#adding those tags took longer then the drawing

[aczissleepytwin]

doomed bl

[icewindandboringhorror]

more photo diary posts.. various life images...

[boorines]

caresses from my camera roll | choi seungcheol (M)

warnings/tags: fem reader, established relationship, softdom!cheol, he’s a sweetie, he’s also mean though, fingering, pussy slapping, use of the word slut, multiple times, profanity. smut. MDNI

—

seungcheol is the sweetest boyfriend you could have asked for. he brings you plates of carefully cut up fruit while you work, leaves a light kiss on your cheek or a pat on your head whenever he walks by, and makes the best breakfast in bed.

so, it might come as a surprise that he isn’t half as soft during the night, before you both fall asleep to warm touches.

like tonight.

you lay on your shared bed, scrolling through your camera roll and admiring the photos you took earlier today. it was a beach date, spontaneous and relaxed, and you think those are the best kind. as you scroll, you come across a candid you took of seungcheol. he was laying beside you on a beach towel with his face turned towards you, sunglasses on and hand shielding his face from the sun. he was smiling. cute.

but you couldn’t say the same about his swim shorts hanging dangerously low on his hips or his exposed abs still wet from his swim earlier. and his hands... one in front of his face and the other just off screen, but you know very well it was resting on your bare thigh, a touch too high to be casual. the memory of what he said right before the photo was taken makes heat flood between your legs.

“you look so good, i could take you right here”.

you squirm at the thought. he would have if you’d let him and it drives you crazy. you inch your hand lower, slowly circling your clit. these could be his fingers, you think as you stare at his photographed hand. his longer, thicker ones would feel so much better inside you than yours. you whimper at the image and press harder, wet spot on your panties growing steadily. pushing your underwear to the side, you drag a finger through your wet folds and gasp. you’re about to push it all the way in when the door to the bedroom swings open.

“hey, love, there’s a new episode of—”

he freezes in the doorway and his eyes darken. your pussy floods at the way he looks at your finger halfway inside you. he shuts the door slowly behind him and his voice is low, much lower than usual, when he asks, “and what are we doing here?”. walking over to the edge of the bed, he takes a seat, eyes roaming painfully slowly over your body.

you whimper and reach a hand out for his, silently asking for help.

“no. i’m going to watch you. i’ll help when i think you need it”.

“cheol, please”, you whisper.

“what did i say?”, his tone is one of warning and you don’t push further. you whine softly as you start drawing circles on your wet cunt over your panties, adding pressure when you make eye contact with seungcheol.

“good girl”, he mutters under his breath.

your stomach tightens and you hastily kick your underwear off and push your thighs apart. his sinful gaze on you is enough to make you cum, you think. you sink your middle finger into your entrance with a drawn out mewl, clenching around yourself when you hear your boyfriend hum in approval. you start pumping into yourself only for seungcheol to still you with a firm hand on your thigh. you look up at him in confusion but his eyes are on your unlocked phone laying forgotten beside you. he smirks. oh.

“so, is this what got you like this, pretty?”, he whispers, moving closer to you until he’s positioned beside your legs. “got this wet just looking at pictures of me, hm?”.

you shudder when you feel his hand squeeze your thigh. once, soft. again, harder. you whimper and paw at his hand in request.

“words, baby”.

“y-yes, cheol. was thinking about y-you”.

“yeah? baby got this needy thinking of me? my hands, my cock?”, you mewl softly at his words, “god, you’re such a dirty slut for me, fuck”.

“i am, cheol, please. please, i need you”.

he groans and pulls your hand away from your pussy, swearing under his breath when he sees your dewy entrance. he grazes a finger across your dripping cunt and you push your hips into his hand. he whips his hand away and you let out a desperate whine, hoping he can see how much you need to feel him inside you.

“don’t move”, he warns, “maybe i’ll fuck you on my fingers. or maybe i’ll just watch you try to cum without any help. for playing with yourself without my permission”.

you shake your head in desperation, silently begging him to touch you.

“cheol, please, i need to feel you”.

“my slut needs me that bad?”, he traces a finger around your clit and you make a noise so sinful it goes straight to his hardening cock. “beg for me”.

you can’t think straight as you babble a string of ‘please’s, ‘cheol’s and ‘i need you’s. you hear him chuckle deeply and it only makes you clench around nothing, continuing your pleas for his cock, his fingers, his tongue. anything.

without warning, seungcheol plunges a finger into your entrance, sinking in knuckle-deep. you gasp loudly, followed by a moan the neighbours can probably hear. he begins pumping at an unrelenting pace, drawing whimpers and moans from your throat.

“good girl, you’re doing so good for me, baby”, he adds a second finger and your noises grow louder. the slick squelch of his fingers thrusting into you joins your needy moans and whines, the room sounding like lust and sin.

you feel his other hand come up to your breast, kneading and squeezing the skin torturously. he takes his time with your hard nipple, moving to the other only when he feels satisfied. he leans down and leaves open mouthed kisses on your shoulder, moving up your neck and along your jaw. he places a soft kiss on your lips, a sharp contrast from the filthy moans he’s swallowing from your throat. his lips move back to your neck, roughly sucking at the skin and you mewl in pleasure. he pulls back to admire the red mark blooming where his lips just were, all while his fingers pump sinfully between your folds. you buck your hips, forcing his fingers in deeper. he curls his fingers inside your cunt, hitting the spongy wetness of your walls with purpose.

“you hear those noises, baby? fuck, your pretty little cunt is dripping for me”.

you moan loudly, desperately trying to fuck yourself harder on his fingers.

“hips down, slut, i decide when you cum”, he whispers in your ear and you lose yourself.

“please, cheol, please, please, i’ll be so good for you, i promise. please let me cum, i need it so bad, cheol”.

he laughs and abruptly slides his fingers out of you. you whine at the empty feeling and open your mouth in protest before you feel a sharp slap land on your cunt. “ah, cheol!”

another. the slight sting makes your pussy gush around him and you become a babbling mess.

“you like that? my filthy girl likes that, yeah?”, he mutters.

“s-so much, cheol”.

“you’re my little slut, aren’t you, pretty?”, he delivers another slap to your leaking cunt.

“yes! yes, cheol! your slut, all yours. fuck, i’ll do anything”, you scream.

“slut has such a dirty mouth”, he chuckles as he rubs your pussy soothingly, “let me make my baby cum, yeah?”.

you nod, eyes tearing up and clawing at his forearm when you feel him sink three fingers into your sopping hole. he hisses when he feels you flutter and clench around him, his eyes turning impossibly darker. he sets a torturous pace, splitting you open on his fingers until your back arches off the bed.

you feel your stomach tighten and you scream in pleasure. “i’m close, i’m so close, please cheol”. he doesn’t need to be told twice before he’s curling his fingers and hitting the same spongy spot again. leaning down, he messily sucks on your nipples, licking around the hard mounds and leaving your tits covered in spit. the sound he draws from you makes his dick twitch and he responds by flicking your clit with his thumb.

“good girl, you’re doing so good, my love”.

you clench around his fingers with a wanton moan, holding onto the arm he’s using to prop himself up beside you. you feel his lips on yours and kiss him back sloppily, all tongue and high-pitched mewls. his fingers don’t stop fucking into you even when your legs begin to shake violently.

“fuck, baby. you look so beautiful getting fucked open on my fingers like this”, seungcheol whispers against your mouth. “cum for me, soak my fingers. i want to feel your cum drip down my hand, yeah?”

you scream into his mouth as his fingers hit your sensitive walls over and over. you feel the coil in your stomach snap and your vision goes white as you clench around his fingers, your release leaking out of your cunt as he strokes your walls through your climax. he helps ride out your high with a few more thrusts and a groan that you feel deep in your heat.

“that’s a good girl”, he whispers and slowly pulls his fingers out of you. he watches your cum gush out and soak your folds and swears under his breath. you look at him in bliss as he puts his fingers to his mouth and sucks them clean with a pop, subconsciously making you clench your empty hole around nothing.

“you were so amazing, my love. always so perfect”, seungcheol presses a kiss to your lips, smiling softly when he sees your eyelids get heavy. he strokes your hair with care reserved for no one but you and your chest warms. “relax, gorgeous, i’ll get you cleaned up”.

as seungcheol delicately cleans you up, soft touches and gentle ‘i love you’s, you drift off. the last thing you feel is a feather-light kiss on your temple and a stroke of his hand against your arm.

and you can’t help but think once again, seungcheol is the sweetest boyfriend you could have ever asked for.

—

well… this was interesting to write! i have more trouble with smut than fluff and took way longer writing this than i should have. but i hope u enjoy it!! bf!cheol is everyone’s weakness hehe. please let me know what u think!! thank u so much for reading and enjoying my previous work!

hopefully my next drabble/fic should be kwan centred because i can’t ignore my bias for much longer! as always, requests open!!

[thebunnednun]

Tempted to touch! Men of One piece x Fm! Reader (Multi Character fic)

Pairings: Ace x Reader, Shanks x Reader, Mihawk x Reader, Crocodile x Reader, Smoker x Reader

Synopsis: Can someone write like a lil thing for Ace, Shanks, Mihawk, Crocodile and/or Smoker or any One Piece character (secretly) seeing their S/O being able to whine (dance) and having crazy waist control (being able to bounce their ass without movin anything else)? 🧍🏻‍♀️

A little something for @mororona who gave me the prompt.

Use this song: Tempted to Touch by Rupee

I'ma also tag @fanaticsnail I know you're sick rn, and I hope this helps, I added ben for you! Plus you love dancing and this music.

As a caribbean latina, I couldn't resist.

On with the show!!~

______________________________________________________________

Ace

The ship's corridors echoed with the distant sound of music, drawing Ace's attention as he passed by [Name]'s room. His curiosity piqued, he couldn't resist the urge to investigate. Quietly, he approached the door and peeked through a crack. What he saw took his breath away.

[Name] stood before the mirror, bathed in the soft glow of the room's ambient light. They wore a simple tank top that hugged their curves and shorts that accentuated their toned legs. The music pulsed in the air, setting the rhythm for their movements. With each beat, their hips swayed with an otherworldly grace, their waist seemingly moving independently of the rest of their body.

Ace's jaw dropped at the sight. He had never seen [Name] like this before—so carefree, so alive. His heart skipped a beat as he leaned against the doorframe, unable to tear his gaze away. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, a mixture of amusement and admiration swirling in his chest.

"Damn," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the music. He crossed his arms, feeling a rush of warmth spreading through him. "I never knew you had those kinds of moves," he thought, his mind buzzing with excitement. He watched in silence, savoring the intimate moment.

As the music faded into the night, Ace lingered a moment longer, committing the image of [Name]'s dance to memory. With a soft chuckle, he straightened up and continued on his way, a newfound appreciation blossoming in his heart.

Shanks

The Red Force sailed smoothly through calm waters, the gentle lull of the ocean providing a rare moment of tranquility. Shanks, ever drawn to the call of adventure, found himself wandering the deck in search of excitement.

As he strolled along, the distant strains of lively music reached his ears, beckoning him like a siren's song. Curiosity piqued, he followed the melodic trail until he came upon a secluded corner of the ship. There, hidden from prying eyes, he discovered [Name].

[Name] stood in the embrace of the sea breeze, their form swathed in a loose-fitting sarong that billowed around them with each movement. The soft fabric accentuated their every sway, casting shadows that danced across their skin like fleeting whispers.

Shanks, ever the playful observer, couldn't help but grin as he watched from behind a nearby barrel. His eyes widened in awe as he beheld [Name]'s dance, their waist moving with a fluidity that seemed to defy the laws of nature. Each motion was a symphony of grace and control, weaving a tapestry of enchantment that ensnared his senses.

"Well, well," he murmured to himself, his voice lost amidst the music's intoxicating melody. His heart quickened with a rush of excitement as he continued to watch, his admiration mingling with a newfound sense of desire.

As the last notes faded into the night, Shanks remained rooted to the spot, reluctant to break the spell that had enveloped him. With a soft chuckle, he finally emerged from his hiding place, his grin widening with each step.

"Someone's been hiding some talent," he remarked, his voice laced with playful teasing. He approached [Name] with a glint of mischief in his eyes, ready to share in the dance they had unwittingly revealed.

Mihawk

The courtyard of Mihawk's imposing castle was bathed in the soft glow of twilight, the air heavy with a sense of quietude that seemed to envelop the world in its embrace. Mihawk, ever the solitary figure, made his way through the shadowed corridors, his footsteps echoing faintly against the stone walls.

As he passed by a window, a flicker of movement caught his attention, drawing his gaze. Through the glass, he beheld [Name], bathed in the ethereal light of the setting sun. They wore a fitted top that hugged their curves and leggings that accentuated the elegant lines of their form.

The distant strains of music reached Mihawk's ears, a delicate melody that seemed to dance upon the evening breeze. And dance they did—[Name], with a grace that transcended mortal bounds, moved with a fluidity that spoke of hidden depths and untold mysteries. Each movement was a testament to their skill, their waist control impeccable, their every motion precise and mesmerizing.

Mihawk stood in the shadows, an enigmatic figure shrouded in darkness, his keen eyes fixated on [Name] as if they were the only star in a vast, empty sky. A rare smile tugged at the corners of his lips, a whisper of admiration that lingered like a wisp of smoke in the still air.

"Remarkable," he whispered to himself, his voice barely more than a breath against the canvas of the night. In that moment, amidst the quietude of his solitary vigil, Mihawk found himself captivated by the hidden depths of [Name]'s abilities, drawn to the allure of their silent dance like a moth to flame.

In the courtyard below, [Name]'s movements flowed seamlessly, each gesture a tantalizing blend of strength and elegance. The fading light cast long shadows that danced along with them, creating an almost otherworldly spectacle. As they twirled and spun, their eyes briefly met Mihawk's through the window, a spark of recognition passing between them.

For an instant, time seemed to stand still. The world outside the castle walls faded into insignificance, leaving only the unspoken connection between the two. Mihawk felt a stirring within him, an unfamiliar but not unwelcome sensation. It was as if [Name]'s dance had unlocked something deep within his stoic exterior, a flicker of warmth in the cold recesses of his heart.

[Name] continued their dance, unaware of the profound effect they had on the man observing them. Their movements grew bolder, more daring, as if sensing the intensity of Mihawk's gaze. The music swelled, and with it, the emotions that had been carefully kept at bay.

As the last notes of the melody faded into the night, [Name] came to a graceful stop, their chest rising and falling with the exertion. Mihawk remained in the shadows, his expression contemplative. He knew that this moment, this dance, had changed something within him.

Stepping away from the window, Mihawk made his way back through the corridors, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The quietude of his castle had been shattered, replaced by a new and intriguing possibility. The allure of [Name]'s silent dance had left an indelible mark on his soul, a mystery he was now determined to unravel.

Sir Crocodile

The echoes of Crocodile's footsteps reverberated through the empty corridors of his stronghold, the weight of his recent meeting still heavy upon his mind. As he neared his quarters, a faint sound reached his ears—a melody so delicate, it seemed to hang in the air like a whispered secret.

Intrigued, Crocodile followed the sound, his curiosity piqued by the mysterious allure of the music. It led him to one of the spacious rooms, where he found [Name] dancing in the soft glow of candlelight. They were clad in a stylish ensemble that hugged their figure in all the right places, accentuating the graceful arc of their movements.

Silent as a specter, Crocodile lingered in the doorway, his keen eyes fixed upon [Name] with a gaze as sharp as the blade of a scimitar. He watched as they moved with a fluidity that seemed to defy reason, their waist swaying with a skill that mesmerized him. Each movement was a testament to their prowess, a silent symphony of elegance and finesse.

A predatory smile curved his lips, a silent invitation lingering in the depths of his gaze. "Remarkable," he whispered to himself, his voice a husky murmur against the canvas of the night, a flicker of amusement dancing in the depths of his steely eyes.

[Name] spun gracefully, the light playing off their form in a tantalizing display, each motion drawing him in further. The candlelight caressed their skin, creating a shimmering halo that only added to their allure. Crocodile's eyes followed every move, every sway, as if committing them to memory.

With a silent nod of approval, Crocodile made a mental note to compliment [Name] later, in his own subtle way. But for now, he remained rooted in the shadows, content to bask in the intoxicating beauty of their silent performance. There was a predatory grace in the way he observed, a sense of possession mingled with admiration.

As the music reached its crescendo, [Name] executed a final, breathtaking spin, coming to a poised stop. For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of their breathing, the air thick with the lingering echo of their dance.

Crocodile stepped forward, his presence finally known. The movement was deliberate, almost languid, like a predator approaching its prey. "You dance beautifully," he said, his voice low and smooth, carrying a hint of the power and danger he wielded so effortlessly.

[Name] turned, their eyes meeting his, a spark of something electric passing between them. The dance had ended, but the night had only just begun.

Smoker

The ship creaked and groaned as Smoker made his rounds, the steady rhythm of his footsteps echoing through the corridors. His ever-watchful gaze swept over the decks, his stern expression softened only by the glow of his cigar.

As he passed a door slightly ajar, a faint melody drifted out into the hallway, luring him like a siren's call. Intrigued, Smoker pushed the door open a fraction and peeked inside. What he saw took him by surprise.

[Name] stood in the center of the room, bathed in the soft glow of lamplight, clad in comfortable workout clothes that hugged their form in all the right places. The music pulsed in the air, setting the rhythm for their movements. With each beat, their hips swayed with an otherworldly grace, their waist moving with a precision that defied logic.

Smoker's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched, his cigar dangling forgotten between his fingers. He took a long drag, the smoke swirling around him like a wisp of shadow. Despite himself, a look of admiration crept into his stern features, softening the hard lines of his face.

"Well, I'll be damned," he muttered to himself, his voice barely more than a whisper against the backdrop of the music. In that moment, he found himself captivated by the mesmerizing rhythm of [Name]'s dance, drawn to the raw power and grace that radiated from their every movement.

The way [Name] moved was a tantalizing blend of strength and elegance, each motion more hypnotic than the last. Smoker's heartbeat quickened as he continued to watch, his breath catching in his throat. He had never seen anything quite like this, and the sight stirred something deep within him, a mix of admiration and an unfamiliar, burning desire.

With a silent nod of approval, Smoker decided to let them have their private moment, content to linger in the shadows and watch from afar. But deep down, he couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on [Name]'s face when he casually mentioned it later, a secret shared between them like a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered.

As the music swelled and [Name] executed a particularly daring move, Smoker felt a smirk tug at the corners of his lips. He could already imagine the playful banter they would exchange, the way their eyes would light up with that spark of recognition. For now, though, he remained in the shadows, savoring the intoxicating beauty of the dance.

Benn Beckman

On a different vessel, Benn Beckman strolled through the dimly lit corridors of the Red Force, the hum of conversation and laughter from the crew fading as he ventured deeper into the ship. A faint, alluring melody reached his ears, drawing him toward one of the private rooms. Curiosity piqued, he approached quietly, the sound of music growing clearer with each step. Balancing a tray with a steaming bowl of soup, he pushed open the door slightly.

Gently pushing the door open, Beckman found himself captivated by the sight before him. [Name] was in the center of the room, their form illuminated by the soft, flickering glow of candles. Clad in cute pajamas that accentuated their every curve, they moved with an elegance that left him momentarily breathless. The rhythm of the music guided their motions, their hips swaying with a hypnotic grace that seemed almost unreal.

Beckman leaned against the doorframe, his usually calm and composed demeanor giving way to an appreciative smile. He crossed his arms, his gaze never leaving [Name] as they danced. The fluidity and precision of their movements spoke volumes about their skill, each motion a silent testament to their mastery.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered something important—[Name] was supposed to be resting in bed, recovering from an illness. A mix of amusement and concern flickered across his face as he watched them, clearly defying orders.

"Adorable," he murmured, the word a low rumble in the stillness of the room. His eyes followed [Name]'s every move, a mixture of admiration and intrigue shining in his gaze.

As [Name] continued to dance, unaware of their audience, Beckman found himself drawn in more and more. The way they moved was enchanting, each step a perfect blend of strength and grace. The soft light played off their form, creating an almost ethereal aura that only heightened the allure.

When the music finally came to an end, Beckman stepped forward, his presence no longer concealed. "You dance beautifully," he said, his voice smooth and warm. "But you were supposed to be resting, weren't you?"

[Name] turned, surprise evident in their eyes as they met his gaze. Beckman’s smile widened, a hint of playful mischief in his expression. "Maybe you can teach me a move or two sometime," he added, the suggestion laced with a subtle challenge.

For now, though, he was content to let them savor their private moment, the memory of their mesmerizing dance a new secret they shared.

______________________________________________________________

I wanna add more characters later, Lemme know what characters you want! DM's are always open.

To be posted on the ao3 account soon.

Be sure to check out my other works and leave likes and comments, they really help. I have a fic for almost everyone here in the master list. Drop a follow as well if you please. Don’t be shy to leave me a little reblog if you want.

I promise I bite~

Seen you soon my loves!!~ <<33

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Dying Light [Chapter One] Choking [Bi-Han/Sub-Zero]

A/n: this first chapter took a bit longer than intended. I'd like to thank those who voted, regarding the reader's magic. Thank you so much. Also, I added some aspects from previous games to fill out the plot for the first half a little. Please enjoy.

Tag List: @genesiswrld

Warning(s): arranged marriage au, female reader, cliches, fighting, blood, magic, and family drama.

No Minors Allowed!!

In your youth, new to the ways of the world, you were told about your inescapable fate; that when your clan began its new era, you alone would be the key to its tomorrow. 

The clan was dying off, a has-been of the past. It could not survive another century of change in a world that had no use for it or its teachings. There was no way to preserve them. To keep its lineage from fading into history, your family had no choice but to unite with another clan. 

This was where you would come in.  

When the time was right, you would be wedded to a clan head, and your clan, its strongest and most capable fighters, would merge with them, starting anew. However, this foretold life did not sit well with you. It was not fair. 

For years, you trained with a Grandmaster of martial arts, and then with your father’s consent you were given the Amulet of Damashi, an ancient heirloom passed down through your clan; one capable of substantial magic, enough so that you hoped to call off the merger. Yet, your longings and sacrifices were not enough.   

Your fate was set in stone. But still, you did all you could to draw attention to your clan, and for another year, all was well. 

Until one autumn afternoon. 

Sitting on a balcony at the far end of the main house, you occupy your time with a humorously erotic book brought from the city; it is cliche but you can not seem to put it down. 

As you are lost in the plot, a retainer wearing the clan’s insignia suddenly approaches you from the doorway and bows in respect. 

“Forgive my intrusion, honorable–”

You raise your hand and interrupt him; his immediate silence makes you hum in thanks. Whatever he has to say does not interest you, but you know that he is simply doing as someone ordered him to. Even so, you dislike being called away from your alone time. You continue to read in silence until you reach the end of the page, then you avert your eyes to him.

“It's unsettling when stories are left on cliffhangers,” you state. Resting the book in your lap, you motion for him to continue.  

 

The man bows again. 

“The Master sent me to retrieve you.”

You hum. 

“What reason does he need me for?”

If it is not urgent then he can wait until you have had your lesson with your master for the day. 

The retainer rests his arms at his sides and leans up.  

“To greet the honored guest who is waiting within the front courtyard. He came from Arctika to see you.” 

Honored guest. From the tundra region. 

Your eyes widen in realization. It can not be. 

Father brought him here.  

With a frustrated groan, you stand and rush past the retainer and through the main house to the inner courtyard.

I should have known. 

The servants had cleaned and prepared the main house the night before but you ignored the action, thinking your mother was just being choosy again. You had no idea that your parents were keeping secrets from you.

You manage to squeeze through the throng of clansmen in the inner courtyard until you are at the front, and then you rush to stand beside your father, giving him a heated look.   

“It is nice of you to join us,” he says with a serious tone. Taking the book from your hand, he grimaces at the title and hands it to your mother, who is beside him. 

“You gave me no other option,” you retort. 

Your mother sighs. 

“Had we, you would have found a way to vanish before your fiance arrived. It was the lesser of two evils, dear. Understand this.” 

You do, but it does not make it right.

I've never even seen him before.

“Send him away,” you implore. “We do not need to–”

“Your opinion is unneeded,” your father sneers. He gives you a look that warns you to keep your mouth shut.

An air of gloom and disappointment surrounds you. After what you have done, he and your mother do not seem to appreciate it. You take an uneasy breath and clutch the white and gold amulet attached to your side. Did achieving this mean nothing? 

It certainly feels so. Even after making an effort to master it, they pushed this merge in secret. 

Who is he? Your parents certainly trust in him. You want to know. 

Under your father’s orders, the guards open the doors to the southeastern entrance, and inside walks a group of what appears to you to be assassins dressed in similar attire, sporting a color scheme of blue and black. Some of them wear hoods over their heads, while all of them have their mouths covered, as well as the man in the lead.  

He must be their clan head.  

My fiance.

He is certainly handsome, with defined well-built curves and muscles that strain against the thin fabric of his twilight blue tabard. Even so, there is an air of bitterness that surrounds him as he measures your clan.

You share his sentiments. 

Watching your father bow, you quickly do the same. 

“It is an honor to have you grace us with your presence, Bi-Han of the Lin Kuei,” your father states. 

Bi-Han follows suit.

“It was the former Grandmaster - my father - who had hoped to see this merge.” He pauses to stand. “If your clan is as strong as promised, then I too share his sentiments.”

His tone is deep and high-handed, not promising in your opinion. While a part of you is thankful to him for taking in the clan, the other part is irritated that this is a recruitment visit. 

I am merely the weight that comes with the contract, nothing more.

“I too have been eager for this day. It is a shame, however, that your father passed on before his time. He was a respected man.”

Bi-Han knits his brows. 

“The Lin Kuei are in capable hands.”

No one said otherwise. 

You sigh in dread. 

“Yes…well, allow me to introduce my family,” Your father awkwardly states. He motions to your mother first, then to you. “My wife and my daughter, your bride-to-be.” 

You visibly frown. Must he refer to you as such? Like it is a title. So not to enrage or embarrass him, you smile at the stranger, then give him your name. 

“It is…an honor to meet you.”

Bi-Han remains silent. He looks you over and then turns his attention back to your father. 

“The terms of the marital contract come after.”

Your father hums in agreement. 

“Of course. A demonstration of might is of high priority. But should we not wait for your brothers? I was informed that they would be journeying with you.”  

“Their presence here is nonessential,” Bi-Han states.

You wonder why. If they are anything like him, you are thankful for their absence. 

Hearing your father order the servants to prepare the blocks for the test, you along with your mother stand back as your father gathers the six best fighters and has them line up in the center of the courtyard. 

In the meantime, Bi-Han stands at a distance in front of them with the Lin Kuei on his right. 

Once the six are ready, standing over seventeen 1-inch thick reinforced concrete pavers, your father joins Bi-Han and gives the word for them to begin. One by one, the fighters strike the blocks dead center, breaking them with ease.

You grin with pride. Yes, they can break more, but there is no need to push them, so long as Bi-Han is baited. In the end, it will be his guidance that shapes them to their full potential. 

With his mask on, it is frankly hard to tell. You lean just a bit to see his expression but you can not. He does however cross his arms and hum. 

“Are they competent fighters?”

Your father laughs. Of course, they are. He calls on a man with deep-set eyes - a good choice. The fighter steps forward and bows.  

“This is one of our strongest. If you wish to test–”

“Let us not be hasty, leader,” a familiar raspy voice interrupts.

Your master, an elderly woman with sunken features, saunters out from the throng and approaches your father.

“Excuse my interruption, but your daughter is a competent fighter. Should she not be tested instead?”

You frown. What is she doing? Proving yourself is no issue, but must you do it for your fiance? It is the fighters he came to test. Though you suppose you are not against showing off your techniques.

“If it’s what you wish, Father, I will fight,” you state in confidence. 

“Is this acceptable, Bi-Han?” Your father asks.

The man in question knits his brows in thought and then nods. He snaps his fingers and a member of the Lin Kuei without a hood steps forward and bows. 

“Do not pull your punches,” Bi-Han orders. His keen brown eyes turn to you, as though he wants to measure your expression. 

You remain stoic. If he is eager to see your strength, then that is fine. With confidence, you saunter to the center of the courtyard. Soon, the young man chosen to be your challenger joins you, striking a fighting pose. You do the same. 

A deathly silence consumes the stage.

You are not certain who calls the fight, but the moment it begins, the assassin rushes at you, attempting to strike you with a series of fast kicks. You step back, avoiding them, and manage to catch his leg against your side. Using his momentum to pivot him the opposite way, you strike him in the back with a front kick.  

The assassin staggers forward but catches himself. When he faces your direction, you can see the aggravation in his eyes. He rushes at you with a shout, throwing punch after punch. You can hardly match his speed, blocking what you can with your arms and hands. But then his stance changes and with a hard-hitting mountain punch simultaneously to the chest and face, you stagger back. 

For fuck’s sake.

An intense pain lights you up, but you push through it and rush at him. You do not want to continue this spar; you want to end it quickly before he puts you on your ass. Springing off your foot, you pull off a flying scissor kick, wrapping your legs around his head. Using your momentum against him, you toss the assassin off his feet and onto his back. Then with a shout of irritation, you raise your leg straight into the air and slam your heel into his face, breaking his nose with a wet crunch. You quickly roll back onto your feet and step away from him.

The Lin Kuei are no joke. 

You had hoped that he would not stand, but he does. The thin cloth over his face stains red as he bleeds profusely. All this seems to do is annoy him further. He comes at you a third time in anger, aiming at you with a straight punch. His mistake. You dodge it with ease and grab his wrist, yanking him forward and off balance. Turning in quickly, you elbow him in the stomach, then toss him over your back and onto the ground with a sharp smack. 

Your slip-up, however, is assuming that he is ready to submit. As you advance, the assassin flips back onto his feet and punches you in the face.

Instantly you taste blood in your teeth. Running your tongue on the inside of your lip, you wince in pain. He busted it. 

Your blood boils. 

Pointing your hand behind the assassin, you draw a circle with your finger, and then a swirling black portal materializes. One of the techniques of the amulet is portal creation via space and time magic. You do not want to use it in such a spar, but it is necessary.

Connecting it to one at your feet, you leap into the portal and appear behind the assassin, catching him off guard. He turns, but you pivot and roundhouse-kick him in the face. Your foot connects with his chin and he goes down like a rock, motionless. 

You do not even realize it is over until you hear a round of applause. You win. Stepping over the body, you bow, peeking up at Bi-Han. He seems almost surprised.

“I was not aware that she was capable of magic,” he states, turning his wide eyes to the man beside him. 

You raise a bow. They did not tell him. 

Your father hums. 

“Let us discuss it over some tea.”

He spares no words of gratitude and motions for Bi-Han to follow him. While hesitant, the high-handed man gives you one last look before he follows your father into the main house.

You sigh and saunter toward your mother, who appears elated. 

“Incredible work. I believe that you have impressed him.” 

“I should hope so,” you state with a snap, a bit annoyed that you were kicked around like a ball by his fighter. 

All it took was a few bruises and a busted lip. 

Your mother sighs and offers you back the book she took.

“Tame your anger. Go and rest. Tomorrow is a new day.” 

You give her a look of irritation before you saunter to the main house. Your master looks on at you with pride as you pass, but you are in too much of a foul mood to share your appreciation with her. The fight took too long, in your opinion. 

At least you are at last excused from this fiasco. A part of you, however, is curious about what Bi-Han has to say about you now.

It stays on your mind well into the night.

[gomzwrites]

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a/n: Im fERAL over Professor Price contents, and I NEED MORE- so here's my take, with a spin! >:)

Pairing: Professor John Price x fem!reader x Mr Simon Riley

Notes:

✎…Banner taken from Pinterest and edited, drawing done by @gomzdraws ✎…Reader's texts are in purple, indented text are memories ✎…Want to be added into a tag list? click here ✎…Part 1 (you're here!) is introduction, just me setting the scene for our reader and displaying the vibes from Price and Riley in this AU ✎…Part 2 is smut :) tags will be shown there but in short it is a slow build up ✎…Chocolate is just my thoughts, process, notes, recommendations and future planning for the series, I welcome discussions over there if you're interested :D

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

➵ Part 1

You rubbed your eyes as you finished scribbling around your tablet, noting down the last important point of the lecture with a small yawn. Maybe staying up late and studying four chapters ahead was not a good idea after all. But you always study ahead because you take a longer time to understand and digest information. Not that you’re slow or anything, but sometimes the lecturers speak too fast or brush over some points that make you feel puzzled or confused, and that confusion often carries on to the next content, but feeling prepared for a lesson is also a good practice even if that is not the case.

"That will be all for today."

The statement elicited a few cheers and sighs from the students as Mr. Simon Riley, the lecturer in charge of the module today, ended the class. You liked his class because he was great at explaining everything, easily breaking down big chunks of information into small, digestible notes to see the entire picture. What you really like about him, though, is how he always offers to help out when you have any questions.

You glance back at him who was organising his papers on the podium, staring down from your seat as you take in the view. Well, other than the black mask he wore all the time, he is pretty built for a lecturer; perhaps he worked out a lot given how tight those sleeves clinched onto his arms.

You waited until most of the students left as you took your bags and walked up to him, with one tablet in hand and the notes you'd been making. You spoke to him politely after giving him a smile.

Good evening, Mr. Riley. Can I ask you a few questions about the lectures today?

Ah, y/n. Sure, how can I help you at this time?

You proceed to voice out your concerns as he nods and explains. You can feel him standing close to you by your side as you go on, catching a whiff of his cologne sometimes and blushing slightly when his hand brushes against your finger when he takes your stylus pen. You admit you have imagined him in some other ways.

Can you understand? 

He asks you as you glance back at him. Your words catch in your throat as you realise the close proximity; he was just a few inches away from your face, and you swear you would have been able to count the freckles on his pale face. 

A-ah, yes, yes... Thank you, sir. 

You replied back as calmly as you could before slowly turning away and saving your document. He gives a hum as a reply before he glances around and pats your head, like he always does whenever you answer him back, a small gesture that always sends butterflies in your stomach.

Good girl. You know where to find me if you have any more issues. 

Good girl. 

You give him a nod as you hurriedly make for the exit. You’d like to think he treats every student this way, giving praise and guiding them when needed. It’s not like you’re the only student he teaches in class; there are always a few girls who like to surround him sometimes. 

Girls, who, in your opinion, were much prettier than you. Pretty hair, pretty faces, and pretty voices with their pretty outfits that never seem to repeat every day. Meanwhile, you’re more on the formal mundane side, wearing a hoodie most of the time with a pair of black pants during casual lessons; if not, you often wear a white button-up and a long skirt like today. As long as it's comfortable and it's compliant with the university dress code, which, in your opinion, no one really follows, it's good enough for you because you don’t really fuss in terms of appearance; you just want to do well on your course. 

Yet, part of you still indulges in thinking that maybe he did treat you differently than other students. You collected every praise and "good job" handed out by him like a trophy; it also made you push yourself further, chasing after those achievements and scoring well in exams just to get a pat from him on the head or your shoulder, or if you’re lucky, sometimes you’ll get to see him smile without his mask on.

You stop for a moment as you walk past a window, noticing how flushed your cheeks have become from your own thoughts. You shake your head and adjust your hair before a voice catches your attention. 

Evening, y/n, just finished your class?

You look ahead to the source of the voice and give a bow as you nod. 

Ah, good evening, Professor Price. Yes, I just finished the last class of the day. 

He hummed as a reply as he walked closer to you, giving you a smile as you stared at him. He is also another lecturer who is great at what he is doing, though he is slightly more strict and intimidating than Mr. Riley. You wonder if it's because of his much rougher, deeper voice or the muttonchop that made him look older; not that you mind; if anything, he is incredibly dashing in your opinion. With the sway of his hips and his confident voice, sometimes you would get lost in his features in the class, distracting you in a sense.

How’s the assignment coming along? Still having difficulties with it? 

He stops before you and leans on the window with his arm crossed. You gulp when you remember that a few days ago you were asking him a bunch of questions in his office, to which he helped you out immensely, but there are still just a few concepts that you’re not very sure of. Sometimes, he’ll ask you a random question related to the project that, if you can't answer straight away, he’ll shake his head and flick your forehead. You whine every time, but he only chuckles and continues teaching, while calling you nicknames that melts your heart a little every time. 

If you can’t understand this simple concept, then it’ll be harder to grasp it in the next few chapters, darling. I know… but it still hurts. What a soft baby you are Hey, I'm not! 

You know that as annoying as he can be, he only wants the best for his students, so you still try hard every time on his modules, spending more effort just to impress him, to hear him chuckle and pat your back, and to feel the warmth of his hand on yours. 

Ah well- 

y/n! 

You get caught off guard as you look behind, curious as to who called for you and surprised to see Mr Riley jogging towards you and Prof Price. Both lecturers shared a glance in silence before Mr Riley glanced down at you and handed a book to you. 

You left this back at your desk.

Oh! I didn’t even notice... thank you. 

You take your notebook and smile at him, sliding it into your bag as you hear them speak. 

John.

It's good seeing you, Simon. 

You can’t help but feel like there is tension in the air as you look at them before clearing your throat as you awkwardly rub your neck. 

I- well, I guess I’ll get going. 

Not so fast-

Wait- 

Both of them reached out to grab your arm as you jolted slightly; their eyes widened as they, too, shared the same expression. Prof Price was the first to break contact as he let go and cleared his throat, with Mr. Riley following as he glanced away.

You were talking about the assignment. 

You give an "ah" as you snap your fingers. 

Oh right, actually, regarding that, I'm still not certain with the last few points, but I can send you a text on Team instead of taking your time-

No, it’s okay. My office like last time? 

Oh, are you sure? I really don't want to impart your schedule, sir. 

Im sure, darling. 

You stopped protesting as you nodded sheepishly. You watched from the corner of your eyes how Mr Riley was acting rather strangely; his fist curled up into a ball as he glared at Prof Price. You gently grab his sleeves as you tilt your head and stare at him with concern. 

Sir? 

You felt his breath hitch as he snapped his eyes back to you, his gaze softening as he sighs, pats your hand, and nods. You smiled when you saw his tense shoulders relaxed. Prof Price then starts walking to his office as you do the same, with Mr Riley following you close behind. 

I didn’t realise that this assignment was your business as well, Simon.

I may not be the module coordinator, but I’m well versed in the subject too, Professor. 

Once again, the tension returned as you nervously grabbed onto your bag strap, clearing your throat as you tried to stand between them, awkwardly bumping their chest as you gestured your hands in the air. 

E-erm, I wouldn't mind hearing a second opinion…?

You glanced at Prof Price innocently as he stared back at you with a frown while Mr Riley gave a huff of air and nod.  

Ah crap, now I'm pissed off the professor- 

Alright, fine, sure, if it means helping you.

Prof Price said with a groan as he opened the door and guided both of you into his office.

You took a seat on the mahogany office table that wass smaller than his main office desk, taking out your tablet and books as you asked Prof Price your questions. He takes a seat next to you as Mr. Riley does the same, effectively sandwiching you in between them.

You tried your hardest to calm down your heartbeat, praying the fast thumping against your chest and the bounce of your jugular vein were not as loud as you think. You really tried to keep it cool, but every single time they leaned closer, speaking directly into your ears, it made your skin twitch with goosebumps, and the way they took turns praising you when you get things right was making your head dizzy. You swallow hard as you listened and jotted down the notes and points both lecturers were sharing, hoping they don’t notice how your fingers are shaking slightly. 

But of course they noticed. Prof Price leans in as he whispers into your left ear, feeling his beard brushing against your skin. 

Are you alright, darling?

Meanwhile Mr Riley cups your hand as he rubs circles around your knuckles, staring at you as he too, also leans in and watches you with his hazelnut eyes, feeling his chest resting behind your arms.   

I-erm…y-yes… 

You sure? Your cheeks are pretty red. 

Mr. Riley says with a soft tone as he brings his hand and gently strokes a hair strand and tucks it behind your ear, brushing your cheek as you feel your neck burning up. You were about to say something before an arm snaked around your shoulder and pulled you away from him. You gasped when you rested against Prof Price’s shoulder. 

I don’t think it's appropriate to touch a student, Simon.

You’re the one to talk. 

Mr. Riley bit back with a growl as he grabbed your wrist and pulled your arm, causing you to wince slightly at the sudden force as you closed your eyes. 

H-hey erm- 

You called out as you stared back at them nervously, gulping as you watched them stare at you with an expression that sent shivers down your spine. It felt dangerous…but also….enticing. 

What….what’s going on?

You asked again with a shaky tone as they let go of you and sighed. You could tell there was hesitation in the air as Mr. Riley cleared his throat and spoke softly.

y/n…. 

He sucks in another breath as he rubs his neck, unsure and nervous. Prof Price rolls his eyes as he shakes his head and tilts your chin, giving you a sly smirk as he brushes his thumb. 

We’re just wondering…what your opinion is about us.

You blushed at the question as you held your breath, uncertain if you should be honest and confess right then and right now. You looked away shyly as you heard Mr. Riley chuckled, taking off his mask and placing it on the table as he started kissing your knuckles gently as he whispered softly. 

Come on, tell us...you think we don’t know the glances you give us during class? 

I…well- erm- 

You stuttered as you felt Prof Price’s hands slowly trailing down to your waist, resting them there as you felt his breath fanning against the nape of your neck. 

Getting shy of us now, are you? 

You let out a shaky exhale as you hid your face with your hands, unable to face them and be caught red-handed, muttering apologies as you tried to inch away from them. 

I-Im sorry I know I shouldn't-

Hey hey, look at me sweetheart. 

Simon cooed as he took your wrist and rubbed soothing circles on it, easing your nerves as his soft voice calms you down. 

We can stop…, I promise I wouldn’t mind.

Likewise here. I wouldn’t want to make my favourite student uncomfortable.

Real sly, she's mine old man-

Both men bickered around you and couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, making them focus on you again as you cleared your throat and replied meekly.

You are not making me uncomfortable, both of you, I mean... Im just… 

You start off slowly as you take a deep breath, before blinking a few more times as you let out a sigh. 

I just didn’t expect this, I suppose… 

You blushed at your own words as you stared at them through your lashes, watching them shift slightly in silence. 

But why me...?

You dare to ask as they share a glance, then smile back at you as Prof Price snakes his arms around your waist and pulls you close to his chest, while Mr Riley grabs your legs and rests them on his thigh, leaning in close as they caress your hands and face softly. 

We’ll show you why, would you like that darling? 

You nod slowly, heart brimming with anticipation as Prof Price taps your cheeks, angling your face towards him as you feel the deep rumble of his chest against your back.

Words baby. We need to be absolutely sure that you want this.

Just as much as we want you. 

Mr. Riley now hovers over you, and both men await your answer with hungry eyes.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

a/n: ah yes, Simon with dat juicy aSS- have yall seen his senpai skin? Im so not normal about it, anyways, comments and reblogs are always appreciated :]

➵ Part 2 | ➵ Chocolate

[imagines-ahs]

Chapter Fifty: Amaranth.

Summary: Wilhemina Venable felt it was finally time to leave Kineros Robotics and get a job with people who weren’t such morons like Jeff and Mutt. What she didn’t expect, however, was for her new boss to be so damn insufferable. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her, either.

Tag List: @mayfair-fleur @mistysswampmud @paulsonsratched @msvenablx @notmeellaannyy @rwoolfe @golddustdykes​ @lovingsarah @slut-for-sarah @geinobinarie​ (message me to be added if interested!)

“I said no, of course.” Venable watched how Billie’s chest had begun to move a little faster. She’s nervous. Wilhemina could feel herself starting to grow overwhelmed, and Billie Dean’s fingers no longer felt right tangled in her own. As gentle as she could, Venable pulled her hand away. Billie blinked once, glancing down at their hands. The look that settled on Billie Dean’s face caused Wilhemina to feel even more disappointed in herself. I’m hurting her. But her whole body refused to allow itself to be touched, to be felt, to be noticed as something that existed in physical form. Billie only nodded, waiting for Venable to say something else, anything else. Wilhemina’s jaw was tense again. “B-Billie, what happened between you and Terry?”

For a second, everything Billie Dean could hear was a faint buzz. Slowly, her body recovered from the sudden rush of adrenaline that had just washed down. She licked her dry lips, blinking once or twice. “What did she tell you?” I should have talked to her about it. I should have done it before she had the chance. Venable didn’t answer, she only looked away. Billie frowned a little more, holding her emotions back the best she could. “Wilhie, what did she tell you?”

Wilhie. Venable stared down at the floor, body refusing to allow her voice to come out. She pushed it through. “She just… she told me y-you did the same to her— to Terry… d-date her, I m-mean. And then you—you got tired and just… discarded her.”

“I never dated her,” Billie quickly said. “We went out a few times, but we—we never dated.” Her heart had accelerated its pace, for Billie Dean knew where this was going. “There w-were no feelings, and she was not fired b-because of that. It had nothing to do with o-our so called relationship.” She saw right there in Venable’s eyes how she didn’t seem to believe her. Fuck! Honey eyes filled up with tears. “Wilhemina, I d-don’t know what she told you, b-but it was nothing l-like us. Nothing. It was never serious. We only—we hooked up a few times, but we never even went out on a proper date.”

“Will you get tired of me, too?” It was barely a whisper, but one that came in a strong tone and as cold as ice. Venable hated herself for allowing it to come out like that, for allowing her walls to control her like that. Her posture was rigid again, both hands on the cane and head up high. Defensive. Scared.

“I will not.” There was no doubt in that. Billie gulped the lump in her throat. “I d-didn’t get tired of h-her. No one k-knows what happened.” A tear slid down. Billie Dean paid no attention to it. Her hands ached to just hold the woman in front of her. “W-Wilhie… Wilhie, please… I—I don’t k-know what else to tell y-you.” Another tear slipped down, followed by another, and another. She sniffled, never once looking away from Venable. Stop crying, for fuck’s sake!

“Tell me w-what happened.” Wilhemina’s voice trembled, betraying the coldness of her posture. Too many things went through her mind, each one of them taking her to a worst place.

With her eyebrows drawing close together, Billie Dean sniffled. She nodded as she took a deep breath. “Not here.” Venable frowned. “Meet me in the garage in five minutes.”

“Why?”

“T-trust me?”

Wilhemina bit her inner cheek. Staring at those honey oceans that always carried so much kindness, she wondered how could she ever say no to Billie Dean. How could she ever deny her anything when she stared at her with eyes so full of tears and so full of fear. She nodded, and in a gush of even more trust, reached to squeeze one of Billie’s hands. I never meant to hurt her. “I do.”

Taking another deep breath, Billie squeezed Venable’s hand back. “I p-promise I’ll give you a-all the answers.”

Wilhemina nodded. The sight was breaking her heart. Hesitantly, she let Billie Dean’s hand go and followed back to her table, heart beating fast.

Alone in her office, Billie Dean sat back down on her chair. She tried taking a deep breath, but a sob cut through. She felt ashamed. She felt judged by something Venable hadn’t even seen yet. Covering her eyes with her palms, Billie forced her body to calm down; this time, air filled her lungs slowly, completely. Her body craved for nicotine yet again, and she didn’t have another choice but to give in. Reaching for her purse, Billie Dean grabbed a cigarette from the pack she had there along with a lighter and walked to the huge window of her office, opening it carefully. She took drag after drag with eyes staring at nothing at all, focused on blurring colors as she kept herself trapped in all the thoughts that ran through her mind. What if she decides I’m too much for her? Finding someone like Venable had been so hard… it wouldn’t have been anyone but Wilhemina.

It didn’t take long for Venable to get up and walk to the elevator, nail picking on the skin of her thumb— an unconscious, nervous habit. She did notice how Emma stared at her, clearly curious, clearly angry, clearly wanting to get up and follow her to know what was happening. She wouldn’t have the nerve. As Wilhemina stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, she sighed in relief for being the only one there. Her stomach turned as the floors started to go down, mind on Billie, focus on Billie, heart on Billie. What could be so bad? What even could have happened that could be so bad? Why am I so scared? Venable knew why… what if she were being used? What if the Billie Dean she knew was a lie carefully constructed to play some sort of trick on her? I knew it was too good to be true. Billie gave her no reason to think that way, but the part of Wilhemina that refused to see any good on herself screamed louder. As the elevator stopped and the doors opened again, Venable hesitantly followed into a more secluded area of the garage. She hadn’t seen Billie Dean pass through the main office, which meant she wasn’t there yet. She stood there waiting, nibbling on her inner cheek at the same pace her nail dug on her skin. Not even five minutes later, the doors to the elevator opened to reveal Billie, with her sunglasses on and purse in hand. Venable watched her from the corner of her eye, hand squeezing the cane harshly.

As Billie Dean looked around in search of Wilhemina, she caught herself still sniffling the remaining of her tears. Her eyes had grown red and swollen, and her mascara had been all smudged—she tried wiping it off, and at least it got somewhat presentable. Sunglasses were always a lifesaver, though. Her head picked up as she saw a hint of purple, and she watched as Venable stood there so nervous she couldn’t hide it this time. Billie sighed. Please, don’t change your mind. “Hi,” she said softly as she approached Wilhemina.

Turning around, Venable smiled a little. “Hi. She’s wearing glasses. Wilhemina wanted to lean closer and kiss her lips; wanted to hold her hand, comfort her and caress her fingers. But her body refused to allow it, standing on the ground with feet glued on it and refusing to draw closer.

Billie gulped again, eyes falling down. “My car is—is to the left.”

“Your car?” Venable frowned.

Billie Dean nodded. “I need—I want to show you the whole thing.” Her eyes hesitantly moved back to brown ones. Wilhemina looked even more confused. I won’t be able to wait until we get there. Every second that Venable stared at her like that broke her heart a tiny bit more. But also, what was the best to do? Wilhemina was a very logical person, and so perhaps the best was, indeed, to wait.

Venable’s first reaction was to deny getting away from the workplace while she was, technically, working. But Billie Dean was the boss, and even if she weren’t, Billie Dean was her priority right now. So she nodded and followed Billie along until they got to her car. “Thank you,” she nearly whispered as she got in, holding her cane on her lap as Billie Dean closed the door.

“Of course.” Billie walked to the driver’s side and got in as well. She took a deep breath as she buckled up, and then she took her glasses off and turned on the car. Wilhemina watched her closely, eyes tracing each and every line of her. I’m so embarrassed.

Her eyes are blotchy. Venable’s thumb was back at picking on her skin. “Where are we going?” She asked after a second. The car was already moving, and as Wilhemina took a deep breath she realized just how much it smelled like Billie Dean. I want to hold her.

“My house.” Billie licked her lips as she looked over to the sides before moving forward.

“Your house?” What could they possibly do at Billie Dean’s house? Venable was lost; completely lost. She watched as Billie nodded. “Why?”

Billie bit her inner cheek, fingers silently drumming on the wheel. Her stomach kept on twirling. “The… the documents are a-all there.” Her eyes started to grow teary again. She sniffled.

Documents? Wilhemina was starting to grow worried—not for her feelings, not for her trauma, but for Billie Dean. She had seen Billie worried and nervous like that before, and it was never something good. Reach for her hand. Venable eyed them on the wheel. “Billie, you’re worrying me.”

Wiping a tear away, Billie Dean sighed. After a minute or two, she finally gathered the courage to speak again. “I’m scared,” she breathed out. They stopped at a red light, so she was able to look at Venable.

Oh no. Wilhemina didn’t know what to do, how to react, how to comfort Billie when she herself needed comfort. “W-why?” Her voice trembled. Her nerves started to grow agitated. Hiding her feelings had become hard all of a sudden.

“B-because.” Billie Dean sniffled again. Her eyes refused to stay dry. “Terry, she… no one k-knows about i-it. I’ve been d-dealing with that alone, n-no one knows. And I’m scared y-you’ll look at me differently when you f-find out.”Gulping yet again, Venable shook her head. The light turned green, they moved forward. Billie kept on sniffling as she drove, wiping the running tears away the best she could.

Wilhemina had grown quiet again. Would anything be able to make me look at her differently? It wasn’t fair to think something could; not with how Billie Dean had treated her so far, not with the amount of comfort that woman brought to her. She wouldn’t do something that could cause me to look at her differently. Struggling to pass through the walls, Venable began to dig a hole. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, thumb now bleeding. I don’t want to lose her. Haven’t my ways taken too much from me already? Every single time Wilhemina happened to be struggling around Billie, she had been anything but kind, loving, sweet. It’s not fair I don’t do the same. Venable wanted to do the same. She dug and dug and dug until she could see a small amount of the outside, and then she opened her eyes again. Billie Dean kept her waterfall eyes on the road. “B-Billie,” she barely managed to whisper. They stopped at a red light again. Their eyes met. She’s terrified. “I… I l-like you for who you a-are. That’s n-not changing.” Taking all the strength she could, Wilhemina reached for Billie Dean’s free hand. She tangled their fingers and caressed it, feeling the soft skin against her own.

With her face scrunching up with tears, Billie shook her head. Her eyes fell down to their hands, and she squeezed Venable’s back as if it were the last time she would be able to do so. “I-I’m ashamed of what happened,” that was all she managed to whisper.

Wilhemina’s frown grew. She knew that feeling well… almost too well. She kept on caressing the fingers tangled in hers, watching as Billie Dean cried more and more. I should stop talking. She’s driving. Billie had to calm down. “Just… just know I’m here with y-you.”

With another nod, Billie Dean got back to driving. She sniffled nonstop, trying to bring her nerves down. With her hand tangled in Venable’s, her chest filled with air a tiny bit easier.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Billie used the time to calm herself down as best as she could, and Wilhemina never once let her hand go; it was the best she could do right now. When they got to Billie Dean’s house, her eyes were dry and only slightly red. She reached for her purse and opened the garage, gently letting go of Venable’s hand as she parked the car. When the engine stopped, Billie took a deep breath. So did Wilhemina.

“Eleanor must be here,” Billie Dean broke the silence. It took a minute for Venable to remember whom Eleanor was, but she nodded anyways. Billie got out of the car and walked to the other side, ready to open the door for Wilhemina; she was already getting out. I need another cigarette. As they followed inside, Venable caught herself regretting not bringing her purse along. She had her bottle of Valium there, and even though she had already taken one today, the fear of a panic attack raising was very much present right now. Billie Dean didn’t dare offering a hand to Wilhemina. Right now, she honestly didn’t feel like she deserved to be held by anyone. The living room was substantially tidier this time Venable noticed, and the whole house smelled like a flower she couldn’t quite point to. “Eleanor?” Billie called. In no more than five minutes, a blonde, pale woman walked into the living room holding a cloth.

“Hello, Ms. Howard. I didn’t expect you here so early.”

Ms. Howard. Billie Dean had already asked Eleanor not to call her like that, but she didn’t have the energy to bring that up right now. “It’s alright. Is everything okay? Could you get settled well?”

“Yes. Thank you, Ms. Howard.” The woman smiled. Wilhemina watched how she eyed her once, smile never leaving her lips. She also took notice of how, even though very much distressed, Billie Dean was still as nice as always. How can I ever see her differently? “I’m cleaning the downstairs bathroom and the pool area right now. Should I clean something else first? Would you like me to prepare you lunch?”

Billie shook her head. “It’s perfect as it is, Eleanor. Thank you so much. There’s no need to prepare us lunch, and when you feel like eating, use the house phone and order whatever you’d like, as always.”

“Right.” Eleanor nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Howard. I’ll go back to doing my job, if you need anything just call me.”

“Alright.” Billie Dean offered her the best smile she could. Excusing herself, Eleanor disappeared on the back door. Taking another deep breath, Billie turned to Venable. Going upstairs is hard for her. “I’ll go grab the documents.”

Wilhemina nodded; her chest clenched from how defeated Billie Dean looked. As Billie disappeared upstairs, Venable caught herself sighing. She walked to the couch and took a seat, hands nervously squeezing the cane. Her eyes scanned the room she had seen only once before, trying to distract herself with the details she could capture: the awards on the shelf, the TV that could almost be mistaken by a painting of birds, the beautiful chandelier. It’s all Billie Dean. Venable adored everything. She looked down at her hands and noticed dry blood on the thumb she had been picking on. She bit her lower lip. I should wash it. But Eleanor had said she was cleaning the bathroom, and she didn’t even know where it was. Plus, she didn’t feel comfortable just walking around Billie Dean’s house. I wouldn’t mind if she did so in mine. Somehow it felt different. Footsteps took her away from her thoughts, and so Wilhemina looked up from her hands to watch as Billie approached her with a folder in hand, head down. She gulped.

Here we go. Billie took a deep breath as she sat down next to Venable. Without saying anything, she just handed her the folder. Wilhemina stared at her in confusion. Billie Dean licked her dry lips. “It’s all there,” she said quietly.

It was hesitant, but Venable slowly began to read the papers. Honey eyes watched her closely, already wanting to grow teary again. Fiery eyebrows kept on drawing closer together. I should have brought my glasses. Taking a deep breath as she read the first document, her eyes grew in size as she realized what she was reading. “She’s blackmailing you?!” Wilhemina turned to look at Billie Dean, whom only nodded with her head down. Venable’s frown grew. “Why are you ashamed of it? She’s the one who should be ashamed.”

“Keep—keep on going…”

Instantly, Wilhemina did so. As she turned to the next page, a few screenshots were printed there, along with chunks of texts explaining the context of them. Venable kept on reading further, and suddenly, when she moved to another page, explicit pictures of Billie—clearly taken without her consent—were printed right there, in color and all. Wilhemina’s eyes grew even more and she quickly closed the file. As she moved to look at Billie Dean, she found her still looking down at the floor, lip trembling as she held back the tears. Venable shook her head. “Billie… Billie, look at me.” She saw the way Billie Dean squeezed her eyes shut, tears cascading down. Venable bit her lip harshly. Just grab her hand already. Hesitantly and ignoring the voices in her head that screamed Billie would get mad at her somehow, Venable reached for one of her hands. Billie Dean opened her eyes and slowly looked at Wilhemina. She offered her a sad smile. “Angel… this is not y-your fault.” Too many things spiraled through her mind, but Wilhemina was determined to keep her focus on Billie. What if she’s lying? There was no way Billie Dean would lie about that, with proof and everything. And Venable knew it. Still, her mind tried taking what was good from her, as it always did. Not this time. Not Billie Dean. Trusting was so fucking hard… but Billie deserved it. She had deserved every single leap of faith she had taken for her.

Seeing Wilhemina through the tears was hard, and so Billie Dean clenched her hand for dear life. Her ears buzzed with adrenaline and shame, body shaking slightly. “Those p-pictures… I’ve… she is threatening t-to sell t-them—“ a sob cut through. Billie shook her head and covered her eyes with her palm, sniffling deeply.

Venable shook her head as her blood started to boil. Who the fuck does she think she is? She clenched her jaw harshly. Wilhemina saw red. She wanted to let Billie Dean know just what she thought about that woman, and she almost started to speak before she forced herself to stop: Saturday morning slipped in her mind, how she had exploded when she heard about the threats from Emma, and how that had made Billie uncomfortable, scared. And that was the last thing she wanted right now. So Venable took a deep breath and found a way to shove her rage aside somewhere—anywhere. And then her mind got quiet. And her body stopped trembling. And she found herself… sad. Sad for seeing what the world did to Billie Dean despite it being cruel to herself, too. And her eyes grew misty, so misty they slowly overflowed. But she didn’t care; not now, not with a person she cared so much. What were emotions if not rage? For the first time in a long time, Wilhemina simply felt. “Billie…” She moved closer, because she trusted Billie Dean would never scream at her for showing affection. “Billie Dean… come h-here.” She let her hand go to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer until Billie laid her head on her chest. And then she cradled her tightly, lovingly, fingers tangling in blonde hair and caressing it. Billie Dean kept on sobbing loudly while she clenched everything Wilhemina she could reach. Venable felt her cheeks getting wetter and wetter, but she simply let it be. Her nose buried into Billie’s hair, taking a deep breath. “It’s okay,” she whispered. The sound of Billie Dean’s sobs was one she didn’t think she had ever heard before, and it caused Venable to wonder just how long had she been holding them back, how long had she been postponing all these emotions she was meant to let go so long ago. Billie had always told Wilhemina she needed a break, and perhaps the break was not only physical. The urge to protect something wasn’t usual for Venable—it had happened only twice her whole life, first with Olivia, and then with Purpura—but it was undeniable how it had been growing with Billie Dean; perhaps now it had reached its peak.

As much as Billie tried, she just couldn’t take a proper breath, she just couldn’t stop the sobs from cutting through—so she accepted it. She accepted the fear, the shame, the anger at herself and whatever else and simply cried. She cried and cried as she held onto Wilhemina, trying to trade all her pain for lavender so only the purple crowded her senses and emotions. Her eyes hurt, her nose had grown red, and her body had finally stopped shaking after what seemed to be hours. When she finally gathered enough strength to look up at Venable again, she found her cheeks wet as well, eyes caring concern, comfort, worry and care. She sniffled the best she could and pulled away to properly look at her. “I f-feel like a whore,” she murmured lowly. Wilhemina blinked twice, clearly surprised by the words. “I feel s-so stupid with t-these pictures… how could I not see w-what she was doing?” Hadn’t she cried all she had inside, more tears would for sure come one more time. Billie Dean took a deep, shaky breath. She reached for one of Venable’s hands again, caressing it between her own. “I-I’m so ashamed of it all… I’m so scared y-you’ll think I-I do that with everyone.”

Instantly, Wilhemina shook her head. “Don’t say that, Billie…” Only now she reached to wipe her cheeks clean. “She took advantage of you, none of that is your fault.”

“B-but I did sleep with her because I wanted to.”

Ouch. The thought bothered Venable. She focused on logic. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. But she chose to take advantage, she chose to take those pictures without your consent, and that was entirely on her.” Wilhemina did her best to keep her voice caring, soft.

Billie Dean sighed. “We never e-even went out on a date… it was p-purely sex… meaningless… stupid.” She shook her head and looked away, back at the floor. Venable gulped uncomfortably; it was definitely not pleasant to think about Billie kissing someone else, let alone having sex with them. It was a tough realization for Wilhemina, to understand that she was, in fact, jealous. Not that it mattered right now, not that it mattered at all. So many forgotten emotions rolled through her body, making it hard to think clearly. “I think w-we saw each other maybe f-four or five times… in s-six months. I d-didn’t feel good about it anymore… about feeling u-used the next day, every t-time.” Slowly, honey eyes moved back to brown ones. Venable squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her to keep going. “I t-told her I’d love t-to remain friends, b-but I didn’t want the sex anymore. She g-got really mad at me, told me I had been leaning her on, that I s-should have been honest from day one. I w-was… I t-told her after it h-happened the first time, after a p-party for wrapping up the last season of the show, we w-were both drunk… I barely remember it.” Billie shook her head. “I t-told her it h-had been a mistake, she offered for u-us to be casual… I figured i-it wouldn’t be a problem, s-she saw other people, she seemed nice e-enough even though I k-knew there was nothing romantic there for m-me…” A low, bitter chuckle left Billie Dean’s lips. She sighed. “Her w-work had never been the b-best, but she d-did the job and that w-was sufficient… or so I thought. I e-ended up finding numerous mistakes some time later, two o-or three months after w-we stopped seeing each other. I tried t-talking to her, a-asked her to be more careful… she i-insisted I was punishing her for s-some reason… so I h-had to fire her. She told everyone i-it had to do with our relationship—we d-didn’t even have a relationship, n-not in the way she implied, and she was aware of that. Gosh, she tried sleeping w-with Jenny for fuck’s sake!” Wilhemina watched Billie quietly, giving her the time she needed to let it all out. “A day a-after many accusatory t-texts, she sent me t-the first picture. A week later, I h-had all of them along w-with threats of selling them t-to the media if I d-didn’t agree t-to pay her a fee for f-firing her—which had already b-been paid, but she demanded for more. I g-gave in at first… she kept on asking for more… finally, I c-contacted my lawyer. We are… we’re building a c-case…” Billie Dean looked down again. It was all laid out now, clear as day for Venable to see and understand and judge as she pleased. Billie had nothing else to lose. I should have never slept with her, Billie’s mind shouted, I should have contacted my lawyer before, I should have stopped after the first time, I should have, I should have, I should have, I should have…

Digesting everything would take some time, but Wilhemina certainly would. She kept on caressing Billie Dean’s hand, heart beating fast, eyes glossy. What could she even say to that? Billie stared at her as if she were waiting for Venable to decide her faith on death penalty or not, eyes big, lip trapped between her teeth. Wilhemina blinked once, causing matching tears to slip down. Billie frowned in fear. “I d-don’t know what t-to tell you,” she began, slow and gentle and caring and just so unsure of how to word all these foreign emotions. “But I’m here for you. I’m h-here with you. This is not your fault, Billie Dean… none of it is your fault. You did nothing w-wrong, and it breaks m-my heart to see how much that woman i-is causing you to suffer.” Another tear slipped down. “You don’t deserve it,” she nearly breathed out, cheeks getting drenched again. She fought not to allow her eyes to overflow too much, but it was useless.

I’ve never seen her cry before. It shouldn’t, but it caused Billie to worry even more. In her nervous state, comprehending the size of the intimacy she had just reached was nearly impossible. “Don’t c-cry…” With her free hand, Billie Dean carefully wiped a tear away from Venable’s cheeks.

“Why were you so a-shamed of telling me that?” Wilhemina leaned her cheek on Billie’s palm, eyes and hand never leaving hers.

Billie Dean gulped. Her thumb caressed Venable’s cheekbone, stomach twisting and turning in nervous patterns still. “Because I j-judge myself… so I was s-scared you’d judge me, too… and I would l-lose you…”

“I would never judge y-you for that, angel…” The worry dimple was back between Wilhemina’s eyebrows. She turned her head to place a kiss on Billie Dean’s hand.

“I-it’s not just that… I just… you are so—so classy and so intelligent and absolutely captivating and I…” Billie sighed. “I’ve slept w-with women I barely k-knew because I decided a relationship was n-not for me. I went to bars, I had o-one-night stands, I had given up on love because h-how could anyone decide my ways were worth it? And n-now that you’re here I just… I feel so ashamed.”

Oh. The voices inside Venable’s head wanted to start talking again, whispering all kinds of degrading things towards herself. Wilhemina fought hard, refusing to allow them to win; they wouldn’t this time, for now she was not alone anymore, for now she had Billie Dean. She’ll stop liking you as soon as she realizes you have no experience in anything. She probably saw hundreds of bodies that are better than yours. Did Billie even do something worth the crucifying her mind always did? Wasn’t she a single, grown woman who felt comfortable enough to explore a thing society deemed as so absolutely wrong? And for what reason? Why was it wrong? It was definitely not Billie’s fault that she didn’t have experiences as such, that she felt so uncomfortable in her own skin. “You don’t have to be ashamed for h-having a life, Billie.” She sat up straight. Honey eyes looked away as Billie Dean brought her hand back towards herself, nervously playing with her fingers that previously caressed Wilhemina’s cheek. “So what you had one-night stands? So what y-you’ve slept with women you met at bars? That doesn’t make you less of a person, Billie. It doesn’t make you unworthy of love. You could have slept with a different woman a day for all I care, and that wouldn’t make a difference to how I feel towards you.” She hadn’t slept with anyone in years, and she still felt unworthy of love, too… why did it even matter, after all?

“It was—it wasn’t even one per week, probably one-night stand a month,” Billie Dean murmured.

“It’s just an example,” Venable said softly. Billie nodded. Wilhemina smiled sadly. I love her. She nibbled on her lip as she thought, pondering her words. “O-of course I don’t enjoy thinking a-about you sleeping with other people… but it’s because—it’s because I…” I want you to myself. I want to be good enough for you. “I imagine you don’t enjoy thinking about me and Emma, either.” Logic. Logic was good.

Billie Dean instantly shook her head as she grimaced slightly. The corners of Wilhemina’s lips turned up, and for a second all the weight on Billie’s shoulders disappeared. The world could end and she would not give a damn as long as she had that woman with her. Leaning closer, Billie Dean kissed Venable right on the lips, lingering there as she felt a hand caressing her cheek. “I don’t ever want to kiss anyone else,” she whispered.

“Me either.” Wilhemina kissed her again, smiling to herself as she held Billie as close as she could, as tight as she could manage.

Breaking the kiss after a moment, Billie Dean stared at brown eyes. Her heart was still beating fast, and her eyes still threatened to grow teary. After a second, she spoke again. “So… do you still wanna be with me?” She murmured.

“What have I just said, silly?”

Billie Dean’s cheeks tinted pink. “I’m just making sure…”

“You’re cute.” Venable leaned to kiss her on the nose, just like Billie did to her. “Yes, I do.” Will she when she sees just how fucked up I am when it comes to intimacy?

[goldenchocobo]

I drew old Eraqus feeding some pigeons, now it's old Xehanort's turn; this time with Vanitas begrudgingly sitting by the side, hoping this won't take too long. It does look like one of those pigeons want Xehanort's attention, though.

-

I thought about how Eraqus and Xehanort might've exchanged letters, and came up with the perfect solution.

I've added the tag #Kingdom Hearts Bird Saga for all my bird/Kingdom Hearts-related posts. This took way longer to draw and complete than it should have. I think I've lost a lot of motivation with drawing despite having a bunch of ideas and WiPs; I guess its just one of those slumps.

[asmaroth]

Cult of the Lamb: All Hidden Lore

i've seen some folks in the tags talking about the lack of discussion of the newly added lore to the game. i figured it was because no one's collected and posted all of them all on tumblr yet, so i took the time to compile and transcribe all the Tablets and Notes into one post.

these are in order of Tablets I-X, Haro's/the meat room's note, Monch's room's note, and Lost Messages I-III. i have transcribed them exactly as they are written, special capitalizations and all. feel free to use as reference!

Ancient Tablets (Found on Crusades)

Ancient Tablet I

Writings from a time long passed.

"I meant only to survive, and yet she, feathered hand of Great Ones gone, has seen me to be worthy. Oh, First Gods, guide me! I devote myself to you, wholly, body and soul. I will strike down dissent. I will cull doubt. I will nourish this Crown and be worthy of this power. In blood, I swear."

Ancient Tablet II

Writings from a time long passed.

"Great Ones, I find fragments of your power across these vast lands. The blades once gripped by your mighty fists, the tears once fallen from your all-seeing eyes, the ichor that runs through the very veins of the earth... I seek your understanding. I prostrate myself before you. I vow that those who will not serve in their life will serve with their death instead."

Ancient Tablet III

Writings from a time long passed.

"Simple things... silly, almost... creatures seek protection in my shadow, pour faith into my soul and by their devotion I am changed. I was like them, once..."

Ancient Tablet IV

Writings from a time long passed.

"I used to think them strange, these three feathered beasts, unworn and unweathered by the passage of time. To be keepers of Godly tools, and yet not be tempted to Godliness themselves - do they not hunger as we do?

Now, wisened in age, I understand. Hatched beneath the First, they crave no power, seek no other fulfillment, for it is not in their nature. And it is by nature that we must abide."

Ancient Tablet V

Writings from a time long passed.

"My pilgrimage has lead me thus, to the caverns of a Godly skull, remnants of a Great One now decaying into earth. The air here smells sweet, the soil rich and dark... I hear whispers, I feel watched, yet there is naught around, just these strange, small mushrooms, their spots almost like eyes... but that's impossible...?"

Ancient Tablet VI

Writings from a time long passed.

"I had not seen her in some dozen years, perhaps a score, perhaps a hundred. She is changed, alarmingly so, the mutilation of her body naught compared to the madness taking root in her mind. Her kin were indifferent. 'Twas foreseen, the card reader said. I asked, what of her duty? What of the Crowns? What of her very nature?

And the smith answered: it is lost."

Ancient Tablet VII

Writings from a time long passed.

"I have lived long, too long for simple memory and so I must continue to chronicle these histories. Followers rise, bloom, and die, like so much clover on the ground, and my troublesome peers, Gods by a right no longer divine, rise and fall like tides cut free from the moon. One came to my temple, young and ambitious and thirsty for war. I dismissed them. I will not abide by such blasphemy."

Ancient Tablet VIII

Writings from a time long passed.

"Whispers reach my temple. Gods fallen, shrines crumbled, Followers taken, and Crowns simply gone. Our numbers are beginning to dwindle. I do not fear. I will swing my righteous axe, draw my zealous sword, and know that I walk with the blessing of the First at my brow. Heresy shall not be tolerated in these Lands."

Ancient Tablet IX

Writings from a time long passed.

"Yngya cannot be found, and the leaves change no more. 'Tis clear, now, that none shall survive this purging. The Owl has chosen a different tact, one I cannot condone; for regardless of what they threaten, I shall never relinquish my beliefs. They call me the greatest of fanatics, and perchance this is true: for I would rather perish than sacrifice my devotion. Great Ones, I am yours eternally."

Ancient Tablet X

Writings from a time long passed.

"He of havoc, he of blight; she of hunger, they of might. He that lays a soul to rest; five remain of hundreds blessed."

Haro/Meat Room's Note

Offering to the Owl

A prayer to the Hunter.

"Great Hunter, we write this prayer and leave this offering in the hopes you will grant us triumph in our hunt. We vow to take no more than we need, and leave the brooding and the young. May we be swift and silent as you, Hunter."

Monch's Room's Note

Ripped Note

Written in fear, covered in dirt.

"We've been hiding for days. I'm hungry, but I'm too scared to leave this place, though the earth no longer shakes. I didn't know the Bishops could bleed. The fifth... we dare not speak his name. Soon we won't remember it. But he waits. He will always wait."

Lost Messages (Found in Graveyards)

Lost Message I

A torn letter, stained with blood.

"Found a herd. Taken care of. Let the Worm know I seek the next."

Lost Message II

A torn letter, stained with blood.

"One fled my blade. I will find it. The Bishops need not concern themselves. I do as I am told, and only as I am told."

Lost Message III

A torn letter, stained with blood.

"I found the last, hidden deep in the Lands. It followed me, silent, to the ritual grounds. When my task is at last complete, I will bury it with the others."

this is all the lore for now until they possibly add more. enjoy!

[axl-ul]

Character Inspiration

Thanks for the tag @toribookworm22^^

Soft tags: @rubywrite @olivescales3 @lexiklecksi @missaddledmiss @mariahwritesstuff @sam-glade and an open tag.

Also, this is going to be a longer post since I haven't been posting much in general recently. I also prety much enjoyed doing this tag. So I thought about making another part with another set of characters in the future.

Rules: Pick a character(s) from your wip(s) and tell who they were inspired by or from.

Ulfrika Výtaušeimová - her sort of harsh personality is basically mine with slightly more (read: A LOT more) salt. Her physical design, though, is mostly inspired by an illustration of a revenant I saw in one of the book with legends about folk creatures I own. When I tried to draw her for the first time, though, I didn't know what sort of a reference pose I should pick. So I used my own reflection I took a photo of. So I guess that some of my features also exist within this character.

Márgerdra Výtaušeimová - she has a few inspirations, like Helga Sinclair from Atlantis the Lost Empire (I liked that mysterious femme fatale aura), young Anita Ekberg as I she had the facia features closest to those I could think about when it came to Márgerdra. Some of her abilities and skills are based on the creatures from Slavic folklore. Like the inspiration about Márgerdra's hair storing some of her power and life essence is tied to the folk stories about 'rusalky' (a type of a water fairy or a nymph which appear in many stories here) and 'víly' (basically forest fairies or maybe even dryads (???) which look human but have magical abilities and can be mischievous, malicious or just minding their own business).

Master Kogar Výtaušeima - his personality doesn't have an exact inspiration, I just imagined what the most chill and cool dad would be and went with it. Cold-hearted asshole on the outside, a huggable teddy bear around his kids. His physical design, though, relates a lot to Karl Urban since the guy looks both young and old (this sounds weirder when sai outloud but whatever).

Miss Yawen and Golden Wind Viper - even in physical form these twins might have a few snake-like features since they actually are snake demons.

Ereanth - although he may not appear that much in my wips, I took the inspiration for his name (and partially for his appearence, too) from Eredin from the Witcher books. Although, his personality is much different. Though, I didn't take much inspiration from around when I was coming up with his behaviour and so on. It sort of came naturally because I wanted some contrast. Oh, and maybe there's a slight hint of Tom Hiddleston since the guy has quite an interesting facial structure.

Faust/Gemini/the Twin - the strange sentient structure in Ulfrika's chest has a few inspirations one of which is the tale of Dr Faust and Mephistopheles and the tale of Pan Twardowski. Ironically, Ulfrika was nicknamed by a few nobles as Mephisto or Pale Devil despite the fact that she fulfills the role of Dr Faust much more. On the other hand, Ulfrika did use the surname Twardowska while living abroad for a while as a cover. The inspiration for the design comes from the game Blasphemous since I found the character of Nacimiento one of the most intriguing and tragic ones.Another inspiration for the character comes from Edward Mordrake (the Two-faced Man as he might be better known).

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51 @athenswrites @kainablue

[theworldofotps]

Captured Soul (Part Two)

Pairing: Bálor x Reader Word Count: 1,570 Description: Y/n recounts how she met Bálor and made the biggest mistake of her life.

Decided to write a part two for my Bálor fic (A Running Soul) I posted in 2021 for 13 nights of Halloween. I hope you enjoy this, and I hope you all have a safe happy Halloween! _________ Tag list: @omg-im-such-a-masochist​ @melissahausen​ @new-zealand-chic @writtingrose​ @99hook @sjwrites22​ @sassymox​ @mrsacklesevansmgk @xladyxfatex​ @biforrollynch @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch​ @demonqueen29​ @itsicantbelievethis666 @lilred9​ @rebellious-desires @claymorexpunisher @letsgivethisonemoreshot @ava-valerie​ @shortyiceheart @serpantscorpio8497 @thatpanpal @thatnerdwriter @wrestlersownmyheart @vebner37​ @auburnwrites​ @aews-four-pillars​ @seeingstarks​ @whenimakeitshine1234​ @legit9thlunaticwarrior @blaquekitty​ @ironshamelessyouth @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin​ @ripleyswhore @melblacc @alliwant456 @elevennbloom @xbreezymeadowsx @mcreignsera If you wanna be added to the list lemme know. ________ Three months. 

At least I think it’s been three months since I was brought here. I’ve lost track of the days after the third week locked in this cell. 

My body aches, where my soul once rested is now nothing more than a gaping hole of pain that throbbed dully every now and again. To remind me it’s no longer there, to remind me that HE won in the end. 

You can’t escape y/n, can’t talk your way out of having to spend the rest of your eternity in this hell. 

His voice mocked me as I had fallen to the ground scraping my knees on the dirty cell floor. My arms wrapped around my shivering body as the cool damp air seemed to hit me all at once. This part of the castle was much colder then the other part I was in. 

The room where it happened.

Finn, well, Bálor as it turned out to be, shoved me in here after he ripped my soul out. The hot white pain I felt as he took it, then waved his hand to seal it off left me trembling in agony. 

And afterwards he just left me alone, I was brought two meals a day and was brought out three times a week for a shower which Bálor said wasn’t even needed considering I wasn’t seeing anyone but him or his demons. 

The only thing I was given to entertain myself was a stick which I used to draw in the dirt passing away the endless hours that I wasn’t being tortured. I couldn't believe I hadn't completely put it all together when Finn had started talking about him. I wish I hadn't run from the cabin that night. Wish I never left the company of my friends thinking I could get away. Not where he was concerned I couldn't. Bálor, or better yet the demon king as those around here referred to him, still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with me just yet. How I despise his very existence, and yet I was the foolish one for even summoning him in the first place all those years ago. ~Ten years prior~ “Please Marcus don’t do this.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched my ex-boyfriend packing all of his belongings from our shared dorm room. Marcus simply shook his head as he continued shoving things in boxes and suitcases. 

“I’ll take what I can and in a few weeks I’ll be back to get the rest of my stuff, I’m sorry y/n.”

Watching in heartbreak as he set his bags outside the door for his friends to take down to the waiting van. I couldn’t help the defeated feeling; I knew this breakup was coming for weeks now but it still hurt. Part of me wanted to yell and scream to beg him to reconsider but I knew it was pointless. Marcus gave one last look around the room before his eyes drifted to me then left, grabbing his book bag and walking right out of the door. 

I sit in silence listening to the sound of his fading footsteps, making my way to the window. I watched as he exits the building walking down the street and out of my life. I sobbed for hours just thinking over our past memories, replaying every detail of our relationship. How did it all end up so badly, how could the person who said he loved me more than anything not love me now? Grabbing my laptop after finally drying my eyes I begin scrolling the search engines. Searching for questions that reflected to mine, answers to the questions that bounced around in my mind. 

Now I will admit, searching how to win someone back, how to regain lost love, the list goes on. Was not one of my best periods of time for me. When nothing appeared on the internet I turned to books in the library. Call me desperate or ridiculous but at the time I didn’t care. I managed to drag myself there after a small nap.

Coming across an old leather bound book with the words Ireland Mythology in faded gold letters I decided to check it out. After getting back to my dorm I sat on my bed and began flipping through it. Reading over the different myths and legends. 

Then I stumbled on a section about him. 

I devoured every word spilled out on the pages before me, and once I finally neared the end there was a paragraph. One that claimed could bring him back, I believed it to be total bullshit but it wouldn’t hurt to try. 

Turning off the lights I lit two candles that were kept for emergencies. Clearing my throat, I started reciting the spell. Seeing the flames flicker I continued talking with a clear voice not noticing the dark red mist seeping under my door. Feeling my heart start pounding as the mist slowly began to show itself and shifted into the shape of well sort of a man. 

“Oh fuck.” 

I whisper, setting the book down as he opens his eyes looking at me. I was startled to see a deep red, his skin was a combination of red, black and white. Shifting over his skin like a slithering snake his hands were more like claws, a headdress sat on his head with nothing more than a red wrap around his waist. 

“Are, are you Bálor?” 

“I am who are you to summon me?” 

Swallowing down my panic and fear I set the book to the side of me. 

“I’m y/n I want to talk to you about something and hope to possibly make a deal with you. My boyfriend broke up with me and I want him back.” 

Bálor looked around the room slowly circling it before looking at me. 

“You wish to make a deal with me, to make your ex boyfriend want you again? Am I hearing that right?”

“Yes I know that we could work things out if he would just listen to reason. And I need your help. I never thought this would actually work but now that it has.” 

Spotting the book beside me Bálor’s claw reached up and snatched it looking at the pages in silence.

“Have you read the whole book?” 

“Not just the rest of your section, will you help me or not?” 

“I’m willing to help you, however you must realize once this deal is made you can’t go back on it. I will collect my debt when the time comes.” 

“Okay that sounds good, is it money or something you need?”

I asked hesitantly as I watched him place the book on my desk, he chuckled and shook his head before looking back at me. The light from the candles flickered showing his fangs. 

“No, when we make this deal, your soul will become mine. I will try my best to make your ex come back and then when I’m ready, I will take your soul.” 

Staring at him I rubbed my clammy hands against the fabric of my pants, slowly nodding my head as my eyes met with his. I couldn’t seem to look away and finally spoke.

“Okay I’ll make that deal.” 

This had to be some crazy dream, this wasn’t real I was going to wake in the morning and it was going to be a silly dream. 

Bálor smirked and walked over holding out his claw, slowly placing my hand in it. We shook and he pulled me up into his chest. 

“I’ll see you in a few years, little one and don't try to hide because I'll always find you.”

*Present time*

When I woke up the next morning I had a couple of texts from my ex and we met up after classes. Worked things out and the next couple of months were good, until I found out he was cheating on me. I was devastated, and honestly I forgot all about Bálor for a couple years. Until he started leaving signs that it was almost time for him to collect. Then I began moving around a lot, running every chance I could. 

I thought I had evaded him this time. I hadn't seen or heard anything in months and now I was locked here in this cell.  Sighing I lifted my head when the door to the dungeon opened expecting a guard. I was surprised to see Bálor. Unlocking my door he motioned for me to follow him, slowly lifting to my feet, I came out and followed him up to the main floor.

“I figured out what I’m going to do with you, you are going to be cleaning up the room that I use to torture the darkest of souls. Without a whimper, whine or complain and if you do good you’ll no longer be required to live in the dungeons. If you refuse and fail to obey orders you’ll be returned to your cell and your punishment will be worse then anything you’ve experienced since you’ve been here. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Yes sir.”

I whispered looking at the floor and stopping when he turned towards me with a smirk on his face. 

“Don’t sound so upset, you signed yourself up for this when you opened that book. It’s time for you to pay up y/n welcome to the rest of your eternity.”

[yae-energy]

╰┈─✩ ˚ ‧ random thoughts : 2 ‧ ˚

✧˖° synopsis : more random hc’s cause why not (the manga is crushing my soul)

✧˖° cast and crew : yuta okkotsu, maki zenin

.ᐟ content warnings : cursing (cause when am i not)

⤑ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ authors note : idk yall i just wanted to post 😭 i got at least 3 more ideas i wanna do.

~

yuta <3

- really good at math for absolutely no reason at all, mental math specifically cause istg this man is like a fucking calculator

- was a nightcore kid (BADDDDDDDLYYY)

- used to be a really big harry potter fan for a while

- loves musicals. like, LOVES musicals

- will say a lot of stuff ironically to the point where it actually becomes unironic and it annoys everybody to hell and back. but he genuinely cannot stop 😭

- vocal stims with the most annoying tiktok audios

- loves carrots and hummus and doesn’t like celery

- he love’s halloween and always matches costumes with inumaki

- his biggest pet peeves are gum popping and squeaky noises. like he will genuinely get so pissed off if he hears either of those things

- is really good at board games & card games, like he’ll really whoop your ass in some uno tbh (which is why no one plays with him) and pls don’t let him get his hands on them draw 4’s or it’s absolutely over for everybody. (and it’s even worse if they’re playing train. like he loses friends afterwards)

*before each turn he’s like “😬 sorry guyssss” (he’s in fact, not sorry)

*also is unnecessarily good at monopoly, like he racks up all the properties so quickly and everyone always thinks he’s cheating

- has really bad eczema (mainly gets it on his neck and it’s reallyyyyyy bad in the winter)

—

maki <3

- lactose (and still consumes dairy but like…at what cost girlie ☹️)

*also has horrible indigestion

- likes strawberries but hates strawberry flavored things. do NOT give her no strawberry flavored NOTHING or she will fight you

- is a sparkling water enjoyer (inumaki and panda clown her for this everyday and have been since they met her)

- doesn’t like bananas, she has a visceral HATRED for them i tell you. nobody knows why either but that’s just the way it is.

- COFFEE LOVERRRR (loads that shit up with creamer and sugar)

- loves doing crossword puzzles (and puzzles in general)

- really good at chess and ESPECIALLY checkers (she’s just really good at most games tbh, she doesn’t know how either)

- her glasses are always dirty LMAO (same girlie, same)

- really likes baseball, like really really likes it 😭

- adding onto the coffee one: she is an ice coffee FANN. everytime she’s mad one of the second years brings her an iced coffee and she’s completely ok again.

- she’s a dnd girlieeee !!! and she plays with yuta and inumaki when they all have time

- hates reading anything because she just doesn’t feel like it (and she’s impatient) so she gets yuta to read it for her 😭

- is one of those people where if you ask her to do something she’ll instantly say no but do it anyways 💀

- really good at mimicking people’s voices and copying signatures (like it’s actually terrifying)

⤑ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ tags : @morosis-haze @jogeto @mypimpademia @zairene @planetlunaa @cosmiles @milesmolasses @chinieh @romiantic @stqrriichiigo

if you wish to be tagged in any future works, here’s my tag form to fill out <33

if you wish to submit a request, here’s my ask box :)

⤑ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ closing notes : took wayyyyy longer than i needed to finish this ! (just the life of being an adhd girlie 😋‼️) but pt.2 to this will come out shortly

also notice how i cannot SHUT THE FUCKKK up about these two like they did NOT need to be this long, do i care though? not really !!

now i’m onto these fuck ass tags 🙄

anyhow, love y’all 🫶🏽

update as of posting : it did take me over a month to post this i won’t lie…mb 😭

- xoxo, yves <3

[saskiavalentineapologist]

sketch time

you will sit down. you will look at my horrible little women. And You Will Appreciate Them

no this is NOT going under a cut you will see the blood sweat and tears i put into belialah's demon form and you will appreciate it, me, and saskia's off the charts world class monsterfucker status

we got saskia. we're familiar with saskia--or at least you should be. go look at the art by korppipoika and give them so many notes--this post will wait. and while you're out, look at the post about the matriarchs too. and if you're not up to date on saskia and belialah, here's another one for your list. i'll be here when you get back.

up to date? excited? horny? me too!!

so we got those two. in order for the images: saskia (recent), belialah (first draft, still happy with this and haven't been able to capture this vision since)

we got their dynamic:

saskia being a bitch and belialah being, despite everything, head over heels. still can't quite nail belialah's human face, but we're learning

...it took me a long time to nail down belialah's demon form. it went through a lot of drafts---many of which i am not sharing. this one is the oldest one i'm willing to share:

i believe this is draft 3? patch notes from earlier drafts: 4 fingers instead of three, took out "humanoid" eyes, added floaty halo bits. other than that, this is what it's mostly stayed true to. chase gave me an inspo and i remixed it and made it worse because i love body horror. so we have this! extra joint between the wrist and elbow, loads and loads of eyes, sharp teeth (yum!), wings, and a broken halo plus the big horn. love her. she has spider legs below her waist--she has "skirts" that are made from her skin that she usually wears (has?) over them.

made some eensy sketches for ideas:

i tinkered on size, proportion, posture, etc. it's vague, but not exact for either of them. i want a bigger height difference and this is for me first and foremost

i settled on this body type for saskia:

no nipples so she's not naked :) this is for anatomy reference, tumblr. ANATOMY. be so nice to me ;-;

ignore the stuff at the edges, this is part of a larger project idk if i'll finish where i look at all the matriarchs and their body types. saskia is the most...well, besides ethalind, the most hourglass shape. this is the most recent drawing of her i have besides the one at the very end, this is the one i would say is most canon. hence why it is included--the last one i have doesn't quite hit right for me. still working on consistency.

as i improved my art, i wanted to take another stab at belialah. which meant figuring out her lower half.

i did these ones reeaaally recently. i looked at so many things for inspo: crabs, spiders, human pelvises, centaur speculative biology, drider speculative biology, an introspective look at how much of a monsterfucker i am, etc. until i found something i was happy with. these are within the last few days. the lil sketches at the far bottom right of the first page are what i settled on. after that, i tinkered with how she looks with skirts vs no skirts---ignore the sword, it's no longer accurate to what it actually looks like, but that's endgame shit and no spoilers :)

i'm really happy with how she's turned out and i think she's kickass and awesome and i can't wait to beat her and saskia into the ground.

and then we have:

team gaslight gatekeep girlboss :)

i drew this last night!! really happy with how my art is coming along. i hesitated on whether to draw the skirts, because i think the spider legs are so fucking cool and i know logically the skirts are there but tbh its funner drawing the spider legs than the skirts :(

i want to make it very clear: belialah is submissive in the way a guard dog is submissive, to quote a post i once tagged as gilt and lost. belialah is loyal, devoted, willing to protect--but will wait for an order before acting

btw, to make something else clear: saskia? saw the demon form first. is more attracted to the demon form than the human form. is far more willing to smash with belialah in demon form. i love my weirdest little freak of a woman <3

ok that's all bye

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, MAY 2024

As promised, here are the important news stories from marketing recently: SEO, social media, advertising, and more.

If you want to get this news twice-weekly instead of just once a month, become a paying member of my Patreon: patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

In the biggest SEO news perhaps ever, a massive list of Google ranking elements was leaked this week. Here’s an overview, including links to the two main leak announcements and their analysis. It would seem that Google wasn’t always honest when they told us some algorithm elements did or did not exist. Google took nearly 2 days to speak publicly about it, but didn’t say much. Expect a lot more analysis in the coming weeks. 

Instagram is updating its algorithm to favour original creators and smaller accounts, and remove reposted content from recommendations. “This won’t affect “a set of publishers” identified by Instagram with licensing agreements or resharing permissions from content creators, according to the blog post.”

Google is adding AI Overviews to US search immediately, with other countries to follow in the future. "AI Overviews gives answers to queries using generative AI technology powered by Google Gemini. It provides a few snippets of an answer based on its understanding of queries and the content it found on the topic across the web.” Right now, it is only affecting a small number of queries, however. While these will sometimes cover similar topics to featured snippets, the latter still exist. Early testing indicates that it does not currently show up when a search appears to be about buying something. Which is good, because you can’t turn it off, other than filtering your search to “Web” after doing it.  Oh, and Google did not waste time figuring out how to include advertising in the AI overviews - it took just one week. As with most much-heralded AI launches, AI Overviews are fumbling badly; here’s a summary of the many news articles mocking Google, including for recommending people glue cheese onto their pizza so it stays in place. 

Chrome has yet again announced that it will not end the use of tracking cookies on schedule; the new target date for starting to wind down their use is early 2025.

Reminder that your old Google Analytics files (aka Universal Analytics) will no longer be available after July 1, so download them now! “...consider archiving back to 2018 or so to ensure you have pre-pandemic data since the pandemic really presented data anomalies for many companies.” There is a spreadsheet add-on to make this easier. 

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google’s March 2024 Core Update finished rolling out April 19. “A Google spokesperson said, “The updates led to larger quality improvements than we originally thought – you’ll now see 45% less low quality, unoriginal content in search results, versus the 40% improvement we expected across this work.” Experts are struggling to analyze it, in part due to how long it lasted. Not surprisingly, Reddit was a big winner, and sites with a lot of ads and affiliate links continue to lose. 

An update on how long your titles should be for Google. “So whether your titles get cut off or rewritten in SERPs, Google still uses the HTML title tag for ranking considerations, not the titles shown in SERPs.” The author’s research is too limited to draw reliable conclusions from, and most other research in this area over the last decade shows that shorter titles tend to rank better. However, she has pulled together many recent statements on title length and how it works, which is useful reading. 

A reminder that “keyword difficulty” is a subjective score that different tools may not agree on, and that also depends on your overall site/shop and its history. This applies to all sorts of keyword tools, including those used for marketplace sites. 

It looks like Google adding its AI to search results will have a strong impact on traffic, as it will answer questions without the need to click, and “only 47% of the top 10 traditional search results are sources for SGE.” [SGE is now called AI Overviews.] That means if a page is outside the top 10 now, it may still be used to generate the answers, and could even get clicks from being displayed in SGE. 

Still with AI, Google was fined €250 million by France for using news media to train its AI, Gemini. 

Google admits to deindexing many, many pages in February, due to quality issues. 

A recent article dissects why Google search is so bad these days, and largely blames one man. While you can read the original here, you may want to start with a decent summary and the reaction from Google and the SEO community. 

Here’s a full list of Google changes and announcements from April.

Not Google

Both Microsoft and Google had excellent first quarters, with ad revenue up 12% and 13% respectively. “Bing reached over 140 million daily active users.”

OpenAI is apparently not starting their own search engine, contrary to rumours.

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

Here’s another of the periodic posts that tries to figure out the best times to post on different social media sites. It covers Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter and Pinterest. 

Direct Messages are now available on Bluesky. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

In another recent AI fumble, Meta has introduced an AI assistant to its various products in several countries - but you can’t turn it off in the search bar. It may also show up in group chats, including discussions about parenting. “The Associated Press reported that an official Meta AI chatbot inserted itself into a conversation in a private Facebook group for Manhattan moms. It claimed it too had a child in school in New York City, but when confronted by the group members, it later apologized before its comments disappeared.”

Here’s more on Meta’s automated ad issue that is ramping up costs but decreasing sales for many, including small businesses. 

Meta is now offering its Verification for Business subscription package to more countries, and has added new tiers as well. 

While Meta had a strong 1st quarter financially, it projects weaker results through 2025 as it spends a ton on money trying to guide its AI offerings to profitability. 

Instagram

Instagram added some new features, including “Reveal”, which blurs Stories, and only releases the content once you DM the creator. 

Reels under 90 seconds perform better on Instagram than longer ones. 

To help avoid scammers on Instagram, learn how to identify and block fake accounts. 

Instagram’s Creator Marketplace - where businesses can search for influencers to promote their product - is now available in 10 more counties, including Germany, France and Indonesia. 

LinkedIn

You should be optimizing LinkedIn posts for the platform itself and outside search engines. The article includes tips for both personal and business pages.

LinkedIn is adding games you can play once a day, which sounds weird for a professional network. 

Pinterest

Pinterest’s summer trend report has arrived; apparently maximalism is in yet again.  

Reddit

Reddit is one of those sites that is getting worse lately as people try to get Google ranking through it (which is a whole other SEO story I have covered in these updates before).

ChatGPT will now be training on Reddit comments. The agreement meant a huge stock boost for Reddit. 

Reddit is trying to attract more French-speaking users by auto-translating the site in real-time using AI. 

After plenty of user complaints, Reddit is starting a new awards scheme. 

Snapchat

You can now edit your Snapchat messages within 5 minutes of sending, if you subscribe to Snapchat Plus. 

Threads

Meta wants more content on Threads, and is willing to pay well-known creators to create it. Invite only, of course.  

You can now filter out unwanted words on Threads. 

TikTok

While the US government has voted to ban TikTok if the company isn’t sold, there is a lot of time left before that could happen, and a legal battle to be fought. TikTok has already filed a lawsuit, as have some major creators. Meanwhile, small business owners and creators are understandably worried. From an article by the BBC: “According to March 2024 data from TikTok, more than seven million small US businesses use TikTok, and the company reported it drove $15bn (£12.04bn) in revenue for these enterprises in 2023.”

How to rank on TikTok: the Ultimate Guide. Some of the tips include hashtags, keywords, and choosing the right thumbnail. 

There are several ways to remove (or avoid) the TikTok watermark if you want to use your TikTok content on other platforms. 

Twitter

Twitter’s domain has finally switched over to X in some locations [but I will still call it Twitter].

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Time to gear up your content marketing plans for June. 

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Search ads are converting less while costing more, something that has been going on for a few years now. “Advertisers are paying more for leads and clicks, while Alphabet, Google’s parent company, keeps reporting record profits.” This is one of the reasons the US Department of Justice argues that Google is a monopoly. 

Not enough AI in your ads? Google is solving that through video ads and more virtual try-ons. 

Google Shopping is going to start showing how many people have bought from each site recently, although businesses can opt out. 

Google is removing keywords from Google Ads accounts if they have received zero impressions in the past 13 months. While you can reactivate them, Google discourages that. 

You may be able to run Google’s Performance Max ads through particular marketplaces now or in the near future, if your marketplace signs up. For some businesses, selling through a marketplace might be cheaper than setting up a site. 

Social media advertising is now bigger than search ads, according to a recent report. Almost ⅔ of these ads are on various Meta properties. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Slow economic growth in the United States in the first quarter of 2024 sparked worries that the rest of 2024 will be as bad or even worse. Even McDonalds is stressing that consumers can only take so much inflation. 

US ecommerce sales were up in the first quarter, more than overall retail. 

Some consumers are finding that ecommerce is tiring, offering too many options and no easy way to shop quickly. “Despite an increased emphasis on personalized experiences in recent years, 7 in 10 customers feel either no improvement or an increase in the time and effort required to make a purchase decision.” 

MISCELLANEOUS (including humour) 

Before returning orders to Amazon, make sure your cat isn’t in the box. (It’s fine, fortunately!)

[ashes-2-ashes57cba]

The Bad Batch: Valkyrie

Episode 6: Tribe

dank farrik: general expletive haar'chak: "dammit", Mando'a warnings: graphic descriptions of corpses, panic attack, nausea, (mild) arachnophobia, there's a Bluey reference This has not been edited

“Cid said the Vanguard Axis is notorious for illegal smuggling. So be ready for anything,” Hunter warned as the group stepped off the ship into the quiet port. 

“And Ord Mantell isn’t? I think we’ll be fine,” Specter scoffed.

“We’ll make the delivery. Echo, Specter, Omega: guard the ship,” ordered Hunter before he, Wrecker, and Tech walked off. Specter sighed and sat next to Omega on the gangplank.

“Let’s hope this doesn’t take long,” Echo mumbled, standing guard behind them. He and Specter had initially voted against this mission because of how involved the Batch would have to be, but they’d be receiving a higher payout because of their involvement. The pair were easily outvoted. 

Specter hardly realized she was nervously nibbling on her nails until Omega gently tugged on her arm. 

“What’s wrong?” the girl asked. Specter shook her head.

“I just don’t like this. I can’t read droids like I can people,” she explained, eyeing a droid in the distance that was stacking cargo. “You can’t sense intentions.”

“You killed them easily enough,” Echo commented behind her.

“Sure, but that’s killing them. Here we’re working with them,” she corrected. More quiet minutes passed by but the tension didn’t let up.

“You were right. There’s something off about this place, and I don’t like it,” Omega muttered. 

“Me neither,” Echo added. “But we should be almost done. I’ll prep the ship.” He walked inside, Specter stood up and kept a hand on Omega’s shoulder.

“Are you going to be okay by yourself? I’m going to do an external diagnostic, just to make sure we weren’t tagged,” she said. 

“I’ll be fine,” Omega nodded. Specter smiled and grabbed a datapad from inside before climbing up to the neck of the Marauder and plugging in. While the data loaded, she took a deep breath and looked at their surroundings again; she always denied that the war against the droids had affected her to any significance… but even now she couldn’t shake off her unease and urge to open fire. 

She shook the thought out of her head. The diagnostic resulted in nothing out of the ordinary. Specter unplugged and jumped down, finding Omega no longer sitting on the steps.

“Hey, Echo, is Omega in there with you?” she shouted into the ship?

“No. I thought she was with you,” he replied.

“Dank farrik,” Specter swore. “She must have wandered off. I’ll go find her.” She grabbed her blaster-rifle before dashing off to search for the girl.

“If I were Omega, where would I go? What am I drawn to?” Specter muttered to herself as she navigated through the port. There were too many hidden corners and crawl spaces to take into account, plus she didn’t want to draw the droids’ suspicions any more than she already had. 

Muffled sounds of a roar with metal clashing and two droids breaking from their patrol route: trouble. Omega was drawn to it. Specter sighed and headed toward the commotion in the next room over. The girl was there, along with a young Wookie.

“Omega, come on let’s head back to the ship,” she called, walking towards her. The Wookie growled at her, taking a step forward. 

“It’s okay, she’s a friend,” Omega reassured, stepping between the Wookie and Specter. He huffed and ran off. “Wait!” Omega called after him.

“What’s going on?” Specter asked, now increasingly worried. 

“Those droids are after him. Come on!” the girl explained before running off after him.

“No! Wait- Omega!” Specter quietly hissed. She groaned and followed.

Hunter carefully watched as the droid inspected their forgeries. He didn’t expect for there to be any issue—no foul play was involved, at least on their end—but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. The weight of his pistol kept him grounded and alert.

The droid’s comm beeped; it answered and was met with sounds of blasterfire.

“We have a situation,” a droid on the other end reported. The droid looked back up at him.

“Problem?” he shrugged. Hunter had hoped there wouldn’t be for this mission, but reality was often disappointing. The droid said nothing, only getting up and leaving the room with the rest of its guards.

“The cause of that blasterfire is either Echo or Omega. Most likely Omega,” said Tech. 

“Hey, Specter’s a contender,” Wrecker added.

“My point still stands.”

The comm beeped.

“Hey, uh, it’s no big deal or anything,” Specter came through, sounding nervous, “but we could use some backup. Just when you get the chance. Totally not an emergency, though.” Hunter sighed and shook his head.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Why did you say it wasn’t an emergency?” Omega questioned as the three took cover behind some crates, dodging blasterfire.

“Just trying to lighten the mood so Echo and Hunter aren’t too grumpy,” Specter explained, training her blaster on the droids that began to surround them. 

“What sort of treachery is this?” the Vanguard Axis droid leader questioned, appearing with its guard. 

“Stay back!” Omega shouted, drawing back her energy bow. Specter took aim as it approached with a blaster in hand. A shot from behind them took out the weapon.

“They’re with us,” said Hunter, pistol still smoking. Specter smiled under her helmet, relieved to see him, and immediately started to look for a way to disappear and take out the leader. 

“I would advise you to take your soldiers and extricate yourselves from the situation,” it warned.

“No! They’re going to hurt him,” Omega argued, standing in front of the Wookie.

“On the contrary. The Wookie is worth a great deal to our buyer. Alive.” 

Specter bit her tongue; they were trafficking him. Rage started to cloud her vision before she noticed the Wookie put down his weapon and slowly raised his hands, closing his eyes in concentration. Hunter and the droid’s exchange became mere background noise as she realized what was happening.

There’s no way…

The lightsaber from the droid leader’s belt went flying to the Wookie’s paws. With a roar, he ignited the glowing green blade and blasterfire broke out again. He deflected and redirected shots, allowing for Specter to provide cover fire; Hunter and Tech pushed a nearby cargo-bed in front of Wrecker, who used it as a shield to push down any droids in his path. Hunter leapt over and took down the droid leader with his knife.

“Get to the ship!” he ordered. Specter dashed ahead, clearing the way for the rest of her crew to reach the Marauder. After shooting down two droids, she waited for them in the docking bay, doing a head count as they passed through the doorway, still firing behind them from the oncoming droids. Specter turned and laid down cover fire as soon as the Wookie passed her. Hunter joined her.

“Hurry!” Omega shouted to the Wookie as he hesitated.

“I’m right behind you,” Specter said, offering Hunter to break away to the ship first.

“Uh-uh. Ladies first,” he insisted. She clicked her tongue, but holstered her rifle and ran as fast as she could to the Marauder. Hunter jumped on behind her as they took off on their way to safety.

Specter’s eyes fluttered open as the adrenaline finally wore off and her breathing returned to normal. She took off her helmet and shook out her hair.

“You alright, Spec? You don’t usually get winded like that,” Echo asked, leaning back from the co-pilot’s seat.

“Yeah, I think I was just off on my stride,” she explained. “My focus slipped…” she glanced at the young Wookie who sat on the floor, hugging his knees at the back of the ship. 

“Why is he sitting back there alone?” Omega wondered while Wrecker handed her the ration box.

“Because he’s scared. He’s been through a lot,” Hunter explained.

“Well, he still needs to eat.” With determination, Omega took the ration box and made her approach. “Here. You look hungry,” she said. The Wookie lifted his head as she opened the box to him and set down the water bottle. Tech, Hunter, and Specter followed her into the hold to observe—Echo and Wrecker kept an eye on the cockpit—but the Wookie bared his teeth and growled. “What’s wrong?”

“He doesn’t trust us,” Hunter answered.

“Well, seeing how all clones were given an order to execute the Jedi, he has good reason to be cautious,” Tech added. Specter rolled her eyes at his bluntness. 

“I’m sorry about what happened. But we are not like those other clones,” Hunter apologized.

“We didn’t follow that order. And we don’t work for the Empire either,” said Specter, sitting down.

“They’re telling the truth. You don’t have to be afraid of us” Omega reassured. “It’s okay. Eat.” She pushed the box closer to him. He glanced at the clones behind her before snatching it and starting to eat. Omega smiled and propped herself up on an open bunk.

“I’m Omega. What’s your name?”

With his mouth full, the Wookie answered.

“My Wookie is a little rusty, but I think he says his name is Gungi,” Hunter translated. 

“I don’t remember you taking Shyriiwook,” Specter commented with her arms crossed.

“You and Crosshair were too busy taking sign language,” Hunter retaliated.

“And which one is more useful?”

“At the moment? Shyriiwook.”

Specter rolled her eyes just as Gungi finished eating and spoke some more. She waited for Hunter to translate, but he sighed and turned back to Tech.

“You catch that?”

“He’s been on the run since Order 66 and was attempting to reach the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk before he was captured by those smuggling droids,” Tech explained. Specter’s heart broke; Order 66 was a long while ago now and the young Wookie still hadn’t made it home.

“I’m not sure how you survived this long on your own, but it’s impressive,” Hunter complimented.

“Hunter,” Specter muttered before she even realized what she was about to say. “We should take him to his homeworld.” Omega’s eyes lit up at the idea. Specter wanted to think it was from the compassion of wanting to make sure he’s safe, but she knew deep down that if they harbored a young Jedi, they’d end up as collateral. Specter wanted to secure Gungi’s safety, but her priority was securing Omega’s.

“Been a while since we’ve been to Kashyyyk,” Wrecker added. Hunter took a moment before nodding and standing up to chart a course. Echo stopped him.

“The Empire could have outposts there by now. We don’t know if it’s safe for him there,” he warned in a low voice, careful as to not raise any more caution for the Wookie.

“He’s a Jedi,” Hunter sighed, patting Echo’s shoulder in understanding. “He’s not safe anywhere. 

Hyperspace faded and the lush planet of Kashyyyk came into view. Specter leaned back in the co-pilot’s seat and recalled the last time the Batch had been stationed there.

It was a simple assist; they were tasked with gathering intel from a small Separatist outpost before destroying it. 

“Wrecker watch your six. And hurry!

“Well do you want me to be careful or be fast?!”

“Hunter, I need the twins to close in before I activate the trap.” “You guys copy?”

“We copy. En route.” 

Crosshair and Specter kept running, firing blindly behind them at the small horde of droids on their tail. 

“Almost there.”

“You said that 2 klicks ago, Specter!”

“Well this time I mean it!” An alert trilled in her helmet. “Alright I have the signal, I just need the height. Can we pull off a ‘Stick-bird’?”

“We can if you would stop calling it ‘Stick-bird’,” Crosshair hissed. He picked up his pace while Specter slowed hers, making sure none of the droids decided to come from the side to cut them off. 

Ahead of her, Crosshair slid to a stop and took a knee, facing her with his rifle. As soon as she passed a sensor they had laid down earlier, two targets popped up, one on the ground within Crosshair’s scopes, far behind the droid horde and one high above within the treeline.  

She ran at full speed before jumping onto Crosshair’s rifle, using it as a platform. He hoisted her up into the air, she twisted and simultaneously, they hit their targets. The droids caught in between the targets immediately powered down

“Nice job, you two.”

Specter could admit she missed Crosshair, but she knew that dwelling on it wouldn’t be of any help to them now. 

“We’re heading to a village we know of. The Wookies there should be able to help you,” said Hunter, entering the cabin and putting a hand on Gungi’s shoulder. 

“I’ve locked onto the coordinates. But I’m picking up heavy smoke and deforestation,” Echo reported from one of the control panels. 

“Keep an eye out for Imperial outposts,” instructed Hunter. “Oh, and kid. Keep that laser sword hidden. It, uh, draws attention we don’t want.” Gungi unclipped his lightsaber and stowed it away in his bag. Hunter went to stand by Specter, leaning down.

“What do you think?” he quietly asked her.

“In terms of the Empire? No visual signs or Imperial frequencies came up. Other than that, I think we’ll be okay,” she whispered back. “You know I had a feeling there were still Jedi out there… but I didn’t think we’d actually run into one.”

“You and me both,” he muttered, glancing back at the Wookie. “But the sooner he’s out of our hair, the safer we’ll all be.”

They landed in the dense forest. The towering trees and vegetation gave them enough coverage should any patrols in the air come looking. Specter geared up, readjusting her boots and securing her rifle components, grabbing her axe as well. 

Together they all filed out of the Marauder and began the trek through the forest. It felt familiar and foreign at the same time, Specter kept expecting to find some remnant of a droid left behind. Hunter’s hand gently brushed hers, silently asking if she was alright. She nodded.

“Do you remember anything about this planet?” Omega asked Gungi. He replied softly in Shyriiwook. “What did he say?”

“From his dreams,” Hunter translated. Specter knew with how young the Jedi took away the children that the only way Gungi could have any semblance of familiarity would be from his Force. She wondered if it was anything like her Valkyrie senses.

Deeper into the forest, they came upon what looked like a cluster of webs. Specter shivered and fought back a heave. 

“Here. I’ll take care of it,” Wrecker said, unsheathing his machete and cutting away the webs. 

“I don’t remember any insects or arachnids the last time we were here,” Specter whimpered.

“We were stationed during the cold seasons. But you will be fine,” Tech said, patting her shoulder as he passed by. Specter gulped and shook out her hands, steeling herself before following the group into the nest. 

“Woah!” Wrecker cried out, stopping the group.

“What do you mean ‘woah’- oh that is a big spider,” Specter shivered, looking up and seeing several orange, spider-like creatures descending upon them, shrieking and chattering.

“They’re swarming us!” said Echo. Wrecker drew his blaster; Specter reached for her axe, holding it up, ready to strike. 

“Hold your fire,” Hunter ordered. Gungi placed his hands on their weapons and shook his head, saying something. 

“He says, ‘they will not attack unless we pose a threat’,” Tech translated. Specter watched as the young Wookie closed his eyes and reached out with his hand, calming the creatures enough to let them pass. She breathed a sigh of relief and clipped her axe, following Gungi and the others under and around the webs; she winced as she passed.

Further along, the team came to a ledge, finding brown smoke a short distance away in the valley below. Specter gasped at the sight. 

“According to my telemetry, the village is straight ahead,” Tech pointed out.

“Of course it is,” Specter mumbled.

By the time they reached the village, they already knew they wouldn’t find anyone. All the main structures had been burnt down and there was no one in sight. Gungi fell to his knees, whimpering in sorrow.

“Tanks came through here,” Hunter felt the tracks on the ground, “the Empire incinerated the entire village.” 

Specter felt a buzzing in the back of her neck; it crawled up through her helmet and behind her ear as she turned to find another small column of smoke only a few feet away, the source hidden behind a fallen tree. She jogged over, but the buzzing only increased as a nauseating stench filled the air with each step closer to the mysterious source.  

Climbing over the log, she found, was a mistake. 

What was left of the Wookies were burning. Large patches of fur were missing on the bodies that hadn’t been completely charred yet. 

She blinked and for a split second she saw the bodies of clones, her group among them.

The noise inside Specter’s head was deafening, she could barely hear the sounds of her hyperventilating through the piercing hum. She couldn’t think—she could barely fathom trying to collect herself and remind herself that she was better than this. The sight was too much and was beginning to bore into her mind. She scrambled away, breathing heavily through tears and trying to rid her helmet of the smell that lingered.

It wasn’t enough.

She returned to the group in a panic, trying and failing to get her helmet off.

“Specter, what’s wrong?” Hunter asked, worried about the state she returned in. She couldn’t answer, only shaking her head as the taste of bile coated her tongue. She screamed in frustration as she finally yanked her helmet off and threw it on the ground, gasping for air and falling to her knees, clutching the still-warm dirt. Her heartbeat rattled her bones and the buzzing shattered them. Hunter kneeled beside her, rubbing her back while Wrecker kneeled in front of her. 

“Breathe, Specter, breathe,” he softly said. Behind him, Echo stood with Gungi and Omega. Specter glanced through her tears back towards the smoke stack.

“What was over there, Specter?” Tech asked, gently.

“The-” she cleared her throat and swallowed hard, “the Wookies fro-from the village.” She could see Wrecker and Tech’s stance deflate, she wanted to cry but couldn’t. Hunter nodded towards the both of them, they stepped back and gave the two of them space. He took off his helmet and moved in front of her.

“Specter. Hey, Specter, look at me,” he said, gently tilting up her chin and moving hair out of her face. He could barely stand to look at her red eyes, still lined with distress. “I’m right here. We’re okay,” he reassured, making sure her eyes locked with his. 

The image of the bodies faded as Specter focused solely on the details of Hunter's face; the shape of his nose, the stubble across his chin, her reflection in his kind gray eyes. Her breathing slowed, she could feel herself calming down and returning to normal.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. He leaned forward and hugged her tight. She weakly hugged him back. “I thought I had it under control.”

“You’re okay, Spec,” he muttered. “You’re allowed to lose control sometimes and feel what you need to feel. You just had me worried.” He pulled away, holding the side of her face, wiping away a tear with his thumb. She took another deep breath and nodded, moving to stand up; he helped her up and Tech handed over her helmet. 

“I administered a spray that should help with the smell… and nausea,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice still hoarse. She shoved it on—Tech’s spray had worked—hiding her face. 

A mechanical rumbling disrupted the group, they all looked in the direction the sound came from, running over to take cover in the tall grass. Hunter signaled for Specter to take a position high in the trees, she nodded, her focus on the mission returning. She veered off, climbing one of the tall trees and settling into the hold of its branches.

Through her sniper scope she could see a squad of Imperial tanks with Trandoshans at the helm. An adult Wookie was cuffed as a hostage. 

“Specter, you seeing this?” Hunter asked through the comm.

“Copy. I’m clocking two tanks and maybe a dozen Trandoshans. One hostage,” she reported. The lead tank launched a blaze of fire at a cairn of stones, ruining their carved surface and almost melting them. Her finger itched on the trigger before a blur crossed her scope.

“Damn kid,” she hissed, watching as Gungi ran up to the Trandoshans and bared his teeth, turning on his lightsaber. Blaster shots rang out, Gungi deflected them with ease and the Batch returned fire. Specter took the chance and started sniping away at the Trandoshans, not caring if her shots ended up killing them. 

Some of her shots missed; she knew she was nowhere near her twin’s skill level, with or without the emotional distress. Specter took a breath, pulling away from the scope to let her eyes relax before snapping back into focus.

The world was slow. Her next few shots came clear. One to the head. Another, the heart. The last: from the back as he charged at Tech, who was occupied with another Trandoshan.

A bolt flew by her head, pulling her out of her zone and setting the world back into motion. One of the Trandoshans had tracked her shots. 

“Haar’chak!” she hissed, stowing her weapon and climbing down the tree. The blaster fire stopped by the time she reached the ground, but the flames hadn’t.

“We need to stop the flames from spreading,” Hunter said. “Start digging.” He handed out shovels from the fallen tanks, offering one to Specter; she turned it down in favor of her axe. They started hacking away at the ground. 

Specter’s arms were tired from swinging her axe—using her blaster never involved that much arm work—but she pushed on until the fire was contained and died out. Their work was done. The team began to regroup, but she hesitated upon seeing Gungi. Her heart ached for him, more so after seeing the remains of his people, and wasn’t sure how well she’d be able to handle herself. A distant chittering and shrieking caught their attention.

“More Trandoshans?” Echo questioned.

“No. Something bigger,” Hunter theorized, sensing whatever was coming their way. Specter gripped her axe but didn’t raise it, waiting to see what would approach. 

Suddenly, three giant feline creatures jumped down; one was mounted by the Wookie hostage Gungi had freed earlier. The three of them gave celebratory growls and motioned for them to climb up.

“They said they’ll take us to their village,” Hunter translated, holstering his pistol.

“Well, that’s convenient,” Specter said with a smirk. They all grouped up, Hunter reached down and offered his hand to Specter, pulling her up. She wrapped her arms around his waist just as the Wookies began their journey back to the village. 

They arrived at the village, climbing down from the creatures, greeted by an elder and her two guards. She greeted the former hostage while Specter helped Omega down. The elder welcomed the group.

“Her name is Yanna. She appears to be leading them,” Tech translated.

“We are returning him to his homeworld,” Hunter explained to Yanna, Wrecker stepped aside so Gungi could go forward, “but he doesn’t know what village he’s from.” Yanna gingerly caressed the side of Gungi’s face, bowing her head, expecting a greeting. Gungi awkwardly touched his forehead to hers, unsure. 

“Is that their greeting?” Omega whispered.

“It is,” Specter answered. 

“But you and Hunter do the same thing, and it doesn’t look like a greeting.”

“Well it just means something different,” Specter explained, clearing her throat and averting her gaze. Yanna smiled but asked Hunter something else.

“We were soldiers of the Republic. But let’s just say we don’t see eye-to-eye with the Empire,” Hunter explained. Yanna spoke, perhaps finding their intentions suspicious. 

“We came because Gungi was in trouble. Jedi or not, he’s still a child. He needs his people.”

The Wookies had invited the Batch inside to eat while Hunter, Tech, and Omega discussed with Yanna about Gungi’s situation. Specter sharpened her axe blade with a sharpening stone one of the Wookies had offered her. 

She forced herself to be occupied, worried that if she stopped to think, the image of the burning bodies would flicker back to life. 

Specter checked the edge of the blade. A dull spot near the tip and near the bottom. She continued to work at it, even as the Wookie from earlier brought out soup for them. He took a bowl full and sipped before offering to Echo.

“Uh, no thanks,” he declined, making a face. 

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Wrecker said with a laugh, grabbing the bowl and taking big gulps. “You want any, Spec?”

“Hmm? No, it’s all yours. I don’t have much of an appetite,” she shrugged. Wrecker went at it, but Echo spared her a concerned glance. She gave him a small smile.

“Yanna’s agreed to let Gungi stay with them,” Omega announced as she and the others came around the table. 

“What about the Trandoshans?” Echo wondered.

“The Empire’s been using them to strip the planet’s resources,” Hunter explained. Specter stopped grinding, biting her tongue. “Many of the villagers have fled deeper into the jungle.”

“Yanna’s scouts are reporting a large convoy headed in this direction. She says to leave,” Tech said.

“Hunter, the Wookies were our allies for years. We have to do something,” Echo urged. Hunter glanced at Specter; she said nothing, but her eyes conveyed the same longing. She wouldn’t allow them to just leave, not after what she had seen.

“We’ll stay and help you fight them,” Hunter told Yanna. She seemed to argue against it, concerned for their safety. “You don’t have to do this alone.” Gungi roared, adding his point; Yanna growled, calling the other Wookies to follow her outside. The Batch watched as they laid their hands on the tree and bowed their heads, kneeling before it. Gungi copied them, though Specter doubted he knew what he was supposed to do. 

“What are they doing?” Omega asked.

“They’re asking the trees for help,” Hunter answered.

“They’re talking to the trees?”

“They believe this planet belongs to the trees. And they are allies in this fight,” Tech explained. 

“We’ll take all the allies we can get,” said Hunter. “Let’s let them come up with a plan. Wrecker and Echo, you scout the south side of the village.” The pair saluted and went off. “Specter, can I talk to you?”

She huffed, knowing she would be questioned about her state and if she would be able to put up a fight. But she nodded and followed Hunter to a more private corner so they could talk. Specter propped herself up on the railing while he leaned against the wall, facing her with his arms crossed.

“What happened back there?” he asked, gently. She sighed.

“... it was easier when we were fighting droids. They didn’t have the capacity to be so… cruel,” she admitted. “At least they just shot you and moved on. They didn’t raid your entire village and then skin you.” Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the rail, still feeling the heat from that fire. “I saw the pile of those bodies… and I saw us–clones–burning with them. I saw you and I just,” she paused to take a steadying breath, “just feel so much weaker. Everything I’ve been feeling has been affecting me and my performance in the field,” she said. “If you want me out of the fight this time around, just say so. Don’t play the long game with me.”

“No,” Hunter shut the idea down. “I need you to fight, because even though you think you’re weaker, you’re our strongest fighter because you feel so much.” Specter looked up at him then. “When the rest of us think a mission can’t be done, or that we’re not going to make it, there you are willing to push on until your very last breath because of the motivation in your heart.” He went to stand next to her.

“Look, I know you may feel weak and hopeless—seeing those bodies would be upsetting to any one of us—but I know that you aren’t going to just fight. You’re going to give it your all to avenge them. Am I right?”

“Yeah… I-”

“Don’t apologize,” he interrupted her. “Never apologize for feeling too much,” he looked up at her. She nodded, genuinely feeling better. The bodies had burned away and she could now scatter the ashes.

“Thank you, then. You know I wouldn’t know what I’d do without you,” she said with a smile. He placed his hand over hers.

“Anytime, anything, Spec.” Their eyes locked, Specter was certain it had gotten warmer. Her eyes fluttered before Echo and Wrecker came running back. Specter hopped off the rail and put distance between herself and Hunter, walking back towards Tech and Omega.

“The Trandoshan convoy’s closing in,” Echo reported. Gungi approached, speaking in Shyriiwook.

“The trees have a plan?” Hunter questioned. “Alright. Whatever they say,” he shrugged, putting on his helmet.

“This oughta be good,” Specter muttered. 

The convoy slowly approached, keeping an eye out for any targets. Unfortunately for them, the Batch and the Wookies were waiting for them. Tech threw a grenade, the explosion disrupted their path and the battle begun. The Batch and the Wookies laid heavy fire at the Trandoshans, attempting to turn them back the way they came. Specter, using her rifle, unleashed rapid-fire, pelting the Trandoshans and the handful of Imperial troopers that were with them. Wookies mounted on their felines jumped down, crushing a few and trampling on the tanks, drawing their fire. 

“Stick to the plan. Draw them into the nest,” said Hunter. With that, the group moved their position, drawing the Trandoshans and Imperials away from the village and toward the nest of webs. “Specter, do you think you can head deeper inside?”

“I can’t really say no, can I?” she asked, dreading the task.

“We’re really counting on you,” Hunter urged, dodging blaster fire. 

“Fine. I’ll wait for your signal,” she sighed. Specter stowed her rifle and ran into the nest. Wookies were already banging on the trees and webs, disturbing the creatures that resided.

“Ew, ew, ew!” she whimpered, maneuvering around the sticky webs. At the base of a great tree, she shook out her hands and began to climb up, stationing herself just above where the Kinraths scurried about. They hadn’t noticed her yet; she watched from between leaves and webs as what was left of the convoy drew closer.

The Wookies stopped their ruckus. Her signal.

With her sniper rifle, she aimed and fired a single shot at the feet of the lead Trandoshan, startling the Kinraths. With a screech, they descended from the trees and attacked the convoy, finishing them off. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to climb down before her comm chimed.

“Specter, do you have eyes on the kids? We lost track,” Hunter asked. 

“Standby,” she replied, moving from branch to branch, looking for any sign of them. “Hunter?” she called in, “I’m not seeing Gungi or Omega, but I do see smoke. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire. West by north-west of your current position.”

“Copy.”

By the time Specter had made it back to the ground, Tech was already gathering the Wookies to move on Hunter’s position.

“What’s the problem now?” she asked.

“That fire you saw was bigger than we thought and is spreading fast,” Tech explained. 

“Good thing you sharpened your axe, huh?” Wrecker added, jogging past. Specter groaned but unsheathed the weapon.

“Alright, but let’s hope this is the last time today.”

Specter rolled her shoulders as they approached the village, but she was happy their work was done nonetheless. She’d miss Kashyyyk, doubting they would return any time soon, if at all. The Wookies had led them inside for a feast while Gungi took Omega outside, showing her how to speak to the trees; Hunter left the table to watch over them, Specter joined him.

“Do you think he’ll be okay here?” she asked, coming up next to him.

“Yeah. Jedi or not, he’s a strong kid. I think he’ll be just fine,” he assured. They watched as Omega took a knee next to Gungi and placed a hand on the tree, bowing her head. Hunter glanced down at the space between him and Specter, carefully taking her hand in his and interlacing their fingers together. Her breath caught, but she forced herself to keep looking ahead, unable to stop the smile that lifted the corners of her lips.

“And what about you? Are you going to be okay?” Hunter asked. She didn’t know how to answer; it would feel odd to simply leave the planet after everything she had seen. But she saw Omega and Gungi, peacefully kneeling at the base of the tree without any shred of worry. 

“I think I will be,” she finally answered, smiling at Hunter and squeezing his hand. Turning back to the kids, she closed her eyes and felt the sun kiss her cheek and the breeze ruffle her hair.

She knew it would be hard, harder than anything she had ever faced, but Specter knew her journey wasn't over. At least with her team—her tribe—by her side, she'd overcome every challenge thrown her way and become the Valkyrie she was made to be.

[purrgilpawkins]

Bubbles + Marshmallows

Summary: Mac takes a bubble bath. (Also available on AO3)

Pairings: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver

Part of the Comfortember 2020 series Prompt: Hot Cocoa

Warnings: n/a

Notable tags: H/C, fluff, hurt Mac, caring Jack

Mac slowly eased himself into the warm water, the scented soap suds making him feel all the more relaxed. Being covered head to toe in painful bruises that left him feeling more sore than he’d ever had in his life, he’d almost felt a little overwhelmed. But thanks to Jack’s quick thinking, instead of adding sight to the list of Mac’s busy senses, the delta left the lights off and lit multiple unscented candles scattered around the bathroom.

They’d been on three missions in a row, no break in between. Mac had slept through the entire ten hour flight back to the Phoenix. The combination of the uncomfortable jet couch plus the adrenaline crash left Mac beyond sore upon waking up. He’d hoped the limp wasn’t all that obvious but at Jack’s “insistence” (he wasn’t taking no for an answer) that he drove Mac home, he knew he’d been caught.

Mac laid in the tub feeling the water soothe his aching body. Just as he started to doze a little, Jack knocked on the door and walked in with a cup of hot chocolate he’d promised with the bath.

“You feelin’ any better, hoss?”

Mac accepted the mug from Jack and immediately took a sip.

“I am now. Thanks,”

Jack moved to the floor and sat up against the tub, propping his elbow on the edge and resting his head on his fist. “You know,” he started, “that hot cocoa is one of my mama’s recipes.” Mac took another sip of his cocoa and set the mug down on the tub.

“Really? Since when is pouring chocolate powder in hot milk a recipe?”

Jack put his other hand on his chest in mock offense. “Dude, I melted that chocolate myself. Steamed it, not throwing it in the microwave or whatever. The hell you think I was doing for the past fifteen minutes?”

“Oh,” was all Mac said in response. He must’ve dozed off longer than he’d thought. Was he really that exhausted? Despite the realization that he was, in fact, that exhausted, he let Jack continue on with his recipe talk.

“Yeah, man. I sprinkled a little cinnamon in, some extra sugar. Crushed up some peppermint and a few of the chocolate pieces I didn’t melt. Was gonna put those on top of some whipped cream but you didn’t have any so I just threw ‘em in as is and--”

“All this and you didn’t put in any marshmallows?”

“Aw damn. Knew I forgot something. Hang on.” Jack was on his feet in a second and, almost slipping, made his way out the door to the kitchen. Mac relaxed back against the tub and no sooner did Jack rush back in. “Okay, so you had regular, peppermint, and jumbo but I wasn’t sure which one you wanted so I brought all three.” He laid the bags on the side of the tub and Mac reached for the jumbos.

“So,” Mac popped a marshmallow in his mouth as Jack sat down against the tub again, “what’s with all the excess hovering. I mean, you usually hover after I get hurt on a mission but never to the degree where you draw me a bath.”

Jack reached up to scratch at the scruff on his face. “Well I was thinkin’--” he pointed a finger at Mac to shut him up after seeing the smirk on his face, “--was thinkin’ about how you never seem to take care of yourself, and I’m not just talkin’ about treating wounds or sleeping or, god forbid, eating something every once in a while,” Jack gives him a pointed look and Mac looked in another direction. “No, I mean like, enjoying the little things, y’know? When was the last time you had a bubble bath, huh? Don’t act like you ain’t lovin’ the hell out of it.”

Mac’s only response is a one-shouldered shrug as a grin slowly grew on his face.

“Uh huh. Look, man, you’re constantly doin’ things. You just need to relax every once in a while.”

“Not sure I’d be able to shut my brain off long enough to do that.”

“I know something that’ll knock you out real quick, if need be,” Jack raised his hand in a fist and tapped it with his other. Mac laughed.

“Thanks, Jack. I’ll be sure to remember that you beating me up is always an option.”

The two spent the next several minutes conversing until the bath water started to get cold; Mac didn’t want to acknowledge it so he could spend more time in the comforting presence of his partner but Jack decided to call it quits when the younger man started to shiver. Mac reluctantly agreed and made to push himself out of the tub. His body being black and blue coupled with his exhaustion made for a failed attempt.

“Hey, Jack?”

“Yeah, man?”

“Can you help me out?” Mac’s face tinged pink. Sure, they’d seen each other naked before (they don’t like to talk about it much, obviously) but that didn’t make it any less awkward.

“Oh, sure.” Jack, a man with no shame whatsoever, seemed oblivious to Mac’s discomfort and put his arms underneath the younger man’s armpits and pulled him up to full height. He then helped him out of the tub and onto the toilet seat, snagging a nearby towel on the way. Mac started drying his hair while Jack was going around the room extinguishing the candles.

Once Mac was dry, Jack helped him to his bed and laid out some clothes. “You need help with these or…?”

“No, no. I can do it.”

Mac got dressed and lowered himself into his bed, fatigue making itself very known. Jack came over a second later to straighten out the bedsheets and ran his fingers through the blond’s hair. Seeing that Mac has been thoroughly relaxed and was on his way to dreamland, Jack made his way to the door with the intent of crashing on the couch before Mac called out quietly, “Hey, Jack?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“Stay?”

Jack sighed fondly and made his way over to the unoccupied side of Mac’s bed before laying down. “Is this what you wanted?” At Mac snuggling into his side and laying his head on Jack’s shoulder, he had his answer.

“Jack?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.”

Jack smiled, “Anytime, Mac.”