#The Archon Hunt Missions

[farsight-the-char]

Our Uncle reacts to Mother like an rude child who found a thesaurus.

Like dang, stay off youtube and reddit, Goat-head.

[skullzy20]

hey I don't think that's right

[eudico-my-beloved]

I wish people would stop fucking force starting missions it fucks the game up so bad

[oceanxveiined]

Honestly, even when I add a new verse for the oc(s) and work them into a still-expanding canon, I like to think their presence in the area/time of the narrative is best justified as essentially them running a B-plot in a sitcom to the main quests/protagonists' journeys. Or like. Half the shit Team Rocket gets up to in the movies-

[aerithmybbgmypookiemywife]

Genshin SAGAU where GN! Reader reads a fanfic about them being a sub.

people of tevyat look in horror as a fanfic about you being a sub is released, not knowing you ARE actually a sub. not proofread. also shoutout to @/gameperson23100 (not sure how tags work here im just a tumblr noob so i just did like a twitter thing) they were in my comments on my first post about this and had an idea about a sub reader! i just expanded on it a little :))

Creator! Reader who seems so elegant yet have such an untouchable aura towards them. Everyone praises them for being so mature, for being so calm and collected towards stressfull siturations, everyone fawns over them. Just one glance from their slightly intimidating eyes has their knees trembling. The archons praise them as someone to really look up to, a true pillar of Tevyat.

When fanfictions like the Creator x Reader became popular, there was an unsaid rule that you were the dominant one in the relationship.

So imagine everyones suprise when a book from an anonymous author potraying the Creator as a sub pops up in Inazuma. Yae Miko was suprised this was published unsupervised! She shut it down but it was too late, almost all of its copies were sold! Everyone was baffled at how the author potrayed the Creator, when it came to their duties, the author wrote them perfectly but when it came to the romance between the Creator and whoever the reader is... It was a catastrophe! The Creator? Submissive?? Down on their knees?? Begging?! Getting degraded and liking it?!?!

BLASPHEMY!

People of Tevyat were conflicted at this book, everyone had divided opinions. Some saying that the Creator is a sub, while some saying they are a dom. There are a few people who suggest that the Creator may be a switch but this gets shut down by both sides. It even reached the scholars of Sumeru! With debates turning into heated arguments that escalates into fights.

The archons, except Nahida, were upset at this book as this somewhat taints your image. (although they secretly love the idea of the creator being beneath their feet) The acolytes were also divided and different opinions, with Alhaitham finding it somewhat interesting while Kaeya found it a little hilarious and treated the book like a parody. Xiao on the other hand, had the same opinion as Zhongli, the book may taint your image thus he made it his mission to hunt down the anonymous author. Itto, who got the book from a random stranger he befriended, treated the book like a sacred scripture or a guilty pleasure. He knows it's probably bad but he just can't stop reading it! Wriothesley read the book during tea time, and thought that the idea of the Creator being a sub was possible...

"And that concludes the report on Fontaine." Neuvillette concluded his report. You only hummed in response as you looked around the room. the Archons were there and some acolytes were also present in the meeting. You felt as if they have something they want to ask but is holding themselves back.

'...Is it about the book...? Fuck, why did it have to be so accurate...' you thought.

You cleared your throat, "I'm sure all of you are aware of a certain book going around." you spoke up, their minds started scrambling, thinking that you would be upset and angry that they haven't found the author yet. "Your Grace, we are all working hard to hunt down the author and imprison whoever they are." Zhongli spoke up, you shook your head.

"No need, it's... An interesting book." you told them, you cleared your throat again, trying to ease your embarrassment. That book ended on a cliff hanger too! No way in hell were you going to imprison the author after writing an accurate potrayal of you!

Everyone didn't show it in their face but they were shocked, but even more shocked at how red your ears are while you tried to keep a calm face. Did this mean that you didn't mind the potrayal of the book about you?! Or are you truly a sub?! Do you just like the book?! What is it???!! HOW IS IT INTERESTING??!!? Their minds were filled with unanswered questions.

Word spread to Tevyat really fast, and as soon as they heard that you called the book interesting, it just added more fuel in the debates about you being a sub or a dom. Like two groups in the same fandom fighting for their non canon ship! The book would still be treated like an illegal book, a guilty pleasure.

[felassan]

The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard preview pages Part One, under a cut due to spoilers. Preview pages come from Google Books.

[Foreword]

[Part Two]

Life in the Tevinter Imperium.

Part One: Post-Inquisition

Top: Returning to Rivain with a precious quest object. Middle: Exploring Par Vollen, the home of the Qunari. Text: Halfway through the development of Dragon Age: Inquisition we created a series of illustrations we called “beat boards” (intended to cover a major moment or “beat”, they are more polished than a storyboard). They proved to be helpful as we brought the game together. As Inquisition was coming to a close, and a sliver of attention was being paid to the next game, we wanted to try doing beat boards right at the start of the game, rather than the middle. With a few general ideas like “We’re going north” and “Maybe there are Titans” and a sense of story momentum, we started creating exploratory beat boards, asking ourselves the simple question: “What would be cool?”

Top: On a secret mission in Tevinter. Bottom: Receiving an assignment from the Inquisitor

The Red Bride's grave.

Top: An old Warden that was avoiding the Calling. Bottom: The first attempt at designing Weisshaupt Fortress. Text: Northern Thedas - Designing the cultures of northern Thedas was like a fun speculative-archaeology project. We were starting with fragments. There were occasional props, characters, or journal entries that hinted at these cultures, and we had to reverse-engineer living, breathing societies from those fragments. The most important aspect was to design them in a way that respected our fans’ engagement with the material but also attempted to exceed their imaginations (or at least do them justice).

Top: In an ancient magical city, some buildings that would have collapsed centuries ago are kept frozen in time. Bottom: Infiltrating the Archon’s throne room.

Middle: One of the first ideas for a player base was a secret lair in Minrathous’s forgotten undercity. Bottom: The very first concept art of Minrathous. Trying to capture the elegance and pride of the Imperium.

Top: The Divine sends out ships to hunt Solas in the hopes that his capture will restore peace to Thedas. Bottom: A Tevinter magister, a Chasind witch, and a Ben-Hassrath commander plot against the player.

Top: A war room in the captain’s quarters. Bottom: We explored making the player base mobile. It would give us water access to most of the regions in northern Thedas.

Top: Early on we explored the return of the griffons – in this case, using them as mounts to hunt dragons. Bottom: Something in the depths has scared the dwarves enough that they’re fleeing to the surface by the thousands.

A coastal town in Rivain.

Top: Elves from all over Thedas answer a mysterious call to Arlathan Forest. Bottom: Exploring a possible endgame scenario where Solas has summoned a Titan in the middle of Minrathous.

Top: Solas returning like a regal figure out of the distant past. Bottom: What if we return to the Fade and rescue whoever was left behind? How would their time in that alien landscape change them, and what insights could they offer into Solas’s plans?

Top: The part runs into their Tevinter counterparts, and they have to work together to survive. Bottom: Solas interrupts your mission, wiping half your team off the board and forcing you to make an unlikely alliance.

Top: Your ship is stolen, and you have to sneak into enemy territory to get it back. Middle: Journey to the heart of darkness to find Colonel Kurts… er, Solas. Bottom: We created piles of sketches and line work to explore story beats. We could iterate quickly and throw things away if necessary.

Top: There are multiple factions in Veilguard. To make sure they were always recognizable, from their buildings to their belt buckles, we began with shape.   Middle: We had explored Tevinter’s shape language in Inquisition, so in their case, it was a matter of expanding on what was established. Some shapes just felt right (like Wardens and the pointed arch). Bottom: A residential Tevinter interior.

Various captions on this page: An upward-pointing triangle for the mages’ college. We explored some sturdy shapes for the dwarves. The Wardens’ pointed arch could be turned upside down into a shield. Rivain has a been a neutral faction, so the circle worked well. The Necropolis factions started with a half-circle “crest”. A downward-pointing triangle for Tevinter. Ben-Hassrath started with an X shape language.

[no captions]

A wealthy Tevinter mansion. To show off, most of the house is built on top of a floating stone slab veined with lyrium. Visitors try not to think about what would happen if the magic was interrupted.

Slice-of-life illustrations like this weren’t prescriptive, but they helped to explore the feel of certain regions we had only ever heard references to.

Rivain is a trade center. It’s one of the places where you’ll see the greatest overlap of cultures.

[no captions]

Tevinter is a complicated place. While there are lofty towers and powerful magisters, we also wanted to explore what the daily life of Tevinter might be.

Top: Peaceful beginnings, gentle giant gardeners, and curious spirits. Middle (1): The spirits saw the dwarves as they tended to the Titans, and they wanted to try making bodies for themselves. Middle (2): The spirits made physical bodies for themselves from the “flesh” of the Titans. The first elves were born, and the first war began. Bottom: A brutal war raged on between the elves and the Titans, only ending when one elf (Solas) rendered the Titans “tranquil”, capturing their souls.

Top: The elves brought a powerful war trophy home. Middle (1): With the Titans rendered tranquil, dwarves lost their connection to magic. They fled into the bodies of their fallen homes. Bottom: With the power that came from the captured Titan souls, the elves built the greatest empire Thedas would ever see.  

Top: Solas fought against the self-proclaimed gods, earning the title “the Dread Wolf”. Middle: The gods drew upon the power of the Titans’ souls to gain more power. The imprisoned souls became twisted with rage. This became the Blight. Bottom: To contain the Blight outbreak, Solas performed a desperate blood-magic ritual. He bound up the magic of the world behind a Veil and powered it with the blood of the evil gods. Text: Black Codex – There was a top-secret document on BioWare’s network that contained the objectively true history of Thedas called the Black Codex. Each culture had its perspective, its own emphasis and style, and over time more was added and taken away. It was decided to reveal a lot of truth in this game, so early on we wanted to illustrate the Black Codex. This would help to act as a visual guide to the events that formed Thedas as we know it.

Top: What remained of the elven empire collapsed. The early human empire of Tevinter discovered it in shambles. Bottom: Eons later, the Blight reached out to power-hungry Tevinter magisters through their dreams. They were lured to the Golden City, but the magisters found it already blackened by the Blight.

Various captions on this page: At this stage, just about anything goes. Writers and artists both have ideas for what kind of characters they’d like to try, so we dump them all out on the table. We created some comics to explore the tone of the story. Some of these characters were designed specifically for that purpose. The Heir of Andraste: Finding the last living descendant of Andraste, a rough-around-the-edges warrior living among the barbarians. The Gladiator: A Tevinter gladiator that has earned her freedom. Her arm’s protected by mail made of keys from all the slaves she has rescued. She wears her former shackles as rmor: a reminder and a threat.

Various captions on this page: The academic and the mage college scholar forced into the field. Initially we work from very simple premises, often only a couple of words, like “happy necromancer” or “Qunari assassin”. An awakened darkspawn mercenary. Text: Early on we thought about creating a new set of advisors for your ship. It’s satisfying to revisit characters from previous games, especially if time has passed. It’s a chance to try and make their story visible. In this case, we see a Morrigan that has embraced her new gift, who can offer insights into the mysteries of magic and the ancient elven world. This version of Dorian is like Mathis from Casino Royale, someone who can advise you through all the ins and outs of Tevinter culture. Smuggler Admiral Isabela can get you into and out of just about any port in Thedas.

[fancyfeathers]

Hunter being Hunted (Yandere Capitano x reader) (Normalized Yandere AU)

From my yandere harbingers series that you can read the introduction post here

This is about the hunter, Capitano’s darling, featuring the medic, Dottore’s darling. Sorta of how they met.

You ran as fast as you could, not daring to look back. It did not take long for people at camp to notice your gone, you could hear their shouts telling them to notify Lord Capitano at once of your disappearance. You were to be assigned to a rather dangerous mission, you knew the outcome of this task would end rather horribly for you. Then when you went to the captain’s tent to drop off a report, you saw it…

letters…

letters about you…

that would place you under his custody when you were discharged, a severe injury would do the trick.

You did not waste a moment before planning your escape which leads you to where you are now. Running in the woods, as fast as you can. The landscape was unfamiliar to you but you did not have time to stop and process it, they would catch you otherwise, and if they did Archons knows what would happen.

“Find them at once!”

That voice shook you, even at the distance it was, it was so loud, and you knew it so well. Lord Capitano.

Your legs started running faster at the sound of his voice. Then you could hear the footsteps of other Fatui getting closer, you wouldn’t be able to get away in time, maybe you should just lay down and accept your fate…

A hand grabbing you by your forearm makes it feel like your fate is sealed, but then you feel yourself being pulled into the hallowed trunk of a tree, the entrance covered by vines. You were about to scream but a hand covers your mouth. You look to see your savior and you see a young woman, around her mid twenties, dressed in what would seem to be a nomadic medic clothes. Your eyes remained glued together in silence. You could hear the Fatui rushing past your hiding spot, along with shouting, then through the vines you can see the familiar helmeted figure of your captain. By some miracle he doesn’t notice you despite being within arms reach.

It feels like an eternity before he finally leaves and moves on to search elsewhere and even longer before the two of you step out of the tree and you can get a good look at the woman, she seemed quite flustered herself.

“T-thank you, miss… you saved me.” You said to her and she only nodded.

“Don’t mention it, you should’ve get out of here before they come around here again.” She answered as she gathered her things that were hiding in a nearby bush, apparently she was hiding out here. She glanced over her shoulder at you with a smirk. “Good luck, ex-Fatui.”

”What about you ma’am? Where are you going?”

She paused in her tracks at your words, before she’s turned around back at you, reaching into her pocket and handing you a letter. You opened it and your heart sank, you knew the handwriting, you recognized it from Capitano’s letters. It was Dottore’s, the second harbinger. It was blackmail, but despite that it was written like it was from an old friend or a lover…

This woman was in the same situation as you…

“Miss, you cannot be serious about it.” You said, following after her as she walked.

“He stole my research, I need it back.” She answered, continuing on her way, determined as ever. “It’s my life’s work.”

“What’s good is your work if you give up your life?”

She paused in her tracks ahain, the only sounds being the distance shouting of Fatui soldiers and the sounds of the nocturnal wildlife. She turned around to face you, walking towards you. Her hands took the letter from yours and stares down at it. She takes a heavy breath.

“You better be right, soldier boy.” She replied and with that she ripped the letter in half. She grabbed you by the wrist and started leading you away from the shouts of the soldiers. “Come on, I’ll keep you safe if you keep me safe.”

[thecoolnauta]

GENSHIN WITH A TEEN!CREATOR WHO IS LIKE LUZ NOCEDA PART TWO

okay so this is part two and i'm just so dizzy but i'v been ALL THE MAMAHUEVO day thinking about this so yeah

TW: gn reader, teenager reader (ALL IS PLATONIC), some mentions of bullying but not that many, maybe sm angstand a lot of spoilers abut the archons missions, reader calling themselfs "bad boy" but meh

part one :)

So you were running for your life

No, seriously you're running for your life, don't laugh about it again

Some random people with a very ugly green uniform were hunting you like you were some type of a witch of the 1600's because you tried to ask them for directions

People of the town being so mean to you sounds like a frocking fanfic trope

Your weak nerd legs wouldn't handle it anymore, but you still running like they have told you there is a special product of your hyperfixation on sale.

AND! you have an egg

A magic egg, with... shinny shell

Running, running, running, blahblahblah, you almost pass out when you lost them closer to a beach

Pretty view, huh?

You heard their steps and hide behind a big stone, your legs and lap now wet by the crystal water

They left and you stop holding the staff like your life dependet of it.

Oh! that's your reflection, you haven't seen your face in hours

...

THAT'S NOT YOUR FACE

The horns and the black eyes felt like some very creep vision of yourself, but you couldn't get that first impresion of you out of your head.

You looked like something, not like someone

Even though your face looks "correct" now, the feeling of the itchy skin and the fragile organs aren't something you would forget any time soon.

"Well, let's not think about that, this bad boy needs to find any social community or will cry" you jump of the stone and continue walking wherever the wind guides you

Actaully, why does the wind feels like guiding you?

pointpointpoint

WHATEVER PROBABLY YOUR SKIN FELLING TO MUCH LIKE ALWAYS :D

(Venti actually let out a big sigh lol)

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE GONE, JEAN?!"

"Why do I feel a deja vu about all this?"

And there they were, the most influent persons of all Mondstadt discussin about this very serious problem to solve... and a bard (who is actually their god but shhh).

"But, what do we do now? We don't have any idea of-" the bard was interrupted by the youngest girl.

"Master Jean, we must ask to the Traveler for more information, that letter is the only thing we have? Amber asked, her frown hidding her tears.

"Sadly yes, Amber. This is the only thing we have to prepare ourself in any case" Jean said, her untied blond hair flying around.

"What do you mean with 'prepare ourself', Jean?" Diluc asked, his leg shacking with anxiety.

"Well" the witch started, avoiding eye contact.

"Aether said... that probably his Guide... the new found god that had been helping us is now..." Kaeya said, walking around the room. Everyone felt his nerves, because they were just as nervous as him. "It's now corporeal"

"What"

"Corporeal, we can touch them, they are now... With us."

Silence filled the room, holding breaths and silent screams are all the winds can reach.

"Master Jean!" Noelle enter to the room, feeling the heavy vibes of the place, still stay with a anxious face.

"What's wrong, Noelle?" she replaid.

"Umh well..." She took a deep breath, letting it all out in a shout with a bow.

"There's a prisioner teenager who scaped from the bouild with rare magic, they don't have any visions and they act like they were from another world, like Traveler!" a quiet and long time pass, slow and slow and- "Okay I'm going, anything you need just say my name."

She leave, then, a loud shout singing the same song was heard in any corner of Monds.

"THE CREATOR!"

I'M SO DIZZY THIS COULD BE A LOT BETTER BUT THAT'S IT BY NOW, TOMORROW I WILL PUBLIC THE PART 3, BYE :)

[robin-evry]

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐔𝐓𝐀!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 👻🗡️

Yuta Okkotsu (乙おっ骨こつ憂ゆう太た, Okkotsu Yūta?) is a major supporting character in the Jujutsu Kaisen series and the main protagonist of its prequel series, Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Jujutsu High. He was initially a special grade cursed human haunted by his late childhood friend, Rika Orimoto. Satoru Gojo mentored Yuta and enrolled him at Tokyo Jujutsu High. Yuta is currently a second-year student at Jujutsu High where he works as a jujutsu sorcerer. He was training overseas in Africa with Miguel until after the Shibuya Incident when he returned to Tokyo.

( English is not my first language )

Warning : cliffhangers

Imagine yuta!reader was fighting a special grade curse spirit, that has the ability to create portals to anywhere, when they were about to go for the last blow, the spirit opened a portal and they were sucked by it.

Waking up in a cabin in the middle of somewhere snowy, their sword is in the corner of the room where their clothes are neatly folded. The person who has been taking care of him must have changed their clothes. Suddenly the door opened and an old woman walked in.

Granny : are your wounds healed, I found you in the middle of the woods unconscious.

Yuta!reader : oh thank you ma'am, but would you mind telling me where I am

Granny : you're in the land of the cryo archon, Snezhnaya dear, in the town morespesok.

Snezhnaya, that word sounds Russian but on earth there isn't a country name in Snezhnaya as it seems the curse spirit teleported them to another dimension. After the granny leaves the room, they summon Rika to make sure they're still there. The good thing is, Rika is still with them. Yuta!reader put them to Rika to sleep for now...

The granny has 3 sons who have joined the military or fatui it's what they called for the military. The granny allowed yuta!reader to stay for awhile in exchange to help her with basic chores. Like chopping wood, reaching areas they can't reach, run errands for the granny, etc

When going grocery shopping, yuta! reader manages to accommodate the town of moreposek. Meeting the towns mayor and meeting a bunch of new people. It was nice... Until

Yuta!reader started to notice a certain family who was always the victim of gossip and was being ostracized by the town's people. When asking granny about the family, she said their 4th child and eldest third son is named ajax ( like the cleaning product ). And become a higher up in the fatui Harbinger something like that. One day yuta!reader saw a kid that had ginger hair and blue eyes.

Teucer : MY BIG BROTHER ISN'T A BAD PERSON HE IS THE GREATEST BROTHER

Kid one : HES A KILLER AND A MANIAC

Teucer : HE IS NOT, HIS A TOYS SALESMAN

Yuta!reader manages to stop the fight between them, and it manages to scare the bullies away. Turns out the kid was a part of that family who was being ostracized. His name is Teucer, they took Teucer home to make sure the other kids wouldn't be back to torture him.

One day, granny told them that there's been an increase of monsters in the forest preventing the villagers to hunt meat so yuta!reader volunteers to get rid of these monsters, they take their sword and go find the monsters.

Yuta! reader : "finish killing the Frostarm Lawachurl"

??? : wow you're pretty good at this and your swordsmanship is perfect

??? : "jump down Infront of them"

Tartaglia : names childe or tartaglia

Yuta!reader : nice to meet you...

Tartaglia introduced himself to them, apparently, he is on his day off after a mission and is visiting family and that is why they have never seen him. But his orange hair is identical to teucer, plus he has the same eye color as well but they don't have that twinkle or sparks when you look at someone who is normal, maybe they are related.

Both of them have a nice talk when walking back to moreposek, tartaglia even ask if they're inazuman due to their blade being similar to inazuma sword style, when they make it back, someone ran towards tartaglia and hugged him tight, it was Teucer...

Turns out, he was Teucer's older brother I mean it was already suspected so it's no surprise... Anyway yuta!reader has to go back towards the granny to help her with chores they bid farewell and off they go

Tartaglia : Soldiers...

Fatui agent : yes my lord

Fatui agent : yes my lord

Fatui agent : yes my lord

Tartaglia : make sure to follow them closely and not be caught he is by far from normal

Tartaglia has already sense something is different about yuta!reader, they are able to take down 4 frostarm lawchurls without issue and a single scratch. They also are very proficient with the sword as well an enhanced physical prowess that is nowhere to compare to a human being .Not to mention they have this bone chilling and intimidating aura around them, since vision users are more sensitive to elemental energy the element they possess is not elemental and as well they don't have a vision or a delusion on their arsenal. Something is definitely not normal about them, they should report about this to the other harbingers. But his main priority is to spend time with his family before another mission, but he's gonna be keeping his guard up around them...

[bahbzxxx]

IMAGINE~

with Bahbz)

A Tyrant! Venti simp session~ 🥀🍷🕊️

Imagine a Teyvat where Venti is the tyrant archon of mondstadt, and he rules from Decarabians old tower which he has restored to his (and Dvalins, he’s a good dragon papi) own flair. While he’s not the worst, and he’s not corrupted too badly…there’s still lots of conflict and battle. (There’s this really hot dark Venti who is a certified smoker 🚬and he’s really hot and sometimes I just need to stare at his angry demeaning but beautiful face to remind myself that there is life to live but that’s just my personal testimony)🖤❤️☕️🚬

You’re a rebel leader in this mondstadt, which inherently means you’re enemies, and you are one of his top fugitives that he’s hunting down in his game of Windtrace to the death.

(You actually may just be his top fugitive…)

Things kinda get messy when, on a mission where you have to steal something that gives Lord Barbatos his power, like the holy lyre or the skyward atlas…

And you wind up in deadly territory.

maybe you took a wrong turn in the cathedral vents or castle vents and now you just fell through the ceiling like a complete idiot…not something a seasoned rebel would be caught doing, right?

Especially landing in the same room as the archon.

In his private quarters.

When he’s there, sleeping…

Oh! but you’re lucky. If there is anything to note about this foe, it’s that…well, man’s can SNOOZE.

What else is there to note? Oh…yeah…

From the way he’s been uttering your name in so many ways…

All the PET NAMES…

and all the touching himself…(who are you to be staring, by the way…)

(Wait…hes kinda hot now that you think of it…I mean, you’ve always been thinking this, it’s just that you’ve, you know, been busy scurrying away from him like a little rabbit from a fox in his never ending game of windtrace to the death…so naturally, you haven’t given this much thought…)

Wait~

He’s stirring…

[saintlyguy]

NEW WAR SPOILERS: I had a nap dream where The New War got retconned and it was wild.

Most of it was the same, except Veso and Teshin live. During the Drifter portion, they have to unite the resistances formed by Kahl, Veso, Teshin, Little Duck, and Hunhow. Since your Warframes are gone, Stalker begrudgingly allows the Drifter to link with him to hunt the Archons.

After healing Lotus and the Drifter meets the Operator, Cy flies them and everyone else to help Lotus beat Ballas. In a power of friendship moment, the Drifter and Operator use Transference with Lotus to give her the power she needs to beat Ballas; here the player takes control of Lotus. Somehow my dream decided to set this new boss fight to Stronger Than You from Steven Universe and everytime Lotus hits Ballas, it syncs with the chorus’ lyrics. After laying out Ballas, The Man in the Wall appears as usual except Lotus is then backed up by the player’s allies.

Instead of bringing Lotus back to Lua, the Drifter and Operator bring her to Cetus to chill. The choice where Lotus could keep or change her name to Margulis or Natah is replaced by a cutscene where the Drifter and Operator wish for her to do what she wants. From here, the Lotus steps down as the leader of the Tenno and live life. The Tenno are self-governed now but are guided by a tribunal of Teshin, Kahl, and Veso. Teshin handles Orokin and Infested missions, Kahl handles Grineer missions, while Veso handles Corpus missions. Lotus will then have missions similar to the ones for Maroo and Clem, but will change depending on who she feels like being for the day. If there is a Margulis mission, the player will simply hangout with her; she’ll tell stories that reveal more lore while playing the Shawzin, competing at Komi, or just having tea with the player. If she feels like being Natah, you are fighting by her side as if it were an Arbitration Defense mission. Lotus missions are like Kahl missions where you take control of her but also fight alongside your character.

This retcon dream was pretty fun and makes me want another one about Warframe 1999.

[gutouhua]

𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞

vampire!kaeya x human!f.reader

wc. 1395

tags. kaeya drinking reader's blood, penetrative sex, hickeys, slight dumbification, size difference, cervix-fucking sorta, not edited

a/n. last reader insert piece i'll post for the year! i love the reader fic community very dearly--y'all were the ones that made me want to write!--so even if i'm writing other stuff besides reader fics, know i will always be back! gonna be working on zine stuff & the next part of shrine master's bride in the new year! i hope you lovelies have a gentle christmas and peaceful rest of the year <3

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭! 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐔𝐍𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝟏𝟖+!

There were times when Kaeya felt that he was made specifically for you. For your needs, your comfort, your pleasure. A knight at his queen’s service. 

At the farmer’s market, he’d carry everything for you even though he knew you were more than capable of doing it yourself. He’d never admit it, but it was just an excuse to be by your side. 

And as you flitted from stall to stall, he’d trail after you with heavy arms, juggling bags and parcels of food and trinkets, and admire your pretty sundress. He told himself that he followed behind to protect you, but it was mostly so that he could enjoy—ogle—the way the cotton voile clung to your ass. 

You’d always buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and meats wrapped in kraft paper. (Bloodied steaks, he’d noticed, were a particular favorite of yours.) 

But the shop you always lingered the longest at was the dessert shop. Dainty frosted cakes, golden flaky pastries, and soft cookies presented prettily in delicate containers was your ultimate weakness. The shopkeeper always had your order of sugar rush ready even before you arrived, and Kaeya was always careful to balance your desserts in expert fashion, careful not to jostle them too much. 

(The last time your baklava got crushed into a sticky, flaky mess, you refused to kiss him for an entire day which left Kaeya very distraught and aching.) 

And when you come back from a mission, your familiar scent smothered by the tang of feral vampires, Kaeya would greet you like clockwork with a kiss and a hug at the door despite his intense aversion towards the smell of ferals. 

He’d hoist you up into his arms and carry you to the bathroom before peeling your hunting clothes off and depositing you into a bath scented with your favorite rose oils. The bathwater would get most of the stink out, but Kaeya knew your muscles would ache from the hunting and that some of the stench would linger, he’d work the knots in your body and scrub at the blood that stained your scarred skin. He always started at your neck and ended with your toes and you’d always try to stop him—you were extremely ticklish—but in the end, he always had his way. 

But archons. When you were under him—

“I swear you get wetter—tighter, ah fuck—” you desperately arch up against his hips, chasing heat and friction, “—when my fangs are on your neck. Why’s that baby?” Kaeya mumbles. Sugar and sin against your beating pulse, so loud you can somehow hear it through the rough rasp of his voice and the erotic sounds of your bodies intertwining with each other. 

Kaeya is mocking, but his tone belies his own control; taut, thin strands of sweet candy floss that could snap at any moment. But your unraveling is always his goal, what’s most important to him, so he squeezes his eyes shut to push the bleeding red from his eyes and tightens his grip on your hips to anchor himself. 

“I—I don’t know—” Your answer comes out as a moan, half-delirious from the steady pressure building between the juncture of your thighs, and you buck against him again before digging your heels into his lower back to keep him inside you. 

But Kaeya simply ignores you with a lazy smile, instead mimicking the drag of his hard length inside you with blunted fangs against the column of his throat. The dull pain slides across your sensitized skin, a numbing, delicious promise. 

“P-Please I, I need, ah,” you whimper brokenly, trying to fight your mind for words when Kaeya presses a perfectly timed callused palm to your stomach. And suddenly it feels like he’s filling you everywhere, consuming all the empty spaces in your body. 

“You need what, darling? You’re a smart girl so use your words,” he chides, dragging each thrust out—slow and honey amidst the haze of your pleasure. “You know I’ll give you whatever you ask for. Command me as you see fit.” 

“It’s easy for you to say when you—” 

A sharp thrust, full. His tip kisses your cervix and the stretch almost hurts, making you scramble for a fistful of his hair to steady yourself. Keeping his pace steady, he returns to nibble your neck, fangs teasing and nipping the hollow of your neck. Even when you whine against him, raking your nails down his back, Kaeya doesn’t stop until he feels he’s lavished enough attention on your neck. He licks the blooming purple rose on your neck and draws back to admire his handiwork. 

Kaeya hums. “Is that what you need, baby?”

The vibrations travel straight to your core, and you shake your head and whine. Kaeya grins. He knows that’s not what you meant, but seeing you beg and fall apart is so much better than just giving it straight to you.

He liked the chase almost as much as he liked watching you lose your mind. 

“Y-You know that’s not it. That’s not what I want,” you cry while squirming, trying to seek sweet, hard relief.

“Then tell me, baby.” 

Your muscles tighten with each quick thrust, the heavy drag of his cock like a key twisting your insides tighter and tighter. “I want you to-to—ah, fuck, baby not—”

“Words, baby,” he whispers hotly. Fire and brimstone. 

"I-I can’t,” you sob shakily, tears welling in your eyes. 

Kaeya flips you over and pulls your hair lightly, creating a delicious burn on your scalp. You dig your hands into the sheets, crinkling the silk as you blink wet eyes in an attempt to focus your thoughts. 

“Poor baby,” he coos, not at all sorry if the way he thrusted into your cunt was any indication of his intentions. “Too dumb to speak, are you? Can’t use your big girl words?” 

“Want you, mmf, want your, ah, fangs, please—” 

“Ah, my love.” Kaeya slips two fingers into your mouth, pressing against your tongue. Warm saliva drips down his cold fingers. “I’ve got you now,” he murmured, voice low against the shell of your ear. “You want me to drink your blood, baby?”

You turn, nodding as much as you could given the position.

“Then I need you to cum.” Kaeya pulled out, and you whimpered at the loss, a cry of frustration bubbling in your throat. 

“But I want it now. I don’t care if it hurts,” you whine, eyes glassy with need. 

“I need you to cum so it hurts less though, baby. You know that’s how we always do it.” Kaeya adjusts himself and lines the tip up with your pussy, moving his cock up and down to spread your slick and tease your clit. “So will you be a good girl for me and cum so I can reward you?” 

You nod. You’re so close to the edge that you know you’ll cum the moment he sinks into you again. 

He kisses you. Full-bodied, tongue circling yours, and pulls back when he smells the frustration—arousal—increase. He steadies himself against your cunt before pushing inside without warning in one fluid motion, and remembers that he still has to stay sane enough to give you what you want. (But it’s hard to think when his balls are pressed tight against your ass, and your insides feel tighter than they did before.) Kaeya drags his heavy length out, leaving just the tip inside your wet heat, before achingly pushing back in. 

Close, close—

“Almost there?” he murmurs, voice soft against his hardness. He grinds down on you and sinks deep while pinching your clit hard, watching as you fall apart under him, mouth open, throat straining, vein thickening—long, smooth and—

Sharp fangs sink into your beating pulse. Blinding pleasure streaks through you before syrupy pleasure spills into your veins. Kaeya sees red and struggles to keep himself steady against your soft body and wet heat. 

You seemed to have a habit of doing that to him. Making him crazy, wild, ache for you. With each heavy draw of blood, he relishes the sweet taste, hoping that each additional drop would quench his thirst, but it never does. His mind grows fuzzy, fangs throbbing with each drag.

He might never have enough of you. Never be satisfied. 

Kaeya groans.

You’d be his downfall.

[its-sixxers]

abeyance

(sorting through old docs, have a prelude to a half light sort-of sequel starring viola the tremere and allusions to a 70s new york fic i might write eventually)

tremere oc x mercurio, blood bond angst

—

Los Angeles was a lost cause. Venture Tower burned, and Viola could see the glow of flame against the navy sky through the chantry window.

A muscle in her throat constricted. Her eyes felt dry, itched, and something between her ribs ached.

After thirty years apart they were reunited in the city of angels. Never to exchange words, to make reunion as painful as separation. Once they had been friends, one they had been each other’s sole confidant, the only one to be trusted. A chasm greater than time spanned between them, greater than regnant.

Life no longer hummed through her veins. He was yet a servant. When she looked at him she could see the color in his cheeks, his nose, his ears, the red in his knuckles, and it reawakened a hunger she’d long tried to forget, long thought she’d smothered. It reawakened twisted, a predator wishing to hunt and kill and consume, and she’d thought it was for the best that their paths crossed rarely and in places where they could not speak.

Until the sky burned, his regnant dead, and his life destined for the ashes if it had not already joined it.

Six months later she stood in the San Diego chantry, a pitiful small thing near the sea, Strauss at his desk across from her and looking no less imposing despite their diminished circumstances.

“I was informed a week ago that the Camarilla is sending an Archon here.” The regent explained. “To help Prince Tierney maintain control over the city, officially - an embarrassment to her, to be sure.”

“Unofficially?” Viola inquired, though she couldn’t give life to her voice. It was flat, hollow, numb - and Strauss was not impressed.

“The events in Los Angeles were disturbing. Confusing. By all accounts the Anarchs had no chance of success. The fledgling was their catalyst, of course, but she had no right to her achievements at her age. I met the poor creature.” Strauss frowned deeply. “There have been isolated reports of increases in blood potency through the ages, and each have been treated with utmost gravity by the Camarilla. This is one of such cases.”

Viola remained silent, her question unasked but obvious. Strauss was telling her this for a reason.

“I have met the poor creature,” Strauss repeated. “But I knew her little. Those with greater familiarity are our enemy. LaCroix for all of his faults would enlighten us. Unfortunate. However,” he rose from his desk and walked past her, pushing open the door to his office and gesturing for her to follow him. “The Nosferatu were willing to cut a deal.”

Strauss led her through the chantry, a crumbling abandoned mission church by the seaside that had been layered with enchantment upon enchantment. Through the halls, floors of sun baked ceramic, down into the cellar; converted to cells. Viola’s curiosity managed to burn through the fog of her apathy, the dimmest glimmer of flame. The infamous Red Nosferatu was dead, the fledgling who’d seized Los Angeles by the throat and had brought an Archon to the New World to see how she’d done so - and yet a part of Viola hoped she had been brought to the very cells they passed by. A part of her burned with envy, wishing she could grasp such power and break her chains so easily.

Instead Strauss stopped by the final cell, next to a rotting wooden rack that had once held wine barrels. A figure was curled in the corner of the cell, in the darkness; hair graying and limbs bony. The faint scent of cologne, cigarettes, and gun polish met her nostrils, sparking familiarity in her memory.

Not the infamous fledgling - but someone back from the dead, nevertheless.

“Mercurio.” she breathed. He flinched, raised his head to meet her gaze - there were deep lines set in his face, he looked fifteen years older and exhausted. Viola’s chest grew tight, and reflexively she wrapped her hand around the bars of the cell. Mercurio dropped his gaze back to his feet. Terror lanced through her at the realization he hadn’t been fed in some time - perhaps not since LaCroix’s death.

In only a few years she’d be seventy. Which meant he’d - not die, exactly, but -

“The Prince’s ghoul.” Strauss affirmed, cutting off her panicked thoughts. “The next best thing. It’s my understanding he was somewhat close with the fledgling. I recall the two of you having great success in New York when you worked together. I hope your knowledge will fill in the blanks where he lacks it, and the Archon will leave satisfied.”

The unsaid was obvious. If unsatisfied, it was likely both she and Mercurio would be dragged back to Europe, minds subjected to all the techniques the Camarilla had at their disposal to ferret out the truth. Viola was a sacrificial lamb. It was a hazard of the job, after all.

“How long has he been starved?” she inquired quietly, keeping her tone aloof and uninterested. Strauss knew they’d worked together, but he could never know how closely - even if it was only ever one sided, a flame too dim to shine across the abyss of separate regnants.

“Long enough for entropy to resume.” Strauss said dryly. “Perhaps the anarchs grew tired of feeding him - or he was unable to scavenge what dregs he could.”

Viola could have lied - could have said he would be dead soon if it was allowed to continue, soon to be useless to any interrogator - but Strauss was not one to remain ignorant of those enjoying his hospitality, prisoner or guest. All she could do was stare at his hunched form.

“In order to expedite the task that lies ahead of you, he is yours.” The regent continued. “Consider him a reward for your work in Los Angeles with the fledgling’s sire. If he survives the Archon’s questions, he’ll serve you as well as he did LaCroix. Admirably, from my understanding - a pity for the Prince that he wasn’t there to help on that final night.”

LaCroix was dead. Perhaps it was a threat - a mockery - but Viola knew Mercurio better than Strauss would ever guess.

Hers. It made nausea roll in her gut. Her ghoul, and all that implied.

At least he would be fed, she reassured herself.

“The Archon is expected within the fortnight.” Strauss advised. “Ensure you’re ready to answer his questions by then. I’ve business to attend to; I trust you can handle him.”

Viola nodded - it wasn’t a question, but she answered nevertheless. Strauss’ footsteps echoed against the cobblestone of the cellar. She waited until they crested the stairs before she passed her hand over the door lock, willing her heart to beat.

The echo of blood unlocked it, and she drew open the cell. Mercurio did not move from where he was huddled, not even when she knelt in front of him.

Words stuck in her throat, her tongue heavy when she opened her mouth. To her shame a low whine escaped her - a whimper, at how matters were never in their control, how it had all come to this - how their continued existence was about to rely on a betrayal, an abomination, and worst of all it might only buy them a few more weeks.

The city of angels was lost, and the failure lay heavy upon their shoulders.

“Do I leave you?” she whispered to him in the dark. “I can’t imagine the hunger, but if this is what you want -”

Mercurio lifted his head again, silencing her, his blue eyes nearly glimmering in the gloom. Far too pretty for him, for the man they belonged to; doubly so now that time was enacting its revenge upon his body.

“No.” he spoke after a beat of silence, his voice hoarse.

“You know what it’ll do.” Viola continued nevertheless, her own voice cracking. They both had been ghouls, they knew what it did - how one could never quite be themselves again, always aware of the boot on their neck. After the death of her sire she’d been free - as free as a childe of Tremere ever could be - but he’d been shackled long after she.

Until then - until he sat hunched in the cell, what youthful charm he had fading fast.

Viola peeled off her gloves, pressed the thumb of her left hand to her right wrist, let her nail bite into the flesh. Deliberately she drew a thin line, her blood a darkened and thick plum in color rather than the crimson of a mortal, stark against her ashen skin.

Mercurio’s pupils blew wide at the sight, the gleaming blue of his iris now a thin line. He sat up straight, leaned forward, licked his lips - he was salivating, and if her heart still beat it would have quickened its pace.

Instead she lifted her wrist to his face, and his hands wrapped around her arm. They were hot, even after a stay in the cell, and his mouth was hotter, tongue pressed to the wound in her skin, burning, heat crawling up her veins as he fed from her. Some primal instinct urged her to bat him away, to crush his cheekbone against the back of her knuckles for his presumption, but instead she remained still.

The lines in his face softened, some of the damage of the ages reversed - when there was nothing more to be done she withdrew her arm, even as he still clung to it. Viola laved her own tongue over the cut, tasting him against her skin. Bittersweet.

Once upon a time she’d imagined herself kissing him, tasting him upon her tongue in a much different context. It’d been a source of no small amount of shame, for there was no hope of reciprocation - and now, with him shuddering from a new source of vitae in his veins the shame colored a shade darker.

How long had she hoped for the Embrace, how naively she’d thought it would improve her station. Ever since had been failure after failure, isolation after isolation, all in her living death tainted and twisted.

Mercurio’s hands had fallen to her knees, his gaze fixed hungrily on her lips. How she’d wanted him to look at her the way he did then, on the edge of manic, some shade of the desperate madness she’d once felt. Forbidden, taboo.

Now she was certain he’d do whatever she asked, sate each fantasy she’d ever felt - but those blooms were blackened husks now, and she had no desire to turn them into nightshade.

Instead she stood, walked back to the cell door to take her leave.

Mercurio gripped her ankle, giving her pause. She thought he’d ask her for more blood, but instead he managed to speak three words into the damp air, vocal cords rejuvenated by her vitae.

“I missed you.”

Viola lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment. Oh, she wanted to believe him, but she knew what it was to have a regnant feet from her, how one wanted to say anything in hopes of a scrap of approval, mind crude and not one’s own.

“I’ll lead you to my room.” she said flatly, desperately trying to ignore how he seemed to hang on her every word. Mercurio was never a sycophantic ghoul, always aloof and reserved in his way - but she knew him well enough to know what it took to make him straight backed, to make him reach out, to hold onto something. “No doubt Strauss has work for me, so I won’t be around much, but you’ll have your hands busy with research.”

It didn’t take long for Mercurio to understand - he was always smarter than anyone gave him credit for. With a groan he clambered to his feet, joints most assuredly stiff from his time in captivity - though the vitae in his veins meant that wouldn’t be a reality for much longer.

She tried to ignore how he eyed her as she pulled the cell door open, how acutely aware he appeared to be of her. Before they left the cellar he stopped her again - this time with a simple brush of his fingers against the back of her arm.

“Are you upset?” he asked, so bluntly she felt as if she’d been slapped.

“No.” she answered, equally bluntly. “Why?”

“I never came with you.”

New York burning, just like Venture Tower. He chose the ashes over her twice, bonds of blood stronger than anything their experience together could create. She could never blame him - and felt some bitterness to know that in the end it didn’t matter either way.

He was tied to her now, and would never be the man she’d grown to care for again so long as he was. A catch 22, his life her responsibility and the very duty ensuring things would never be the same.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” she said quietly, and he did not argue with her.

Against all hope, she still hoped they’d survive the Archon, for anything was better than the void. Even a poor parody of briefest happiness.

[agirlwithachakram]

locking in Reyes' romance is objectively ridiculous

the flirts are fun and cute, and he obviously really fancies Ryder, like genuinely believes in them as a leader and a capable problem-solver without idolizing them in a dehumanizing way. and he's hella charming, and it's easy for Ryder to fall for him and to be impressed with the work he's done in the quagmire that is Kadara, plus his respect for the Angara, that Sloane does not share.

But then we get to High Noon. absolutely bizarre quest. Sloane's like "i can't trust anyone but you, Ryder" and you can't say "why would you trust me, I've literally been undermining you the entire time, I'm hooking up with, if not your top rival (although! possibly?), then at least a major agent of theirs, we stole your booze like yesterday, I think you're a shit ruler, you are dumb as hell to bring me as your second to a duel."

at this point it is more than plausible for Ryder to have at the very least wondered if Reyes IS the Charlatan, though they do express surprise when he reveals himself. Then again, the line delivery is ambiguous enough that you could say Ryder is just announcing it to Sloane.

and then your boyfriend is like "let's draw!" and Sloane says "okay!" which is! so stupid! ma'am he lured you here to die! why would you trust him!?! and me? HIS LOVER? we have been spotted sucking face in your storage room quite recently!! girl WALK OUT. Blow this joint!

and then SAM's like "she's gonna die"

So you have seconds to choose between letting your boyfriend pull a dirty murder or letting this terrible leader keep going.

Ryder, who does NOT have a renegade route, who can be cold at times but for the most part doesn't really have "win at any cost" options, who is relatively young, who never faced the reapers, has to stand there and watch as Reyes has Sloane murdered, after Sloane said she was relying on Ryder to prevent any such tricks.

And then you get two options. Reyes says "I liked the way you looked at me. I didn't want that to change."

You can say "You're not the man I thought you were," which elicits the heart-shattering response, "I wanted to be." this ends the romance.

Or you can say, "Nothing's changed," which is really fucking improbable, and in response he shoves you into the wall and kissy kissy

Neither of those strike me as particularly plausible! MAYBE the first one, it's not how I'd do it but fine, the response is cute and sad. but the second one is ridiculous. Ryder is getting their hands dirty, yeah, making some harsh choices, but that one is such a shitty thing to pull on your sweetheart, that no, you can't say nothing's changed! Something's changed!

It would make a lot more sense to say, "congratu-fuckin-lations, you get kadara. can I have my outpost?"

"Are we going to talk about thi--"

"Not right now we're not, liar. I can't deal with you right now. you got what you wanted. I'll...come see you when I'm ready. IF I'm ready."

and then you can come talk things out later, you can even do it after a major mission like Hunting the Archon or something. TELL him it sucked to have that thrown on you, but you do understand that survival here is messier than you might've hoped, stuff like that.

plus it's juicier that way because you can continue the romance AND get his sad little :( i want to be good enough for youuuu Ryder *sniffle* and that's delicious.

[boatswainscall]

It's endlessly frustrating to me as a MR30 the way discussions around what specific Warframes and weapons are "good" or not end up being framed.

Where the same bullshit always unfolds whenever new ones release with youtubers and the like talking about how "bad" they are when the reality is their metric of "good" is like.... being able to mow through exceedingly high-level eximus with steel path modifiers in the blink of an eye. Which is laughably non-applicable for like, most people playing at any given time. Not to say that information is not expressly useless - it will be for instance a great resource to look to once you take your first steps into Steel Path, Archon Hunts and Deep Archimedea, but it can be disheartening for people just trying to get through stuff like the Index or the Sedna arm of the Void to see all these weapons and builds and such that they cannot access yet.

The reality being most weapons are at least worth trying out to see if you personally enjoy them and most Prime, Kuva and Tenet weapons for instance will be reliable for use in most content until you take that step into Steel Path - with some still retaining their usefulness into that tier of content if built a specific way. There are weapons that are very much not worth looking into or building beyond MR fodder though, which are at the very least discussed when applicable.

As for Warframes though, you genuinely can't go wrong with most of them in most content - with specific ones being better suited for specific mission types of course ie tankiness, crowd control and defensive capabilities, but if you have a particular favourite that you want to stick with you won't get expressly punished for it outside of content that they are definitely not suited for, of which you can just switch up your loadout to better suit the situation. But even then some Warframes really can thrive in any environment if you have spent the time to learn their kit inside and out, which is something I do love about Warframe as a game.

Depending on how badly viral + heat will get bodied by the Jade Shadows update and its damage type reworks I may set aside time to sit down and try to write up my own guide of sorts for early to midgame players, with stuff like specific weapons, mods and generalized tips for building Warframes in general ie when to prioritize shields over armor/health etc. Because this game really is one I'm very passionate about and I did most of my learning on my own past a specific point due to not having any friends at the endgame level to ask for advice from. So I'd like to be that kind of resource for players in that position where I had none myself.

Again this will depend on how cataclysmic the shift in damage type meta is come that update because it'll mean I'll need to scramble and salvage my own arsenal from utter annihilation given how much of it is currently centered around viral + heat lmao. As well as my own eternal battle against executive dysfunction. But we'll see.

[hexofvex]

Childe brainrot time hear me out-

You're another child in the small village of Morepesok, hailing from a family of hunters. Hunting and fishing are the major practices in your village.

You befriend a small boy about your age, Ajax. A curious and energetic boy, fascinated by the tales his father would tell the two of you. You often go into the forest, playing, pretending you are two heroes of old slaying dangerous beasts. And as you two age, you develop a crush on each other.

When you both turn fourteen, he tells you he will become a legend, just like the heroes of the stories you adored so much. You smile and wave your hand, it's all so endearing after all. Until one of his sisters knocks on your door and informs you of his dissapearence.

For three days, you search relentlessly together with his mother and sisters. You can't rest, you can't sleep. One moment you are angry at his stupidity, and the next you're tearing up, praying that he turns up safe and sound. And he does. And although he looks relatively unhurt, you notice the difference.

How his eyes are devoid of light, of the curious sparkle they once had. He's suddenly confident, leaving behind all of his previous activities. He calls them childish, fishing is boring, come on, when are you going on the next hunt? Can he come with you? You agree, but then you have to hold him back for the entire time, because suddenly attacking a bear or a boar with a dagger isn't the hunting strategy you were raised with.

It doesn't stop there. He gets into fights with the other teenagers, time and time again. There isn't anyone your age in Morepesok who would dare challenge him, so he moves up to adults. But in the moments where he's with you and his family, he's cheerful and playful, and you recognize your best friend.

When Ajax informs you of his father's decision to send him to the Fatui, your heart drops. You're not even sure this would help, isn't a military organization the best enviroment for violence. You're surprised by how unalarmed he is by this, but just before he leaves, you glimpse a sight of his true feelings on it. You feel his unwillingness to leave you all behind in the tightness of his hug.

You exchange letters throughout the years. You tell him about your hunting trips, and he tells you of his job as a harbinger and his mission to fulfill the Tsaritsa's orders. He tells you of the capital city, and the beauty of Zapolyarny Palace.

The next time you see Ajax, you're both well into your early twenties. He's waiting in front of your home and your jaw drops at the sight of your best friend. He's taller, his features are rougher and the fullness of his cheeks is gone, having left behind a defined jawline. But when he lays his eyes on you, his smile is all the same.

You go on a hunting trip, for old time's sake, and you are absolutely horrified to see the way he uses a bow. For the love of the Archons, you can't understand why he prefers to be sloppy when he's great with so many weapons, but you leave him be. When a snowstorm begins, you drag him into a cave and wait it out.

Hours later though, it shows no sign of stopping. You joke about how you might actually never leave that cave, and he asks you if he can kiss you. If you'll die here, might as well, right? You laugh, he can't be serious. The look on his face tells you that he is. The feelings that you've had for each other, kept under wraps for years, resurface, and you share the moment your teenage self dreamt of. He cups your face and presses his lips against yours, and you can feel years of pining. It is by no means rough, but it's firm, and you're dissapointed when you need to pull back to allow yourself to breathe.

He tells you that if he's to conquer the world, he wants his best friend and lover by his side.