#They'll be ripped from my cold dead hands

[alphabetshipper]

Jakeward?

In the year 2024 of our lord and saviour?

Yes.

Absolutely.

100%

[alicelufenia]

A Guide To Keeping Wyll And Karlach After Siding With Minthara In Act 1

Or as I like to call it, how to permanently recruit Karlach and Wyll (because I have yet to complete a full playthrough with both of them)

Ever since Larian added a way to legitimately recruit Minthara by knocking her out, I've wanted to help the community be more successful in their efforts to give my favorite drow yet another concussion. Because like all things related to Minthara, the KO method was buggy as hell, non-intuitive, and metagamey as fuck. I wrote multiple guides on it, to the point where I made the master post my pinned for a while. You may have seen it at some point, but here it is again for reference [x]

As happy as I am with the success of those posts, it's time I revealed my true alignment. I'm actually one of those scary Minthara stans who has killed the grove more times than siding with the tieflings. I know, you'd never guess by looking at my blog (don't look at my blog) I did it my first playthrough and it's only gotten easier since. And while I stand by it as the single best way to experience Minthara's character and story arc, I'm not so cold-hearted as to deny that it's a shame we miss out on Wyll and Karlach in the process.

So rather than play the villain, what say we have them stick around by taking on the REAL villains of Act 1:

The Druids

To start off, you'll want both Wyll and Karlach in your party, and Withers in camp. I've had him show up upon crossing one of the bridges in Act 1, either to the blighted village or the goblin camp, I forget which, or you can bust him out of his Dank™ crypt. Proceed through Act 1 as normal. To be safe I got as much approval from them as I could in early game, but that may not be necessary. Offer to kill Kagha for Zevlor.

Now, both of them need to die, and preferably not by the hand of your party members. I had them suicide charge the gnolls and get wrecked, as on Tactician mode they'll attack downed party members until they're dead. I don't know if having them jump off a cliff works, but it might. We need to entrust them to Withers by asking him to look after their bodies instead of reviving them. Their bodies will then appear in camp by their tents.

Now go kill Kagha without revealing the shadow druid conspiracy. This should trigger the Druids to start fighting the Tieflings, which will happen off screen as you deal with Kagha and the few druids inside with her (killing Nettie earlier might make this easier in case she joins in. She tried to poison you, so serves her right.)

Steal that idol! I'm not 100% sure this is required, but it takes no effort at this point and you need to sit tight for a minute, so might as well.

Also if you thought you could return the idol to Mol, no luck, she won't accept it until the fighting ends. Unfortunately all the tieflings need to die for this to work, so rip Ring of Protection. But not exactly rip the tiefling kids, more on that in a minute.

OOF, rip Dammon (and most of Karlach's questline. Don't look at me like that, it's Larian's fault for tying her entire story onto one npc and giving nothing as an alternative)

I'll give the tieflings credit, they did not go down without one hells of a fight. This bear was found burnt to death, probably due to Zevlor.

Damn, they really killed all of them. I wanna point out this can happen even on a good playthrough with the best of intentions.

In the end, only four(!) druids survived. I don't know how they'd fare with Kagha fighting too, but overall I'd say the druids talk big for doing this badly against a bunch of unarmed civilians. We kill the last four of them, then get ready to move on.

With trepidation, I go to check on the kids. Not recommended if you raid the grove for real, but here:

It's just... empty. No bodies, no npcs hanging around, they completely cleared out.

I like to headcanon that Mol followed through on protecting her kids, and they escaped down this hole. I'm still very early in this run used for testing, so I have legit no idea if they show up later. But this is good enough for me to include them all in my fanfiction so :D Congrats, the only tieflings with rights (sorry Karlach!) are gonna be alright (because if we don't see a body it doesn't count)

Next step is to just... keep going. Sazza can get you into the goblin camp no problem, and if you play a Drow or have Shadowheart use disguise self, you can gain entry without any checks or dialogue. My half elf needed to talk her way in (or just use AUTHORITY)

best goblin btw

MOMMY

Lookit how happy she is after Sazza has brought her the grove's location! A lead on the weapon AND another True Soul AND she's concussion-free? Everything's coming up Minthy!

It's at this point things get a little weird (I did warn ya), as the game now has flagged the grove as "raided" even though we haven't done an actual grove battle, which is a different thing (as I'll demonstrate later), so Shadowheart has her "post-raid" dialogue when we wake up on the next long rest. The Raid The Grove quest is also marked as Completed, but still has a marker on the map. Have patience, return to the grove and walk through the (destroyed) gate, and suddenly:

The quest will update, and direct you to speak with Minthara in the secluded chamber where she normally is at when the raid is finished. There's also goblins milling about the grove now, same as the post-raid grove.

Get someone who looks at you the way Minthara looks at a cave full of dead druids and tieflings.

"No Minthara, I never meant for any of this to happen. This was all my fault, I shouldn't have gotten involved, they're all dead because of me-"

"Nevermind I am no longer morally conflicted about all this."

To the goblin party!

LIES. He never mentions it again lmao. C'mon patch 7 fix this! (you won't)

Why we're all really here 🥰

The next morning, speak to Withers and ask to collect your dead party members. He will have you confirm payment for their resurrection.

And it works! Karlach and Wyll are back, they can rejoin the party, and their approval is Unchanged!

Since I was on a roll, I went ahead and checked a few other scenarios: what happens if we don't start a fight with the druids and just raid the grove directly, with Karlach and Wyll dead? Well you can revive them afterwards, but...

Dang, Wyll still leaves (he's still so nice about it though! Even wishes you well!)

Meanwhile Karlach: Feck off, cunt.

Well, she's not leaving, but she's never been this blunt or cold towards me before. I wonder how much-

Damn, -49?! That's literally one away from leaving permanently! She started at 50, which means Karlach looses 100 approval from raiding the grove, and being dead doesn't change that. I think the only reason she's at -49 instead of -50 is due to that +1 from reviving a party member. So, she's grateful for being brought back to life, but not happy about anything else. You know what, that's fair.

One last thing I tested (and no pics for it cause this post has reached its limit! But those extra pics of Sharp-Eye Sluck are important, so I'll just write this next part out) I wanted to see if it was even necessary to finish off the remaining druids after they killed all the tieflings. So I left the grove (manually, you have to journey quite a distance before it lets you fast travel, almost all the way to the first bridge) and headed to the goblin camp to start the raid as normal.

Like our first time, we arrive at an empty grove. Even the druids we left behind are gone, meaning you can safely headcanon this method as joining up with the goblins and Minthara to take revenge on the druids. The game still acts like you killed the tieflings though, down to Gale's threatening to leave.

But Karlach and Wyll still get brought back without a problem! You can even revive them DURING the goblin party and they'll act like nothing's happened!

Wyll And Karlach Recruited Alongside Raiding With Minthara: Success!

So Baldur's Gate 3 community! I now implore you to put down your Pommel Strikes, switch off that Non-Lethal toggle, and stop giving poor Minthara even more brain damage than the tadpole and the Absolute already gave her!

And when you reach Moonrise Towers to rescue her, for the love of Selûne, when the guards are torturing her in the prison, don't just swing on them. Agree to enter her mind first. You'll have a dicey roll to deal with, but trust me, it's SUPER worth it!

As for the whole process, well. Despite the clunky way quests update after you start the grove civil war, the resulting lack of direction and narrative inconsistencies in the dialogue post-goblin party, this still feels like a more immersive way to recruit Minthara on a run with both Karlach and Wyll still present, than the KO method, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Consider this: You've got a major twist in the Act 1 plot now, with the Druids turning on you and killing the tieflings you were trying to help, leaving your party dispirited and lacking direction, other than to continue their search for a cure, which leads them to meet the Absolutists, the goblins, and the drow commander leading them and looking for the druids' sanctuary. And in the midst of your grief and anger, you side with her, both to get close to the source of the infections (as the Dream Visitor suggests) but also to take your revenge out on the druids.

You can feel conflicted, regretful even, but the context has changed enough that I think even a good-aligned Tav with no qualms about methods can live with this result. It just takes a bit of filling in the gaps (do you simply point the goblin army at the druids and look away, or lead them yourself by Minthara's side? Either way works for the results)

The only real downside is, again, Karlach's story just sorta ends here, until the confrontation with Gortash. I personally think this is a problem with Larian's writing for her, and at this point fanfiction is about the only solution in sight. But if you don't mind her not getting the chance to touch others again, you really have nothing to lose here

Besides, were you really going to pay Dammon for that act 3 armor? Of course not, you steal it every run and don't pretend otherwise, "hero."

[grandlinedreams]

Hiya! Thank you for all of your fics! 🫡 They really make my day everyday! If you are still accepting requests, may I please request anything angsty with a fluffy end for Azriel 🥹 Whatever you can think of! ☺️

Hiya!! I sure can hehe, I hope this is to your liking!!

|| warnings: angst, blood, the war camp Illyrians are jerks, fluff

Illyria is fucking cold.

Wind whips at your face, unforgiving chill biting at any exposed skin ㅡ not to mention the steady crush of snow beneath your feet. The sun is already sinking past the snow-covered line of pines that makes up the steppes ㅡ making you grimace and attempt to hurry your pace.

This was not how you'd expected to spend your evening ㅡ but then again, you suppose freezing to death is more ideal than whatever fate your supposed "group" had intended for you. Made of Illyrian males and wholly unfamiliar, they'd made it clear that you weren't welcome on this expedition when you'd started ㅡ even more so when they'd had the audacity to grab at you with enough force to bruise your skin.

You aren't Illyrian, and so perhaps the thought had been that you would be weak, made more vulnerable in unfamiliar territory ㅡ but you'd proven them wrong when you'd sank your dagger into the gut of one of them, wrenched yourself free, and promptly taken off with the speed of a frightened stag.

You know they could track you if they really tried, but with the snow that pelts from above and the darkening sky, you doubt they'll risk it. But you're facing a bigger problem now ㅡ you have no idea how to get back.

"Fuck," you whisper to yourself, teeth clenched to keep from chattering. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

If it weren't so goddamned cold, you would've been paying better attention. If you hadn't been chased off by a handful of alphahole males with superiority complexes, you wouldn't even be out here in the first place.

Which is why, you suppose, all you can feel is surprise as the ground underneath you gives way with the cracking snap of loose rock and earth. It doesn't give you time to react as you lose your balance, plummeting gracelessly down into the abyss below what'd apparently been a drop off.

Your body bounces once, twice ㅡ then your head rebounds off sharp stone, impact making your ears ring before silent black consumes you.

Something is wrong.

Azriel can feel it, an undercurrent of tension that thrums in his veins like a second heartbeat. This entire place makes him uneasy, the churn of memories from his own time here as a child that reminds him why he avoids this place at all costs when he can.

But Rhysand had been adamant that he and Cassian make sure things were going well here, and you'd gone along to offer what support you could. Azriel appreciated the intent, but the way you'd been eyed by more than a few of the other males had set him on edge even further.

Cassian eyes him with a mixture of amusement and sympathy at the fact that he's just shy of pacing. Movement at the edge of his peripheral catches his attention, and he turns ㅡ it's the group you'd gone to scout the steppes with.

And, he notes with a fresh spike of fear to his stomach, you're not with them.

Azriel is moving before he truly registers it, eyes flicking from one face to another, fury rising like the maelstrom howling in the moutains beyond. "Where is she."

One of them has the audacity to scoff, and Azriel's blood boils as his shadows writhe, clamoring for bloodshed. Right now, he'd have no qualms about ripping every single one of them to pieces. His siphons blaze. "Tell me where [Name] is. Now."

One of them sneers. His arm is slung over his stomach, stemming the spill of blood from a wound to his stomach. Azriel hopes that you're the one who gave it to him. "She took off."

Azriel snarls, wings snapping out before he throws a rough, "Deal with them before I do" to Cassian before he's in the air and off in the direction they'd come from.

The only reason you know you aren't dead is because everything hurts. Pain radiates from everywhere, from the tips of your toes to your scalp ㅡ but you're alive.

You're not certain if you're relieved or not. A quick tentative flex of your hands is first, then your neck, your back ㅡ and you hiss a sharp curse when white-hot agony starbursts from your left ankle.

It takes longer than you care to acknowledge to sit up enough to assess it ㅡ grimacing at the swollen flesh, bruised an interesting shade of purple.

Fuck.

There's no way you're going to get out of here, not like this. Frustration mixed with fear prompts the rise of tears to your eyes, and you grit your teeth against a sob.

You're going to die out here. And there's nothing you can do about it. You doubt those alphaholes told anyone what happened and while you know Cassian and Azriel will look for you, they won't know where to look.

You stifle another choked sob, then still at the sound of movement. Of course some wild animal would take advantage, you're an easy meal ㅡ

"[Name]," a voice calls from behind you, so Cauldron-blessedly familiar that it has you struggling to turn, raw hands scrabbling for purchase to haul you upright.

You don't know how your ankle bears your weight or how you don't immediately collapse back to the ground ㅡ all you care about is lurching into the Illyrian male's arms with a ragged call of his name. "Azriel."

How he found you is beyond you, but his arms are around you, warding off some of the chill as he takes on most of your weight. He doesn't ask what happened, and you don't ask what you look like. The way his grip tightens on you answers how he feels about both.

He's still gentle as he lifts you up, flinching when you still hiss in pain. And then you're airborne, cradled carefully against him. Pain and exhaustion make your eyelids heavy as you nestle against Azriel's neck, the subtle shift of his head against yours following you into sleep.

When you wake next, it's to the crackle of a fire and the warmth of dry clothes. Sitting up is still a challenge, and dried blood flakes beneath your touch when you bring your fingers to the tender throbbing of your temple.

"You're awake." You look up to see Azriel standing in the doorway. You've been around him enough to read him, the unspoken relief in his eyes as he approaches. "You don't have to worry about that group of warriors," he tells you, "Cassian and I handled it."

The gleam to his eyes turns wicked and cruel, and you have no doubts how he and Cassian handled it. It doesn't make you feel better. You look away, studying the blanket over your legs.

"They had a point," you mumble, hating the weak rasp to your tone. "I shouldn'tㅡ"

"Give people like that any kind of weight to the words they say," Azriel cuts in sharply. "Because they're wrong. Just because you aren't Illyrian doesn't mean you're not strong."

When you still won't look at him, Azriel approaches you and reaches, calloused fingers coaxing your head up to meet his gaze.

"You still deserve better, Az," you mumble. Azriel's eyes narrow, flashing before he's leaning down to press his lips to yours. The kiss is rough, demanding ㅡ and then he pulls away enough to look at you, eyes blazing.

"I don't want better," Azriel answers, voice low. "Because there isn't. I just want you."

Your lips tremble before you're kissing him again, softer and sweeter. "You have me, Az," you mumble.

"And you have me," he answers, quiet enough that only you can hear him. "Now and forever."

[the-eeveekins]

It's perfectly reasonable to be angry at Bandai and sad about their decision today. But I do not regret watching G-Witch, I do not regret falling in love with this show or Sulemio and I definitely DO NOT wish they hadn't even tried to tell a queer story in a Gundam series. This show and these girls have brought me so much joy over the past year, and they can't take that away from me.

Yes, Bandai's response to THEIR OWN explicitly queer story is frustrating and infuriating. But no matter what they do today or in the future, even if it involves censoring the BRs or writing sequels to undo their happy ending, they'll have to rip the broadcast version of G-Witch from my cold, dead hands, because they can never take that happy ending with Suletta & Miorine explicitly married like the creators intended away from me.

So when I see people say they wish Bandai had never made G-Witch or wished they had never watched it, I just can't agree with that take. I love this show & what the creators tried to give us, and even if cowardly executives held them back, I'm so thankful for what they managed to get through: that representation is so important to me.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Rival: Jacob Haft, the Dead Hand

The corpse swaggers, yes, swaggers down the manor's grand steps, before ripping free one of the railing posts and levelling it at you like a duellist's blade. " Shame it is, our meeting like this" He rasps, "My Story's long over, and yours ain't half started. Still, an end's and end isn't it? Lets get you all sorted out and punctuated and I can be about my work."

No one hates to see talent go to waste more than a necromancer, so before the mercenary was even cold in his grave Jacob Haft was set upon by resurrectionists and bound for the ghoulcaller's slab.

In life Half was an accomplished sellsword with a talent for getting out of tough scrapes and always getting the job done, now he's a sleepless revanant possessing inhuman strength doing busywork for an up and coming coprsebotherer. While he has no particular beef with the party, he's bound by the magic that animates him to put his all into executing whatever dark bidding is assigned to him, which means pitting his near invulnerable body and decades of well honed skill against the heroes and whatever mission they happen to be on at the moment.

Adventure Hooks:

Seeking to end a dark curse creeping over the land the party is tasked with delving a decrepit manor that might have once been the site of dark rituals, only to come face to face with the Dead Hand. Jacob's master has heard that a dark artifact or tome of forbidden lore they desire was obtained by the manor's previous occupant, and has sent his pet revenant to retrieve it. Jacob would love if he could talk the party through their differences, maybe share a drink and a smoke and a dirty joke or two before letting him leave with his prize. If not, well, he'll have to knock them out and bring the whole structure down on top of them to get his lead.

While he was always an expert at using improvised weapons, Jacob staked his life on his lucky wrist-dagger Toodle-oo, both of which were taken from him (along with his arm) by the final vicious bite of a beast he'd taken a bounty to defeat. Should the party retrace the merc's legend and be able to find the knife, they might just be in possession of the one weapon which could put him down for good. Jacob might even appreciate such an end, seeing that the knife was more a part of him than his arm ever was.

Necromancers are not known for being content with the power they have, so each subsequent time they encounter the Dead Hand they'll find him grafted with a new undead extremity: The Paralyzing claw of a ghoul, the rotting touch of a mummy, the life-sapping grasp of a wraith. Each limb will act on its own in combat, and If they're clever they'll think to sever it to deny their foe the expanded arsenal.

[bonkwosher]

Ho could you do a joel x reader where maybe tess is jealous. And maybe that we get close to ellie ?

A/N: I just got caught up on the show for this... Bill & Frank- I need a hug, they are so precious. Anyways, yes, this. I'm not hung up on anything /j /lh

Pairings: Joel Miller x GN!Reader

Contains: Jealous Tess (obviously), Bill & Frank (CRY ABOUT IT), family member death, implied age gap (10ish years), only one bed? lmao, reader gets injured

2009, Six years after the apocalypse started

You were in your late-20s when you wound up lost & alone. Your dad was a conspiracy theorist before the outbreak & he kept you safe. You lived in a bunker in the middle of some random forest. Everything was fine, you were as happy as one could be in a zombie-infested world. Well... you were until your dad didn't come back from hunting. After a week, you went outside. The color assortment that filled your vision had you borderline overwhelmed. While taking in the view, a guttural sound hits your ears. You turned to see your father, infected & staring at you like a starving predator.

"No," you muttered, there was no way he could've been bit, right?

Your denial was ripped from your body when he began to run at you. You screamed & sprinted off, out of the forest. As you ran, a fence slowly came into view. Safety? You beelined towards your possible safe haven, barely taking note of the tripwire on the floor. At the last second, you jumped over it & kept running. You continued running until a gunshot went off. you quickly stopped & raised your hands above your head.

"I'm not infected!" You yelled, gulping & closing your eyes.

The fact that the sounds of your assailant had stopped made you turn your head. Your father, or what was left of him, lay dead on the floor. A bullet hole on either side of his head.

"It's just a stray infected, Frank!" Bill shouted from behind you.

No sudden movements, they'll shoot, "I'm not infected! Please, I need help."

"Turn around!"

You turned slowly to face the man. He was tall, 50s maybe older, the more important detail was the large gun pointed at your head.

"That's a hunting rifle, my father loved to hunt," you tried to find common ground.

"Where is he now?"

You nodded behind you. Bill slowly leaned to the side to look past you & kept a poker face, his boyfriend did not, "You poor thing."

"How are you alive when he's...?" Bill trailed off.

"My father was a prepper, I just got home from college graduation the day that things went to shit. This is my first time seeing a color other than gray in years."

"When did you last eat?" Frank yelled from behind the fence.

"Five days ago."

"Oh my god, Bill, let them in!"

Bill seemed very upset, "Hold your horses. You, stand still & keep your arms in the air."

Bill pulled out a cordyceps scanner & held it to your head. You know you weren't bit but you still were afraid it would show red. The device beeped & Bill gave it a cursory glance before nodding towards the gate. You two walked back & into the gated town.

Frank directed you to the shower & laid you out some of their clothes for the meantime (They totally take you to the boutique later). As much as Bill wants to kick you out immediately, Frank convinces him otherwise. You eat a meal & cannot stop completing Bill's cooking. As soon as you finish, Frank asks you to sit on the couch while he talks to Bill.

"We have to let them stay, they're practically a child!" Frank whispered.

"No, absolutely not. We do not have to do anything to help them."

"Okay, Bill. We don't need to. I- I want to," Frank hesitated with his words, knowing no matter what, he'd upset his boyfriend.

"They could hurt us."

"They don't want to!"

"You don't know that!"

Frank grabbed Bill's arm & led him into the living room. You were curled up in a ball & fast asleep. Bill's eyes softened for a moment, he knew he wouldn't win this argument.

Bill was cold around you initially, but he grew to care for you. Frank, on the other hand, practically babied you. He wanted to do everything for &/or with you. He would style you, go on runs with you, teach you how to garden & paint, whatever made you happy. You quickly became something like his own child. You tried your best to learn from Bill, thinking it would allow you to be closer. Boy, were you right. When you asked him to teach you how to hunt he wanted to sign the adoption papers right there (if there were any). Although you were a full-grown adult, it became an unspoken thing that you were their child. You thought you wouldn't see another human until one day you heard your fathers fighting outside.

"Well, I've been talking to a nice woman on the radio!" Frank yelled (I'm too tired to find the exact lines).

There was a pause, "YOU WHAT?!"

Within a couple days, visitors appeared at your gate. The three of you walked up to the gate, all dressed nicely. The only thing that reminded you that you were in the apocalypse was the fact that a gun rested at your hip & another was pointed by Bill, right at the visitors.

"Please put the gun down, Bill."

"It's me, Tess! I brought my friend Joel like I said!" The woman yelled.

You became distracted by the man for a second. He was tall & dressed in a nice brown jacket & jeans, a gun holstered on his hip as well. He's smart. Frank let the two in & scanned them to keep Bill sane.

"They're healthy, Bill!" Frank turned to you, "Y/N, take Joel to get some vegetables for lunch. It'll make cooking lunch easier for your father. I'm going to show Tess around."

"Alright," you spoke quickly, desperately trying to hide the fact that hanging out with this handsome stranger excited you.

Joel gave you a soft smile as he walked towards you. Unbeknownst to you, Tess saw your cheeks flush as you looked up at her friend. She gave an unseen glare in your direction before Frank whisked her away for a tour. You lead Joel to the main garden, filled with vegetables.

"So... they're your fathers?" Joel tried to start a conversation.

"Well, you know, not biologically. They took me in last year & kind of... adopted me."

"Aren't you an adult?"

"Twenty-nine, yes. I don't care, it's nice to have a family in these times."

"I guess you're right."

You two knelt down next to the garden to pick some carrots.

"Is Tess your...?" You began, seeing if you even had a chance.

"It's complicated, I guess, no."

"Oh, I'm sorry to pry."

You both reached for the same carrot & you grabbed Joel's hand on accident. You jumped & apologized profusely.

"Hey, Y/N, it's okay," hearing his deep, southern voice say your name sent chills down your spine.

"We- We should pick some lettuce or something, I don't know."

"You don't have a list?"

"No."

"Lettuce it is."

The two of you picked vegetables for a while longer & Joel offered to carry everything back for you. Arguably, a good thing for two reasons. One, you didn't have to waste your strength. Two, you ended up falling flat on your face & not one vegetable was harmed. Your leg caught on a root of an overgrown tree & you hit your head on the sidewalk. Your consciousness level was unstable at best, Joel set the vegetables down & picked you up.

"Bill! We need some bandages!"

Joel opened the door & brought you into the dining room, setting you down in a chair. Bill entered the room & saw you hurt.

"What happened?!"

"They fell while we were walking, hit their head on concrete."

Joel lightly pressed a towel to your forehead, "We're lucky, no broken skull. Can you get some bandages?"

Bill left & returned with a first aid kit & pulled out some rubbing alcohol, pouring a little onto your cut. You winced & Joel's hand darted to yours, offering you comfort through reassuring squeezes. The two men wrapped your head in some bandages & brought you random snacks.

"Feeling any better?" Joel was still holding your hand.

"Yes, thank you. I'm such a klutz sometimes."

"Well then, I think I need to come back more often to make sure you don't hurt yourself," Joel gave you a small smile before looking down at your hand.

Tess & Frank walked through the front door talking about possible trades. Tess had picked up the basket of vegetables that you two had left behind.

Frank noticed you in the kitchen & rushed to your side, holding your face with both hands, "Y/N, what happened?"

"I'm fine, I just tripped again. Joel bandaged me up & stopped the bleeding," You spoke softly & gave Joel's hand a squeeze to say 'thank you.'

"Thank you, Joel, you don't even know how much this means to me," Frank stood up & took the vegetables from Tess before heading to the kitchen, "Keep them safe, I'm going to help Bill in the kitchen."

Tess looked down at your & Joel's hands then held eye contact with Joel. She directed a glare at her friend. Joel looked at the floor & quickly pulled his hand from yours. You looked over at Joel only for him to stand up & walk towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to see if they need help in there."

With that, you were left alone with Tess. She seemed nice, but you managed to miss all her looks & just thought something was up with Joel.

"Joel & I are together," Tess finally broke the silence, crossing her arms.

Well, now you didn't want to be a home wrecker, "Good for you two."

"Get the hint, kid. It means back off."

"I'm not a kid."

"Oh shut the fuck up, Joel is at least ten years older than you. You're practically a baby."

You paused to figure out how to word this, "Look... I don't want to cause any problems. Joel told me there was nothing going on between you two. Plus, we met maybe half an hour ago, nothing was happening."

Tess dignified your response with a nod before sitting down. You two sat in silence for a moment. You heard a lot of metal clinking coming from the kitchen.

"Y/N! Come help Joel!" Frank yelled.

You entered the kitchen to see Joel on his knees picking up a pile of utensils. How did he manage this?! You knelt down beside Joel & began picking up all the utensils. Once they were collected, you handed them to Bill & Frank to wash. They, in turn, trusted you two to bring out the plates & glasses.

"Don't drop them this time, Joel," Frank teased.

The two of you walked outside & began setting the table. Tess sat on the porch & watched you.

"How'd you end up dropping everything, that looked like you emptied the whole drawer," you laughed.

"Your father, Frank, stepped away from the sink at just the right time to bump into me as I was heading outside with everything."

"Well, maybe you need me to make sure you don't hurt yourself either," you teased, giving him a light jab to the arm.

Joel looked down & smiled, "Yeah, maybe I do."

"Joel! Come over here, I need to talk to you about the trade deal we're making!" You two finally noticed Tess on the porch.

Joel gave you a soft smile, maybe saying he was sorry to leave again, & ran off toward Tess.

Joel & Tess chatted on the porch while you finished setting the table. Every time Joel would unknowingly turn his attention to you, Tess would do her best to pull his attention back. She was growing annoyed each time you'd walk by, drawing his eyes to you. Still believing the two of them were in a relationship, you resisted the urge to touch his arm or pat his head as you walked by each time, simply to remind him you were there. Not like he needed you to remind him anyways, he was doing pretty good at that by himself.

Lunch was short, Bill kept a gun pointed at Joel for a while, much to your & Frank's chagrin. Frank decided to show Tess something & left you with Joel & Bill. You continued to eat your food as the two of them spoke.

"If my," Joel paused & looked at you, "If I had a partner that did this, I'd be upset too."

You were genuinely confused & hiding it didn't even come to mind. Joel placed his hand on your arm, pulling your focus back to him.

"Something on your mind?" He chuckled.

I shouldn't bring it up, "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Frank had decided it was too late to let your visitors return home, they had to stay the night. After dinner, you took the dishes & began washing them. You could hear the conversation, even with the door closed.

"Alright, Y/N can share their bed with one person, the other can have the couch in the living room."

Joel practically jumped the gun but did his best not to sound excited, "I can share the bed with Y/N."

Tess looked shocked. Frank looked at Bill with a knowing smile.

"I-I mean, I'm too tall for that couch. It would be uncomfortable. Tess would fit, right Tess?"

"Yeah, you're right."

You walked back into the dining room & Frank asked you to show Joel to your room. You avoided eye contact with Tess & walked toward your room, the only thing implying Joel was following you was the sound of heavy footsteps. You arrived & opened the door, allowing Joel to walk in first. He silently admired your room while you hopped onto your bed. It was getting late so you were already on the verge of knocking out.

"Ready for bed?" You asked with a yawn.

"Just about," Joel spoke as he saw you bury yourself in the covers.

"It can get pretty cold in here at night, but maybe with the two of us it'll be tolerable."

Joel took off his shoes & climbed into bed next to you. Your comforters were softer than he'd felt in years.

"Oh my god, this is so much better than the QZ," Joel turned to face you & the reality of the situation hit you like a truck.

Your face was extremely red now. You were sharing a bed with this stranger you just met, who may or may not be in a relationship, & you have a huge crush on him. His face was close enough to the point where you could feel his breath.

"Are you & Tess together?" You felt like a broken record.

"You already asked that," Joel chuckled, pulling more of the blanket on top of him.

"Well, Tess said you were together."

"I guess, together in the sense that we came here together (This himbo lmao), but we aren't dating."

"Oh, she seemed upset when she saw us holding hands."

Joel let out a huff, "Alright, Tess & I... we had a thing. I don't know, but it's over now. It does feel weird trying to flirt with attractive strangers in front of her."

Joel looked up with a small smirk, as if you could become any redder.

"You- Wait, you were flirting with me?"

"Maybe a little," he teased.

"I like you, Joel."

Joel placed wrapped a hand around your waist & pulled you close, "I like you too, Y/N."

Joel looked down at your lips then back to your eyes. You seemed to finally catch on & nodded, bringing another small smile to Joel's face. He closed the gap between you two.

A/N: Not my best work but I'll edit it at some point. I forgot about the Ellie bit but I can make a part two or another one-shot. Tada!

[papaziggy-devblog]

How would the cast react to me eating things I'm allergic to just because they're tasty?

Like I'll casually eat cheez-its and shit I'm allergic to just because dairy eggs and wheat are so fuckin tasty

You can't rip my junk food from my cold dead hands 👁️👄👁️

They'll catch me in the kitchen at 3am eating cheesecake

How do they handle this ����️👄👁️

They are all putting you in The Wiggler

[imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul]

Timeless - Peter Parker

A/N: Hello! Long time no see. Trying to get back into writing and was struck with the idea of creating fics inspired by Taylor Swift's work; however, that is a ginormous task. But in this thought process I was inspired to write this story. So alas, I present my first Taylor inspired fic. Who knows if or when they'll be more, but I hope you enjoy!

TS Prompt #1: Timeless (Taylor's Version)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader Word Count: 2.4k Synopsis: Peter and the reader fall into different love stories as they enter an antique shop.

Fall hits New York the same every year. Starbucks releases their pumpkin spice menu, the general public complain that it's too soon, and a week later colds and sweaters are no longer so far fetched. Central Park, once so green and full of life, turns dead and brown. There are fewer people on the street, or maybe it just seems so because they now huddle into one big mass to fight off the wind from the Hudson.

September 3rd, and you are tugging on a sweater you hadn't expected to use for weeks.

With the coming of fall also comes a new semester of college. A new year of classes, friends you'll only know for those four months, and long commutes to campus.

You take a glance in the mirror and brush back a stray strand of hair. As you check yourself over one last time, your phone buzzes on the counter next to you.

Peter: Coffee in hand, 3 minutes away.

You rush out of the bathroom, knocking the curling iron onto the floor, and tug on your shoes. Living on the thirteenth floor, it would take you almost three minutes just to get down to the lobby.

Hauling your back-pack over your shoulder, you blow a kiss to your cat and lock the door behind you.

Peter is walking to the front door as you come out of the stairwell. He smiles at you, holding out your coffee order.

"Hey," you say, a little out of breath. You lean in for a quick kiss and fall into pace together. "Thank you."

"Anytime. I figured coffee might make the first day back easier. Is that a new sweater?"

"It is. And it did," you say, taking a greedy sip of your drink. "What's your schedule looking like?"

"Nothing until 10, but then back to back classes. You?"

"I have a break around noon, but start first thing this morning."

"Excited?"

"I am," you said, looking at him. He smiles softly and takes your hand in his. "I like the first day - yeah there's nerves, but it's also full of new beginnings and hope."

"Including a new route," he says as you turn two blocks earlier than usual.

"My first class is on the far side of campus, this is a shortcut. You know, if your classes don't start until 10, you don't have to be here."

"I know," he says, smiling again. "And I can't promise that I will meet you every day at 8 to walk you to your class, but I'm happy to do it this morning."

"Walking me to class on my first day like a parent?" you ask with a laugh.

"Yes, and make sure you don't get to running away before I get that first day of school picture. I want it for our Christmas cards."

You're laughing as a window display catches your eye.

Timeless, the display reads, in large print newspaper clippings. The individually cut letters would typically look a little serial killer-y, but the shop had arranged a tsunami of old photos around it, making it look like a moment ripped out of time.

As Peter stops next to you, you realize the common theme of the display. In each photo, whether it's from the early 2000s or the 1930s, there is a couple in love. A woman with long hair and bellbottoms looks lovingly up at a man with a long beard and mustache strumming a ukulele. Christmas morning 1994, a man grins lovingly at his partner as he opens his PlayStation. Wedding dresses with big 80s sleeves, tea length gowns of the 1950s, and dancers in colorful geometric prints, all gazed back at the couple looking eagerly into the window.

"Let's go in," you say, practically subconciously.

"Aren't you worried you'll be late on your first day?"

"Aww, who gives a damn about ice breaker games?" you ask as you push open the door to the antique shop, the bell ringing in welcome. An old man at the register nods at the two of you, then goes back to his books.

"Look at all of these," you say, taking in the endless displays around you. The Timeless theme follows you inside. Not only do old photos cover every inch of the shop, but so do letters close to crumbling, porcelain trinket boxes that hold vintage rings, and clothes from every era imaginable.

"I wonder how long it took to collect all of this."

"Many, many years." You both jump as the man from behind the counter is now next to you. He holds a cane in one hand and his glasses in the other. "I've been working on this collection my whole life."

"It's incredible," you say with a smile. "Is it all for sale?"

"Most of it. Some of the pieces are from my own life that I won't part with. Did you notice the wedding picture in the window, bottom left corner?" he asks. You glance back towards the window and the shop owner laughs. "Of course you didn't. You could stare at it all day and still find new things. I do each day.

"Anyways, that's mine. Taken 40 years ago when I married my wife, Marjorie, right here in Queens. Don't believe I'll be parting with that any time soon. Just completes the collection.

"Well, look around the shop and let me know if you have any questions."

"Thank you," you both call as he makes his way back to the register. You exchange an amazed look with Peter.

"This is definitely worth missing ice breaker questions," he says. You laugh and lean up to kiss his cheek.

"I can't miss everything, but I think a few minutes in here are worth the delay."

You stroll away from him - both of your attentions caught by separate corners of the store. Peter wanders over to the small record section, the wall covered in Elvis posters, women draped effortlessly from his arms.

You decide to take a look at more of the photos. There are boxes upon boxes that look as if they haven't been opened in fifty years. There is no chance that even a third of them could fit on the walls of the shop.

You pick a box at random - a red photo box with a few scrapes along the side. Even looking through just the photos in this box would take hours. Thumbing through them, one catches on your thumb.

You pull it out and find a scene so familiar but unique all its own. Like the famous photo you saw in nearly every history class, a soldier kisses a woman in the 1940s. The streets around them are crowded, with other couples out of view embracing just the same.

The scene before you is a celebration and as you look at it closer, hoping to take in each and every detail, slowly the man's features shift to Peter's. No longer does the man have black hair. No longer is the woman he kissing the woman you first saw, she now looks just like you.

The streets are crowded. With trembling hands holding a small stack of letters, you look through the crowd, craning your neck to catch just one glimpse of him. All around you, loved ones are reuniting. Mothers are kissing their sons' foreheads. Women weep as they fall into the arms of their love.

Just as panic starts to grow inside you that maybe he's not back, that your prayers have not been answered, you see him. His brown hair is shining in the sun, his hat in his hands. His eyes, so full of hope, scan the crowd.

You cannot help the swell of emotions that come over you as you rush towards him. You knock elbows, mutter apologizes to the crowd as you make your way towards him. A few steps away, Peter sees you, too.

His smile grows into the breathtaking grin you love and missed so dearly, and before you can even process that he's safe, that he's home, you are crashing into his arms and his hands are in your hair.

You are melting in his touch as he kisses you. The long years of the war, the years of worrying, years of fearing every knock at the door, years of just one page of his words every few months, all slip away as the two of you come together.

His lips feel the same, which is somehow odd. How could all the years and all the changes you had both been through left this the same? Left this passion, this connection the same?

"Oh, I've missed you," he says, pulling away for air. You grin at him and kiss him again. Once, twice, three times until you are wrapped up in each other's arms again.

"Find anything good?"

Peter's voice jolts you out of your thoughts. Your pulse fluttering as if you truly were the women getting kissed in the photo, you show Peter what gripped your attention. He smiles and takes it gently from your hand. He looks at the inscription on the back you hadn't noticed.

"James and Dottie, 1944."

"It looks so much like that one we saw in school, but look at all of the people around them."

"So much love," he says, almost to himself. Your eyes meet and for some reason a slight blush covers your cheeks as you smile. The intensity of his stare becomes too much and you make your way down another aisle of the shop.

The shelves around you are full of books, some titles you recognize, some you don't, and some are so worn you wouldn't be able to even if it was your favorite. Once again, one stands out to you more than the others.

Half hanging off the shelf, a deep purple book draws you in. You take it off the shelf in a small cloud of dust. The inside of the cover reveals it is a romance, although that doesn't come as a surprise. You read at a whisper, "In the 1500s off in a foreign land, I am forced to marry another man . . ."

The walls surrounding you are tall and cold, the stone masonry reflecting the feeling in your chest. The white gown that drapes along your frame feels as heavy as chains.

At the end of this death march, the doors open upon a crowd full of people, your people, all dressed for the occasion. And there, at the end of the aisle is your betrothed.

But that man is not Peter.

The figure walking you down the aisle tries to usher you along when you come to a stop. Anxious eyes all around look at your frozen form..

"I can't do this."

The shock of what you've said gives your escort pause and you slip your arm away from his. Discarding the bouquet of roses, you take off back up the hallway.

Shouts follow as you run, gathering the skirts of your gown up in your hands, but you don't stop. Guards at the entrance of the castle reach for you, but guided by your heart, you are too quick for them.

The sun is shining when you break out of the castle, but you keep going. You go until your heart is thundering, your breathing comes fast, and Peter's cottage is in sight.

Even after the turmoil you experienced, just the sight of his home soothes you. You take a few steps up to his door and he opens it just as you raise your hand to knock.

"What are you--"

"I couldn't go through with it. I don't love him," you say. Peter lets out a surprised laugh, shaking his head gently.

"We talked about this. They'll come looking for you, Y/N."

"Then we'll run," you say, taking his hand in yours. "I don't care if we spend the rest of our days running, I prefer that to a life of luxury with someone I don't love."

"You mean it?'

"Yes."

"Then I'll keep you safe. For every second that we are together, for every moment that you are mine, I'll make sure no harm comes to you. I can't promise you riches, but you'll be safe."

"I gladly leave that all behind for you," you say. Peter is smiling as he closes the gap between you, his hands cupping your face as you melt into his touch.

You close the book with a secret smile and slip it back onto the shelf.

You know that you should leave, you are at least ten minutes late to class, and a few minutes walk from campus. But the shop has captured your heart, the stories embedded inside have.

"Y/N," Peter calls. You make your way towards his voice and as you do you pass more relics of the past. A photo of a 30's bride, high school sweethearts sitting on the porch of their first home, a young couple on the way to a dance.

"Hey."

"Hey, we should probably get going don't you think? You don't want to miss more of your first day."

"They are important," you say absentmindedly. Maybe it was because you had just slipped into fake memories, or maybe it was the fact that it was the first day of the semester, but looking at Peter, his hair mussed in a way that can only come from styling, a soft smile on his face, you were transported to the first day you met.

In a crowded room a few short years ago, on another September morning, first day of school, you lay eyes on Peter for the first time. Your fellow classmates are introducing themselves, the room filled with a dull hum of discussion, but your eyes only lock with his.

He smiles at you and moves your way. He holds out his hand and tells you his name, and somehow, you just knww. There's not always proof, there's not always a war or an arranged marriage. Sometimes, you just know.

"Yeah we should go," you agree. Peter leads the way to the door and holds it open for you. "I love you," you say, softly, and for the first time.

"I love you."

The temperature had risen since you entered the shop, but nevertheless, as you fall back into step together, Peter's arm is around yours and you know that one day, you'll have photos of the life you'll make, just like the ones in the shop.

[bitterbutblue]

a sunday and robin story

two birds on a wire ☆ robin and sunday alt universe story

~ my friend loves sibling angst so im giving them some sibling angst so they'll be sad

sunday is working to find his sister's killer ~

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

He had been sitting in the same spot for so long, he may as well be a statue frozen in time. The only sound that echoes through the room is the sound of his fingernails tapping against the whiskey glass. Clink, clink, clink. He swallows dryly, scanning at all the papers that lay out in front of him- the photos, notes, testaments. Everythnig is laid out in front of him and the dots should have connected by now but it's not. None of it is connected. It's like puzzle pieces that each just have a slight edge to them that makes them unable to be pieced together properly.

"Robin..."

It had been fifty three days since he found her body in the bathtub, a massive wound through her chest. Every time he closes his eyes he remembers that scene in front of him. She looked at peace, as if she was asleep. As if the world around her had halted, as if everything had finally decided to come to a rest for just a bit. Sunday remembers screaming, crying at somebody- anybody- to call the cops. He held her body tight in his arms, sobbing into her shoulders. He grips her so tight, he's worried he might break her already fragile body. The cops pried her away from his grasp, leaving him on the ground. His white jacket stained in her blood as he sits and stares. He stares and stares at that spot on the ground where he first found her. In his anger his own vision went white as he teared up everything in his bedroom. He threw his glasses at the wall, smashing each cup and bottle he saw. He tore his bedsheets wide open, he ripped his books in half. The exhaustion in his bones and muscles are nothing compared to the ache he felt throughout his entire body and all he can do is scream. He was not one to let out emotions yet now he can't help himself His own sister was dead.

The police eventually came to a dead end, of all things. They stated that there were no suspects in mind yet he himself could list out at least ten right off the top of his head. So he decided take matters into his own hands and here is he is now.

With each passing day, the possibility of finding the real suspect lowers and lowers.

"Sunday."

Gallagher enters the room, sighing as he catches the stench of alcohol once again.

"That's enough."

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH."

Gallagher doesn't even flinch anymore at Sunday's outburst. He just straightens his tie as he stands by the door.

"You- You know nothing. NOTHING."

Sunday's voice is so hoarse he can barely recognise it himself. His words slurred but his anger still evident.

"I wanted you to give up."

His words hit him like nothing. Sunday just lets out an empty laugh.

"Why? Why do I need to give up? Haven't they done that already."

A file is flung onto his table, inside it only containing a single USB.

"What the fuck is this?" He snarls

"What I've been protecting from you."

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

He couldn't stand seeing Gallagher's face. Gallagher had been trying to tell him to give up ever since he started his own investigation and he hated Gallagher for that. He watches as Gallagher begins to give up. Gallagher stopped coming in every day to check up on himas Sunday grew more and more restless and irrational. A part of Sunday is sure that he has scared off the one person who has persisted in caring for him over the past month and more and he's been pushing him away. But he couldn't stop himself.

"Fuck you. Fuck you, Gallagher."

He couldn't bear to look at Gallagher in the eyes because he knew that Gallagher would have the same look. The same look every time where he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to hide the pain that can be evidently seen. His face will be stone cold, but behind that Sunday can always tell there is lingering pain that is trying to fight its way out. Sunday grabs at the letter opener that sits near him, pointing it at gallagher and gesturing with it wildly. He is sure that his eyes has the most frantic look, like a madman on the verge of breaking into pieces and crumbling into dust.

"Get the FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE."

He leaves. He doesn't even want to say anything this time. He doesn't even open his mouth and he walks out of the room, slamming the door.

Sunday stares at the USB that lies on the table. His fingers itch to to grab it and plug it into the nearest computer but a part of him is scared. He's scared to find the truth of what happened to his sister because what will drive him after? Perhaps nothing- perhaps he won't have a drive anymore. and then what?

Yet his body moves without him really thinking about it. He grabs at the USB and plugs it into the computer, clicking into the drive that pops up. Inside was a video file, the name being the date Robin's body was found. Sunday can feel his blood go cold as he hovers his cursor over the video. The room was now dead silent, and he can feel himself trembling so hard his teeth are practically chattering. He takes a deep breath in, but it's shaky. His palms are sweating through his gloves as his free hand grips at the armrest of the chair. His stomach churns uncomfortably, swallowing back his fear as he sighs.

"Fuck."

He clicks onto the video.

The next three minutes were the slowest of his life. He watches in horror as it all is unfolded right in front of him. Hours upon hours of collecting evidence- evidence that he nows sees is completely useless and was never on the right track to begin with.

He watches as Robin greets the person with a smile, before her face shifts into one of panic and horror as the other person lunges with a knife, stabbing into her over and over as she cries.

She cries. She cries out his name in her last dying breath and he wants to throw up.

She cries. She cries out his name in her last dying breath because the figure was him.

He doubles over- unable to even get out of his chair before he throws up on the ground, coughing and gagging as he fears the familiar burn in his throat. His eyes sting with tears as he wipes at his mouth, hearing her wheezes and pleas through the computer from the video he hasn't stopped. He picks up the computer, hurling it across the room as he lets out a horrified scream.

Gallagher must've lied. Gallagher must've made things up- could he have used some form of artificial intelligence? Could he have done this just to get under his skin? No- no that look on Robin's face was far too sincere and far too real for her liking.

"Robin.."

He moves himself off the chair, gripping the letter opener tightly.

"Robin-"

He cries. He cries out her name.

[thatwildnya]

Ch. 6: Filling the Powder Keg part 1

TW: none

chatters

Wild: As I promised after the Riddle poll, here is the next chapter for the centaur au! Riddle won't be making his entrance just yet, sorry to disappoint you Riddle lover's. Today we'll be welcoming Vil, Leona, and Ruggie into the story. Although the spotlight is mostly on Vil for this chapter, the other 2 don't get a single line. But don't worry, they'll get their turn later!

nya: this chapter was originally gonna longer but i convinced wild to split it in 2 parts since its been so long since she's posted any actual content for the au. praise me for my hard work.

Vil: leopard

Leona: manticore (no barbed tail)

Ruggie: spotted hyena

This time you were able to catch him in the act, opening the door just as you were about to leave for your weekly trip to the grocery store. Maybe this was a sign from higher powers you should plan to return before afternoon.

“Ah! My beloved nepiece!” Everyone's favorite bird man greets you as you open the door. You step back in surprise, startled by his loud squawking. You weren’t exactly paying attention. Or particularly wake.

“Good afternoon!”

“Hi…”

He steps aside to reveal, surprise surprise, more pets to live in your wonderful shack of a home. (read: it is not wonderful you bake when it’s hot and freeze when it's cold) Though you could see two of them standing behind him even if he hadn’t. Centaurs tend to be quite tall. It is very important for people to know how big a centaur gets if they aren’t fully grown before adopting.

“Meet your new friends! This here is Leona, he’s a manticore.” Leona was taller than Idia to your surprise. The merboys sometimes talked about other centaurs that had been ripped from their homes when asked about their lives before coming to live with you. They had talked about how they’d seen two males and three females being dragged past their tank to be used for breeding. The males came up to Idia’s around shoulders. The females were just small enough to be visibly shorter than the males.

Maybe it was the wings. Those big leathery wings.

“The little one hiding is Ruggie, he’s a hyena.” you internally scream noticing the little yeen, he was hiding under the soon to be introduced pet. His big eyes stare up at you with curiosity. You wanted to squish his cheeks and rub his belly. Your hands itched to do just that.

“And last but not least, meet Vil! He’s a leopard and trained to be a show centaur.” Vil was studying you out with a frown, not bothering to hide his disapproval. Rude much.

“Now, we must make haste! The truck is due in two hours or I’ll have to pay extra!” Crowley slips past to set aside his hat and cane that would get in the way, “help me move the furniture!”

With a groan you spin on your heel. Tossing your bags to the side, you tell a blurry eyed Idia and bottle sipping Ortho to lend your uncle a hand.

“RISE AND SHINE BOYS.” you yell up the stairs, “GET UP. WE’VE GOT SOME NEWBIES.”

A sharp pained yelp followed by the unmistakable clamoring of fighting began above.

“Knock it off you three!”

“Deuce started it!” “Because you stepped on my tail!” “I wouldn’t have if Sebek quit pinning me down with snuggles when we sleep!” “I don’t do that!” “Yes you do! You’re worse than Deuce!” “Stop lying! Me and Sebek don’t do that!” “I’d never snuggle with a lowly dog!”

Finger starts tapping the railing.

“I’m a wolf! Not some dumb domestic pet dog!”

“But you roll over for master whenever they start petting you! You won’t even fight them if they take away something you’re chewing on! That’s what a pet dog would do!”

Eyes close.

“Well at least I can hunt!”

“I can do that too!”

“Barely! You were fed and spoiled by Lilia and Malleus while I fended for myself!”

Fingers pinch the bridge of your nose.

“Hey you wouldn’t have lasted a day if I didn’t help you! You were a big crybaby that ran away from everything! You’d be dead without me!”

“You were so bad at hunting you could only dumpster dive for food! We’d be starving if I didn’t pick up your slack!”

“Well I’m braver! You’d cower and hide whenever a cat so much as looked at you!”

“You’re scared of cats? Hahaha! A dog scared of cats!”

Head tilts to the ceiling.

“Sh-shut up! Alley cats are mean! Your spoiled butt wouldn’t get it!”

“Nuh-uh! I’m not spoiled!”

“Yeah you are!”

“You’re both spoiled!”

Eyebrow twitches.

“Shut up Deuce!”

“Make me you stupid heads!”

“Fine, I will!”

Eyes open.

“BOYS GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW OR ELSE.” your foul language puts an end to the squabbling.

“That’s bad language~” “master shrimpy said a bad word!~” your eye twitches, “if you have time to eavesdrop you have time to unpack you slimy pool noodles.”

“We weren’t eavesdropping.” “yeah, you’re so loud I bet the neighbors heard your potty mouth!”

Spinning around you grab the naughty twins by their waists and head for the entrance.

“Shouldn’t we wait on the porch? We might turn back in the middle.” Jade points out as you take them with you outside.

“Bad boys get to suffer in the sun.” you drop them once you’re out of the shadow cast by the porch ceiling.

“But our fins will dry out!”

“Yeah we can’t hide them yet!”

“Do you hear that? It’s the sound of me not giving a fuck.” a smile creeps on your face as the two whine and groan, calling you a bully and spitful potty mouth as they half heartedly dig their webby hands into your thigh. You tune them out. Azul will definitely make fun of them if they end up having to army crawl to get back inside.

~~~

One hour later of Vil shouting to be careful with his boxes and furniture you finally find a moment to take a breather. Fanning yourself with your shirt you think about how sore you’ll be in the morning. And you need to shower less you desire to be stink eyed at the store.

A shadow looms over you, blocking the ball of gas frying you alive. You look up, smiling at your light blocking savior, “Thanks Silvs.”

The foxboy returns your smile, offering you a glass of water. You accept, leaning back into his soft chest as he settles behind you. His hands slip under your arms to rest in your lap. The subtle ba-bump of his heart adds to the chill atmosphere he’s always surrounded with. Too bad he was warm blooded, you wouldn’t be cooling down as much as you’d like. But you will suffer. You want a backrest.

Enjoying the silence you watch the others continue with their labor. A laugh is shared when a dust cloud is sprung from a dropped moving blanket, sending multiple into a sneezing fit. The sight brings up memories from when you’d first moved in. Silver had daily sneezing fits until you did a proper dust of all the parts of the house you frequented. You had some videos of him sneezing up a storm. Your favorite was the one where he sneezed with so much force he ended up tumbling backwards into a sleeping Lilia. The father son duo’s shocked faces were priceless. Nothing in this cruel world could ever convenience you to delete this treasure of memory.

You find yourself taking his hands in yours as you mosey through memory lane. His hands were so much bigger than when you first met. Before his dwarfed yours. Now the opposite was true. Eek this mushy stuff suddenly has you feeling old.

“Do you want me to go shopping with you?” he speaks while you stretch forward to grab a paw for toe bean squishing, “you look pretty exhausted.”

“Yes, that'd be wonderful thank you. I’m sure mister fancy pants over there is going to be a picky eater.” Silver chuckles, massaging your shoulders. His toes curl slightly when you squish them.

“Better keep father away from the kitchen in that case.” you share another laugh.

~~~

Surprise surprise! Both Silver and Vil tag along to the store. The leopard had insisted on coming to make sure you got the right ingredients for his meals. And dear lord were you glad Silver was there. Not even 15 minutes in and you were an inch away from blowing a gasket. He was truly your guardian angel in these trying times.

Vil wouldn’t allow the purchase of any frozen foods and forced you to learn how to tell if the fresh fruit and vegetables weren’t prematurely picked or over ripe. He wouldn’t let you buy any premade meals, criticizing you for feeding your pets something so unhealthy. He wouldn’t even let you buy the cereal the younger boys liked, saying it was too sugary for them.

By the time you made it to the bakery section you were fuming. Silver had kept trying to reason with Vil but only managed to succeed a few times in getting him to come to a compromise. Bless this beautiful young taur for being your rock in these trying times.

“Don’t get the loafs that are about to expire!” Vil swatted at your hand like a toy for the umpteenth time, “besides this brand isn’t nearly as healthy as…” he starts another tangent, padding over to another display table to get the “correct” bread. You grit your teeth, hand clenching. Silver sets a hand on your shoulder with a squeeze, doing his best to ground you. You give him a strained smile.

While he’s picking the “correct bread” you slip away to grab something for dessert for the welcome dinner for the newbies.

“Now what do you think you’re doing?” Vil hissed seeing you return with one of those large cakes that could be used for any special occasion. Or if you just wanted cake. Nothing wrong with getting cake for the hell of it.

Your grip tightens on the dessert, “it’s tradition to have a welcoming dinner for new residents.” you state simply. You swear if he pushes your buttons one more time…

“Well there’s no need to buy low quality desserts like that. We will have one professionally made, I will not eat something so cheap. Put it back.”

Okay, that’s it fucker.

You open your mouth to tear him a new one-

“That’s enough.” Silver puts an arm in front of you as he steps forwards, baring his fangs at Vil, “you have been nothing but rude since you arrived, ordering them around like they’re your servant. You seem to have forgotten they are the one in charge, you are not higher in the hierarchy than them. If anything, you are at the bottom considering you have only just arrived.” Silver walks to stand in front of Vil. The leopard centaur has gone quiet, his ears flat against his head as the taller continues.

“It’s time you learn your place and act accordingly. If you don’t you’ll have more than me stepping in to show you.” color you both surprised. Silver had never bared his fangs at anyone before. Not even when Floyd was trying to annoy him into fighting him.

Sure you knew he was protective of you. It was because of him Floyd and Jade no longer drew blood from you when they were being playful. Silver had dove into the tank and dragged both of them out with ease after seeing them chomp down on your arm hard enough to make you bleed. He held them down until they’d stopped thrashing. Not once did he growl or cause harm other than when he fished them out. He just, sat on and stared them down. After that they gave him the same respect they gave you and Lilia.

Then there was when Sebek and Malleus accepted you as their master. Sebek didn’t take well to others taking up Malleus’ attention. He’d get extremely aggressive and snap at you for the smallest things concerning the dragon. It only got worse when Deuce and Jack were added to the mix. He was especially aggressive with Deuce, who had taken a particular liking to Malleus as a fellow reptilian.

Your fox knight had lost it on Sebek after he chomped with enough force to break two of your fingers. Silver had chased him damn near around the entire house. He was screeching at him with his high pitched bark the entire chase, nipping at his tail. You had to hold the poor gator in your arms away from him until Deuce and Jack were able to get the other two's attention as they were enjoying some flying time.

Sebek only gives you love nibbles now.

Oh and there was that time Grim nearly set your ass on fire when you made him share one of those double popsicles because you only had two and there were four of them. Silver seemingly materialized from thin air to snatch the gray kitten away before he’d even stopped being a mini flamethrower.

Also there was that one occasion with a group of karens and kevins that felt entitled to your property. They had been using your yard as a spot to let their dogs run around before you’d taken up residence. They never picked up after their pooches and got mad when you had the boys get rid of the overgrown garden (if it could even be called that by then). They’d been taking whatever vegetables there were in the mini jungle to eat while their untrained purebred pups had a field day.

One karen had a large dog that would attack any animals it saw outside the group. It made the mistake of going after Jack and Ortho. The two were chasing a butterfly while you were hanging up laundry. The dog bolted straight for them as soon as it was free from the car. Unfortunately Silver was helping you with the laundry.

Least to say none of them trespassed again.

…

Okay, maybe you shouldn’t be so surprised.

Anyway, I digress.

Vil didn’t submit completely, only shrinking back slightly and holding Silver’s glare. Thankfully the fox has settled down a lot since the incidents above. Acknowledging the leopard’s behavior change with a snort, he took the cake from you to put in the cart.

“Ruggie likes donuts more.” Vil mutters, now refusing to look at either of you. Ears slightly drooping, he mumbles the hyena doesn’t have a favorite flavor in particular but gets really happy if they have icing and sprinkles.

Silver waits for your okay before heading back to the bakery for some swapping.

Vil follows behind you for the first time since you entered the store, staring at the ground. He doesn’t say anything for the rest of the trip.

[thedragonholder]

The prince and the assassin-1

(this is inspired by the 'the first initiate' fanfiction by @laismoura-art the founder of subscorprumi who's a good author and artist on Tumbler)

It was a beautiful winter morning in the shirai ryu plus there being a day off in the clan from training for the weekend made it better.

But the most special part is cuddling with your loved one on the bed feeling the warmth and comfort that makes you feel safe in their arms as that is what hanzo hisashi felt.

Hanzo shirai hasashi was cuddling with his husband kuai Liang shirai hasashi and his wife harumi shirai hasashi on their shared bed asleep, their naked bodies were covered with a blanket, their arms around each other cuddling in the cold morning.

Hanzo woke up his brown eyes looking at his husband and turned around to see his wife he smiled at them both. 'how did I get so lucky' hanzo thought. He got out of bed and carefully slipped out of their arms "time to go for patrol even if it's my day off" Hanzo mumbled to himself as he decided to get himself ready.

He wore his black lin kuei uniform with his short black hair neatly combed and his katana strapped behind his back he went to the town market with a list of groceries in his hand.

He walked around with a neutral smile on his face and looked around "looks like no lin kuei are here" hanzo mumbled to himself as he was patrolling around the market "are they on a day off too?" Hanzo asked himself.

After getting most of the items in the town market hanzo decided to take a short cut from an alleyway he ran into the alley way with groceries in his hand and accidentally bumped into someone Hanzo fell on the ground and looked up to see lin kuei soldiers staring down at him "oh fuck" hanzo mumbled 'harumi and kuai are going to kill me if I die' hanzo thought.

Meanwhile back at the shirai ryu compound kuai Liang was outside waiting for hanzo so they could eat something together with their wife "where is he?" Kuai mumbled harumi came outside with a tray full of food "he's not here?" Harumi asked worried "i don't know where Hanzo is he's usually not late for breakfast" kuai said worried "don't worry kuai he's going to come back safe he's our husband after all besides what danger is going to stop him" harumi said.

'well this is great' hanzo thought he was slammed against a wall by the lin kuei warrior "sorry dude but i am not single i have a husband and wife waiting for me and if I don't come home injured they'll kill you" hanzo said to the lin kuei soldier "shut up kid!" Another lin kuei soldier said "how about you shut up Greg!! Wearing those light up shoes during an assassin attempt are you a kid or something!? No wonder you never got a raise and your wife left your broke ass" Hanzo said Greg then went away crying.

The lin kuei Ninja slammed hanzo hard against the wall "you made Greg cry you are going to pay" the lin kuei Ninja said to hanzo.

"leave the kid alone!" A shout came from out of the alleyway they looked to see a girl but she was wearing a cloak so her features couldn't be seen well "and who are you to tell us what to do!" Another lin kuei Ninja said to the unknown person "let's just say your going to regret it" the unknown girl said with her hand on her hip "get her!!" The Lin kuei Ninja said.

Four of the lin kuei Ninja rushed towards the unknown girl to attack her but the girl took out six daggers and threw it at their chests the daggers ripped through their chests causing their blood to spill out as the soldiers were dead on the floor.

Two of those soldiers ran to the unknown girl in an attempt to attack her "attacking someone head on without a plan?" The girl asked dumbfounded "you know what.." the unknown girl said she took out two small paper balls in her hands and dashed towards the two soldiers before the soldiers tried to take down the girl she front flipped ahead throwing the paper balls on their heads.

She landed ahead of them as the balls exploded causing their bodies to burn "nice but was the explosion necessary?" Hanzo asked the girl "in order for them not to be alive then yes" the girl said "damn" hanzo said "now let's handle the big guy" the unknown girl said.

Suddenly one soldier came from behind the girl but she threw a kunai at the soldiers head before they could reach her causing the soldier to die "no!! You are going to pay!!" The lin kuei soldier shouted.

The lin kuei soldier dropped hanzo and angrily ran to the unknown girl as ice started to appear out of their hands "ice huh" the girl said the lin kuei soldier created a weak ice blast but the girl disappeared into red flames.

The lin kuei soldier looked around trying to find the girl only for them to be kicked from behind the lin kuei soldier fell down as the girl was standing on top of him "well that was easy" Hatsune said as she took out a kunai and it lit up on black flames and she stabbed it on the the lin kuei soldier head causing their body then disintegrated.

The girl sighed "well that turned out well" the girl mumbled "thanks" the girl looked at Hanzo who had stood up "even tho i could have taken care of this on my own but thanks" hanzo said to the girl "anytime that's what friends do right?" The girl asked hanzo causing him to be confused "can't believe it has been two years short stack" the girl said removing her hood away completely revealing herself in front of him.

The girl had dark brown hair in pigtails in the front and let down at the back with pale skin and demonic red eyes she wore red and white robes with black boots.

Hanzo was shocked looking at the woman infront of him "Hatsune" hanzo breathed out "nice to see you again my lord" Hatsune said with a smirk "what are you doing here?" Hanzo asked a bit scared "nothing just wanted to catch up with an old friend" Hatsune said putting her sword back.

"Hatsune it's really great to see you-" "oh cut the bullshit Hanzo" Hatsune said looking at Hanzo with anger on her face "your still mad at me" Hanzo said to Hatsune "of course I am still mad you left me in that hellish home to suffer!!" Hatsune said to hanzo "i am sorry Hatsune but i couldn't take you with me if I did netherrealm would have caused a war with earth realm after realised their prince and assassin are missing!!" Hanzo said to Hatsune"I understand but you could have atleast wrote me a letter" Hatsune said looking away from him.

"awe come on red panda you still mad?" Hanzo asked Hatsune who ignored him "come on don't ignore me" Hanzo said to Hatsune but she still didn't look at him "look i am sorry I left you alone alright? So please forgive me I'll do anything!!" Hanzo pleaded with his old friend Hatsune sighed unable to resist his old friends pleading and looked at him "fine just don't send me back there" Hatsune said to Hanzo "great now come with me I must take you to my home" hanzo said to Hatsune "you better have learnt to cook for yourself" Hatsune said as the two left the alleyway

"i am already an excellent chef old friend everyone dies to eat my food-"

"your didn't learn how to cook did you"

"....I did but i burnt down the kitchen multiple times"

"figured"

Hanzo took Hatsune through the back entry of the compound Hatsune looked around a very beautiful garden surrounded by flowers but she sensed magic that was in there "it's created by magic better be careful of the traps" Hatsune said "there are not that many traps in the garden I'll show you" Hanzo said going to a sunflower "sunflower? Wait Hanzo-" "see it's not that bad" hanzo said taking the sunflower only for a net to appear from beneath causing hanzo to get trapped.

As thung couldn't get worse the alarm rang "i told you so!!" Hatsune shouted at the trapped hanzo the alarm stopped ringing suddenly causing Hatsune to be confused "why did it stop?" Hatsune asked herself.

Hatsune turned around to see thorn rose arrows shot swiftly towards her Hatsune then created a dark red aura around her hands as the flower arrows life got sucked out in the thin air the red aura disappeared from her hands Hanzo was shocked "how did you do that?" Hanzo asked Hatsune from the trap "can't tell you " Hatsune said to hanzo "damn" hanzo said.

"hanzo!? Are you okay!?" Harumi rushed to the backyard hearing her husband's voice only to see hanzo getting out of the trap as an unknown girl in front of him helped him out "god short stack you should really concentration on your surroundings" Hatsune said to hanzo "sorry Hatsune-" "Hanzo" Hanzo looked at harumi "oh harumi!! Hatsune this is my wife Harumi, harumi this is my friend Hatsune" hanzo said to harumi "it's nice to meet you" Hatsune said to harumi bowing in respect then stood up.

Harumi was shocked "you have a friend?" Harumi asked "Yes you remember how I was the king of the netherrealm well she took care of me since childhood as my personal assassin" Hanzo said "more like his personal stepping stool-" "we agreed we wouldn't talk about that!!' hanzo said embarassed.

"You have a friend?" Harumi asked shocked "yes Hatsune is my friend-" "THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I HAVE EVER HEARD!! KUAI BABY OUR LITTLE HUSBAND HAS A FRIEND OVER!" harumi shouted at the house Hatsune was confused while hanzo was embarassed "harumi stop-" "we are going to have so much fun bonding together!!" Harumi said going to Hatsune and holding both of her hands "um thanks" Hatsune said "would you like to stay over for tea?" Harumi asked Hatsune "um sure I can tell you about Hanzo when he was a toddler" Hatsune said to harumi "don't you dare you witch" hanzo said to Hatsune "Hanzo that's not how we behave with friends" harumi said "yup" Hatsune said to hanzo with the smug look on his face "come on let's go inside so we can talk" harumi asked taking Hatsune inside.

"well this turned out okay" Hanzo said to himself before going inside "i am definitely going to need Kuai's cuddles the whole day" hanzo mumbled as he went inside the compound.

[alkaline-noodles]

BOOOOP

They'll have to rip boops from my cold dead hands 🐾🐾🐾

[twofoursixohjuan]

did I hear you say prompts?

82. “Looks like we’ll be stuck here for a while.” and

97. “You’re so cute when you pout like that.”

with Stefan and Jesper perhaps 👀

"Write me some fluff?" you ask. I respond with a zombie apocalypse AU, as is only appropriate.

Jesper was only feet from the deer, stone-still and barely breathing in the twilight, and he nearly dropped his bow when the signal horn rang across the valley. He wasted precious seconds grabbing for it, and more glancing to the watchtower, where the red flag soared up the pole and the tiny figure of Ulf bent to the horn again, but Stefan was already grabbing his hand, sprinting back towards the nearest bunker. They'd been out a fair way, probably too far with night closing in, and the snarls and shuffling footsteps of the dead were already at their heels. Jesper shifted the arrow to his right hand as he ran, clutched like a dagger. Stefan was just ahead of him, twigs catching in his hair.

The dead moved fast, quicker than their rotting limbs and deceptive shamble should be able to carry them. Jesper had outrun one, once — that had been a bad day — but now he was matching Stefan's pace, and the sounds behind them drew closer. The bunker doorway gaped ahead, dug into a hill, bright flag fluttering atop the pole set above it.

Stefan barrelled through the door, hardly slowing, and tumbled to the dirt just inside. Something grazed Jesper's shoulder as he followed, and he pivoted in the doorway, slashing the head of his arrow across the face of the closest corpse. It fell back long enough for Stefan to kick the door closed, and he held it braced as Jesper slammed the deadbolts and hauled the heavy wooden bar into place.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Stefan lay sprawled on his back in the dim light, both feet still braced against the door. Jesper fumbled for a flint and tinderbox. The door rattled a little in its frame, but the bolts held.

"Fuck," said Stefan eventually, sitting up as Jesper lit a small storm lantern with a taper from the tinderbox. "That was close."

"The hell was Ulf doing?" said Jesper, hands still shaking with rocketing adrenaline. "Should have spotted those way before they got this close."

"It's getting dark, and we're a long way out." Stefan grinned. "Which was not my idea, I'd like to add."

"Shut up." It had been Jesper who'd insisted on following the deer further, mostly because Lydia had brought in the last three and he'd been starting to feel inadequate. "Are you okay? Nothing got you?"

The scar on Stefan's forearm shone in the lamplight, a mess of twisted tissue where one of the shambling dead had sunk jagged teeth through his skin. Edvin had burned out the wound with a heated brand, and Stefan had been locked inside one of the bunkers as they waited to see whether the infection had taken hold. He'd been lucky.

"Clear," said Stefan. "What about you? You were closer."

"I think I'm okay." Jesper remembered the brush across his shoulder, and paused. "Actually, check my back?" He turned, propping himself between Stefan's knees and tipping his head down.

Stefan swore softly behind him and Jesper went cold for an instant, but Stefan was quick to reassure him. "Close one. There's a rip in your vest but it hasn't gone through."

"Ah, they'll never catch me." Jesper leaned back, resting his head against Stefan's chest. The door rattled again, and footsteps thumped on the turf overhead. "Looks like we'll be stuck in here for a while."

"Mm." Stefan picked a leaf from Jesper's hair. "Could be worse."

"Bet it's...over four hours?" Jesper's voice was idly curious.

"I'm not betting on zombie hordes, Jes."

"You just know I'm right." The door shook again as something hit it hard. "Persistent, aren't they?"

"You could use a bit of that yourself, to be fair."

Jesper looked convincingly wounded. "I'm plenty persistent."

"You put more effort into getting out of work than it would take to do it."

"More fun that way."

Stefan dropped into Thorn's voice. "Slacking off again, Stormrunner?" He laughed as Jesper jumped, startled. "Hmm...remind me again how long your count of dishwashing fatigues is by now?"

"Four months or so." Jesper grinned. "But I'm not doing them now, am I?"

"You'd rather be attacked by zombies than wash the dishes."

"Yep!" A bony finger crept under the door, and Jesper whacked it with the hilt of his saxe. "I'm starving," he added, looking hopefully around the bunker. "Do we have any food?"

Stefan shook his head. "Maybe if you'd hit that deer..."

Jesper shot him a rude gesture, and Stefan grinned again. "You're cute when you pout like that."

"Fuck you."

[kitkatpadywaks]

In Another Universe

Mini-Series: Part 1/?.

The Man In The Glass Cage.

Pairing: Morpheus x Fem!Reader

Story: Dancing With The Devil (Alternate path from the end of part 2 of the story onwards)

Warnings: Third Person. Will Mostly Be Referred To As She (Called Y/N When Her Nickname Is Being Used and Will Occasionally Be Called By Her 'Angel' Name). She has Mid-Length Hair. She Has Kids. Major Daddy Issues. Violence. Some Angst.

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: Major Spoilers for the Story (Klaus Mikaelson fic), like, this existing spoils the mystery of who my character is as well as her character arc.

This will also be posted to my Wattpad.

Masterlist | Next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A sudden gust of wind whips loose strands of hair across her face as she picks at her short nails, her braided hair flies in the air before once again settling on her back as her brother, Raphael, tucks his wings away, his grey wing blending into the dead sky.

"He's not here then." She states, not looking away from her nails.

She hears Raphael sigh, "No, he isn't. Seems he moved on a while ago."

She smirks at him, not bothering to say what they both already knew. Gravel crunches under her boots as she walks over to her brother, pats him on the shoulder then walks over to the rock formation she'd been staring at for the past hour while Raph confirmed what her instincts had been telling her since they landed in the desolate universe, their father wasn't there. At least, not anymore. The traces of his power that she could feel, suggest he had travelled through this universe, but he didn't stay long.

The black rocks loom over her as she walks closer to the small opening that sat between the two largest formations. She eyes the gap, feeling how thin the fabric of the universe is in this spot. Her sword sings as she unsheathes it, its scabbard hitting her back where it is strapped, and grips it with both hands before pointing the blade towards the dark grey ground. She closes her eyes, breathing deeply as she taps into her powers, the seemingly endless reserve she'd been collecting since she and Raphael had started hunting their father, responds to her immediately. Her entire body hums as her power flows through her. She opens her eyes, her irises now burning a deep blood red, she ushers her powers into the sword she holds, the blade glowing as she pours more and more of her power into it.

The sword ignites, white flames licking up the blade as she takes a final deep breath and thrusts the blade deep into the rock. A flash of light blinds her and a wave of power rumbles throughout the barren universe. Her vision clears to reveal a bright portal sitting between the two rocks, she looks over her shoulder at Raphael and nods towards the gash she made in the fabric of the universe. Finding it unfortunate that the borderline destructive action was the only way they could travel between the alternate universes.

"That never gets less terrifying." Raphael shivers at his sister's display of power, realising, not for the first time, just how powerful her eldest daughter, Evie, would get. He walks over to the portal, throwing one last glance at his older sister before walking through the cold portal, wondering what kind of place they'll end up in this time.

She pulls the sword out of the ground, quickly walking through the portal as it starts to close, hoping they can catch up to their father so she can finally go home to her two daughters.

She feels it immediately.

The pull. The thing that started her on this road. The thing she never thought she'd have again. The thing her father ripped from her, detaching her from who she thought was her soulmate. The father of her children, who died saving their youngest. Who she mourned, thinking her soulmate was dead without having met the real her. Who was, quite possibly the only person she ever truly loved in her long existence. Who turned out to not be her soulmate, he was just a means to an end for her father, a way to punish her more than he already had. To tie her to a mortal that was destined to die at the hand of his father. But he underestimated how far her influence reached, even after he cursed her. He underestimated how badly the Fates wanted her daughters to be born, who were the only ones powerful enough to do what needed to be done.

She exchanges a glance with Raphael, ignoring his unspoken question as she looks back at the large house from where they landed in the woods, the building close enough so she can see movement in the windows but far enough away so they wouldn't be seen.

"Why are we here, Y/N?"

She ignores him, walks towards the house and stops at the front door. She grabs the door handle and twists it to reveal that it's unlocked. The door slowly swings open. Raphael walks up behind her, grabs her arm to stop her and throws her a silent look to ask her what she's doing. She shakes him off and walks into the house, her brother's quiet swearing right behind her as she follows her instincts. Follows them through the eerily silent house as they lead her and Raphael to a door that sits slightly ajar, she smirks at her younger brother before pulling it open to reveal stone stairs leading down into darkness. She signals for Raphael to keep watch before walking silently into the dark.

She stops in front of a wooden door. Her heart pounds in her chest as she reaches for the handle, stopping just before she touches the metal when she senses something. Something's wrong with the door. She stops the instinct to reach out with her powers, knowing her father will sense her presence and move on if she uses them. She backs up, the sword on her back brushing up against the wall as she does and using all her strength, kicks down the door, wards flashing briefly where the door used to be.

The glass orb in the middle of the room is the first thing she notices. The man, whose head snaps up to look at her, is the second. She steps into the basement, ignoring the shouts of the two guards who aim their guns at her. The very naked man stares into her eyes as he rises to stand in the glass cage. Time slows to a stop as she continues to stare into his blue eyes. It's him. She realises. He's the one.

BANG!!

There's a piercing pain in her left shoulder. She looks down at it, shocked and watches the blood pour from the wound the gunshot made. She dives for the pillar on her left, closest to the guards, and swings her uninjured arm to punch the face of the guard who stepped back to intercept her, the man falls to the floor, unconscious. She unsheathes the sword on her back once again, walking out from behind the pillar as the female guard shoots at her again.

BANG!!

She swings the sword, watching intently as the blade slices through the bullet, a dull thud sounds as one-half of the bullet hits the wall, and a loud crack sounds as the other half hits the glass cage.

BANG!!

She merely deflects the bullet as the guard gets closer, shouting something she ignores as she backs up in response.

BANG!!

She deflects another, glancing at the cage as it cracks some more, the man watches the situation intensely, his mouth parting as the glass splinters.

BANG!!

The glass cage shatters, drawing the guard's attention long enough for her to smash the guard across the face with the sword's pommel, knocking the guard out as the wind whips her hair around.

Footsteps step closer to her as she sheaths her sword and stands still, staring at the unconscious guards as the man stops next to her, his bare chest brushing against her shoulder, which had thankfully healed without her realising. His hand brushes shards of glass from her hair. She turns her body to face him, his hand moving to linger on her cheek and looks into his eyes, now glowing silver.

They gaze into each other's eyes, both caught up in the sudden flurry of confusing emotions as warmth fills their bodies and the desire to know each other in every possible way fills every nerve. Is this what it's supposed to feel like when you find your soulmate? She wonders. Trying not to think about how much this complicated her mission and her life as he softly presses his forehead against hers, his thumb brushing against the apple of her cheek, careful to avoid the small cuts the glass made when the cage practically exploded.

"Y/N! We have to go!" She hears her brother shout, bringing her back to reality as her head snaps in Raphael's direction. And upon seeing his mild panic, quickly walks out of the room, avoiding looking at the man whose tender embrace she just left.

Raphael lingers for a moment, meeting the glare of the naked man his sister was giving googly eyes. He shrugs, shooting him a fake apologetic look and, while avoiding looking below his face, turns and runs up the stair after his sister.

The sibling sprint up the stairs, taking two at a time to get to the top. She pauses at the top, looking down the hallways to make sure they're clear before running towards the front door, surprisingly still open from where they entered. They continue into a sprint, only slowing down when they reach the tree line where Raphael shoves her into a tree.

"What the hell was that!?" He seethes, trying to keep his voice down.

She leans against the tree, "He's my soulmate..." Her voice trails off, unable to believe what just happened. And how fucked she was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading.

Next part will be out next week.

[dentos-wife]

Idk if anyone's ever pointed it out before, but you were spot on your analysis about the amourshipping kiss back in 2016. It's like you predicted everything to a T. From them pretending the kiss never happened if Serena got a cameo to no ship ever becoming canon lol

Oh my gosh a Pokemon ask it's been so long!

Aww thank you anon! I deserve no credit though I just thought what would make the most sense in the narrative and hey they pulled a fast one on me too, she did appear but with another character and only met Ash for 5 seconds just so they didn't have to deal with the consequences of the kiss, brilliant really.

I also foolishly assumed Pokemon would never end and...well they got me there haha

For no ship being canon they are ten year olds, Ash isn't interested in romance at all and it would be ooc for him to ever have the interest. He'd have to grow up right? They'll never do that, he's an eternal 10 year old therefore the most they can do is hint at it. I will say I think Pokeshipping is dead in the water canonically just because MPM did absolutely nothing, but MPM also ripped Brock's goal right out from him and I'm mad about it.

But yeah no ship is canon, Amour is still the most implied because they never went back to Pokeshipping but it's a very small implication you can still ship what you want and you can pry Negaishipping from my cold dead hands.

People really need to stop fighting though, and Liko isn't Ash's daughter I hope the fanbase lets that go soon

[anddreadful]

46 for Teddy/Strahd! Also general question, what other ships are you accepting?

good question! I realize that the majority of my ships are completely obtuse to most people/ I have not even publicly published fics for most of these pairings, but for what it's worth here's the complete list:

Niche D&D ships:

COS: teddy/ strahd, teddy/ borakov, nimalia/ rahadin, ismark/ nimalia, Ireena/ ez, anastrasya/ teddy (*not all of these are necessarily suitable for all the prompts, lol)

SKT: marin/ kitro

WT: tailor/ chess

WTSC: Tereus/ Aradia

Published media ships:

ACOTAR: rhys/ lucien, elain/ lucien

S&B: Darkling/ Alina, Nina/ Matthias, Kaz/ Inej (my crows knowledge is based only on the show and some random fanfic sorry)

Dracula: Mina/ Jon, Mina/ Lucy, Mina/ Jon/ Seward

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TWs: noncon, domestic violence, vampire shit

"They'll come for me," she says, the wobble in her voice betraying her. "Borakov--"

"You think he can save you?" He hisses, cape sweeping through the shadows. "I was content to let him live, before the wedding. The village needs a new priest, after all."

He closes the distance between them, expression darkening, and Theodora shrinks back into the alcove seat. The cold windowsill digs into her back.

"But now I'm going to rip the wings from his back and throw him from the cliffside," he snarls. "Tell me, were you still wearing your wedding dress when you spread your legs for him?"

It feels as though she's been struck. An unbidden noise of distress sounds in her throat, like a wounded animal, and he laughs, pure black disdain. "Oh yes, I know. You've hardly made it a secret, pawing at him every opportunity you get."

"You said you didn't want me anymore!" she cries, and it cracks, pathetic and raw, her angry hurt bleeding through.

He crouches to her level, fangs glinting in the candlelight. A pale, long-fingered hand rises to stroke her hair, as if he were comforting a child. "You're mine, Tatyana." The words are soft and hateful. "Always. No matter what a traitorous little whore you are."

She hates this man. Hates him. Tears of pure fury sting her eyes, and she wills them not to fall, not to give him the satisfaction.

"I love him," she spits. And I never loved you.

She expects to invoke his rage, but instead, he considers her coolly, still running his fingers through her hair. "Perhaps I should have you rip out his throat, instead," he muses. "You'll be so hungry I may not even have to Charm you. I think Borakov would like that, don't you? Sustaining you with his death."

"He loves me," The anger is so heady it's making her tremble. "Even when you were lying to me, you didn't bother to pretend you do."

"Yes, he does." His hand tightens in her hair, his grip forcing her head back, and she swallows a whine. "Which is why it's going to hurt him so very badly when he arrives in all his pious glory to find you already dead."

He kisses her, hard, an imperious press of his mouth against hers. His lips are cold and unyielding. She shoves against his chest uselessly, twists and pulls -- he may as well be made of marble for all the good it does her. Just as a scream builds in her throat, quick as a strike of lightning, he wrenches her head to the side, and bites down.

Give me a ship and a prompt number and i'll write a minific!