party that came after, on the other hand, he quickly got separated form the group. Many higher ranking officers offering congratulations, a few friends from Chopper Base comparing the size of their medals and the invites for dancing to the sound of the cultural music of his homewolrd were exciting, but beginning to get very draining.

That's when he notices her. A familiar tug of the force indicating the way guided him to the drinks table on the corner of the big atrium where he was dancing just moments ago; and that's where she stood, drink in hand, watching the celebrations while he approached curiously. He was still coming up with the courage to say something when she notices him:

-"oh, hello there" - she smiles kindly, not turning from her privileged position but nodding at him in acklowledgement.

-"hey" - he squeaks out of surprise, clrearing his throat and trying again - "I mean, huhh- Hey. Hey. I-I'm Ezra" - he smiled, a little embarassed.

-"Nice to meet you Ezra. That's one shiny medal you've got there"

-"uh, thanks, it's...' he took it in his hand to examine the details - "it's kinda heavy, actually"

-"still, a nice medal" - she chuckled

Ezra took that moment to look at her a little closer. She appeared to be fully human, hopefully about his age. Her hair was tied up in a braid that crossed her head like a tiara, a look that fit her very well, he thought. Under her worn leather jacket, marked with the insignia of the rebellion, she wore a simple and elegant black jumpsuit: an uncommon look on Lothal, that made her stand out as someone whod never been there before.

She looked beautiful. So beautiful, in fact that Ezra got distracted and didn't get to brace for the impact of Zeb slapping his big hand on his back to congratulate him once more:

-"hey kid, there you are! Hera's been looking for you all over!"

Ezra smiled awkwardly; obviously Zeb didn't see the situation playing out, or worse: he did, and wanted to embarass Ezra in front of her.

-"yeah, hmm" he coughed and indicated the girl with a tilk of his head "I was... kind of in the middle of something here, Zeb"

She looked down, not able to hold back a smile as Zeb raised his eyebrow.

-"Well, If I know General Syndulla, it's best not to keep her waiting" - the girl offered him a smile and a warm cup of the same beverage she was been drinking earlier.

-"I believe this is what you came over here for, Lieutenant Bridger" - she raised an eyebrow, giving him a playful smirk when Zeb turned the other way to talk to Kallus for a moment.

-"Yes, this too" - he accepted the drink "thank you, miss...-"

-"captain, actually" - she moved her jacket to the side to reveal a shiny rank badge with two blue spots - "recently promoted, right before you entered the room to get your heavy medal".

-"oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see" - he panicked. Was he supposed to salute her now? Was it too late for that?

He took a quick sip of the drink to buy some time while he figured out what to do.

-"hey kid, we really need to go now, hera's waiting"

-"On my way zeb" - he midlessly acknowledged the Lasaat and looked at her once again, searching for words to correct himself, settling for sincere congratulations instead:

-"Well, the rebellion is lucky to have you" - he offerd a hand for her to shake, whick she hapilly took. Ezra would never tell, but the way they fit together gave him a comfortable warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.

-"I don't know about that, Lieutenant." - she laughed - "But my team certainly is, though. You can call me Astra, by the way"

"Well, then you can call me Ezra" he winked as he finally felt himself take control of the situation, bringing her hand to his lips while mantaining eye contact. That gesture visibly caught her by surprise, but she played it off with another light chuckle.

"It has been a pleasure, Ezra. But you really shouldn't leave your general waiting" Astra squeezed his hand lightly, with a twinkle in her eyes that was going to be a constant memory in Ezra's mind. He could swear everyone in there was hearing his drumming heartbeat match the drums that played, but that was the least of his worries now: he needed to be sure he could see her again after this.

She seemed to think the same thing (hopefully), as he watched her do something to her comlink for a moment. When Ezra heard a blip from his own device, she explained:

-"there, my comlink number. It's always good to share these kinds of information with fellow rebels, make sure we can contact each other in case of an emergency, wouldn't you agree, lieutenant?" - Ezra quickly understood her idea, playing into her game with a boysh grin.

-"Of course, captain. In case of an emergency"

She hummed, placing her hand in a pocket of the jumpsuit. It may have looked like an ordinary and quick interaction to literally anyone else, but Ezra could feel it also meant something a little more exctiting to her. Maybe it was their relaxed minds after a significant victory, maybe it was the euphoria of a hard battle, or maybe the fun of interacting with an interesting person after years of tension; whatever the reason was, you didn't have to be a force sensitive being to see a connection had started to form between them.

But, lucky for him, Ezra was a jedi. He was the padawan of Kanan Jarrus, one of the bravest and most powerful Jedi Knights to ever exist. That thought alone brought him the confidence boost he needed to overcome the nervousness of something like talking to a beautiful girl at a party, and even more than that, flirting with said girl.

-"well, i guess i should be leaving then" - he snapped back to reality, feeling Zeb's towering and annoyed presence along with Chopper, who had been called as reinforcement at some point to hopefully drag him away from the spell he was currently in.

-"I hope we'll be seeing each other again?"

-"I don't plan on leaving so soon, Ezra. This drink is delicious" - he was now being pushed back by the droid, but refused to tear his gaze away from Astra.

-"And if i'm not here when you come back" - she added, pointing to his wrist - "You know how to reach me"

-"in case of an emergency" he stated, pretending seriousness

-"of course" - she saluted him lightheartedly - "in case of an emergency".

[dweetwise]

ok lowkey. that spirit thing was mweh😘 how strange yet oddly interesting. if you dont mind doing something similar... could you ... maybe write something where Zarina befriends the Nurse? like the nurse is getting bullied by all the other survivors and Zarina is just like 'bruh why?'. this happened once in a match and i cant get it outta my head😤🤡 love LOVE your work. keep it up

[thanks anon ily 😳😳😳 hope this is ok! there’s a special place in my heart for baby nurses, they are so pure <3]

zarina never had to deal with op old nurse bless her

Zarina befriends the Nurse: ficlet

Hearing yet another wail from the Nurse echoing across the map, Zarina looks up from her generator into the misty grounds of the asylum. The match had surely been going on for nearly ten minutes already, and the teleporting killer had yet to down any of the survivors.

Finishing up the repairs on her generator, Zarina starts navigating towards the sound of the screeches. On her way, she doesn’t spot a single one of her teammates on any of the generators, and frowns in irritation that the killer had apparently decided to farm with the others without anyone deeming it necessary to inform her.

“Forgot about the new chick again, huh?” she mutters to herself, already having had some trouble fitting in with the rowdy group of survivors and their already established dynamic.

Zarina finally reaches what seems to be the center for the commotion, arriving at the shack where Feng, Nea and David are running around in circles with the killer teleporting through the structure, landing a hit on David who the girls then immediately begin patching up right in front of the killer’s face. Zarina huffs out an annoyed breath that her assumptions were correct, turning away from the spectacle and fully intending to go elsewhere and refuse to participate in the others’ dumb little game, when...

“Oi, over ‘ere ya cunt!” David taunts, causing Zarina to clench her fists and whip around, ready to give the asshole Brit a piece of her mind for insulting her--

Only to see the still injured David pointing his flashlight in the Nurse’s face, prolonging the killer’s already painful looking fatigue state. Zarina swallows her misdirected anger and takes a more thorough look at the events unfolding at the shack.

She sees Feng Min get right up in the killer’s face, doing her stupid butt dance,  while Nea chain blinds the killer with her own flashlight, rendering her useless for a few more seconds. The killer takes a wild swing in Nea’s direction, but the street artist sidesteps.

“Ooh, big swing!” Nea mocks, clicky-clicking her flashlight and moonwalking around the Nurse while the killer recovers from her miss. 

“Baby killer, baby killer!” Feng’s high-pitched laugh echoes through the area as the gamer feigns vaulting the shack window, causing the Nurse’s bonesaw to uselessly hit the wood with a dull ‘thunk’.

“Couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with that aim--” David taunts from the shack entrance, making the Nurse quickly blink to him. David dashes through the pallet, avoiding the hit and proceeds to throw down the piece of wood on the killer, flashlight at the ready and already pointing at the Nurse. “Baited ya, bitch!”

“She’s so boosted!” Nea laughs, moving into position to reset the pallet in the blinded killer’s face while Feng injects a healing syringe into David’s shoulder. When the Nurse finally recovers from the combination of the fatigue, stun and blinds, only to have the now upright pallet be slammed right back in her face, Zarina decides enough is enough.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Zarina demands, approaching the scene. “Hey Zarina! Look at this baby killer!” Feng says, obnoxiously spam-pointing at the stunned Nurse. “Shouldn’t you be doing gens?” “Don’t get yer knickers in a twist, we’re just horsin’ around,” David grunts, rolling his shoulder from the sting of the syringe needle. “But why, though?” Zarina asks, shooting a glare in Nea’s direction where the Swede is once again blinding the killer with her flashlight. “Haven’t you done enough?”  “No offense newbie, but maybe you should go find a gen and leave this to us, yeah?” Nea says, a cocky smirk on her lips.

That moment, the Nurse manages to get control over her movements and executes a precise teleport to an injured David, only to have the syringe take effect a split second before the hit and fully heal his wounds, merely causing him to get injured again. Zarina thinks she hears the Nurse groaning in defeat, and she doesn’t blame her. With Nea sprinting right back up to the killer, flashlight in hand, and Feng running after David ready to tank a hit, the Nurse readies another blink and, to everyone’s surprise, teleports away in the direction of the main building.

“LMAO she gave up!” Feng laughs, the sound grating on Zarina’s nerves, as she begins patching up David. “Let’s go after her!” Nea suggests. “NO!” Zarina yells, absolutely done with her fellow survivors’ bullshit against the clearly struggling killer. “You’ve already won! Don’t you have any empathy?” she scolds the trio. “Oh I’m sorry princess, is the taaxic flashlight against your wittle journalist’s ethics?” Nea mocks, fake pouting. “We’ve put of with ‘er shite for years, least she can do is take a couple pallets in tha face,” David grumbles. “Yeah you try versing a five blink Nurse with a mori and tell us how fair and balanced that is,” Feng says, hands on her hips. “Whatever, that’s your problem,” Zarina says, not about to entertain the trio about whatever grudges they seem to be holding. “Just do the fucking gens and leave.”

With that, Zarina makes her way to the main building, thankful that the others seem to stay behind, at least for now. She feels compelled to apologize to the killer on her so-called friends’ behalf, once again trusting her strong moral compass to guide her to the right decisions. Before long she finds the Nurse in one of the rooms on the second floor of the asylum, sitting on a windowsill with an old photo frame in her hands.

“Umm... miss killer? Excuse me?” Zarina makes her presence known, peering in through the door frame. “You didn’t have to intervene, girl,” the Nurse says with unexpected softness and clarity in her voice. She looks almost serene, ominous heartbeat gone, sitting primly in front of the window and torn dress flowing gently with a breeze from the derelict wall.

“I know, it’s... I couldn’t just watch. I’m sorry about them, they’re--” “It’s fine. Truly. I understand,” she says, looking down at the photo again. “I haven’t exactly shown them mercy in the past, I would not expect them to act different.” “Are you... okay?” Zarina asks, cautiously approaching. The Nurse sighs. “This place, it... brings back memories I’d rather forget. I feel my focus slipping and my head is just not in it today.” “The others said you used to be more powerful--or p-perhaps just more ruthless, before...?” “I suppose that’s true,” the Nurse chuckles. “There was a time where I lost myself completely, the entity filling my mind with hatred. Now... I’m weaker, more often a disappointment to it, but... perhaps it’s for the best.” “Umm... not to point out the obvious, but--don’t you think it might help to take the bag off of your head so you could see better?” “You’d offer advice to me, an enemy? A rather peculiar survivor, you are,” the Nurse says, fondness in her voice. “As for the matter, I am able to see just fine, courtesy of the entity. Hiding my face is a choice, one of the few I still have. I--” her voice cracks. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up a touchy subject.” “What a curious one you are. Never give up that fire,” she says. “As for covering my head... he always loved seeing me smile,” she says, fondly stroking a finger over the picture, before handing the frame to Zarina, taking her completely off guard as she fumbles to grab the item.

In the frame is a picture of a happy couple on their wedding day, both smiling brightly and embracing each other. The man looks like a proper old-time gentleman, complete with a top hat and silly mustache. The woman is gorgeous, her pale skin and white gown a stark contrast to her fiery red hair and deep emerald green eyes.

“Is this you?” Zarina asks, slightly taken aback, reminded of the fact that the killers probably used to be normal people, just like her. “It was the happiest day of my life,” the Nurse says wistfully. “That was his favorite photo. He said it brought out my eyes, he--he loved my eyes, said they were a reflection of my soul, of our happiness. Which is why I can’t let anyone see my face.” “Because now you’re... unhappy?” Zarina asks, trying to understand. “Because I don’t want anyone to look into my eyes and see the madness that consumed me,” the Nurse whispers.

Zarina is at a loss for words, intrigued about the remorseful killer’s past but not wanting to pry further. She stares at the photo and tries to imagine how the cute, carefree woman in the picture could have ever turned into a bloodthirsty killer.

The sound of the exit gates being powered snaps her out of her thoughts, finally handing the frame back to its owner.

“Thanks for telling me all this,” Zarina says. “Can’t have been easy, what you’ve went through.” “I should be thanking you, for indulging a silly woman her tales,” the Nurse says. “Feel free to stop by, should you happen to wander into this realm from the campfire. I don’t often linger here, but... maybe it would not be so bad, had I company.” “You know, I might just take you up on that offer,” Zarina says, offering a small smile. The sound of a gate opening and the end game triggering reminds her that she’s on a time limit. “Shi--shoot, I’ve gotta run. See you around, uh... ms. Nurse?” “Please, call me Sally,” the killer says, primly bowing her head. “Zarina, was it? Do be careful out there. Your kindness might just be the end of you.” “Doesn’t sound so bad, as far as causes of death go,” Zarina quips, offering a cheeky grin before sprinting off the find the gate.

[sally is precious fight me. and lmao i didn’t even try to be subtle about who toxic nea is inspired by]