#Valen Quirke

[thegoddesswater]

Betrayal, ghost, and nightmare :^)

I chose Valen from ML for these answers and...This got unhinged fast. I'd apologize, but this is apparently just how Valen makes my brain work.

Betrayal: Valen knew it was possible, but didn't think it would happen, because there were so many futures where it didn't. And betrayal is maybe too strong a word for having watched Adair sign his life - their lives - away, out of fear. Because at the end of the day, that's what it was. Fear. But it still stings, watching everything "good" and "right" begin to teeter and decay, while the cogs of the universe click closer towards disaster. And Valen would say that he's above something as petty as 'eye-for-an-eye', but he is, sometimes, only human. So he salts the wound, and twists the knife because surely that's only fair. One life against the future? Two? Surely that's a small enough price. It's just omelettes and broken eggs, after all.

The version in plain English: Adair did not consult with Valen before signing a document surrendering his (Adair's) full body autonomy to government and military control - which could have distinct ramifications for both of them. Valen is decidedly not pleased by this development, seeing all the ways that this can only go wrong, and breaks off his relationship with Adair. Then, for good measure, Valen also provides an 'anonymous tip' which gets Adair's brother disappeared into the maw of enforcement, all while telling himself that it's what needs to happen. He's right but that doesn't mean it's not a dick move.

Ghost: The drugs work until they don't. The voices return. They stay. They always whisper, muted and soft, in languages he's never learned. Words he shouldn't understand, and yet.... He's practised not reacting to them. He's been called crazy, but he's not, he never has been; the voices assure him that it is so. This is how he was always meant to be, so much more than his mortal vessel.

In plain English: Probably not entirely fair to call this 'haunting him' but Valen's odd. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his late teens and didn't question it for years until forgotten doses bring him branching visions of reality, clairvoyance, and a distinct awareness of himself that he cannot explain. He's actually a god made flesh, but he can't tell anyone because who in the world is going to hear that and not say "This man, who already has been diagnosed with a mental illness, has finally cracked?"

Nightmare: The world ends and he's done nothing to save it. The world ends and he's tried everything to save it. Tears of blood drip from empty sockets and he knows without seeing that the flames are coming. The inferno that will strip him down, burn him away until only phoenix, or ifrit, or demon remains. He doesn't know what will be left. The world ends and he stands alone. The world ends in flood. In flames. In fallout. The world ends.

The world ends.

He gave up a long time ago on trying to get anyone to understand. Foster parents who chalked it up to the trauma of being in the system. Friends who told him to ease up on the apocalyptic media, to stop acting like he alone is the sole saviour of all. Therapists with tight smiles who tell him 'the subconscious mind works in odd ways.' No one has ever understood; he's given up trying to make them.

Plain English: Valen has messed up dreams of doom and destruction. And everyone brushes them off as 'just nightmares' because, 'Sure, Val. Everyone has messed up dreams sometimes.' The whole godly consciousness in human form is really, really hard to cope with some days.

[levinbolts]

[blackwwatch]

something i haven't seen wrt FoM feedback is the character writing and dialogue. there's a lot of it, and they can react differently if you give certain items, seen certain dialogue, experienced different events, etc. which makes it really fun to talk with them several times over the course of an in-game day.

i think it's also nice that they have preexisting relationships with each other. i think it would be even better if there was more conflict, goals, and distinguishing characteristics between them to allow them to develop as characters.

1. dialogue

it's a little difficult since many characters have similar backgrounds and therefore speaking styles, but i think the character voice could be improved by varying sentence length, word choice, structure, and topic. otherwise, many of the characters talk very similarly--very articulate, forward, and kind. if i take away the speaker, can you distinguish who's speaking which lines?

You're so busy, and you still find time to be this thoughtful! Thank you, [player].

Adeline was originally suspicious of me, but she let me stick around. Guess I have my uses!

This gift is wasted on me, [player]. But maybe I can pass it on.

I like to drop by the General Store on Friday before everyone starts gathering!

Early mornings are my least favorite time in Mistria. Everyone's so... cheery. Like they're about to break into song.

the answers are: Adeline, Balor, Valen, Reina, and Juniper.

it was probably easier to narrow down the last one to either March or Juniper, right? and i think that adds to their popularity--they're distinguishable from the other characters in that they're ruder and less cheerful. they talk about you or others more than they talk about themselves.

that being said, i'm not saying dialogue quirks is what needs to be added. we already have holt, dell, maple, and luc.

each piece of dialogue should say something about the character themselves. whether that is their outlook on life, their aspirations, etc., and every character should have something different about them. they can be cheerful--i think that's a charm of Mistria, where it's so safe and trusting that celine keeps her door unlocked so that juniper and the player can barge in to ask for help--but emphasize different parts of the cheer.

is adeline more optimistic than everyone else? is balor more persistent in his beliefs? does this translate to shorter, and more casual dialogue for balor because he's preserving his out-of-town accent?

does valen have higher standards for you? is her dialogue full of more jargon and prose than adeline because she believes you also share her language?

is reina confident in her organization and time keeping? does she talk as if she's giving you advice because everyone could use a little help in time management?

2. progression

i think seeing character development as you gain hearts with the characters would make it more rewarding to talk with them every day. we have mini "plot lines" that follow them (Balor getting more into D&D, Juniper and Terithia speculating about the townsfolk), and i think there could be more "subplots" to add to the excitement of a new day. for example,

could Adeline be so focused on running the town that she doesn't realize that Eiland would actually prefer spending all his time at the dig site instead? do you get to encourage her to put Eiland on more hands-on tasks instead of paperwork?

is ryis struggling to get noticed as a maturing carpenter in his own right? does landen ask for your help to promote ryis and officially retire?

it could be rewarding to see ryis or another character achieve their goals because you helped them, or even saw a different villager help them. it's nice that you could see them grow and change because you had taken the time to build that relationship.

3. heart events

i would also like to see heart events for non-romanceable characters because i think it would add more life to the town. since this is early access, i assume they're still in-progress.

[gnabnahc317cb97]

Valentine's Don't

Bang Chan x Female reader

Word count: 4k

Synopsis: Sick of spending every Valentine's Day in a rut you impulsively ask a cute guy at the bar to go out with you. Will your plan to meet up backfire in your face?

Warnings: None really. Swearing/strong language, drinking/mentions of alcohol. That's it I think. If I missed something let me know!

Why, why did you let your friend talk you into coming to the bar one week before Valentine’s Day? You always hated the ‘holiday’ ever since elementary school. It was just a popularity contest that you never won, hell you never even placed. Now you were at the bar alone, ditched by your friend that made you come out in the first place when the first halfway cute guy approached her. Not that you blamed her. If a halfway hot guy approached you right now you probably wouldn’t be so bitter but alas you clearly weren’t winning any popularity contests still. Which may be your fault, you were not always the most approachable person, but your past had taught you to be guarded. 

You were working on your third drink since your friend had disappeared and after you emptied the glass you happened to catch a look at a guy from across the bar. He was way beyond halfway hot he was scorching, fire, lava. What’s hotter than lava? He was that! He looked away when the two of you made eye contact.

Had he been looking at you? Only one way to find out. Tipsy you was about to make a big move because why the fuck not at this rate? The worst he could do was say no, well no, the worst he could do was laugh in your face and tell you you’re dumb and ugly. You were going out on a limb that he wasn’t the type to say that. You approached him with all the BDE you could muster. 

“How many times a day do you get told your gorgeous, it's gotta be in the double digits.” He turned towards you smiling and his ears instantly turned red. 

“Probably about half as much as you do.” You grimaced. 

“Yikes. That bad huh?” He laughed at the jab you took at yourself not realizing it was one hundred percent true. No one ever walked up to you let alone walked up and told you you were gorgeous. Maybe it was the ‘don’t fuck with me’ look that had a way of unintentionally appearing on your face or maybe they thought... you were hit with a realization you, for some stupid reason, hadn’t considered before approaching him 

“Oh wait, oh shit, I’m sorry you have a girlfriend don’t you. I’m so sorr-” He shook his head. 

“No no. You’re fine I don’t have a girlfriend.” You quirked an eyebrow. 

“Boyfriend?” He laughed so hard his dimples appeared. 

“No boyfriend either no, I’m single.” You nodded. 

“So do you come to this bar a lot?” he wiggled his hand back and forth. 

“Sometimes, some of my friends are in the band.” 

“What about next Tuesday?” It was so random, and you asked so quickly it caught him off guard. 

“Oh uh...” He thought for a moment. 

“Ohhh isn’t that Valen-” You waved and shook your head. 

“Yea okay look I’m gonna give it to you straight is that okay?” You legitimately waited for his reply, and he nodded. Just lay it all out for him, fuck it. 

“You’re probably the prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my life, and I don’t even know your name, but I have never had a good Valentine’s Day, I’m always angry and alone. I don’t want another repeat, I’m sick to death of it, for once I’d like to go out with a cute guy and actually enjoy the stupid holiday. So here it is, I’m going to come to this bar at 7 pm February 14th. If you think spending Valentine’s with me might be fun, meet me here. If you don’t, well then, no hard feelings.” You turned to walk away, and he caught your hand to stop you. 

“Chris...” You looked at him confused. 

“My name...it’s Chris...” You smiled and nodded then turned and headed straight out of the bar. You would text your friend to tell her you left, you had to go after that move. As soon as you were out the door you were mentally kicking yourself. God that must have seemed so desperate, you hoped it came off as confident. Ugh why did you do that!?  

Every day that week up until Valentine’s Day you went back and forth between freaking out and trying to be optimistic. He did laugh and he’d told you his name, but you were never very good at being optimistic. Your internal monolog was louder. ‘He could have been laughing at you not with you, Chris is so generic he probably said the first name that came to mind.’ Then you would be back to freaking out again. 

Valentine’s Day. You had decided you were going to go, now all you had to do was muster up that same BDE that you’d had when you asked him out in the first place. You dressed nicely but not too fancy, put on a little make up and just threw your hair up, a few of those stubborn pieces refusing to stay put, falling around your face. Your nerves started to get to you again, and that voice. ‘No sense in trying too hard, he won’t be coming.’

You second guessed even going yourself and you had just about talked yourself out of it, then you saw yourself in the mirror. You had put in a little effort to look nice already, you could at least go and have a drink then leave when he doesn’t show. No one would know the difference anyway.  

So you were sitting there at the bar about halfway through your first drink, you were trying to pace yourself, but when you looked at the clock and saw seven fifteen you downed the rest of your glass and signaled to the bar tender for another.

At seven thirty and two drinks down, you decided you would rather get drunk at home alone than in a bar full of couples groping each other while wearing literal heart eyes. You threw some cash down on the bar and went to leave. As you were making your way through the sea of people you could hear someone from the crowd behind you calling for someone. 

“Hey! Uh... wait hey!” The voice sounded like it was getting closer and closer. Whoever they were looking for was evidently in your direction. 

“Wait! Fucking hell, I... I don’t know your name... fuck. Hey gorgeous!” For some reason that struck you and made you turn. When you did you saw that the person who had been yelling was in fact yelling for you and that person was Chris. You must have looked shocked when he walked up. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late I was taking care of something really important and it took me a little longer than I thought it would.” You still stood there stunned. He actually came? You shook the cobwebs in your brain loose and remembered how to speak. 

“Oh, uh no that’s fine, I just figured...” He frowned a little. 

“I was standing you up? Sorry, I’d have texted and told you, but I didn’t know your number, or your name...” He chuckled rubbing the back of his neck. 

“No really it's okay, did you want to grab a drink?” He shook his head. 

“We should probably get going if we’re going to make our dinner reservations.” You stood there stunned again. 

“D-dinner?” He laughed, his eyes scrunched and his dimples showed. 

“Yes, dinner. It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m taking a cute girl out to dinner.” You started giggling like a teenaged girl talking to her crush. Your giggle transformed into a cough as you cleared your throat, trying to maintain your cool façade from the week before. 

“Right of course dinner. Let’s go then.” Chris smiled and placed his hand on the small of your back. You wished it didn’t send a shiver up your spine. God you were touch starved. Chris led you out of the bar and to his car, opening the door for you. Right at that very moment you actually stopped and thought for a second. What you were doing seemed so crazy you hadn’t told any of your friends. Cute or not, no one knew you were meeting this guy and you were about to climb in his car. You hesitated getting in. 

“You’re not some serial killer, are you? If I ask and you are, you have to tell, that’s the rule.” Chris laughed with his whole body. You really liked his laugh; it was warm and made you smile.  

“I think that’s for undercover police but no, I’m not a serial killer.” You nodded side eyeing him. 

“That’s exactly what I’d expect an undercover cop to say.” Tears were in his eyes, every time he thought he had a hold of himself you had him laughing again. What Chris didn’t realize was humor was your security blanket when you were nervous. It was kind of hard for you to make friends, it wasn’t easy for you to open up and be vulnerable enough for people to really get to know you. When you did make friends it was usually because you made them laugh, so that was your go to safety net when you weren’t sure if being yourself was okay.  

After a short ride you pulled up to a small restaurant. The only way it stood out was the neon sign with its name in cursive. You could blink and miss it. When Chris led you into the dimly lit restaurant you could hear salsa music playing. There was limited seating and a dance floor took up quite a bit of space. The only time you had ever danced was at prom and that was more shuffling back and forth while being groped than it was actually dancing.  

“We don’t have to dance. I picked this place because they have great food and music, the dancing is optional.” He must have picked up on your immediate apprehension. 

“We can dance.” The fuck were you saying? 

“Looks fun.” FUN!? Oh God why was your overzealous mouth sabotaging you like that. 

“Really?” He asked surprised and you nodded 

“Yea really!” ‘Yea really’ you mocked yourself in your head as you continued to speak without thinking. 

“That’s great, I used to be a dancer. I don’t get to do it very often anymore.” Of course he used to be a dancer, look at him. Making an ass out of yourself in front of a hot amateur wasn’t enough, go ahead and make a fool of yourself in front of a hot professional instead.  

“You used to be a dancer?” That was in fact what he said. Braindead much? He nodded and suddenly your mouth was overriding your brain again. 

“Exotic?” Chris laughed shaking his head. 

“No no, mostly hip hop but some contemporary and ballroom as well.” Fantastic. You dropped the subject as you made it to the table. Maybe it wouldn’t come up again. Once you were both seated and your drinks were ordered you started to loosen up a bit. You had a little small talk, but you still didn’t open up about yourself.

Chris was friendly and open. He struck you as the type that never met a stranger. You both ordered your food and he was right, the meal was delicious. The music was good, and he was pleasant to talk to also. After you ate you both sat there listening to the band. Chris smiled and tapped his toe along with the rhythm.  

“You know someone in the band here too?” You asked sarcastically and sipped your drink. His dimples appeared again. 

“Yes actually.” You almost spit your drink out. 

“Really?!” He nodded smiling ear to ear and pointed. 

“See the buff dude playing drums?” You shook your head. 

“That’s my friend Changbin, he fills in here sometimes, but he usually plays at the bar where we met.” Then you recognized him, you had seen him playing at the bar before. 

“So how about that dance.” You laughed nervously. You really hoped he’d forgotten about that. 

“Aren’t you supposed to wait twenty minutes before dancing after a meal?” Chris shook his head laughing again. You really liked his laugh. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s swimming but if you don’t want to-” You quickly shook your head. 

“No, I want to!” Internal face palm. Way to not take the out he gave you genius. 

“You sure?” You nodded. There you go! Double down on your chance to look stupid, why not? 

“Great come on!” He held out his hand and you took it. As he led you towards the dance floor your heartbeat got louder and louder in your ears, you almost couldn’t hear the music. When he turned to face you, you had no idea what to do. Chris picked up on that pretty quickly if he didn’t know outright from the start. He pulled you closer by your hips, then he placed your hands on his shoulders before grabbing your hips again. 

“Just follow my lead.” You gave him a small smile and shook your head as he started to sway both of your hips to the beat of the music.  

“There you go, now look at me.” Your eyes had been glued to your feet. Two of Chris’ fingers placed under your chin tilted your head up to look him in the eye. 

“Perfect. Gorgeous.” You could feel yourself starting to flush. 

“Now when I take a step forward you take a step back and when I take a step back you take one forward. It’s easy.” He took a step back and you followed taking a step forward. Chris’ hips swiveled to the rhythm as he took a step forward and you back. 

“A natural!” You bit back the smile trying to force its way out. 

“Yea a natural disaster, just like a tornado.” You scoffed and Chris laughed. You made it through the first song only stepping on his toes a few times, then a slower more sultry song started.

Chris pulled you closer, your hips almost pressed together, you didn’t think your face could burn any hotter when his hips started swaying with yours, his arms around your waist, yours wrapped around his shoulders. You bravely toyed with the curls at the nape of his neck while watching your feet again. When you did, he started rubbing his thumbs gently against your lower back making your skin erupt in goosebumps.  

“So why do you hate Valentine’s Day?” He suddenly broke the silence between you. You looked up and shrugged your shoulders opting to look over his shoulder and not in his eyes as you attempted to be a little open. 

“Might as well be Friday the thirteenth to me. It’s just never been a good day, I dunno. Break ups always seemed to happen around that time for me, I always end up alone. When I caught my last boyfriend cheating on me on Valentine's Day that just kind of sealed the deal for me.” 

“How long ago was that?” You just shook your head. It had been years but you had given up on finding someone, trying to be content in your loneliness. This stupid holiday just always got to you. You finally willed yourself to look at him, Chris gave you a tight smile.  

“Sorry.” You shook your head and tried to laugh it off putting up the wall again. 

“What are you sorry for? It’s just some corporate holiday to make money off saps. It’s not that big of a deal really.” You looked back over his shoulder again focusing on the wall behind him hoping he wouldn’t press the matter as you tried to hide the overwhelming sadness you felt suddenly. He didn’t thankfully and you finished dancing to the song in silence.   

“Come on let's get out of here.” 

“Where to?” Chris shook his head. 

“Nnnope, it’s a surprise and why I was late. I hope that it makes up for it.”  

“You’ve already more than made up for it just by coming at all Chris. Thanks.” He smiled and his hand braced the small of your back as you both got your things and left the restaurant. Once you both were in the car and on your way a silence hung between you again and that internal monolog of yours came back. ‘You sounded desperate before now you sound sad and des-” As if Chris could sense the spiraling thoughts in your head, he finally broke the silence. 

“So Valentine’s Day is a bust holiday for you, what’s your favorite?” You thought about his question and then shook your head not wanting to give him the sad answer. 

“Come on you can tell me, please?” He pushed his bottom lip out and it was too cute not to give into. 

“Halloween was my favorite when I was a kid.” Chris smiled. 

“All the candy is pretty awesome.” You shook your head. 

“No, I mean yeah, the candy was great, but I liked it because I was able to be someone else for a day, anyone else. I don’t know just someone that wasn’t me.” Chris’ brow furrowed. 

“Why wouldn’t you want to be you?” Chris was pulling up to an iron fence and parking as he asked. You couldn’t help your attention suddenly being drawn to your surroundings. 

“Just because I... uh Chris why are we at a cemetery?” He shook his head. 

“It’s not a cemetery it’s a botanical garden. A friend...”  

“Plays in the band here too?” He laughed, that warm sweet laugh of his. 

“No no they run the place though and when they closed at seven I met her and got the keys to the place. Which is why I was so late. Sorry again about that.” You shook your head, you were shocked. If Chris put so much effort into a Valentine’s date with a total stranger he must be a really good friend. You hoped after that night you could be friends.  

He unlocked the gate and led you into the garden. It was kind of hard to see just at first then Chris disappeared for a second and the next thing you knew hundreds of thousands of twinkle lights lit up the whole garden. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Suddenly Chris was by your side again startling you.

You turned to him with your hand still over your heart. When you looked up at him you couldn’t speak. He was beautiful, you knew that, anyone with eyes knew that, but with the lights and the garden, his smile that scrunched up his eyes, he was stunning, hence the speechlessness. Finally you forced yourself to form words. 

“Chris... I... just... you did all of this for me? Dinner? This garden? For me?” You were genuinely confused because you had never met anyone like him before, as beautiful inside as he was outside. Your cool façade was melting, you had no joke or punchline. 

“Well it’s not like I strung up all the lights or anything, but yeah! I know it’s not much-” You kissed him. You threw your arms around his shoulders and kissed him and he kissed you back. It was a soft innocent kiss, a thank you, that words alone couldn’t convey. 

“Thank you.” You whispered as you pulled back with your eyes closed. He tasted like mint and smelled like the woods. 

“You’re welcome-” His voice was a breath; he cupped your face and immediately kissed you again. There was more passion behind his lips the second time, his hands cradled your face as he tilted his head, his plump lips slightly parting to taste more of yours. You followed, your lips parting, head tilting. Chris’ tongue gently invaded your mouth, teasing yours.

You toyed with the curls at his neck again as the two of you slowly, softly kissed. Chris let go of your face and wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you closer. After a moment you two broke the kiss, having to breathe being your only reason. You both stood there flushed, chests rapidly rising and falling with heavy breaths, arms wrapped around one another. He chewed at his bottom lip and smiled at you, forcing a small smile onto your face. 

“Um, heh, uh why don’t I show you around the place hm?” You nodded and Chris grabbed your hand and started to lead you through the garden. You both walked quietly for some time looking at all the beautiful flowers and reading different descriptions before Chris’ voice cut through the silence. 

“You know you really are gorgeous.” It caught you off guard. You must have looked shocked. You had been looking at flowers, but Chris had really only been looking at you this whole time. 

“W-what makes you say that?” He stopped walking and turned to you, grabbing your other hand holding both in his own. 

“Because you are and because I really want to kiss you again.” Before you could even think of how to reply to that Chris’ lips were softly pressed against yours again, his fingers threading through your hair. You gripped the front of his shirt and kissed him back, things getting heated rather quickly between the two of you. Finally Chris broke away apologizing. 

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m... uhh, I’m trying to be respectful, just... when I kiss you...” He wasn’t even sure of what he was trying to say. 

“It’s okay Chris...” You pulled him closer by his shirt and kissed him again both of you getting lost in the other momentarily. When your lips parted again you both started laughing. 

“How about I get you home?” Chris chuckled and you nodded, smiling the biggest smile you had in the longest time. You walked back out of the garden the way you came in so Chris could turn off the lights and lock back up. You both hopped in his car, you gave him directions to your place, and you were off. The car ride there was accompanied by some soft music Chris had put on. Once you got to your place Chris parked the car. 

“Hold on l’ll get your door.” Before you could insist that it was unnecessary, he was out of the car making his way around to your side. He opened the door and helped you out. He kept a hold of your hand the whole way to your front door. You fished your keys out and stood there a moment. 

“This has been the best Valentine’s Day Chris. Thank you.” You couldn’t look at him only your feet, you felt so vulnerable at that moment. Chris traced the back of his fingers along your cheek, you tilted your head up and he leaned in and kissed you goodnight.  

“Thank you for inviting me to spend the evening with you.” Just before you opened your front door Chris cleared his throat. You turned and looked at him confused. 

“Well I was just wondering I mean... I’d like to take you out again some time if that’s alright?” You nodded smiling. 

“I’d really like that Chris.” He stood there for a moment like he was still waiting for something more. 

“Would it be okay if I got your number?” He handed you his phone as you laughed. 

“Of course, I wasn’t even thinking!” You typed your number in and hit call. Your phone started ringing and you hung up. 

“There now I’ve got yours too.” You handed Chris back his phone. 

“Just one more thing?” You stood there waiting for his final request from you perhaps another goodnight kiss. 

“What’s your name?” Oh holy shit, you had gone this whole evening and not once did you bother mentioning your name! 

“Oh my god Chris I’m so sorry!” He laughed then you leaned in and kissed him, your lips slightly parted from his. 

“y/n.” He nodded and gave you one more peck on the lips smiling. 

“y/n... gorgeous.” 

Please do not repost or translate any of my works. My blog and stories are NSFW and 18+ ONLY! Minors, ageless, and blank blogs will be blocked!

[katsigian]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

Aw, thank you so much! 🥹 I appreciate the prompt <3

I think my all time favourite creation is Valen. He's the greatest thing I've ever made. The time and effort that I've put into him, just countless hours building him, writing his story and lore and events in his life. Building his personality and traumas and how they relate to each other. His details and quirks and the symbolism behind him. Valen's story is 60 pages long and it just keeps growing because he's so incredibly special to me.

The effort that went into his tattoos and complexion; drawing the designs, placing them, shading them all in so they're realistic, painting his freckles and face skin texture. I have 40+ hours into that alone and regardless of what happens, I always feel a bit of pride when I look at the completed project (Pic 1 and Pic 2 below).

He's my baby, my labour of love.

Pic 3 is there because I love it and I'm proud of it. All of my VP are monuments to the things I love most.

Another creation I'm proud of is his and my other daywalker's lore. I've built an entire world on the base that is Cyberpunk 2077 to fit my daywalkers and wolves into. I've spent a lot of time worldbuilding and hammering out their individual lore. How my daywalkers work, how my wolves work, what their strengths and weaknesses are as a species. I have pages of it written down and maybe one day I'll share it.

And of course, I need to mention how proud I am of the things I've built with others, with my partner @rindemption and my best friend @noirapocalypto. My OCs and theirs are intertwined in ways that mean the world to me. I love these connections deeply and I'm proud of the stories and lore and people that I've built with them. There are a lot of days where the only thing that can make me smile is thinking of them.

These are pictures of Rin's Nathan and Sayne's Salem I've taken as acts of love. I'm very proud of them, too, because they're for people that mean so much to me.

And those are my creations I'm the proudest of. Thank you again for letting me share.

[pikkish]

Classic OR 2016, you know the drill! Doomguy, ♥ - family headcanon, ♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon, ☆ - happy headcanon!

♥ - family headcanon - Post Doom 64, and his decision to stay in Hell forever, Doomguy... can’t actually remember his family. Partially because I never really came up with any headcanons about his family, and partially because I want to avoid the whole discourse war of whether or not the photo in Eternal is actually his family, but mostly because I like it as a plot point and I think it fits the theme of him having to sacrifice everything to be the Doom Slayer, even the memory of his family. “It’s better to have loved and lost,” and all that, and when Hell realized they couldn’t break him physically, they tried to break him mentally and emotionally by making him believe he’d never loved at all,

Unfortunately for Hell, once he was kicked out into Argent D’nur, Doomguy was adopted by Valen. Then he was adopted by VEGA. And then the intern. And now he has a new family who cares about him very much :)

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon - tbh, i think he’d say his main hobby is killing demons? Like sure, it’s his job and his purpose, and it’s sort of a role he was forced into, but, all the suffering of himself and others aside, he actually just enjoys doing it? He gets a very deep sense of pride and gratification from it, and he finds it exciting and exhilarating. For as much as it’s something he needs to do, it’s also something he wants to do.

I think he also likes collecting comic books and action figures, but that one is pretty much canon in modern Doom.

☆ - happy headcanon - Rabbits are always his favorite, but he’s still basically a disney princess level animal lover. He was out of his mind excited when he learned that the Night Sentinels get to ride dragons, and he took to caring for Bababooey like a horse girl, and would take every opportunity he could get to be out flying with her. He couldn’t show it because he was on an Important Mission, but he was thrilled to see she was still okay when she came to get him in TAG2. He definitely hugged her at least twice in the flight from the Torch of Kings to the World Spear.

[cashweasel]

Thank you for the tag @night-triumphantt love oc tag games 😌💓 I did it for a few faves that are giving me total brain rot lately ~ tagging @lilyoffandoms @plejaades @sosolenoo @detect-thoughts @wywrds

BOLD is true without fail (or as true as something can be without fail); ITALICS are either occasional habits/quirks or ‘just bc they can’ WOULD they? Or aren’t very good at it

VALEN -

likes artificial watermelon • sleeps in what they are already wearing • eats their cereal with milk • listens to music with earbuds • hates the summer • can recite past the first four digits of pi • eats frosting out of the jar • doodles on their notebooks • can bake cookies • has a garden • has had a snowball fight • eats pancakes without syrup • prefers shorts over pants • can name more than ten superheroes • has a plan for the zombie apocalypse • uses the same password for everything • can’t hold their breath for more than fifteen seconds • watches anime • can say ‘ I love you ‘ in more than one language • prefers mechanical pencils • thinks space is cool • takes personality tests more than once to make sure • can’t tie their shoelaces • has a purse • likes salads • likes cool colors better than warm colors • knows how to braid hair • reads biographies • can ice skate • knows their mbti • reads astrology charts • prefers the star wars prequels to the original trilogy • plays video games • reads the newspaper • likes chocolate ice cream best • doesn’t cuss • memorizes song lyrics • collects coupons • has a preferred order at starbucks • likes movie theater popcorn • has seen a play • listens to music with headphones • owns a hoodie • would rather own cds than online copies • has written a poem • can shuffle cards • subscribes to a magazine • double dips when eating • drinks directly out of the milk container • keeps a journal •

Gideon -

likes artificial watermelon • sleeps in what they are already wearing • eats their cereal with milk • listens to music with earbuds • hates the summer • can recite past the first four digits of pi • eats frosting out of the jar • doodles on their notebooks • can bake cookies • has a garden • has had a snowball fight • eats pancakes without syrup • prefers shorts over pants • can name more than ten superheroes • has a plan for the zombie apocalypse • uses the same password for everything • can’t hold their breath for more than fifteen seconds • watches anime • can say ‘ I love you ‘ in more than one language • prefers mechanical pencils • thinks space is cool • takes personality tests more than once to make sure • can’t tie their shoelaces • has a purse • likes salads • likes cool colors better than warm colors • knows how to braid hair • reads biographies • can ice skate • knows their mbti • reads astrology charts • prefers the star wars prequels to the original trilogy • plays video games • reads the newspaper • likes chocolate ice cream best • doesn’t cuss • memorizes song lyrics • collects coupons • has a preferred order at starbucks • likes movie theater popcorn • has seen a play • listens to music with headphones • owns a hoodie • would rather own cds than online copies • has written a poem • can shuffle cards • subscribes to a magazine • double dips when eating • drinks directly out of the milk container • keeps a journal •

YAZAN -

likes artificial watermelon • sleeps in what they are already wearing • eats their cereal with milk • listens to music with earbuds • hates the summer • can recite past the first four digits of pi • eats frosting out of the jar • doodles on their notebooks • can bake cookies • has a garden • has had a snowball fight • eats pancakes without syrup • prefers shorts over pants • can name more than ten superheroes • has a plan for the zombie apocalypse • uses the same password for everything • can’t hold their breath for more than fifteen seconds • watches anime • can say ‘ I love you ‘ in more than one language • prefers mechanical pencils • thinks space is cool • takes personality tests more than once to make sure • can’t tie their shoelaces • has a purse • likes salads • likes cool colors better than warm colors • knows how to braid hair • reads biographies • can ice skate • knows their mbti • reads astrology charts • prefers the star wars prequels to the original trilogy • plays video games • reads the newspaper • likes chocolate ice cream best • doesn’t cuss • memorizes song lyrics • collects coupons • has a preferred order at starbucks • likes movie theater popcorn • has seen a play • listens to music with headphones • owns a hoodie • would rather own cds than online copies • has written a poem • can shuffle cards • subscribes to a magazine • double dips when eating • drinks directly out of the milk container • keeps a journal •

[mercurygguk]

Grinch in law jimin how was the valen sex, did you guys start trying for a baby yet👀

“what makes you think we had sex on valentines?” jimin asks, quirking an eyebrow in question. although he can’t for the sake of his life hide the smile that’s spreading on his face. “it was great … and no, we’re not trying to have a baby yet. we still got a lot of things to do before having kids.”

[primeval-dreams]

Intern, do you think we can tell Valen the full story?

Valen only quirks an eyebrow at the answer, or perhaps at being so openly spoken about directly in front of him.

[watching-from-the-tower]

Hi. My name is Valen. I have decided to join this website due to being interested in the goings of it. I hope to witness many events and learn many stories here. She/They/It. h1, my nam3 15 al50 val3n. 1m h3r3 t00, 1 gu355. 1 5ay "1 gu355" a5 1f 1 d1dnt mak3 th15 bl0g. w3lp. (TRANSLATION: hi, my name is also valen. im here too, i guess. i say "i guess" as if i didnt make this blog. welp.)

hey this is just an rp blog for my friend @s0lar-ch3ri's campaign (ILY MY WIFE /P) this is my player character, valen, and i thought she was very silly and i love it so. 👍 ive never read homestuck so. sorry if i give someone flashbacks with those typing quirks valens just like that 😭/lhj tags: always watching from the tower - in character

BEEP. AN ASK HAS BEEN SENT! ANSWER? - answer asks

shutting down the warforged - ooc

gold only to fools - THE CAMPAIGN!!!

[thegoddesswater]

Tell me about Val and Rui! They have fun names :)

Thanks Lano! Interesting choices! And interesting reason for picking them, since both of them have caused me some form of 'naming agony' ANYWAY

Val Quirke When writing Val (or Valen - I flip flop on whether I want to stick with the short form or not), one of the biggest things that I try to keep in mind is that Val Knows Things and is constantly trying to course correct when his plans are knocked askew by other characters exerting their free will and derailing things they don't know about.

Val thinks that he's objective about any situation, even though he isn't, which can lead to the justification of actions that can definitely be read as very petty on his part. He's got his own agenda that neither quite adheres to the plot of Miadhachain Legacy nor necessarily makes sense to other characters. Despite the way that I keep saying that Val has plans and his own agenda he is not 'cold and calculated' in his actions (I mean, calculated? Yes. Sort of.); choices he makes hurt him, they hurt the people he cares about and he hates it. But he's also very much 'the ends justify the means' because this poor guy is a side character playing a seven dimensional cosmic game of Go against the universe, all while trying to maintain the facade that he is a Normal Human Being and not a godly consciousness trapped in human form.

Not that I really plan to give Val a POV chapter, but if he ever gets one, I definitely want to try to make it feel off in a hard to pin down way.

Desai, Rui I feel like I talk about Rui a lot. ...Maybe I just think about him a lot.

Rui is a middle child and first-generation immigrant; he's used to being overlooked and under estimated; he's used to having to do more just to be considered equal to others. He's also hyper-aware of the way that people perceive him and will use this to his advantage to keep them off balance.

When I write Rui's dialogue, his phrasing and formality indicates his state of mind - if he's stopped using contractions, it's a bad sign: he's uncomfortable, he's mad, he's upset etc. and is hiding it all behind a veneer of Proper Language.

Word count challenge: 215 words for Run, Runaway Challenge words to date: 1,241

[juanmecanico]

"Los Ferraris híbridos están superando en ventas a los modelos de combustión interna pura" ¡Interesante cambio en el mercado automotriz! Ferrari ha notado que los modelos híbridos están superando a los de combustión interna en ventas. 🚗💨💚 Parece que los amantes de los coches no sólo buscan un diseño impresionante y un rendimiento salvaje, sino que también tienen en cuenta la eficiencia y el medio ambiente. Este cambio no sólo es relevante desde el punto de vista de la demanda de los consumidores, sino que también muestra cómo las marcas icónicas como Ferrari se están adaptando a las nuevas demandas del mercado y a las normativas ambientales. 🌍 Es evidente que la tecnología híbrida está dejando una huella duradera en el mundo del automóvil. En particular, el Ferrari SF90 Stradale es una mezcla perfecta de rendimiento y eficiencia, con su V8 turboalimentado y tres motores eléctricos que ofrecen una impresionante potencia de más de 900 caballos de fuerza! 🏎️⚡ Y para hacernos una idea de sus prestaciones, el SF90 Stradale puede hacer 0 a 100 km/h en 2,5 segundos, con una velocidad máxima de 340 kilómetros por hora. ¡Estos son definitivamente números Quirks & Features que valen la pena! Para las personas que aman la velocidad y también están interesadas en proteger el medio ambiente, los coches híbridos de alta gama como este son una opción atractiva. Creo que podemos decir que estamos presenciando la evolución de la marca de superdeportivos por excelencia en respuesta a las demandas del siglo XXI. ¡Qué final de la década tan intrigante! ¿Qué nos deparará la próxima en el mundo del automóvil? ¿Más eléctricos? ¿Hidrógeno? Sólo el tiempo lo dirá. Mientras tanto, estaré aquí, analizando cada giro y vuelta en esta carretera emocionante de cambios. #HybridPower #Ferrari #CarsOfTheFuture 🚗��🌍

[primalvessel]

“how about we don’t do that.” // from valens

"Oh?" the feline replied with a curiously quirked brow. Did he detect a hint of fear in the scientist's voice?

"I'm curious to hear of what we should do instead then," he admitted, pacing back and forth like a caged animal with a lash of his tail. "Because I'm going to get out of here eventually..."

[not-a-space-alien]

Magnanimous Moonrise Chapter 15M

Story masterpost

Complementary chapter

Content/Content warnings for this chapter: First chapter where I can say there are NO WARNINGS, only fluff!

They both sat there talking to him encouragingly until he’d downed the glass, the straw slurping at the empty bottom.  When he started trying to swipe the remnants out of the glass to lick his finger, they took it and refilled it.

He drank three full glasses in the end before they reached the bottom of the pint of blood.  Ari suggested they wait a little while to open another one, to let his stomach settle.  Valen agreed to this.

"Are you starting to feel a little better?" said Lex, squeezing his hand.

Valen flushed and looked down.  He was feeling better.  The food was already starting to help.  But it was also psychological.  Someone had fed him.  Someone cared enough to help him.  “Y-yes, thank you.”

"How about a bath then, huh?"

Valen had been so focused on his hunger he'd completely ignored how utterly filthy he was. The rotten artificial blood smelled truly disgusting. Humans' sense of smell was poor, but probably even they could smell it.  “O-okay.”

“Go ahead and unhook yourself.”

Valen reached up and took the muzzle off, a simple act of freeing himself that had been so impossible just a few days ago.  It already felt like the first bath he’d taken not that long ago was years in the past.  He set it on the ground, then unclipped the chain from his collar.

As Lex helped him stand, Ari crossed her arms.  “Hmph.  We’ll have to figure out some way to get that off you eventually.  We don’t have the key.”

“O-oh,” said Valen, deflating.  He’d secretly been hoping they’d take the collar off soon.  It was the last restraint on him, but it was locked.

“Well, we can work on it,” said Ari.  “Hey, do you want me to carry you up to the bathroom?  Our stairs are a bit fucky.”

Valen looked past her to see the stairs up the second floor:  They were uneven wood, some with exposed nails, and quite steep.  They were, indeed, a bit fucky.

“If–If–If you want to,” said Valen, voice quiet, trying not to sound too excited.  “That–that would be–appreciated, ma’am.”

“All right, up you go, then.”  He tried to suppress his reflex to flail and grab things to stop himself from falling as Ari scooped him up, one hand on his back, the other under his thighs.  He slid into her chest, arms curled up, blushing fiercely as she carried him bridal style.

Ari looked down at him and winked, and he averted his eyes quickly.  “Hold on, bat boy.”

Valen did not think he could get any redder, but his body kept finding more blood to send to his cheeks and ears.  He could see Lex smirking in an amused way behind Ari.  He worried about what it could mean…  They were teasing him, that’s all, surely.  Not that they were angry at him, or threatening him.  Just good-natured teasing.

It was the first time in his life he found he didn’t mind it.

Ari carried him up the stairs.  It reminded him of the first time, when she’d done it over her shoulder, with his arms still cuffed and the muzzle still on, as he’d given Lex desperate pleading eyes, hoping against hope for some compassion.

“There we are,” said Ari, setting him down in front of the bathroom.  “Taxi dropping you right off.  Have a good time.”

“I imagine you’d like some privacy,” said Lex.

“We’ll get you a towel and stuff, and you can take as long as you want,” said Ari.

“Um–” said Valen.  “I–I–I might need help getting in and out of the tub.  You can–you can stay, if you want.  If you want to.  Please.  You don’t have to.”

Ari quirked an eyebrow.  “Eh?”

“You don’t have to.”

“Start running the water, Ari,” said Lex.  “I’ll be back with the towel.”

Their bathroom was dirtier than the one in the hunter’s compound, the mirror slightly cracked, but it had a lived-in feel that was comforting, even if all the hair everywhere was kind of gross.  Ari squatted next to the claw-foot bathtub and started the water, running her hand under it.

Valen clutched his hands to his chest as he caught sight of himself in the mirror again.  He barely recognized himself under the burns on his face–but this was better than the first time.  That was him, under the muck and despair, he could see himself there now, as though he were being excavated out.

“Hey,” said Ari, and he turned to see her watching him stare at himself in the mirror.  “Come here, kiddo.”

Surely Valen had to be decades older than her.  But he sat on the toilet next to her without complaint.

“We’re gonna get you cleaned up,” said Ari.  “And we’re gonna help you get better.  There’s no need to look at yourself like that.”

He looked down at his lap.

“Now do you wanna keep all your clothes on, or take a proper bath?”

“I’ve got a towel,” Lex sang, coming back in.  “Bath time, then?”

Ari closed the flow of water.  “Do you want us to look away while you undress?”

“I–I think I’ll fall down if I have to–I think I need help to–”

“All right, that’s okay, I’ll help you,” said Lex.

He pulled his shirt over his head, then almost lost his balance if not for Ari’s hand on his back.  He let it fall to the floor, then leaned over and pulled his pants down, again only staying upright because of the two women holding him up.

He was just as emaciated as before, and just as injured, but the motions of his hands were less unsure.

“Are you sure you don’t want some privacy?” said Lex.

They had already seen all of him and more, been privy to his most brutal debasement and his lowest points.  The concept that his mere nudity would mean anything in front of them was laughable, in his mind, but he appreciated the gesture.  “I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” said Lex.  “As long as it’s what you want.”

Valen pulled his underwear down, then turned to step up into the bathtub.  He had free use of his hands this time, but just as he’d predicted, he still banged his foot on the ledge trying to step up into it.

“I gotcha,” said Ari, steadying him.  She picked him up and lowered him into the water like she was firmly grasping a handful of dry spaghetti to put into a pot of hot water.

She let go, and he sank down into the warm water, tub luxuriously deep.

“It’s nice?” said Lex.

“Yes,” he said, eyes watering.  “Th-thank you.”

Lex shrugged.  “Well, we kind of had to.”  No, you really didn’t.  You definitely could have gotten away with leaving me in Hell.  Lex produced a folded-up washcloth, sliding it onto the edge of the tub.  “Here, the soap’s over there.  We, ah, don’t have one of those nice detachable shower heads, so we’ll just have to refresh the water more than once.”

Part of Valen wanted her to use the washcloth with her own hands, but he knew it would be inappropriate to ask her to do that.  He took the washcloth and wet it, then rubbed the soap on it.

He started washing the copious blood off his face.  He’d known he was filthy, but he was still surprised by the amount of blood that came off, the speed at which the water turned rusty red.  “O-oh,” he said, peeling more grime off.  “I–I–I’m–It must have been ghastly to–to look at me like this the whole time.”

“I’ll start getting your stuff out of the van,” said Ari.  “You’ll need some new clothes.”  She prodded the pile of vile, blood-soaked clothes on the floor.  “Um, do you think it’s worth trying to save these?  Can we just get rid of them?”

“If–If–I can mend the holes, if you–if it’s not too much trouble to launder it–if you have a–supplies–to sew.”

Ari grimaced, but reached down and picked up the clothes without complaint.  “Right…I’ll go throw this in the wash, then.  We brought all the clothes you had in your closet and dresser.”

Oh, that was why they'd taken stuff from his house. “Th-thank you.  I–I’m grateful to–that you thought to b-bring my things.”

Ari shut the door behind her, leaving Valen and Lex alone in the bathroom.  Valen suddenly lost all courage to look directly at Lex, lowering his eyes to focus on rubbing the washcloth on himself, trying to pat his open wounds as gently as possible.

“Do you want me to wash your hair?  Since you don’t seem to be able to lift your arms above your head.”

“Yes, please,” he said, barely above a whisper.

Lex squeezed some shampoo out and started to lather it onto his head.  He closed his eyes, the soft touches washing over him, but disquiet growing in the pit of his stomach kept him from enjoying it completely.  He was enjoying Lex’s touches, a lot, and maybe that was supposed to be only something Ari had a right to.  The very last thing he wanted to do was upset Ari, to make himself unwelcome here in this haven he’d dared to hope for this whole time, to make her feel like she had to be territorial.  What if she walked in on this?  Would she be angry Valen was receiving affection from her?

“Are you sure–is it–”  He realized partway through he’d made a fatal assumption, and the pendulum of his anxious, overthinking mind swung the other way–it’d been presumptuous to assume this was affection and closeness in the way he was thinking of it.  He’d just never been touched so intimately by someone he actually wanted it from, and it was making his brain go haywire.

But it was too late to abort the question.  “Go ahead,” said Lex encouragingly.

Valen swallowed.  “Are you sure Ari would not object to the way you’re touching me?”

Lex’s hands stopped on his scalp.  His anxiety skyrocketed.  He’d definitely made a mistake of some sort.  Oh god, they were going to kick him out, or give him back to Nick, or–or–

“Of course,” said Lex, her voice tinged with amusement.  “She doesn’t care.  Why do you think she would?”

Valen shook, sending out tiny ripples in the water.  Now if he explained himself, he risked Lex being offended at his train of thought.  He wanted so badly not to intrude on their relationship, while at the same time yearning for nothing more than that very same, impossible thing.  He was here, in their house, and they were both helping him and treating him gently, and he wanted that to go on forever and forever–

He let out an overwhelmed squeak.  “I–I’m not sure–I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Lex, sounding more baffled than anything.  She went back to her rhythmic motions on his scalp.  “Have you…Has no one ever washed your hair for you before?  Besides that time I did it at the hunter’s compound, I mean.”

“N-no, no one has.”

Lex patted his shoulder.  “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes.”

“Me and Ari do it for each other all the time.”

He let out another strangulated whine.  Jesus Christ, Valen, keep it together.  How pathetic and starved was he for connection with someone he could be genuine and tender with that he immediately piled all those hopes and desires on these two hunters who had hurt him so badly?

Lex poured some water over his head to rinse the shampoo out.  “Oh, um…” she said.  “Right, I needed to ask you…  I think, at your house, I heard you…talking on the phone?  I assume that was someone you wanted to come help you right?”

Fear shot through Valen as he recalled the phone call to Priscus.  He’d almost forgotten about it already.  “Oh–Oh, yes, yes, I–I’m sorry–I’m sorry, Alexis.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said.  “It’s okay.  I probably would have done the same thing.  We just need to talk about it because it means someone is on the way to get you, right?”

Oh god.  He’d begged Priscus to come save him.  “I–I–I asked my husband to come rescue me.”

Was it his imagination, or did Lex look a little disappointed?  “Oh.”  She fidgeted.  “Well, should we–should we call him again and make arrangements for him to come get you?”

“No!” Valen blurted out, then eased back.  His initial response was always No, I don’t want to go with Priscus, but it was a very good question now.  He’d called Priscus because he was at the very end of his rope, completely out of options, and he’d figured that being abused was better than being tortured…  Now that it was looking more and more like torture was off the table, though, all his hatred of Priscus was returning.

But…Did he dare pass up this opportunity to make it off human territory?  To make it back to safety, out of the reach of vampire hunters?  How much did he trust that this treatment from Lex and Ari would continue?  And did he trust them just because he wanted to believe they would continue to be kind to him?

“Really?” said Lex.  “But–but you called him.  Do you not want…?”

There weren’t any good options for him right now, but he chose where he was, what he could see, a tentative peace over guaranteed misery.  “My husband is–my husband is a horrible man, whom I despise.  I would only–I only called him as a last resort, because I was desperate to escape torture.  I would count myself lucky if I never saw his face again.”

“Oh.”  Lex fidgeted.  “Well, if that’s the case…does he know where you are?  Do we need to hide you?”

Valen’s heart was overwhelmed by the speed at which Lex became ride-or-die upon hearing that a hated husband was in the picture.  “I was unable to give him the address before–before–those two arrived, and if he–even if he was able to track the location based on the phone number, or some trick, it would only lead him to–to my house out deep in the country.”

“Sheesh, that’s a good five hour drive.  Yeah, I don’t know if he really has any way to find you then.  …Right?”

“I believe so,” said Valen.  “At least, I hope so.”

The door cracked open, and Ari’s disembodied arm came in, laying clothes on the sink.  “Clothes,” she said succinctly, pointing to them without sticking her head in.  “There.  Bye.”

The arm withdrew, and they both heard the sound of furniture moving downstairs.

“So if I can ask,” said Lex.  “I’m–I’m curious as to why you’re married to him if you hate him so much.”

Valen let his eyes fall down into the soapy water.  “It was my parents’ idea.  I–I did not have the courage to defy them on the issue until well after we were married and it became obvious to me how truly horrible it was.”

“Oh,” said Lex, sounding very, very sad.  She watched Valen listlessly rub the washcloth on himself for a moment before saying, “Kind of the same thing happened to me.  Well, not quite that bad, but my parents tried to set me up with this family friend’s son as soon as I told them I was dating Ari.  They seemed to think they could convince me not to be queer if they just tried hard enough to find a man I would like better than Ari.”

“They–Mine also seemed to think they could convince me–not to be transsexual–if I married a proper husband and had proper wifely d-duties.  They were–were also trying to break me of my–pacifist beliefs, believing them to also be im-improper.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Lex, voice heavy.  “Oh my god, that’s awful.  I’m so glad you got away from that.”

“As am I.”  He swallowed.  His voice was starting to get raspy again from using it so much, but he was finally, finally having a conversation with someone who could understand him even a little bit, and he didn’t want it to stop.  “I–I still couldn’t get him to sign the divorce paperwork I initiated, which is why I–I still have his last name.  Any time he–he s-starts to consider just letting me go, his-his parents say that divorce isn’t something to–to consider, and that he needs to be a proper husband to make me a proper wife.”

Lex suddenly got a look of intense sadness on her face.  “I’m–I’m so sorry, Valen, I feel–I feel so horrible.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“No, I–”  Her voice wobbled.  “When we looked up your last name we assumed it meant you were an evil person working for the blood farms.  I–I–I feel so horrible about what we did to you.”

Valen would have been angry at her, at some point in the past, he still was to an extent–but he was mostly just…too tired, and scared, and desperate for any gentleness to be angry about something that had already happened in the immutable past.  “It was–your train of logic was sound…It was a fair assumption to make, given the circumstances.”

He looked up to see that Lex was full-on crying now.  “It doesn’t matter, I–I’m so sorry, Valen, I’m so so sorry, I don’t know if you can ever forgive me.  It’s our fault this all happened to you.  I’m so, so, so sorry.  How can I even begin making it up to you?'

He couldn't say it was all right, because it wasn't, but… "You are already off to a good start."  He smiled weakly.  “This still feels–not quite real.  This is–the rescue I’d been hoping for.  I am still-still a little afraid of waking up back in the basement.”

“No!” said Lex fiercely.  “Absolutely not.  I won’t let that happen to you.  I shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”

He wanted to believe her so badly.  “Thank you.”  He dipped his head.  “I think I am quite ready for a water change.”

Lex pulled the drain in the tub, watching the muddy brown water be flushed away, then plugged it back up and set the water to warm again.

“So, if–if I may ask in turn,” said Valen.  “How did you and Ari–become involved?”

“We were childhood best friends,” said Lex, blushing and smiling, as though overwhelmed by the softness of the memory.  “And we both got tired of boys breaking my heart over and over again.”

“That is–that is wonderful.”

It took one more water change before he was clean to his own satisfaction, at which point Lex helped him stand and towel himself off.  He felt so, so much better than he had than after the last bath he’d had.  There was no muzzle or cuffs to go back on, no Hell downstairs to go back to after the reprieve.  He would go downstairs and instead of Nick and more vampire hunters, there would be Ari, bringing in his belongings, and more blood if he plucked up the courage to ask for it.

“Here, let me put some bandages on before you get dressed,” said Lex.  She got out some ointment and bandages from the cabinet.  He sat on the edge of the tub and tried not to shake as she rubbed ointment on his open wounds, gently wrapping them in gauze.  The air was still warm and humid, the only sound the dripping of water, and Valen watched Lex’s delicate hands working tenderly at his injuries.  Part of him thought it’d been worth it to accumulate the injuries if it meant Lex would touch him like that.

“There we go,” she cooed, securing the last bit of gauze on him.  He was practically more gauze than skin at this point.  “How’s that feel?”

“Better.  Thank you.”

“Great, want to get dressed, then?”

“Yes, please.”

“Geez, good thing Ari brought you a belt, too,” said Lex as she helped him step into his pants.  “You’re, like, five sizes too small for your clothes now.”

Valen had no comment on that.  Lex apparently interpreted this to mean he was glowering, because she apologetically said, “Well–Well, we’ll get you back up to a healthy weight, don’t worry.”

So they did intend to feed him, long-term.  That was a relief.  He didn’t worry about where the blood would come from.  They seemed like they were really going to do this for him.  Tears welled in his eyes.

“I promise,” said Lex distressingly, doubling down.  “It’ll be okay–please, I promise it’ll be okay, please don’t be upset.”

Valen decided to save his voice, so he merely wiped the tears off his eyes.

“Can I give you another hug?” said Lex.

“Yes,” said Valen instantly.

Her arms came around him.  This time she was free to lean fully into it, since there was no blood on his shirt.  She was…so warm.

“Thank you,” Valen whispered.

Lex smiled.  “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

She went down first, in case he fell.  Ari’s voice could be heard from the kitchen.

“Are you really sure there isn’t anyone else there I can talk to?”

Valen peeked his head into the kitchen behind Lex.  Ari was on the phone, looking agitated.  His preternatural hearing let him hear the voice coming out of the speaker.  “Yes, Ari, it’s only me here, now.”

Valen’s blood turned to ice.  It was Nick’s voice.  Ari was talking to Nick on the phone.  Why was she talking to Nick?

“Fine,” said Ari.  “Whatever.  Just tell everyone else we can’t go on patrol tonight.”

“But you were supposed to go on patrol last night, and you didn’t.”

“Yeah, and we already didn’t do that.”

“You are scheduled to–”

“I know we’re scheduled, Nick, I’m telling you we have to be excused for now because Lex lost about seventy-five percent of the blood in her body.  You were there.”

Valen flushed with guilt and embarrassment, drawing back behind Lex and leaning into the wall.

“Yes,” said Nick.  “I’m aware.  Fine.  What about my research specimen?”

Valen put his knuckle in his mouth, trying not to cry out.

“Just as I told you, I killed it,” said Ari.  “And no, we’re not catching you another one, before you ask.”

Nick growled in frustration.  “Fine.  If you are quite done being a bitch, you can hang up now.”

“You’re lucky I can’t kick your balls through the phone lines.  Bye, scumbag.”  Ari slammed the phone into the cradle.  “It seems like it’s getting harder for Nick to hide what a piece of shit he is.  He usually behaves to your face, at least.”

“Ari,” said Valen weakly.  “Thank you for telling him I’m dead.  Thank you for–for–for–for–”

“All right,” Ari grunted.  “No need to cry about it.  Come on into the living room.  I guess it’s doubling as your bedroom for now.”

They brought in Valen’s dresser, end table, towels, all his clothes, some of his lab equipment and books, and whatever else they’d thought to grab.  There really wasn’t that much of it, and it sort of fit in the living room.

Ari arranged things and kept looking back at him for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, but he always assured her that it was perfect where it was, even it was clearly blocking the door or some other way it was obviously not perfect.  They helped him put some clothes and shoes in the hall closet, and hung up extra curtains and taped them to the wall to ensure absolutely no sun could get into the room.

Once that was all done, Valen reported that he might be ready to eat more, so they went back into the dining room and had him repeat the exercise of loosely restraining himself.  They did this a few more times over the course of the day, and each time he seemed a little less afraid of the muzzle.

Valen was obviously extremely tired, so they eventually offered to just let him just go to sleep, which he found agreeable.  They pulled the plastic off the couch and removed the cushions, and unfolded it to reveal a mattress stored inside.

Tears welled in his eyes once more as he watched Ari stretch a fitted sheet over it and Lex put pillows and blankets on it.  This was a bed.  A bed.  He’d get to sleep in a bed.  They wanted him to sleep in a bed.  He’d given up hope of ever having such a luxury again, of ever sleeping in anything except a metal box.

He turned around to see Lex holding a pair of soft sleep pants and an oversized shirt.  “Do you want to borrow some pajamas?  I noticed you don’t have any.”

“I…”  The tears spilled over.  “I–thank you, yes, thank you, I would like that so much.”

Lex helped him change into them, then helped him lie down, pulling the blanket up over him.  He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, the feeling of the soft fabric over his whole body practically overwhelming.

“Everything all right?” said Ari, giving a thumbs-up.

Valen bit the pillow, immediately ripping two small holes into it, but he was too overwhelmed to care much.  “Mmm-hmmm,” he whined.  Maybe he’d be able to sleep this time.  Maybe.

“All right.  Well, good night, then.  Er, good day.”

They turned off the light and left him alone.

****

Tag list <3

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@nicolepascaline

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[katsigian]

♡ C for Nathan, Q for Valen ♡

ℕ𝕊𝔽𝕎 𝕆𝕋ℙ 𝔸𝕤𝕜𝕤 ♡⊹₊⋆

Thank you so much for the questions <3 from this ask game

Lovely little Nathan belongs to @rindemption and here is a picture of him and here are the boys together! In case you'd like a reference. Him and Valen are paired up, so I'll be answering these with Rin's input about their relationship <3

For others, be aware that the answers below the cut contain sexual themes

C - Control - How dominant they are? Who is more dominant?

Well, that would be Valen 😂 Valen and Nathan partake in dom/sub dynamics very often, as in almost every time they have sex. Those D/s dynamics don't exist outside of the bedroom though, as neither want them beyond sex. Valen is the dom in the relationship and Nathan is the sub. They are very happy with these roles; Valen takes excellent care of Nathan and would be classified as more of a soft dom or pleasure dom because of how attentive and loving and non-aggressive he is during sex.

Valen does not equate being a dom with the stereotypical nasty/mean behaviour and causing the sub pain - he'd rather cut his own hand off than do any of those. He is only interested in dominating Nathan within the boundaries that Nathan set out for him and neither of them have ever had to use their safewords. Valen doms Nathan in such a way that is still very loving and affectionate even while rough.

Rin's input: "Yeah Nathan is an absolute sub, he gets way too into that headspace way too easily with Valen to even consider arguing. He tried being a brat at the beginning, but the whole soft dom aspect of Valen did an excellent job convincing him that being a Good Boy is much more rewarding. Valen is fully in control in the bedroom, and Nathan trusts him wholly. And to clarify Kieran's point, assertive/rough does not equal aggressive or mean. And Valen's understanding of that difference is the reason Nathan trusts him enough to sub for him."

Exactly - Valen is rough and assertive, but he's capable of being those things in such a way that still respects Nathan and still shows Nathan just how much Valen loves him. Valen convinces Nathan to listen to him and do what he asks through affection and attention - he gives Nathan so much affection that Nathan wants to do what Valen tells him because he knows there will be sweet rewards. Valen's assertiveness is a hand over Nathan's throat or a hand guiding Nathan by the hair or him manhandling Nathan into the position he wants him in. Valen's assertiveness is not mean or violent or scary.

Q - Quirk - Does their love-making have any unique elements?

One of the quirkiest things about them both is the fact that Nathan is a half-werewolf and Valen is a daywalker and they are bonded mates. In mine and Rin's worldbuilding, preternatural beings exist and mingle in Night City which is a sort of neutral safe haven for various species. Such as vampires, shifters, etc. That's how Nathan and Valen are preternatural in our canon.That aspect of them equals a lot of small quirks, such as; all the biting (they love biting each other), going into heat/rut every couple months, making sure the other smells like them, their stamina during sex. And so on.

Rin's input: "Absolutely their preternatural aspects. Also, does a not insignificant size difference count as quirky? Because that's something they have to, and happily do, take into consideration in the bedroom. Valen is by no means a small man, and Nathan is on the short and slim side. Valen eclipses Nathan without even trying, and has the junk to match. And that for sure is something that affects how they act in bed."

For reference, Nathan is 5'5" and lean while Valen is 6'4" with a considerable package 🤭

[weatheredfailnot]

A stranger close to you

Shorts inspired by emotions (3/4) - Fear

Warnings: Sorrow of Werlyt spoilers, PTSD, descriptions of a panic attack

Gaius immediately rushes to the hanger when he hears Allie cry for help. There, he finds her holding onto one of the railings shakily as A’loq stares at her pale in the face. He has a hand against his knee to brace himself as his legs abruptly go weak, ears curling downward and flat against his head.

He rushes over to the Warrior of Light’s side, but as he reaches out to pull him up, A’loq abruptly rises and shoves him back. Gaius hits the railing behind him with a grunt.

“Don’t touch me,” A’loq growls. There’s a raging fear in his eyes.

“Father!” Allie immediately moves toward his side, but Gaius raises his hand to stop her in her tracks.

“It’s alright, Allie. I will handle this.” He pushes himself off the railing, and steps forward while the Warrior steps back, mirroring his movements with caution.

“Warrior, you are safe with us. What ails you?” Gaius asks, looking over A’loq’s frame for any obvious signs of injury or illness. He quirks an eyebrow when he fails to find anything out of the ordinary.

“It’s- hells…” A’loq grits his teeth, hard. His vision is filled with stars, flickering. There are vibrations under his skin, like electricity racking his mind in sporadic waves.

“Stop,” Gaius commands, instantly becoming aware of the situation. He has plenty of experience of grounding his own soldiers during crises. Surely, the same techniques will work just as well for the Warrior of Light. “You will only hurt yourself that way.”

A’loq stops, but the shortness of the man’s breath worries Gaius. “May I come closer?” he asks. “I mean you no harm.”

When he receives a stiff nod of approval, he moves forward. He holds out one hand for A’loq to grasp firmly, and presses the other hand against his chest. “Breathe, slower. Steady now.”

In and out. In and out. A’loq can hear the blood rushing through his ears, but his breathing gradually begins to even out.

“Allie.” She lifts her head at the call of her name. “Tell me, what happened?”

“We- We were discussing the G-Savior’s capabilities, but then he stopped and… froze in place,” Allie explains in a hushed voice. She turns to A’loq. “You saw something from my past, didn’t you? With your echo.”

It’s like nostalgia. 

It’s like trauma.

He wants his body and mind to stop being so reactive, especially in the presence of a former enemy, but the frenzy that is panic, horror, and anger all at once rises quickly. 

Valens. Valens and his fun little games, toying with lives for the sake of his synthetic auracite systems. Valens and his pride, wearing a mocking smile on a face that deserved to be torn to shreds. Oh the joy that fills his heart knowing that he died an excruciating and pained death.

He had heard of the horrors the Legatus had committed, but seeing it for himself was an entirely different experience. Captives were scorched in the cockpit of the weapons, minds melting under the immense pressure of the Oversoul’s implanted combat data. There were cells beneath the Castrum used to discipline soldiers, the visions supplying the haunting stories behind each of the welts on Allie’s back.

The visions remind him of the past he doesn’t want to remember. He’s spent years burying the past under countless new memories filled with love and joy, but now he’s finally been cornered. He flinches as Allie reaches out, feeling the imagined needle honing in on his arm, pin prick pains of a bygone time.

“You were a conscript.”

The statement pulls A’loq right out of his dazed state, snapping his head up to look at Gaius. “No,” he mutters. His own voice sounds unfamiliar to his ears.

“Then a captive. A slave. It matters not. What I know is that the Empire has done something unforgivable to you.” Gaius has a gaze that digs into the recesses of his mind. He looks and he knows. “Is there anything that you would be willing to share with us?”

“It’s hard to trust you,” A’loq admits. Callous indifference he wouldn’t mind, but if the Garlean even considered using his secrets against him… He gradually straightens himself out, backing away from Gaius and crossing his arms tightly. “What… Why do you want to know?”

Gaius looks over A’loq one more time to ensure that he wouldn’t hurt himself before he backs away and sits on the railing. “Werlyt is rebuilding, and I- for reasons unbeknownst to myself- have been selected to lead the efforts.” He lowers his head, clenching his fist. “As we restore this nation back to its former glory, I would take into consideration the sins that were hidden away by the Empire in the name of conquest and unity. I will not deny the flames of destruction I wrought upon my own people and neighbors. I cannot pretend to be proud of my nation until we take responsibility for what we have done. Is that not what the Eorzeans have begun for Ala Mhigo?”

Innately doubtful, A’loq narrows his eyes. “But what made you change your mind?”

Gaius reaches for Allie’s hand, but instead she dives into his arms, hugging him tight. He looks back up at A’loq who stares gravely back. He has his answer.

“Fine, but secrets are meant to be kept,” A’loq continues. His hands still tremble as the residual fear runs its course. “Do I have your word?”

With a hand gently brushing back Allie’s stray strands of hair, Gaius nods. “By your Twelve, and by my blade.”