#and what the FUCK is a bargain statue?????

[dollfat]

this game keeps surprising me in little ways. i didnt expect to be able to wear links little ponytail, and i especially didnt expect purah to comment on it. now i took a picture of a blue bokoblin for a statue, and rather than some generic pose, its exactly the position i took the photo in. its so delightful and now i gotta get even more ridiculous photos of monsters.

[peppertoastuniverse]

pep reads: gojo satoru – long fics (pt.1)

Part 2

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ

☆ the way you love me by @peachsayshi [AO3/tumblr] [status: ongoing ◦ 29/? chapters] [smut!] [fwb!gojo] #pep's first fic she was OBSESSED with #real good good smut WITH FEELINGS

“We can stop anytime. If either one of us feels like... this ...might be too much. We stop, no questions .” “We can stop anytime,” Gojo repeated “... and nothing changes between us .” You swallowed hard at his last statement. You may not be able to read his eyes but you could hear it in his voice that he needed reassurance. “No matter what happens, we’ll still be friends...” you replied softly, “now kiss me before I change my mind.”

☆ you and me by tomodachi [AO3: ] [status: completed ◦ 5/5 chapters] [tear jerker] [eventual smut!] #pep cried #gojo just kinda loves you real hard

“Prisoners say the most comical things when their judgment comes,” you tilt your head, lifting a finger before him, “Who are you?"

--- History is written by the winners, Satoru knew this well. It was only when he lost and got sealed inside the Prison Realm he learned how to be weak and find out a long buried truth.

☆ ito by @peekamatcha [AO3] [status: ongoing ◦ 48/? chapters] [super slow burn] [shinto elements] #pep DIES with every update #the TWIST in that one chapter omg

You, a former sorcerer now working as a university lecturer, were hoping to maintain your distance with the sorcerer world for an eternity to come. However, with the reappearance of an upperclassmen from a decade ago, you are forced to go on a journey which you would rather sit out of. But somebody must save humanity from the impending apocalypse and apparently the job falls on the shoulders of you two.

It would have been alright had he not been everything you didn’t want to be reminded of. And the sacrifices to be made may be more than what had been bargained for. ☆moonlight by @septembersummer [AO3/tumblr:] [status: completed ◦ 10/10 chapters] [smut!] #pep loves this AU #pep SCREAMED

Gojo Satoru is dying. And no, it's not his fault this time.

The curse which is withering Satoru into an early grave is actually the product of his great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, who had a couple of sons that refused to procreate. And what does a proud, powerful man do when his sons refuse to fuck, and there won't be another heir to the clan?

He curses his own bloodline, of course.

It's only natural that he forces them through some twisted form of sorcery to become uncontrollably, violently attracted to the person they're most genetically compatible with.

It's even better that the curse creates a permanent, unbreakable bond between the two unwilling lovers. That's right, it usually takes more than one fuck to make a baby-- so, why not force them to have twelve?

Satoru wished his ancestor would be resurrected from the grave, just so that he could kill him again. That is, before Satoru inevitably dies.

He's had a good run, he thinks. Now, all he has to do is make sure you don't find out that you can fuck him back to life and try to very stupidly save him from himself.

(here's a spoiler: you do).

☆ a typical family by @literalia [AO3/tumblr] [status: completed? ◦ 32/32 chapters] [non liner narrative] [dad!gojo] #pep absolutely MELTED #slice of life #pep's gojo comfort fic

"satoru. where did you get these kids?"

or

after a six month absence, satoru shows up at your door two little kids following behind. chaos ensues.

☆ and if i cant see by hollowdonut [AO3: ] [status: unknown ◦ 26/? chapters] [slowburn] [eventual smut!] [tw: ptsd] #pep loves the reader's dynamics with gojo!

They say eyes are the window to the soul, but Gojo’s eyes are almost always hidden behind a blindfold. Even when they aren’t, you can never tell what he’s thinking.

You wonder if you should’ve taken that teaching job in Kyoto instead.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ

bonus!

☆ all hail the empress! by @chuluoyi [tumblr/AO3: ] [status: unknown ◦ 1/? chapters] [smut!] #pep loves this AU #but THE END THO? OMGGG you are an empress perfect in every way... until your husband suddenly casts you aside for his expecting mistress. but you won't be dethroned just like that, because the newly coronated western emperor, gojo satoru, sets his sights on you, and thus your revenge against your ex-husband begins...

[heartschampion]

we fell in love in october — masterlist

PAIRING. ethan landry x fem!reader

SUMMARY. in which you make a bet with your boyfriend, ethan, the night before the start of october. thirty-one days of sex.

CONTENT. no ghostface!au, smut, this is for kinktober so every chapter has its own thing going on i GUESS?, established relationship, slightly experienced!ethan, inexperienced!reader, they basically learn their kinks and stuff throughout the story, fluff (surprise), no beta, not proofread.

STATUS. upcoming.

AN. chapters aren't set in stone so they could change. i'm like half dead while typing this so if there's a mistake pls tell me.

PLAYLIST.

⸻ INDEX.

00. SEPTEMBER 30TH

an innocent night leads to a month of filth.

01. OCTOBER 1ST

morning sex with ethan is always the best way to start off your day.

02. OCTOBER 2ND

you and ethan decide to take a big step in your relationship and have unprotected sex for the first time.

03. OCTOBER 3RD

after a long day of classes, a warm shower is all you need. and your boyfriend in there for some fun.

04. OCTOBER 4TH

shopping with tara leads to buying a little gift as a surprise for both of your boyfriends.

05. OCTOBER 5TH

ethan is out with chad for a 'boys night,' but you can't help but be desperate for his attention even miles away.

06. OCTOBER 6TH

ethan pushes you to your limits.

07. OCTOBER 7TH

an unexpected turn of events leads to discovering something new about your boyfriend.

08. OCTOBER 8TH

sex couldn't get any better with a little extra help.

09. OCTOBER 9TH

everyone needs a helping hand, or mouth.

10. OCTOBER 10TH

you and ethan recreate a scene from a book, taking on the roles of the characters.

11. OCTOBER 11TH

a college frat party isn't a likely place you'd find yourself having sex. especially not with the constant pounding on the door. ethan doesn't seem to care.

12. OCTOBER 12TH

hearing tara rave about aphrodisiacs, you decide to give them a try.

13. OCTOBER 13TH

you let ethan come in you for the first time.

14. OCTOBER 14TH

ethan becomes obsessed with the idea of breeding you, and you're no better.

15. OCTOBER 15TH

sometimes you just need a mouth to murmur sweet nothings into you to really lay back and relax.

16. OCTOBER 16TH

you find yourself a little tied up.

17. OCTOBER 17TH

ethan can't help but wrap his hands around your pretty little neck as he fucks you.

18. OCTOBER 18TH

the phone starts ringing mid session. ethan urges you to answer.

19. OCTOBER 19TH

ethan's partner for his econ project can't seem to keep her hands to herself. your jealousy gets the better of you and you decide to show who he belongs to.

20. OCTOBER 20TH

the group is out for a night of fun, unaware of the game being held between you and ethan.

21. OCTOBER 21ST

hopefully no one notices your hands down the pants of your boyfriend.

22. OCTOBER 22ND

there's nothing more enticing than what you can't see.

23. OCTOBER 23RD

you let ethan fuck you in your sleep after he comes home late.

24. OCTOBER 24TH

watching each other get off turns out to be more intimate than you thought it would be. the only rule is no touching.

25. OCTOBER 25TH

you and ethan get shit-faced drunk, unable to keep your hands to yourselves any longer.

26. OCTOBER 26TH

after the other night, you want to know what it's like to be ethan's little pet.

27. OCTOBER 27TH

cockwarming ethan as he tutors you.

28. OCTOBER 28TH

he much as he gets off on giving you pleasure, he finds just as much amusement in denying it from you.

29. OCTOBER 29TH

you finally let ethan fuck you from the back.

30. OCTOBER 30TH

october is coming close to an end, so the two of you decide to make a little reminder of your time together.

31. OCTOBER 31ST

the best thing about sex with ethan landry is the aftercare he gives afterwards.

32. NOVEMBER 1ST

you get a little more than you bargained for.

[chaotic-birds]

strong for you || j.pt

Jason comes home injured, prepared to patch up and rest with you, but he soon realizes something isn't right.

❤️‍🩹 Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

❤️‍🩹 Genres/AUs: Action, some angst & fluff, established relationship

❤️‍🩹 Warnings: Use of guns, mentions of killing, hostage situation, blood, injuries, reader referred to as girl

❤️‍🩹 Word Count: 2.3k

❤️‍🩹 Author's Note: Just felt like writing more Jason 🥰

masterlist

Jason uses the rest of his strength to lift open the window. His panting grows louder after he tumbles inside, feeling a bit safer in his home. He doesn’t have to worry about people hearing him in pain and taking advantage of his weakened state.

He knows you’ll be by his side in a matter of seconds. He hates how he came home injured since it always worries you, but he rather be hurt here than anywhere else.

His eyes shut tightly as he tries to calm down. It’s becoming harder to breathe under his helmet. He feels suffocated. He needs fresh air.

With a shaky hand, he begins to raise it to unlatch his helmet. However, an all too familiar click makes him halt; his eyes open wide and he forces his breathing to slow so he can hear better.

It’s then he realizes you should’ve been tending to him by now. You should be easing him out of his suit as you comfort and scold him simultaneously.

He lowers his arm as slowly as he can, worried whoever it is will act irrationally if he moves too quickly. Maybe if he was somewhere else and not injured, he would’ve leaped up and snatched the weapon from their hand.

But he can’t.

He’s home. He can’t put you in any more danger.

In slow motion, he turns his head to assess the scene.

There are five men in total. Each has a rifle in their hands, accompanied by a handgun on their hips. You’re seated on one of the dining table chairs that’s been moved, hands and feet tied together. You’re staring at him with big eyes—a mix of worry and panic.

Jason curses to himself mentally.

You’re already fearful of being held captive, but now you’re fearful of his wound too.

He already knows what questions are floating in your head: How deep is it? How much blood has he lost already? Are there any more injuries?

Jason hates that he was stupid tonight. He hates how out of all the nights to have fucked up, he fucked up tonight. But that doesn’t stop his determination. He’ll power through the pain if it means you’ll be safe in the end.

You turn your head to the man on your right. He holds himself to a different status than the others. The amount of confidence this man must have makes Jason want to gag.

“I’ll give you the files if you let me tend to his wounds,” you bargain.

Macho Boss smirks down at you before moving his sight to Jason.

“Well, you’re surely an unexpected guest. Didn’t think one of the bats would come to rescue a mere civilian when there are bigger crimes out on the streets,” he observes, then glances at you. “I guess this one’s special, huh?”

Jason suspects that this guy thought he could get away with his act since he’s not committing a big crime, compared to others in Gotham. Illegal activities happen all the time here, right? Jason almost snorts at his bad luck. 

Macho Boss nudges your shoulder with the barrel of his gun. The cold metal touches your bare skin exposed by your cardigan, making you shiver. It must’ve fallen in your scuffle earlier.

Jason narrows his eyes at him even though his glare is hidden by his helmet. He’s grateful he etched a permanent scowl on it now. He wants your captors to know that despite being injured, he’s still got enough strength to incapacitate them.

“Please,” you grab the captor’s attention again. “Let me help him.”

“Why should I let you? His injury means he’s weak. I can’t let him stop us, now can I?” he questions, slightly mockingly.

“You can tie him up after I’m done.”

“Like hell you will,” Jason gruffs and the other person holding a gun to his head jabs him with it.

You send him a glare—signaling it isn’t the time to be snarky. Jason rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything more.

“Do you want the files?” you ask Macho Boss.

“You’re going to give us them whether we let you play nurse or not.”

“Perhaps, but you’re wasting time. Why take the hard way when I’m offering to give them up so easily?”

The man hums in thought. Finally, he nods at the man to your left.

Within seconds, your ropes have been cut. You gesture to the bathroom.

“First aid is in there,” you inform and carefully make your way to the room.

One of the men follows you, gun pointed to your head. You expect nothing less.

If they weren’t here, you’d be rushing to the kit, but any sudden movements will get them trigger-happy.

Your movements are slow as you retrieve the first aid along with a wet washcloth. You make your way to kneel beside Jason. Blood continues to seep through his fingertips, creating a pool of red beneath him. You fight back the worry consuming you.

You gently guide his hand from the wound so you can begin cleaning it.

Jason watches you for a second before shifting his gaze to the others. They’re staring at you both, weapons aimed. They seem impatient and ready to fire.

“You should be making a run for it,” Jason says to you lowly. Though it doesn’t matter the volume of his voice, it’s so quiet that everyone will hear him regardless.

“And get shot in the back? No thanks,” you argue, setting the bloodied rag to the side to start patching him up.

Jason wants to reply he wouldn’t let that happen. He’d have his hands on his guns, shooting everyone before you could get hurt. But he doesn’t want them to know how much he cares about you. Perhaps that’s a fruitless wish since they’ve probably already gauged their affection from their body language.

Jason grunts when you touch a certain area. He’s been trying to keep his cool—for the sake of seeming stronger than he appears to his captors, and for the sake of your sanity.

Your eyes move to his helmet, and there’s a silent “sorry” in your expression. He can tell you’re trying to appear strong, too.

All Jason wants to do is fill these guys’ heads with lead, then snuggle you in bed.

As you continue attending to his wound, he asses his options. He could quickly shield you with his body while he took out the men, but even then, he wouldn’t be able to move and risk the potential of you getting shot. The thought about tossing you out of the window since there’s a fire escape there is strong—get you out of harm’s way so he doesn’t have to worry about you in the crossfire.

Jason’s thoughts get interrupted when you lean in. He watches quietly as you kiss his helmet softly. His lips twitch in an immediate response, but then he feels something slip into his palm.

Clever girl.

With one hand, he slips the small knife you gave him up his sleeve; with the other, he caresses your back. He hopes his action distracts the men from the quick exchange.

You pull away carefully as Macho Boss grits out, “Touching. You done now?”

“Yes,” you reply.

The second the word leaves your lips, a pair of hands are pulling you from Jason roughly.

Jason quickly begins to stand but a heavy boot stomps on his fresh wound, forcing him down again. He breathes in a sharp inhale at the impact, head tilting back and fists clenching.

“Red!” you gasp, struggling against your captor’s hold. More so for his health and safety than yours.

“Relax, love,” Macho Boss coos, but it’s nothing close to soothing. “You can’t expect us to trust your buddy here.”

Then, he turns to the person who’s pinning him down. “Tie him up.”

“You better be treating me to dinner after,” Jason huffs.

Suddenly, Jason’s hauled up and shoved into a nearby chair. His arms get pulled back, forcing a grunt out of him because of his injury. His feet are then secured.

“What a charmer,” Macho Boss scoffs. “Now, the files.”

Your gaze lingers on Jason to make sure he’ll be okay before walking to your bedroom where your laptop is.

“Put me in that room,” Jason demands as he watches you leave.

“Not a chance. You can sit pretty with me right here,” the man behind him says.

Jason clenches his fists as you disappear from view. There are only three of them in the room now. Two went with you.

Easy.

Jason shimmies the blade low enough to reach the rope around his wrists. He waits a few minutes for everyone’s focus to dim before beginning to slice at the material.

“So what’s Red Hood doing in some rando’s apartment, hm?” Capture Two says.

Jason shrugs, subtly cutting the rope as he speaks, “Would you believe me if I said I have a magical power that lets me sense trouble? Because wow… My inner crime detector was blaring.”

Captor Two huffs in annoyance. “Yeah right. You probably got cameras set up around here.”

Jason catches on to the man’s agenda: Find the location of the cameras so they can take them out next time. 

“There’s even one over there,” Jason says with a nod to the left. 

“There is?” the guy questions and turns. 

The second he does, Jason breaks through the rope and disarms and knocks out the man behind him. Gunfire erupts and Jason quickly takes cover in the kitchen nearby. 

“Fucking liar,” Captor Two growls. 

Jason laughs. “Sorry, man. Let me make it up to you.”

Jason peeps around the cabinets and aims with proficient precision. Two down, one to go. 

Upon hearing the scuffling in the living room, you quickly retrieve the gun that’s taped under the desk. For once, you’re grateful for Jason hiding guns around the apartment.

Before you can second guess your actions, you shoot Macho Boss in the kneecap before ducking and shooting the second man in the same place. Once they’re both down, you take away their guns in case they try anything on the ground.

Jason rushes into the room hearing the gunshots, both pistols raised. He pauses in his trek when he sees you—seemingly unharmed—standing between the two men on the ground.

The men are groaning, blood soaking the carpet he vacuumed yesterday.

“Next time come when the carpet is already dirty,” he says before slamming the heel of his gun onto his head—knocking him out. He walks to the second guy and does the same. It’s tough for him to do so since he really just wants to shoot them instead, but he told Bruce he’d attempt his no-killing rule. It’s day four, and he already feels like giving up.

“Nice teamwork,” you comment and place the guns on the desk.

Jason stuffs his pistols in his holsters before he unlatches his helmet. He tosses the item on the bed, then pulls you close until his mouth captures yours in a heated kiss.

You yelp in surprise into his mouth. Jason smiles at the sound and squeezes your body tightly against his armored one.

When you pull back, you’re looking at him with a silly smile.

“Don’t tell me all this is what gets you hot and bothered?” you tease, fingertips gliding down his chest gradually.

Jason grins and pecks your lips with a proud grin. “Can’t help it. You’re sexy when you’re in action.”

You laugh, pushing at his chest until he’s loosening his grip reluctantly. “You’re sexy too.”

Jason can’t resist but lean in again, although this kiss is shorter.

“You okay?” he asks, mood turning serious. He holds you at arm’s length to examine your body.

“I’m okay, don’t worry about me. Are you okay?”

“Nothing but a flesh wound,” he beams.

You shake your head and glance around the untidy room.

“Can you call Dick or someone to clean this up while we go to a safe house?” you plead, too lazy to help with the cleanup. You just want to sleep with Jason next to you.

“We don’t need him. I’ll take care of it,” Jason informs and bends to pick up one of the men.

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself more, Jay,” you sigh, words meaningless as he throws the second body over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

“I’ll be fine, babe. Give me ten then we can cuddle. I know that’s what you want.” He smiles knowingly.

You roll your eyes playfully at his light tone. He isn’t wrong, but you wish he wouldn’t exert all his energy now when he’s injured.

But this is Jason.

Stubborn ass.

Jason takes two trips to carry the men out. You rest your elbows on the window seal, watching him drag the unconscious men in a small circle with their backs to each other. He takes a chain and secures it tightly around them. You think he’s done but he pulls out a paper. You squint, leaning a little out the window.

Sprawled in black ink is:

BAD GUYS FOR PICK UP

Jason steps back to admire his work, then turns to look at you. Although you can’t see his expression due to his helmet, the two thumbs up he gives you indicate there's a smile adorning his handsome features beneath.

Chuckling, you shake your head playfully and return the thumbs up before nodding to come back inside.

Your gaze follows the tall man as he struts back toward the building. You tuck yourself inside, shutting and locking the window as you stare at the silly paper with his handwriting.

He wouldn’t be your Jason if he wasn’t mischievous. After all, it’s one of his many talents.

©️chaotic-birds // DO NOT REPOST OR MODIFY Please consider reblogging if you liked this work to show your support. Feedback/commentary is always welcomed.

[shotmrmiller]

https://x.com/babyboat22/status/1819915483795050893?s=46 dont look at me sideways but i see amateur thief reader and “victim” soap who let you rob his ass just to keep your hands on him. he couldnt stop humming and chuckling and grinning while you pinned him to the grimy brick alley wall, patting him down and trying to search for anything good. you nick the gold rosary chain his mother gave to him, but he’s hardly worried. just keeps talking, trying to hear your voice, like he isn’t being violently accosted at the moment. besides, he likes being manhandled by a pretty thing like you.

its a wonder why someone so bitty could grow the balls to do something like this. to someone like him, of all people. its the opposite of a power trip. kind of a rush, knowing that you have no idea that he’s entirely in control of the situation you put the both of you in. that if he wanted, he could reverse this little game of yours, have you struggling and crying just for him.

but he denies himself, lets you have your fun.

when you take his wallet (not a big deal, just a couple 20s worth) he asks if you could hand him some of the trojans in there as well, wonders aloud if he’ll need them. he hears you suck in a scandalized breath and shivers in pleasure when your movements grow more shaky as you keep trying to ignore him.

“no need ta take ‘em from me, bonnie. in a plenty givin’ mood, ye can just ask,” he huffs against the wall, looking back at you the best he can with his face smushed against the brick, dark and honeyed eyes. he bargains, in a deeper, more enticing voice, “could take ye ‘ome and let ye ransack the ‘ole place if ye decide ta play a ‘lil nice—“

you yank his head back sharply before smashing his cheek into the brick, earning a groan from the man in your clutches. “shut the fuck up!”

he can taste the blood on his lips, staining his teeth. it hurts but the pain has his boner throbbing hard and unignorable. he’s missed this type of violence. usually the only way he can get it off the field is from simon, but this will do. this will more than do.

perhaps him chuckling despite being mortally injured freaked you out finally because you hastily pocket your ill-gotten gains before turning tail and running off into the night. soap’s not worried. what type of mercenary would he be if he doesn’t keep track of what’s his? it’s not hard to find you after that, where you live, go to work, which movies you like to see in your free time.

so when you spot him just as he sits down next to you in the theater, you can’t help the paralytic feeling of realizing you recognize this man. can barely move when he smirks all pretty at you, split lip and all, as he wraps an arm around your seat and spreads his thighs so wide that they crush against yours, his big calloused hand squeezing your shoulder, pulling you into him like you’re old friends.

“sorry ‘m late,” he murmurs, leaning close to your ear, letting his breath hit hot on your lobe. “traffic ‘n all.”

you try to turn towards him, “you—“

“shh, shh—“ he tightens his grip on your shoulder, keeping you from moving away from him. his sudden strength is frightening. “dinnae distract from the movie, aye? paid good money for it, ah bet.” soap licks his lips and hums before smiling, his hand pushes under your arm to grab your tit. “let’s enjoy it together, then ah’ll take ye ‘ome with me. how’s that sound?”

okay okay i'm listeningggg

popcorn cold and soggy from the butter sits on your lap, the flavored water that was once an icee on your left. his hand is firm around your thigh after fighting through the previews to get him off your tits and arse.

a compromise. sure. but then you've got to go to the bathroom (curious because you've never gone anywhere while the movie is rolling, soap thinks) but okay. when you've gotta go, you've gotta go. the piss bottles he's had to toss in the bin after flying for hours in nikolai's metal stallion can attest to that.

and this, you think, clammy hands fisting the brand new secondhand shirt you got from goodwill, is your way out. away from him. maybe even to the police. you've only ever done this shit out of necessity. hoping to get enough out of the privileged to soothe the pang of gnawing hunger in your stomach (and that of the other street urchins)

whatever you thought could've happened doesn't because he's breathing down your neck from the moment you rise from your seat. his paw is in your back pocket while he walks you to the bathroom.

his hand stays in your pocket as he, with a chivalrous gesture, opens the door to said bathroom. he also aids you in getting in the stall. and no, not the bigger one at the end. he crams you into the very first one that's available, him following right behind. he fits in there like a rubber stopper. shoulders broad enough to touch both walls. arms like trunks cross over the breadth of his chest as he looks down at you expectantly.

"needed to piss, aye? go on. cannae 'ave you runnin' off again."

it's only when he leans down, his nose touching yours as he tells you to, "go 'fore ah make ye," that has your trembling fingers fumbling with the front button of your jeans.

[crowhoonter]

The Moon Presence holds a special place in my heart in terms of souls games final bosses because of the sheer what the fuckness of it all. All of the other final bosses have some kind of build up; Dark Souls can't go one minute without mentioning Gwyn, Nashandra and Aldia are major figures in Ds2's lore, the Soul of Cinder, while never directly alluded to is another example of the converging of time and space in 3, Isshin plays a large part in Sekiro's story, and Radagon is a major lore character with Elden Beast being pretty easy to clock as a manifestation of the Greater Will.

Flora, the Moon Presence, though? She comes out of nowhere. There are maybe two lines alluding to her existence at all, those being the workshop umbilical cord and the lecture hall note. The closest you otherwise get is the references to the terrible hunter's dream, which doesn't immediately conjure the idea of her to mind.

Even better we don't even know what she really wants. Oh sure, there are plenty of theories and inferences we can make. Maybe she uses Hunters like hitmen to prevent infant great ones from threatening her, maybe she's keeping a natural order running, maybe she wants to spread the beast plague, maybe she wants to prevent mankind's evolution, maybe she just plain loves violence. In the end though, its all still maybes. Girly walks on in and her mere existence changes so much about the story, yet she refuses to elaborate on anything.

Another very interesting aspect is, and this is probably a somewhat baseless observation, we don't really know what she is. Everywhere else in the game, Great Ones have some line of text associating them with that status. Oedon, Baby Mergo, Kos, Amygdala, The Brain of Mensis, Ebrietas. All of them have text somewhere that directly refers to them with that moniker, but Flora? Nowhere will you find something calling her a great one. Hell, in the Japanese translation, she is called "Moon Demon." It is probably safe and the intended inference that she is a great one, but the thought she might not be does tickle me nonetheless.

Then there is her role in the story. The Great Ones are said to be sympathetic in spirit, and there definitely is a part of her that echoes that sentiment. The way she cradles the hunter is like that of a mother holding a child, yet she seems to be a lot more manipulative than the Great Ones we see in game. They typically cause suffering not by tricking or making deals, but by being unaware of how they affect the world with their actions. Getting picked up by Amygdalae seems like a curious child picking up a lizard, unaware that they are hurting it. Flora though, there does seem to be a certain level of maliciousness beyond accidental. Gehrman's pain and suffering is clear to see, yet she keeps him chained to the dream because of whatever bargain he made (presumably animating the Doll). She does the same to the hunter should you forgo the umbilical cords. She also doesn't seem to want a surrogate like other Great Ones, maybe settling for keeping humans as pets rather than having an actual child.

She really is one of the best Fromsoft final bosses because of the sheer strangeness and the wrench her presence throws into the game's story. We can get a concept of most of Bloodborne's story with a bit of interpretation and reading between the lines, but she will forever be an enigma. For what purpose did Laurence and Gehrman summon her? Why is she seemingly not worshiped unlike other Great Ones? Does she desire a surrogate or are humans pets good enough? We may never know, and that is wonderful.

Stay enigmatic queen, live your freak life

[hekateinhell]

Behind the Scenes of Blood Communion — Armand & The Kidnappings:

I’ve yapped about Armand in Blood Communion often enough over the years (it does feature one of my all-time favorite Armand moments), and I was always curious as to what was going on in Anne’s mind when she was busy plotting what would become the final book in The Vampire Chronicles—specifically re: the kidnappings and the explosive Lestat/Armand scene in the later half of the book.

Well, her diaries do give us the slightest insight into one of those things at least…

September 2, 2017

Anne has already mentioned Rose being Rhosh’s first victim and Viktor the second. Here is where she continues immediately after Viktor:

Then he [Rhoshamandes] takes Armand —

No casket comes — But they’ve intensified their hunt — on water —

Then he takes Louis — the most spectacular of all — burning novels of the Chateau — almost destroying Chrysanthe — 

Lestat wants to give himself up.

Think about the order of abductions —

He [Rhoshamandes] + Lestat bargain —

But near dawn —

Maybe only Louis + Armand.

His first vengeance is on the Replimoid buildings — in London —

So… so far it’s tentatively Rose, Viktor, Armand, and Louis that are kidnapped. Gabrielle and Marius haven’t been mentioned as of yet.

However, skipping ahead from page 135 to page 137 where she circles back to this that same day, Marius now enters the chat (briefly):

Louis + Armand are likely enough - I need to think about what he [Rhoshamandes] does - Maybe he should attempt to steal Marius + fail. And then burns the village - the sprinklers save much but the chaos is awful. Then he burns Armand’s house in St. Germain de Pres —

September 3, 2017

Anne remembers Gabrielle exists:

I forgot Gabrielle. Louis, Armand, Gabrielle — the braid in the ashes.

Lestat bargains — 15 minutes of talk to bargain for his life.

It’s Louis, Armand, and Gabrielle for the time being. No Rose, Viktor, or Marius.

September 15, 2017

Anne ‘appears’ to have decided on her group of three:

Rhosh has abducted Gabrielle + Louis + Armand.

Lestat has decided to give himself up. —

I always thought at first glance that Louis, Armand, and Gabrielle would make the most sense here tbh. There’s a fandom joke that Lestat would fall in love a McDonald’s apple pie if it was warm out of the microwave and that’s so fucking true! He loves a lot and easily, that’s always been one of my favorite aspects of his personality. I love that he loves love. 🥹 But there are three people that Lestat tends to group together one after the other over and over…

“Whatever happens, it will be worth it,” I said. “That is, if you and I, and Gabrielle, and Armand . . . and Marius are together even for a short while, it will be worth it.” ~ Lestat to Louis, TVL

She [Akasha] stared at me in silence; it seemed she would strike out at me; her face became that of a statue again; and I thought, Well, the moment is now. I will die the way I saw Azim die. I can't save Gabrielle or Louis. I can't save Armand. ~ Lestat, QotD

At the door, I turned and kissed Gabrielle again. I felt her body collapse against me for an instant; then her attention locked on Akasha. I felt the faint tremor in her hands as she touched my face. I looked at Louis, my seemingly fragile Louis with his seemingly invincible composure; and at Armand, the urchin with the angel's face. Finally those you love are simply . . . those you love. ~ Lestat, QotD

While there are accessible drafts of her earlier works, if any hardcopy drafts of the VC books exist beyond Blood Canticle, they’re not presently listed at Tulane last I checked. I don’t think she documented in her diaries when she made the decisions for what would become the final canon events here (as far as I can find yet, anyway, there’s a lot I still have to go through). So who knows when, where, and why her original vision evolved, as most novels do before they make it into our hands.

Ultimately as a fan of both Armand and Lestat and their relationship, I’m glad Anne went in the direction that she did! It’s my favorite scene in the book for a lot of reasons—so dramatic and raw and angsty all-around. 🥰 And they end the series on such a sweet and tender note, I have no complaints (especially since I came into the fandom when Blood Canticle was the final word on Lestat and we never heard about Armand post-Blood & Gold). I think it was necessary for them to go through that ordeal together and to finally have their shared baggage and history laid out in the open! Perhaps Anne thought the same? So while I hands-down prefer the canon version, I also do enjoy the alternate possibilities for fic fodder… you know, what if? ;) 

SHOUT OUTS: @somevagrantchild for the photographs taken during our Tulane trip and for letting me use them! ♥️ And of course @apoptoses for digging through hundreds of images to help me find what I was looking for, and for helping me decipher Anne’s handwriting. 🥸

[straykids-97]

Sinner ~sneak peek~

“Deliver me from evil, for I have sinned.”

Warnings: Dom!Chris, choking, intellectual humiliation, (stupid, dummy, etc), EXTREME power dynamic, sthenolangia, daddy k!nk, submissive!y/n. Chris is a meanie :( in this. Lmk if I forgot anything!!

Synopsis: Chris can only take so much before he snaps. A typical tirade ends up being far more than what you bargained for…

🖤❤️🔪❤️🖤

Chris grabs you by the chin, digging his nails into your skin so hard that you think he may break skin. You hiss, wincing as he yanks you closer to him, watching as he bares his teeth at you. Snapping them shut, he sucks air through his pearly whites, a warning.

He’s not playing- he’s serious.

The laughing and humor gone now, all that lingers in the air is a stuffy, hot feeling. Almost as if he was suffocating you by merely being close to you. You swallow hard, if he didn’t have his large hand around your jaw, it would be parted in shock.

“Shut.” His voice was low, sending a chill shooting down your spine, “up.” The last word was like venom on his tongue, the way he spat it in your face made it seem like he wanted it out of his mouth. Your heart slams against your ribs, fear making your hairs stand on end as his nails bite into your skin harder.

He walks you back until you’re pressed against the counter top, and the familiar sensation of cold sweat starts to cause beads along your forehead. The menacing look in his dark eyes never leaves as he stares holes into your soul. He leans in, his warm, minty breath spreading across your ear and neck as he speaks, “if I hear another fucking word come out of your mouth, I’ll shut it for you.”

You can’t fight the whimper that escapes and you quite literally feel him tense. He becomes a marble statue right in front of you as you feel another stab of adrenaline course through your heating body. You feel like an eternity passes before he pulls away, pure ice in his stare. He pulls you forward so that his nose is millimeters away from yours, and you feel the warning- the malice that radiates off his body, warming yours.

Fuck- this shouldn’t turn you on but it does. And he knows it.

[sapphicmsmarvel]

acotar characters loving a plus size reader

NSFW bc of descriptors. But like, actual smut? Nah. also body worship vibes but again, not Explicit.

Azriel: if he could spend eternity between your thick thighs, it would never be enough. Whether that be his head, hand, shadows, dick, anything. He lives for it. He loves you in any clothes (especially his) but seeing you in a cute little sundress while he stuffs his cock into your cunt? Heaven on earth for this man. 

Cassian: this man loves your hips oh my. He loves when you wear his shirts and your plush hips just peek out from the shirt. It’s a tantalizing mystery that he has to solve every time. Aka, whenever he sees it, he will eat you out. Either against the wall or in bed, always private because he refuses to let anyone else see you the way he does. 

Rhysand: this man loves your arms. yall know that one jessica chastain and oscar isaac clip? Rhys always does that to you! He purposefully buys you dresses that will show them off! When you made your mating/wedding bargain with him, he made sure the tattoo did not cover your beautiful skin there. He loves holding your arms above your head while he pounds your body into the mattress. 

Feyre: sit. on. her. face. She’s so in love with your size! Your thighs? She could die perfectly happy! Your tummy? Oh my Gods, the most beautiful sight to her is when she’s eating you out and can see those thighs quivering and stomach trying to catch a breath. She loves you in any type of clothes, but seeing you wear a dress? She’s floored every time. 

Morrigan: your stretch marks are everything to her. She loves kissing them and tracing them with her tongue. She loves when you wear a netted or mesh fabric that shows them off a little bit. Whenever you wear revealing clothes that show them, she always has a hand on them, tracing them delicately with her fingers just imagining the sounds you were going to make that night while she fucked you. 

Amren: She would never, in a million years, say it to your face; but she loves your cheeks. Both your ass and face. She loves how squishy and red your cheeks get when she fucks you (again, both of them). She loves the cellulite, the stretch marks. You look like a statue from her time. You’re her home. 

Nesta: Her and Cassian have a type, it’s the hips. She loves when you wear a skin tight cotton dress. She can see the outline of your perfect body, the fabric hugging every curve that she is dying to sink her teeth into. She does bite in bed, but she can’t help it. How dare you look so fucking hot that she can’t contain herself? 

Elain: elain isn’t one for vulgarity, but my gods your tits. She constantly has to catch herself from just face planting into them because she loves it there. A lot of times if you’re sitting at a counter or standing in a mirror, she’ll just walk up behind you and cup your boobs in her hands and just squeeze. She cannot help it. 

Lucien: he is an Ass man. He likes having something to grip. He loves watching your skin recoil at the force of his thrusts. You’re just so hot it makes him breathless sometimes. 

Eris: Like Morrigan, nothing, on this earth, makes him weaker than your stretch marks. Every time you have sex he is kissing and tracing, sometimes licking them. He can’t help himself. They’re just so pretty. 

Tarquin: if you ever wanna put this man into cardiac arrest, wear a bikini. Or frankly, don’t wear anything. He will not complain. He’s not really a Territorial Guy, just a smug bastard that smirks and touches you when he knows people want what’s his. If you’re in your bedroom wearing just a robe he will 100% just walk by and untie it just so you don’t have anything on.

[mika-no-sekai-blog]

Until I see you again

Eris x mermaid OC

Based on this prompt by @ghostedgrim

Word count: 2400+

Warnings: swear words; imagining beheading; blood and bruises

For the Day 1: bonds/bargains of @erisweekofficial

Dividers by @tsunami-of-tears

Eris was exhausted. He had enough of this place, he had enough of his fucking father and his stupid decisions that led to nothing good. Oh, how desperately he waited for the day he could get rid of that old asshole and take over this court. He already had a whole badass list of things he would do.

His eyes roamed over the room and all the faces gathered here. Dead. All of this lordlings who were trying to shove their heads up Beron's ass, would be dead. That was the very first task on his list. Imagining their heads rolling down on the floor, was the only thing that was helping him survive today's counsel.

He had to play his part flawlessly and wait patiently for the right moment to make his dreams come true, but right now, he wasn't able to take it anymore. When the meeting with lords and his father that caused the blood boiled in his veins, was finally over, he stood up and with long strides marched out from the room before someone could stop him. He wasn't able to keep his bored, ruthless mask, it was slowly slipping from his grip. The fire hummed in his veins, asking for permission to burn, to kill, to destroy. He desperately needed time to cool down, to clear his mind before he would do something stupid and expose himself.

Without giving it much thoughts, he headed for the gardens. Maybe the fresh air would do him good. The Mother granted him his wish and he didn't meet a single soul on his way through hallways, nor when he finally got out of that rotten place. Brisk air filled his lungs and part of his burden instantly disappeared. Feeling a bit lighter and completely lost in thoughts, his legs carried him to unmaintained part of the garden and up the hidden path to the forest on the hill behind the Forest House.

It was beautiful sunny day and birds merrily chirped in the crowns of trees. The forest shone with the bright colours of autumn, gentle breeze played with the remaining smell of storm from the other day. Eris took a deep breath and closed his amber eyes. He didn't need sight, he knew this place so well as the back of his hand. His legs sped up until he was running, pushing through the low bushes. He slowed down only when the ruins of the ancient sanctuary dedicated to one of the forgotten gods came into view.

Half immersed in the undergrowth lay the remains of massive pillars and walls, the grey limbs of broken marble statues that used to be white, stuck out among the ivy leaves like canines of gigantic monster. The nature was slowly swallowing what didn't belong there.

Eris always had a very strange feeling in this place bordering on fear. He felt here history that breathed as if it was a living thing, and magic older than his kind soaked in these stones, buzzing under his feet. It was dangerous and repulsing, yet pulling him closer, inviting him to stay. Only here he could be himself and didn't need to hide anything. As a little boy he used to come up here to cry after beating. This was his kingdom, his safe place.

Before he could give in to the lure, the sounds of happy barking reached him, pulling him out of the trance. It took only a single heartbeat and he was surrounded by his smokehounds. The beasts were excitedly jumping around him, trying to lick his face.

"Good boys," Eris relaxed and finally smiled, petting as many heads as he could. From the inner pocket of his jacket he took out the dog crackers that he carried around just in case. These furry beasts always scared his dark thoughts away and cheered him up. With them, it was as if all the worries suddenly disappeared in a puff of steam.

He took out a bow and quiver with arrows from the one of remaining alcoves in the wall. From the moment their master touched those things, the hounds didn't need any command, they instantly knew. Wagging their tails, they fell silent and sniffed in the air. As one they rushed deeper into the forest, closely followed by Eris. His amber eyes turned into two hot coals with excitement from the hunt, playful smirk twisted corners of his mouth.

This was what he needed the most now. The feeling of freedom, the wind playing with strands of his long red hair and a prey to shoot down and later bake on dancing flames. He rushed through the forest, zigzagging between the trees, following his hounds. Their brilliant noses never failed them. Even now they certainly found him some interesting prey. They knew his preferences and loved the challenge as much as he did.

They ran maybe for an hour when a sound of rushing water filled the air. Eris knew this part of the forest as well as the stream ahead. He often hunted around here.

The stream was actually quite small and harmless river, the only source of water for all kinds of creatures inhabiting this place. However, when it started to rain, it turned into a wild torrent that took and killed everything that stood in its way.

The hounds led him for a while down the stream, completely silent, their eyes on something he couldn't see yet. Gradually they slowed down until they stopped, growling lowly. There it was, his prey.

Eris hid behind the nearest trunk and listened. It took him a while to pick up on small whimpers and groans, coming from behind dense bush in the bend of the stream. Something was hiding in there.

He sneaked closer, securing one of the arrows in his grip. He quietly drew the bowstring to its maximum, ready to fire. He peeked out from his current hideaway, looking for the motion. There, among the yellow and orange leaves, a deep blue scaly tail glistened in the faint rays of sunlight penetrating through the treetops above him.

Eris frowned. What the fuck? He'd never encountered so big, strangely coloured snake nor heard about something like that. The tail was as thick as his own waist. What creature could be possibly so big. His gaze followed the trail of glittering scales to the place where the tail started to taper, disappearing in the water. Suddenly an enormous fish fin emerged from the water and splashing all around fell back.

Eris inhaled sharply. His gaze wandered to the other side where scales turned into a skin, a soft looking pale skin with slightly bluish undertone that had never been kissed by sunlight. Small bruises and wounds covered the torso of the young female with long sea-green hair. She lay face down, exhausted in the grass, her chest heaving heavily. She whimpered as she struggled to push up on her delicate arms, pulling herself on the bank. As soon as her fin left the water, she collapsed down and turned on her back, exposing naked chest with two lovely peaks.

Eris could swear that he already felt them in his palms, firm and squishy, hardening as he worked on them. He shook his head to get rid of that picture, to clear his mind once again.

He watched her with bated breath, drinking in the delicate beauty spread on ground before him. The big eyes of the colour of ocean searched the forest around her, but she didn't notice him. Her breath slowly calmed down, full lips lightly quivered. She had to be really scared, being so far away from her home in unknown territory. As far as he knew, mermaids didn't live in Autumn Court, only in ocean and mainly in Summer Court. She was indeed too far. How did she get here?

A small cuts on her tiny neck, the gills, closed up, turning into faint scars. In horror he watched as her tail began to melt before his eyes. He'd never encountered a real mermaid and any of the stories didn't mention that they could come out of the water. The panic gripped his insides at the thought of her turning into a sea foam and perishing just like that. He couldn't just stand here and keep watching, he had to help her.

Putting bow down, Eris stepped out from behind the tree trunk, heading to her. He abruptly halted when his gaze landed on two long pale legs. She wasn't dying, only changing. He'd never seen someone so beautiful in his entire life. His jaw tightened as his gaze roamed over her perfect naked body, slightly glistening as if dusted with glitter, his cock painfully twitching in the pants. He wanted her right there, right now. He hardly controlled his actions. A primal growl sounded in his chest, startling her.

Little mermaid's body fully turned to him, her face a mask of terror. The moment their gazes locked, he froze on spot, the urgent violent need faded into a faint feeling that made his heart fluttering with warmth he never felt till this day. She gasped and struggled to stand up, wailing in the pain. That snapped him out of his stupor. He blinked once, then twice. Wolfish grin slowly spread on his face.

"Let's see who I found wandering in my forest," he tilted his head to the side. The female took a step back, whimpering in more pain. Eris noticed a bloodstain on the place where she stood before. He swallowed hard, the desire to tease her and play with her was all gone instantly. "Are you seriously hurt?"

She didn't answer, only stared at him with those marvellous eyes.

He raised his hands, trying to not to scare her more. "I won't hurt you. Let's start again. I'm Eris Vanserra, a heir to the Autumn Court. Who are you?"

"I'm Mare," she finally spoke. Her voice was trembling, but it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. It was so melodic as the sweetest song in this world and carried the sound of the waves in it, smell of salt immediately hit his nose. The sound was luring him to come closer, his fingers tickled with need to touch her skin. It was so hard to resist it, but he was a stubborn male. Nothing could break him so easily.

"Very well," he said seemingly unaffected, giving her a smile he hoped was kind and reassuring. "How did you get to the forest, Mare? The ocean is quite far from here."

She looked around, searching for the words. It seemed that even speaking was painful for her. "I wanted to see the mainland and got caught in the storm. I think that something hit my head and when I woke up I was here, in this puddle of sweet water." She pointed her tiny finger to the stream with disgust.

Eris snorted, hiding it with his palm.

"I have to return to the ocean," she urged. "I don't have much time."

The urgency in her voice caused the smile to freeze on his face. "What happens if you don't?"

"I'll die," she said simply without an ounce of fear.

A shiver ran down Eris's spine. For some reason he couldn't allow that, but he didn't want to let her go. Not yet. Something in her presence made him feel at peace and so free as he'd never felt before. He narrowed his amber eyes on her, thinking.

"If I help you to get back, what will you give me in return?"

She tilted her head to the side, calculating. Her gaze darted nervously to the setting sun. Then she smiled sweetly. "What would you like to get for your help?"

Eris knew exactly what he wanted. "I want to see you again."

She blinked in shock. "You what?"

"You heard me. I want to meet with you again."

Her big eyes roamed over him, finally properly taking him in. She blushed and her expression softened. "Fine. So will you help me?"

Eris took down his jacket and stepping to her, he wrapped it around her delicate form, trying to not to look at all the tempting parts of her body that caused the fire in his vein roared with need. She was so small that she hardly reached to his chest, his jacket looking like a dress on her.

When she was finally fully covered, he picked her up, tugging her to his chest. She blushed even more fiercely, her heart beating so fast and strongly that he not only heard it but also felt it. He couldn't suppress the gentle expression that softened his features as he looked down on her.

"Fine," he hummed and winnowed them to the coast.

The salty wind ruffled their hair and Mare twitched in his arms, desperate to get back to the water.

"Not so fast," he murmured, tightening his grip on her. He carried her all the way to the line of water, but didn't stop there. He continued until he stood up to his waist in the water.

"Don't forget your promise, Mare."

"I won't," she looked up at him. "Thank you, Eris." With that she reached up and pulled closer to his face. She pressed her cold lips against his, drawing a moan from him. She taste even better than he was imagining.

So slowly he lowered with her to the waves, feeling exactly the moment her legs changed back into the tail. She sank into the waters and he gladly followed her, their lips still dancing, drinking each other. When his lungs started to burn with pain, she pushed him away, and he emerged to the surface, gulping the fresh air. He looked behind him and gasped in surprise. He was at least a kilometer from the shore now. Glittering deep blue tail rose from the waters and fell back down, splashing it into his face. He laughed out as hand caressed his chest.

"I won't forget," ocean around him sang and he knew she was gone. Yet he waited for another ten minutes, hoping to see a glimpse of her hair or tail and only then he swam back to the shore. There he stretched out on the white sand, letting the last rays of sun to dry his clothes. New tattoo on his inner thigh prickled his skin as he listened to the song that was carried on the waves about the red-hair prince with fire in eyes and little mermaid that fell in love on first sight.

[valictini]

I've been asking myself these questions regarding totk's story and my deep disappointment in it, because I know a lot of people loved it, I know a lot of people felt it was a better story than botw, and I know a lot of people believe that Zelda games never had good stories to begin with....

But no, I do think the story objectively sucks, is worse than botw's, and could have easily been better. Totk's story is flashier and that's pretty much all it has to offer.

Part of it is its execution, how using the same blueprint as botw (deliberately non linear) was a baffling move when you tried to tell a linear story. You shouldn't be punished for pursuing the story earlier than when the devs planned. You shouldn't be able to spoil yourself the story. You shouldn't be presented with the exact same information 4+ times at points where you're supposed to be rewarded for your efforts. You shouldnt have to slog through a mystery when the game KNOWS you already know the answer. And yet, this happened to an alarmingly large number of people!

So yes, the execution wasn't good.

But the story itself isn't good either. Not only did they decide to cut ties with botw's lore, but they didn't even fully commit to the new lore they introduced.

The zonai civilisation has no substance. We see two (2) of its members and only interact with their ghosts in very, very few instances. During those interactions, we do learn tidbits of this civilisation, but as soon as the tutorial is over, you will never learn anything new from a zonai again. A couple lines during the tutorial is where the bulk of zonai lore happens. The rest is: jumping minigame said to be the same ritual young zonai would do to become adults and the explanation of draconification.

You could maybe say that the mere existence of zonai tech, the mere existence of secret stones, the zonai gear and the ancient hero aspect could be considered zonai lore. But what these things only really add to the lore is that the Zonai 1) were always everywhere and 2) were very powerful. That's pretty much it.

(The ancient hero aspect is especially infuriating to me. It could be a whole post.)

So, not only did they replace the Sheikah by the Zonai for no reason, they didn't even flesh them out enough to be interesting. But they didn't exploit the rest of the story to its fullest either.

- The heart of the story happens in the ancient era, yet we don't see much of it. All the new things we see: the inside of ancient hyrule castle's throne room, a garden and one (1) gazebo in a field. We don't get lore for the dungeons aside from their name, and the ancient sages don't add anything to them either. In general, we don't get lore of the ancient races, not even the hylians or the gerudos.

- Zelda was retconed into being stupid enough not to make the connection between Ganondorf and calamity Ganon. She was also sent back into being a compliant little princess that can't put her foot down when she knows the people around her are making mistakes.

(As an aside, I'm fully of the opinion that Calamity Ganon was a better antagonist than Ganondorf. At least you don't have to fanfic your way into understanding why he wants Hyrule destroyed. He's a magical beast full of hatred, the end.)

- The whole plot is centered around dragons, and yet totk manages to have LESS content surrounding the three dragons of Hyrule than fucking botw.

- Hylia is no relevant anymore. The statues are apparently their own entities? And they have counterparts in the depths with he bargainer statues? Never elaborated on.

The ending cutscene contains a deus ex machina that manages to retcon elements of its OWN story. (Rauru was supposed to be gone after the tutorial. Zelda was supposed to be gone after becoming a dragon.) Realistically, I knew Zelda wouldn't stay a dragon, but I was genuinely shocked at how little of an explanation we get for her return.

And we have 0 impact on her return as a player. Nothing we do matters. She turns back no matter what. Despite many opportunities to make it work in universe.

We could have had something tied with the other dragons, the three sources, to Purah's experiments with time, to the four temples, to Hylia, to the bargainer statues, to the triforce...

But no, just a vague "ghosts that should have disappeared eons ago use their powers to get her back through your arm".

We don't even have an alternate bad ending where this doesn't happen. It will happen, no matter what. For the cinematic shot at the end.

Oh and Link had to get his arm back too. I know they needed their cool parallel of Link catching her hand at the same angle as when he failed to do so at the beginning, but it just all feels so inconsequential as a result.

Everything's solved, everything's good, nothing that happened in this game ever mattered.

[mychlapci]

Oh! How about Vosian Prince Starscream is arranged to marry Orion Pax, Alpha Trions adopted hire and one of the head archivist. The leaders of Vos are trying to negotiate for the return of some Vosian ancient text and relics but the Cybertronian High Caste and the Iacon Archivist are reluctant, given they aren't sure what the value of these materials are or if they could be used against them. So a bargain was struck for a Vosian Royal to marry one of Iacons citizens.

Orion Pax was chosen given his status as Alpha Trions heir and his lack of real ties to Iacon High Command. Vos accepts it given that Orion has no real power so there no worry of him using his marriage to Starscream to properly further Iacons influence on their royal family.

Starscream hates that this bookish little grounder is now his conjux, even if he's a pretty little thing with a tight valve. But he'll live with it, least Orion seems like the kind of bot he can push around and do what he's told. And maybe their sparklings won't be so bad looking?

That is till Starscream learns that Orion is sneaking off to meet with the popular and oh so handsome gladiator Megatronous of Koan😡

OUUou that's very good. The Drama, man, The Drama. Starscream believes Orion is just this silly little thing he'll keep around, for the sake of keeping the peace and retrieving the vosnian artifacts... and maybe to bully when he's bored and fuck when he's horny. mhmm but he quickly finds that Orion is not as innocent as he seems, sneaking off to meet up with that big, stupid brute... Who does he think he is, taking up a lover when Starscream is right there? Arranged marriage or not, he should have some respect.

mhmm It would be a real scandal if Orion got knocked up... and it wasn't Starscream's heir at all.

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 164 spoilers and thoughts that are totally not late what are you talking about this is on time for sure <- writing the day that 165 drops

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JAVIER WAS THE ACTUAL MVP OF THIS WHOLE EPISODE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA HAHAHAHAH GOD I LOVE HIM SO FUCKING MUCH

THAT SIGNATURE SLIGHT SMIRK, THE MENACE IN HIS EYES. YES!!! SAVE UR MAN FROM GRIEF!!! GO KNIGHT BOY GO!!!!!!!

oh how he's grown, oh how he's learned from lloyd,,, truly using all the skills hes seen and putting them to the test. ITS SO FUNNY HOW EFFECTIVE THIS IS HAHAHAHAA THE EXPRESSIONS ARE SO SO GOOD THEYRE SO UNHINGED I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

back to the top!

lloyd trying to bargain and figure out loopholes only to realize there really is no other way besides losing it all over again makes my heart ACHE. OOOWWW. OWWWWWWWW.

just. watching that shutdown happen is so so so cruel why would u do this to me. the way the artist shows the energy and life just leaving his eyes and then subsequently showing how. tired he is. makes me so so emotional

it fucking HURTS. and by god ive been there before - certainly not to this extent ofc, but ive also been in tough spots where all the work ive done for my engineering projects ends up being,,, pointless. it is VERY real, how demoralizing that feels and lloyds reaction to that, and i cant imagine the scale of how that despair increases when its related to the work you did to simply just live in peace. god. ow. ow ow ow ueueueuuee

like he just essentially got told that it didnt matter how hard he fought to live, to survive, it doesn't matter that he's "lloyd" now; kim suho is destined for an ill-fate. and considering we know him as someone who lives almost entirely for others? it's basically "hey, all this stuff u did for other people to make urself not a burden, became a burden. tough luck!" GOD THATS SO. GHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHH

and he's trying so hard to think of himself as lloyd frontera still but like. whats the point? his association with lloyd frontera became the thing that doomed him

this panel in particular is INSANEE AAGHGHGHHGGG the colors washed out, how limp he looks, the blankness of the background like nothings there. this is where lloyd is right now, hope ripped from him, this reflects that really well. it HURTS.

is dissociated the right word for this? in despair? either way he's emotionally and mentally going THROUGH it, and essentially back to isolation considering how he ignores javier

i also wonder now if lloyd has already made a choice, to let javier live? we dont get to see more of his thoughts beyond this point, so its hard to say whether or not he's already made the decision of which protagonist lives,,, god im so worried for him. a part of me suspects that maybe he already chose javier to live,,, IM SO SCARED,,,,

speaking of javier,,, we see him talking to arcos and marbella!! and AGGGHHH AAAHHH MY HEART i really really think that javier was being completely genuine here. i think he really believes this. javier in general has a tendency to be incredibly genuine in the things he says (examples i cant think of off the top of my head but this episode has a lot of em LOL). he's asserted multiple times that he believes lloyd can save their estate, and its clear he means it every time. the faith javier has in lloyd is so so strong and it makes me so fucking EMOTIONALLL im getting ahead of myself a little bit sorry

but then the stare that arcos gives to javier,,, i think silent was the one who mentioned it but its as if arcos isnt sure if he should believe him, and if u take into account the last time they asked about lloyd's status,,, it's very much possible that he doesnt believe javier, but javier has so much faith in lloyd that he leaves them alone anyway. god,,, gghh,,, mmy heart,,,,

AND JAVIER ASKING LLOYD TO WAIT FOR HIM AND THAT HE'LL HELP LLOYD GET BACK TO HIS FEET GOD GHGHGH HE LOVES HIM SO FUCKING MUCH GOD FUCK GOD DAMMIT YOU!!! YOU!!!!

lloyd doesnt even respond but javier doesnt need to wait for a response bc he'll do whatever it takes now to protect this noble he's come to care for and love and gone on so many adventures with GOD DAMMIT GOD DAMMIT FUCK

and now we reach the second half of the episode and it made me giggle SO FUCKING HARD HAHAHAHAHAHAA

LIKE I SAW THIS PANEL AND MY JAW DROPPED PLEASE JAVIER ALDKJFLSKJDF

ppl were posting that apparently someone in ORV does this too and like thats so fucking funny . if i had a nickel for every time there was identity fraud in a manhwa id have two nickels

POOR RAPHAEL GETTING CAUGHT IN THE FIRE TOO HAHAHAHA HE LOOKS SO NERVOUS

some more panels of javier harnessing all that unhinged lloyd energy IT'S SO SO GOOD. it feels like javier's now a really really strong prosecutor i think he'd do a good job as a lawyer. THIS IS SO SO FUN

LIKE HE LOOKS SO MENACING GOD ITS SO FUNNY AHHAHAHAHA while making entirely good points he's so golden i love u sm javier. yes save ur man. outargue the FUCK out of these angels u clever little knight.

THE BITS WHERE ITS REVEALED HE'S TRULY GENUINE TOO ARE SOOOO FUCKING GOOD

ITS FUNNY ON TOP OF BEING SO REAL OF JAVIER

i talked about it above but like. when javier really truly believes something, when he really truly wants something, it's so fucking obvious. this boy does not lie or pretend about how he feels, point blank period. hell we've seen his behavior when he lies/is not telling the truth; his words are stiff and out of character, and his expression is either menacingly tight or stiffly robotic. he has so, so SO much faith and such a deep desire to save lloyd, and it shows in how he's genuinely fucking thankful that the angels agreed to (or well, were coaxed into agreeing) with what he asked for. i think it's a really interesting character trait and it completely tracks that javier was the protagonist of knight of blood and iron. genuine, emotional characters who love and lose, who have hope and can believe and can also experience despair, can make for an extremely compelling story. javier nails it right on the head

i also think that this character trait completely influenced the way javier used the tactics that lloyd uses. like yes, this is something that lloyd could do, but he also would never be able to pull it off because he doesnt have that same protagonist heart and honest-to-god (pun intended) genuineness that javier has. this inherent authenticity that javier seems to just naturally possess is what allowed him to make these statements and demands, because the sincerity he wears on his sleeve makes it all end up feeling reasonable. only javier could have done something like this, and no one else. i think thats REALLY fun!!!

that is all for this ep for now,,, i am SUPER excited to see where this'll go. hopefully we will hear from alicia abt the eye of summer!!! god javier u clever lil thing im so glad he was able to do this SAVE UR BOYF!!! AAAAHHHH

see y'all next week! aka tmrw! today? whenever 165 drops!

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

oh im gonna be SO annoying about bbh in a minute. i keep saying the same thing over and over again but his character is too fucking complex motherfucker is like:

"i'm a demon who is 11,000 years old and i refuse to acknowledge that im a demon nor that i do bad things (like steal furniture) but i will help people every chance i get despite saying im going to stop doing that and i am going to devote my life to protecting these fragile little eggs even though i know im going to lose them one day because i love them too much (and i know i can do that and it will one day be okay, because i have an immortal diamond to keep me company even if he isn't here now). when my friend throws himself beneath the spokewheel of the federation i will be there, bitter about my loss, but i will not start a revolution until he proves he deserves one. i will do what i can to safeguard his system against corruption because i am afraid the federation will use him to hurt us. i know he doesn't want to hurt us. he keeps hurting me. he is isolated by our distrust in him and he is still working hard to try to be a good person in an inherently corrupt system that cannot be fixed so i will build him a statue. i will not kill him when he takes a picture of me in the presidential chair (that was almost mine) and puts it on his wall and calls me 'employee of the month.' i didn't do all of that work for the federation i did it for him like i do it for others because they are my friends. i will exhaust every option i have to build a reason to NOT start a revolution. to not kill him. because i have to say that i tried. i feel like i have made so many compromises. i have held myself back to try to find reason. i will still remove his access to my base. when the island turns against me and he locks me in a cage for a crime i did not commit, i will remove everyone's access (except for my family the french and my family the eggs). i am having fun. when the eggs appear the next day with cracks and dirty shells i will worry, but i know they're strong. they'll be okay. (when i find my son's secret lab and his unethical experiments that cause him harm i will be proud because he has done what i do. he has helped. i want him to be safe but we are never safe and i trust him more than anyone else. i know now, and i can help him be safe.) when the eggs go missing i will be silent. i will look for them, and i will destroy for them, and i will bargain for them, and i will cry for them, and i will not accept their loss. when my friend who is president who once built a safehouse that saved my eggs' lives is finally damaged by the federation (like i knew he would be when he became president) and he starts to hurt people by pushing the same treatment onto them i will not be surprised. i will be surprised when he tries to marry me. i will not blame him (much) when he tries to kill me. our children are missing. he is forced to pretend that his is not. i wish i could too. i will not tell him yes or no because i need an open avenue to manipulate him (because to save him i will have to manipulate him). i will not marry him because he is out of his mind. i have said marriage is overrated. i have also said that i want to live with him in a house with our kids and my skeppy. when he tells me that he wants to be happy with me i will still say 'aw' because it is the most genuine thing he has said to me and i miss my friend. i will still try to kill him. i fail to kill him with someone else's plan. i don't place a block to lock him in place. i hesitate. it doesn't matter if it's on purpose because the next plan works. i will reveal an item that could destroy me to my closest allies (and tubbo) because it will let us save him. we save him. when he kills himself 18 times over i back away from the explosion in surprise and then step close again. while i have grieved i have thrown myself into mines. it doesn't matter. i am numb and want to feel something. everything has lost colour. we save him.

i visit federation workers and ask them about my eggs and they do not tell me anything. i know they are lying. i visit the graveyard to talk to my lost eggs. i have lost all of the eggs. i do not know how to save them. i lay in the mud. it rains and rain signifies the monster has returned to kill my children but my children are not here and so i do not care. when i go home i will become so angry and i will go down to my basement (which i have locked like my friend locked the entrance to his greatest fantasy. we are so alike and our delusions are different. he child was real; here is the secret to finding my children) where i have locked a federation worker away. i will not wash away the blood stains.

i am also part-time grim reaper and i only ever dress up in robes to make people drink more water."

[cosmicstarlatte]

Manhandling Them (Obey Me!)

━━━━━━━━━━ ✦ ━━━━━━━━━━

Look at you manhandling your favorite demon. Nice.

»Characters: Demon Bros

»Tags: Shitpost, Mildly Suggestive, Jealousy, Dom vibes I guess lol , GN Reader/MC

»Notes: I had my OC in mind for this since he's a big guy but this could work for anyone, bc hc in a hc, you're super strong in this world OKAY!?!?♡

Lucifer:

This old man never takes a fucking break. You find him working late into the night, fighting the sleep he very much needs. You tell him to go rest and continue the work tomorrow. He refuses of course because why would he ever take an order from you? "Oh? Nope! You're done for tonight. Up we go!" You say as you pull him out from his office chair and toss him over your shoulder.

What...what is happening?

[Fighting Status: Engaged]

Shifts into demon form and starts flailing around, yet it does nothing to you

"Put me down this instant!"

You just pat his wings down soothingly trying to calm him down

"Dont ruffle your feathers Luci, this is for your own good. Also if you continue like that, your brothers will come investigate."

He stopped flailing and looked torn: continue to fight or be seen in such a position? There's also the third option, your death

While he was thinking you continued to pat his wings and heard a small purr

winner winner chicken dinnerrrr what have we here!?

"Aw see I knew you'd like it! Alright off to bed!" You say carrying him to his room

"...Maybe I am a little tired...and this might not be the worst thing in the world." He said, absolutely defeated

Since then, it doesn't happen often, but he will let you carry him to bed if he's absolutely drained and no one else is around to see

[Taming the beast: Achieved]

Mammon:

"Mammon we need to go now or we will be late for dinner!" You yelled at him as he continued to bargain with the shopkeeper. He yelled back saying it would only be another minute...taking another 5 minutes. Enough is enough. You grab him and carry him out, bridal style.

One second he's talking to the shopkeeper, the next he's being lifted into the air

"AH! HEY!"

Shifts into demon form and notices it's you and not some stranger

Shifts back into his human form

🍅.jpg

"W-what is this!? P-put me down!" He said as he wrapped his arms tighter around your neck

"Mm, maybe if you kiss me on the cheek?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!? THE GREAT MAMMON OBEYS NO ONE!"

He continued to complain but did absolutely nothing to try to get out of your arms

He let out an annoyed huff when you guys got home...you were sure it was because he didn't want to come down

Now, he occasionally takes long at places so you could carry him...it's obvious when he keeps looking back to check if you'll get him

You caught on of course, but hey, he's your little tsundere demon

Levi:

"I'm not going to RAD today!" He yelled from his room. The hell he is, you kicked his door down and he screamed. You roughly pulled him from his tub and tossed him over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes, heading towards his closet.

"WWWWHAAAAAATISGOINGONNNN!?"

[Levi demon thrasher mode activated]

He was so confused and turned on by the sudden morning events

"Hey, hey! LEVI, stop it!"

He complied immediately and stopped struggling, you pat him gently while he still tried to understand what made you come in there so rough today

"That's a good demon!"

His tail swished around excitedly at your praise...this morning was something he never expected in his wildest dreams

Subby boy is subby™️

"Oh you like this a lot don't you? I guess I'll come get you more often."

"W-will this be an everyday thing!?" say yes say yes say yes say-

After that day, he still hesitated to ask for piggyback rides or anything else but you know the look and happily scoop him up every time

Please toss him around more, he loves it

Especially when you're rough

Satan:

Lucifer and Satan fighting was nothing new, but you just didn't have the energy to hear them today. So what better way than to just take one of them from the other? "Come here kitty!" You say, wrapping your arms around Satan and pulling him up against your body, carrying him to the manor library. 

He shifted into demon form in an instant

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? LET ME DOWN!"

He wasn't sure how your grip was so strong as he continued to try to pull away from you

And he also didn't understand why it felt so good to be carried by you

You patted him and told him to let the anger go and just enjoy the rest of the night with you

He stopped struggling but felt conflicted by what he was feeling especially since Lucifer looked so pleased when you two left

But this does feel good...and you chose him to hang out with

"Tch."

"Fine I'll put you down and-"

"No. You brought this upon yourself. Now continue to the library." He held on tighter

You smirked and he opened his mouth to argue but huffed instead

He was...actually impressed by your boldness and wouldn't mind being manhandled like that again

Just not when he's fighting with Lucifer please

Asmo:

Everyday his fans crowded him and 80% of the time, it was okay with you. Today though you just really wanted to go home quickly with him but his fans intercepted. Yeah no, you just weren't having it today. "Sorry guys we have to go home now." You say and tug on Asmo's hand. "Mm I don't know, it shouldn't take too long-" he starts. You raise an eyebrow at Asmo and end up tossing the Avatar of Lust over your shoulder, jogging away from the gawking crowd.

What just happened?

He squeals excitedly

"Oh I like this!♡"

He was surprised by your sudden action as you've never carried him before

Especially something so...possessive? In front of other RAD students!?

He was gushing

"Should I expect this more often!?"

"Yeah, probably. I should've done this a while ago." You admitted

Devildom Pictures Presents: Asmo, the Avatar of Blushing

He made himself comfortable and chatted with you while on the way home

The two of you ignored the looks of others but photos were definitely taken and posted to gossip sites

After that day he loved asking for piggyback rides and being carried around, he let you know how much he loved it every time

Beel:

Lucifer entrusted you to guard the fridge from Beel and so you did. "Sorry, Beel!" You tell the gluttonous beast. "Eh? I'm hungry now...I just want a little food..." He tried to walk around you to reach the fridge and that's when you scoop him up flawlessly, bridal style. You carried him away from the kitchen.

???

He did not foresee this ever happening

He could only blankly stare at you as you carried him further and further away from the kitchen

He actually really liked it but was worried about his weight

"You should put me down. You might get hurt."

"Did you not see how easily I scooped you up? This is nothing."

Beel smiled and went with it, completely forgetting about the fridge

"Can we do this more often?"

"Was already planning on it big guy!"

His heart flipped! After all, no one, even in the celestial realm, ever held him like this

And the fact that it was you, made it a million times better

The two of you settled on the couch while he stayed in your lap and cuddled with you until dinner time

(1) New Text from Lucifer : You did well. I'm counting on you for next time.

Belphie:

"You can't make me move!" Belphie muttered half asleep. He had a habit of falling asleep in weird places around the house and for some reason he chose the front of your bedroom door. You nudged him with your foot and he went back to snoozing on his cow print pillow. Okay, bet. You leaned over him and swiftly picked him up, wrapping his legs around your waist and holding him securely. You finally entered your room.

???

"You're not Beel!?" He said bewildered (and slightly embarrassed) by the sudden realization

"No I'm not and you were blocking my door."

"This feels nice from you. I could get use to this." He murmured happily at the sudden closeness

You roughly toss him onto your bed and he complained about demon abuse and rights

"Ugh! More gently next time!?"

He was still impressed by your use of force, you always surprised him which is why you're his favorite human

Was happy you decided to take a quick nap with him but upset you kicked him out after

"Hmph. You haven't seen the last of me!"

And it was true, he made it more of a habit to sleep in front of your door so you'd carry him inside, sometimes he got you to cuddle with him

He freely asks for piggyback rides if he's particularly drained

⬦You might also like: Flirting With Others︱You ARE The Father

[queenmuzz]

Five Stages of Grief: Chapter III

Bargaining

Read it HERE on Ao3

Note: Bit of spice at the beginning

She’s splayed out in front of him on the bed, her silver coloured hair undone from its usual practical ponytail, and spread over the sheets.  She’s wearing that beautiful golden brooch in her hair, as well as his entire collection of grave gold.  The delicate chains, the rings on each of her fingers, the gold bangles that tinkle with every move she makes.  She looks ethereal beautiful wearing all of his jewelry.

Especially as it’s the only thing she’s wearing.  

The contrast of bright gold with her white skin, pale from a lifetime living in the Necropolis, makes her look like a statue made of the highest quality White Orlesian Marble, streaked with gold that glitters whenever she moves.

And move she does, as she writhes in pleasure as he ravishes her neck, her breasts, her ribs, and her hips with a plethora of kisses.  Each hitch of her breath sends out a sparkle from the chain draped over her breasts.  Every time she grips the satin sheets, the rings clink together and the bangles chime so delightfully.

The ruby choker at her throat catches the light as she cries out as he slips a third finger in her, so easy to do now that she’d already come.  Twice.  And yet she still wants more.  

And what sort of gentleman would he be if he didn’t oblige her?  

He still remains gentle with her, kissing the length of her hip bone, feeling her muscles twitch as he curls his fingers inside.  He murmurs praises to her, about how beautiful she is, how her little whimpers  sound positively divine to his ears.

“Emm-Emmrich,” she stutters as she approaches her third orgasm, and he risks a little nibble of  her hip, which is enough to push over the edge as she comes yet again.  

He pulls out his fingers, as she settles down, her gasps turning gradually heaves as the jangles and tinkles gently fade away.  He pulls out his fingers and places them in his mouth.  She tastes utterly amazing.  He wants more.  He NEEDS more. “My dear,” he looks upon her sweaty flushed face, “Are you satisfied yet?”  And all she can do is to shake her head no.

Ever the gentleman, he cannot refuse her.

It’s all he needs to dip his head between her legs and begin to devour her.   There’s a squeal of surprise that turns into a very delighted moan as he licks her most intimate parts, his tongue going places his fingers are too clumsy to reach.  Her response is immediate.  Her ankles hook around his lower back, caging him in, and he can feel the chill metal of  the anklets against his blistering hot skin.  Her hands have finally stopped gripping the sheets and are now entwined in his hair, keeping his head down, but not putting any undue pressure.  

He eats her up like a starving man, wasting nothing, hearing her moans of pleasure as if they were whispered into his ear.  She’s trembling, the chains jingling with every ragged breath she takes, and he can feel how her thigh muscles are straining not to clamp shut and squeeze his head.  Even when she’s half out of her mind with pleasure, she does her best to keep him from being restrained.  Of course, there’s no where in the world or the fade he’d rather be right now.

“Emmrich…” she gasps out, but he continues enjoying her, even as she repeats his name over a dozen times.  It’s only when he feels a tugging at his scalp does he look up at her face, her once bright eyes dark with desire.  “Fuck me.  Please.”

Usually, he would admonish her for using such vulgar language, but for now, he will make an exception, especially as she asked oh so nicely.  Her legs release him and climbs on top of her, trailing kisses and bites up her torso, causing her to quake and spasm at each one.

He’s not gentle at all with their coupling.  His cock slips in easily, and it doesn’t take long before he’s frantically fucking her.  She doesn’t seem to mind, as she keeps repeating his name over and over and over again, breathlessly, almost drowned out by the jingle of grave gold.  

He towers over her,  stroking her face as she babbles his name again and again as she gets closer to release.  Just a little more to go…he can feel her clenching him tightly, and it’s all he can do to control himself until she finishes first

Her arm shakily reaches up to mirror action, stroking his cheek as her eyes suddenly regain a focus he doesn’t expect.

“Emmrich…” she calls him one last time, “I lov-”

He wakes up, gasping for air.  He can’t breathe.  It’s like being trapped under all that wood and masonry decades ago.  Is he dead?  He remembers the method he had been taught when he joined the Mourn Watch, and had nightmares.  Focus on the extremities, the fingers, the toes.  He wiggles them, feels the sensation of linen bed sheets, damp with what he can only assume is his own sweat.  Next come his arms and legs, and he loosens the tense muscles in his forearms and calves before working up to his upper arms, thighs. and… oh …  There's something that’s hard and unyielding, and it isn’t a muscle.

He sits up in bed, pullings his legs up so he can rest his arms on his knees.  Of all the times to have such a dream… It makes him sick to even think about it.  She’s lost in the blasted Fade, he hasn’t even come up with a way to rescue her, but instead of being hard at work at devising a solution, he dreaming about how much he wants to fuck her.  Oh, of course he’s had these types of dreams before.  They’re a normal part of adulthood.  He had them more times than he can count.  Usually he just rubs a quickie out before changing clothes and cleaning himself up, never giving it a second thought.

But not this time.  It feels… wrong to lust over her like this.  Especially when she had admitted, with some embarrassment, that he was her first.  He’d been honoured, of course, and ever the gentleman, he had let their relationship grow slowly.  Gentle kisses, lingering touches,  a chaste hand slipping under her shirt for a brief moment.   Maker’s breath, the closest they’d been to sleeping together is when she fell asleep on the couch, her head in his lap as he read a book!  He had it all planned out when they’d finally decided to consummate their relationship.  There’d be flowers, freshly lit candles, the finest Nevarran silk burial shrouds for her to rest on.  Not fucking her like some ill-mannered beast, unable to control his own impulses.  (That would come later, once she and him were ready for it.)  He rests his head on his arms and wills his breath to slow down, his heart to return to a manageable rate, and his cock to soften.

After a while He looks up  at the time keeping candle, and reckons he’s been asleep for a good eight hours.  Those eight hours could have been better spent studying the last of the enchantments he would need to perform.  Or making more calculations about the exact amount of lyrium he needed.  Anything other than having such debased thoughts.  Once he brought her back, once they’d defeated Elgar’nan, once he beat Solas to a bloody pulp for his betrayal, only then could he allow himself to give in to such thoughts.

Provided he made it.

As he gets up, it is apparent how stiff his joints are.  He hasn’t been keeping up with his daily exercise, and it’s beginning to take a toll on him.  He needs to at least take a walk.  To a place where he won’t be disturbed.  He does not need any time for idle chit chat.  He needs fresh air, and a quiet place to think… and he knows exactly where to go.

-------

Davrin’s quarters lie undisturbed.  Perhaps it's a mistake to go here, he thinks for a moment.  But unlike Bellara, whose fate is still uncertain, Davrin’s and Assan’s story has ended.  And what a glorious ending it was!  He thinks back, to when all hope was lost, Lucanis struggling against tendrils, the lyrium dagger nearly falling out of his grip.  His darling Zea dangling there, defiant to the last, and he unable, or too cowardly to do anything about it.  It had been Assan’s agility and Davrin’s courage that had given them the opening to deal the final blow.  And now… they were gone, far too young, even for a Warden.  He’d not shirked, nor cowered away from his fate, he’d accepted it with open eyes.  Emmrich knows that if Davrin knew what would happen to him when the boat landed on that beach over a week ago, he’d be even more insistent that he should be the one to lead the distraction team.  A life… for an untold number of  lives.  He had deemed it an acceptable bargain.   Which leads Emmrich to a theory he hasn’t discussed with anyone, not even Manfred.

“Hey,” a voice startles him  and he whips around to see Taash standing there, leaning against the jawbone of some creature he has yet to identify.  “Figured I’d find you here.  You weren’t in your office.  Not in the dining room either.  This seems to be the only other place you’d go to.” “Yes,” he admitted.  “I needed to clear my head.  Somewhere that was quiet.” “Why not Rook’s room?  It’s quiet.  And closer.” they wrinkle their nose  “And smells less like griffon pellets”

He stiffens at that suggestion.  He refuses to go to that room, and can barely stand to pass by it.  It’s her room, a place sacrosanct.

“For the same reason I do not enter Bellara’s room, Taash.  It’s still occupied, she just is… away.”  It’s a horrible euphemism, but they get the point. “I got you.”  They wander over to the shelf on the wall, picking up and examining the little wooden figurines Davrin was always working on.  “Nice. He got my likeness down pretty good.  Could use a little more bulk on the bicep.”  They place it back in its slot before picking up another one.  “Hey! It’s you!.  And he even got your funky little skull staff!” They place it in his hands and he examines it.  Davrin, had he not become a monster slayer and Warden, could have made a good living as a wood carving artisan.  It’s remarkably accurate, even getting the details of the robe Manfred helped make for him.  “Oh look!  He even made a Manfred figurine!  It even has his little coat!”  They pull it out of the same slot his figurine came out of and begins admiring the detail the Warden had put into it.  

Emmrich can’t help but notice that there is another figurine in that slot, roughly carved, still unfinished.  

“I wonder who that is…?”  he muses, although he senses the answer already.  

Taash looks up and cocks their head.  “Well. Looks Davrin put me and Lace together.  And this slot has Neve and Lucanis figurines.  Makes sense that this one would be Rook.”

Of course it would be.  He thinks to himself.  What he’d give to have something more tangible than a memory of her to hold.  The skull brooch, he keeps in his breast pocket, close to his heart is all he has, and yet it still reminds him of words spat out in fear and anger.

“Kinda wish we had Davrin back.” Taash says, their voice trembling just a bit, as they place the skeletal figure back.

“So do I, Taash.  He was the best of us.”

“He had a pretty solid right hook too.  Nearly knocked me out one time when we were sparring.  But I know if he had to pick a way to go.  He’d  pick this way.  It’s a warden thing.  To sacrifice yourself to save others.  I get it now.”

Emmrich figures now is the time, and perhaps Taash is the right person to talk to about his plans.  They haven’t always seen eye to eye on things in the past, and Taash is a very practical person.  They would at least understand what he is willing to do to bring Zea back.

“Taash, I have a theory…” he pulls out the unfinished Rook and compares it to his own figurines.  He can see the basic features, the curve of her nose, the armour design he intended to give her, and the rough shape of her great hammer. “According to Rook, Neve, and Harding, when Elgar’nan and Ghilan'nain escaped from their prison, Solas was sucked into it.  When Solas escaped from it, he replaced himself with Rook. Even if we manage to break into the prison she is being held at…” he looks at his own figurine.  “There is a very strong chance that it will always need an occupant in it.” He places the figurine of Rook back on the shelf with Manfred and the other members, but keeps his own in his hand.  “If that is the case- I will glad-”

“Nope.”  The answer is sudden and has the weight of a falling tombstone.  “You don’t get to choose to do that.  Not to us. Not to Manfred.  Not to Rook.”

“It’s not what everyone else wants, it’s what’s necessary.” Emmrich argues back.  “Rook is needed here.

“So are you.”

“But it’s alright when Davrin and Assan do it?” 

“That’s… different.” Taash lamely replies.  “Davrin didn’t know what was going to happen.  He just made a decision on the spot.  He didn’t go in with a plan to die.  And Assan shouldn’t have…” they utter a curse, before looking up at him.  “Listen.  Don’t keep doing your fade research stuff with the intention of switching places with Rook.  She needs you.  Rook needs to be at her best when we go kick the Gods’ asses.  And she won’t be at her best if you're stuck in Fade Jail.”

“But past experience has shown that-,” he tries to shoot back, but Taash is on a roll, and cannot be stopped.

“I know what it’s like to lose someone.  To want to do anything to bring them back.  To give up ANYTHING for just one more day to be with them.  You’ve got the opportunity to do that.  But you're doing that thing where an ox is attached to a millstone and forced to walk in circles for weeks to grind grain.  Eventually it wears such a deep path into the earth and it can’t get out.  It’s stuck.  And it can’t see any other way out.  That’s you.  You’re so dead set on paying some price that you might not have to pay at all.”

“I know what I’m facing and what direction I must take.” “Sure, and so did Solas.  See how well that turned out.”  That is a harsh verbal strike, and it hurts him even more because they’re not wrong.  His decision to switch Rook with himself is merely the opposite choice the elf took.

“It doesn’t matter anyways,” he concedes, “this is all theoretical.  I will still need a facsimile of the replica dagger.”

"Ah yeah!  Speaking of which,” they say as they take the figurine out of his hands and gently place him between Manfred and Rook, “Harding asked me to tell you that the dwarves of Kal’shirok are sending out a shipment of Lyrium.  The good shit.  Apparently they’ve got a fondness for her and her magical rock stuff she does.”

His heart beats a bit faster at that news.  Once he gets a hold of it, the final process of constructing the dagger can begin, and the past two weeks of painstaking research will bear fruit.

“Thank you, Taash,” He straightens his back, feeling long neglected vertebrae pop as he does so,  “Please pass on my thanks to both Harding and Stalgard.” There will be final calculations to double check, triple check, and quadruple check.  He cannot afford to make any errors.  He begins to pass Taash, eager to get this all started.

“You  gotta promise me you won’t sacrifice yourself to save Rook.”  they order him, and he freezes in place.  “I mean it.  You don’t have the right to hurt everyone else in order to become some sort of martyr.  Promise me.”

He sighs as he acquiesces to her demand, “Very well, Taash.  I won’t sacrifice myself to save Rook.”

Their demeanor brightens at his submission. “That’s…that’s good.”  He suspects that they expected more pushback from him.  And after picking up one of Assan’s feathers and tucking it in their hair, they make their way out of the room.

Emmerich stands there for a few more minutes, before also picking up one of the feathers.  He spins in between his fingers, admiring the creature it came from, and wishing there had been a way to save him and his friend.

He sighs, and tucks it into his waistband.  It will be a way for Manfred to remember his feathered friend, and he hopes the spirit will understand the concept of sacrifice.

“I’m sorry, Taash,” he murmurs and glances at the figurines one last time, “I’m afraid the Dread Wolf is not the only one who can lie between his teeth.  I promised I wouldn’t sacrifice myself for Rook, but for my Zea…I  will give up everything.”