#a lot of these are based on game experience

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

The worsties.... How I love them <3

Illustration of a scene from this fic by @musashi

Let me explain real quick how I got to this fic because it's a little ridiculous and convoluted and I think that's kinda funny.

I'm not a big fanfic guy, generally. I am extraordinarily picky, I didn't get into it as a teen because I had already been blindsided by horny fanart for children's media and did NOT want a repeat of THAT experience (I was devastated to learn that safe search did practically nothing), and tbh all the fanfic websites scared me because I don't like learning new UIs or signing up for things. I just sort of missed the prime window for getting into fanfic as a hobby. Unless something is specifically recommended to me there is a high chance it'll just never cross my path.

Cut to sometime in early November, 2022. I had just recently gotten into Ace Attorney so that I could talk about it with a friend. As I often do, I accidentally became obsessed with it and shot way ahead of where my friend was, ironically making it difficult to discuss it with him. And now I'm drawing a lot of Franziska, and thinking "damn I wish she had a game". Not much longer after I posted some sketches about the concept, I got a notification from @pictureswithboxes. Turns out, she had seen my silly little doodles AND WRITTEN AN ENTIRE COURT CASE BASED ON THE IDEA!!

That story is called Turnabout Substitution, and it's phenomenal. I also have some doodles from that one, but I want to polish them before I share. Anyways, the point is I died on the spot and now, three years later, I've reread the finished story at least 5 times. About a week ago I noticed that there was a new story available, Metal Masquerade. After reading the available chapters I realized that this story has a co-author. Well, I've enjoyed these ones so much, I wonder if this person has any other- OH WOW THAT'S A LOT. Well who do they tend to focus on- FRANZISKA???!? MY BELOVED FRANZISKA VON KARMA!?!?

And that's how we got here :D

Both of these writers have such an exquisite handle on these characters and what makes them interesting, I was genuinely just as entertained by Franziska unraveling a murder case as I was by Phoenix picking up pastries from a café. They're all so full of life, every single scene I've read has been a treat. They're funny, they're dramatic, they're well-paced, introspective, and curious about this fictional world and the people in it. I cannot recommend these authors enough, and I feel genuinely lucky to have found their work

[perreqult]

DEAR GOD ✶ WILL SMITH

summary: it’s pretty hard to forget Will when he’s everywhere you are

word count: 1.4k (maybe a little more i counted before i continued more)

contains: smut (p in v— unprotected don’t do that), screwing your ex (i’m self projecting), missing your ex and being in denial about it, swearing, drinking, think that’s it

notes: i miss my frat boy situationship from freshman year

not proofread, expect mistakes

Working for the sharks didn’t seem too bad when you and Will were dating, but Lord was it aggravating to when you and Will had been broken up for a while.

The worst part were the stolen glances and awkward interactions. Let alone Macklin shamelessly staring at you. No matter where in San Jose you went, Will and his stupid pretty face followed you, haunted you.

Your mind has been flooded with everything about him. His smile, his voice, his body that you remember like it’s yours. Fuck, you miss that part of him— ‘Oh my God stopping thinking about that’, you tell yourself. It sure as hell doesn’t work.

You do try to forget him, it just fails. Every thought you have leads back to him, and it really doesn’t help that you two see eachother on a daily basis.

Forced interactions that couldn’t be described as anything but awkward should be considered torture. Every single uncomfortable “Hey.” that’s uttered out you think you miss him even more.

Does he miss you this way? You’re guessing the answer is no based on the fact he looks like he wants to die when you two have to talk.

Did you really think you’d be at a party one of Will’s teammates threw tonight? No. Are you, though? Yes. And so far it’s sucked.

Corny music is blasting in your ears from possibly the loudest speakers of all time, it’s hot and humid, and worst of all— Will is right next to you. You’d be lying if you said it wasn’t the most awkward experience of your life

You’re really only still in that spot— or at this party at all— because your friend decided that you can get over your emotions towards Will for the night and can get along with her friends. Who may or may not be Will’s friends.

Eklund offers you a round of beer pong and you use that as your escape to get anywhere Smitty isn’t. Even as you’re tossing the pong ball across the table set up you can’t help but think of him.

It would be a lot easier to forget him if you didn’t see him everywhere. You wanted nothing more than to say you forgot about him, you hate him, you don’t think about him every waking second, but if you did those would all be lies.

You’ve even thought about praying to whoever’s out there to let you forget him. Let you not think of him and his stupid dick when you’re lying on your bed.

You snap out of your haze of reminiscing him just in time for— you guessed it— to walk over to the table you and Eklund were at.

“Ah, Smitty. You have to ignore this round. She’s kicking my ass.” He laughs out, pointing at the cups scattered across the flat plastic foldable table. Will responds with a chuckle.

Embarrassment rushes through your body, it should, your ex— who you think about way too much— is standing less than 10 feet away from you, laughing. And fuck he looks perfect.

You’re staring. You know it. All you hope is that he doesn’t notice. Unfortunately your luck gave out tonight and he notices, he definitely does. He nods at you and smiles awkwardly. Is it possible for you to get more flustered? Right now you don’t think so.

“You know what? I tap out. Smitty you sub in for me, alright?” He tells him with a friendly pat on his back drunkenly. Yeah no, it was definitely possible to get more embarrassed.

“Sure.” Your heart practically sinks. One part of your mind says “Can he leave me alone?” and the other says, “Can he never leave me alone again” maybe it’s the alcohol making you indecisive.

You win but you don’t say anything the entire game. He’s acting a lot more relaxed now. This is the first time you can say drunk interactions with people are easier than when they’re sober.

“Y’alight?” He asks, breaking the weird silence between the two of you. All you can do is just nod again. You’re trying to blame it on being drunk but you know that’s not the truth. He flashes you a puzzled look but shakes it off like he knows you’re lying.

It’s because your thoughts about him, your dreams about him, the way you still love him.

“I… I’m gonna go with my friends.” You sputter out, not even looking him in the eyes as you say it, ready to leave, to not have any more memories of him you’ll eventually miss.

“I still love you by the way.” He blurts out. You’re expecting him to have some surprised look on his face, mirroring the one you have plastered all over yours. He doesn’t. He’s serious. You can tell.

“What?” Is what stumbled its way out your lips. You’re frozen in shock, whipping your head back to face him.

“I do.” He adds on, sure you don’t believe him. You don’t. He’s either been acting like you don’t exist or acting like you’re the most disgusting person on earth.

You don’t even respond. You do the first thing that pops into your drunken, hazed, mind. You kiss him. Oh God why did you do that? At the very least, Will doesn’t pull back in disgust and kisses back.

When he pulls back to breathe you already know he’s gonna say something stupid. “You gonna stop acting like you hate me now?” There it is. You hate that he’s right and you hate that you’re there right now. So what now, you fuck your ex? What if he’s just drunk and he’s gonna avoid you as soon as you drift out of his bed.

“Just shut up.” You tell him before grilling his face to pull him back into the kiss, particularly aggressively Will notes.

You probably shouldn’t be in his bedroom right now, should you? But you are. You’re slipping your dress off swiftly, almost giving you flashbacks to your relationship.

He looks at you with a grin that can only described as smug as he catches you staring at him as he yanks down his pants.

“Looks like you’ve missed me.” You tells you, pointing with his eyes at your soaked panties. Fuck. He’s right. Why is he always right about you?

You climb up onto his bed in a way that you remember all too well, pushing your weight onto your elbows as you eye him, pushing his boxers off to free his cock.

It’s not surprising that you remember it— hell, you’ve been thinking about it the past 4 months, why wouldn’t you?

You snap out of your subspace, drowned in thoughts, when he climbs up onto you, staring down at you. Yet again, that fucking smirk. God, he is hot.

He’s lined up to your dripping entrance, tip prodding at your hole. There’s some sort of intimate silence that lies in his bedroom. Maybe it’s the way your mind is filled with the memories you’ve been trying to forget.

“You ready?” He asks. You nod, way too quickly. He almost laughs— God, you were eager. As he dips into your soaking heat, he mumbles “Missed you.”, letting out an almost silent moan, slightly tipping his head back. You, on the other hand, cry out in pleasure. You hate to think this again, but God you missed him. A lot.

He takes the silent cue of you gripping his shoulders, pulling him deeper to start pistoning in and out of your drenched cunt. You try your best to quiet yourself down, for Will’s floor neighbor’s sake. It would be a terrible lie to say it actually worked. You were moaning in bliss as he went back and forth through your walls.

“Fuck.” You yelled as he hit that perfect spot in your hole that makes you go crazy. Will’s groans and low moans grow loader, gripping your hips tight— almost hard enough to leave marks— each time he slams back into your cunt.

“Anybody else fuck you like this?” He asks through a husky voice, starting to pump into you at a fast, rough pace. You can even fight the urge to cry out.

“Oh—Fuck… Haven’t fucked anyone else.” You sputter out through moans, your eyes rolling back into your skull. He groans out, a sly smile slipping across his face.

“Don’t gotta worry about that ‘nymore, huh?” He tells you through—deeper than usual— sultry voice. You wail out in undeniable bliss in a way that had to have boosted Will’s ego. You know it does when his smile goes wider.

Your mind practically goes blank, left in a blissed out subspace by the time you’re reaching your orgasm.

“Mmm, fuck.” You stutter out, feeling your peak grow closer. Will’s thrusts grow more and more sporadic, he’s close to. You know his body.

“Mm, gonna make me come.” He whispers into your ear, speeding up his thrusts, something you didn’t think was possible. That’s what throws you over the edge, your orgasm washing over you as you wail out.

He reaches his soon after, slowing down his thrusts so he’s left still, pulling you tight. “Missed you too.” He mutters. You’re too fucked out to care what he says at this point, you’ll talk in the morning.

“I didn’t miss you at all, Smitty.” You tell him, lying through your teeth. He just rolls his eyes, he knows you’re lying, pulling out of your heat slowly.

He rolls over to appear at your side and pulls you tightly next to him. You would say you forgot how nice it felt to sleep next to him, but you didn’t. You remembered it every night when you had to live without him.

[niftukkun]

Thoughts on Rain World: Watcher

i think if i had more free time i wouldve loved this.

it seems to prioritise exploration and discovery rather than a straightforward 'heres the goal now go get it'. its a meandering story, with long silences and contemplation between major story beats and new ideas. its more an experience than a story.

which i. cant appreciate. because im a college student with little free time.

if i had a proper summer vacation i think i wouldve liked to just wander around these new regions, wouldve loved this dlc to bits because i always liked rain world for its movement and experience when just existing. in many ways this was what i wanted out of the downpour dlc that i just didnt get - new places to wander and explore and exist in without purpose.

but i dont have free time. i have other things i want to do - including a comic i wanted to make for a while that i havent, because i was too busy trying to adjust to the Bullshit College Schedule experience. i want to have fun with this dlc, but right now i cant. which sucks.

for now ill just think really hard about the themes of loss of innocence, letting go of the past, and rediscovering delight of childish things and how it contributes to the overall story of rainworld. hopefully ill have time to experience the watcher in full at some point, but i dont think its gonna be anytime soon.

[teabeexo]

TS Demo Thoughts on MC as a whole below… Very OPINION BASED. If you don’t agree with me, that’s okay!

Alright. This might get me flamed but I think the new “Hermit” origin fits the theme that the devs have had with the rest of the backgrounds. I think the point is that MC has been cut off from society in different ways (i.e. the Unnamed was sheltered and lied to by their monastery/church, the Alchemist was, in my mind, hidden away from society so that their caretaker could perform implied experiments and maintain trust, and the Hermit was a literally an outcast). Therefore, they could be somewhat socially inept and particularly vulnerable. I’m not here to dictate what you think about that, but that’s my take.

The Hound was cool, but it never personally appealed to me, so maybe I’m biased.

I feel as though the statement that MC is “weak” without being a Hound is a little off. I will acknowledge that the Hound was the only background that implied combat knowledge — and some people want that. But, personally, I understand why fighting the soulless gets you killed. We are strong, but we’re not that strong. I can also confess that I wish the Hermit got to show off their Soulless knowledge in the demo, and that it could’ve paid off in the encounter. I can only hope that will be patched in the future. But I digress. Soulless are different than human beings, and to me, it stands to reason that they would be killed differently. Or maybe they can’t be killed by traditional means. It’s mentioned that Mhin has a cool knife (I can’t remember by who), so maybe it’s a special metal that allows for it? I don’t know. Regardless, MC is just human, with the cursed hands that imply something greater. They are vulnerable, especially emotionally within the setting of the game.

I also think MC has the capacity for attitude regardless of the background, so weakness in terms of personality doesn’t track for me.

Sorry, I know this has been a lot of rambling, I just personally have a lot of thoughts. In summary, my thoughts are:

MC is not extraordinarily weak or frail. Just human. (With the acknowledgment that the Hound background would establish you as physically more capable than the average MC)

We are SUPPOSED to be emotionally vulnerable, and I think that makes for a more interesting dynamic.

MC doesn’t act like a punching bag. They have the capacity to sass/retaliate in most scenarios. This is specifically in reference to dialogue, not fighting.

[tcoaal]

What's your take on the thought Andrew and Ashley were born sociopaths and doomed from the beginning?

is this a take people actually have??? anyways: ableist as fuck lmao

i am of the very strong opinion Ashley is absolutely neurodivergent with both autism and ASPD. admittingly the former is something i have a tendency to do and i won't necessarily die on the hill: something that really fascinated me in scenes in Chapter 3A is how Ashley just sincerely does not seem to understand social norms that should be obvious to anyone else. various scenes in her childhood, and especially with the campers while obviously not in the same level kinda resonated with experiences with not understanding social norms me and my brother struggled with growing up.

but also i admittingly hc and project this a lot on socially awkward characters so take that part with a grain of salt and it's not really a hill i'm willing to go die on or debate especially when i think ASPD and BPD are bigger issues with her. i highly doubt any of these terms will actually come up in the game and it will remain a headcanon, but the idea that anyone can be "born" evil and a sociopath or whatever is nonsense lmao. this is a fictional game so if we learn time travel black magic whatever influenced Andrew's and Ashley's births somehow (like the twins in Clock Tower) i really reject that.

the Graves siblings are fucked up and dysfunctional because they were born into an abusive household with absolutely nobody to rely on except eachother: something both parents encouraged and forced on them. while i do think both being neurodivergent had a part in it, it's pretty clear in the game, in the promotional images even that the root of their issues is a fucked up co-dependency forever sealed in stone by a super fucked up incident (and it was an accident, they did not intend to kill Nina, this is important and a lot of people overlook this wasn't an intentional murder carried out by psychopaths) and the oath taken between two children and the refusal of the parents to care or do anything about it.

if the Graves were a genuinely loving, happy family: Ashley's and Andrew's mental health situations would be better off. even if they are neurodivergent and mentally ill they would have access to proper support, medication, therapy, and perhaps most importantly the comfort of a parent's love more instead of a fucked up relationship between a brothermotherhusband and a sisterwife. i think Ashley would be struggling a lot worse, but they'd be better.

i think the fact that in 3A we see Leyley literally react in flashbacks actively disturbed that she could just so casually admit to something so terrible. Leyley was actively disturbed and distressed about the fact she could so casually admit to killing someone and not care about it. she tries to confide in Andy but he falls asleep and that to me, more than anything, is the moment that sets everything about the woman she would become into stone. i genuinely think if Renee or even Andy (even though that was not his responsibility) made a genuine attempt to reach out in that moment and improve things (although if it was only the other Actual Child trying to help it probably wouldn't have been enough)

everything in TCOAAL is pretty explicit the root of the sibling's problems is based in a toxic codependence, not that they were evil from birth or some shit like that. i can handwave it if magic or prophecy is involved but if not i fucking hate this take in all media so much it's unreal

EDIT: i'd like to get more of my points clarified, actually

Nemlei's own view of the game is very clear she approaches this from a place of the effect of abuse of the environment has on a child. things like Ashley being autistic and aspd are headcanons of mine: but Nemlei herself would disagree with me saying that's how i should view it and that be the end-all. she is explicit this is a case of cause and effect of in-universe events, not any result of being born a certain way. this is a critical component of Nemlei's writing, given the lore of how the color of one's soul works and how one views themself. this is one of the most critical core components of the lore.

Ashley and Andrew weren't born fucked up. they were fucked up because of the environment that nurtured them. i will die on this hill, and it is the hill that Nemlei seems to view for her fiction. this is like, one of the more important takes to the themes of the story. i'm usually someone that views word of god as secondary to what is presented in the text, but this is a really important piece of information in this story.

Nemlei's narrative isn't about the idea the two were born evil or anything, it's that the awful people they became was shaped by the environment around them. i think that's important.

[hermuseros]

You wanna try it out? Caleb X You

Chapter Three

Tumblr: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 AO3: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Synopsis: Caleb is determined to be your first everything, and lucky for him you're not that hard to convince.

AN: Caleb being manipulative, only a little. First times, smut. I'll link the next chapters on each post as I upload them.

There’s only 15 mins until you arrive a Skyhaven Aviation Academy and you’ve been wondering for the last ten you’d survive the jump from the bullet train. It was amazing how this had felt like both the longest and shorted journey of your life.

It would be the first time you and Caleb had spent much time together since last summer. Every time your memories wandered back to those moments in your bedroom, his fingers… you’d pull out your phone and start scrolling frantically.

You open and close the text thread with Caleb for the 20th time. The messages are so normal? Why wouldn’t they be? Every time you heard his custom message tone your voice would tighten.

He was just helping you with a problem so why were you so bothered? Your plan had certainly worked, and your sex drive had never been healthier, not that you ever had the time or the charm to snag a boyfriend. The last two times a guy had asked you out something had come up and you’d had to cancel. When you tried to think of your limited experiences it made your brain go numb.

You drop your purse as the shock of the cold air hits you when you step onto the metro platform. Perhaps it was because you were up so high that the air felt so fresh and cold it made your nose burn. It cuts right through your jumper which had felt cosy on the train, so you pull your scarf out of your bag. You could feel your heartbeat pick up pace as scanned the crowd for Caleb, nervous that he’ll have seen you fumbling around like a kid. Instead, what catches your eye is a cardboard sign that read PIPSQUEAK in his unmistakable handwriting.

The stranger holding it gives you a sheepish wave, so you gather your things and walk over to him.

“Ah,” he says loudly, “The lady of the hour! It’s amazing to finally see you in person.”

He’s almost as tall as Caleb and his biceps flex as he tucks the sign under his arms, scooping up your bags before you can protest.

 “Sorry about the sign, some sort of in joke I assume?”

You grimace, feeling your face go pink, and that earns you a good-natured laugh.

“You’re Calebs girlfriend, yeah? I’m Johnson!”

You feel your stomach drop.

Not again, not now!

This stupid game of his, always hiding behind your skirts when a new girl arrived on the scene. You’d done your sisterly duty as his fake girlfriend when you were kids, but he couldn’t pull this shit now. Not after… everything.

“Ah! Nice to meet you!” you manage, climbing into his car.

“I better hurry and get you back, he talks about you so much I think the whole base is invested in the reunion.”

You were going to murder Caleb.

Johnson’s car is a sleek looking machine, nothing like the cars in Linkon City. There was a cold, military line to all the buildings and machines here, as if the Fleet had input in everything. Everything exuded an aura of high-tech modernity, from the cars to the bus stops.

Johnson is the perfect host, pointing out landmarks and making polite conversation. He couldn’t believe, he adds, that Calebs mysterious girlfriend was real. Apparently, it had been widely suspected that you were a lie to keep the many girls at bay.

 “We were all impressed that Caleb is such a loyal guy, he says, but I think we can see why now.” Johnson says with a wink. “Lots of guys will be losing bets when you show up.”

You try to smile politely and fish your phone out of your purse.

P: Girlfriend!? Again?

C: Sorry to spring it on you! Are you on your way? Just got off duty now.

P: A warning would have been nice!

C: You should be good at it by now. Besides, you want me to go well in my studies, don’t you?

P: You owe me so bad. One hundred treats! No, one million!

C: Think about it, nobody in Skyhaven knows how we grew up. We don’t need to worry about that here.

Your fingers hover over the reply button. You really weren’t brother and sister here you didn’t even look alike. There was nothing to hide, no secret to keep.

What secret? You two didn’t have secrets, so why won’t your heart stop racing?

“You texting Caleb?” says Johnson and he has a cheeky smile on his face like he caught you being cute. A tingling sweeps up the back of your neck and across your face.  

A chain linked fence lines the perimeter of the military base, their tops adorned with spools of barbed wire. Keen eyes of security cameras peek out like animals in brush. It smells like asphalt and exhaust fumes and an army of fleet flags stand to attention on every available surface, whipping noisily in the high winds.

The planes are huge, much bigger than you anticipated. They perch on their landing strips like huge animals of prey. The idea of Caleb controlling one of those makes your mouth feel dry They’re too big, too dangerous. You wonder what they feel like.  

When you step out of the car there’s some hooting and hollering, and you look over to see Caleb surrounded by a group of men who are clearly soldiers as well.

“She’s real! I can’t believe it!”

“Finally!”

“Wow, not bad Caleb!”

You grip your purse closer and fight the urge to cover your face with your scarf.

Caleb is all beaming smiles, and he strides forward to scoop you into his arms.

“There’s my little Pipsqueak.” he says, and the nickname brings you back to the reality of the situation. This is your Caleb here, not some other guy. Not some boyfriend.

“Kiss!” one of the guy’s shouts, and Caleb lets his eyes slide to yours, his hands still on your waist. You try to push him off playfully, but he grips you a little tighter.

“Cmon! Kiss!”

Your cold fingers grip his shirt, your chest heavy with the dawning realisation that you’re not going to be able to get out of this. Caleb is still holding your waist, eyes bright, waiting.

You lean forward and kiss him chastely on the corner of the mouth, but he turns his head to capture your lips with his. You hear distantly the sounds of hooting and clapping, and it makes you feel lightheaded. It’s too forward, too presumptuous. This was not how pretend girlfriend usually went.

Caleb breaks the kiss, laughing and smiling over at his friends and he looks just like he did when he was showing off as a boy. The early morning sunlight is bright in his hair. You feel breathless.

“It’s so good to finally have you here, let me introduce you!”

It goes by in a whirlwind, names, jokes, handshakes, hugs. They’re a towering wall of muscle and testosterone around you and you’re the shining star of their morning. You’re regaled with stories of Calebs military exploits, the trouble they’ve all gotten up to, and even a few stories of yourself.

It seems that over the years Caleb has spoken about you a lot, a mix of truth and lies, a more romantic version of events than you remember.

“Okay fellas, enough excitement.” Says Caleb, looping his arm around your shoulders. “We’ve got the rest of the day off, remember? When should we meet, 8?”

“If you can manage to leave your quarters in time!”

Theres a bawdy laugh at that, and you can’t help but cover your face with your scarf.

“We’ll be there” says Caleb, jovially, slipping his hand down and into yours.

The base contains far more than you realised. Corner shops, doctors offices, even a little arcade line the small street on the way to his quarters. He seems to know everyone you pass, so you let him hold your hand until you’re inside.

“So, what the fuck was that?” you say calmly.

He brings his hands up defensively “Pips… look.”

You throw your handbag at him

“You don’t get to just kiss me whenever you want, Caleb!”

He turns, but lets the bag hit him, “Ah! Wait!”

“Pretending is one thing but… you don’t need to go that far!”

“Hey! Let me explain!” he says, and you’re frustrated to see that he’s still smiling, his eyes bright.

“I’m sorry, alright? I got a little caught up in the energy. I owe you big time, you’ve been my excuse to keep out of the dating scene for the past three years.”

He bends down and picks up the spilled content of your purse, putting them back inside.

“You wouldn’t believe the kind of girls that go after military men. They’re apex predators.”

He stands, letting out a little huff as he puts his hands on his hips. It’s such a familiar, relaxed gestures that you realise without his friends around Caleb isn’t playing soldiers anymore, he’s just your Caleb again

You missed him so much.

“You’re an asshole, Caleb.” You say.

“I know.” He replies.

You dump the rest of your bags on the couch where you assume you’ll be sleeping. His quarters are small, more like a hotel room than an apartment. It’s cramped but he’s kept it very neat, tidy. It doesn’t look like he spends a lot of time here. Theres not much decoration, only a photo of the two of you at his bedside, one of gran on the fridge.

He flops down on his bed, keeping comfortable distance between where you’re sitting on his couch.

“So, how’s Hunters College?”

You both try texting as often as you can but you’re both so busy its relief to just talk. There’s so much to catch up on it’s dark outside before you know it.

“Oh, shit,” he says, sitting up abruptly and looking at his watch. “You wanna shower before we go out? The bathroom is small but I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“Oh yeah I was going to ask! Is it almost 8 already? Where are we going?”

He smiles. “Theres a bar not far from here, the guys all want to have a drink with you.”

Your stomach flutters.

“They don’t want to meet me, they want to meet your girlfriend, Caleb,”

His eyes watch you carefully.

“Yeah, they do.”

“Caleb… we can’t just…”

He stands up from where he was sitting his bed, his jaw set.

“We can do whatever we want. There’s nobody on base who we knew from Linkon.”

“It’s not like that… between us. You’re my brother.”

He stands silently for a moment, arms crossed.

“Not here I’m not.”

The feeling of his hands on your skin ghosts the edge of your memories. The air in the room feels suddenly heavy, claustrophobic.

“I’ll have to start getting ready now.” You say, voice tight, and scramble for your make up bag.

Before you shower your hands hover over the lock on the bathroom door before shaking your head. It’s not like that with Caleb. You’re not sure what it’s like with Caleb, but it’s not that.

When you come out of the bathroom you see he’s dressed and ready. When he turns and sees you with your hair and makeup done, dress on, he lets out an appreciative sigh.

“All the guys are going to lose it, yknow? You’re the hottest thing they’ve seen in years.”

“Stop it.” You say.

“No.” he says, eyes bright and glossy.

There’s an unspoken invitation written all over him, and your throat feels tight.

“We’re going to be late.”

“That’s okay, they all assume we’re busy anyway.”

The high winds pick up again, rattling the windows.

“Let’s go already Caleb.”

He doesn’t try to hold your hand again, and for some reason you can’t help but feel the space between you as you walk.

The club is blissfully warm, and the walls are chock full of kitschy models and diagrams of planes. Bottle of colourful booze line a mirrored wall behind the extremely crowded bar. It’s louder than most clubs full of the brash whistling, hollering and swearing of military men blowing off steam.

The familiar group of men usher you both over to their both, and Caleb snakes an arm around your waist. Your dress is so tight and thin you can feel the heat from his palms. A tingling of nerves sweeps its way up across the back of your neck.

Theres a beer tower sitting at the table already, perched among empty glasses and there’s a warm flush in everyone’s cheeks. When Caleb gets you both a drink there’s a bubble of commotion.

“Woah, even Caleb is having a drink!”

“You both must need it! Hah!”

It’s a totally different atmosphere from drinking with the other Hunters. Hunting is not nearly as male dominated as the fleet it seems, and the feeling of always being on standby means that letting loose is somewhat frowned upon. These men have the night to themselves and are taking full advantage.

“Oh, shit the girls from Navigation are here.” Slurs one of Calebs friends. His veneer of chivalry gone only three drinks in.

“Shirley too?” asks Caleb cautiously.

He elbows Caleb. “You can finally prove to her your girlfriends real! My guess is she won’t be all over you tonight as usual.”

Caleb laughs, “Oh thank God,” he says, pulling you closer to his side.

You glance up at him and his eyes are bright, his cheeks pink. He leans in close to whisper something into your ear, but before he can speak you look up in shock.

“Brian!?”

He’s standing at the end of your booth, smiling and waving to you. Things didn’t really progress between the two of you, but you settled into an amicable familiarity. You feel both relieved and ashamed to see someone from Linkon, and you flinch back from Calebs embrace, but Calebs hand grips yours, pressing it to his thigh under the table. You brush it off and squeeze out of the booth to talk to Brian.  

“Brian! What are you doing here?”

“Oh! I’m in the military band! Ha! None of these guys would know me, the band usually keeps to itself. Why are you here?”

“Oh! I’m visiting Caleb!”

You both move to a quieter part of the club, chatting a little, but the whole time you can feel Calebs eyes burning into you.

It’s a quick chat, but it’s nice. Brian was always a nice guy, just not your type. He shakes your hand before disappearing into the noise of the club to rejoin his friends.

When you squeeze back into the booth next to Caleb, his cheeks look a little flushed, eyes hazy. The booth is almost empty, it looks like all but two have gotten up to dance. When you go to sit, Caleb scoots over so you end up sitting on his lap.

“Caleb!” You say in shock, but then he turns your head to kiss you. The table whoops, and you go stiff in his arms.

“Now where did you go?” he says hotly.

You try to escape his lap, but he pins you there.

“Hah! Time for us to leave I guess!” say the remaining two men, and they leave.

“They’re gone Caleb, you can let me go now…”

He keeps you pinned on his lap, turning your face to forcefully kiss you. He tastes like beer, and his hands grip your waist. The passion of it blinds you, it’s not like the kiss you two shared so many years ago. It’s not like any kiss you’ve had. The beer and the hot club air press in on you and Caleb is kissing you. He parts his mouth, and you deliriously let him. You hear him make a noise at that, and it’s enough to pull you back to your senses, same as so many years ago.

You push him back, sliding off his lap.

You wipe your mouth.

“Caleb! What are you doing?”

His eyes are hard and narrow.  “Should I ask what were you doing?”

“I…”

You were kissing him back, is what you were doing.

“With Brian, I mean.” He says.

Oh. You thought he meant…

“Oh, I was just saying hello?

“Didn’t you used to date him?” he says, his eyes still hard.

You realise suddenly he’s jealous.

“Caleb, I’m not actually your girlfriend.”

“You are in Skyhaven.” he says and moves to kiss you again.

You push his chest back, and you can feel he’s a little surprised at the new strength in your arms. You gaze at him for a moment, brows furrowed, and it’s like he suddenly comes back to his senses.

“I… fuck.” He says, leaning back.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean….” He fiddles with his glass, brows furrowed in concentration. He drains his glass, and by the time he puts it down he has that warm tight smile on again.

“Sorry pips, too much beer, got a little caught up in the energy.”

Your heart is still racing from that kiss, the passion of it. Theres no doubt in your mind now that whatever has happened between you has affected your brother deeply. He might even be in love with you. The thought makes you weak.

You’re totally lost for words, and it seems like he is too. An uncomfortable silence permeates the booth. Your body language seemed to be enough of an invitation for a woman to slide into the seat next to you.

“Caleb! I can’t believe you’re finally joining everyone for a drink.”

You feel him tense minutely.

“Oh, hi Joan.” He says noncommittally.

“Heard about your last flight into the Deepspace Tunnel, some heavy shit.” She says.

With her tight club dress you can see her muscles, the strong lines of her body.

“Everyone’s impressed.” She says, and her tone is direct.

“Joan, this is my girlfriend.” Says Caleb, gesturing.

“Is that so?” she says, almost like she can’t believe it.

You know how you both look, distance between you, not making eye contact. This is the reason he was using you as a fake girlfriend. It seems like a terrible idea to help him now. Now that you’re so sure his feelings for you have evolved into something complicated and painful.

What about your feelings for him? You don’t want to think about it too much, but you know you want to protect him. To help him.

“Nice to meet you Joan,” you say with a kind smile, “He’s a really impressive guy, huh?”

The look in Calebs is one of pure relief, so you lean to kiss him on the cheek. His eyes flutter closed. Joan smiles, eyes thin.

“He is,” she says, “There were a lot of women on this base hoping you weren’t real.”

Caleb snorts, and you smile guiltily.

“You don’t look the sharing type either.”

“She’s not.” Caleb says flatly.

She stays to finish her drink, chatting amicably now that the matter of Caleb is settled. When she leaves you keep your hands in Calebs. You’ve both had another drink and he’s looking at you with tenderness.

“Thanks, Pips.” He says.

“I’m used to it by now.” You say.

The moment stretches between you.

“Would it be so bad?” he says, staring down at his empty glass, his voice quiet in the noise of the club.

“What?” you say.

“Being my girlfriend?”

You feel like you’ve been punched in the stomach.

“Shut up, Caleb.” You say forcefully.

It’s one thing for it to be an unspoken thing between you. If he were to say it out loud it would ruin everything. It would destroy the rest of what was between you, your tenuous sibling connection. You lost your family long ago, you won’t lose it again.

“This is just play pretend.” You say bluntly, “Just for Skyhaven.”

He looks crushed, his eyes tender and glistening.

“Then let me pretend.” He says, and he leans forward, slow and gentle.

He is kissing you again, but its sweet this time. Your stomach is a whirl of emotion, but perhaps if you let him get it out of his system…. Let you both get it out of your system… your relationship has a chance when you get back in town.

You let him kiss you, really kiss you. Unhurried and gentle. When he realises, you’re not pushing him off he pulls you closer, pressing you into the booth seat behind you. You’re closed off from the rest of the club here so nobody can see you, and Caleb is kissing you.

He slides his tongue into your mouth, and you let him. His hand pushes up into the base of your hair, and he tilts your head so he can kiss you deeper. Perhaps you can blame the beer later.

His saliva tastes so sweet to you, like water, like you could kiss him like this all night. You kiss back, taking the lead and he lets you. You run your fingers up to his neck like you’ve always wanted to. You touch the nape of his neck like you’ve always wanted to, his chest, his arms.

You’re suddenly on fire with everything you’ve wanted but dare not speak, with the smell of him, the taste of him. You bite his lower lip, and he gasps, you untuck the front of his shirt to feel his stomach, to touch the line of hair beneath his navel. You always wondered how the dip in his back would feel and by the way he squirms under your fingers it seems like he’s ticklish there.

His hand has wandered up your skirt, and his fingers are on the edge of your panties. You remember what they felt like inside you, you’ve been remembering what they felt like since you left home that summer. You want to feel them again.

“Hey lovebirds, we’re going to another club! Wanna come?”

It’s one of Calebs friends, he pries himself off you to turn to him and the guy laughs, full throated.

“Jesus Christ man! Go home, the two of you! Never need to see you look like that again, I’m scarred for life!”

Before either of you can respond, he’s gone.

The spell between you seems broken and you wipe at your mouth, fumbling to get your purse.

“Hey, can we go home now?” you say, and your surprised to hear your voice is trembling.

“Are you okay, pipsqueak?” he says, sounding equally overwhelmed.

“Yeah just, it’s too loud. I need to sleep, I’m still tired from the trip.”

“Yeah, let me get you home. I’ll make us dinner.”

You walk home in silence and the distance between you is back. It starting to sprinkle and the rain is ice cold. You slip of your heels so you can both move faster, and he laughs at that. You purposefully jump into a puddle to wet his jeans, and he swears. For one moment you’re just with your brother, playing like always.

You get back to the apartment and the mood is immediately tense. You feel addled, like you’re drowning, and you don’t know which way is up. You can’t deny what just transpired between you, that Caleb almost definitely had feelings for you, but you can cling to the hope that perhaps this is just a phase. You can’t lose your family again.

You quickly make your way back to the bathroom, jumping in the shower to wash off the makeup and sweat from the club, and put on your unsexist pyjamas. Ones you’ve worn for years, that Caleb is most certainly familiar with.

Perhaps the pretend girlfriend ruse just went to his head, like he said.

When you come out, he’s rummaging through his tiny fridge. Theres a small single burner in his cramped kitchen.

“I might have to go out for groceries.” He says, standing to face you.

He’s still wearing his club clothes, hair messed up. His eyes are flat, curtains drawn closed.

“Oh, I’m starving.” You say.

He gives you that calm smile. “Great,” he says, “I’ve missed cooking for you.”

When he leaves you unpack the rest of your things and make the couch up with some spare sheets you find. His bed looks hard, so you sit on it to test. Its more comfortable than it looks, and it smells like Caleb.

You sigh deeply, laying back to flip through your phone. A few of your friends from back home have messaged you and you reply to them, hoping that their holidays are going well too.

After some time has passed you wonder when Caleb will be back, you sit up to look around his apartment. The sheets are rough on your legs, military issue, and the small room is spare in a way that makes it very Caleb.

There’s not much on his study desk, a half-finished model and a framed picture of you both. The only object you’re not familiar with is a small, lacquered box. Perhaps that’s why it had caught your eye, so you’d flipped it open.

It contains only three foil squares with the obscene text LARGE printed on each.

“You wanna try it out?”

You snap the box shut, his sudden return has startled you. He’s standing in the open doorway holding groceries and smelling of rain.

When two people are as intimate as you and Caleb, they can develop a language all of their own. A series of in jokes, references and gestures that are understood only by a native speaker.

His eyes are molten, and you both know you’ll say yes.

“Who…” you say.

He closes the door behind him, calmly.

“Who are they for?” he asks.

You nod, mutely. He moves into the kitchen.

“Who do you want them to be for?”

You hold the small box, hands sweaty. The rain is coming down in sheets outside now, you can hear it pounding in your ears.

Your stomach is turning in on itself. That last kiss at the club has awoken a hungry voice inside you that will not easily be silenced. Its like every forbidden thought you’ve ever had of Caleb is running rampant inside you. Where you want to touch him, how you want to touch him, how you want him to touch *you*.

“Your girlfriend.” You reply.

His eyes go wide, and he unceremoniously dumps the groceries on the kitchen floor. He slowly approaches where you sit perched on the bed.

“My Skyhaven girlfriend?” he says.

You nod mutely, eyes locked on his.

You can see his chest rise and fall from his laboured breathing, and he’s standing close enough to you that your knees are touching. You see with a shock how visibly aroused he is.

“Are you sure?” he says, voice husky and dark. “Don’t say unless you’re sure. Because I won’t be able to hold myself back.”

Theres a lurking threat to those words, a warning. It feels like this was inevitable the moment you accepted his invitation to come here, the moment you first let him kiss you back when you were 18.

There never was anyone else.

“Alright.” You say.

You’re tense, anticipating him to strike you like a coiled snake, but he gently pushes your shoulder until your laying back flat on his bed. He leans over you, both hands on either side of your head. His eyes are glassy, the lights in them shifting with the rain outside.

He leans down slowly and starts kissing your neck. Its purposeful, erotic, and it sends a shiver up your spine.

“W…wait…” you say, suddenly overwhelmed. He pulls back to observe you again.

“Just…” you stammer as your hands grip at the front of his shirt, you don’t know what to say. You pull him down onto your mouth.

He kisses you, slow and purposeful. It’s too slow and it’s letting your mind race. You pull him closer, and he lets himself down to lay on top of you. He’s big, much heavier than he looks, and the pressure of it calms you a little. You can’t give yourself room to think.

You deepen the kiss, frantic, suddenly hungry. His breath hitches as you cling to him, hands wrapped around his shoulders. He pushes down harder, seeking contact, and his kisses turn frantic.

He sits up and you claw for him, but he pulls of his shirt in one easy motion and he’s back down kissing you. You wrap your legs around his waist, and the sight of your dorky pyjamas make you wince.

He seems totally lost in the sensation now and his hands are working their way up your shirt. You cringe remembering swapping out your cute bra for your classic comfy bedtime one but then you realise its Caleb, he wont care.

He loves you.

No, stop thinking, you tell your brain, stop it, and you sit up abruptly, pulling off your oversized shirt, then quickly unhook your bra, fling it off the side of the bed and pull him against you.

Stop thinking, just touch, more.

He gives a broken moan at that and presses himself down on you, he’s pushed you both fully up onto the bed and his hips rock up into yours. He is still wearing jeans, and the fabric is stiff and course against your soft pyjamas, but you can feel the length of him press against you. He feels huge, surely not…

He slides a hand up between you to cup your breast, and you make an awful, strangled sound as his fingers brush over your nipple. “Oh,” he says, breathing hard, and so he does it again with intention this time.

You go to cover your mouth, but he grabs your wrist in his other hand, sitting up to straddle your hips as his hands rove over your chest.

“Wanna hear you.” He says, low and husky.

You try to keep the keening out of your voice, letting yourself breathe, when he rolls your nipple between his fingers gently you can’t help but moan.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says, “stunning.”

The tenderness in his voice makes you inexplicably want to cry, you shouldn’t be doing this to him. He is in love with you, you should be stronger than this.

He leans down now and licks gentle across your other nipple and you keen then, loud and shameless. The sound of it shocks you. Encouraged, he takes it into his mouth and sucks. It feels so good you arch up into his mouth.

You feel his other hand leave your breast to move down between you and hear his belt being unfastened. A thrill of anticipation goes through you and the strength of it stuns you. How long have you wanted Caleb like this, how long have you pretended you didn’t.

He leans back to pull his pants down, and you use the moment to pull your pyjamas down. Your mind is all animal need, you want to see him, to feel the length of him. It seems he feels the same way because he’s back on top of you with his jeans around his thighs.

He presses the full length of himself, hard through his boxers, up against your clothed entrance. You’ve never been so close to a man like this before but you’re sure they’re not all this size. He’s always been a relatively large guy, and you suppose its proportional. You don’t even know if it’ll fit.

“D’you… can I…” he breathes out questions through his frantic kisses, his hips are rocking into you with force now, like he’s tipped past the point of no return. You nod and lift your hips against him. He fumbles for the lacquered box, spilling its contents on the bed, and rolls off you to hold you from the side.

His confident hands slide down your belly then under your panties. He lets out a breathy moan at the same time you do, you can’t believe how wet you are. His fingers slide in easily.

“God, you’re so wet for me.” He says tightly, “Can you feel it, Pipsqueak?”

The nickname makes something stir in you, but it feels like every emotion is just translating into pleasure in your heightened state. He slides another finger in, not trying to be gentle, and you realise he’s intent on preparing you so he can fuck you. The realisation shoots a wave of arousal through you.  

He pulls his fingers out of you, making you whine, and he licks at his wet fingers. You don’t care anymore how you sound, especially since every noise seems to make him more aroused. His eyes are dark and focused in a way you’ve never seen before, and he pushes his boxers down to expose the length of him.

He is huge, you think, the tip of his cock glistening wet in the low light of his room. You think, madly, that you should have done this before. That you’ve been wasting time.

He starts touching himself, and you want to touch him too. You reach down gingerly to wrap your hand around his, and he shudders.

“Touch me, please.” He says, jagged.

You’ve never actually touched a man before and you have no idea where to start, so you slide your fingers experimentally up the base. You’ve read dirty books and advice columns, but you don’t feel anywhere near prepared for the real thing. He’s so wet, precum coating your fingers as you tenderly work the length of him. He’s shuddering, squirming under your hands, bucking his hips up in earnest. You thumb experimentally under the head of his cock, and he shudders.

His eyes are squeezed shut letting you watch his face intently, you’re so familiar with all Calebs many expressions but you’ve never seen him look like this before. It feels like pulling back a deeper mask, exposing him in a way you’ve craved for a long time. He presses his head back into the pillow, exposing the length of his throat, and you lean in to press your teeth into the side of his neck while he slowly rocks his hips up into your grip.

You want to see more, see what he looks like totally undone. You wipe your hand off on the bedsheets and he turns to kiss you, seeking contact. You pull back, grabbing one of the condoms. You peel the packet open with your teeth and he looks like he might die from arousal at the sight of it. You want to remember this moment like a photograph, you want to keep him like this forever.

You try to remember what they taught you in sex ed, and you take care rolling it down the length of him. He’s trying to lay still and can see the muscles of his stomach trembling as he fights to control himself. You’ve never felt so powerful.

“Is it… on good?” you say. He nods wordlessly, then moves to roll on top of you.

You press his shoulder back into the bed. When he realises what you mean to do his eyes go round. To be truthful you’re nervous, you’ve never… you don’t know if you should tell him that or not. You try to put it out of your mind. You want to be in control for the first time.

“Let me.” you say, straddling him, pressing your wet entrance against the length of him.

He nods and lays still under you as if he’s scared to move, but you let yourself focus on your own pleasure for now.  

You’re wetter than you’ve ever felt yourself, and the smooth latex glides easily over your swollen clit. He’s so hot and hard for you that it makes you feel heady, greedy. You need to force yourself to take this slow.

You grip the base of him, angling him to your entrance, and slowly start sliding him inside.

He’s making all sorts of noises, his fingers gripping your thighs so hard its starting to hurt, but you’re focused completely on the strange sensation of him slowly filling you up. It feels incredible, sating a hunger that’s been building for years. He’s so big, by far the largest thing that’s ever been inside you, but you’re so wet and aroused that the slight throb from your entrance feels incredibly pleasurable. You feel him inching into you, and when you feel totally full you realise with a thrill there’s still more of him.

You take a deep breath, then sit flush against his stomach. His cock is pressed up inside you in a way that makes you feel dizzy, like your brain is losing control of your body. You force yourself to sit for a moment, adjusting to the size of him.

“Y…you okay?” he says, voice trembling. His words bring you back into the room with him, and you looked down to see his face tense, sweat beading on his forehead. This look of him struggling to keep control, it’s beautiful.

“You’re so thick, Caleb.” You say, and your voice sounds husky, mature. “I feel totally full.”

“Fuck.” He says eloquently, “Fuck!”

You snort, “Alright.”

You let your body choose how it wants to move, and you start rocking gently above him. The simple motion feels so good, the friction a slow aching wave of pleasure blooming up your spine. You grab one of his hands, run it up your body to touch your breasts while you gently ride him.

He thumbs at your nipples and then gently starts moving his hips in time with yours. The sensation changes, and it’s a harder pleasure. Theres so much of him, even his gentle movements feel exaggerated. You let yourself moan, and he moves a little harder up into you.

The head of his cock is dragging against your g spot and the feeling of it is bringing you undone. You feel confident that you’re well adjusted now, so you lean forward to give him move room to fuck up into you. He takes the invitation.

“Pips, I can’t…” he says, and you lean down to kiss him. He kisses up hungrily, biting your lip. Without warning he rolls you both over so he’s on top, and then he really starts fucking you.

You can’t stop yourself from moaning now, constant and loud. Theres so much of him.

“Mine,” he says, husky and dark, “You’re mine.”

You come, and the sensation of you pulsing while he rides you makes you throw your head back. He doesn’t slow down, doesn’t relent, but fucks you through your whole orgasm.

He kisses you again, wet and open, letting you keen into his mouth. He looks overwhelmed with the pleasure of it, losing himself in the sensation. It’s good you’re so wet, you think, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to take him like this. He’s fucking into you so relentless, so much, and you can feel his desire in every thrust.

“You want me to come, pips?” he says, and you already feel another orgasm building as your walls clench around him. He feels bigger than before, a gentle ache starting.

You’re pinned under the full weight of him as he’s fucking you into the mattress now, and you can’t do anything but hold on to his shoulders and moan.

“Say it, say you want me to come.” He says, dark and intense.

“Say it.” He says again, grabbing your chin to force you to look at him.

“Please,” you manage, “I want it.”

“Say my name,” he says, “please.”

Your vision feels hazy, “Please, Caleb, come for me.”

“Oh,” he says, a shuddering sigh, “Oh my god.”

His hips snap up into you, and you can feel him twitching inside you, the sensation pushing you over the edge again as you feel yourself grip down on him. He’s coming, you think distantly, so good. It feels so good. You find his mouth with yours, and he’s breathing, keening, his shoulders breaking into a sweat.

He collapses on top of you, the rest of his weight crushing you breathless. You’re both trying to catch your breath, and you tap him on the shoulder a few times.

“Caleb, I can’t breathe.”

He snorts affectionately, kissing your cheek as he pulls himself up carefully, gripping the base of the condom as he pulls out slowly. He ties it off, throwing it into his desk bin before collapsing back down next to you.

You’re both still breathing hard and you roll over to face him. His eyes are shining, and you reach out to touch his face. He catches it with his hands to press a kiss into your palm.

You stay like that until your breathing returns to normal.  He’s still holding your hand, rubbing slow circles onto your wrist, gazing at the ceiling.

“That was my first,” he says, still staring at the ceiling.

You’re surprised, but alarmingly you feel… elated?

“Same.” You say simply, and he turns to face you in shock.

You don’t feel like you have enough of your senses back to process what that means, and so you sit up a little, wincing.

“You okay?” he asks.

“A little tender.” You say, and you can feel your cheeks burning.

He smiles broadly.

“Need me to carry you to the shower?”

You could only manage to take three days off for your visit, but by the time you’re on the light rail back to town, the lacquered box is empty.

He drives you back to the station himself, despite both of you knowing he’ll be late for work.

“Commander can make me run laps, I don’t care.”

He grips your hand the entire time, driving one handed, before finally pulling up next to the light rail. He sits there after he’s parked, his knee bouncing.

“Pips.” He says, staring out the window at the platform, “What does this mean?”

You had been playing house the last few days, Skyhold girlfriend, but there was no point pretending that you hadn’t been getting each other off for three days straight.

“I don’t know Caleb,” you say, gut clenching, “But I can’t lose you.”

He unbuckles his seatbelt and moves to kiss you.

“Never.” He says, “I’ll never leave you.”

You spend the ride home with a strange fluttering in your chest. Maybe, somehow, things could change. Maybe you would be good together as something more. Maybe your friends would understand… Gran…

You believed him when he said he wouldn’t leave you, but that didn’t mean you wouldn’t lose him.

[thydungeongal]

I played a bit of D&D 4e back when it came out, and have often thought of giving it another go. The only thing is, over the years I remember seeing a lot of discussions about errata and rebalancing. The exact claims vary from stuff like "the designers messed up the math and you have to give all players scaling bonuses to fix it" or even as extreme as "monsters from before MM3 should have half-HP and double damage."

(From my time playing, I defo remember fights taking a long time but never feeling dangerous, which seems to align with the pre-MM3 thing above.)

Do you know if there's a consensus on this stuff? Is the errata collected anywhere accesible? Or are old books fine to use as printed?

@talenlee can actually help with this one, because he has actually played D&D 4e a lot more than I have. Thing is, as much as I like D&D 4e my time with it was cut tragically short because my friends at the time were dumb nerds who wanted to play Pathfinder instead. Every time I have played it I've ended up having a blast because it's just such a damn good game, but those times have been tragically few.

But as far as I know, yes, that is pretty much the consensus when it comes to D&D 4e and it also matches my experience. I remember combat being a slog (albeit an enjoyable slog) with the early Monster Manual math, and having played a lot of Gamma World 7e (which uses a system based on D&D 4e plus monster math more in line with MM3) combat becomes much more fast-paced using MM3 style math. The MM3 monster math already goes a long way towards fixing most of the underlying issues of the game, but some people also suggest giving every character either free Weapon Expertise feats (if I'm remembering my terminology correctly) to smooth out some of the remaining wonkiness.

Anyway, as far as I know you can pretty easily find most D&D 4e stuff including errata on the Internet Archive. If you can find it, I suggest tracking down the Rules Compendium, as it is pretty much a definitive source of all the rules with the latest errata accounted for.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

"Caleb becomes a wet rat (and gets unpixelated?!)"

Chapter 6: Homecoming Wings

Pairing: Caleb x GN Reader

Word count: 1180

Genre: Reverse isekai, fluff, romance, comedy, supernatural, angst, slow burn

Rating: General Audiences

Triger Warnings: none

A/N: I recommend replaying through Homecoming Wing's first part of chapter 1 while reading this !! i've also made a tag for this fic called fic: wet rat caleb which will be used to post updates on the future chapters and bonus content related to this story, just for fun

<< previous next >> Tumblr Chapter List Ao3 Link

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Caleb was knocked out of his thoughts by your excited chattering.

“Let’s goooo!!! Caleb’s chapter released!” His head whipped towards your direction.

You looked up, sensing the stare. “Oh, not you, Caleb. I meant, like, Caleb-Caleb, you know? The actual Caleb from the game.” You lifted up the ipad to show him your screen. It was only for a brief moment, and Caleb was unable to catch what was written on the screen.

Caleb’s eyes narrowed. This was his chance.

He walked over and jumped on the couch, sitting right next to you. He glanced at the ipad and then back to your face.

You were staring at him in shock.

Oh. Oh my god. He’s sitting next to me.

He blinked at you with his purple eyes, not saying anything. His tail flicked to his side.

Okay. Okay. Stay calm. You don’t want to scare him away by reacting too loud.

“You really are interested in Caleb, huh? I knew it.. Even cats are going to like him.” You turned your focus back to the ipad in your lap, which was currently on the chapter selection menu for the main story.

Are we really talking about me? This much enthusiasm.. It’s unsettling. 

Caleb was a bit confused. He knew for sure that the man on the screen was him, but he didn’t understand why you were so excited when you saw him. Both of you had watched the same video.

There was still a lot Caleb didn’t understand about the video. The man was him, but it wasn’t him. 

“Did you honestly think I would always be the kind hearted boy from your childhood?”

He was talking to someone. Someone from his childhood?

There was no one. No one worth remembering, anyway.

What disturbed him more was the experiment report.

[They are the optimal weapon for destroying each other. This experiment is never to be restarted.]

One thing he was sure about was that there was no one, absolutely no one, who had been turned into a weapon the same way he was. That is how he rose to the ranks of Colonel, and that is how it’s supposed to remain. There was no one who had been able to endure the experiments long enough to be as powerful as him. 

And that is why he didn’t understand what was going on in the video.

Or what was going on in general, to be fair. He had turned into a cat. A cat!

And here I thought things couldn’t get any worse when grandma was killed.

Snapping back to reality, he read the text on your ipad screen.

Homecoming Wings: Vanishing Skyward.

He watched your eyes twinkle.

“The background is so beautiful. That’s Skyhaven, I think..” 

You were right. It was a picture of Skyhaven from a distance. He could recognize the layout of that island anywhere, it was his base after all. Or his prison. Depends on how you look at it.

“Let’s find out what you’ve been up to while MC has been suffering, Caleb.” You poked his head gently.

He narrowed his eyes on you. It was amusing how you talked to a cat, but the cat was still him. The situation was somewhat laughable, he thought.

You tapped on the block titled “01 Story: Infiltration”.

He read the text on the screen alongside you. It looked like it was written from someone else’s perspective.

“She’s dreaming about the explosion?” You muttered, focused on the screen.

Caleb’s eyes widened as the words “Aether Core”, “Ever”, and Bloomshore District Explosion” appeared on the screen one by one.

The scene seemed to switch from an office to the scene of an explosion. 

Reporter A - “It’s been a week since the explosion in the Cascade District. The Farspace Fleet still has the region under lockdown.”

Caleb was baffled.

…

You stared at the screen in silence for an entire minute once the cutscene ended.

“Did you see that?” Caleb wasn’t sure if you were talking to him or yourself. Frankly, he didn’t care. He was just as shocked as you.

“I think infold really loves to introduce their characters while they kill someone.” You said, referencing a certain white haired man with a crow.

Caleb, on the other hand, was lost in thought.

The scenes that had just unfolded on the screen hadn’t happened too long ago to him. He had killed the man who had tried to sink his ship in the deepspace, on his first mission as Colonel. It had been a couple months since then and Caleb had adjusted well to the endless attempts at people trying to dethrone him, courtesy of Ever.

It was a weird experience watching it unfold from a different perspective, however. And even weirder when it’s from an ipad screen of a random person who didn’t know he was right there, next to them.

At this moment, his life felt like a fever dream.

…

Currently, you’re having the biggest crash out you’ve had since you started playing this game. And a cat was witnessing it all, sitting at his place next to you on the couch.

“Girl, oh my god..” 

“You did not just get drugged by that guy. You did not—” You cut yourself off.

You looked at the cat next to you.

“Caleb, Do you see this shit? Do you???”

Caleb did, in fact, see the shit. And saying that he was flabbergasted would be an understatement. 

“They deserved a better reunion scene. What the fuck was that?? “It really is me.” Who says that after being declared dead?” You mimicked Caleb’s voice line, clearly annoyed.

“And the MC just.. Accepted it? And then proceeded to stay at his home?”

That was not what Caleb was worried about. He was more so focused on the fact that he was a video game character in this world. And with a story which was eerily similar to his own, at that.

Just without the hunter.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. Caleb continued watching as you ranted.

“There's so much shit going on in this story, man..”

Strangely enough, Caleb didn’t think that his actions in the story were out of character for him. He didn’t resonate with the need to protect someone like the MC in the game, but in the end, he had still ended up in the same position as the other version of himself, regardless of whether that hunter was in the picture or not.

He had been forced to survive on his own either way. The only difference was that he had no one waiting for him at the end of it all. His desperation was fueled by his need to feel even a semblance of control over his life, which had been thrown into disarray since he was young.

And it was happening once again. This time, with an obviously cat-shaped dilemma.

Yet, maybe, just maybe, he didn’t mind it as much.

A certain someone sitting next to him was altering his reality, oblivious to it all.

And he was starting to accept it.

---

Taglist: @roseapov @mangooes @zukini-01 @browneyedgirl22 @mavix @staristoo @hohoooowhy @pirana10 @lunia-likes-pomegranet @bertieorangy @heyimseli @xxnessinessiellexx @mcdepressed290 @mentaltrouble2201 @stardustsunflowers13 @I-lover9 @destheoren @ixloom819 @super-nerder @mazlodowki @friedmagazineprincess @celestialzdiviner @deadghosy @fishwasher8 @dummiebunny @etsuniiru @wegottastayfocus @astraecho

A/N: You can DM me or comment if you want to be tagged in this series and it'll be done in the future parts !!

[kidspawn]

Thoughts on Zutara?

Ah. Zutara.

I have to be honest, I need to tread on careful ground here because the last time I spoke on Katara shipping wars I got, essentially, drawn and quartered on live TV. In fact, I think the person who went after me wanted to send me into the 50th Quarter Quell Hunger Games to watch me die slowly, brutally, and in 4k.

Yeah, so I ship Zutara! I actually quite enjoy it thematically, and I can't put my finger on what draws me to it. In terms of just... chemistry onscreen - there's a genuine draw those two characters have to each other, and much like every other ship in the fandom it has an appeal to me when written well.

What made you ship it?

I think there was a buildup to it I always found very appealing? I can't think of a major "clicking" moment, because I made a very notable effort to stay out of ATLA ship wars so I just never engaged in Zutara content? Then, once again, 2020 I rewatched it and I went... "Oh. I get it now." And I think the biggest moment for me is in "The Southern Raiders." I find them most interesting when they bring good things out in each other - Zuko, for instance, really recognizing what Katara needed in that moment and how to give that to her, was what really sold it to me? I'm not too into the "oh my god he's like with the fire nation and she's water tribe oooooooooooh" but I do enjoy it for when they make an effort to connect due to their similar past experiences with the Fire Nation. I think, at its base, I really enjoy it from a thematic and a technical standpoint - it's a well-contructed and logical ship, and I think from a storytelling perspective its the most interesting and fitting for the story's themes.

(Also the Netflix adaptation marketing and the actors have fantastic chemistry.)

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I mean, I am confident enough to admit it's got an edge to it I adore in the early seasons? I love ships with nuance and intrigue, and I'll be the first to admit that scenes like the necklace scene in book one is... wow. Yeah. I didn't even know drawings could have that much chemistry. What the hell. It's interesting to me. I like that it works alongside Zuko's conflict to become good? Like, a majority of the Book Two ending angst involved him rejecting the lifeline Katara was giving him, creating a sense of betrayal and hurt.

AND THEN the journey to healing that is so beautifully crafted, oh my god. Much like I enjoy Sokka not really handling Zuko with kiddie gloves and joking around with him, I love Katara calling him out and countering him every step of the way. I find it fascinating, because Katara is so fiercely loyal and devoted to the people she loves of course it'd take a lot to heal that hurt. So, Zuko really had to do something valuable and noteworthy to regain her trust - and that arc is literal perfection, in my opinion. When she hugs him at the end of "The Southern Raiders" I genuinely get chills. They manage to go from "I hate you you are everything I have been told to hate and/or fear and you are the representation of all my past traumas" to standing side by side in a fight against the person who has the deepest hurt aimed at Zuko? Like, they work alongside one another to heal and fight their deepest childhood hurts? Like...? Damn?

(I am also perfectly content with them remaining platonic, and I see a lot of value in their platonic relationship. Because that's usually where the appeal of Avatar lies to me - in the found family dynamic. But I enjoy this ship for its narrative relevance.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I enjoy it more in-universe than I do outside. Because thematically its beautifully written. I don't dabble much in alternate universe writing, but the canon development is the most appealing aspect of it for me. God I cannot stress how, from a storytelling perspective, it is fundamentally gorgeous. The dynamics of it are built from the original cartoon's story beats, and I just think it adds that extra oomph. That KAPOW. That WHAM.

send me a ship

[idontmindifuforgetme]

hi i wanted to ask, what is your curl routine? how many times a week you wash your hair, what products you use, and the technique you use to get your results

Hi keep in mind I have high density hair w medium to thick individual strands — what works for me might not work for you (also I switch out my products a lot)

Okay if your hair is as long and dense as mine…. Layers. No way out of them . I avoided them for the longest time but when I got them they were a game changer. But I do ask for long U shaped layers bc I do go straight frequently so I need it to look good straight too

you have to be using hair masks at least WEEKLY… non negotiable. There are two types of masks (hydrating ones and protein based ones), so find out what ur hair needs and start addressing it w hair masks. Also I have a heat bonnet at home so if I’m not feeling lazy I’ll put my hair up in the bonnet and chill for a couple of hours bc the heat opens up my follicles and helps them absorb the product. Biggest bang for ur buck

I clarify AND cleanse once a week (not brand specific — I use the redken ones rn but can’t justify the price tbh, shampoo and conditioner stay in ur hair for like two seconds so drugstore ones work just as fine)

I wash my hair 2 more times a week but I don’t clarify (this only works for me bc I have a lot of hair — if you have finer hair that’s not dense then this is not the move for you and will def damage ur hair… I wouldn’t want that for u)

I apply all products from root to tip, but concentrate gel midway down and mousse in roots

I go through a HIGH turnover of leave in conditioners tbh, but currently I use the love ur curls one. Youll know you’ve added enough when u twist a section and product starts oozing out

I’ve been skipping curl cream lately, but I shouldn’t honestly. I like the not your mother’s curl talk curl cream, but if you’re not on a budget then I heard good things ab the ouai one as well

im finishing up my love ur curls gel/mousse rn (it’s a two in one), but tbh ive seen ones that retail for like 5 dollars that are just as good. I also had a great experience w Ouidad climate control gel

I use the Denman brush method for max definition (when I have the time and patience lol — sometimes I’ll just scrunch and diffuse bc I cba). I section my hair (usually 3 sections), brush the product through the individual sections, apply tension w the denman, shake the hair out, and scrunch. I “mohawk” my roots, apply more mousse there, and repeat the same process

When I’m done I’ll spray on a lotttt of the IGK heat protectant and get to diffusing

you need to be hovering for a hot minute before you start flipping your curls around—that disrupts the curl formation

I recommend watching diffusing vids tbh bc describing it is hard… but basically I hover for a while, flip the roots in their opposite direction and diffuse there, and then I end it all w pixie diffusing (where you flip your hair upside down). Patience is keyyyy. Also pls don’t be scammed into buying those crazy expensive diffusers — I use the same blowdryer I’ve had since I was in middle school and I think my diffuser head was like $20 lol

Oil is like the only product that I think is worth splurging on — once my hair is completely dry, I scrunch out the crunch w the Olaplex oil

[blue-willow-tree]

Hey! Coming from Jades account, re my question about online dynamics. Any advice? Thank you! (Copied my reblog below here for reference.)

Hey! New domme here again. Met a wonderful girl and shes really taken my life by storm. We’re interested in starting a dynamic but we’re 90% online, although visits are planned soon.

I’m just curious, I know you’ve never had a long distance sub/domme relationship but where would you start if you were in my shoes?

We discussed kinks and boundaries at the very beginning of our conversations. We have done safe word discussions and both actively using them as needed. Someone suggested we start with small, easy to follow rules which we already have ex not touching herself without my permission, asking to cum etc which we already have done. She’s more experienced than I am, so just trying to get a better grasp on where to start, other than her wonderful input and suggestions. Same person suggested the Obedience app which I have and fooled around with a bit, and love the idea of.

I know you said you’re not in the headspace for asks so answer when you can, if you can! Thank you so much for your valued answers!

Hi there, love <3

I feel honoured for being trusted with this. The lovely @madamejadex is correct, I do have quite a bit experience when it comes to exploring BDSM online, and I'll do my best with this answer for you ♡

1. Don't overthink it

For the more SFW things, when it comes to exploring things online for the first time, people often let their mind spin and get overwhelmed because it's something new. But I promise, it isn't at all scary or something drastically different. When I speak to someone online, I like to picture the texts they're sending being spoken in their voice, and I like to imagine we're talking at a cafè or talking next to one another on a couch with some wine. Text like how you'd speak, imagine their voice saying all the words they're sending, and simply imagine you're in the same room. Don't let the idea of speaking to someone online seem daunting, rather embrace it and imagine how well you'd click in person through the way you text one another. That way, you can smile and giggle and feel a lot more carefree just by reading their texts, because you can allow yourself to imagine it playing out in real life. When it comes to sexual talks, I think it's wonderful that you two have discussed boundaries already and that you're exploring apps and learning about one another's kinky sides. This is a great step, and I say again to simply not let the idea of being online overwhelm you. Take things step by step, see what works and what doesn't work, and I suggest having a few sfw calls and one or two kinky calls before meeting to see how that energy would click when it comes to making conversation in real life or making dirty talk.

2. Save some things for when you meet

This is mostly for the SFW context of it all. If you two are planning to meet one another, which is seems like, I definitely suggest saving some stories or little facts about yourselves for that day. Everybody loves those fun "Ask me questions" online games when you get to know somebody you're texting with, and that can be extremely fun and healthy because you get to see how well you two click and get along, but don't share every little story or fun fact about yourself because then you won't have as many things to share when you meet each other. Or if you'd like, save those stories for a phone call, because then you can hear their genuine reactions and you can give those reactions to them as well, which makes the moment feel a bit more special. When it comes to the kinky side of things, it's definitely good to already have all your kinks laid out onto the table and it's good to explore some sexting, but keep some of the fantasies you have based on your shared kinks to yourself for a little while, so that she'll get even more butterflies when those fantasies come to life. But as I said, only the ones that are based off of your shared kinks. E.g let's say you both have a kink for public play. Instead of sexting about it, keep that information in your back pocket, and let it come to be for the first time in real life.

3. Understand that some things can go wrong, and prepare for them

When it comes to being online, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, and we need to be aware of those things. Perhaps you two are having a scene through sexting, and one of you gets an emergency phone call or has an emergency to attend to. I suggest coming up with a code word or emoji that you'll use specifically in that sort of situation, because you likely won't have time to type out a full sentence. Or, perhaps one of you gets triggered by the others text. This can happen sometimes, just as it does by hearing someone say something in your ear during a real-life scene and getting triggered by it. I suggest using the traffic light system with the coloured heart emojis, or having code words which will signal what the situation is. And because these things can happen, don't only have discussions on what sort of aftercare you each like in real life, but also state the sort of aftercare you like after an online scene. Of course these are a lot less intense, but they do require aftercare and you two need to know what you each prefer when it comes to being triggered or getting a drop in the middle of the scene. Some need space, some need extra attention, some need specific words to calm them down, etc etc. It's very important to implement this when it comes to exploring BDSM online.

4. Don't be scared to ask necessary questions

When people meet another dom/me or sub online that they seem to click with, they tend of avoid the important make-or-break questions simply so that they don't lose what they've just found. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop the eventual downfall when those make-or-break moments eventually occur. Ask the necessary questions, because at the end of the day the right person is the right person and the wrong person is the wrong person. "Are you looking for an exclusive committed relationship out of this or are you looking for something open?", "What are your opinions on _____", "I see that you want a committed relationship out of this, are you someone who wants marriage or never wants to get married?", "What type of domme/sub are you? (Rough, soft, gentle, brat, etc)", etc etc. Ask the necessary questions, both regarding what could make or break your dynamic, and your relationship as a whole. Ask these things before taking the big steps, so that you don't risk heartache even if it all seems like it clicks. Take the jump, and see where you fall. It might still be in each other's arms.

That's all I can think of to say here, but if I think of more I'll come back and add to this. I'll link this post to my pinned post as well ♡ I wish you two the absolute best and I'm sure you both will thrive in your dynamic/relationship! Have a beautiful week <3 Also, I have a post about punishments linked to my pinned post. Those can be implemented both in person or online, I think that's something that can be beneficial to read through when figuring out what punishment should be given to a certain action. Those are punishments I've given and received in online scenes <3

[anamericangirl]

I made a metaphor a long time ago and got in a lot of trouble for it, but now I have a visual representation of how true it is.

I took this screencap to just be like "lol" to a friend, then noticed this

Look how much more activity there is in all of these niche communities. Each one of them a completely random thing but with far more people active in them.

And it's time I explain my metaphor!

Ahem.

Put 5 transgender people in a room. - One is a Warhammer 40k fan - One protests trans rights regularly and never stops talking about the LGBT - One makes coffee at a coffee shop - One is training to be an astronaut - One works at a stock brokerage company

They all have nothing in common and nothing to talk about other than the fact that they're trans, which is a shallow thing with absolutely no depth other than "My gender identity is different than my physical body" which tells you nothing about a person other than that they have a mental disorder. You can't just expect the 5 people to get along when they come from varying backgrounds just because their "identity" is all the same letter in LGBT.

But, there's a part 2.

Put 5 Warhammer 40k fans in a room. - One is a straight cis guy - One is a lesbian - One is trans - One is a gay dude - One is a straight cis girl

Now they're all immediately asking which armies they play, asking to see the miniatures they've painted, asking what they think of video games like Fire Warrior and Space Marine 2, branching off of Warhammer 40k to ask about other stuff like "Do you like Helldivers?" because of similarity in genre, and the two cis people wind up getting married a few years later and have a Warhammer themed wedding that gets frontpaged on Imgur.

So now I have factual evidence that once again everything I say that pisses my followers off is the absolute truth.

Nobody wants to be friends with someone just because they have the same sexuality or because they're trans, and anyone who does is gonna have a miserable life.

If you're a nerd at school you don't walk up to the jocks that look similar to you and ask if you can be friends, you walk up to the other nerds. Jocks band together, nerds band together, gamers band together, etc. because they're PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR INTERESTS.

When you expect people to "band together" because they have the same "identity," you're literally just promoting segregation in the exact same way as racism works.

And as someone who used to be trans, I just wanna say, before anyone says "You took those screencaps at 1am, that's not fair"

Yeah? I used to be trans and I'm nocturnal as fuck, and I work with transgender commissioners all the time who are always talking about being awake at 4am. And also, the point's moot when 3,000 frog lovers are online at 1am. Get owned.

And it's highly likely that the transgender group is just transgender activism. Which means it's a group of people bonding over activism and not "being transgender." Because gender identity is not the end all be all of who a person is even though it's treated as such. It doesn't matter if you have a group of 100 trangender people. If they don't have a common interest between them they will never be as active as 5 people who all have different gender identities and are coming together over their favorite TV show or video game.

Like I don't go looking for groups and can't bond with someone just because they are a woman. If there's a man and a woman and my hobbies and interests align more with the dude then he's the person I'm going to feel a connection with.

It is nice to be a part of women's groups sometimes, but they are women's groups based around a central topic. Not just the fact that we're all women.

Because most of the experiences people have in life aren't based on gender identity and it's sad to see people making their gender identity the epitome of who they are.

[cawyden-gaming]

Let me please say that unless we know for sure from the writer all our takes are interpretations. And I actually like that we do not have an answer from Olga to everything, that we have room for interpretation here.

In any case in fanfiction / head canon you can do what you want anyway - we don't need to come up with justification.

I do try to have my own interpretation of him to be as close as possible to what we see in game (instead of just writing what I think is fun because then I risk him feeling OOC for myself and that is then no longer the character I came to love). But that is of course, still heavily subjective.

And yes, I totally get that is just fun to write sex with biomancy.

So please take anything I write here only as my personal interpretation and how I approach it in my head canon and my own fanfic.

I am not in the 100% he would never ever use biomancy for sex camp. But I think it requires a very good reason for him to do this. I can imagine that e.g. if his partner has really trouble to enjoy sex or to get an orgasm that he might try to use his powers to help there.

But I don't think he would casually use biomancy for sex right from the start without concerns (not saying he can't be persuaded because we do see him being influenced by RT). Just like I don't see him using his powers for mundane things. Especially during warp travel.

Yes, he is a psyker and he is right that it is dangerous. But - he is sanctioned, he has lots of experience and we see him using his powers for interrogating/torturing, healing (not to be nitpicking, he says he can heal RT during freight line soup scene but actually doesn't, but we see him using his powers for healing in other instances), in combat, to mercy kill, to threaten etc.

But that is usually outside warp travels.

We see him using his powers on Rykad Minoris to help Idira or psyker RT during the triumph and when there are warp breaches everywhere. And we see him using the powers e.g. when Marazhai has his first warp travel experience - but these are life threatening situations.

He says himself:

"{n}Heinrix's eyes narrow.{/n} \"Why are we wasting time and entertaining the risks of using psyker abilities in the warp? For what? So that you can keep your pet predator? Isn't it about time you rid your menagerie of this exotic menace?\""

There is also a warp event where he shows up on the med deck to get help - we know he can heal himself, he did it on Commorragh, and I am not sure if he really was in a better condition there as here in the warp event.

So during warp travel it seems to me - based on the game - that he only tries to use his powers in really dire or dangerous situations.

And while it seems inside the game that we travel instantly from one system to the next, you can assume that days, weeks or even months pass in that time. Unfortunately there isn't really much info given and there is also no explanation how Cassia is able to handle that. Aside from a comment that she must have told Heinrix during a warp travel about Commorragh - so she isn't (and also can't) be navigating during the complete travel time.

I would say we spend more time with all the warp travel than actually in realspace.

That his powers are useful and he uses it for his own gain and to help others is also true. I think he also might have had a positive experience with his powers since they allowed him to restore himself and to heal him and others (maybe even fellow acolytes - he can e.g. heal Achilleas) - although they were the reason he got into this situation the first place.

Outside warp I can imagine that he might try it or start to use it - especially if he sees RT suffering or asking him for it. And then the question is - would he continue to use it during warp? Where they spend most of the time together? It might be. Just as you said - a small concession and then it builds up.

And I also agree that he has moments where he seems arrogant at times regarding his skills e.g. when he (hardened) says he will investigate Emelina's data himself (of course thinking he won't be corrupted).

But even then we see him being careful during warp travels - so for me it is at least tied to him having concerns and having to make a difficult decision.

My other personal take is that while his powers can make sex more fun there is also the aspect how much being a psyker has influenced his life. It is the reason he lost nearly everything he had and is also the reason he is allowed to live - by being useful. He has other skills, but said himself - Xavier only wanted him for his powers. He restored himself to look and feel more human - to be useful outside being a biomancer.

"Xavier didn't care that I was a maimed freak — he needed me for my sorcery, nothing more. But I decided I would be more useful if I could start to look more like a human again.\

I can see him being able to please his partner without using these powers as a big thing for him. For once not being reduced to what he can do with his powers.

I am not trying to keep anyone from enjoying their biomancy sex head canons or fics, just trying to explain why I see it differently.

My thoughts on Heinrix using biomancy during sex is that it he would approach it like he does all his emotionally-charged decisions.

He'd tell himself he's not going to use it for all the myriad of reasons, but once he's in that emotionally-charged situation, it's a whole different scenario.

Also, Heinrix uses biomancy to cure headaches and tummy ills (he tells RT as much when they eat the lower deck slimemold.) He likes to talk about the dangers of warp powers, but I do think there's a small part of Heinrix that believes (maybe even a tad bit arrogantly) that he is good enough to bend the rules here and there when it comes to how he employs his abilities.

I absolutely could see him getting swept up in the emotional moment of it all, making a small concession and then it building from there.

I like these kinds of discussions, and I honestly don't think he's the kind of character where you can say 100% he would or would not do this. Heinrix's character does a lot of mental gymnastics and justifying for someone with black and white stances. He does a lot of living in the grey spaces of morality.

I think it's more a question of, how would he justify it or in what circumstances would he feel compelled to use it?

[llemon-soda]

joy and whimsy

[seiwas]

sellllllll it's meeeeee. hehehehehehehehehhehe

so for ur writing exercises.... deku + light? please? pretty please?

:3c

heheh heheh hehe niku. this will be the death of me. me writing izuku for the first time 🥲 i will only do this for you </3

contains: established relationship, spoilers for the end of the manga, aged up deku but sometime in between the final outcome (he doesn't get the h*** s*** from bakugo yet), mentions of sex and scars

deku + light

izuku only sleeps with the lights off.

it isn't uncommon; many people you know can't sleep with even just a sliver of light turned on somewhere in the room. but the difference with izuku, you learn, is not that he's unable to stand the light―it's that he refuses to.

you quickly pick up on it the first few times he sleeps over.

he fidgets in bed, pretty badly, actually. the nightlight you sleep with glows a warm yellow, illuminating the side of your face and coating him in its afterglow. you chalk it up to nerves, how he pulls at his sleeves and adjusts his position constantly; he is, after all, one of the most anxious people you know.

and this relationship―it's new. heck, even you feel a little jittery with his arm wrapped around you.

the rhythmic tapping on your hip only increases pace. you don't think he realizes it, so your hand gently reaches for his, intertwining your fingers as you turn around in his arms.

he's close, nearly touching you nose-to-nose; the proximity leaves you fuzzy, a little ticklish, so you giggle, a soft "oops," as the freckles dusting his face almost glisten under the warm light.

"hi," you whisper, meeting his eyes; they stare back at you wide in surprise, "can't sleep?"

he looks almost guilty at your question, as if you’ve caught him with the one thing he's been trying to keep from you.

"just—" his voice comes out louder than intended, prompting him to chuckle nervously as he readjusts his volume, "just winding down, sorry."

you inch closer, nuzzling his nose lightly, "it's okay."

"did i wake you?" he asks, cheeks flushing pink as his eyebrows furrow in immediate concern. his expression is something caught between stifling a grin and feeling sorry.

you shake your head against the pillow you share, strands of your hair tangling with his. "just winding down," you tease, watching as his gaze turns softer, eyelids drooping heavier.

sometimes, you think, izuku holds the world in his eyes―a deep, dark green, the color of life. most times, they look at you with wonderment, bright and alive; photos from inko tell you they're the eyes of his inner child.

on nights like this one, however, they hide a depth in them weighted by what you can only assume is time, and all that has happened to him in such a short span of it.

you try your best to understand what lies beneath them, knowing full well he'll never tell you outright what truly bothers him.

"is it the light?" you bring up, some time after laying in silence.

"hm?" he clarifies.

"do you have a hard time sleeping with the nightlight?"

his eyes widen briefly once more, as if shocked that you've caught him again. these split second reactions are ones you've learned to be attentive to when it comes to izuku.

"no," he tries to lie, but you know better as you turn to your nightstand and reach for its switch, "you don't–"

"it was hurting my eyes," you quickly make up an excuse, tucking yourself closer under his chin as you cut off his attempt to deny it again.

finding out that the light was the problem was the easy part—

you'd begun to notice much earlier on that izuku was barely rested on the nights he'd spend at your place. it was only when your old nightlight broke that you began to notice him waking up much later than you did, groggily rousing from a deep sleep.

—what was hard, was figuring out why.

at first, you suspected it was his scars.

"s-sorry, it's not—" he'd warned you, right as your hands gripped the hem of his shirt the first time you were about to have sex, "—it's not nice."

you didn't care though; you still don't care, and you've made that abundantly clear to him since. you love izuku and all his parts―all the nicks and jaggedy pieces of skin that make up who he is.

when you eventually ask him about it, with a request that he be honest with you for once, he tells you that it is and it isn't―the reason why he exclusively sleeps with the lights off, that is.

it's an odd, comforting relationship he has with his body—that he is simultaneously grateful and sorry for how its become a canvas, both painted and marred to symbolize japan’s historic last stand.

you find out the real reason when you catch him staring at his hands.

he does it often, when he thinks you aren't looking—his fists bunched up in the same way he used to watch the power of one for all course through his fingertips; the same way he used to prepare them in battle.

there’s a faraway look in his eyes that lingers, you notice—a little wistful if anything.

“do you miss it?” you finally ask. he gives you the same shocked look he does every time, as if he’s been caught with a secret he��s been trying to hide.

he’s learned a fair bit about you now, too, though—lying to you is futile when you’ve perfected reading his truth. he stares at his fists again as you take a seat beside him, moving to give you space. you rest your head on his shoulder gently, waiting.

“sometimes,” he admits, but you know it’s an understatement.

“i think about the vestiges a lot. i miss them the most, i think,” he continues, clenching his fists tightly, “i always try to reach out to them, but i guess it doesn’t work that way.”

“i… i try to replicate the right conditions every night, but…” then he lets go, stretching his fingers out wide. the scars on the surface ripple through his skin, telling its own story.

you hum, acknowledging what he means. silence sits with the two of you as you take his hand in yours, slowly unfurling his fingers until his palm reveals itself to you. it’s rough to the touch, seasoned with hard work and all that he’s been through.

“is that why you prefer the dark?” you ask softly, after some time.

it's not often that you stay up later than izuku does. when you do though, you catch him shifting in bed, moving from side-to-side. you pretend you aren't awake, but you hear him mumble their names, dwindling in volume as he dozes off to sleep.

he stares at his palm for a moment before he admits quietly, "yeah." his brows furrow as if contemplating whether to say more, but he shakes his head, dark green strands swaying to the beat of his embarrassed chuckle, "nevermind, it's silly."

"it's not."

you intertwine your fingers, sandwiching his hand between yours. a slight sheen glosses over his eyes as he tilts his head up to look at you. he draws in a breath, before it spills over.

"it's..." he finds the words, and you squeeze his hand in comfort, "it's easier to believe it was all real when the lights are out, and that maybe it can happen again."

[parab0mb]

I'm by no means an expert in game design, but I just wanted to give my two cents. Tying more objective/direct upgrades to Hat Kid's moveset behind badges probably wouldn't be the best idea since it'd basically be a repeat of the hookshot situation in the 1st game, where said badges are effectively a "wasted" slot since you're not gonna wanna be constantly swapping them in and out with the "less useful/fun" badges.

I think the AHiT devs had the right idea with making the hats the more direct upgrades to HK's kit since you can change them on the fly and once you have them you have them. IMO where they fell flat is that most of them were pretty one-note or too situational/context sensitive.

It's a shame that one floating hat was scrapped from the game because that's what AHiT could've used more of: hats that expand HK's (still fun but admittedly pretty minimal) moveset beyond just "use this hat to interact with this very specific object".

Also, with regards to temporary "gimmick" hats for specified areas, I feel like that sort of design is better suited for more linear games, whereas AHiT (and presumably a theoretical AHiT 2) is for the most part an open and non-linear game, so having your abilities available whenever as oppose to restricted to certain points gives players a lot more freedom in finding their own approach to navigate the environment or overcoming obstacles. It does come at the cost of a tighter and more controlled experience? Yes. Is that more fun? Subjective but for this subgenre I kinda think so (tbh AHiT was the game that made me realize that platformers are lot more fun if they give you the means to break things just a tiny bit 😉).

All that said I'm against the idea either; it could maybe be hybrid of both systems where you can "supercharge" your base hats in specific locations to access certain areas in a level or complete more linear obstacle courses (like time rifts).

I’ve been trying to think about the sequel as an actual game, so I’ve been brainstorming different new things that could be added. I wanted to make new badges and mechanics for a more streamlined experience. While there will be cosmetic badges for fun, I wanted to include more badges that actually add to Hat’s move set. Things like an extra jump or actual hover for example. In terms of something like the hook shot, the badge will be removed and integrated as a part of Hat Kid’s base move set.

I think I want Hats to act more like level gimmicks in Astrobot where they show up for a level and are done with at the end. I think it would give way for more thought out level design and allow hats to have more uses outside of specific sections of a level.