#and the sequels no longer believe in any of those things.

[sallykie]

I've decided. I don't like the HTTYD movie sequels' xenophobia era. I don't think the themes should have gone that way.

[lustspren]

Winter Wonderland

Male reader x Karina, Heejin (Lyra), Yooyeon (Nissa) (please don’t bitch about the names again, have some imagination bro idk).

A Red Hot Sloppy Christmas sequel.

word count: 13.3k

tags: elves karina heejin and yooyeon, foursome, oily sex in general, blowjob, anal, assjob, bi, master kink, lot of creampies, rope play, bondage, literally magic cock (i’m deadass serious)

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You had never looked forward to Christmas Eve that much. Never. Not even that time in your childhood when you asked for a Darth Maul lightsaber and a WWE championship belt and counted the days on your calendar every morning. Now you did something similar, but the circumstances were completely different: you were expecting a gift too—a damn nice one, by the way—only this time it was a person.

Well, an elf. The distinction was important.

You had completely neglected to tell anyone about your experience, not even those closest to you. Why? To others it would sound like you took too many hallucinogens that night after dinner with your friends; it was completely stupid, and you knew it. No one would believe you.

But it wasn't like you were too eager to tell anyone about anything either. It was like your wonderful little secret. Like Charlie from Stephen King's Fairy Tale and the secret passageway that leads to the world below: no one could know of its existence, as the repercussions could be catastrophic.

Of course, these 'catastrophic consequences' were just mere conjecture and you were perhaps exaggerating a bit. But what if it happened? Would she never come again? Would you be taken to the North Pole to be judged by an elven court for revealing the secret even if no one would have believed you? These were stupid questions, because in the first place, not a single word would ever come out of your mouth. But still, thinking about it kept you up at night for several nights.

Needless to say, your behavior throughout the year had been exemplary. Normally you wouldn't have needed an elf to tell you that you had to do it in order to really do it; you had always been a kind, helpful, honest man without expecting any rewards for it. But now you knew the reward, and for a whole year you were the closest thing to a Buddhist monk you'd ever been in your life.

So yes, she had to come back. You were sure of it. Mostly to explain to you what the hell happened with... well, you had cummed inside her—a lot—and you thought the baby thing was a joke, but she was too cool and serious about it, and frankly you were terrified by the possibility that there was a mini you with pointy ears making toys and hot cocoa in the North Pole. Not by her existence, but by your absence.

Although, would that mini you really have cared? Would she have told him about you? Questions like that would come and go, turn into a tornado of anxiety and nerves and go away again. You just had the overwhelming need to see her again.

But despite anticipating that day so much, you didn't let your life revolve around it and made plans with your friends as normal. The hangout wasn't all that different from last year: same dinner, same gift exchange, and same drinking session that ended with two of your colleagues lying on the floor stinking of alcohol. You of course didn't let yourself end up in that state, not when you had a pending date at home.

This time you didn't arrive at 1 in the morning, but at 2. You ran up the stairs of the building like lightning, and when you got to your floor you literally ran to your apartment with the keys already in hand. The damn lock was your worst enemy at that moment; you couldn't find the right damn key despite using it every damn day, and when you found it, for some reason it took you longer than usual to finally open the door and go in.

There was a quick way to know if she was really there already, and that was by taking off your shoes. But when you did, the disappointment of not finding the floor frozen like the last time made you sigh. She wasn't there, at least not yet. You weren't going to lose hope. She was surely busy with her elf business.

Unwilling to accept disappointment as a mood at the moment, you hung your trench coat on your coat rack and walked slowly into your living room. Now, the floor might not be cold, but your Christmas tree along with every other decoration was lit, and brighter than usual. That could only mean two things: either the power grid was overloaded and you were about to experience a blackout, or she was coming soon.

For the sake of your sanity you would stick with the second possibility.

The dilemma was now deciding what you were going to spend the time you had to wait on. Several options were running through your head, such as preparing something for her arrival. The thing is, she was an elf, not Santa Claus; you didn't know if the same tastes as the bearded old man would apply to her. It was a silly thing to think about, because who didn't like cookies?

Yes, that's what you were going to do: cookies with a glass of strawberry milk. She was sure to love it.

Decided, you turned around to go to the kitchen, but you had barely taken a step when you heard something behind you, something that made you stop dead: a slight tinkling, almost imperceptible, as if little crystals were brushing against each other in the air. At first it was distant, but as the seconds passed the noise took shape until it sounded like a miniature blizzard. As you turned around, your eyes shined at what was emerging next to your Christmas tree: a sparkling swirl of snowflakes that started small, grew larger until it rose upwards, and slowly materialized into a silhouette. A woman.

Well, an elf. And it's not like you'd seen too many in your life, but she was without a doubt the most beautiful one you'd ever seen. There was no competition, you were sure.

Karina had appeared with her back to you, so she spent a few seconds looking for you on that side of the living room. It wasn't until she turned around that your eyes met. Hers lit up with a cute sparkle, but not figuratively, they literally gave off a little spark the moment she recognized you.

"Master!" she squealed, running with little jumps towards you.

"Karina!" you said back, with a smile so big that your cheeks hurt.

She lunged into your arms, causing you both to fall to the floor. You squeezed her in your arms, both of you laughing.

"I missed you so much, master!" Karina said, kicking her feet, her arms wrapped around your head and her face buried in your neck.

At that moment you noticed something that made you feel like a fool for not having done it before, because it was right in front of your nose. Karina was blonde now. A nice pale blonde that suited her perfectly. And not only that. Her hair used to smell like toasted hazelnut, and now you could smell a faint scent of pine and lavender.

"Really?" you asked with warm cheeks and a silly smile. "I... didn't think you cared that much."

Karina moved away from you and settled herself sitting on your abdomen, with a look of not liking what you had said at all.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" She asked with a frown.

"I mean, uhm... I don't know!" you shrugged. "I thought you'd be so busy at the North Pole that well... you'd have forgotten about me."

Karina fell silent, staring at you.

"You're scaring me," you said.

"Master, you're so lucky that I'm a snow elf and can't commit violent acts!" she held up her finger. "There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of you!"

"I'm sorry! Can you understand me? I spent a whole week thinking that you were just a very lucid dream."

"But I’m not!" she snapped. You had to say that she looked too cute when she was angry.

"Yeah, you definitely not," you replied with a giggle, and brought your hands up to her hair to feel it between your fingers. "But I remembered you... brunette."

"Oh," Karina looked down and saw the strands you were grabbing, then her cheeks turned as red as one of the baubles on your Christmas tree. "That? Well..." her lips curved into a cute smile. "That's what happens to elves when..."

The soft tinkling of swirling snowflakes interrupted her. You frowned and sat up with her still on your lap, and both of you turned to your Christmas tree. This time it wasn't just one swirl, but two.

"Uhm... Karina, what's going on?" you asked, bewildered.

"It seems my sisters remembered that they had to come with me here tonight," Karina said, and she got up from your lap to go stand near the already rising swirls, arms akimbo and head cocked to the side.

"Wait what?" You stood up and went to stand behind her. "Sisters? Do you have sisters?"

"Well they're not my sisters as such, but that's how we call each other at the North Pole," she replied, as snowflakes took shape. "And… here they are."

From both whirls appeared two girls, both as beautiful as Karina. One of them, the shorter one, had long dark brown hair, and her dress was similar to Karina's, only the skirt was more flared and the red was brighter. The other, slightly taller than the first but still shorter than Karina, had short black shiny hair, and her dress, with two pompoms on the chest, was fastened to her neck like a choker with a red bow. Her dress was the same color as the shorter girl's, but it was considerably shorter to show off more thighs.

"May I know what happened?" Karina asked, while the two girls looked around. "You were supposed to appear with me!"

"It was her fault!" the short-haired girl immediately said with a frown, stepping forward while pointing at the other. "She got distracted feeding a reindeer!"

The other girl, unconcerned by the black-haired girl's accusations, stood beside her with a big smile on her face as she skipped around a bit.

"You should have seen him! He was so cute!" she said, then tilted her head at you over Karina's shoulder. "Oh, almost as cute as him."

The black-haired girl looked at you as well, and they both walked past Karina to stand in front of you.

"Is he our master, Karina?" the black-haired girl asked, staring at you with her hands behind her back.

"Aha," Karina nodded behind them, her arms crossed. "Master, this is Nissa," she pointed at the black-haired girl. "And she is... Lyra! Master has not ordered you to do that!"

Lyra had her arms around your neck, and her face was very close to yours. She had puppy eyes, bright and cute, and from what you could sense over that dress, she had a tight, slim body.

"No, but I read his mind," Lyra replied with a mischievous little smile. "And I already know how he wants us to serve him."

Shit, right. They could do that.

You were still, still not wanting to lay your hands on them from the slight shock you had.

"We must wait for master's orders anyway, silly!" Nissa scolded, and with a tug she pulled her away from you. "It's rule number one!"

"But rules are a pain!" Lyra complained.

"Silence, both of you!" Karina said, and pushed them away to stand between you. "Well? Do you like your gift, master?"

“I…” Your gaze went to Lyra, who seemed eager to be ordered around, and then to Nissa, who looked much calmer and more cautious. “I don’t understand, why are there three of you here now?”

Karina let out a giggle.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She cocked her head. “Because of how good you were this year!”

Lyra and Nissa nodded.

“Very few were as good a person as you, master,” Nissa said. “Your name was on a list of only two thousand people.”

You raised your eyebrows. Two thousand people. 8.025 billion people in the world, and only two thousand. Boy you were screwed as a society.

“And of course Karina set herself aside exclusively for you!” Lyra added. “Then we were ordered to come with her.”

“And that’s why there are three of us instead of one, master,” Karina finally said. “Triple fun, don’t you think?”

"Triple fun indeed..." you nodded, looking at the three of them carefully. But your gaze ended up landing on Nissa. "Is there a reason why your dress is so short?"

You knew the answer: nice fleshy thighs. But you hoped she would use her powers to make you confirm something. Nissa didn't disappoint you, as she turned around, looked over her shoulder at you, and lifted her dress to confirm your suspicions: her ass was pretty and round, and very spankable.

"For this, master," she said. "Because I know you can have fun with it. Come, touch it please."

You reached out and placed your hand on one of her buttocks. You took a few seconds to feel how soft it was, and when you squeezed it, it felt like a delicious marshmallow.

"Very nice..." you nodded, removed your hand, and then looked at Lyra. "And what about you? Any qualities you'd like to highlight, darling?"

"I'm tight, master," she grabbed your other hand, bringing it under her dress and then between her legs to let your fingers against her slit. Instinctively you rubbed it over her panties. "Very, very tight."

"Fuck..." you muttered and then looked at Karina. "And what about you?"

"Me?" Karina pointed at herself. "I'm yours, master. For a year now. Do you need me to say anything else?"

"Absolutely not, come here," you said, and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her into a kiss.

Karina welcomed your lips with a cute sigh, as if she had been waiting for that kiss as much as you. She clung to your neck with both arms, one hand on your back and the other in strands of your hair. You roamed your hands over every corner of her body: waist, back, arms, thighs and ass, each part slightly fleshier than last year.

"Girls," you said, pulling away from Karina's lips for a moment. "Feel free to read my every thought and act on it as you see fit."

"Yes, master," you heard them both say as you kissed Karina again.

Lyra immediately latched onto the left side of your body and began to fill that side of your neck with kisses, one hand on your abdomen under your sweater and the other on your lower back. Nissa got behind you, and with Lyra's help she pulled your sweater off. She then planted her lips on your back, tracing a path of kisses that covered your shoulder blades, your nape, and the side of your neck that Lyra couldn't reach.

When your kiss with Karina got intense you let yourself go, pulling down the top of her dress to let her tits fall and pulling up her skirt so you could squeeze her buttocks between your fingers. Lyra unbuttoned your pants, and Nissa slipped her hand inside your boxers to grab your cock. The touch of her fingers felt cold at first, but she must have used her powers in some way, because within seconds her hand started to feel warm against your skin; that felt amazing, especially when she cupped your balls and massaged them, now with one hand rubbing your chest.

Lyra lowered her kisses from your neck to your collarbone, and then slowly moved down your chest until she got on her knees and reached your abdomen. She placed wet kisses there, slowly around your navel and near Nissa's wrist as the short-haired girl stroked your cock under your boxers. Your pants were a nuisance when she tried to lower her lips further, so she grabbed them from the curb and, along with your underwear, pulled them down to your ankles.

"Oh... your cock looks delicious, master," you heard Lyra say, and then you felt her lips on your thigh, near your crotch. Nissa was slowly stroking you, and now Karina was also playing with your balls with her tits pressed to your chest.

You pulled away from Karina's lips, looked down at Lyra, and put a hand on her cheek to rub it with your thumb.

"Wanna taste it?" you asked between gasps, as Karina and Nissa were fondling your cock in all sorts of ways.

"I do what my master..."

"No," you interrupted her. "Just answer my question."

Lyra looked into your eyes, and held your gaze as she took your cock between her cold fingers. Karina and Nissa took the cue and knelt down as well, Nissa taking the right side and Karina the middle. It was then that Lyra, without foreplay or warning, took you into her mouth to slowly suck on your cock, between long moans and deep breaths. She pulled out within seconds.

"I'd love to, master," she replied, and along with the other two girls began to fill every corner of your shaft with wet kisses. "Even if it barely fits in my little mouth."

"Then come on," you said between gasps, watching the three girls soak your cock with their lips. "Have fun with it."

"Master," Karina said, as Lyra and Nissa each took one of your balls to lick and suck on. "May I use my powers on you?"

You frowned.

"For what?" you cocked your head.

Karina smiled, bringing a finger to your tip to collect a drop of precum and bring it to her mouth.

"You'll see," she said, and gave your tip a lick. "For now just enjoy."

With that said Karina was next to take you inside her mouth. You immediately had flashbacks of your past encounter with her; it felt just as warm, and she kept her skill with her tongue intact. The pace she kept was also the same: slow, deep, making sure your cock was covered in her saliva. You moaned a few times, and she imitated you, horny just by the fact that she was giving you so much pleasure.

You wanted Nissa to be next, and so your wish was granted. The black-haired girl waited patiently for Karina to take you out of her mouth to take you in hers. Like Karina, Nissa pumped her head slowly and torturously, gently sliding down every inch of your cock as she could thanks to how slippery it was.

Lyra was eager to take her turn as well, and you could tell she was getting very impatient, because she was moaning over and over again, kissing the inches of cock that Nissa didn't have in her mouth with her hands clinging to your thighs. In your head you gave the order for her turn to be given, and Nissa complied immediately.

"Fuck, finally," Lyra said, and took your cock in one hand before sinking her mouth there.

For the first time, you felt like how you liked things wasn't the most important thing, because as soon as she caught you between her lips, Lyra started pumping her head like a demon, fast and disastrous, in complete contrast to the work Karina and Nissa had done so far. You weren't bothered by it, on the contrary it got even more moans out of you. But the other two girls seemed confused, since they knew that those weren't your preferences.

If that wasn't enough, Lyra surprised you by taking you completely inside her mouth. You expected that because of the size ratio between your cock and her mouth she would gag, but that didn't happen. She kept you in her throat while the saliva poured out in thick drops. Seconds later, she kept pumping her head like nothing, until without even noticing you came inside her mouth.

"Oh my fucking...!" You brought your hand up to cover your mouth in order not to curse anymore, as Lyra milked your cock using her lips and fingers at the same time. She swallowed every drop, letting the saliva spill out but not your load, and after a few moans around your shaft, she pulled out to show you her cum-filled mouth.

"M-Master... did you like that?" Karina asked, afraid that Lyra might have been too reckless.

"I..." you gasped, looking down at Lyra as she swallowed your cum. "I loved it."

Karina and Nissa sighed in relief. Lyra just smiled from ear to ear.

"Very well, now look at this," Karina said.

Karina placed her outstretched hand beneath your cock, and with a subtle flourish of her fingers, caused a cold blizzard of tiny, sparkling snowflakes to spread across every inch of your shaft. When the blizzard cleared and she finally took hold of your cock to stroke it, you felt no trace of sensitivity whatsoever.

“What the...” you raised your eyebrows. “That’s��� perfect!” you chuckled. “What else did you do?”

“Your cock won’t go limp unless you want it to,” she replied. “And you can give us as many loads as you want, master.”

“Does that mean my cock is magic now?”

That got a giggle from her.

“You could say so.”

“Great,” you smiled. “Shall we go to the bedroom?”

“We’ll go wherever you want, master,” she said.

“Follow me then, please.”

You helped the three of them to their feet and led the way to your room. Inside everything was neat and tidy; you had made sure of that before you left your house that night, thinking exclusively of that moment when you would have to greet a pretty elf—three, in this case. They entered first, and you closed the door behind you before moving around them and going to sit on the bottom edge of the bed.

“Nissa, come here sweetheart,” you said, your hands resting on the mattress.

Nissa walked over to you, standing between your legs and turning her back to you, to lift her skirt and sit right on top of your cock, squeezing it between her buttocks. She ground her hips back and forth, rubbing herself against your shaft with her hands on your knees. You brought your hands to her waist and then slipped one under her dress to rub her lower back.

“You like my ass, don’t you master?” Nissa asked, looking over her shoulder at you with her lips slightly curved.

"Oh I love it..." you replied, watching your cock being kneaded between her ass cheeks. "It's so fucking pretty."

Karina and Lyra, of course, knew exactly what to do even if you weren't going to speak directly to them. They each climbed into bed with you, Lyra on your left and Karina on your right, both kissing either side of your neck and groping every part of your upper body.

You hadn't indulged in laying your hands on Lyra, so you reached out and wrapped an arm around her small frame to press her against you. She immediately sought out your lips, and upon finding them you merged into a messy, tongue-swirling kiss. Her dress screamed for you to unwrap it like a nice Christmas present, which you did with the help of the hand you had on her back. The garment gave way quickly, and now Lyra was completely naked except for her panties and boots.

You did the same with Karina, an even easier task than the first since you had already done half the work a few minutes ago. You squeezed them both against you, Lyra with her tight, toned petite body and Karina with her heavy tits. You kissed Karina first, but only took a few seconds before moving back to Lyra and her restless tongue. Despite this inclination, for both bodies you devoted careful attention with your hands, emphasizing both asses and both already wet pussies.

Nissa was still working on your cock. She had pulled off her panties, and had slobbered on your cock with her hand to give you an assjob that had you panting against Lyra's lips. At one point, her ass felt so good that you couldn't help but grab your cock, have her rub the tip between her folds, and straighten it so that Nissa impaled on every inch.

"Mmmmgh!" Nissa moaned, holding on tightly to your knees with your cock all the way in her warm, wet pussy.

"You like the way it feels, sweetheart?" you asked panting, and gave both of her ass cheeks a squeeze so she began to slowly move up and down.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that, master," she replied, looking straight into your eyes as she moved over every inch of your cock.

"Just answer," you insisted, one hand now on her lower back. "And take off that dress."

Nissa complied, taking a few seconds to pull her dress over her head. Now completely naked���except for her boots, like Karina and Lyra—she bounced ever faster on your cock, filling your room with cute moans.

"I love the way it feels, master," she moaned. "You'll make me cum a lot tonight, won't you?"

"Only if that's what you want," you said, giving her a small spank that made her moan louder. "Is that what you want?"

"Why does it matter what I want, master?" Nissa managed to ask despite being so agitated. "We are your gift this Christmas. What you want is what matters."

"Wrong," you gasped, reaching out again to grope Karina and Lyra's asses. Lyra's was firmer, and Karina's was fleshier. "None of this makes sense to me if I'm the only one enjoying it, so I do care a lot about what you want."

You heard Karina giggle to your right.

"And that's why you earned the three of us here, master," she said, and grabbed your face to make you kiss her again.

Nissa slowed down considerably, but now she moved harder and deeper. Surely that had a lot to do with what you had told her, because every time she slammed her ass into your pelvis she moaned long and hard. She was one of those girls, noted.

After a few seconds of kissing Karina you moved back to Lyra, while you pulled down both pairs of panties enough so you could play with both pussies comfortably. You put a finger in each one, pumping at a steady pace. Lyra moaned against your lips, and Karina clung tighter to you with one hand on your arm and the other on your shoulder.

"I want to eat your pussy," you gasped against Lyra's lips. "Both of you. You know what to do."

Karina and Lyra got down to business, while you just let yourself fall back to lie down and let the magic happen. They both turned their backs to you, separated their knees and moved a little towards you so that you had both asses on either side of your face, which you just had to turn a little. Now, with minimal effort, you could have a whole ass feast, quite literally.

You first turned to the right and focused on Karina's pussy, delighting in that exquisite taste you missed for so long. Not long after, you turned to the other side, now tasting Lyra's tight little pussy. You alternated between each one, unable to give more attention to one than the other. Nissa, on the other hand, had now returned to the usual rhythm, and bounced again and again against your cock until she finally came.

"C-can I keep going master?" You heard her say as you had your mouth buried in Lyra's pussy. "I've never felt this fucking good and… mmmgh!"

"Let me do it for you baby," you said, and sat up to stand with her, turn her around and make her get on her knees at the edge of the bed. She dropped forward immediately, hands on the mattress and ass up for you. "Oh, you can do like... things with each other? You know."

"We're not related," Lyra replied. "So you can safely order her to eat our pussies, master."

"You heard her, sweetie," you told Nissa with a couple of pats to her lower back before taking the reins and fucking her hard from behind.

Lyra and Karina lay on their backs next to each other, pulling their legs up to their torsos to hold them there with their own arms, making it easier for Nissa to do the job as you hammered her pussy like you were doing.

Nissa moved from side to side between moans, making sure to be even with the use of her mouth and tongue and even fingering them. The first to cum was Lyra, who had been horny for quite a while now and it wasn't hard to get her over the edge. Seconds later it was Nissa herself who came, unable to contain the pleasure already building up in her body. It wasn't until half a minute later that Karina came too, thanks to the joint work of Lyra, sucking on her tits, and Nissa, eating her pussy and fingering her.

"Only you're missing, master," Nissa said between gasps, looking over her shoulder at you. Her face was flushed in every corner, and her raven hair was messy. "What are you waiting for to fill my warm elf pussy?"

Your response was a spank that made her squeal. Your climax was pretty close, but the trigger was seeing at that very moment how Lyra and Karina kissed in the hottest, messiest, and mind-blowing way possible. You grabbed onto Nissa's waist, and with one hard thrust you came inside her between moans.

"Mmmgh yes, just like that," Nissa moaned as you filled her pussy, one side of your face resting against her crossed arms. "That feels good huh?"

"Oh it feels amazing, fuck," you gasped, hands on her buttocks. When your climax passed, you pulled out of her and took a step back. "Aight... the first one to get to clean up will be next."

Karina's reaction time was so fast that she didn't even give Lyra a chance to move. Within a couple of seconds she was already at your side to bend down and clean your cum from Nissa's pussy, while Lyra was still on the bed, with a frown and a slight pout that you found adorable.

"Don't be like that, cutie," you told Lyra with a smile. "If you know what I have in mind for you right now, you'll know that it will be worth waiting a little."

Lyra looked at you for a second, and the pout transformed into a small knowing smile. She pulled out a hand, and made a pair of ice-white but sturdy-looking handcuffs appear in her palm. But that wasn't the main attraction. A few seconds later, tied to her body appeared a series of red ropes, intertwined across her entire torso; these formed a star on her chest, with her tits protruding on either side of the lower point while the upper end was around her neck and the side ends under her armpits. The abdomen part formed a diamond with her belly right in the middle. She didn't have any limbs tied at the moment, so she could still move freely. For now.

"You're very naughty, master," Lyra said with a giggle, pulling Nissa towards her to remove her dress and leave her on equal terms with her and Karina. "Luckily for you, I'm very happy being naughty."

Karina grabbed your chin and made you look at her.

"Hey, you'll have time for her," she said, pressing herself against you so you could wrap your arms around her. "I won."

It was the first time she spoke to you like that, directly and without formalities, as if she were your equal and not as if you were a person superior to her. It was strange not to hear her call you master, but it drove you crazy.

"Yeah, keep talking to me like that," you smiled, bringing a hand between her buttocks to rub her folds. "It makes me want to fuck you even harder."

Karina tilted her head and smiled back at you, bringing her hand down to rub your cock.

"Oh yeah?" she said, then bit her bottom lip. "Then fuck me hard. I dare you. Fuck me until I cry."

It felt bad to know that you would have to make Lyra wait a little longer, but the way Karina had said that had struck a chord in you. It wasn't your fault tho, how could you not comply with such a request? It would be a sin not to. Besides, you had the perfect idea.

"Lyra, darling," you said. "Will you please let me have the cuffs?"

"All yours, master," she said now on top of Nissa, making out with the short-haired girl as she handed you the cuffs.

"I thought you would use that for Lyra, master," Karina said as you reached out an arm to take the cuffs.

"I found a better use," you replied, and turned Karina around so that her back was to you. "She'll already have the ropes."

"And what do you think... oh!" Karina trailed off as you made her bend down as far as possible without bending her legs. Then you pulled her arms straight up, held her wrists together, and put the handcuffs on.

"Just like that," you said, and with one hand holding her wrists, you took your cock and slowly took it inside her, in one smooth movement that made you moan out loud.

"Mmmgh fuck!" Karina moaned, tensing her entire body at the inability to move. "Oh yes, do whatever you want with me master. After all I'm just your pretty sex slave. Pound my pussy hard and fill it with your warm load."

God damn. What would the bearded old man think of her if he heard her talk dirty like that? It definitely wasn't your problem, and since it wasn't, you started fucking her like you'd been wanting to do for the past 365 days.

Karina brought out her obedience and durability from that moment on. You fucked her fast, hard, pounding her from behind with such force that the thrusts reverberated through the room, and despite that, she held still for you without complaint, perfectly assuming her role as sex slave.

"Don't you think it would be nice to see those pretty ass cheeks lit up in red, master?" Lyra asked from your left, kneeling at the edge of the bed with Nissa behind her kissing her neck and rubbing her clit.

You held Karina's wrists with your right hand and reached out with your left to reach Lyra's pussy and slide two fingers inside. She moaned and held onto your wrist with one hand, while the other was behind to grab Nissa's nape.

"Very good," you nodded between heavy panting breaths, focused on keeping up the pace. "But you'll be the one to decide if it's enough."

"Count on it," Lyra moaned as you pumped your fingers in and out of her pussy, which you could already get a sense of how tight it was.

Taking advantage of the fact that Karina had no choice but to keep her arms in that position, you let go of her wrists so you could drop the first spank. Of course, one wasn't enough; at least ten more followed, making Karina whimper until Lyra gave you the signal to stop.

"Oh look at that master, they're beautiful," she pointed at Karina's ass cheeks between gasps, as you were still fingering her and Nissa was making quick circles on her clit.

Karina's ass cheeks were indeed beautiful beneath that pigmentation: bright red, the color of Lyra and Nissa's dress. She looked over her shoulder at you, and you smiled as you noticed you were complying with her request as she was crying out in pleasure.

"You like that baby?" you asked, clenching your jaw as you hammered her pussy.

"Yes!" she screamed instantly. "Yes fuck yes! And I'm going to... mmmgh!!"

Karina exploded into spasms, her trembling legs about to give out. You slowed down considerably so she wouldn't be overwhelmed, and that allowed you to focus on Lyra.

"And you?" you asked, adding a third finger into her stiflingly tight pussy. You pumped fast, as much as you could with your non-skilled hand. "Cum, cutie, and look into my eyes."

Lyra held your gaze in a show of unconditional obedience, even though her face looked like it was about to melt with pleasure. Only a few seconds later your and Nissa's work finally paid off, when Lyra dug her nails into your wrist and climaxed with a long moan that made your eardrums vibrate.

As Lyra came, you pulled your fingers out of her and let Nissa take over since you weren't done with Karina yet.

"Nissa, baby, push her away," you said, referring to Lyra.

Nissa nodded and picked up Lyra to carry her to the side of the bed, leaving that space at the edge free for you to make Karina get on. The blonde girl settled herself with her ass raised, knees wide apart and face against the mattress. You removed the handcuffs, only to bring her wrists together behind her back and put them back on. Then, with both hands clinging to the front of her thighs, you continued fucking her with all your might.

Karina whimpered against the mattress, biting the sheet and shedding tears. Her body was still shaking from her recent orgasm, but she was happy with that, with you using her without mercy or care. That's what her eyes told, fixed on you while her face went through every possible phase of pleasure, from twisting to complete paralysis, state in which she stayed until she came for the second time.

The time you gave her to assimilate it was minimal; you didn't want to stop for a second, and you were dying to cum again inside that perfect pussy. The non-stop thrusts made her growl deep in her throat, and also made her bury her face in the sheets to muffle her screams. She came a third time, but this time you joined her.

"Mmmgh fuck!" you growled between slow thrusts, putting your hand on the back of Karina's neck to press her face into the bed and fill every corner of her pussy with cum. "Fuck I missed this so much!"

"Yes master, fill me up!" Karina squealed, writhing in pleasure. "Make me more yours than I already am!"

"Is that even fucking possible?" you gasped, balls deep inside her, waiting for your climax to pass before you pulled out of her pussy. "God, I'm sorry, I'm cursing too much."

Lyra let out an incredulous laugh, looking at you lying on the side of the bed.

"Master, you have ropes tied to my body and your biggest vulgarity is swearing?" she asked with a giggle.

"Nissa, clean Karina up, sweetie," you ordered her, and climbed onto the bed to grab her chin and plant a sweet kiss on her lips. "I promise to reward you later."

"Even if you didn't, I'd be happy to do anything you say, master," she smirked at you, her hand over yours.

"And that's why you deserve to be rewarded," you winked at her. "Come on, go. I have work to do."

Nissa nodded, moving past you and going to take care of Karina. Lyra then settled herself right in the middle of the bed, a mischievous little smile on her face and her legs spread wide. You quickly positioned yourself on top of her, hands flat against the mattress on either side of her shoulders. Your cock rubbed against her pussy underneath, and she raised her hips to seek more contact.

"Let's see how tight you say you are," you said as you looked into her eyes, to grab your cock and take it inside her, little by little.

And fuck, she wasn't wrong. In fact, her own words didn't do justice to how truly tight that piece of tender flesh was. Lyra smiled mid-moan. It was a cocky smile, as she knew she was completely right by the way you were panting.

"You like it huh?" She asked with a giggle as you were just a few inches away from reaching the bottom of her stifling walls. "Isn't that the tightest pussy you've ever been inside of, master?"

"Oh fuck yes," you gasped, and gave one last quick thrust to let the entirety of your length inside her. "You didn't use any powers, did you?"

"Of course not!" she replied with her hands on your shoulders, visibly offended.

"I had to ask," you shrugged, and leaned into her to crash your lips together and begin rocking your hips back and forth.

Lyra put her hands on your neck and moaned against your lips, keeping her legs open for you to fuck her pussy gradually harder. She had something special for sure. It could be that sassy attitude she carried around that you found so fucking sexy, but it could also be that tight, toned body, or that beautiful face that glowed every time she smiled. Whatever it was, that girl's spark felt like something you could easily become addicted to.

The initial plan was to use the ropes and fuck her in different ways and positions, and while the plan wasn't off the table, you were determined to postpone it just a little bit just to take advantage of every second you had with her and enjoy as many experiences as possible. The good thing was that with this girl you were sure there were no regrets, because every second you spent thrusting in and out of her was a second in which your obsession with that tight little body only increased, and this was entirely due to her merit, because her body language was bold, wild, unleashed. As if she completely forgot the role she was supposed to be fulfilling.

"Does my tight pussy feel good, master?" she asked between moans, as you pumped fast and hard. You held her by the thighs, pressing her knees to the sides of her torso.

"Overwhelmingly good," you gasped, looking into her eyes.

At that moment you felt someone behind you, who wrapped both arms around you and caressed your abdomen and chest. When you felt her tits you knew it was Karina, exhaling hot breath near your right ear. Nissa showed herself on the left; she laid on her side next to Lyra, just to watch you fuck her.

"Make her cum, master," she murmured in your ear. "But choke her, she loves it."

"How do you...?"

"Just do it."

You brought your hand to Lyra's neck, gripping it with five fingers to squeeze hard. The reaction was immediate. Lyra let out a moan that didn't come out of her throat, and held onto your wrist with both hands. Her walls tightened around your cock, making you moan as well. As a final trick you added an extra gear and hammered her pussy with all your might. Not even 10 seconds passed when Lyra's back arched and her body shook in a violent orgasm, unbecoming of an elf according to the little information you had about them.

"I told you," Karina said with a giggle, as Lyra came on your cock. "Are you going to tie her up now? I can do it for you if you want."

"You already know how I want her, so do your thing," you nodded, and let go of her neck.

Karina snapped her fingers, and in the blink of an eye Lyra now had more ropes tied to her body. Her arms were bound, crossed behind her back, and she had another pair of ropes tied to her shins from her thighs. Lyra noticed this and looked down at herself, then smirked at you.

"About time," she said.

"Fuck, that's hot," Karina said from behind you. "Do you want me to do something with her, master?"

"Not for now, sweetheart," you replied. "Right now the orders are for Nissa."

She looked at you, awaiting what you were going to say to her.

"Sit on her face," you pointed with your chin. "Right now Lyra will be ours."

Nissa was happy to comply. Within seconds she was on top of Lyra's face, thighs on either side of her head and hands on her small tits. Lyra stuck her tongue out and ate at the short haired girl's pussy, who moaned and slowly ground her hips.

With that hot scenery in front of you, you continued fucking Lyra's pussy, this time with your hands on her petite waist and Karina kissing your neck. Nissa looked into your eyes, fucking herself against Lyra's face and squeezing her tits, and you were going crazy at how good Lyra's pussy felt and how hot she looked tied up.

"Karina, love, touch her," you said, looking at her over your shoulder. "I want to see how many times she can cum before I do."

"Yes darling," she said in your ear, and went to lie down next to Lyra.

You felt your cheeks heat up, and not because of how turned on you were, but because of being called 'darling' by Karina. It was a small reverie that took you a while to snap out of, but now you couldn't get it out of your head, not even when Karina started rubbing Lyra's pussy and sucking on one of her tits until she came.

Lyra moaned against Nissa's folds as her legs and hips shook. You fucked her through her orgasm, and Karina kept touching her as well. You made eye contact with Karina, and one nod was enough for her to snap her fingers again and the way Lyra was tied up changed. Now her legs were together and raised, and her wrists were tied to the sides of her calves.

With your hands on her thighs you kept thrusting like a madman, making each blow reverberate through the room. Nissa came within seconds, her thighs pressed on either side of Lyra's head, but she kept grinding her hips, not a hint of a sign that she would stop. Maybe it was due to the fact that you wanted her to do whatever she wanted to seek her own pleasure. It hadn't been an order as such, she had simply decided herself. Fine by you. The less orders you had to give, the better.

You and Karina made Lyra cum again as the seconds passed. Her moans came out louder, and the vibrations made Nissa cum for the second time in a row, only now there was a little surprise.

"Oh damn!" Nissa moaned with a hand on her mouth as she lowered herself off  Lyra's face, realizing she had squirted on it.

"What the..." you raised your eyebrows, now pumping slower against Lyra's pussy.

"I'm sorry Lyra!" Nissa said, looking at the girl's soaked face, worried.

"Are you kidding?" Lyra asked, gasping for air, as if she had run the Tour de France. "That was fucking hot, let me fucking kiss you right now."

"Are you... sure?" Nissa tilted her head.

"I would pull you in for a kiss right now if my hands weren't tied."

Nissa didn't hesitate to lay down beside her, on the opposite side of Karina, to grab her by the neck and kiss her. You started moving again, and now Karina got up to kneel behind you again, running a hand in front of you and bringing it to your balls to hold them while you fucked Lyra in search of another climax.

"Come on baby, fill that tight little pussy," Karina said in your ear, then sucked on your earlobe. "I feel those balls full and ready to cum inside that petite body."

Karina kept calling you all those cute words, and you thought you would explode with love at any moment. Thinking about it distracted you again. Lyra, thankfully, drew your attention back to her by breaking the kiss with Nissa and looking you straight in the eyes.

"Oh fuck fill my pussy already, master!" she squealed. "I need that fucking load inside me!"

Karina snapped her fingers, and a rope appeared around Lyra's head at the level of her mouth to keep her quiet. You hadn't commanded that.

"Hey, watch that mouth!" Karina scolded her. Ironic.

Lyra frowned, frustrated for a moment by the inability to speak. But when you gave Karina the mental command to make the ropes holding Lyra's legs and wrists disappear and only the ropes around her mouth and torso remain, you had her moaning and biting the rope as you pounded into her pussy as if she hadn't already cum three times before.

With Karina holding your balls and exhaling hot breath on the back of your neck, it was easy to reach the downhill slope that would lead you to your climax. You clenched your jaw, leaned forward a little, and now put two hands on Lyra's neck, both squeezing until every sound that came out of her throat was cut off. In the final stretch you got quicker, at a pace you didn't even know you were capable of, until with one last sudden thrust, you came inside the tightest pussy in the North Pole.

You groaned through clenched teeth, pumping slowly to get every drop of cum inside her. Lyra was holding your wrists with both hands, looking up at you with tear-filled eyes. You were sure you were squeezing maybe too hard, but you were unable to loosen your fingers when the sensory stimulation was so overwhelming to you.

"Oh yeah..." Karina moaned into your ear, massaging your balls. "I can feel those balls emptying inside that little pussy... Oh! They're full again," she giggled.

"You three are amazing, you know that?" you asked between gasps, regaining control of your motor skills to release Lyra's neck.

"It's the reward for a wonderful man," Karina said into your ear, and she pulled you into a hug from behind to kiss your cheek. You decided to ignore it so you wouldn't curl up like an armadillo and giggle like a fool.

"Oh right, speaking of rewards..." your gaze went to Nissa, who was pampering Lyra and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "It's your turn for another bit of fun, sweetie."

"How do you want me, master?" she asked, glancing at you as she was focused on Lyra being okay. "I know what's going through your head right now... but I'd like you to say it."

"I want to fuck your ass," you said, finally pulling out of Lyra's pussy after about fifteen uninterrupted minutes. Your cum spilled out in a thick river onto the sheet. "All three of you."

"And...?" Karina asked, already knowing what you wanted as well. You could tell she was excited, as you two had previous experience with it.

"And I want us to get a little... slippery."

"Yay!"

It seemed like Karina had everything premeditated in her head already. She snapped her fingers, and beneath you appeared a red, waterproof plastic blanket that covered the entire bed.

"Oh... this is new to me," Nissa said, looking at the blanket beneath her.

"Not to me," Karina said, and positioned herself to your right to show you what she held in her hand. It was a moderately sized glass jar, molded into the shape of a snowman with a hat. The liquid inside was clear, and it was obvious what it was. "The honors are yours, sweetheart."

You took the glass jar and looked at Nissa and then at Lyra, who already looked composed after the wild mess you had just gotten out of.

"Can you get on your knees?" you said.

"Are you implying that I'm tired and that I'm out of energy, master?" Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow, and with a haughty expression she was the first to kneel up, sitting on her heels. "I feel underestimated."

You chuckled, moving to the bottom edge of the bed to make room for them. Lyra took the center.

"Forgive me for worrying about you, then," you said, as Karina and Nissa took the same position on either side of Lyra.

First in line was Nissa. The short-haired, chubby-cheeked girl stood expectantly, her gaze fixed on the jar of massage oil. You knelt in front of her, cupping her chin so she looked into your eyes, and caressed her jaw with your thumb.

"Have you ever done anything like this?" you asked, really stupidly because she was a Christmas elf, surely they didn't fuck each other oiled up.

"Clearly not, master," she replied. "Is it... sticky?"

"Slippery," you corrected her.

"That's why the plastic blanket?"

You nodded.

"It'll feel good for you, I promise."

"Well, alright," she nodded with a small serene smile. "I trust you, master."

"Should I start then?" you asked, removing the snowman's hat and opening the jar.

"Stop asking so many questions and just do it, master!" Lyra protested from the side. That girl was a different kind of thing indeed.

In order to start with Nissa you positioned yourself behind her and began pouring the oil on her body, making it drip from her shoulders to her back and breasts. After pouring a considerable amount you had her take the jar for you to spread the liquid all over her back, shoulders, and arms. Then you poured a little more, and now you covered her breasts, belly and finally moved on to her thighs. A little over a minute later, Nissa's pale body was well oiled and shiny.

"Oh, it feels... warm," she said, running her palms over her tits. A small moan escaped her lips after rubbing her nipples a few times. "And wow, it feels really good."

"I told you," you smiled, gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked past Lyra. You approached her face to face.

"Oh master," she sighed, looking into your eyes and then to your lips before bringing a hand to your cock and slowly stroking it. "You know there's only one place tighter than my pussy, don't you?"

You picked up the jar of oil and poured long lines up and down her tight body before spreading them out.

"You weren't the most well behaved elf in your class, were you?" You raised an eyebrow, spreading oil across her abdomen before moving down to her crotch and rubbing her slit.

"No, she definitely wasn't," Nissa said, glancing at her. "And now she's acting even worse."

"Of course not!" Lyra protested, frowning at Nissa. "You're just the most boring girl!"

"Whatever you say," Nissa shrugged.

As you finished oiling Lyra's toned body you finally went with Karina. She was waiting for you with a sly smile.

"How does it feel that we're finally going to do this after a whole year, master?" she asked, as you oiled her body.

"Unreal," you admitted, avoiding eye contact so as not to blush but smiling. "But I'm... happy, quite a bit."

"Yeah, I can tell," she giggled. "That's why I'm this happy too."

"You elves can sense emotions?" you asked, running oil down her tummy and thighs.

"Uhm, not exactly," Karina shook her head softly. "But I can sense yours because well... we're bonded."

You paused with your hands on her thigh, then looked up at her.

"Bonded?" you frowned.

Karina's cheeks lit up with a light blush.

"I think I'd better show you when we're done here," she said.

"Can't you just tell me?"

"No, it's something you need to see."

You heard Nissa and Lyra giggle to your left. They knew things, but they didn't seem willing to tell you. You weren't going to push it either; you'd have time later.

"Okay okay," you nodded. "No pressure."

"Thank you honey," Karina smiled, and gave you a peck on the nose. This time you couldn't help but blush.

You worked for the next minute in silence, putting the finishing touches before leaving Karina on equal footing with Nissa and Lyra.

"Very well master," Karina took the jar from your hand and moved to the side. "It's your turn, come on, lie down."

You didn't object and waited for space to be given to you to lie down in the middle of the bed. Immediately the girls knelt at your sides, Karina on your left and Nissa and Lyra on your right. Karina didn't wait for you to give her the green light, she just started pouring the oil all over your body. Having finished, the three girls put their hands on you.

The girls divided up the areas of your body: Karina had your entire upper torso, and Nissa and Lyra from the waist down. Karina and Nissa were gentle, spreading the oil over your chest and arms and down your legs respectively. But Lyra, being the unstoppable force of nature that she was, had gone straight for your cock and was shamelessly groping it, spreading oil all over that area but at the same time jerking you off.

"Lyra..." you gasped, but a nervous giggle escaped you as well. "That's not what you're supposed to be doing."

She turned to look at you, moving her hand faster on your cock. It slid so smooth and felt so good that you moaned.

"Oh no?" she gave you the eyes of an abandoned puppy. "But I feel your cock very, very slippery, master."

"Yes but..." you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. "Fuck it come here."

You pulled her by the arm so she landed against your side. Your slick bodies came into contact immediately, her small breasts pressed against one of your pecs. You kissed as Karina and Nissa finished the job, and you brought your hand to Lyra's ass to put a finger directly inside her butthole.

"Oh fuck!" Lyra moaned against your lips, and began to stroke your cock much faster.

"Lyra..." you gasped, trying to get her to stop but at the same time now adding another finger inside her butthole to pump it just as fast. It was a few long seconds before you could muster all your willpower. "Lyra, stop!"

Lyra huffed against your lips, reluctantly releasing your cock.

"Yeah yeah, Nissa will be first," she said, having already read your mind. "Sorry."

"I'm going to kick your ass when we get back..." you heard Nissa say, who looked at Lyra with narrowed eyes.

"Huh?" Lyra frowned and looked at her. Karina giggled.

"Nothing," Nissa looked at you. "May I, master?"

"Go ahead, darling," you nodded.

Nissa turned around and straddled you, her back to you, planting her feet on the mattress in a squat position. She grabbed your cock, brought it between her buttocks and pressed it against her butthole to slowly lower her hips. Your cock was easily engulfed between that pair of pale, pretty asscheeks, and when Nissa rested her ass against your pelvis you both moaned.

"Feels good, master?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at you with her eyebrows raised in pleasure.

"It'll feel better when you use me as your personal trampoline," you replied, and brought your hands up to her buttocks to make circles with your palms there.

"Let me do it?"

"That's what I want you to do."

As soon as she said that Nissa took a few brief seconds to very slowly get into a pace, until she was bouncing hard and fast against your cock. You moaned and gave her a spank that slipped and didn't land as hard as it should have, but it was enough to make her whimper.

You pulled Karina and Lyra to the sides of your body. Now you crashed your lips against Karina's, who purposely rubbed her heavy tits against you. Lyra did something similar, only she was rubbing her pussy against your thigh. With Nissa already jumping on your cock you were able to resume your previous activity, so you put two fingers inside Lyra's ass and did the same with Karina, pumping both wrists quickly.

Nissa bounced on your cock for a while, and she did it without tiring despite going as hard as she was going. She finally came between cute moans, grinding her hips back and forth while her whole body shook with spasms. It was at that moment that you considered it appropriate to give her her well-deserved reward.

You pulled your fingers out of Karina and Lyra's asses and reached out to grab Nissa, pulling her so she was lying on her side on top of you and grabbing her from behind her knees to press them against her torso. All to finally plant your feet on the bed and pump up and down.

Nissa held onto your head with both arms and dedicated herself to filling the room with the most beautiful moans ever heard by man. You didn't know what an angel sounded like being fucked in the ass and mind-melting with pleasure, but it was surely something very, very close to that.

"Come on baby give me another one..." you murmured in her ear. Then you gave her earlobe a light bite and a hard spank to her ass. "Cum again for me."

Nissa tried to speak, but nothing but stutters interrupted by moans came out of her mouth. She kissed you, trying to drown out every whimper until with a violent electric shock, she came just as you had asked. You slowly pumped your hips, being gentle with her so she could enjoy her orgasm to the fullest.

"T-thank you, master," she murmured against your lips, breathing heavily. "For…  always considering what I want."

"You don't have to thank me, cutie," you said, and pulled out of her. "It's the basics for someone who isn't a jerk."

"Master...?" you heard Lyra's voice to your right. Turning, you saw her on her hands and knees. "Are you ready for me yet?"

"It shouldn't even be your turn yet, Lyra," you said, and carefully pushed Nissa off you.

"No, but I know you want to give Karina your last load, so I deserve you to make me cum a few more times."

You chuckled and sat up.

"You talk like I'm the one serving you."

"I talk like I know what you want, master," she said, spreading her knees and arching her back further to make her ass look rather more appetizing. "And I know you want to fuck my ass very, very bad."

Karina sighed, tired of Lyra's reckless attitude.

"Forgive me, master," she said. "It's my fault for having such poor disciplinary methods."

"No need," you said. "Let's give the sassy slut what she wants."

Lyra smiled, and you went to kneel behind her. The first thing you did was put a hand on her left ass cheek and used your thumb to finger her ass for a few seconds.

"Let me guess, you want it pretty rough too, don't you?" you asked, and pulled your thumb out of her asshole to soon replace it with the tip of your cock.

"Oh yeah," she nodded with a moan, propped up on her elbows as she watched over her shoulder as you took every inch of your hard, throbbing cock into her tight asshole. "I like it rough, so don't hold back for anything in the world."

"I wasn't planning on doing that," you replied with a hand on her slick lower back, pushing the last few inches inside her. "It's what you deserve for being such an insolent girl."

"Punish me then, master," she moaned as you began to move slowly. "About time you do."

The first spank was quick to fall, and more followed as you increased the pace of your thrusts. Unlike Karina's ass, Lyra's ass took a little longer to turn as red as Rudolph the Reindeer's nose, perhaps due to the layer of oil that reduced contact. But when you had accomplished that task you grabbed a handful of her brown hair and pulled on it as hard as you could, making the smacks of your pelvis against her ass reverberate like applause throughout your room.

Lyra went crazy with screams and grunts, and thank god your nearby neighbors spent Christmas outside the building, because at that hour of the morning you would have gotten into a huge amount of trouble with all the fuss that girl was making.

"You like it like this huh?" you asked through clenched teeth, and gave her a harder tug to make her respond. "Huh?!"

"Mmmgh fuck, yes!!!" she whimpered, desperately searching for something to hold on to since the only thing you had underneath you was the red plastic blanket. "Just like fucking like that, yes!!"

A few thrusts later Lyra came, but you continued, not letting up for a single moment. She screamed and squirmed, but within seconds she dropped the side of her face against the blanket and lay still for you again. Taking advantage of her submissiveness, you made her lay on her stomach flat so you could lean forward, grab her chin to make her look up at you, and spit right in her face as you fucked her now prone bone.

"Oh fuck yeah do that again," she growled, and stuck her tongue out for you. You spat on it after a few seconds, and she moaned louder.

You gripped your hand around her neck, as best you could despite the angle you were at. You weren't squeezing too hard, but it was enough to make Lyra cum again, smothering your cock with her butthole walls and making you moan along with her. It was a miracle that you didn't cum on the spot, in fact, you had no idea how that hadn't happened. A moment ago you would have easily exploded because of how good it felt when Lyra cummed and all of her body seemed to go tighter.

With your lungs about to explode from exhaustion, you looked up, and by pure chance you found the answer to your question. Karina was staring too intently at your crotch, with a finger discreetly raised and her eyes a little brighter than usual. Of course.

When she noticed you were looking at her, she lowered her finger, her eyes returned to their normal color and looked at you with an innocent little smile. You weren't going to comment on it, but it's not like it bothered you. In fact, it was just another thing to be grateful for.

"Satisfied, reckless slut?" you asked Lyra between gasps, kissing her on the forehead.

"Only for now," she replied, and managed a mischievous smile.

You pulled out of Lyra's ass and went to lay down in the center of the bed again, right next to Karina, who didn't hesitate to straddle you, grab your face and crash your lips together, already having you all to herself.

The make out session lasted longer than expected. She was more than happy just kissing and rubbing your slippery chests together, and you were more than happy just groping every corner of that perfect body. But soon that last load in your balls was demanding and screaming to be released, and knowing this, Karina raised her hips and brought your cock to her ass to slowly impale herself on it.

"Oh lord," Karina moaned with her hands on your chest as your cock was already halfway in. "Why the hell didn't we try this a year ago?"

"Because we fell asleep too early," you replied, hands on her waist.

"At least we got some sleep that time," she said, your cock already deep in her ass. "But now dawn is too close."

"Oh, right..."

"Hush," she put a finger on your lips. "Don't think about it and just focus on me, honey."

You looked into her eyes, and for the time number-you didn’t remember-, you blushed again at her expense.

"Y-yeah..." you nodded, and she started moving up and down.

That was without a doubt the most intimate moment you had all night. It was just the two of you, her cupping your face and caressing your cheeks as she kissed you, and you running your hands up and down her back and then hugging her tightly. Karina didn't want to go too much faster than she was going at that moment, and it wasn't necessary either; the rhythm was more than perfect, deep and sensual, so that both of you felt every movement with every fiber of your bodies. You moaned against her lips, and she against yours.

"I'm going to cum, honey..." she moaned against your lips after a few minutes. "Cum with me, will you? Yeah?"

"I'll be happy to, fuck," you panted, your hands squeezing her tits and then bringing them to her buttocks and squeezing them. "You keep going, keep going!"

Karina now did pick up the pace a little, just to speed up a few seconds what was inevitable. Towards the end she bounced on you hard, and raised her body a little so you could see her tits jiggle with each blow. You couldn't help but take one into your mouth, suck on it and hold on to Karina's body with both arms until you both came in a series of deep moans.

"Mmmgh fuck yes darling!" Karina whimpered as you came inside her ass, and she took her breast from your mouth to hug your head.

You buried your face in her neck and filled it with as many kisses as you could, drowning your own moans there that kept coming out until you left your entire load inside her. Your last load of the night. After that the magic would end, and you wouldn't see Karina again for another year. Again.

The two of you took a long time to rest, holding each other close between little cuddles, caresses and kisses.

"Honey... about our bond," she said, lying with her head on your chest. "Do you really want to know?"

Certainly some things were better left unsaid. Ignorance was also a power. But no, that was something you had to know by any means necessary.

"Of course I do," you said. "Why so much mystery about it? Is it a bad thing?"

"It is for some… heartless people," she admitted. "But if you're the man I think you are... it won't be for you."

Your heart skipped a beat. Your mind began to spin and scheme like crazy.

"Okay... show me, please."

Karina smiled and sat up with her hands on your chest.

"I'm afraid you'll have to get dressed first," she said. "And put on something warm too," she then looked to their sides. "Hey! Wake up!"

Nissa and Lyra woke up with a small jump from their slumber. Who knows how long they had fallen asleep, but they both looked equally disoriented.

"Go back home and wait for me at Ysara's Crystal," Karina ordered, then pointed at Lyra. "Ysara's Crystal!" she reiterated, knowing full well that Lyra was the unruly one.

"But don't yell at me!" Lyra whined, and stood up reluctantly.

"He's coming with us, Karina?" Nissa asked, carefully getting out of bed.

"Wait what?" you looked at both of them.

"Yeah," Karina nodded with a pleased little smile. "It's about time he met little Tharion."

"Who?!"

"Shut up and get dressed, silly," Karina patted your chest, and stood up next to Nissa to snap her fingers.

The red blanket, along with the jar of oil and the layer of oil on the three of them, disappeared. Not only that, Karina was now fully dressed and groomed again, as if nothing had happened. Nissa and Lyra also snapped, and now they were fully dressed again as well.

"We'll see you in Glaciora, master," Nissa said, holding Lyra's hand. Then, a swirl of sparkling snowflakes began to envelop them from bottom to top. Seconds later, they disappeared.

"In where?!" you asked again, so confused that you couldn't even move from the bed.

"Honey, get up and get dressed!" Karina urged you. "The sun will soon be setting and my powers won't work here!"

"I'm sorry!" you sat up. "It's just that! I-I! Oh forget it!"

You stood up and hurried to get dressed. You didn't know how to dress warmly, but if you were going where you thought you were going, you'd be perfectly fine with what you were wearing. Ready, you stood next to Karina.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you," you told her. "I'm terrified."

Karina giggled, took your hand and laced her fingers through yours.

"Why?" she asked. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

"It's just..." you started breathing faster, anxious. "That... you know, thing," you pointed to the floor. "Is it going to take me too? How do you s-"

Karina suddenly shut you up with a sweet kiss on the lips. Yes, blushing cheeks again for you.

"Everything will be okay, I promise," she said, looking into your eyes. "Now shut up and let me do my job."

Karina pointed her finger at the ground and made a small gesture. A few seconds later, that whirlwind you saw in the distance before was now forming around your feet, slow, but increasingly faster, dense and bright. The whirlwind rose up your body, enveloping each of your limbs and then covering you completely. In a reflex you closed your eyes, thinking that some snowflake would get inside you. But that didn't happen, in fact, you felt absolutely nothing more than a tingling sensation all over your body.

And then cold. Intense cold. Accompanied by the sound of the polar breeze and... steam engines in the distance?

"We've arrived, darling," Karina said from beside you, squeezing your hand. "You can open your eyes."

You hesitated to do so, but as soon as you did the last thing you felt was regret.

"What the..." you took a few steps forward, stunned by what your eyes were seeing.

You were standing on top of a snowy hill with some pine trees and grass, and the general passage was filled with tall, rugged mountains, packed with snow on the peaks and slopes. But that wasn't what had you stupefied, but what was in the valley just below the hill you were on.

Calling it a city was a bit of an exaggeration, but the picturesque houses of that beautiful town stretched far into the distance, winding between the mountains. It was a bright, charming place, filled mostly with two-story buildings made of oak wood with plenty of windows, in which you could see men, women, and children living together in a common joy that you knew was due to that time of year. Beautiful. That place was beautiful, and it felt warm, like a home.

"Well... this is where I'm from," Karina said, standing next to you.

"But h-how?" you were still stunned as you looked at every corner of the town.

"You don't expect me to explain how our magic works, do you?" she giggled.

"No, you don't have to," you shook your head. "It's just that... my goodness! This is beautiful!"

"Wait till you take a closer look then," she grabbed your hand again. "Come on, Nissa and Lyra are waiting for us."

The two of you walked down the hill patiently, but you didn't go straight to the town, you took a small detour to the left that led you to a wide plain in the center of which there was an obelisk-like structure right in the middle, at least ten meters tall and made of a crystal that reflected pink and purple lights. Ysara’s Crystal, most surely. Near it were the girls. The first thing Lyra did was make fun of your stupid face as you admired everything, and Nissa just smiled excitedly.

"Hey, before I show you everything do you want to...?" Karina asked.

"Yes," you nodded immediately, not knowing how sure you were of your answer. "Yes, please."

Karina nodded, and led you along with Nissa and Lyra, this time to the town.

The streets were quite different from anything you could have imagined a Christmas elf village to look like. Everyone was dressed in red, yes. But there was no one dressed in a flashy outfit, replete with buttons and all kind of colors. There didn't seem to be a hint of ill intentions on anyone's face either; all the people wore bright, genuine smiles, working in all sorts of places outside of carpentry shops, bakeries, toy stores, or any common job you could find in any other city in the world.

You didn't stop to take a closer look, as you had only one destination for now: Karina's house.

The house turned out to be a small cabin near the foot of one of the mountains. It was definitely meant for just one person, but it looked perfectly cozy and spacious. A fireplace was lit inside.

"Are you ready?" Karina asked you, holding your arm in her hands. You were on the first step of the stairs leading to the door.

"I think so..." you nodded quietly.

"Very well. He's a little shy, so don't worry if he seems scared."

You climbed the stairs, each step feeling like an eternity. Karina knocked a few times on the door, and within a few seconds an older, kind-looking lady, dressed in a long red dress with long flared sleeves, opened it. Behind her, in the center of the room, sat a boy playing with a wooden boat.

Him. Tharion. You couldn't see his face, but his hair was... like yours. Same color.

"Karina, dear!" she greeted, welcoming her with a hug. "You're back! And oh, who is this handsome boy?"

"Grandma, he's..." Karina looked at you, then looked over the lady's shoulder at Tharion.

"Oh!" the lady beamed, visibly happy. "Should I... yeah, I'll go buy some chocolate buns, I'll leave you two with little Tharion!"

The lady walked past the two of you, quickly descending the stairs and grabbing her skirt to quicken her pace into the city.

"Is that your... grandma?"

"Not really, but she raised me since I was little."

"I couldn't even introduce myself properly," you sighed.

"You'll do that later, come on in," she gestured inside.

You did so, hands in your jacket pockets. There were many details inside the cabin that you would have loved to pay attention to, as it was an extremely beautiful place. But your gaze was solely fixed on the child, who couldn't have been more than a year old. Just about the time that...

"Tharion!" Karina called him in a small voice, walking past you to go to the child. "I'm home, sweetheart!"

The child dropped the small wooden boat and raised his arms for Karina to carry him. When she did and turned with the child towards you, you were completely petrified.

He looked just like you.

"Honey... this is Tharion," Karina walked slowly towards you with the child in her arms. "Tharion, he's your father."

Tharion. Your son. With Karina.

Oh... no.

———————————

SPREN NOTES: Well this is definitely my longest uninterrupted smut scene to date. I think about 80% of the piece is smut lol. Hope you enjoyed it tho, especially this ending that sparked my desire for parenthood lmao. AND YES, I KNOW IT'S JANUARY 11 ALREADY BUT FOR ME IT'S CHRISTMAS ALL YEAR ROUND.

[deecotan]

🌱 Deeco's ZoSan Fic Rec List 🐥

Hello hello! This is going to be a slight rework for my zosan fic rec list, because I wanted to re-organize it and add some new fics while I'm at it, so this is going to be longer than the first. Feel free to check it out!

Latest update: November 2023

Because I started making this list long before August 2023, I won't add any fics that specifically take place in live-action setting because I haven't read much of them yet. I might consider updating this list to add fics with live-action setting in the future.

—GEN/T FICS

Sketches of Life (and Love) by Fledgling (Teen, 2.9k)

An exploration of a headcanon where Sanji likes to draw in his free time. This fic always leaves me with a warm feeling every time I read it because how endearingly sweet it is. It’s basically a domestic fluff story about both ZoSan and the Strawhats crew in general.

green with envy blues by adietxt (Gen, 1.5k)

A cute fic about Zoro being jealous. Jealous!Zoro has been one of those tropes that make me screech like a feral animal every time I come across it and this fic does exactly that. It’s pretty short and simple but it captures the characters very well. It’s set during pre-timeskip which makes it even better to me because pre-TS Zoro possesses that boyish quality that post-TS Zoro doesn’t necessarily have anymore.  OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: Fuck, Marry, Kill (or, how Usopp becomes the best matchmaker of the sea without really trying) (Teen, 4.8k) — Usopp introduces the Strawhats to a game that ends up causing Sanji to overthink things - a lot of things.

Old Men Blues by postmoderne (Gen, 2k)

Quoting directly from the fic’s summary, “Sanji and Zoro: two ancient fucks (in love).” because this is exactly that, a story about old men ZoSan. Old Zoro and old Sanji are both still as stubborn as ever and it’s endearing. OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: Something Golden (Teen, 1.6k) — Canon reimagining where Zoro met Sanji at the Baratie pre-series.

Meet me under the orange tree by candelina (Gen, 3.9k)

A canon divergence AU where Zoro and Sanji met as kids, as Zeff opened up Baratie in Zoro’s hometown. It’s an adorable and heartwarming story of little Zoro and little Sanji’s friendship. There’s also a part two which is also worth reading. OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: The whole world will know (2.3k) — Old men ZoSan fic, this one involves Zoro deliberately showing himself to the Marines for god knows what. It’s sweet, it’s beautiful, and it shows that Zoro is as reckless and idiotic as he is a loving, devoted husband.

Zoro’s Boyfriend, Who Lives In Canada by donutsandcoffee (Gen, 2.6k)

Modern AU, where Zoro’s friends try to stop him from believing that his imaginary, totally made-up boyfriend actually exists. Of course Zoro’s boyfriend doesn’t actually exist, because with the way Zoro describes him he’s way too perfect to exist and how can anyone so perfect actually exist? A hilarious story of misunderstandings.  OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: Prison Blues (Teen, 2.8k) and it’s a long way forward (Teen, 5k) — serve as both a ZoSan story and a great Sanji character study. 

The Three of Swords by 8ball (Teen, 30k, multi-chapters & completed)

A medieval AU with knight Zoro and prince Sanji, a concept that starts to really grow on me after I begin to read this fic. In this story, Zoro is a cursed knight appointed to serve Sanji, a kind-hearted prince whom Zoro eventually pines over. It’s a beautiful take of prince and knight AU; devoted knight Zoro is something that I didn’t know I need. It also has a sequel.  OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: The Ocean's Child series — a canon-divergence mermaid!Sanji AU

(I Want) Someone to Love Me by three_days_late (Teen, 7.9k)

Sanji is about to turn 17, so he hopes that he can get his first kiss before that. A cute high school AU that involves everyone wanting to kiss Sanji (honestly, who doesn’t) but only one person gets to actually do it.  OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: Blood Red (Teen, 400 words) — this might be a little biased because this fic is inspired by my comic, but it’s also a perfectly good reason why I must add it here; this fic is able to capture the spirit of the comic perfectly. If you want to read a short exposition of Zoro showing his darker, yet protective side, then this fic is worth the read. Warning for blood & hints of violence. The Christmas Swap (Teen, 37k, multi-chapters & completed) — a modern AU in which Sanji and Reiju switch partners during Christmas so they can attend their family gathering without having to come out as queer. It’s a wonderful story about family, relationships, and the struggles of maintaining those things as a queer person. The Only Way Out (Is Through) (Teen, 4.8k) — a beautiful Prince Sanji and Knight Zoro story, where circumstances forced them to separate & unable to be together. It also has a side Nami/Vivi. I Have Loved You for 1000 Years (I'll Love You for 1000 More) (Teen, 8.9k) — Another Prince Sanji & Knight Zoro AU involving time travel & the sacrifices you go through for the ones you love.

Curly Angel by APTX & translated to English by NMTD (Teen, 9.4k, two chapters & completed)

In this alternative canon universe, everyone has a guardian angel, and Zoro’s just happened to be Sanji. Hilarity ensues.

Let me be your Inspiration by TheWanderers (Teen, 19.8k)

College AU where Sanji is an artist/painter - another fic that explores Sanji as someone with an artistic streak, but also so much more. It’s a beautiful story that starts out with Zoro having to model for Sanji’s painting but ends up falling in love with him. I love the way the author adapts the characters’ canon backstory into this universe.

Retrogade by Hazel_Athena (Teen, 21.9k, two-chapters & completed)

Sanji got badly injured after a fight, and ends up losing a big chunk of memories - it doesn’t bother him too much until he notices how weird Zoro starts to act around him. A really good temporary amnesia fic with some really delicious pining!Zoro material. OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: Medieval ZoSan series — a medieval arranged marriage AU. Renegade Queen (Teen, 76k, multi-chapters & completed) — a canon divergent AU where Sora lives and takes all her children with her - it's more of a Vinsmoke family story with ZoSan on the side.

Nothing Happened (Gen, 16k, multi-chapters & completed)

An angsty survival story where the Strawhats get stranded in a middle of the seas with no means to escape and rapidly declining food stock. This fic does a really good job at keeping you in suspense, and the way it handles Zoro and Sanji's relationship destroyed me emotionally. OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: Each A Love Song (Gen, 8.6k) — Sanji is frustrated because Zoro’s surprisingly popular with women when he doesn’t even like them back. A story of a confused Sanji trying to find love and being the World’s Most Oblivious Man. Three Blades (Gen, 5k) — a Western AU where Sanji is a saloon owner and Zoro is a bounty hunter.

The Melody of Missing You by BleuReivers (Teen, 11k)

Zoro is forced to confront his feelings in the aftermath of Sanji's departure during the Whole Cake Island arc. I love the way this story examines Zoro's softer, more vulnerable side in a painfully beautiful way, and the whole fic has this hazy, dream-like vibe that really fits with the plot.

Sick Day by Styx_in_the_mud (Teen, 1.3k)

Zoro gets sick, and Sanji takes care of him. A short sick!fic with a simple premise but very cute nonetheless.

—MATURE/EXPLICIT FICS

Deep by CharlieNozaki (Mature, 171k, multi-chapters & completed)

This is There Are Many Benefits to Being A Marine Biologist: The Fic. Okay jokes aside, this is a modern fantasy AU fic where merpeople exist and it mainly tells about marine biologist Sanji and merman Zoro. It has an interesting premise and deals with some heavy subjects in later chapters, hence the Mature tag. It has a sequel, though it's currently ongoing. OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: The Game — a Modern AU with slight fantasy-ish element, where Zoro and Sanji are young orphans who find a mysterious game that might be able to change their lives.

Delphinium by toastie_bread (Mature, 39k, multi-chapters & completed)

Set in modern AU, stylist Sanji meets with police detective Zoro after his beauty salon got robbed; a cute rom-com story. There's also a side LawLu.

Steady, As She Goes by auspizien (Explicit, 155k, multi-chapters & completed)

I’ve always loved auspizien’s fics and this is the one fic that made me fall in love with their writing. This is a modern AU story where Zoro is an ex-agent with PTSD who meets and befriends Sanji, a paramedic. It’s a multi-chapter fic filled with humor, angst, pining, action, and good ol’ slow-burn.  OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: The Android Acquaintance (Explicit, 10k) — dystopian cyberpunk AU with android Sanji and bounty hunter Zoro. This fic partly inspires me to make the Blade Runner 2049 ZoSan art!

The Tribulations of Temptation by SweetyGreeny (Explicit, 18.5k)

Zoro accidentally sees Ace and Sanji doing… the do, and then spends days after that feeling shocked, confused, angry, and disappointed.  A delicious story of pining and jealous Zoro. There’s a slight AceSan in the beginning but the endgame is still ZoSan.   OTHER FICS FROM THIS AUTHOR: A Siren’s Sinking Song (Teen, 12k) — a canon-divergent AU where Sanji is a siren who one day meets a peculiar swordsman from a wandering ship; this story is beautiful and I love the idea of siren!Sanji, but please note the major character death TW.  The Burden of Blondes (Explicit, 11k) — Sanji finds out that Zoro has a thing for blondes, and for some reason he feels uneasy. A fun story with some good smut, and inspired me to make an art loosely based on it.

Thy Fearful Symmetry by Harubo (Explicit, 14.3k)

A modern AU where Sanji is a tourist visiting a tiger reserve during a family vacation and Zoro is a detective investigating a poaching ring. All of Harubo’s fics are godsend but I particularly love this one because the setting reads like a perfect rom-com drama movie about a stressed, overworked chef meeting a handsome detective. There’s also a nice tidbit where the Vinsmoke siblings are trying to get along with each other.

Done Dirt Cheap by Balderdashfromafool (Explicit, 99.7k, multi-chapters & completed)

A Western ZoSan AU, where Zoro is an outlaw and Sanji is a small town chef. This one is fun and lovely, and as someone who doesn’t read a lot of Western-themed stories, I love the way the author describes the Western setting in this fic. 

The Fox's Heart by Shadowcatxx (Explicit, 32k, multi-chapters & completed)

Historical/mythological AU where fox spirit Sanji falls in love with human samurai Zoro. A pretty heavy story about forbidden romance but ends with a happy ending. The fic deals with some period-typical issues like homophobia, misogyny, sexism, and transphobia, as well as some depictions of violence and (slight) animal abuse, so please be aware of that.

Mine by burnwaywardbird (Explicit, 4k)

A pure PWP fic of Zoro “punishing” Sanji for flirting with strangers. Super kinky and involves slight dom/sub undertones. Also, while this is mostly pure PWP, this fic is technically part of a series and while can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend to read the other parts as well (especially the ones preceding this fic).

pretty sanji series (Pretty & Surprise) by kickingsanji (12.6k in total)

A series of fics exploring Sanji's femininity and Zoro discovering that he has a thing for Sanji being pretty & wearing pretty things. As a Pretty Sanji truther, I love these fics to bits, not only because it handles Sanji dealing with his insecurities when it comes to his gender expression in a gentle, respectful way, but also because the smut is very good.

All Will be Well by thecrownofclowns (Explicit, 17k)

An incredibly sad but sweet zombie apocalypse AU about Sanji trying to survive the zombie outbreak all by himself, before eventually meeting Zoro. One of my favorite hurt/comfort fics.

—OMEGAVERSE (ALPHA/BETA/OMEGA) FICS

Onigiri by himaaneko (Teen, 2.3k)

Very cute domestic family fic of Zoro, Sanji, and their son. For those who prefers a softer omegaverse with family/love-children fluff on the side, this fic is for you.

Bite Me by Shadowcatxxx (Mature, 15k, two-chapters & completed)

Sanji got attacked while he was alone on the ship, causing him to go into heat. Zoro tries to help, but not without consequences. An exposition on how Zoro and Sanji handle their dynamics, and their feelings towards each other. Please mind the tags with this one.

fever by adietxt (Explicit, 6.4k, multi-chapters & completed)

I'm pretty sure that this is the first omegaverse ZoSan story that I have ever read, and one of the best ones I've ever read for a good reason. It involves Sanji, who suddenly got into his heat, and Zoro, the first one to discover Sanji in heat and learns for the first time he's an omega. I won't spoil anything, but I can say that the ending is great, the porn is delicious, and Zoro being possessive is exquisite.

Steps of Calidity by auspizien (Explicit, 42k, multi-chapters & completed)

I'm gonna preface this by saying that the smut here is ungodly good and very, very hot - and to be perfectly honest, one of the main reasons why I like this fic so much. But the plot is just as good and has an interesting take of how omegaverse dynamics might work in a modern world. Don't forget to mind the tags as well.

Sweet by ElAlmaDelMar (Explicit, 1.8k)

Sanji starts lactating during his pregnancy; Zoro finds it very hot. This one is just straight up kinky. It's a sequel to another story but can be read as a standalone.

[levi-venn]

Accolades - Part Two

Timeline: A Year after the final escape from Mount Tantiss.

Summary: Hunter wants to make an Accolades Box for Omega, too, but he needs his brothers' help. Part One | Part Two | Part Three Available on AO3

Note: A special thank you to @dragonrider9905 @yeehawgeek and @cw80831 for requesting a sequel.

A lot of changed after the war ended.

And the carefully decorated boxes Hunter had made for each of his brothers stopped collecting accolades and started collecting dust. 

He couldn’t bear to look at them when Crosshair joined the Empire. 

He thought about throwing them away when Tech fell.

In the end, he hid the lovingly painted boxes in his armor tote. Out of sight…but never quite out of mind.

A year went by.

Pabu was beginning to feel like home. Crosshair had returned to them. Omega was finally safe. Echo visited often. 

For the first time in Hunter’s life, he could think of those five boxes and not feel his heart cave in on itself.

It was time to add a sixth.

Omega and Phee left that morning for a treasure hunting trip and would be gone for the next week. A week longer than Hunter would like, but it was just enough time for four brothers to get together and figure out this whole...arts and crafts thing.

Hunter sent a message to his squad: [We got a Mission, boys . Come on over at 1300]

He quickly added: [A Fun Mission]

Then...he clarified: [It’s for Omega]

Echo replied first: [Roger that]

Wrecker next: [A mission for Omega? I’m in!]

Crosshair gave a thumbs up.

By 1302, the brothers sat in the middle of Hunter’s home, sitting in a circle on the floor, a box in front of each of them. 

Hunter placed Tech’s box in the center of the circle. They had all agreed to keep it closed.

For a long while, no one spoke, quietly looking at each medal and ribbon and the messages Hunter had etched into each.

Surprisingly, Crosshair was the first to speak. “I can’t believe you kept them. You kept mine.” He turned a medal over in his hand, reading the inscription Hunter had carved over the original accolade.

[The most WIZARD precision shot through a tank’s barrel while spitting a toothpick in a clanker’s eye]

“Heh, I remember this mission. I short circuited the droid’s OS with that toothpick.”

“Oh yeah! I remember that! ” Wrecker laughed, punching Crosshair’s arm, earning a quiet, amused hiss.

“I can’t believe you etched over these medals,” Echo said, looking through his pile of medals.

“Hope it's not too sacrilegious for you,” Hunter said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Not at all," Echo replied. "I think this is more appropriate than any awards we received on our missions. As an ARC trooper the more devastating our losses, the more medals we received. Really sours the award when its attached to so much death. Trust me, this is better.” Echo read one of his medals aloud.  "'[The most regulation codes recited in an hour]'" He laughed. "I would’ve had hundreds of these medals in Domino Squad.  Thank you for doing this, Hunter.”

“What’s in there?” Crosshair asked, nodding to the box with half a skull painted on top.

“...Nothin’.” Hunter said, scooting it closer to him.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing,” Crosshair sneered, pointing a toothpick at Hunter.

“C’mon, show us!” Wrecker said, and reached for the box.

Hunter snatched it from the circle and hugged it to his chest. “It’s none of your business.”

“Guys, he doesn’t want to-” Echo started, but Crosshair pushed past him to lunge at the box. He bumped Hunter’s arm instead and it slipped out of his hands into Wrecker’s lap.

Hunter dove forward! Wrecker rolled backwards! Crosshair slithered into the fray.

“Boys…” Echo sighed and collected the other boxes before they could get crushed by three grown men wrestling and giggling like shiny cadets.

When the dust settled, Wrecker had Hunter in a headlock while Crosshair perched on Wrecker’s back, gazing thoughtfully at the collection of medals.

“What’s in it?” Wrecker asked, ruffling Hunter’s hair as he kept him pinned.

Crosshair frowned and reached for another medal. And another. And another…

“I told you, it’s nothing,” Hunter grumbled, wriggling futilely in Wrecker’s iron grip.

“You…put the same message on each medal,” Crosshair said.

He didn’t read the inscription aloud.

[This medal is awarded to Hunter for being the proudest oldest brother in this Badass Batch. I love you guys.]

“Wrecker, let him go.” He hopped off his brother’s back and handed a medal to Echo and Wrecker to read. 

“It's the same message on each medal because I felt the same way after every mission," Hunter sighed. "So, go ahead and laugh.”

“You should’ve told us you were doing this,” Crosshair said, handing the box back to Hunter. 

“Yeah! We could’ve made you a medal, too!” Wrecker said, handing a medal back.

"Yeah...well..." Hunter shrugged and looked away. “I didn’t ask you here to make medals for me. I asked you here because I’d like to make some medals for Omega too.”

Wrecker gasped. “Ooh, that's a good idea!”

“So we write anything we want?” Crosshair asked.

“Anything you want,” Hunter said. “We’ll make them together, a daily project, as many medals as we can think of before she gets back. It ain’t a competition, but I’d like to fill it up.” He showed them the latest box with an energy crossbow and white skull painted on top.

“Let's hear our orders then, Sarge,” Echo said. 

“Right,” Hunter puffed up. “Alright, boys, here’s the plan. Wrecker, secure us some bundt cakes from Shep for this week’s end. Lemon for Omega, red velvet for me n’ you, dark chocolate for Crosshair, and confetti for Echo.”

“Roger that!” Wrecker said, and headed off to his solo mission.

“Echo, gather up some construction flimsy and ribbons from Feilo’s shoppe. Yellow and gray color scheme preferred. And we need adhesives, markers, paints, and a few rotary precision tools.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Echo said, and was next to leave.

“Crosshair, you and I are on a scavenger hunt to the junkyard for any materials that look like our old medals. Metal plates, golden chains-”

“Those magnetic rectangular medals that never stuck on our plates quite right?”

Hunter laughed. “Heh, exactly.”

Crosshair got to his feet and extended his hand. “Let's go.”

Hunter clasped Crosshair's hand.

He expected to be pulled up…

…but he didn’t expect to be pulled into a hug.

It was a brief hug. It was a tight hug. And it was exactly what he needed. 

“Thank you,” Crosshair mumbled, releasing him and not looking his brother in the eye. “For keeping my medals, too.”

Hunter put a hand on Crosshair’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming back to us.”

[antianakin]

Do you think Ahsoka may have been a bad influence on Luke? This was a thought came to my mine a while ago.

When they first met, Luke was trying to rebuild the Jedi Order, while Ahsoka still harbored resentment toward the Order. Could she have been the reason for Luke's coldness toward Grogu and his disillusionment with the Jedi Order during the sequels? She might have given him a warped retelling of what the Jedi Order was like. Perhaps she told him that Jedi are not supposed to show concern for younglings or Padawans. She may have also emphasized her belief that the Jedi were at fault for Anakin's fall and becoming Vader.

There are definitely more factors that led to Luke disillusionment but she had a roll in that and we didn't even notice.

To begin with, I don't think Luke was cold to Grogu at all. I think he was FIRM, perhaps, and HONEST about the choices available to him and the consequences of each choice, but that doesn't make him cold. It was a serious conversation and a serious choice that would define years of Grogu's life, so I think Luke treated it with the gravitas it needed. Luke's conversation with Grogu was, to me, not truly any colder than the Council's conversation with Anakin in TPM. He's speaking from much the same place. He's seeing that Grogu isn't committed to being a Jedi right now, that he reacts to seeing Din's ship, and so he makes the choices that Grogu has very clear. And those choices have ALWAYS BEEN THERE, it's not like Luke is forcing this choice on Grogu out of nowhere, or creating a situation where Grogu HAS to choose, because Grogu is making that choice every single day that he is with Luke, he made it on Gideon's cruiser when he first left and has made every day since. Luke brings it up again because he thinks Grogu might need some clarity and guidance about the paths available to him and what they will ask of him.

(The caveat I will give here is that the whole choice to have Grogu be upset with the Jedi way of life and leave it behind to be a Mando was done exclusively because they wanted to keep the show going and couldn't do it without him, rather than because they felt like it was the right choice for his character, so it feels rushed and shoehorned in for no real reason because, well, it WAS. The other thing that might be making it feel "cold" to you is the whole deepfake AI aspect of Luke in these scenes. The deepfaked face and AI voice weren't capable of giving the warmth that a real actor would've been more able to get across. You can see a few behind the scenes featurettes where Mark Hamill was doing some of the lines in costume and there's so much more emotion in his delivery than in the final product. So while it may not have been intended to come across as cold, I would be willing to accept that it still DID come across as cold because of the lack of emotion in the CGI performance.)

So, with that being said, I'll try to answer your actual question.

The short is: no. For one, I barely consider the Sequel trilogy and the Mandoverse part of my personal canon at this point, I don't see a lot of redeeming qualities in either of them, I don't think the characterization in them for the pre-established characters makes any sense and often directly contradicts what we know of them already, so I just ignore it. So, two, is that because of that opinion on the Sequels, I personally believe Sequels Luke is just... not Luke at all. This isn't how Luke would have ever reacted to ANYTHING, none of his actions and choices make any sense, and I don't personally believe that there is any headcanon that would ever make me believe that it makes sense.

The longer answer is that I just don't think that makes sense for Ahsoka, either, even though the Mandoverse version of her is particularly Jedi critical. HOWEVER, she is MOSTLY critical of the Jedi in the specific context of "training Sabine." She's not really ever critical of the Jedi when we see her with Grogu during The Mandalorian and is actually relatively warm towards him initially as a fellow Order 66/Purge survivor. And nothing she says to either Din or Luke in her appearance in TBOBF was critical of the Jedi, either. And if we move away from the Mandoverse, then none of her other depictions of her post Wrong Jedi show her being critical of the Jedi Order to OTHER PEOPLE. She's rude to OBI-WAN, she's a little short with Mace, but I don't recall her saying anything critical of the Jedi when speaking with Trace and Rafa or Bo-Katan, even when Trace and Rafa were talking about their bad experiences with the Jedi and their more negative opinions, I think Ahsoka actually DEFENDED them a little. And in Rebels, she's really warm towards Kanan and Ezra, has no issue being considered a Jedi along with them, and acknowledges that the Jedi had considered protecting Force Sensitive children to be their responsibility and happily agrees to take up that responsibility along with Kanan.

So you can make a really strong argument that Ahsoka's behavior in the Ahsoka show, her critical commentary about the Jedi, isn't super in character even for her. You can also make a fairly strong argument that this behavior only comes out in certain contexts, so even if it IS "in character," it wouldn't necessarily be something she'd say to LUKE.

If Luke asked her things like "What was it like, growing up as a Jedi?" or "Can you tell me what the other Jedi were like?" or anything along those lines, I think she'd actually give a pretty positive answer. I don't think she'd really feel the need for criticism here, nor would she even WANT to bring it up. I don't think that Luke himself or the questions he might ask of her would make those more negative feelings come forward. Of course, it's always possible if he manages to figure out that she left the Jedi that he could ask about that and that this could cause her to start having more negative feelings that impacted her answers to questions, but I think that IN GENERAL, she'd have nice things to say still. The Jedi were her family, they were GOOD PEOPLE, she loved growing up as a Jedi, she had so many friends that she loved, so many people she still mourns. I personally believe that the Ahsoka we saw in Rebels and even the Ahsoka we saw in The Mandalorian would choose to only remember the positive things when speaking to someone else about them. Her pain is hers and it doesn't even truly MATTER anymore.

But when training Sabine, she's faced with the question of what to KEEP from her own training and what she wants to discard. Her pain matters more now because it will impact what she chooses to pass on to a student who claims to want to be a Jedi. And of course there's always The Anakin Of It All bringing in even more complicated messy feelings, too. So I'd kind-of be willing to buy that, even if she usually only ever has kind things to say when speaking to other people, that the situation with Sabine would bring out her most critical opinions.

(Of course, I genuinely hate the Ahsoka show with the power of a thousand burning suns, I think that Jedi Sabine is one of the stupidest choices I have ever seen in a Star Wars show which is saying a LOT, and so I don't want ANY OF IT anywhere near my own canon, regardless of whether I can make it make sense with Ahsoka's characterization or not. I just don't like it, and I think every single character involved deserved far better than the absolute dumpster fire that was that show.)

Which still brings us back to the answer of: No. Luke's fucked up behavior in the Sequel trilogy cannot be blamed on Ahsoka, not even in a headcanon for me. This is one of those places where I refuse to try to headcanon away the issues and place the blame squarely on bad writing. This is too big of an issue to headcanon away and there's not enough redeeming quality in the stuff around it to try. It's a lot easier and more satisfying to me to just acknowledge that Luke is OOC as all get out in the Sequels and leave it at that. Both Luke AND Ahsoka deserve better than this headcanon.

[sundogsandrainbows]

Hi, I'm sorry to write to you out of the blue, but Of Elves and Humans was the first DA longfic that got me hooked back in 2011 when I, as a dumb teen, happened to pick up DAO. Ever since then, the DA universe has been a constant fixation of mine and my admiration for you as a writer as well as someone who isn’t afraid to call out the franchise's flaws has never wavered. Now that Bioware decided to take a massive shit on everything pre-DAV and their oldest fans specifically, I'm really devastated and feel like a fool for having been so invested in DA and its lore for those past 13 years. It’s incredibly encouraging, however, to see you keep on keeping on. "So since they spat in my face like this I ignore this atrocity of a game even exists" is where I hope to be at soon, too. Thank you.

(First of all apologies for the late reply, I put it in my drafts when i was too tired to complete it, and then my adhd brain forgot it existed due to being distracted by new shinies 😂☠)

But aww omg i cannot believe i was the gateway drug into dragon age, or rather the old version of my story on FFN was. I am so very honored <3 And nonnie, I feel you. I am invested in DA as a series since DA:O's release in 2009, like I bought it on a whim for XBox because I liked Mass Effect 1 sm. So that is 15 yrs of my life i spent loving and discussing a thing while still being critical of the thing, but now i feel so very protective of the world, lore and its characters that "New Bioware" has decided to take a massive dump of shit on, and not only the games but the old fans I feel are treated with disdain too and do not matter to them any longer.

Long, subjective rant about current bioware aka the shambling corpse of its former self and talent incoming. Spoilers for Veilguard bc i don't give a fuck to avoid them :D You (general you, not you in particular dearest nonny <3) should use your time better than to play this shit anyhow 😂

It feels like calculated malice of new Bioware to apply the scorched earth tactics to offscreen destroy everything that old fans and fans of the other games in general held dear, and was supposed to suck out the enjoyment of DAO, DA2 and DAI. Like it is obvious they plan to create a sequel on DA's scorched bones, but jfc, you can do so story-wise without spitting everyone loving what old bioware has built in the face after dropkicking them. But to me that is part of the problem, since if i remember correctly and i wish i could find the bit... they praised Veilguard as "The best Dragon Age game ever", with the most interesting companions and best most improved combat system, comparing it to the other three games in a near smug fashion. There is marketing and there is putting the other games down to prop up your most favorite and only child mattering and they were definitely doing the latter. And don't get me started on the whole "Who is Zevran" debacle or we are gonna here all day.

Bottom line is new/current devs and writer do not give a shit about and very possibly have never played any other game than Inquisition, and you cannot tell me otherwise. And since a lot of devs/writer have left since the start of this project that would become this abysmal game, I also have the impression that there is a lot of underlying resentment toward what these former colleagues have created and so they piss on it in order to make it fully theirs now. Like dogs marking their territory, and well that did not work out, imo. At all.

Ever since they announced respecting our past choices by ignoring them (????) it was clear to me that I would not play Veilguard but just watch a playthrough and all spoilers and then move on. And everything i saw before release was shocking... like i was flabbergasted at how baaaad the dialogue was, which as a writer myself is super important to me in my story. There was no subtext, characters just blurt out everything they think and feel, like a lifeless doll you squeeze and words tumbling out and just as natural. It is stilted, awkward and 80% of it exists for info dump or info dumb rather as they keep repeating the same shit they just told you a few seconds ago as if you as the player are braindead. Here is a good example of what i mean.

Jfc, who edited this crap? There is so much superfluous dialogue that adds nothing to a scene but annoyance for the player and says nothing at all. Just pure senseless yapping in the most cringy way. Why was no one there to trim this nonsense as you should as a writer/editor? Hell, they really disregarded every simple and basic writing rule (everything is told never SHOWN for example especially in dialogue) which really made me question their competence in what they were doing and thus the quality of the upcoming game but i still held out hope for it to not be that bad.

Well shit, it was even worse. In all regards. Especially the writing that cringed this writer into a new dimension with its incoherent incompetence. Jfc. they got paid for that? I'm convinced the majority of fandom writer can do much better, even unpaid. Hell my cat just by walking over the keyboard can manage a better draft and script...💀

But I digress. That is a rant for another time. Point is, nonny, despite my defiant words, I struggled too for days after i got to know the full extent of Bioware's spiteful fuckery to even look at anything da related, in my case my Alistair/Mahariel longfic. I was really down for a few days, ngl. Then again, there is nothing better than spite fueling my creativity to prove "i can write better" soooo in the end and with the help of the much better first version of DA4 in the artbook, I was able to exorcise the demons and feverdream-mindfuck of mediocrity sold to me as a turd with gold-glitter that is this game.

I have successfully now rejected its existence, filled the void with the version that should have been from the artbook and vowed to give no fucks what bioware is doing or saying and infinitely more fucks when writing my own version of thedas and the version of DA4 that should be. REWRITES BBY hell yeah. So OEAH:R is just the beginning of a verse-wise rewrite. But if you need a pick me up, nonny, you are very much welcome to take a trip down memory lane to Dragon 9:30 and see how much this iteration of the story differs from my first one back in the days. Because in this house of mine, we grow and learn as writers, unlike bioware where writer ego reigns surpreme (oh boy and does it ever show in VG) aka eating their own turds and tell themselves it is the finest chocolate 💀

There is still a lot of good about DA out there, but we have to accept it does not come from Bioware any longer. Instead it came, comes and will come from the fans and creators of art and texts and words defying their bullshit with their love and respect for the world, its lore and characters. Also very unlike Bioware.

As we should <3

[serenaoffaerun]

Tenacity - Chapter 3 of the "Consequences" series

It's finally here!! Thank you all for your patience. Because of the physical letter writing I drew for Tav and Gale's back-and-forth, this took much longer than I anticipated. Plus, the story just kind of...ran away with itself... This chapter comes in at a word count over 8,000 and I don't know how that happened LOL.

Big thanks again to @alpydk who started off this series with what was supposed to be a one-off angst story, and allowed me to write my own sequel chapters to finish the story my own way. (Alphydk's chapter 2 can be found here.) As my first long-form writing in over a decade, it's been a fun challenge to take two characters I love so much and get them out of a position I wouldn't have put them in in the first place. 💜

Without making you all endure any more of my "propensity towards verbosity," I present chapter 3: Tenacity (complete with hand-written letters!)

Summary: After agreeing to try to re-establish their friendship/relationship by writing letters back and forth, Tav and Gale set out on their journey of communicating, listening, and healing. You better believe they're both going to hold on for dear life.

Word Count: 8,289 (I'm not sorry.)

CW: References to depression, alcoholism

Tags: GalexTav, angst/fluff, pre-established (albeit rocky) relationship, future smut? (no spoilers...), brief mention of infertility (in a positive way??), depresso espresso, communication, healing, Tara's getting ALL the tuna.

[I'm sure I left some out, I'll come back and add to it once I get this on AO3 - coming soon!!]

Screenshot: Taken from my own gameplay. Please do not re-post as your own.

NOTE: For those who don't want to read Tav's mediocre (but improving) handwriting or Gale's flowy cursive, the text version is printed below each letter (including doodle descriptions!)

9/2 4:45PM Pacific - EDIT FOR MORE NOTES:

My underlines went away when I copy/pasta'd from GoogleDocs, and now I realize that you can't underline because of links, so they're bolded and italicized instead.

REGARDING BHAALSPAWN INFERTILITY - this is NOT canon to BG3/DnD/Forgotten Realms. I totally made this up to fit my literary needs. 😉

Alpydk's chapter 1: Consequences

Chapter 2: Acquiescence

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tav assessed herself before she even opened her eyes. Between the wine and the crying, she was probably the most dehydrated person in all of Faerûn. The pounding headache she was used to. She'd made blackout curtains for a reason, after all. But the soul-wrenching nausea, that was new.

Being blissfully infertile, she knew there was no risk of pregnancy. One of her permanent "gifts" as Bhaal's former Chosen was the ability to be as promiscuous as she pleased without fear of pregnancy in order to weasel her way into the hearts, minds, and pants of any of her previous victims. Not that she'd needed that ability since the Nautiloid, or especially her subsequent severing from said god. But this was no ordinary nausea anyway. It was coming from somewhere much more complex.

Among the growing list of sensations Tav noticed from her downward-facing zombie position on the couch, she found two long-lost friends: the physical feeling of being simultaneously sated but also achingly empty in her core, and...hope. Surprisingly enough, she realized it was the latter that brought on the nausea.

Crippling anxiety, overwhelming depression, stabbing guilt, these are feelings she was familiar with and knew how to handle: with denial and alcohol. Just ball it up and shove it in the "future ulcer" pocket by the stomach and cover it up with a bottle of wine or two.

Hope, on the other hand, is a fickle bitch. It introduces the possibility of a better future. The idea that things could get better. Then comes the uncertainty.

‘Desirable things in life are never guaranteed,’ she told herself. ‘You can always lose them. Don't get TOO comfortable! You might still have to live the rest of your life without the man you truly believe is your soulmate.’

Tav had NEVER believed in the idea of a ‘soulmate’ before. That was even more laughable than ‘love at first sight.’ But she’d come to believe it now.

‘And you fucked it up, didn't you? You let yourself have the worst lapse in judgment, then you doubled down on it by screaming and being a hurtful wretch. You did this. You did this and you don’t deserve forgiveness, you don’t deserve mercy. No one else will ever fill the hole in your heart, so you’re going to die alone and unloved. That’s what you deserve.’  

The words from the voice in her head kept playing on a loop for the last six months and they wouldn’t shut up. Drowning them out with wine and sleep had become her modus operandi. There’d been nothing to look forward to, nothing to hope for. It was the way things were going to be, she’d accepted it. Especially in the last few months after Waterdeep. She couldn’t have her heart broken again if she didn’t expect anything.

But now, new words were taking up space in her brain. His words.

‘…there was a time that we’d also brought out the best in each other, once. I refuse to believe we can’t find our way back there again.’

‘Fuck.’ Those words had stolen her breath. Given her reason to think that there was a chance. That maybe he would give her the mercy she knew she didn’t deserve. Gale was just that kind of man.

If that were truly the case, though, why did he shut her out so quickly in the first place without getting to even talk about things. Why did he go straight to the biting comments and yelling instead of showing any kind of signs of forgiveness being a possibility.

‘Because you ripped out his heart that was already broken and threw it on the ground with all the remains of any self-confidence he had left after Mystra, you inconsiderate, unfaithful monster. It’s a wonder he’s still alive.’

These were the new conversations Tav now had running back and forth in her head and that’s where the source of the nausea was seated. In the unknown future where happiness still existed. Along the path that could go to life-long depression and loneliness or a blissful existence with the man who completed her, and she wouldn’t know which way she’d end up traveling until she got there. It was terrifying.

‘I refuse to believe we can’t find our way back there again.’

Face still mashed in the couch pillow, she balled up her fist and slammed it down into the cushion. Depression wasn’t going to win today. Or any other day, for that matter, at least not like it had been. She would not allow herself to be swept up in the waves of self-loathing and doubt to the point of being non-functional. Not anymore.

She took a deep breath and sat up, eyes still closed. There was a warmth on her face that she knew would be the late-morning sun coming in through the living room window. As she cracked her eyes open, she winced as the light seared into her brain and fired off pain signals. Slowly, she stood up, walked across the room, and felt around for the blackout curtains.

Medicine. Shower. Food. In that order.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Looking around the room later that day, Tav felt pretty proud of herself. Once she got herself cleaned, fed, and a bit more clear-headed, she opened the curtains again and opened all the windows. Her little depression hole needed a good airing out.

Starting with all the trash, she got rid of the wine bottles, the old food, even the bin filled with dirt and burned clothing. After washing off surfaces and sweeping floors, she put all the books back on the shelf, keeping a box full of scrolls and a quill pulled out on her desk. One sandwich and two sinks full of dishes later, it was nearing night time, but she had one more task ahead of her: the letter.

She’d been chewing over words in her head all day, but she still had no idea where to start. How do you even begin a letter like this? ‘Hi, Gale’? ‘Dear Gale,’? ‘Esteemed Professor Dekarios,’? If the greeting was this difficult, how would she even move on to the rest of the letter? She knew for damn sure that she wasn’t quite ready to be fully emotionally vulnerable, especially with him (even though he’s the only one she should ideally be emotionally vulnerable with…).

‘Welp, might as well just start,’ she said to herself as she sighed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hi Gale,  [in the top right hand corner was a little swirly doodle with some flowers and leaves. Next to it was written ‘I don’t have fancy paper, so I tried to do something cute?]

I’m having trouble starting this letter, so I figured maybe just admitting that is as good of a place as any. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what you want to hear, I don’t know what will help or what will just hurt… Here’s what I do know:

-          I’m sorry. [there are tear stains on the paper here]

-          There’s no excuse for what I did.

-          I don’t even know if I know the reason for what I did.

-          I don’t feel like I deserve your patience, your forgiveness, your mercy, anything, really. Your anger is totally justifiable.

-          I don’t know who I was that night or in the months following.

Except, I do. I’d reverted back to the person abomination I walked away from. The hateful, murderous, evil, wretched thing I said I’d never be again. Yet, I can’t claim that I wasn’t in my right mind at the time either. I never lost consciousness. I was aware of the decisions I was making. I just don’t understand why I made them in the first place, other than I’d lost hope. I’d stopped trusting you. I’d assumed you were going to leave me and go back to Mystra or pursue godhood where you’d no longer be…you. [Next to this is a small sketch of a broken heart.]

Here's what else I know:

-          You didn’t deserve that.

-          I don’t deserve you.

[Below this was another item that was heavily crossed out, but you can make out the words ‘I still’.]

(this letter is a mess, I’m sorry. I’m just…flustered)

[On the right side of the paper, there was a list of four items outlined in a rectangle, above which was written ‘Good things’ – a question mark had followed this, but it was crossed out with an X. The four items are:]

-          I took a shower today.

-          I cleaned my house for the first time in weeks today.

-          I’m going to stop drinking for a while.

-          I’m exhausted and I’m going to bed.

It’s not ‘the letter of a lifetime,’ but it’s a start. I hope you’re well and that your students aren’t giving you too much of a hassle. Can’t be as bad as slaying a whole camp of goblins, right? [Here there was a small doodle of a goblin head, X’s for eyes and tongue sticking out, laying in a pool of blood next to a sword.]

I look forward to hearing from you. Take care of yourself, please.

-Tav

P.S. I’m working on my handwriting. I’m sorry if any of this is illegible. Not really a subject that was covered in “Bhaalspawn University.”

[At the bottom of the letter was drawn a curvy vine with leaves, flowers, and flower buds.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gale swallowed thickly as he held the letter in his trembling hands.

‘She did it. She actually wrote, and it wasn’t full of anger and insults. It was a real, honest-to-the-gods attempt at talking.’

His eyes shimmered as he re-read two lines over and over again:

-          You didn’t deserve that.

-          I don’t deserve you.

His heart ached as he pondered the fact that she thought so little of herself. It made him remember his inner monologue after the debacle with Mystra and the orb. All Gale told himself for a year was that he’d made mistakes so huge that no one should have to ever bear the burden of his presence again. Anyone who showed any affection towards him, platonic or otherwise, was a fool who was wasting their time. They’d just end up being let down by this depressed shadow of a former Archmage. Knowing that Tav was the one now who truly felt she wasn’t deserving of forgiveness or mercy brought tears to his eyes.

He felt a bit lighter, however, at the implication that she even cared whether or not she was worthy of him. Not only cared, but was taking bolder steps forward. She’d apologized, she’d wished him well, she’s taking care of herself… Then it dawned on him that she’d gotten so low that a task as mundane as taking a shower was to be celebrated on a list of positive things.

Oh, did he remember that pit of despair well. He’d spent a year down at the bottom of it. Cut off from all outside contact, forgetting (or refusing) to eat, going days, even a week or more without bathing because he didn’t have anyone to see anyway. No point in expending the energy.

Now, however, Gale was at least teaching. That had kept him going. Even if he didn’t interact with many people outside of Blackstaff Academy, he was still getting dressed, going to a place with other people, and teaching Faerûn’s youth to harness and control the Weave.

But what of Tav? How often was she seeing others? It seems she had relocated after all. The return address is listed in Daggerford, a town not far south of Waterdeep full of retired adventurers, artisans, craftsmen, and farmers. A relatively quiet place compared to Baldur’s Gate, but still a city with plenty of opportunities. (And only a three-, maybe four-day travel from Gale. That would explain how easily she ended up in Waterdeep in the marketplace on that cold, rainy day…).

He remembered her telling everyone how much of a hero she’d been at the reunion party. What happened to her adventuring? Would she even be home enough for their letter-writing to be consistent? She’d made no mention of her activities, that was something he’d want to follow up on. As much as it would have previously brought him satisfaction to see her put in her place for everything she’d said, cut off from others and alone, now it just caused an ache in his chest.

The threads of his bitterness and rage had already begun unraveling. He’d been letting the truth sink in since the reunion: Tav had acted reckless and lashed out because she was scared. Scared of losing him. The thought of him abandoning her for Mystra or for godhood drove her to seek pleasure in someone else. Yet he hadn’t bothered to get to the root of the problem at the time. All he knew was that he had his heart broken. He had been betrayed. He had been ‘abandoned.’

He sighed heavily as the pangs of grief and remorse started to take hold. What a fool he’d been. A self-centered, arrogant, quick-tempered fool. But he shook those thoughts out of his head. This wasn’t the time to keep dwelling on what he had or hadn’t done in the past. Where the ball of anger had resided in his chest, just as roiling and hungry as the Netherese orb had been, he felt the tension had begun to break apart. There was still much healing to do, but now there was a little room for the patience and understanding he’d wished he’d displayed before.

He re-read the letter again, chuckling lightly at her doodles and scratches. Her handwriting had much improved, she gave herself too little credit. It was good to see she still had her silly sense of humor as well. She hadn’t been completely robbed of her beautiful qualities.

Draining the last sip of wine in his cup, he arose from his spot on the balcony and walked inside to sit at his desk. One thing nagged at him before he could start writing his response, though. Underneath the bottom list where she said she didn’t deserve him, she’d written something and then furiously scratched it out. He thought he might know what it said, but didn’t want to get carried away if he was wrong. Holding the letter carefully in front of the lit candle on his desk, he stared at the scratches, trying to piece together the words underneath. His breath caught when his eyes brought them together:

‘I still’

I still… Still what? I still hear the voice of the Dark Urge? I still won’t forgive you?

No. Given the context of what was said and the direction they were going, it had to mean only one thing. He would only allow himself to think it was one thing.

‘I still love you.’

Hoping with everything he had that it was true, he took another deep breath and pulled out a scroll from his desk drawer. It was his turn now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dear Tav, [In small writing to the right of the greeting, it says (my ‘fancy paper’ is at the academy) with a winking face doodle.]

Sometimes I think I’d prefer a good goblin massacre to a room full of hormonal teenage wizards learning to control a firebolt spell, but each day is a new adventure, after all! [After this sentence, Gale had doodled a flame, his head/hair with wisps of smoke, and in small writing with an arrow pointing to the drawings, (I tried).]

Thank you for your thoughts, and especially for your apology. I can’t in good conscience say that everything is forgotten, but I fully believe we are on the right path forward.

I would also like to apologize, because you deserve it. You are so much more deserving than you think you are of kindness, understanding and, yes, when I am able, forgiveness. I understand, likely better than anyone else you might know, how strongly self-loathing can take hold.

Which is why I want to tell you that I’m proud of you. I don’t know what you’ve been up to in recent months. I heard you telling the others about some adventuring opportunities, but I gather from your letter that self-care had gone by the wayside. I’m proud and happy to hear that you’re starting to focus on yourself. Yes, I agree with you: showering, cleaning, limiting alcohol intake, and even being tired enough to go to bed are all good things. I hope you continue being kind to yourself.

Admittedly, I’d fallen into a similar rut. While I get plenty of social interaction at the academy, my extra-curricular life has been…non-existent. I come home to my tower, I usually remember to eat, I grade papers, stay up entirely too late researching, and then attempt to get enough sleep to repeat that schedule ad nauseum. The cleanliness of my home, and myself, had been sorely neglected. But as you are focusing on self-improvement, I shall endeavor to do likewise.

Speaking of self-improvement, that’s where the letter-writing idea came from. Rather, through Tara’s efforts to help me during my year of isolation. She’d suggested I do some journalling to write out my thoughts and emotions regarding Mystra. Not only to get them to stop rolling around in my head, but to be able to articulate them. It did help, quite immeasurably, in fact. That’s why I’m so thankful you’ve agreed to this in the first place. I feel like it will serve us well. [A filled-in purple heart was drawn here.]

Actually, I can’t tell you how many letters I started writing to you in the last six months. I really did try. It just always felt…wrong, somehow. Like it wasn’t the right time, or my words weren’t sincere, or they’d fall on deaf ears. But I’m so glad we’re ‘talking’ now. I’ve missed you, Tav… [A filled-in but broken purple heart was drawn here.]

Tell me what you’ve been up to! Tell me your thoughts. Tell me any and everything you want to. I’ll be waiting to take it all in.

Yours,

Gale

[To the left on the bottom, Gale had drawn an open book with an ink pot and a quill. In the middle on the bottom, Tara had been drawn, wings outstretched, lying down, eyes closed, with a small note: (Tara’s sleeping on my desk and she’s adorable!). On the right under his signature, Gale drew a wand with sparkling stars and a curved line of weave making a flourish.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dear Gale – [Here, she had drawn a wand with stars similar to the one he’d put by his name in his letter]

Thank you for saying that you’ve wanted to talk this whole time. That makes me feel so much better. I never put quill to parchment, but I started countless letters in my head. Like you said, it just never felt right. [After this, Tav drew a scroll, an ink pot, and a quill.]

This does feel like the right path at the right time, but to be honest, Gale…I’m scared. I’m scared to put everything on the table again. With how much I got we got hurt last time we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable with each other, I can’t go through that again. Nor do I want you to go through it again. [Tav had drawn two filled in broken hearts after this paragraph.]

It humbles me to think you feel I’m deserving of good things. Truly. I don’t feel like I am, so I suppose it’s good that someone in this world does. Your encouragement in taking care of myself is unexpected, but ultimately not surprising. That’s just who you are. I’m thankful to hear that you’re taking it upon yourself to improve as well. [Here, Tav had drawn some grapes and cheese on a plate, and to the right of it, a broom and dust pan.]

I fully understand, however, that you can’t forgive me, at least not yet. (I wouldn’t forgive me either.) Hopefully I can begin to earn it over time. I’m not going to sit here and defend my actions with trying to find solace in Mizora’s…experience. It wasn’t even fulfilling, if it makes you feel any better. (It won’t, I know you). It was just tricks of the mind and a devil’s words of promises for things I didn’t even desire. (Perhaps the ‘old me’ would have.) I regretted it immediately, yet it has marked me forever.

But I know that how it left me afterwards is not the point. The point is why I let myself go along with it in the first place. I’ve done a lot of thinking in the last months, especially since the reunion. Let me preface this by saying that I am not shifting the blame. I still made the decision to give in. However, after days and weeks of your near-obsession with the Crown of Karsus, I could see that look in your eyes. You couldn’t stop thinking about the power it could offer. Power that we know all too well would only corrupt you and change you. Then, your meeting with Mystra, introducing her back into your life with her deal to get rid of the orb for the crown… I could feel you slipping away from me.

[On the left side by the words Crown of Karsus, Tav had drawn the crown with a big ‘X’ through it. Near where Mystra is mentioned, she drew a scared ‘Mystra,’ identified as ‘witch bitch,’ being threatened by Tav with a dagger.’]

What I should have done was keep talking to you, seeking reassurance. I should have spat in Mizora’s face and told her to get the fuck out. [In this area, Tav drew herself spitting in Mizora’s face.] I should have sought solace in your embrace, in your words, in your love… But one thing I need you to understand: I was brought up my whole life to be let down. Every success came with a defeat. Every win came with a loss. Every gift came with a sacrifice. You were the most important gift I will ever have in this world or the next. I was positive I was going to lose it, so…I don’t know. I think maybe I wanted to push it from myself first before it was taken outside of my control? Mizora approaching me with her “offer”… She knew exactly what she was doing: giving me an “out” that she knew I would take because I was at my most vulnerable.

For all my accolades being a “Hero of Baldur’s Gate” and savior to many, I clearly didn’t have the strength to stand up to her temptations. I let her use the fact that I have major trust issues to weasel her way into my deepest fears and exploit them. I didn’t have a chance. It doesn’t excuse my actions, but I hope it at least explains them.

I’m running out of parchment. You asked what I’ve been up to. If it’s of any comfort, things are going well enough. I’m eating mostly regularly, I’m keeping up with the chores, and I’m even starting to finally organize some garden space in the yard. I’m trying to spend some time outside every day, and I’ve replaced the wine with various teas. They’re small steps, but they’re steps.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten us closer to any kind of resolution, but hopefully my words can fill in some of the gaps. I look forward to hearing your response.

Thank you, by the way, for giving me something to look forward to again.

I’ve missed you too. Very much so.

Humbly yours,

Tav

[At the bottom left of the page, she drew a cup of tea]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dearest Tav, [to the right of the greeting, it says in smaller writing (I apologize for the condition of this letter. It was rather difficult to write.) The letter is littered with smudges where tears had fallen and letter had been re-written over them.]

As I wrote my last letter and have been pondering your response, it weighs on me just how grave a mistake I also made. The blame for our downfall does not fully rest with you. (Let me finish…)

Feeling like you’re not worthy, like you made too big of a mistake to recover from; you know how familiar I am with those thoughts. Looking back, this means I should have been the one who was there for you the most. Yet I wasn’t. I was the furthest one away.

I agree with you that my anger was justified. I’d felt like I’d been told I wasn’t enough for you, which is exactly what I feared from the beginning. In my mind, you had openly told the entire world that Gale Dekarios, fallen Archmage of Waterdeep, scorned by Mystra herself, could not, in fact, make you or anyone else happy. You had to go find your pleasure elsewhere.

Where my mistake lies is in never stopping to think how much you had to have been hurting in order to find solace in Mizora in the first place. I don’t think I even gave you the chance to confirm you hadn’t been possessed, quite frankly. It’s no wonder your defenses went up immediately. My reaction, while potentially understandable, was absolutely awful.

I am so sorry that I never gave you a chance to talk things through before letting my hurt and rage take over. What I should have done was walk away and screamed into the void instead of at you before hearing any kind of explanation. I suppose I figured there would never be one good enough. Never did I think until recently that I could have possibly had something to do with you feeling pushed in that direction. I should have been more reassuring. I should have given you no reason to doubt my love for you and my dedication to you.

The possibilities that came with the crown had taken over my waking thoughts, and even infiltrated my dreams. Providing an eternal life without conflicts for both you and I sounded like the perfect solution, and I became hyper-focused. You had tried telling me that you were scared, that you didn’t want me to lose my humanity. I just still thought I was smarter and had this whole grand plan all figured out and you would realize it eventually.

[Before the next paragraph is drawn an infinity symbol, a heart nestled into the loops on either side.]

But I didn’t do enough to put your mind at ease. I didn’t help you understand that I wouldn’t have actually left had it come down to choosing between you and the crown. I never, never would have left you, Tav. As I shouted rather rudely before, I only ever truly wanted you. I assumed you knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, so I didn’t spend any time reinforcing it. I let my focus drift too far. Then, I left you scared and alone afterwards with no chance to explain. I, the ex-Chosen and ex-lover of a goddess, from whom he should have learned humility after his hubris, the man to whom you showed so much kindness and understanding and support when anyone else would have run in the other direction, I couldn’t even show a fraction of that back to you.

Taviela, my heart, I am so, so incredibly sorry that I wasn’t there for you. When you pulled me from that portal and later heard my harrowing tale of foolishness and desperation, you stood by me. You took care of me and encouraged me, and I threw that back in your face at the first opportunity. It will be a long time before I can forgive myself for that. But I humbly, honestly, and hopefully ask if you could ever forgive me. I understand if you cannot, but know that I will spend the rest of my life proving myself to you.

Please keep telling me your thoughts, Tav. I want to hear them. I need to hear them.

Repentantly yours,

Gale

P.S. I’m far too emotional at the moment to do many little doodles, but yours warm my heart. Please keep doing them. [A filled in heart was drawn here. He had also drawn a simple version of the wand and stars under his name.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My Dearest Gale, [Across the top of the page was a wand, a wavy line of weave, and small stars.]

I’ve been staring at this parchment for at least an hour, but I haven’t been able to write anything until now. I’m sobbing at your words. Your insight about everything I put you through, the weight of what happened after all your hurts and insecurities from Mystra and the orb, the fear of being inadequate to me… That weight is almost too much to bear. I’ve berated myself for months now for hurting you, but the full impact never hit me until I read it in your words. I want to fall on my knees and cry at your feet and beg for mercy. But how could you possibly ever forgive me? I’m sorrier than you will ever know for allowing you causing you to feel that way again.

Also, to think that you are taking any of this upon yourself so strongly, I really don’t know what to say about that either. I still feel like this is all due to my deficiencies. My weaknesses. My fuck-ups. But I can understand where you’re coming from, wanting to take some responsibility. All I’ll say is that there is nothing to forgive anymore. I hold no more ill will towards you. We both acted like children throwing tantrums, but we were each already pushed to our limits and didn’t stop to think about, well, anything, really.  [Tav had drawn 5 filled in hearts here, along with writing (I don’t know what else to doodle here because I’m also emotional).]

It feels cheap to keep coming back to my upbringing, but it’s an unfortunate reality where I’m concerned. Everything was always a bitter fight of either words or daggers. There was no real “communication” to speak of. There were no “feelings” shared. It was all cruel lessons with harsh punishments. ‘Be a bitch, or get walked over’ was something I told myself a lot. I never truly learned to stop and step back and give things time to breathe. Putting myself in another person’s shoes is something I’ve forced myself to learn, especially during our adventures.

I have a confession to make. When I (literally) ran into you in Waterdeep a few months ago, it wasn’t just happenstance. I’d come there with a purpose. The downward spiral had begun weeks prior and I was nearing rock bottom. I came to look for you. To see if you were possibly even half as miserable as I was without you. I was certain you would be, and that it would give me a reason to approach you. We would be on common ground and might actually be able to talk. [On the right side of the page, Tav had drawn an open book sitting in a puddle of water in the rain. On the pages of the book it said ‘I’m sorry about the books.’]

But then I saw you. You were in the marketplace, smiling, making small talk with the merchants, even laughing with them. You looked full of life. You looked like you were doing just fine – without me. My heart dropped into my shoes and I’d considered just walking away, never letting you see I was even there. But something in me snapped. I apparently just had to get in a couple more digs before I walked away forever. That was childish and unacceptable and I’m sorry I put you in that position. (I don’t blame you one bit for the Hold Person spell, for the record. I deserved it.) [Tav had drawn the symbol for the Hold Person spell here, along with Tav approves.]

Please forgive me, but I’m emotionally spent. I think I’ll wrap this up to send in the morning, go sit on the back porch with a cup of tea, and just think for a while.

Still yours,

Tav

[Along the left side of the bottom of the page, Tav drew a small flower garden. On the right side, a cup of tea.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My Darling Taviela, [On the right side of the top of the page was carefully drawn an eternity symbol. Inside each side was a heart – a G written in the one on the left, a T written in the one on the right. Next to it, Gale wrote:] (I’ve been doodling this a lot lately.)

My heart aches for you, for us both. You’re right. There’s nothing to forgive anymore. We were both stretched so far beyond our limits, no wonder we broke down. We both have acted out of turn, we both have put ourselves through the wringer, and we both built impossibly high walls around ourselves. I’m happy to say that I believe we can push those walls down now. I want to move forward in whatever way we can, even if that ends up being as friends (though judging by your comments, it doesn’t sound like that will be the case, but please correct me if I’m reading the situation incorrectly).

I have a confession for you, in light of your revelations regarding our “run-in” in the marketplace. It was all an act to save face out in public. The laughter, the ‘life’ you say you saw in me, the light-hearted interactions – they were all a façade. I was miserable without you, however angry I was. After that interaction, it got even worse. I felt awful immediately, leaving you standing there shivering in the rain. [Gale had drawn a hand getting smacked by a ruler with words in a bubble outlined in sharp angles: BAD WIZARD!] I couldn’t believe that, even though there was some provocation, that I’d still reverted to such a childish response. I sank further into my depressive state. I almost didn’t come to the reunion with our companions either, actually. It felt like more of an effort to get myself put together than I was capable of. Fortunately, Tara snapped me out of it.

Speaking of Tara, I’ve been working on getting her to be more understanding. I’m sure you have noticed that her protectiveness of me overrides any kind of empathetic nature towards anyone who has caused me even a lick of hurt. But she’s come a long way in understanding both sides of our…predicament. I’ll keep at it, for both of our sakes. [A trail of small paw prints was drawn after this.]

I’m pleased to say that I’ve been keeping up with the cleaning, [on the right side of the page, Gale doodled a robed hand holding a sparking wand next to two balls of dust that look like rabbits. Underneath was written, (dust bunnies).] I feel like I finally have a handle on my students and my lesson-planning, and I’ve found joy in cooking meals again. Too much time is being spent grading sub-par assignments in the evenings, I’ll admit, but it comes with the territory. My heart has been all the lighter in the last couple of weeks, and it’s all thanks to you: your words, your patience, and willingness to work on…well, us.

What have you been up to lately? Any more adventuring opportunities coming your way? Are you doing any traveling? I wonder if there’s any chance our paths might cross in the near future.

I’ll admit, my mind has been wandering to thoughts of seeing you again. I miss the warmth of your embrace, the sparkle in your smile, the feeling of home when I look into your eyes – I feel like a part of me has been missing since our falling out.

I was actually thinking… What would you say to coming back to Waterdeep for a proper visit?

Take care of yourself, my darling [a filled-in heart was drawn here]

Gale (no fancy drawing in my name this time. Just me, missing you.) [above this, Gale had drawn a side profile of himself from the chest up, looking down, eyes closed, a tear falling from his eye.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The letters had been going back and forth at a regular, weekly pace. It was about six weeks after the reunion, which already seemed like forever ago. They had come so far, and his words made her realize that she missed him more than she knew was possible.

However, when Tav saw the last question in Gale’s letter, she froze. Her chest tightened and her breath quickened. She got dizzy, her hands shook, and her mind raced, tears threatening to overflow onto her cheeks. She was having a panic attack.

She threw the letter in her top desk drawer, slammed it shut, ran down the hall, and pulled the lever for her shower without bothering to warm the water first. Fully clothed, she stood underneath the cold deluge until her breathing slowed and she could process her thoughts.

The nausea was back. She sat on the floor on a towel and just let the water drip off her. Tucking her knees up to her chin, she stared at the wall and focused on her breathing. She wanted nothing more than for Gale to walk in the room right now, pick her up, and hold her in his lap, caressing her hair and whispering comforting words to her until she felt better. But as much as she wanted to feel his arms around her, to smell his scent, to run her fingers through his hair and more, she was absolutely terrified.

All she could think of as she started rocking back and forth was that she was going to end up hurting him again. She cried and cried until she resigned herself to lying down on the floor and crying herself to sleep, shivering in her damp clothes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A week went by and there was no response from Tav. Gale tried to brush it off, attempting to convince himself that perhaps she had gotten a chance to do some traveling, and was running behind sending her letter.

Nine days went by and his resolve started to falter. He replayed every word in his head that he’d written in his last letter. Was he moving ahead too fast? Did he assume too much? Did he push her too far? He ached to see her, to hear her voice, and to comfort her. But he could NOT let himself fuck things up again…

On the tenth day, he sent just a short message in hurried writing, requested for the utmost urgent delivery.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tav,

I’m truly, deeply sorry if I’m pushing you too far. You don’t have to answer the last question. We can continue just writing if that’s what makes you comfortable. I’ll do whatever you need, but I cannot, I will not lose you again.

Please, talk to me, my love.

Gale [A filled in heart was drawn after his name.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sleep never found him that night. He let his brain run through every worst-case scenario it could come up with. Tears were still crawling down his face every so often as he saw the faintest colors of the dawn coming to greet the eleventh day. Thank the gods he had the next couple of days off for Midsummer…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the afternoon of the twelfth day, Tav’s response arrived. Gale didn’t even go back inside or shut the door. He ripped open the envelope and tried to steady his breathing as his shaky hands held her letter. He let himself take a deep breath and fall back against his door frame as he read:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My precious Gale,

I am so very sorry for the delayed response and for making you worry. I don’t know what came over me, but when I saw you asking to see each other again…I panicked. I had a full-on panic attack, after which, I slept for days. I lost all track of what day it was or how much time had gone by. I kept picking up my quill and the words just wouldn’t come. I’m so sorry. Your words in the message I received today snapped me back out of it. Thank you for checking on me. [A filled-in heart was drawn here.]

Gale, I can’t bear the thought of hurting you again. I’m not saying that I don’t want to see you. Believe me, nothing would make me happier. My dreams of getting to be near you, to hold you again, to be held by you, they are my greatest source of comfort. But we haven’t spent any time together in person since the reunion, and we spent months before that acting like completely different people.

What if we can’t change, Gale? What if seeing each other brings out all the anger and spite again? I can’t forgive myself, even if you have. I don’t know what to say – I can’t lose you again either, I won’t survive it. And I fear that I will become upset by something and fall back into my old ways of dealing with arguments: with juvenile pettiness and venomous words. I’m so scared…

In fact, I’m going to deflect now so I don’t dissolve into another panic attack.

To answer your other questions – honestly, adventuring hasn’t happened in a while. I was being truthful at the reunion when I said I’d been adventuring and helping people. But coming back from Waterdeep is when I started to shut everyone out. My house descended into chaotic messes that I didn’t have the energy to clean, I stopped eating regularly, I was drinking at least a bottle of wine a day, and I slept all the time. I have enough money set aside that I can get away with not working for quite a while, but that won’t last forever.

The gardening is going well now though! I haven’t killed so much as a tomato plant! I’m growing flowers and selling bundles here and there. I’m also growing my own vegetables and some fruits, though I haven’t begun selling those yet. I’m getting the itch to start baking, however… I’ve found a great deal of fulfillment in creating (growing) some kind of life now instead of dwelling on the memories of taking it. [Along the left side of the page, she drew a tomato plant crawling up the side. Along the right, she drew a plate of danishes and a cup of tea.]

I’m so sorry again for worrying you. I just froze because I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll get this sent to you as quickly as I can, but please tell me your thoughts. I’m hoping your insight can be of some comfort.

With all my heart,

Your Tav

[At the bottom of the letter, Tav drew the same symbol Gale had been doodling on everything he could: the eternity symbol with the hearts in the middle, one with a G, one with a T. Next to it, she wrote:] (I tried… Yours looks much nicer.)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My sweet Taviela, [Their infinity symbol with hearts and their initials was on the top right.]

Thank you for explaining the reason for the delay. I completely understand, and I’m sorry to have caused you to panic. If I may offer some encouragement, however, perhaps I can help quiet your heart.

Neither of us are under anywhere near the amount of pressure and stress that we were at the time back in Baldur’s Gate. We are taking care of ourselves now as individuals, fully independent of others, and neither is a crutch for the other. This bodes well for quelling any fears of being too dependent on each other for our own good.

We’ve seen what damage can be done by careless words and actions, and we’ve walked back from that ledge – together. Now we’ll be more aware of the warning signs should we become frustrated with each other again. We’ve talked about what we can do to avoid arguments in the future, like walking away for a breather, should we need to. Lest you have any unrealistic expectations, please remember that we will become frustrated with each other and we will likely have some arguments. That’s only natural for any two beings that have a close relationship. But we have some experience now and wisdom gained. I truly believe that we can be better for each other. We can change. Together. [A filled in heart is drawn here along the left side of the page.]

If you are comfortable thinking about the possibility of visiting, I have a proposition for you. Some simple guidelines that will help keep us in check as we try spending time together again, under completely different circumstances.

-          I will get you set up in a lovely room at The Yawning Portal for one week. The bartender owes me a favor for clearing out some riffraff a few weeks ago. Then you can have a place you feel comfortable retreating to without feeling trapped in my tower, should you wish to get some space.

-          So as to not put too much pressure on either of us too quickly, we can have a date each day, but we don’t spend the entire day together (at least not every day). It may be midsummer, but I still have regular responsibilities with the academy that I need to see to. Besides, that will give us time to individually reflect on our time together and how we’re feeling.

-          At the end of the week, we can talk about how things have gone and what direction we should go at that point. We won’t pressure each other, and we’ll agree that we won’t be disappointed if one person needs more time than the other. Above all, we need to make sure our friendship stays in tact.

So, what do you say? Look! I even got Tara’s stamp of approval! [On the side of the page is an ink pawprint.] (Do you have any idea how much convincing it took to get her to put her paw in ink? I owe her tuna for weeks…)

I won’t pressure you, but if you’re amenable to this plan, we can do this as soon as you’d like – even next week. Having said all that, if you still want to take things slower and keep writing letters for now, I will fully support that decision and be delighted to keep doing so.

If you will allow me, however, I would like to make one last plea: I want to see you, Taviela. I need to see you. My heart aches for you and my arms feel so painfully empty without you in them. I long to curl my fingers into your hair, to hear your contended sighs, to be lit up inside by your laughter, and, when you’re ready, to make love to you and cover you in affectionate, healing kisses until every hurtful word we’ve ever exchanged is erased from memory itself.

I know you’re scared, my darling. But I believe in us. I believe things will be different this time around. I hope and pray to every god and goddess who will listen that you can find it in your heart to take the risk.

Come here to me, my love, and we can keep walking our way forward - together. [A filled in heart is drawn here.]

I eagerly await your reply, whatever it may be.

Yours always,

Gale [A doodle of a wand surrounded by stars is by his name.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tav’s hands trembled. Gods, she missed him so much it physically hurt. Especially now that she knew how much he was missing her as well. Sitting at her desk, she re-read his last full paragraph with tears flooding her vision and heart filling her chest, not to mention a familiar heat between her thighs. She knew at that moment that her desire and her renewed trust in Gale Dekarios FINALLY outweighed her fears. She didn’t even need to think about her response. It was short and sweet:   

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gale, my love, [Their eternity/hearts/initials symbol was drawn on the top right.]

I’ll set out tomorrow by horse from Daggerford and will arrive at the Yawning Portal on Sunday evening around dinner time. I sincerely hope your arms will be waiting for me, because I’ll be rushing into them the moment I see you. [A filled-in heart was drawn in.]

Just don’t be holding a stack of books this time… [ Tav had drawn a doodle of a winking face here.]

Yours always,

Tav

P.S. I doubt we’ll be waiting long for those healing kisses… I know we’re going to space out our time together, but stay with me the first night? Help me “settle in” to Waterdeep? [Tav sketched a set of lip prints in the bottom right.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tears fell from Gale’s eyes, but happy ones this time. He could tell his cheeks were flushed too from her “P.S.”… He laughed at her jab about the books, then folded up the letter and brought it to his lips, kissing the edge she would have folded with her soft hands.

He had planning to do. 

[pop-punklouis]

Hope ,what's your opinion about the Blake - Justin drama? Did you see the new video they released ? He got dragged through the mud when her lawsuit came out where her team released her court docs as well. Isn't it fair that he gets to show his side as well? And she refused to meet the intimacy coordinator before shooting the scenes . So obviously she will be uncomfortable if he did something , which is why IC's are imp. I saw the insider info leak that Candace Owens got and it makes a lot of sense. Ryan Reynolds is a super controlling jealous guy.

ngl celebrity feuds and hot topics like this are my guilty pleasure lmao especially with the rollercoaster that has been the blake and justin lawsuits. i have been keeping too much on top of it for my own liking tbh (***putting this under a read more bc i have many thoughts thanks lol***)

BUT, unless blake’s team comes out with some bombshell at this point to completely counteract everything i read in that 700 page filing i read from Baldoni’s side the other day and watching the footage (that they say they have plenty more of)…. i do not see how they think they’re ever gonna win over a judge. and public perception is in the toilet for her and ryan now. they should just try and settle at this point (which i doubt baldoni will do after her lawsuit caused him to lose three jobs, too much money, and completely damaged his image in the industry — if i were him i would also stand my ground if he is indeed telling the truth which… jesus) anyways, i did read the insider info from candace owens and it only further solidifies what i had already convinced myself of regarding the whole thing after falling down the rabbit hole.

so my completely outsider opinion is that this whole situation has felt way too petty and hateful for it to not have any personal ties to it— and those personal ties, it seems as the only plausible explanation in my mind, that blake and justin connected emotionally on set. you can see that in many of their text exchanges and comments that were made about late night writing sessions etc. and the chemistry they had on set and in the footage before everything went sour in the baldoni lawsuit. whether blake became attracted to him or they both flirted with one another isn’t that important. what’s important is that, in my mind, ryan reynolds found out about something or didn’t like that blake was showing a more relaxed and comfortable side with baldoni which caused him to get uncomfortable and insecure and he pushed for the lawsuit believing that their combined presence and celebrity power would practically dessimate baldoni as he’s only worth like 3 million dollars compared to ryan who is gaining net worth close to a billion dollars (🤢) and they could wipe their hands of him and gain the rights to the sequel of the film. **funny how ryan knows how easy it is to become attracted to a co-star as he cheated on scarlett johansson with blake during green lantern but oops <3 **

unfortunately, everything i’ve ever heard about ryan reynolds has fit an ego-maniac frame. a lot of what i read in the baldoni lawsuit and from other sources about the film’s production and how reynolds practically took control over the entire thing, observing the dailies, rewriting scenes that blake took credit for, and then having meetings with certain crew and baldoni where they witnessed him degrade baldoni in front of everyone…. it wouldn’t surprise me if ryan was the one who won’t let this go and keeps pushing it because his pride and his ego won’t step out of the way long enough to realize this is only tanking both his and his wife’s image and value in the industry and to the general public. i think a perfect example of how weirdly obsessed he was with baldoni was in the new deadpool movie (which i know many people have referenced but it’s still so bizarre to me) where he becomes a character called “nicepool” which is an obvious jab at baldoni who has longer hair swept up in a half bun, with a certain vernacular, and is standing outside of a sage store (baldoni is known for saging any new environment he comes into) where blake lively’s character in ryan’s film ends up defeating him in a battle……. if his wife was that uncomfortable and felt like baldoni was creepy and actually harassing her why would ryan even bring up this guy in his film— treating it and him like a bad joke. it all just screams of ryan being a controlling partner who didn’t like that blake was actually growing close to another man. and she is the mask for him and his petty agenda to destroy him.

now, i don’t think Blake is an innocent party here at all. i think she also has a lot to answer for because almost everything she claimed in her lawsuit was referenced and countered with actual evidence from baldoni’s lawsuit (i also cant stop thinking of how absurd some of her texts and thinly veiled threats were to him like a grown ass woman acting as a cartoon bully)…. but, i do think ryan has a much bigger hand in this than people know and he’s practically running the show here and won’t back down which is going to ultimately damage him and her more than i think he believes it will damage justin. again, they should just pack it up and go back home with all the evidence baldoni’s team has but i know they won’t. would absolutely love to be a fly on the wall in the reynolds household right now though.

it’s a mess but yeah that’s where my mindset is at right now and i doubt it’ll change because i don’t think they have anything up their sleeve to change most people’s opinions here after all that’s been dropped. they genuinely believed he would back down and take it but he didnt. (also i find it easier to form an opinion when you see that most of the cast sided with her BUT the entire crew sided with him. that paints a pretty clear picture to me imo)

btw i’ve been following a tiktok creator’s commentary on the topic and they have a very similar opinion that i do about ryan reynolds role in this entire situation and why it feels like he’s pulling the strings. you can watch it here.

[tenshinokorin]

TnK's Trigun Fic Listing

Ok now that I've got 15 fics out for Trigun (so far) and at least a couple of those are upwards of 20K and some of them are sequels and followups and ongoing, I thought maybe I should do a proper list of things, to make it easier for people who want to read in some kind of order. I'm terrible about talking up my own work but this is also for my own reference so that's fine, right? ^^; All fics are Vashwood-centric (I will get to Nai in a minute I have a backlog) and ratings vary from Gen to Explicit, though all are intended for an adult audience. This list is complete as of September '23, I will update it periodically as needed! 

NB: I'm lucky enough to have gotten fanart for some of these and sometime when my head is not full of mud I'll go in and add links to those where I can. (Or please drop a link in the replies if you are one of the wonderful artists in question!) 

THE BIG THREE STORYLINES: 

Someday Out of the Blue & I Believe in the Kingdom Come

Trigun '98 canon. Reincarnation fic. The first one is a story I started writing over 20 years ago and quit after a chapter because I was just too heartbroken (and did not know it, but was also too young). Picked it up and finished it this April (2023) after Stampede clobbered me and I fell off the "we don't talk about wolfwood" wagon. The second story is a direct sequel to tie up some loose ends from the first one, and also to indulge my need for a proper happy ending. (I think a lot of folks don't realize Someday has a sequel but it does!!) 

Black is the Color and Mysterious Ways

Trimax Canon. Resurrection/Fix-it/Angstmance with a much shorter, sillier, smuttier epilogue. Three years after the end of Trigun Maximum, Vash is having some trouble laying his ghosts to rest. (You may have seen this incredible artwork which has gotten around a bit and boosts the story better than any summary of mine possibly could.) Weird things happened when I was writing this, I don't mind telling you. Mysterious Ways was mostly an excuse to explore some of the more interesting concepts brought up by the first one, but saying anything more would be spoilery. 

Eyes of the Storm

(Mostly) Trimax canon. Cryptid Vash AU, slowburn romance, ongoing. When Nicholas D. Wolfwood gets roped into being the new caretaker for the now-abandoned orphanage where he spent his childhood, he soon finds out that his own hidden memories are not the only thing haunting him. (What the fuck is a Typhoon?) Wolfwood, Vash, Livio, Elendira, et al. This is the one currently in progress at six chapters out of ??. Pretty SFW so far BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER CAVEAT LECTOR. 

List continues with standalone and shorter fics below the cut!

Honeymoon

Generic Trimax/98 setting. Plant Heat, Wingfic, Tentacle Fic, What the fuck is Hay Fever. Wolfwood offers to help Vash out with a personal problem and gets a little more than he bargained for. 

Strange Powers

Generic Trimax/98 setting, comedy/smut/potato jokes/fisting with a loaded prosthetic. What if Vash and Wolfwood (accidentally) got really, really hella high? 

Hurricane

Trigun '98 Canon. 

Vash: Make money? As a priest?

WW: Well. *mysteriously* Not only that. 

Vash: (oh my gosh he's a prostitute)

Shortfic. Wolfwood tries to figure out how to offer his services to someone he doesn't really want to be a paying customer. Short and smutty while also demolishing Wolfwood's professional boundaries.

Skin Tight

Generic Trimax/98 setting. The Infamous Red Dress. PWP, Wolfwood needs to be in the Vash Sensory Deprivation Tank, Vash in high heels, the dress gave its life for this fic you should read it and honor its sacrifice. Look. This is just porn, guys. You want the porny fic? This is the porny fic. (just kidding most of them are porny fics but this one is especially so.) 

Secondhand Secrets

Generic Trimax/98 setting. Introspective/Vignette/Wolfwood POV. Vash's artificial arm always moves in his sleep, and Wolfwood wonders what he's looking for.

Personal Jesus

Badlands Rumble canon (post-film), Wolfwood has poor emotional coping strategies, hurt/comfort (Wolfwood provides both), first-time. That red hotel minifridge never stood a chance. 

A Fool From Any Direction

Trigun '98 Vash's weird horny schtick is a front, and self-respect doesn't save lives. Which is too bad because when Wolfwood finds out what Vash is planning next he's gonna kill him. 

Benediction

Trimax but could also be '98; Sometimes being a hero is not all it's cracked up to be. Or maybe Vash is the one cracking up. Hurt/Comfort, Wound Care & Bible Quotes, Noman's Land is a bitch of a planet. Shortfic, feels, non-explicit/no sex. 

A Bit of a Tight Spot

Generic Trimax/98 setting. Costume Porn, PWP, No corsets were harmed in the making of this fic. I feel like this one gets missed a lot which is MADDENING because you guys. WOLFWOOD'S DOUBLE Ds IN A CORSET. And like, in a gender euphoria way, not in a comedy drag kind of way (though comedy drag does make a small appearance). I don't know how the good minister tightlaced in cuban stockings while giving Vash a blowjob in front of a mirror in the attic of a whorehouse can get so often overlooked, maybe my title or summary is lacking, but it's one of the hottest things I've ever written and its engagement is just in the basement? When (emphatic baffled hand motions to Nicholas D. Wolfwood wearing a garter like a thigh-holster). Anyway. 

The Quick and the Bed

Trigun '98 Comedy, Romance, First Time. The single bed trope. Drunk Idiocy. Wolfwood's vows are in serious danger. (Wolfwood does not have vows.) Readers have let me know that they find this one amusing. Roommates of readers have sent me threats of bodily harm due to badly-stifled hysterical laughter at 3am. 

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW MORE STORIES WILL BE ADDED AS THEY OCCUR!

SMALL DISCLAIMER: I'm a full-time working writer and my fanfic is something I give away for free out of love. Please don't copy, alter, plagiarize, feed to AI in any form, fold, spindle, or mutilate. I'm not in the market for concrit, but if you like my stories please feel free to leave me a comment/kudo, download/print/fanbind for personal use, or let other readers know!

[magicpotatoobsession]

GIVEN | Hiiragi Mix Thoughts Part 1

So I haven't been super active on this blog not because I don't love Given anymore, but any ounce of brain energy dedicated to Given means I have to feel the agony of waiting for the two movies to release. BUT ALAS the time has come because @aarinfantasy is the GOAT thank you thank you thank you~~~ Spoilers and screenshots below the cut 👇👇👇

GENERAL NOTES:

How can Mafuyu be animated even cuter than before? Like I don't even know how but how can he look even more adorable???!!

I love the intentional placement of sound and music in Hiiragi mix, moments of silence are so effective in highlighting tension, awkwardness, release, nervousness. Like even 1 minute into the movie, you hear the boys breathing as Uenoyama is tuning the guitar and Mafuyu is sitting beside him. It's those little details that show the atmosphere between characters perfectly.

I like the balance of Hiiragi/Shizu's storyline and Mafuyama's storyline, it's following the manga closely and shows the complexity and intertwining of their stories. It's a good way to juxtapose the different struggles between the two couples and what they needed from each other to overcome their miscommunication! I think the team took feedback from the Given Movie 1 2020 and OVA broken up into two parts when it should have worked better as one longer movie.

I saw on reddit I think that Hiiragi's VA is still relatively new to the industry but I saw a HUGE improvement in his voice acting in this movie, the range he gave to Hiiragi is amazing!

SCENE REACTIONS

This scene was so funny I CACKLED Uenoyama and Hiiragi with their catty energy I LOVE THEM

2. I fell off my couch at this scene HHAHAHA

While Uenoyama's face is funnier in the manga, something about the animated rocket launch from earth JUST GETS ME HAHHAHA. Ok serious talk though how did I not notice that when Uenoyama got confessed to and when Haruki told him he's about to debut, his brain turns into astronaut footage? I think it's a very smart way to illustrate that for Ue, music = love and one cannot exist without the other.

3. OMG Uenoyama's face HAHAH awww man I know he's bummed as hell at Mafuyu's "I'll think about it later" (to the debut proposal) but his face, Ueki and Itaya's faces send me straight to heaven

You know how Ue feels? Our munchkin cat feels like he just proposed to his lover and his lover said, hmnnn I'll think about it. 😭 Chemical, emotional, physical, psychological damage right here>>>

4. The voice acting here from Hiiragi's VA Fumiya Imai SLAPS SO HARD

It's definitely giving deja vu, similar energy to Uenoyama panicking about Mafuyu, gosh I love Hiiragi and Uenoyama's baby gay panics it's so cute.

5. Kageyama is that you?!

6. The sound design and use of silence in this entire scene....incredible, showstopping, amazing, impactful yes yes yes

7. This scene animating Shizu's flashback to childhood was really well done.

It's interesting that in the movie they didn't speak too much about Shizu being transferred from foster home to foster home, or what he had to do to get by. But also, in the manga, I'm pretty sure that they didn't have this scene of a child Shizu closing his hands over "precious stone" but I think it absolutely elevated my connection to Shizu as a character. It really shows that he believes he has been selfishly holding Hiiragi back and that he has been trapping Hiiragi all this time. It gives so much more context to what he did next which if it wasn't clear already, he tried to push Hiiragi away in order to free Hiiragi from him. 8. HOLY SHIT wow goddamn I would not want to live where Akihiko is living oh my 💀💀💀

Watching this scene animated with the noise of the highway really highlights how bad Akihiko's living conditions are. I flagged this because in the Given Manga sequel 10th mix [SPOILER AHEAD], there is this whole thing of Akiharu's disparity with their living conditions so....this is interesting....just putting it out there.....

I also don't remember this scene in the manga, but I really appreciate it, it shows the contrast of Akiharu in the first Given movie vs. this one and how their love and care for each other has evolved! Very cute! I'll make a part 2 soon!

____

My Given Metas

[taffywabbit]

it's so hard for me to think of what any of my personal GOTY picks might be this year, because every time I think about one of the really kickass games I played/beat for the first time this year (that's what I'm going off of btw, not release date) I then have to remember "oh right I also played Pseudoregalia in like. February. and then proceeded to play it 90 more times, including once yesterday. I think there's some compelling evidence that I might've liked that game a little bit more than this other stuff" lol

...that being said, I think my other top contenders for stuff I played during 2024 would be (in no particular order):

- Noita (obviously. I can't believe I ALSO didn't start playing this until early January, it feels like it's been way longer. funny wizard explode)

- Cavern of Dreams (easily one of the best attempts I've ever seen to recreate not only the visual style of an N64 game, but the precise FEELING of playing one as a kid and exploring for weird secrets)

- the Paper Mario TTYD remake (I ended up going for 100% on this one, it's honestly some of the most fun I've EVER had streaming a game. I've never seen a remake knock it out of the park this hard, this shit is absolutely packed full of loving detail)

- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (I haven't quite finished it yet but I'm confident in including it here. friendship ended with Fire Emblem, I actually just need more of whatever this is)

- Zelda: Ultimate Trial (an OoT romhack that has no business being as good as it is. I jokingly called it "the Undertale Yellow of Zelda fangames" when I finished it and honestly I still stand by that)

- uhhh sure I guess Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can go on here too (it's not a new series favorite or anything but it was still a ton of fun and I loved collecting funny Zelda monsters like Pokemon lol. very solid dungeon/puzzle design too, a real return to form)

and I guess if you want my LEAST favorite games of 2024 I'll include those too but put them under a cut:

- Corn Kidz 64 (kinda janky and imprecise controls coupled with overly punishing platforming, a really unsatisfying sense of progression, and humor and general vibes that I just found to be kinda rancid and offputting overall)

- Penny's Big Breakaway (I was SO excited to play this one, but was really disappointed. the level design is just kinda baffling and frequently makes you waste time doing side objectives for no reward or loops you back on yourself, the controls are weird and make it extremely easy to misinput and die accidentally, and it constantly throws score/combo elements in your face but nearly every move you can do will instantly take away all of your momentum unless it's 100% perfect. I couldn't even force myself to finish this one. at least the music whips ass tho)

- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (I've started and quit this one many times but this year I forced myself to play it to completion on my switch, making liberal use of savestates. it didn't help that much. I wrote a whole reflection earlier this year about the ambitious and interesting stuff this game tried to do and why it never quite works - I think I only posted it on cohost, I should probably retrieve that before it gets deleted)

- Dr Robotnik's Ring Racers (listen if you didn't have any attachment to SRB2 Kart before this "sequel" came out then I probably can't really explain to you why I loathe this thing so much in terms of actual design differences. all I WILL say is that I'm furious we got this, which is a completely different fucking game that's super overtuned to solely appeal to a very specific kind of highly technical player niche and scare everyone else away, as a REPLACEMENT for just getting a goddamn update to add CPUs to SRB2 Kart. it's all I ever wanted, and now because they turned that update into DRRR instead, I will never get it)

also I just think it's funny to put it in perspective here that I'm choosing NOT to put Donkey Kong 64 on this list, which I did 101% complete earlier this year. so that's the bar, anything on my Least Faves list is stuff I enjoyed less than the experience of streaming the entirety of DK64. I really did have more fun beating Beaver Bother 3 times than playing Corn Kidz. I don't know what that says about me

[andromeda-nova-writing]

Impressions

Wriothesley x Fem! Reader

Summary: With Wriothesley not wanting his photo one may wonder about the kind of Impression that he wants to leave upon people. Or maybe just question if he may be a bit Kamera shy and finding any valid excuse to avoid his photo being taken. What’s seen in a photo can lead to many thoughts about the person within. Why not try to make it something good?

Words: 2,404

AN: A kind of sequel to the sticker fic. It stands on its own pretty well though. It's a miracle I had so much of the fic done in time for his birthday.

Y/N made her way towards Wriothesley and Sigewinne after watching Charlotte, Lumine, and Paimon leaving Fortress of Meropide. “Sigewinne, the rest of the medications you asked for have been finished up.” She reported. Even though the flood didn’t destroy Fontaine, some things had gotten lost in the waters and there were people in the Fortress who did require certain medications daily. It was best to get things back to normal as soon as possible after the disaster had been mostly averted.

Wriothesley looked over to her with a sense of relief washing over him. “See there’s work to be done, no need to continue this conversation.”

Y/N looked down at Sigewinne. “Do tell what I’ve interrupted.”

“His Grace still refuses an interview with Charlotte. Specifically having his photo taken.” She explained.

“There’s no need for attention to be placed upon me. I just want credit to be given to those who deserve it more than me.” He continued the same argument and reason he gave to everyone.

She rolled her eyes. “Sigewinne, I think I’m beginning to agree with my mother that our dear Duke, His Grace, Warden of the Fortress of Meropide, Wriothesley is afraid of the kamera.”

The two girls laughed over her teasing. Wriothesley had rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over her joke. He considered walking away to just end it before any more teasing could go forward. But then again her words were actually quite telling.

“You talk about me to your mother? Didn’t think I made such a big impression on you that warranted that.”

“It is precisely because there are no photos of you that she asks questions. And don’t be so full of yourself Ri. I talk about everyone in my life to my mother. You can feel important if you ever meet her.”

“Y/N’s mother is quite lovely. She’s always so curious about everyone and everything.” Sigewinne explained the lunch the three of them had a few weeks ago. “She creates the most adorable stickers. I still have to frame the portrait she drew of me.”

“It’s just a napkin drawing. Don’t think too much of it. She just can’t keep her hands still and you happened to capture her eye.”

Wriothesley could not believe what he was hearing as the two kept their conversation going without him. Was her mother in on the great stickering week he had gone through? How many of the stickers had he peeled off were created by that lady?

“I’ll see what I can do about you seeing her again then for a proper portrait. And if no times line up, maybe I can borrow her kamera to get a good reference photo for her.” Y/N leaned down just a bit and covered the side of her mouth with her hand. She did even not attempt to lower her voice. “Then we can try and sneak a photo of our kamera shy Duke.”

The two of them were laughing once again. Why were the only times Y/N used any of his titles it was a sorry attempt at professionalism or just to tease him? He grabbed Y/N’s arm pulling her up so she was no longer leaning down. 

“See Sigewinne, he continues to manhandle me. You’ve known him the longest. Tell him how to treat a lady.” Y/N complained. 

Sigewinne continued her laughter. Wriothesley was way too in love to do anything that would hurt Y/N. The two of them made a very cute couple, well if they ever got together.

“If you have time to tease me and joke around, then you can come help organize some files in my office since Sigewinne has no work for you.”

“I have plenty of work to do for her.” She argued attempting to pull her arm away. He didn’t budge. His grip was firm yet gentle enough to not cause her any pain.

“Actually that’s all I needed for you at the moment. Ottnit and I can cover the rest.” With how busy it had been there had been no way Wriothesley had been taking enough time to rest. And Sigewinne trusted that he wouldn’t actually put Y/N to work inside his office or work himself.

“Oh, the betrayal. Ottnit is officially my favorite between the three of you down here.” That was a lie. She’d never pick a favorite.

“Just don’t forget to take a break you two. I don’t want to interrupt your time to remind either of you.” Sigewinne began her walk back to the infirmary before Y/N had a chance to comment on what she had said.

“Wriothesley.” She whined as she was gently being pulled away towards his office. “People will talk. I thought you didn’t care for that.”

“You must be people then if you are already discussing about me with your mother.” He laughed as they made their way into his office.

“Only because of your actions. I don’t know how it got to her but she thinks you can’t keep your hands off of me.” She only spoke the next part once the door was closed behind them. “She thinks you’re courting me. And since you rarely make appearances outside the Fortress of Meropide, my mother wants a photo of you before she truly believes that rumor or listens to me.” It didn’t help that part of Y/N wanted that rumor to be true as well. Even then it wasn’t like she could find the time to admit it aloud just what she wanted.

They made their way up the stairs. “I don’t know why you need a photo of me if we aren’t actually a couple.” He let go of her arm once they reached the top.

Y/N frowned, looking around and seeing his office was spotless. Liar. Not a single thing was out of place. There wasn’t even a stack of papers on his desk. “Is it wrong of me to still want to show her a photo of my friend? The only photos I’ve managed to find of you are mid-fight in the Pankration Ring. I can’t show those to her.”

Wriothesley walked over to a bookshelf with his tea collection looking through it to find what suited Y/N’s tastes the most. “It’s a photo that has my face in it. Sounds like it counts.” 

"I am not showing my mom a photo of you shirtless, sweaty, and punching someone during a boxing match. She may be quite the easygoing person but I think she'd have my head on a platter if that was her first impression of you." 

"Vanilla Chai or Orange Cinnamon?" They were her favorites but he wasn’t sure which one she'd be more in the mood for. "You want a good first impression of me for her? I'm a Duke. Shouldn't that be good enough?" It was usually good enough for people who had no need to have any idea how he was as a Warden.

Y/N moved over to his desk and began messing with the gramophone playing the record he had on there last. If she was to have tea then she'd have music as well. "Earl Grey if you don't mind. I actually enjoyed it a lot last time you offered it." The sound of his music was lovely to her ears. "And no your title is not a good enough impression for her. Where do you think I got my dislike of titles from?"

"Well bring her down to the Fortress one day. We can all have lunch together." He offered up the idea as he began to steep the tea for them. "If it's that important to you that I make a good impression on her, I'm sure a lunch here would help."

Y/N sighed and shook her head. "I want her to meet you Ri not the Warden of this Fortress. She can meet that side of you at a later date.” Realistic it was a side that she hoped her Mother would never truly have to meet. “She should meet my friend. The one who could put away two pots of tea and is covered in stickers and loves songs you could easily find yourself slow dancing to." 

“Is that how you view me?”

“You’re also a bit cocky, love to gossip more than you would ever admit and you find too much fun in watching people guess if you are joking around or being serious.” She sat down on the couch in his office. 

“Well, now I’m not giving you your favorite mug.”

Y/N’s laughter filled the room. “You’re so mean. You should be happy I’ve only brought up the good things about you to my mother. I want her to like you.”

“You shouldn’t worry about it too much. Watch Sigewinne find out and she’ll be worried about you for the entire week.”

“I have to worry about it. You’re such a mystery to so much of Fontaine and have way too many rumors floating around you. I don’t want my mother to believe rumors about you.”

Wriothesley began pouring the tea out in the two mugs for them. “If I agree to let you take a picture of me, can we drop this?”

“Under what conditions? I know there’s more than just me dropping this.” She sat straight up excitedly waiting for her mug to be handed to her. He still had her favorite mug out for her. 

“Just be in the photo with me.” 

“Admit you are kamera shy.”

Wriothesley rolled his eyes before handing Y/N her favorite mug and taking a seat on the couch next to her. His mug was placed on the coffee table in front of them. “All because I don’t care to have my photo taken doesn’t mean I’m afraid of the kamera. I just don’t think there’s ever been a good reason that requires a photo of me.”

“So you must find this a good enough reason then.”

“You were going to try and get a photo of me regardless.” With how sneaky she was about handing off more stickers to Sigewinne, Y/N would have an easy chance of taking the photo. Knowing his luck with the woman, he would notice while she laughing over a photo where a stray sticker had wandered towards his face.

She frowned. “What do you take me for? I was only joking earlier. You should know I respect your privacy.”

He shook his head. “I just meant you would keep begging me every time you showed up here. As funny as that would be, I don’t want you to waste your time.”

Y/N laughed. “Do you really think I would be caught begging you for a picture? I could easily convince you into it if I wanted.”

“And how would you do that?”

“Have I not just convinced you?” She drank her tea hiding the smile that crept onto her face.

He sighed realizing he had no way out of her question. “Remind me why I enjoy your company.”

She shrugged. “How am I supposed to know if you never told me? You know Ri, this would be the perfect time to tell me. I’m all ears.” Y/N placed her mug on the coffee table. She scooted closer towards him and looked him in the eyes. There was an attempt at looking like the most innocent person who definitely would never tease him. 

Wriothesley rolled his eyes. “Suddenly I forgot. Whoops,” he spoke with a shrug before reaching down so he could finally enjoy his drink that should have cooled off enough.

She crossed her arms before falling back onto the couch. “You’re an ass.” She told him almost singing it along with the music that played.

“I thought that was just my charming personality. The part you wanted to introduce to your mother.” He began teasing her.

“Don't make me regret telling you that,” she sighed. 

“Which part?”

“The second part. I've never called your personality charming.”

“You sounded charmed when you were describing me moments ago. And considering what you said, I should feel important that you want me to meet her.” He threw her words right back at her. “If you would have regretted it, I don’t think you would have brought it up.”

“If I can reveal all of that to you however indirectly-”

“Seemed pretty direct to me.” He interrupted. His smile was met with a glare. He shrugged a small apology for interrupting her.

“If I can reveal all of that to you indirectly,” she started once again. “I would hope you would understand I’d only regret it if things didn’t go the way I hope they would.” And the most she would hope for now is just a cherished friendship. Even then a cherished friendship was something she could happily live with.

Wriothesley placed his mug back down on the coffee table. “You really do worry too much.” He finally gave in to the thoughts that plagued the back of his mind for many months. He placed the gentlest kiss upon her cheek. “I really don't think you were worried about what your mother would think about me as much as you say it aloud.” He knew her long enough to know when she actually was worried and he couldn’t find any of it within her voice.

Y/N felt frozen. Yes, they flirted back and forth, she was used to that. But she didn't think they would ever act upon anything. She wasn’t even sure if their flirting was serious or just a thing they did jokingly.  “Wriothesley?” She spoke quietly in her shock. Never did she think such an action would steal her thoughts away. It was the last thing she expected but his action was something she welcomed to happen again. 

“Yes?” He leaned back away from her giving her space to process what had happened between them.

“Are you serious?” She began to wonder when their flirting changed from jokes into something different. Had it become serious without her even noticing?

“Only if you had been.” He had been. Playing with someone else’s heart would have been cruel. To love someone platonically, familially, and romantically was something he took seriously. He’d been through enough to know you don’t play with anyone’s heart. A heart is something that should be treated with the utmost care.

“I should be more worried about what she thinks. I'm gonna need her to like you now.”

[besiegedhunter]

Siracusa putting focus on the Infected

For all my theorizing about the next Siracusa event there was one factor that I always felt stumped on and that is Crownslayer's role. For one reason or another it felt like there was no satisfactory role she could play in an event following Il Siracusano's themes.

I took a step back and realized that actually there's reasons for the Infected to be a focus even outside of a Reunion leader's appearance and that's what I want to discuss.

Spoiler warning. But without further ado:

So first thing's first: Il Siracusano. The event quite evidently sets up for a sequel. I don't think I need to say anything besides IS-ST-4 and what it entails, particularly:

Demetri making his own famiglie from the remaining members of the Bellone family

Lappland saying she'll destroy Siracusa (almost certainly starting with her father) and being joined by Zaaro

Projekt Red being present in Siracusa hunting down Fangs

Then lastly Crownslayer who we don't particularly get a clear cut motivation for. She starts with one: getting stronger and finding guidance from her teacher. However Red kills her mentor and nothing is ever stated apart from that. In fact without making this a Crownslayer analysis, I think a point of her story is her being lost and searching for control and purpose. After Reunion fell apart she fell back on her mentor however now she has nothing.

To go off of that, I also think that the options that there could be are rather unlikely as well.

The one plot thread she has connections to is the Signore dei Lupi one and the current round of their game however Crownslayer wasn't a Fang and their mentor was killed meaning she's effectively disconnected from that now.

A case could be made that she might've been made a Fang but there's a lot of reasons why I think it's unlikely. How Red and Bernardo act/say about her and the handling of Zaaro and Lappland, as well as just the nature of Fangs and the game being main ones.

But besides that? Well she could join a mafia family however Crownslayer is quite the righteous person, opposing the Ursus after an atrocity they committed and fighting for the Infected. I'll get more into that later but from it I don't think she'd want to join any mafia, particularly with how they treat the Infected and her being one.

Even with going after Red, is that all her story will entail? The other characters even at this point play heavily into the themes of Siracusa and the world. For Crownslayer, a leader of Reunion from Ursus, to be there and only be involved with Red feels needless.

It's at this point that I turned away from Siracusa just to see what Crownslayer was about and work from there. Obviously the most prominent thing about her is that she's one of Reunion's leaders. One of only three to survive and the only one who isn't involved in the main story and a massive figure.

Let's look at her scene in END8-1:

So I don't know if anyone questions whether she cares for the Infected or just wants revenge, regardless I think this proves that she does and even further to that: she would gather the rest of Reunion and help even those that would hate her and who she hated in the beginning. She could have left them and Reunion just to save her own skin but she went out of her way with this.

And I also think that we see a theme throughout Crownslayer's scenes of her being helpless. Whether that's to stand up against Red, to take revenge on Kal'tsit or to be embroiled in a conspiracy unknowingly. And the way she talks here, she emphasizes her being weak, not thinking like Talulah, this group being worse off with her.

I don't think she's leaving Reunion because she no longer believes in the cause or supporting the Infected. She leaves because of her insecurities and if she's helping the same people she hates then I think she'd feel compelled to get involved if something happened in Siracusa in front of her, especially concerning the Infected.

But is there any reason there would be anything like that in the next event?

Suzuran

The screenshots are from Path of Life, the first event after the 5th anniversary event, and the 4th pv revealed in the 5th anniversary livestream. Both obviously setting up the next Siracusa event but also that we will be seeing it likely focusing on why it says in Suzuran's file that she mustn't meet Lappland.

It also connects Lappland or rather the Saluzzo family to Suzuran's infection:

This is the crux of this topic as at this point it's all but confirmed that the Saluzzo family were the ones responsible for infecting Suzuran and this is the catalyst for Suzuran being separated from her Mother, for coming to Rhodes Island. It's even defined Suzuran's experiences at Rhodes as she's studying under Kal'tsit and the medical department and is heavily involved in Rhodes operations.

Twilight of Wolumonde focuses on her and another medic and protege of Kal'tsit's in Folinic going to this city after the death of a Rhodes Island operator and medic, helping out the Infected in the area. The one in question being murdered, knowing it'd cause an uproar in the Infected and it just so happens that a prominent ex-Reunion member in Mudrock gets involved.

As a character Suzuran is heavily connected to the Infected and in all fairness, while far from how much Suzuran is, so too is Lappland. Arguably she shows the most oripathy lesions of any operator and is stated to have severe oripathy symptoms mentioned outside of her clinical analysis.

We're yet to learn how it is that she got infected, whether it was before or after the Texas family purge and how it influenced her life. For instance she worked with Signora Sicily while Infected and there might be more to Lappland joining Rhodes Island.

That the Saluzzo family have been using Originium as shown by Suzuran's files and the presence of a Reunion leader going into the event focusing on Lappland and Suzuran does feel like it could have legs to stand on.

And I feel you could elaborate on this about the themes and what we see in the Siracusa story so far. To bring Crownslayer up again, I checked Il Siracusano to see how much it mentions weakness and it's mentioned the most by Rubio in his speech. He portrays himself as weak and unlikely to get to the position he's in to inspire Siracusa's citizens that they needn't live under the mafia.

I'd find it interesting if that's similar to the position that Crownslayer will be in. Siracusa is all about the corrupt systems and abuse of authority, both in institutions as well as family systems i.e. schools, homes, businesses. Cases like Suzuran's where originium either is being used as a weapon to infect and ruin someone's life or simply just causing Infection by accident still fit into Siracusa's development and corruption.

The treatment of the Infected easily can play into this. And the lorebook states that how the Infected are treated in Siracusa is that they have to pay insurance for the right to work and it's given to a mafia family's judge and enforced by the mafia. It's very possible that where Il Siracusano was focusing on the order of Siracusa, it's development and it's future.

We could now be seeing a more unfiltered look at the abuse of the mafia on the common people. You have Lappland, seeing the actions of her Father and famiglie. Demetri in the position to make the very same actions and in a position of authority. And Crownslayer who isn't a member of the mafia and looking out for the Infected.

Closing off

There's one other thing that I want to mention but doesn't really fit into the above and that is of course: Red. Because she doesn't particularly fit into this but there's a... ... ... fun detail pertaining to the CN introduction for her:

In her CN introduction she's Infected whereas in game she's Uninfected. There's that ominous "She comes into contact more and more. Warn her." and the fact she's entwined with Crownslayer who spawned this whole post just because she's a leader of Reunion and fights for the Infected.

Whether or not this is actually foreshadowing I don't know. It's not like the CN introductions hardly include the Clinical Analysis and the only other one I can think of was Nearl's which we don't even see in game and spoiled that she's not actually Infected years before Near Light.

But anyway. There's all of this and I think the inevitability either in this event or Red's that Kal'tsit will make her appearance. She's expressed in Lunacub's file that she thinks the Signori's game should end and of course is connected to Crownslayer and would add further onto this topic.

That's all for this topic at the moment. Enjoy what comes to mind about this idea.

[avelera]

Some slightly more coherent thoughts about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (ATSV) now that I've had a little time to process and long to return to the theater to see it again and again and again:

1 ) Go see it. Holy shit, go see it. Re-watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (ITSV) before you go if you have the chance but you don't have to, they recap it well enough and I promise anyway, the first thing you're gonna do when you get home after is turn ITSV on and then scream a bunch because it is all so tightly connected from the very beginning.

2 ) ITSV is a masterpiece. ATSV is more of a masterpiece in the same way that 11 is bigger than 10. They took everything in ITSV, which is a perfect 10/10 and made it 11/10 for this film. I shit you not. It cannot be otherwise expressed with words. Everything is just bigger, faster, bolder, more.

Ok, now getting into some of the more spoiler-y thoughts:

3 ) Loved me those themes of connection and loneliness. When you go back to ITSV, you see it's right there from the start. All of the version of Spider-Man are lonely. They are tired. They're isolated and unsupported and they are all suffering. Miles makes their lives better. They make Miles' life better. This becomes such a huge, huge theme in ATSV as Miles literally breaks the canon, he is the ultimate fix-it fanfic character, every Spider-Man he interacts with gets some element of their tragic backstory fixed. Peter B. reunites with MJ and has a child that brings joy back into his life. Gwen gets a friend again. Pavitr doesn't have to watch his girlfriend's father die. They are no longer doomed by the narrative.

4) Another post commented on how tired Peni looks when we finally see her, but she's not the only one. All of the Spider-People in the Spider-Verse look tired and it is, in fact I'd argue, Miguel's fault. He appealed to their sense of martyrdom to put together an organization that helps people and saves the world(s). BUT he made "maintaining the canon" an aspect of this (a wonderful meta commentary on Miles himself, btw, and all the comic book nerds who want to rehash the same story over and over instead of transforming it into something new and hopeful). Because they had all suffered so much, it followed logically for all the Spider-People that all of their parallel universe selves must also suffer.

This is the crab bucket mentality. Miguel dragged all the Spider-People into the crab bucket with him. He taught them learned helplessness. They're all tired and worn down because they have to keep reliving their own trauma by standing by and making sure these awful things that happened to them continue to happen, over and over. It's the mirror too for any marginalized community where the past generation believes the next one must suffer as they did. But it's exhausting for them to see the misery and do nothing. That's why they're all so tired. It makes sense to them that to be Spider-People, the next generation must suffer as they did but they are also, all of them, heroes and so it wears them down to watch this happen over and over. Miles brings back their energy and joy and their hope by refusing to be doomed by the narrative.

It's wonderful fanfic but it's also fantastic storytelling and it works on so many layers of the story, Doylist and Watsonian, all the way down.

5 ) THIS is a tightly knit story. Every. Single. Element. Ties back to the central story, the central themes. Every line either reveals plot, character, setting, or themes. It is so, so tight as a writer I was gaping. In necessary, if brief, moments of exposition they make sure to keep the screen busy and moving. There's no time for boredom. It is literally so fast that even as someone with ADHD I was sometimes overwhelmed as much as riveted. The few scenes that slowed down to simply fast movie pace felt achingly slow as a result and I bet you they were maybe 30 seconds long.

6 ) I AM. SO HYPED. FOR THE ENDING AND THE SEQUEL IT SETS UP? The perfect dark mirror story, not rushed but simply introduced so we can see that the final boss for Miles is himself. Unless they subvert that expectation, which they might! But it is so ominous to see Prowler Miles, it makes so much sense, it is perfect and deep and rich. Literally every time you think, "Maybe they'll rehash old material?" they don't they just keep introducing cool new characters and concepts and themes it's mindblowing.

7 ) They never leave you with one thread. Miles is going to face himself and fight to save his dad from the Spot and fight Miguel, presumably, in the next one. No single line only does one thing. No frame does one thing. And yet everything ties back to the core story of Miles and the Spider-People both on the Watsonian and Doylist level. I want to study every frame under a microscope. It's insane.

8 ) THE ART IT'S JUST. I'm not an artist so I'll leave it at this but THE ART.

9 ) I love Pavitr and Hobie. So much. I gasped when we saw Pavitr's world.

10 ) The Spot's animation was insane just insane and I think he's foreshadowed in the ITSV and it blew my mind on the re-watch.

I need to see it again. I could talk about any single element for hours. But I just can't stop thinking about the mastery embodied in this film. I know a sequel to a superhero movie that's animated will never win Best Picture but I do not exaggerate when I say that in itself might be an indictment of Best Picture. This film deserves Best Picture. It is the best movie I've seen in an unfathomably long time including ITSV.

[untoldsoup]

So I want to give some updates on the sequel to 'Change' and what it's about.

The sequel will take place about a year after the 'Change' comic. I will be posting updates in 'chapters'. Each chapter is about 10-30 comic pages. So as you can tell, they will take longer to get out. My comic updates will be more infrequent because the updates will be larger. I feel this is the best way to do the updates as the story works better when told via chapter releases.

I have had chapter one finished since September. However, I'm posting chapter one and chapter two together. The reason for this is i believe chapter one on its own will be confusing without the context of chapter two (chapter one features one of the last times you see human bowser, after chapter one, its 99% koopa bowser).

I'm working on chapter two right now. Chapter two has a lot of background detail that will take some time to complete.

This all said, some things to know about the sequel:

If you enjoyed the feel good happy story of 'change' and only like feel good stories, the sequel may not be for you. It's fine to stop reading there and that story wraps up well on its own if that's how you want to leave the ending as a reader.

The sequel will be more action/adventure with some heavy topics in it. I don't do graphic gore, or any scenes that are overly graphic in my work. That said, the topics covered in the sequel could be upsetting to some, and I will tag each chapter appropriately. Despite all this I believe in happy endings, so consider it 'angst/adventure with a happy ending'.

The sequel will also heavily feature king boo as the antagonist, and he will be drawn in the gejinka form I created for him months ago.

All that said, I really hope those of you who choose to read the sequel enjoy it. I'm putting a lot of work into it, and it will be much, much longer than the 'change' comic.

The sequel is called 'Built to burn', titled after the shafer james song I was listening to that inspired me.

I should have the first post for the sequel out by February, and will keep everyone updated if the time frame changes. I do have the cover art for the sequel done, however I decided I don't like the cover art I did and will be making a new cover. I'll try and get the cover out early in January.

[crownmemes]

Planet of the Apes Sequels Sentences

(Sentences from Planet of the Apes Sequels (1970-1973). Adjust phrasing where needed)

"I'll tell you one thing that every good soldier knows: the only thing that counts in the end is power. Naked, merciless force."

"Are you so blind that you're unaware we're on the verge of a grave crisis?"

"What the hell would I have to say to a gorilla?"

"If they catch you, they will dissect you and kill you - in that order."

"I got here by accident. How did you get here?"

"You got it all wrong. Why would I want to spy on you?"

"Damn your hypocrisy!"

"I loathe bananas!"

"I did not call you mad! I merely asked if you were! And I repeat the question: are you mad?"

"I hate deceit!"

"There is a time for truth and a time, not for lies, but for silence."

"May I say something personal? I like you."

"I don't believe that we can withhold this extraordinary discovery from the world any longer."

"I think that time can only be fully understood by an observer with a godlike gift of infinite regression."

"Given the power to alter the future, do we have the right to use it?"

"Do you approve of assassination?"

"I'm glad I told the truth. I can't live with lies!"

"Nobody makes a fool out of my wife!"

"You have done enough to make me grateful to you forever."

"I hate those who try to alter destiny."

"Funny. Now that I know cigarettes won't be the thing to kill me, I don't enjoy them."

"This action is folly, and I wish to protest it in the strongest possible terms."

"Your protest has been duly noted."

"I thought you were a myth!"

"Violence prolongs hate, hate prolongs violence."

"By what right are you spilling blood?"

"I believe that when you truly learn to know and trust a person, you cannot help but like him."

"I want to see what my parents look like. I suppose every orphan does."

"What is the point in protecting yourself against a danger of which you have no knowledge in pursuit of a knowledge you do not possess?"

"You may be old, but you have a mind like a razor!"

"We are at best brave, and at worst mad to be here."

"Hasn't anyone explained to you that war is not a game?"

"Every Caesar must have his Brutus."

"Should one murder be avenged by another?"

"Tell me something: can we make the future what we wish?"