#at that point his quality of life wouldn’t have been good and we decided to put him to sleep

[whathasangramainyudonewrong]

Wrong #815

Angra and Voyager are riding around on Kijyo Koyo’s back (in her first ascension), and are now running about the facility causing mayhem and distress

[nervoussagittarius]

furniture shopping + night out

matt sturniolo x influencer!reader

summary: your day in the life vlog ft. your boyfriend matt, request

warnings: fluff, maybe language

“good morning vlog” you said taking a sip of your coffee. the sun was just starting to come through your apartment windows as people filled the streets below. “i have a very exciting day planned today so i thought i’d intro the video now and we can chat for a minute.”

you began to get all of the ingredients out to make breakfast for you and matt while you talked to the vlog about your night. your videos tended to feel like a facetime call between you and your fans. everyone loved how personal and friendly they felt. “matt spent the night here yesterday, and i figured i’d be a good girlfriend and make us breakfast. i convinced matt to go to ikea with me this morning because i’ve been in this apartment for about a month now, and i still have no living room furniture. so we’re going to try to fix that.”

as you continued making breakfast matt finally woke up and decided to join you in the kitchen. “okay guys, be honest do these pancakes look good? i hope so. but i’m going to go wake matt up-” matt appeared from around the corner at this statement. “oh nevermind. hi baby! good morning.” matt, not being fully awake yet, gave you a small groan and fell into your arms for a hug. you returned it, holding him for what felt like hours. neither of you complained though. you and matt could be surgically attached and it still wouldn’t be close enough for the two of you.

you turned your head to the side looking at your counter. “me and my friends talked about last night and what we have planned for this morning while i made us breakfast.” “your friends?” matt questioned since he was the only one in your house. “yeah my friends in the vlog” you said with a ‘duh’ tone, earning yourself a poke in the side from matt.

you picked up your camera again about an hour later while you were in the car. focusing the lens on matt, you began to ask him questions. “how do you feel now that i might actually have a couch after a month?” you asked with a laugh. matt’s smile brightened as he took his eyes off the road for a second to look between you and your camera. “i’m happy that we’ll finally have some place to sit other then your kitchen table. i’m excited to go shopping if you’re excited.” he reached over to pat your knee.

“matt’s not the biggest fan of shopping if you couldn’t tell. or if you’ve seen his house you’d know how unfurnished it is.” you said setting the camera on the dash to look at both of you. “listen, i just don’t see the point in worrying about how my house looks when i can be doing fun stuff with my life.” matt said with a chuckle. he grabbed your hand so you knew he was fully just joking to mess with you. “i think furniture shopping is fun. we’ll see you guys again hopefully when i have a couch.”

you were back in the car when you found yourself filming again. you head rested on matt’s ands your intertwined arms as you sat in the parking lot. “bad news guys. we couldn’t find a couch.” you removed yourself from matt as he started backing out of the parking spot. his hand now rested on the back of your neck as he played with your hair. “so sad. i still have to sit on the floor.” matt remarked. you gave him a discouraged laugh catching his attention. he looked over at you while at the red light. “don’t worry sweetheart we’ll figure it out.” he leaned over quickly to kiss you cheek. “thanks matt. we’ll see you guys later.” you said giving your vlog a small smile.

a few hours had past as you and matt spent some quality time together at your apartment. it wasn’t often that you guys got alone time so you cherished it when you did. no meetings, no sibling, and no cameras. but that came to an end when you realized you had a vlog to finish.

matt was the one to pick up your camera this time. you were in your bathroom getting ready for the prada event you were going to tonight. matt thought this would be the perfect time to try and scare you. he quietly walked through your house, making his way to you. unfortunately for him you caught him in this act. his reflection showed up in the corner of your mirror. “what are you doing?” “no i’ve been caught. i was trying to scare you.” he said with a laugh. “next time, baby” he set your camera on your bathroom counter and came around to hug you from behind. “you look really pretty, sweetheart. do you want to tell them where we’re going?” he asked as he gently layed his chin in your shoulder. he didn’t want to mess up what you were doing.

matt’s comment had made you blush, but you’ll quickly pulled yourself back together. “thanks baby. um- matt did a photoshoot with prada recently, and he looked incredible. so they invited us to an event they’re throwing tonight.” “if we make it there.” matt threw out winking at the camera. you looked at him in the mirror quickly as you threw your arm back to jokingly hit him in the shoulder. “matthew!” you exclaimed. “what? im just saying there might be traffic.” he shrugged acting nonchalantly as you rolled your eyes.

“anyway guys i think we’re going to call it a night. i’ll let you know tomorrow how the event went. i love you and i’ll see you soon.” you smiled picking up the camera as matt starts to walk out of the bathroom. “wait, matt! do you have any last words for our friends?” he turned to you with a slight smirk. he quickly screamed in the camera before running off. “i’m so sorry head phone users.” and you ended the video

an: i’m sorry this is so short but i wanted to make this different from chris’s so i hope you enjoy. i also slightly based this off of the vibe of jules leblancs vlogs because i love them 🤍

[writeyouin]

Mirage X Reader - Falling

Description (This was a request but it got sent to my PMs instead of my inbox by accident): When Alison Moyet's song Falling comes on the radio, Mirage is forced to think about you and his feelings towards you.

A/N – Yep, so another Mirage one for all of you desperately waiting for the film to come out on a good pirating site in top quality.

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

You stood at the sink washing dishes, a tune on your lips that you mumbled quietly to yourself, only half singing with your mind on other things like lost loves, failed relationships, and someone new in your life; Mirage.

“She said something like, I’m tired of me,” You sang Alison Moyet’s ‘Falling’, and then transitioned to whistling part more of the tune which had only come out a year prior.

Then, without the radio to follow, you reset to an earlier part of the tune, singing whichever little bits came to mind.

Little did you know, Mirage was spying on you, trying his best to imitate the stealthy way Arcee moved. Alas, subtlety wasn’t Mirage’s strong suit and he had already knocked over a row of garbage cans, and crushed some kid’s bike; he could only hope the bike wouldn’t be missed. Fortunately, among the usual noise and squalor of New York, nobody had cared about the sound or come out to explore.

Mirage wasn’t trying to be a creep by observing you. He just wanted to know more about your life and what you did. It seemed that in your day-to-day routine, you were obsessed with music. Bumblebee had already introduced Mirage to the concept of human music which was vastly different from the stuff that used to exist on Cybertron and Mirage liked it.

It was different from what he was used to for sure, but there were some songs he just couldn’t resist. The Twisted Sister song ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It,’ seemed to be a great Frag You to any Decepticon scum that attempted battle with him. And there was that one Bumblebee had introduced to him, ‘I Can’t Drive 55’, by that Sammy Hager fella. That was great, but Mirage was more than capable of beating that set speed and regularly did so when he wanted to bait the local authorities into a fun chase.

Still, he wasn’t sure he saw the appeal of this song. It sounded happy and sad at the same time, and he couldn’t decide which it was supposed to be with its New Wave vibe. Was it about falling, like it said? Falling for what? Mirage wasn’t sure, but you seemed to enjoy it. You hummed it quite a lot when you were thinking; he wasn’t sure you realised that you did that. It was one of the things he liked about you. It felt like you were letting your guard down when you hummed along to half a tune, and he enjoyed that you could feel so relaxed around him and the other Autobots.

Mirage might have called on you that night to ask you out on a drive; he liked your company. Alas, he got a message from Optimus telling him to return for the evening so they might meet the humans that Noah had been found by. Apparently, the new humans wished to discuss the possibility of an alliance with the Autobots.

Either way, Optimus’ message ended with, “Return to the rendezvous immediately.”

“Mirage, return,” Mirage mocked, impersonating Optimus. “Mirage, meet the humans. Mirage, I choose you.”

“Did I ask for your backtalk?” Optimus’ gravelly voice came through the radio.

“Scrap!” Mirage hurried to end the communication, having not realised that the line was still open when he had been joking around.

He transformed and raced off to the rendezvous point, any thoughts of you temporarily forgotten.

The next night, the Autobots stood in a unified line as they stared at their new base, a fully functional warehouse, with technology that they could use, even if it was primitive Earth tech.

“Optimus, can we trust these humans?” Arcee asked, her optics never leaving the building.

“We must try, Arcee. I see now that we have spent too much time working only for ourselves when we should have been working together.”

“Any way you want it, that’s the way you need it,” Bumblebee played from his speakers, using Journey’s immortalised words to convey his point.

Arcee looked past Optimus to catch a glimpse of Mirage, “You’ve been awfully quiet, Mirage. Thoughts?”

Mirage marched himself in front of the trio, clapping his servos together as he began his speech, “Well, I mean, clearly there’s a lot to think about here. There are the new humans we know, we have to check the place for bugs, and of course, there’s the most important matter of all-” He took a few slow steps backwards, “- who gets the biggest room. I call dibs!”

With that Mirage spun on his heel and pelted towards the base. Bumblebee, unwilling to let Mirage have all the fun joined in the race and chased after his ally, though when he had just about caught up, Mirage jumped backwards, crashing into Bumblebee and knocking him over. Before he could sprint off again, Bumblebee grabbed Mirage’s ankle and the two began brawling on the floor.

Optimus walked past the wrestling bots with dignity befitting his position and a dismayed shake of his head.

Arcee took a few steps closer to her allies, resting her servo on her hip as she took in the show.

‘Scouts will be scouts,’ She thought mirthfully.

Eventually, the competition was over, with Bumblebee the clear victor, and after sitting on top of Mirage for ten minutes, he finally let him get up, but only after Mirage admitted that Bumblebee was the best Autobot and the supreme Earth expert.

After that, they raced through the base, checking out every nook and cranny, and wondering which exits they could exploit and sneak out of, should Optimus try to ground them from the drive-in again.

Eventually, Bumblebee and Mirage settled down, each picking out a portion of the warehouse that was just for them. All rooms had been modified with individual entrances so they could come and go as they pleased. Mirage had even been hooked up with some sweet racing posters. He set about decorating the room to his liking, letting his internal radio play as he did so. After switching channels, he stumbled across the song you liked so much.

Curiously, he let it play, trying to really listen to what the lyrics meant.

She said something like I want to go Down where the river's wild He said take me then I want to drown Deep in your violent eyes

Deep in your violent eyes? Was it a love song? If it was, it was the strangest one he had heard before.

He continued listening.

But I want to be sure of one thing That I'm getting into something peaceful I want to fly in on your wing Way, way up here I don't care for anything It's all in, and I'm not afraid I don't fear Falling

There was no doubt about it. The song was indeed about falling in love.

Mirage felt a sharp prick of indignation. Were you in love with someone? He had to assume so, considering that you didn’t seem to sing anything else. It was always this song. Who were you in love with, and why did he care so much?

He wasn’t sure, but the idea of you with someone else made Mirage’s engines rev and his face contort disgustedly. You were his buddy, his pal, his partner in crime. Why did you need some stupid, boring human, when you could hang out with him? Speaking of which, when was the last time the two of you had hung out of late? You hadn’t been together much since he’d been repaired. Well, with his room claimed and little else to do, Mirage decided that tonight was as good as any to get in some bonding time.

He transformed, revving his engine loudly as he waited for the automatic garage door to open for him. His wheels spun on the spot in a move that would have burned rubber on any ordinary car. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door opened enough for him to slip through and he sped off, ignoring every speed limit he came across; if Prime gave him the third degree about laying low later, he would claim ignorance and take whatever punishment he was given.

When Mirage got to your house, he honked his horn loudly, waiting for you to open your window and see him. He couldn’t transform into his root-mode while a few seedy humans lingered about, so he had to wait for you to get to him… presuming you weren’t with someone lame, like a crush you hadn’t mentioned.

At the commotion, you poked your head out of the window, grinning when you saw Mirage. You held up two fingers, indicating that you would be two minutes and then hastily got changed from your pyjamas back into your day clothes. Grabbing your keys, you ran outside and climbed into Mirage’s passenger seat, buckling up in case he decided to take off before speaking as he was prone to do; buckling up was indeed a wise choice as Mirage took speedily to the streets.

“So,” You asked casually, “Business or pleasure?”

“Have you ever seen me do business? Business is for the big guy, you know, never smiles, never shows me that underbite, the big OP,” Mirage sassed you.

“I dunno, you seemed pretty business when you fought Scourge for me.”

“For you? No, no, no, I was fighting Scourge just for the sake of being the tri-planet champion.”

“Tri-planet champion?” You repeated incredulously. “You only fought him on Earth.”

“Yeah, but he’s from Galvatron, the living freaking planet. He fought on the Maximals’ planet, and he came here. Count ‘em – One, two, three. So, I digress, Tri-planet Champion.”

“Well, technically Noah was the one to face off with him, so-”

“Yeah, while he was inside me.”

“Okay, but Optimus was the one who took him offline.”

“Look, Optimus is always gonna be the champion of frowning and hard stares, a class I can’t compete in, so this is my thing.”

“All right,” You held up your hands in mock defeat. “You’re the champion.”

“Damn straight.”

“…Is the Champion going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nowhere. Everywhere, Anywhere the road takes us. Just sit back and relax. We could listen to some music,” Mirage suggested innocently, his hidden agenda on his processor.

“Sure, then I can be the champion of karaoke,” You bragged.

“Against my voice? In your dreams.”

“Oh, so you can fight, race, and sing? Triple threat.”

Mirage laughed and turned on his radio. He let a few songs play, letting you sing along while he distractedly kept his inner workings tuned on finding the Alison Moyet hit. It would likely play soon, considering its popularity.

After a few good tunes, Mirage managed to find the song and he switched channels.

“Oh hey, I’ve heard this one before,” He said nonchalantly, “This is that sappy love song, right?“

“I don’t think it’s that sappy,” You defended with a smile.

“Oh yeah? Why? Does it make you think of someone special or something?”

You imagined how easy it would be to tell Mirage the the ‘someone special’ was him; as it turned out, it wouldn’t be easy at all. You clamped your mouth shut, a blush peppering your cheeks.

“So there is someone!” Mirage said all too accusingly. “You won’t be needing me anymore then, when this new person comes into your life.”

“You sound angry.”

“No I don’t!” Mirage replied huffily, proving your point. “You know what? I don’t think I like this song after all.”

He turned the radio off and the two of you sat in awkward silence. He kept on driving, slamming down on the accelerator. There was a lot of noise from honking cars as he sped in and out of their way.

“Just tell me who it is!” Mirage demanded petulantly when the silence finally got to him. “Is it Noah? He’s probably your type, right?”

“Why do you care?” You asked, annoyed and upset by the turn of events from nice drive to speedy interrogation.

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you asking so many questions?”

“I just feel I deserve to know who it is.”

“NO YOU DON’T!” You yelled back. “THEY’RE MY FEELINGS”

“AND I’M YOUR FRIEND,” Mirage countered as if that ought to give him the right to know everything you thought.

“This is so stupid,” You breathed, shaking your head.

“Come on!” Mirage insisted. “Tell me!”

“No.”

“Tell me!”

“No!”

“Tell me, tell me, tell me-”

Against Mirage’s frustrating onslaught, you finally yelled, “IT’S YOU!”

Mirage slammed hard on the breaks and you lurched forward, hissing as the seatbelt bit painfully into your collar bone. Fortunately, you were in an area with no cars on the road, having got off the interstate some time ago.

“What?” Mirage asked.

“It’s nothing, just… take me home, please,” You begged, scared now that you had said too much.

“You like me? Like romantically? You like me romantically? You romantically like me?”

“You done with the combinations?” You said bitterly.

“But I’m- I’m an alien.”

“Yeah,” You threw your hands up. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. Now will you please take me home?”

Mirage transformed his arm, pulling you out of his chassis as the rest of his body followed suit. From his palm, you looked down to the floor, wondering whether it would be better to jump and get a concussion rather than have the embarrassing conversation that was about to follow.

“I don’t get it,” Mirage said, staring at you as if you were a complicated mathematics problem.

“I know,” You said, wrapping your arms tightly around yourself as if it might protect you from the sorrow you were feeling.

“No, but like, I really don’t get it. I thought you were just a friend, and kind of cool but I think- I think I feel the same way, maybe?”

You watched Mirage guardedly, unsure as to why he was asking you when it was his feelings that were scrambled.

“Look, Mirage, you don’t have to pity me, okay? Please don’t test yourself on me. I know I’m not what you’d look for and-”

Mirage pressed his lips against yours then hastily pulled away. You stared at him, too scared to speak.

He nodded to himself, pecked your lips again, and then vented a quick puff of air from his systems.

“Yeah, yep, yes,” He stammered. “That- That was a feeling. A-ha. Yeah, so I just found out I have a thing for you too.”

“You serious?” You asked, making sure that Mirage was alright as he stumbled through a barrage of new feelings.

“Yeah, I uh- I get the song now. Still don’t love it, but I get it.”

“Seriously? You’re still thinking about the song?”

“Hey, I’m thinking about a lot of things at once here (Y/N), mostly how I’m going to explain this to Prime later, a little bit about how this is going to work, and yeah, the song slipped in there. Frankly, I think we need to get you more into Bon Jovi, but I guess this could be our song or whatever.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. “This was not how I pictured any of this going.”

“Yeah,” Mirage nodded, pacing back and forth, the motion rocking you on his palm, “But at least we got a song, right? Most new couples got nothing.”

Despite your tiredness, you couldn’t help smiling at his straightforward manner of thinking, “Sure, Mirage. At least we have a song.”

[corpsebasil]

heyy hope youre feeling ok! unis a bitch lmao, can you do one where y/n is betrothed/married to vasily and maybe shes a secret grisha? idk but shes sneaking around with nikolai but then vasily finds out or nikolai goes off to be sturmhond? something super angsty, you can decide how it ends! have funn

I have an idea but I’m not sure if it’s exactly what you want.

HESR ME OUT OKAY—

Warnings: cheating, smut, angst, etc 18+

^ that’s you getting caught with Vasily

Three years, seven months, eighteen days, three hours, and…six minutes since Vasily married you.

He isn’t abusive at all—not physically. He just likes to avoid you like the plague as if his Queen wasn’t the most important person in his life. If you’d wanted kids now you wouldn’t have them; Vasily had a son from his previous marriage, a union was was annulled after the girl was caught doing interesting things in a closet with her brother.

“I can excuse infidelity,” Vasily had said. “but not raw-dogging your family.”

Touche.

Now, somehow, it’s been a year since you’ve even laid eyes upon the King. He’s cozying up to foreign girls in the Southern cities, you assume. Vasily has never bothered to hide his own infidelities, of course, and you yourself have heard rumors of a bastard or two walking around the continent.

“You’re boring me.” A voice calls out and you glance up from your desk, your hand stilling over the paper’s you’ve been reading. Nikolai, slouched on the sofa in your private study, is barefoot and relaxed as he watches you work. “Entertain me.”

“I’m not a court jester.” You say, raising a brow as you look back to the paper. “Your brother’s son wants me to give him Sun Cast.”

“Sun Cast?” Nikolai snorts, tucking his toned arms behind his head. In a white button-up and rolled sleeves, dark pants perfectly cut against his strong legs, he looks absolutely sinful laid out the way he is. “Doesn’t Sun Cast have a Lord?”

“Yes, Lord Barlow. But your brother’s son—”

“He has a name.”

“—insists that he be given the castle upon his eighteenth name day.”

“A decent request for a future heir.”

“Sun Cast has more brothels and taverns than any city I’ve ever been to. More than any should have a right to have.”

“I know.” Nikolai smirks, wiggling his brows at you. “Excellent quality as well.”

Your annoyed look only makes him smile wider as you force yourself to scan the paper again, reading your brother’s son’s—Zorin’s—request. Finally you sign the document carefully, rolling it back up and pouring a wax seal onto the edge.

“I still don’t know why he couldn’t have just asked his father.” You continue, standing to tuck the paper into drawer. You’ll take it to the Council tomorrow. They can deal with Prince Zorin. “Vasily would’ve said yes without a second thought.”

“Yes but Vasily isn’t here,” Nikolai points out, standing as well to follow you out of the study. He stretches leisurely, a dramatic and slightly erotic sounding groan leaving him as he does so. At your unamused expression he winks. “and you are, my dear. Even if he had to wait a week he still got what he wanted.”

“He knows I can’t stand him.”

“I’m sure the feeling is mutual.” You roll your eyes as Nikolai approaches, lifting your chin up to meet his gaze. His fingers are warm on your jaw as his eyebrows furrow, expression suddenly more intent. “You’re doing a good job, you know. Being Queen. Everyone can see it.”

“All everyone sees are the endless meetings, and the bags under my eyes, and the other morning I snapped at a maid—”

“—and they still love you.” He interrupts smoothly, reaching up to use both his hands to cup your face. You pout, almost comically, and he grins. “Trust me. You are doing a good job. Vasily’s doing whatever he’s doing—”

“I know what he’s doing.”

“—and you’re here, keeping the kingdom together. We all commend you for it.”

You sigh and nod against his palms, peering up at him as he watches you for a moment. Your eyes narrow slightly and you give him a mischievous little smile.

“Why haven’t you ever requested Sun Cast, oh Lord of High-Quality Brothels?”

Nikolai’s answering smirk, followed by his words, make your blood run hot.

“I don’t need a brothel to make love to a beautiful woman, Your Majesty.” He says, cocking his head to the side. Your skin flushes pink as he tucks your hair behind your ears, his fingers lingering. “Or to admire one.”

You pull away, flustered and blushing, and it’s obvious Nikolai is holding back his laughter.

“Get out, you heathen.” You scoff, reaching over to grab the nearest rolled up piece of paper. You hold it like a weapon, armed and ready to defend your honor against visuals of Nikolai inside a brothel and what exactly he was doing in one. “Get out.”

“Hey, hey—hey!” Nikolai gasps dramatically when you whack him on the arm, then shrieks, diving out the door to your study as you give chase.

-

Three months later, Vasily brings his new mistress to court. High-born, of course, and very pretty, but it makes a mockery of not only your marriage, but also the crown.

“He can’t parade his whore around court for everyone to see.” Ser Dominik is ranting, halfway through the bottle of wine he and Nikolai have been sharing that evening. “I don’t care if he has bastards in the cities—we know about them. Bringing some woman from Saints knows where makes Y/N look like a cuck—”

“Easy.” Nikolai interrupts smoothly, raising a blond brow as his vivid eyes, such a startling blue, meet his best friend’s. “Don’t call her what you were about to call her.”

“Sorry.” Dominik mumbles, setting his goblet on the desk. He and Nikolai have been sequestered in the Prince’s rooms since dinner, talking about the red-headed beauty that had sat on the King’s lap all night. She’d fed him grapes and cheese from the platter in front of them, giggling shamelessly as you’d sat, stiff and annoyed, at the opposite end of the banquet table. “It’s just—Y/N…” Dominik trails off and Nikolai gives his friend a half-hearted smile.

“…is going to unleash Hell?” The prince offers. “I thought she was going a send her fork straight into the girl’s jugular when she had the audacity to refer to Y/N as Vasily’s ‘ball and chain’.”

Dominik laughs, then Nikolai does, and soon the two are shaking their heads in both disbelief and amusement.

“God, I hate your brother.” Dominik chuckles, taking a sip of wine. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

“You should check on her.” The knight suggests, raising a brow at Nikolai. “I’m sure she’d like to see you.”

“Me?” Nikolai’s brow raises in return. “Why me?”

“You know why.”

The silence that falls is tense and Nikolai swirls the wine around his glass, staring down at the purple liquid.

“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting.”

But he does.

In the past several months since you’d beaten him within an inch of his life with a piece of paper—his words, not yours—he’d grown closer to you. He spent as much time as he could—going to shows, spending evenings at the taverns you favored, even attending balls in distant cities as your guest.

He was your ‘date’, as some said. ‘Guest’, you’d both insisted.

But then there was the way he always found excuses to touch you. Holding your arm as you walked through the gardens together, teaching himself to braid your hair on cold nights when only books and the fireplace was your company, his hand on the small of your back as he directed you places, your smooth thumb wiping a trace of sugar from the corner of his mouth when you’d shared pastries together, his eyes always lingering on your soft, warm lips and—

“Don’t.” Nikolai blurts, his gaze darting up to Dominik’s open mouth. The poor knight hadn’t even begun to speak, yet.. “Don’t add fuel to the fire.”

The rumors, he means. Rumors of the way Prince Nikolai seems to gaze at you with lovesick adoration every time you look away.

“I’m not.” Dominik says, then blinks. “I won’t.”

“Good.” Nikolai stands abruptly and forces a stiff smile, lifting his brows to his friend. “I suppose I should check on our Queen, then.”

Dominik, watching his brother with a slightly amused smile, nods.

-

It’s a month later when Vasily decides to formally announce his mistress as his official lover. The entire court had been opposed, of course, to the diadem that had been placed upon the ginger’s head. You, seething and humiliated, had fled the throne room.

That night Nikolai arrives in your rooms to, as he refers to it, ‘talk shit’. You’re laughing and in a better mood than you could’ve hoped for soon, but then a knock hits your door.

“Lady Wife,” Vasily drawls, drunk and leaning heavily against the door of your chambers. Nikolai and you had been in the middle of a rather competitive card game. “Come with me.”

You had, to Nikolai’s dismay.

You’d endured it, knowing damn well that his mistress was sleeping in a room not far down the hallway.

You hate him.

Hate him.

-

“Don’t.” You start, almost two weeks later when Nikolai slips into your study, watching you organize your desk. “Don’t say it.”

“I miss you.”

You stiffen and clench the scroll in your hand, effectively crushing it.

“You let him have me.” You snap, then turn away. “I’m sorry. Don’t—”

“What would you have me do?” He breathes, coming up behind you to turn you around. You face him, eyes damp as he grasps your waist. “You have to talk to me, Y/N.”

“I wanted you to do something.”

“Do what?”

“It’s like—” you tuck your hair behind your ears, frustrated. “It’s like no one gives a shit that he’s disrespecting me every day. If anyone were to defend me I thought it would be you—”

“I cant.” He snaps, fingers digging into your skin. “I cant do a thing and I hate myself for it, trust me. Saints, if I could kill him I would—” he stops, noticing your wide-eyed gaze. “Forget that.”

“Nikolai.” You don’t even know what you’re begging for. “Please, just—” Please what? What?

“Y/N..” He groans, low in his throat, and leans into you, brushing your nose with his. “I want to protect you.”

“I know.”

“You shouldn’t be his. You shouldn’t be—you should be—“

“What?” You murmur, lips a fraction away from his. “Should be what?”

He grits his teeth and digs his fingers harder into you, making you gasp.

“Mine.” He finally says, reaching up to cup your neck in his hand. “You should be mine.”

The first kiss is bruising.

Youre both desperate, clinging to one another harshly as he tugs at the laces of your dress.

“Nikolai, you—“ you gasp, your eyebrows raising when he drops to his knees before you. His lips travel along your calf to your thigh, fingers tugging your underwear down in a quick movement: “Nik—” Your eyes roll back when he glides the tip of his tongue through your folds.

Fingers tangled in his hair you jolt, arching against him as he lashes his tongue against you, working you desperately towards your finish.

“Mmm..Nik—” You moan, nails scratching his scalp and he thrusts his tongue in and out of you, the warm muscle searching out the spot that makes you see stars. “Nik, I—”

He doesn’t let up.

You come against his mouth and gasp, his greedy tongue lapping up every inch he can reach. Then he’s lifting you onto your desk, scattering papers to the side.

“Please.” He mumbles against your mouth, hands tugging his pants down. “Please, I—”

Nikolai’s thrust is deep and quick, making you cry out into the skin of his shoulder. He grips you roughly, moving in sure, quick movements, slamming your cervix to Hell. Things on the desk rattle noisily, a several quills rolling off and hitting the floor. Your words are a jumble of moans and incoherent praise as he fucks you, hard and deep, making your head spin.

“Tell me you want me,” he begs, nipping the skin below your ear. “Tell me I’m yours.”

“Mine,” you gasp, walls pulsing around him as you reach a second peak. “fuck, Nikolai, yesyesyes—”

He groans as he finishes inside you, thighs hooked around his waist as his mouth crushes against yours, drawing your whimpers between his lips.

Moments later he sighs, burying his forehead into the crease of your shoulder.

“Still mine?” He questions, rubbing the ache out of your hips as your throat tightens.

“No.” You mumble, and he moves away.

Sorry

[lovehyyuntold]

— Tour De Force 🤎

— An impressive performance or achievement that has been accomplished or managed with great skill.

– also known as, a masterpiece.

Rundown: a sweet telling of an artist falling in love with his muse, where monochrome ruled his world until your hues brought him to life.

Pairing: artist!hyunjin x reader

Word Count: about 800

Genre: contemporary romance / suggestive !

Warnings: very much in the feels, mentions of physical affection: kissing, hugging, teasing.

Date Created: 11/8/2021

A/N: Hello, and thank you for deciding to stop by to give this story, a shot—it'll be the first fic, I post on this account. I wrote this a long time ago for self-indulgence with my own character in mind, very much un-edited, but I had thought that Hyunjin fitted him more, so here we are. I find most of this to be slightly cringe as it was a spontaneous little thing.

— It would be the biggest honor if you could reblog & comment. Share your thoughts, I genuinely love discussion.

Once again, thank you ♡

When Hyunjin gazes at you, all he sees is a masterpiece.

His studio was filled to the brim with art supplies; all scattered into a small space. Paint splatters on the ground, across the walls, even on the windows itself—brushes rolling on the ground, sketchbooks stacked on the table; his pencils were neatly placed together into one container. Crayons, markers, easels; all in one spot on the ground. Yet somehow, everything was everywhere. One would call this place a mess. You wouldn’t blame them, as it seemed to be exceptionally organized…in his own way—which was most definitely a stretch, seeing as things were verbatim, all over the place. His mind worked in wondrous ways, it became a mystery. 

You admired the quality of his passion, the way his eyes crinkled in concentration as he worked on his next artistry. He wouldn’t ever show you his works in progress nor the result, so it made you ponder on the thought; what was he hiding?

Hyunjin closed his eyes, imagining you. Everything about you, he thought of; your smile, your actions, your words, your lingering touches, soft kisses setting him ablaze, sweet profound words you spoke of when you were with him. He was grateful to have met you, gazing towards the empty sidewalk—lost of all inspiration as he clasped onto his empty sketchbook, pencil in his hand. Time seemed to slow down when you walked in. The glimpse of you that he saw, something about the way you lifted your lips—curving it and grinning, made him hungover at the glow you held, the thought of you.

All was black and white till he saw you.

“Hyun, can I see now?” You whined as you sat on his couch, pouting at him as you stared at the back of his easel.

He could only smile as he peeked over because you shouldn’t see it yet. 

His masterpiece, his muse, you.

“Patience, my love.” He giggles, his eyes turning into crescents as he points his paintbrush at you before continuing on, “Good things come to those who wait.”

Furrowing your brows, you rolled your eyes—crossing your arms at his antics. But it immediately softened at the view of him. Sunset-colored hair gleaming with a softness as his lips pursed; mesmerized at his own work. Hand gliding across the easel—trickles of sweat gliding down his forehead. You never understood why he sweated when he painted, it was as if he was too indulged to even realize the heat in the room. Nevertheless, he was beautiful, this man was yours and you were his. 

“Angel, would you be so kind as to-”

He looked up, meeting your gaze. He wasn't expecting your intense look. Once soft eyes that stared at him with pure love and affection had fire ablaze beneath them as if something had ticked inside you. He was intimidated, to say the least. All he wanted was for you to look at him, so he could scan your features properly. But you had different plans.

“Careful, wouldn't want bugs to fly in that mouth of yours.” You smirked, ego blossoming at the sight of his mouth slightly agape. His pupils widened, and he quickly squinted his eyes, a smirk making its way across his lips. You were such a tease and he loved it.

“You want to go there, darling?” His voice deepens, causing you to cover your mouth. Cowering behind the couch, you laughed—hugging the pillow that was beside you. Sometimes he challenged your little tomfoolery, yet it always left you a flustered mess.

After taking a few minutes to process what he did, you peeked over the couch, but you couldn’t see anyone. You gasped, he was gone. Proof of his painted apron sat on the high stool, but his figure wasn’t there. Panicking, you turned your body around—causing your eyes to meet his again.  You could feel your nose brushing gently against his, lips grazing over yours, breath lingering on each other.

You were close, way too close.

He smiled, staring into your brown ones as the light glimmered onto his. Closing the space, he lifted you from your seat—hugging your waist until he crashed onto you with a searing kiss. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as your eyes closed slowly. Placing your arms around his neck, he gently guides your waist towards him, to close the space even further. The moment was sweet and gentle, as if you were a fragile feather, and he was the wind guiding you by.

Art wasn’t about the final result, nor was it about the actual drawing itself; it was a form of communication. The passion that someone held within them, an expression that one holds. A feeling prolonged onto one’s thoughts and mind. To him, you were his inspiration to create his artistry, and he couldn’t ask for anything more. 

A masterpiece amongst the dullest of moments.

© lovehyyuntold 2023

[kitwasheree]

Happy Birthday, Iris !

12/31.

happy 900 and... wait, how old is he again?

(please click on the image to see the details tumblr always crunches all my art into oblivion)

vvv bonus doodles + personal story under cut

malva belongs to @1dont-really-know , thank you princess of briar valley for quality wine

NRC School Newspaper

A Birthday Interview with Iris

Yuu : Hello! Happy birthday to you.

Iris : Well, thank you… I haven't celebrated my birthday in a very long time before coming to Night Raven College, but I suppose it’s nice to hear a greeting.

Iris : I don’t really see the point in making a big celebration over another year of your life passing, but maybe to humans there is much to cherish.

Iris : …Whatever the case, I’ve dawdled enough. Let’s get on with the interview.

Yuu : What are your thoughts on the party?

Iris : It’s not bad, but I think I’d prefer something smaller. I don’t really think that my birthday is worth a lot of fuss, after all, it’s just one year in many years of my life.

Iris : ….Still. It is nice to see Axel and the rest of the dorm having fun. Makes me a little envious, even… But nevermind that.

Iris : I’m grateful for the sheer amount of presents. Really, what am I going to do with all of this…? 

Iris : I’ve even received multiple gifts from the same individuals. Trying to get into my good graces? …Cunning, the lot of you kids nowadays. I suppose this still is Octavinelle, though.

Yuu : What sort of presents do you like to receive?

Iris : Anything will do, really, as long as it isn’t unpleasant. Although, I personally enjoy small food and drink. For example, Ashengrotto gifted me a bottle of cranberry juice. It seems to be rather good quality, too.

Iris : ….I have a feeling his gift has another meaning, though.

Yuu : Another meaning?

Iris : Perhaps it’s his way of gifting me something similar to wine, without actually getting wine. Clever boy. He knows I’m particular about wine, so he chose to play it safe.

Iris : Over the years, the quality of wine has drastically decreased. I’m rather disappointed, I thought humans were supposed to be ‘advanced’? And yet it seems most wine that is sold now is subpar at best.

Iris : At least there are still some businesses that are family-run and are still able to make good-tasting wine from hundreds of years ago.

Yuu : I see. You seem to know a lot about wine…. How old exactly are you?

Iris : I wouldn’t be able to answer that, even if I wanted to. It’s nothing for you to think about, though. I simply know a lot about wine, because it is my favourite.

Yuu : Alright, then. Do you have any hobbies?

Iris : Hobbies… I suppose I used to play the violin, but then I left it to collect dust for quite a while. I only recently picked it up again, because of that Vanrouge.

Iris : He’s been inviting me to join the Pop Music Club for quite some time, but he must be positively mad. Senile, even. He says we could do a duet, but that’s nonsense, I play the violin and what does that man play? The electric bass.

Iris : Perhaps there isn’t a single sane person in this school, his clubmates dabble in entirely different forms of music, too. But maybe…. Just maybe, I’ll consider it. I make no promises, though.

Yuu : I’ll look forward to seeing you perform if you decide to join, then.

Iris : Thank you. I’ll think about it more, the old violin needs a good dusting off. For now, let’s just enjoy the party.

Yuu : Thank you for sharing all of this with us. Once again, happy birthday!

[namujoon9401]

Namgi, sexual tension, office workers, boss nj, worker yg

This meeting was grating on Yoongi’s nerves.

Couldn’t this have been an email?

Namjoon, his new boss, was droning on about how he wanted to go in a “new direction” and “shift marketing channels” to a new demographic.

“Our company needs new life. Our brand image is suffering, and we need to save it. It’s been decided that we will now be marketing primarily to an upper middle class demographic, with an emphasis on high quality goods.”

Jungkook, one of Yoongi’s coworkers, raises a tattooed hand.

“Wouldn’t that mean increasing prices?”

“Excellent question, Jungkook-ssi.” Namjoon smiled.

The bastard.

He was, in fact, unfairly handsome. Tall and well built, with tan skin and dimpled cheeks that made themselves known when he smiled. Paired with perfectly coiffed blond hair and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, it was an upsettingly attractive picture.

As infuriating as his smile was, (his cute, pretty, attractive, handsome smile) it’s what he said next that really caught Yoongi’s attention.

“So we will be releasing new lines of products over the next few months that will emphasize high quality and, with it, will come a higher price tag.”

Wait.

Yoongi puts his hand up.

“So, these new product lines will be manufactured with higher quality materials?”

“Well, it’s not that simple.”

Yoongi can tell that he’s about to launch into some bullshit corporate spiel, so he gets ahead of it.

“Its a simple question. Should have a simple answer.”

“Well-“ Namjoon hesitates. “No. The answer is no. They won’t actually be made of higher quality materials.”

The room breaks out in murmurs and whispers.

“So we’ll be lying to our customers.” Yoongi can hardly believe his ears.

Namjoon looks uncomfortable. He waves a hand in dismissal, smiling tightly.

“Nobody said anything about lying. Its just a new marketing tactic the company wants to go with-”

“Purposefully misleading our customers is highly unethical.” Someone says.

“So we’ll just be price gouging. Is that what you’re saying?” Someone else asks.

The meeting is unraveling quickly, with everyone murmuring amongst themselves and speaking out of turn.

Namjoon must be able to tell that he can’t quite get them back on track.

“Alright, this meeting is dismissed.”

Everyone stands, leaving the room as they grumble amongst themselves.

Namjoon stops him with a hand on the shoulder.

“Yoongi-ssi? A word, please?”

He does not look happy.

Shit.

“You’re out of line, Min Yoongi.” Namjoon begins, but he’s interrupted.

“I’m out of line? Sorry, i didn’t realize we were suddenly allowed to lie and price gouge.”

“Thats not the point-“ Namjoon sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose.

“These marketing strategies are gonna run this company into the ground. I don’t know who you think you are, but -”

“None of that matters right now, Yoongi!”

Namjoon crosses his arms.

“What matters is you.” His voice is steely, unyielding.

“You openly defied me in front of the whole department. That’s insubordination, and I’m going to have to write you up.”

Yoongi scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Right,” he says, deadpan.

“You need to get off your high horse,” he hisses, jabbing a finger inches away from Yoongi’s nose.

“Oh yeah? Or what? You gonna fire me?”

They’ve been getting closer and closer as they talk, and now their faces are a hair’s breadth apart.

The tension in the room is static, the air crackling between them, neither of them willing to back down.

Yoongi narrows his eyes.

He’s smug, now, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His voice comes out velvety smooth. “You wanna kiss me so bad, don’t you?”

Namjoon’s eyes narrow in disbelief. “What?”

“Don’t bullshit me. I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” His voice drops to a whisper. “You want me.”

Yoongi, in a moment of daring, puts fingers at his jaw, tilts it down towards him.

“Don’t you, Namjoon-ssi?” He purrs.

“I-” Namjoon seems to be at a loss for words. He’s looking anywhere, everywhere, anything to avoid eye contact.

“Th-This is ridiculous.”

“Am I?” Yoongi’s eyes are hooded, glittering.

Namjoon makes to step back, to escape from this empty conference room where anyone could walk in but-

Yoongi grabs the back of his head and kisses him.

Namjoon surges into it, kissing back boldly, lips moving against his in an unseen rhythm. It’s sloppy, fueled by pure desire and lust, mouths open and licking into each other incessantly.

Yoongi would be lying if he said there was no thrill in it, in making out with his boss, hot and heavy in the confines of an empty conference room.

Namjoon breaks the kiss, their breaths hot and heavy, foreheads touching.

“This is.” He pants. “Highly unprofessional.”

“Shut the fuck up-”

He kisses him again.

[bionicbore]

Y’know I kinda wanna elaborate on the HC I mentioned, where I said that if Donald hadn’t found out what Douglas was doing and intervened, Douglas would’ve eventually cracked and fessed up

Mostly I wanna elaborate that he wouldn’t have fessed up because of ethical guilt (though I do think he may have something somewhere inside him that would give a damn about ethics. He did seem pretty excited to do good things after all) but more because he’s got the emotional strength of a wet tissue and would feel personal guilt after getting so attached

I’m gonna put most of it under a cut ‘cause it turned into a full on Douglas study I guess

Like... obviously I’m prefacing this with it being my own interpretation of the guy, but Douglas was a pretty emotional dude in the show. His entire redemption was rooted in his emotional attachment to his family. His morals never 100% improved, and the growth we did see was almost entirely motivated by “My family won’t like me if I’m a bad guy :(”

And while he’s not a particularly GOOD dad, he is a dad. Literally every kid Douglas gets more than 2 minutes of screen time with, he goes into some kind of Dad Mode

So, the way I see it, I don’t think Douglas would’ve lasted if he got to keep the Rats for longer than he did. It’s never actually said how old the kids were when Donald found out, but they couldn’t have been older than like... 3? Tops? Possibly even younger, technically. If Douglas actually got to watch those kids grow up in whatever messed up environment he had them in to keep them hidden (Which, I’ll be honest- based on comparing the brothers’ lab quality, was probably a worse environment than Donald’s lab) I don’t think he would’ve been able to commit. Not with the original trio, anyway

ALSO. I wanna bring up Donald, ‘cause he’s also a factor in of himself

Yeah, the brothers fight a lot, and did fight a lot. But I think it’s worth remembering that despite that, these two founded a company together. They invented things together. They work together seamlessly when they get in the zone. Douglas, despite all the animosity, was ecstatic at the prospect of getting to work alongside his brother again, and was genuinely sad when Donald didn’t feel the same, but chose not to fight Donald’s decision

Douglas cares what Donald thinks of him, and I bet he cared a lot more before Donald discovered what was happening and made his own judgement call. The two of them had to have been incredibly close, and that probably would’ve weighed on Douglas, too

But Donald found out on his own, and he didn’t waste time. He saw the children, he saw the conditions, the plans, the schematics. There was absolutely no way to rationalize what was happening here, Donald had to get these kids out and away. His little brother was using their assets to make deals with terrorists regarding the creation of bioweapons in the form of children

And Douglas was left ghosted by the most consistent presence in his life for the past 20+ years, locked out of the company he helped build from nothing, and separated from these kids who have also been a consistent presence in his life for entirely different reasons

And Douglas is notorious for deflecting and pushing back when someone else decides that he’s in the wrong. All that potential turmoil means the time between Donald finding out and Douglas “dying” was probably like. Intense. To put it mildly

All this to say: Douglas is still a DICK lmao and the point of this post is NOT to be like “Douglas deserved better” or even “Donald is to blame.” It’s more about how Douglas is a notably emotion-driven character and how it affects his dynamics and actions, both positive and negative

It’s also my favorite kind of angst- where technically, things could have turned out okay, or at least better than they did, if everyone involved hadn’t been such a mess

[rapifessor]

Initial Analysis of Baizhu

Well, here we go. Decided I’d take a quick look at Baizhu since we have some details about him from the Version 3.6 beta. So far he looks like a very solid support that can do pretty much anything and might be the premier option for a Dendro character with role compression when he becomes playable.

Elemental Skill

Does a pretty good amount of damage for hitting a total of three times, and also heals your entire party by a pretty significant amount. On top of that this Talent has a pretty low cooldown of only 10s, it’s overall just a really good attack. Hopefully it generates a good amount of particles as well.

Elemental Burst

This one’s pretty unique. It creates shields and heals your active character in addition to dealing damage when the shields break or are refreshed. The shields themselves are interesting as well because they’re pretty weak but since they’re always being regenerated while Baizhu’s burst is active it’s effectively the same as having a really tanky shield. You should get about five or six of them while the burst lasts, and looks like it costs 80 Energy for Baizhu.

Passive Talents

First Ascension passive gives Baizhu 20% more healing for characters below 50% HP and if your active character is above 50% HP, he gets 25% Dendro DMG instead. Pretty nice talent overall, more damage is always better.

Second Ascension passive is where the fun is at. Every 1k HP Baizhu has up to 50k will give the active character 2% more Hyperbloom, Bloom, and Burgeon DMG and 0.8% more Aggravate and Spread DMG when they’re healed by his Elemental Burst. Considering how absurdly broken Hyperbloom is and that you can in theory get a 100% DMG Bonus to it with this Talent, I would not be surprised if this gets nerfed in the beta test because damn that is way too OP.

Lastly, Baizhu has a unique exploration Talent that heals your active character by 2.5% of his HP when they harvest plants in the overworld. I like that this is something new and it’s a nice quality of life feature to keep your team healthy while exploring.

Constellations

As is normally the case with 5-Star characters, Baizhu’s C2 is pretty strong and a good stopping point for players who want to invest in him without going full whale. C1 gives his skill an additional charge, making for a comfier playstyle and enabling more damage and energy for Baizhu. The C2 performs joint attacks with your active party member every 5s, dealing a hefty 300% Dendro DMG and also healing 1/5 the normal amount of Baizhu’s skill.

C4 is a strong supportive Talent, being essentially Collei’s C4 but better as it just gives your team more Elemental Mastery.

Lastly, C6 enables DPS Baizhu and just makes his burst deal a fuckload of damage in general, with added 10% HP scaling and generating more shields which means more damage.

Overall Thoughts

Looking at that second Ascension passive, I get the impression that Baizhu is like Candace but if Candace was done right. If her similar Talent that grants bonus damage based on her HP was more universal than Normal Attack DMG Bonus with her burst, she would have been a much better and much less niche unit.

But yeah, as you can see, he’s pretty fucking stacked. Also I’m sorry, but I just have to add that it really makes you wonder again what the fuck happened with Dehya’s kit when Baizhu is apparently a god. The disparity in power level between the two of them is sobering.

Anyway, I’ll probably be doing a similar post about Kaveh pretty soon. I specifically wanted to look at Baizhu first so I can get an idea of how much I give a shit about him. I’m thinking of pulling for C1 Dehya but I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t burn too many Primogems if Baizhu was a character I wanted, especially since I’ve officially gone free-to-play and have no intention of buying the Gnostic Chorus or Blessing of the Welkin Moon.

[mrfancyfoot]

Raphael x Evie (f!OC) | Rating: E/varied | Chapter 1 on AO3

Chapter 7: If Not Friend, Why Friend Shaped?

While the group is making their way towards the Last Light Inn, Astarion and Evie have a discussion about the devil.

Chapter Rating: M-ish / SFW-ish Word Count: ~1550 Tags: Evie POV, Angst Warnings: A couple references to Evie and Astarion’s current and prior relationship. They’ve slept together at this point but have broken that off and pivoted to something more platonic.

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Story Summary: All’s fair in love and war. Things are bustling in Baldur’s Gate as the city rebuilds. Life is looking up for Evie who has ambitions set on her (re-)inventions and business ventures as she juggles a certain vampire’s budding political career, the unwitting godhood bestowed upon her by a clan of fanatical fish people, and the increasing attentions of a devil who she believes woefully has no other friends. . Story Tags: Tags will update with progress, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Humor, Manipulation, Eventual Smut, Modern Girl in Baldur's Gate, Canon-Typical Behavior, Varied Chapter Lengths, Not Canon Compliant, Possessive Behavior, Dubious Morality, Dubious Consent, Worldbuilding, Kuo-toa, She's not stuck with him he's stuck with her, Has plot-legs, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Warning: Raphael, Raphael is obsessed, No sleeping with Haarlep, Girl has her shit together and that’s sexy, Neurodivergent OC, Lawful Evil meets Chaotic Neutral, Marriage Contract, Slice of Life, Pop culture references

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Chapter below cut...

“It worries me how often that devil summons you,” Evie heard her tentmate softly say while he stared at the pages of the book in his hand.

After hours of travelling, the group had opted to set up a temporary camp.  Instead of dragging everything out, she and Astarion had decided to simply share a tent for the ‘night.’  Just two bedrolls…and the wall of pillows between them.

Evie watched the motes of dim light floating above them.  “But what do I even do about it?  I think upsetting him wouldn’t exactly be smart.  We don’t want to needlessly make an enemy of him and he has provided us with good info.”

Astarion scoffed and dropped the book aside, turning to look at her fully.  “Does he have nothing better to do, though?” he complained, his face twisting into a sneer.

She could only shrug.  Though they spoke fairly frequently, she couldn’t pretend to know how Raphael spent the rest of his time.  “I do kinda wonder if he may be planning something else.  Like, this is a lot of his time he seems to be putting into us.”

His expression turned dubious.  “You.  That he is putting into you, dearest.  The devil isn’t whisking away anyone else in the dead of night.”

Honestly…it made her feel better that no-one else was in the same position she was.  With Raphael focusing on her, that kept them safer.  Fewer temptations, fewer distractions.  “I tried confronting him a while back about why he’s so keen on me specifically, and all he said was that my soul has more unique qualities that attract devils.  He’s been pushy about the ‘Hero of Baldur’s Gate’ thing.  Maybe it’s an investment thing?  He’s invested in the outcome and so certain that he’ll get my soul eventually that he’s taken it upon himself to micromanage us?”

“Plausible as any other theory at the moment, I suppose,” Astarion sighed, tracing the frayed decorative stitching on one of the pillows.  “You said he’s had one of his…minions spying on us?” 

“Korilla?  Yeah.  She seems okay.  Minus the��spying…part.”  She remembered the time she first met Korilla when she and Lae’zel confronted her near their camp.  She had occasionally seen the warlock since during her time spent with Raphael.

He sat up straighter and looked down his nose at her.  “Evie, darling, just because someone is nice to you, doesn’t mean you should trust them.”  She couldn’t help how her eyes narrowed on him, the weight of his very recent confession to her that he had spent most of the time he’d known her trying to manipulate her still stung. “Yes, I am a phenomenal example!  Oh, don’t give me that look!  I’m no devil, at least.  Trusting me at all was still stupid and you shouldn’t keep making exceptions.”

She knew this and she knew she didn’t always have the best judgment of character or ability to read others.  It meant others did take advantage of her.  But she still preferred to err on the side of seeing the best in people.  After all, Astarion had told her and promised to do better and focus on introspection and growth.  Would he have gotten to that point if she hadn’t shown him that trust and compassion, that not all the world was bleak?  

“He offered to make me a warlock,” she shared.  “I told him I wasn’t interested, but he must have told her to try to convince me.  She said I was dumb if I didn’t accept.”

“Then that goes doubly so!” he hissed, leaning close.  In a blink, though, his face turned imploring. “You’re not considering it, are you?  I hope you aren’t for my sake, dear.  We can find better ways to deal with Cazador than accepting a deal from - honest to Hells - one of the few people who could turn out to be worse.   There’s no telling how he could really be if he ever owns you.  We want our freedom when we are through with this mess, after all.”

“I guess she’s been secretly helping us out quite a bit at his direction.  Maybe we’re just that awful at all this,” she stifled a slightly worried giggle.  Korilla had been saving her hide specifically a lot, as it turned out.  Astarion would have an absolute conniption if he discovered she was leaving out supper portions for the warlock whenever she cooked if she sensed her nearby.

Chewing her lip, her thumb soothed over the tattooed symbol above her opposite wrist.

Astarion shook his head.  “Don’t let them get in your head.  I know I can be critical at times…but you have improved immensely.  It’s only in their interests that you doubt yourself.”

Her eyes drifted around the bare tent.  “It hasn’t been all bad.  Sometimes it’s even…enjoyable.”  It made her feel guilty just how much she enjoyed talking with Raphael at times.  He was prone to dramatics but that was part of his charm - much like the elf sitting across from her.  “Though I’m starting to feel like I’m having routine meetings with my manager, which I think messes with my head more than anything else.”

“See, that is precisely what worries me!” he bristled again.  “He’s just hoping to butter you up so you’ll sign one of his contracts!”

Evie gripped one of the pillows, contemplating throwing it at him.  “I’m not going to!  And I’m well aware that is most likely his goal.”

Astarion shrank back.  He looked like there was something else he wanted to say but he chewed on it for a bit.  When he finally spoke, his words were uncertain and vague, not aided any by the gesture he made before recrossing his arms, “He’s not making you…you know?”

“Making me what?”  She didn’t catch his meaning.

Astarion sighed with his exasperation.  “Fuck him!  He’s not using you for sex, is he?”

She blinked in disbelief.  “No.”  

Sure, the devil used language meant to entice - quite similarly to how Astarion used to speak to her, actually - but he had never propositioned her like that.  To her knowledge.  Maybe Astarion was seeing similarities to their relationship and that was adding to his worries?

He held his hands up defensively.  “I had to be sure.  You did say the time with him was enjoyable.  And with us not…  I’m not sure I could blame you if you were - he has a certain allure to him.  Maybe he likes the whole sexy fox thing.”

The sound she made was a choked mash of a laugh and a scoff.

“So what do you do during these visits?” he asked.

She thought for a moment.  “Aside from all the garbage going on-  Talk about nerdy shit.”

“You’re joking,” he stated dryly.

“Politics, music, art, theater, books, history, food…”  Was that really that weird?  “He’s really knowledgeable and seems to just like the conversation.”

“You’re making friends with the devil, Evie!” he exclaimed, running his hands down his face.

“Is that a bad thing?”  Before he could answer, she added, “Do you remember when we were on the docks and you said that being friends with a vampire was weird?”

“I think there’s a bit of a difference between a vampire and a devil, my dear,” he argued.

“Why?”  Everyone treated the answer like it was super obvious.  It reminded her of the scaretales of her religious upbringing that she had long since abandoned.  ‘Devils are evil’ held no real meaning to her anymore.  Raphael held himself to a rather strict code of conduct - “Hell has its laws,” he was fond of saying - which was more than could be said of many people she knew who claimed to be better.

He tsk’d in disapproval.  “Well, for one, the moment he decides you’re no longer of any use to him - or worse, if he believes you’ve slighted��him in some way or broken some rule - he is significantly more capable of harming you.  Devils see everyone as tools to use at their own convenience and nothing else.  I, for one, would prefer we stayed clear of him but…” the energy behind his words died off.  He couldn’t forget that there was something they did need Raphael’s help for.

“Speaking of-” Evie broached softly.  “I think…you should be the one to approach him about your scars, Asta.  If I bring it up, I kinda worry any deal he’d come up with might be weighted differently than if you were the one to ask him.”  She earnestly added, “Not that I don’t wanna help or anything, because I’ll totally talk to him for you if you want me to!”

He pursed his lips and shook his head.  “No, I agree.  You especially should be wary of making any deals with him and this is my burden to bear.  The less you’re involved in that part, the better.”

A companionable silence lulled between them.

But she was no closer to understanding her questions.

Evie flopped down on her back with a yawn and stretched her arms over her head.

“Do you think…I could have a bit of a late night snack?”

She cracked her eyes open to see crimson pleading down at her.  “Toss me a ration pack from my bag?”

He bolted upright and grabbed for her bag, rooting through it until he found what she asked for.  She caught and tore it open, flopping her arm over the pillows between them.

Thank-you for reading!

[bulgariansumo]

Back at it again, editing Episode 1 of Galactiquest. Version 3.0 patch notes:

-Removed all unnecessary epithets (Hopefully. I found one instance of brunet that I thought I deleted the last time around)

-Toned down the amount of exclamation points

-I think I slightly pared down a scene in Chapter 4? But I added a new one over it, so that probably cancels out

-Gave other characters a little more dialogue, especially Leon

-Changed descriptions around to be more concise, less repetitive, and less verbose (For these being Leon's chapters, I got weirdly fancy with some of the prose)

-New scene 1: In Chapter 1, a girl talks to Leon while he's waiting in the spaceport, eventually leading to him realizing he's late. This finally gave me a chance to explain why the Interstellar Forces is called that and set up that it is struggling somewhat. I think this also the first time I've gotten to mention that the IF was banned from having weapons.

-New scene 2: In Chapter 4, Jun questions why the IF would let such an inexperienced group go to Neptune (in nicer wording, but still). It sets the tone for the trip in a way that was lacking before.

As much as it stung to realize those chapters were a little rougher than I thought, I'm glad I did this. It's not a complete overhaul, but it brought the quality a little closer to my current stuff. I'm grateful some people were still able enjoy them despite rough edges.

In the times that I've asked for feedback, a few people mentioned Chapters 3 and 4 being a bit of a slog. I... did not trim them down as much as I intended. Every time I tried, it went something like this:

Hopefully, adding that section to Chapter 4 will help it feel a little more worthwhile. That being said, if I'm compelled to edit again, I know there's a few scenes in Chapter 4 that probably should go.

For people who want to see the new scenes without reading the whole episode again, I'll post them down below. If you do want to read the full thing, here's a link.

---

New Scene 1 [Bon Voyage, Celestion-5] Ch 1. Boarding for Takeoff

A monitor nearby played an informational video about Earth’s one and only moon colony: Lunaria, the city of his dreams. Though so far away, he felt like it lay within his grasp for the first time. What choice did he have but to be captivated by it?

“Are you heading to your first deployment?” The girl a few seats over might as well have appeared from thin air.

“Hm? How’d you know?” He shook his head out of a daze. Only now did he realize his mouth had been hanging open for who knew how long.

“You seemed pretty enthralled by that video for a star ranger.”

“Oh yeah. Some nights, I spent so long looking at the dome through my telescope, I’d dream about it.” He sighed. “Even now, I can almost breathe that artificial air.”

“I’ve heard it’s cool. My aunt’s paying my way. I bet you’re glad you don’t have to pay those ticket prices either, huh?” She had a pretty laugh.

“Gosh, I thought I’d have to spend my life savings just for a visit. Thank goodness for the IF.”

“You know,” she tilted her head, “I’ve always wondered, why’s it called the Interstellar Forces when we haven’t gone past Mars yet?”

“We’re supposed to dream big now and grow into it later. It worked for me, so…!” he ended with a shrug. “And who knows,” he knew, “we might be going past Mars soon.”

“That’s cute. Sorry about the budget cuts, though. No more weapons, I get, but you guys don’t even have your own ships anymore? They’re just deploying you with us civilians?”

“My ship’s kind of a special case.” Out of curiosity he decided to check his phone. “But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to che–”

His eyes widened in horror at what time it displayed. It was 25 minutes past when he should have boarded.

“Is something wrong?” asked the girl.

“Sorry, I gotta go.” He gathered his bags and hurried over to the receptionist. “Excuse me. This is the boarding area for the Celestion ships, right?” Maybe everyone else was just late. “I was supposed to be boarding a ship 25 minutes ago.”

“Oh, no sir. Are you with the Interstellar Forces? All military spacecraft are located on the opposite end.” The receptionist motioned directly behind him.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” He shook the receptionist’s hand vigorously. “Seriously, my career is in your hands. And yours too,” he sped past the girl, “have a nice trip, bye!”

New Scene 2 [Bon Voyage, Celestion-5] Ch 4. Tour's End

“Quick question.” The oddly familiar one smoothed dark, wavy bangs out of her face… or his face? Leon couldn’t tell at this angle. The androgynous voice didn’t help. “The Celestion crews were chosen by chance, yeah?”

“There’s a coupla exceptions as you’re no doubt aware,” Emil winked, “not to mention the captains, but yeah, most of us are random picks.”

“Right, cool. So, like, not to harsh the vibes, but I noticed that none of us except you and the captain are ranked higher than rangers.”

“I almost ascended to corporal~” Allen spoke up.

“I know, Rox.” The familiar one addressed Emil again. “I dunno, I kinda assumed we’d get stationed on each ship based on our experience and ability level.”

That did surprise Leon when he first heard about the opportunity. Described by his old warrant officer as ‘remarkably average in all abilities,’ he never dreamed he’d be offered the chance to go to Neptune. No one from his base deployed to space in years. He hadn’t even earned the star on his uniform yet. No way would he let such good luck pass him by.

“Huh,” Emil pinched one of his curls, “that does make sense.”

A click from the ceiling brought with it Captain Galhardo’s voice. “Randomized crews are a key element of the Celestion Project. Though each captain, including myself, went through a series of tests to ensure our capability.”

“Well, there you have it. Besides, as long as my brother’s piloting, we’ll make it back a-ok. Nothin’ to worry about.” In only a few strides, Emil made his way to the cooking area. “Over here we have a microwave, an oven, dishes, other kitchen-y stuff–Oooh, guys, I gotta show you something!”

He stuck his arm over the stove, to the confusion of Leon and most of the others, and to their horror, turned it on.

[lixiebokie]

through his lens

———————————————————————

idol: stray kids hyunjin x reader

photographer!hyunjin x artist!reader

———————————————————————

chapter 3: hyunjin has his eye on someone

📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼

first classes rolled around quicker than expected. the group had took time apart to focus of studies for the first week, well expect hyunjin who found a way to sneak into the art studio to each lunch with y/n every day.

hyunjin was into art just as much as her. but didn’t see it as a career more as a hobby. which is a way he distinguished his love for photography being much heavier.

hyunjin picked up his first camera when he was 8. it was a disposable one his mother brought him while they were at jeju. he wanted to take pictures but wasn’t old enough to have a phone.

the sunset was the first thing that caught his eye. it was a orangey, red swirly pattern. the picture wasn’t the best quality considering he was a child using a shitty disposable camera but it didn’t stop him from hanging it from the bunting in his dorm room just above his bed. he used a small vloging type camera until he was 15, when he finally got a professional camera. he got it for christmas, it was big heavy and expensive. he was sure it costed like 1,000,000 won or something.

his father was against the idea of buying such an expensive camera for a teenager. ‘it would get broken in seconds’ but hyunjin proved him wrong as it is the same camera he used today.

y/n on the other hand had been exposed to art her whloe life. from crappy kids arts sets that would keep her away from her mothers expensive art studio, up to now we’re she wanted to persue it as a career. her mother owned a flower shop in town. it wasn’t the most popular so she spent most her time sketching the items in there. y/n spent her weekends there, if she wasn’t at hyunjins house. her mothers drawing started to get noticed and rather than coming for the flower people would visit the shop to buy portraits of them. her mother long sold the shop but now spends her time as an etsy artist as her job.

of course y/n didn’t want that job. she wanted to be some big artist, maybe like bob ross or something. or she could have her own art exhibition, now that was her dream. or maybe do a collab with a fashion brand, but she was thinking too far ahead.

unlike hyunjin, y/n can’t remember her first drawing probably some one in her family, maybe it was hyunjin. she doesn’t know but who would want to keep some kids shitty drawing anyway, it was probably stashed in her mothers room somewhere.

when the group finally decided to meet up again it was strange.

they met at the school canteen to discuss any plans they had on the weekend. seungmin had brought his roommate, and new friend, felix who fit in straight away. he was australian like chan, so it was nice to have something to remind them of him.

“told you they’d be together.” seungmin pointed to the two of sliding into their seats.

“how many days did you go without seeing each other?” neither of them answered instead taking the drinks, that seungmin had order for them, into their mouths.

“im guessing none then,” he rolled his eyes. “anyway we need to discuss what we’re doing this weekend. the first week of uni coming to an end deserves a treat so maybe we could go to the bar down the street or go out to the bowling alley in town?”

seungmin was the one to organise plans, it use to be chan but after finding out he wouldn’t be with them in uni, he decided to take over the role. and he fucking good at it, he always knew about the best places to eat or found the best hang out spots. they’d only been here less than a week and he already had the city mapped out.

“hm, maybe bar. i need a drink after the week i’ve had.” y/n sighed pushing her head off hyunjins shoulder and into her hands.

“the week you had? you paint all day it’s not stressful.” jiha scoffed placing down her phone. y/n looked up around the table swapping frowns with the others.

“that was so uncalled for.”

“im just saying how stressful could that be? take dress code for example, you get to wear whatever old scraps you have laying around, me on the other hand has to wear a blouse and skirt everyday. meaning i have to get home everyday wash this, dry it, iron it before i even get to relax.” she pointed down to the pink skirt and white blouse under her black blazer.

“jiha it’s not a competition.” hyunjin spoke from across the table.

“yeah you were the one who picked to study law. they aren’t going to force me to wear my best clothes just for them to get ruined.”

“im just saying you have no right to say you had stressful week painting, that doesn’t even make sense.”

seungmin rolled his eyes. “okay, bar it is i think jiha needs a drink down her.”

“hey you alright?” hyunjin asked swinging their hands back and fourth as the group walked back to the dorms.

hyunjin wanted to walk y/n alone so that he ask her what was up with jiha. but he could exactly tell his friends to leave without sounding like a bitch himself.

“yeah, you?” hyunjin hummed.

“yeah! by the way, i don’t think your clothes look like scraps.” y/n smiled. hyunjin always knew what was wrong, and after jihas comment she felt like she looked disgusting.

“thanks jinnie.”

“are they together?” felix whispered to seungmin even though they were further behind the two.

“no!” seungmin made a cross with his arms. “they hate when people say that. i’m warning you never say that infront of them y/n will have a fit.”

“when doesn’t she?” jiha commented.

—

the bar was full but it was a friday night so who would have guessed. they had found their way into getting a booth for felix knowing someone who worked there. and soon as they sat down all were drinking and trying to forget the past week they had.

jiha was trying to find someone to talk to for the night which y/n thought was abit strange. her and jisung had broken up less than a month ago and she was already moved on. but she wasn’t jiha so she had no right to but into her choices.

“seungmo take a picture of me and y/n for insta please.” jiha passed him her phone pulling the other girl in a close but loose hug and posing.

it felt like jiha had gone back to her old self. the happy self she was when she was with jisung, not the sarcastic, rude jiha that had been there all week.

maybe she was just stressed.

“isn’t he cute, maybe you should go talk to him?” jiha suggested to a blonde boy in the corner.

he was cute, but she wasn’t attracted to him.

“looks like hyunjins eyeing someone.” felix snickered pointing to the boy who had his attention taken by some girl in the crowd.

he turned looking back at the others.

“you like blue dress? go talk to her!” y/n shoved her trying to get him to stand and leave the table.

“blue? that’s nessa she’s in class. she’s so sweet and definitely your type!” jiha shouted over to him.

hyunjin stood looking at the others and saluting. “i’ll see you later.” he walked off with a powerful stride to go see her.

hyunjin always had been confident talking to girls because he’d always been noticed by girls. since he hit puberty, he’d never been rejected and constantly asked out. his last girlfriend was a year and a half ago when he was 17. sadly not many of his relationships worked out because they didn’t like how close he was with y/n.

but he wasn’t going to ditch his best friend of 19 years for someone he’s knew for a couple of months.

y/n was the opposite, she wasn’t ever asked out or anything. maybe it was because she was so shy or the fact she was a nerdy looking person until she was 16, when she finally started caring about her appearance. she got rejected by her first crush when she was 14 and who was there to comfort her? hyunjin.

“hey i’m gonna go talk to the blondie i’ll text you what happens.” jiha winked to y/n before walking over to the one who she’d tried to set her up with 5 minutes prior.

somehow throughout the night seungmin had wandered his way into another friend group. he knew some of them from his classes. y/n only knew one of them from her art class, his name jungkook or something.

it was only her and felix left.

felix was really nice, he wasn’t awkward and asked questions that were genuinely interesting.

“so how long have you known hyunjin?”

“my whole life basically, we grew up together.”

felix nodded. “i wish i grew up with someone i was really close to.”

“it’s great, but i guess im lucky he’s stuck with me.” y/n turned looking at hyunjin who was with girl from earlier trying to eat her.

“you’re really nice you know y/n no wonder hyunjin stayed with you. you’re really close.” felix chuckled awkwardly.

“thanks, we get that.. a lot.”

felix grew up in australia so when he moved he left all his friends and had to go out and make more friends in college. but he wasn’t really close to them. he was really glad he met seungmin on the first day. he finally had friends again.

y/n felt like she was talking to chans little brother.

not because they were both australian and definitely not physically as chan was a muscly teddy bear unlike felix but because they both had that comfort in the way they talk. neither of them were loud, would rather sit in slience. they were both the type of people you would go to if you needed advice. y/n hadn’t asked felix for any yet but she knew the day shed needed to he would be there for her.

y/n found out felix was studying IT. he wants to be a game designer, he spent his childhood playing games and would love a job designing them.

felix reminded her so much a chan she couldn’t get his face out of her head while talking to him.

“you’re really pretty you know.” felix played with her hair. she giggled smiling at him, she wasn’t use to getting compliments especially from attractive people so she couldn’t help but blush.

felix leaned in slightly, she could feel his breath on her face. it was happening so fast he was so close to her, and she was panicking. why was she panicking? she found felix attractive and no doubt had been flirting with him for the past hour so why was she so against this?

his lips barley touched hers, it was light she barley felt before she pulled away.

“um sorry.. it’s late, i should.” she moved away making felix scoot back.

“im so sorry.. i didn’t mean.”

“no it’s fine i’m just gonna go find seungmin, i’ll see you around lix.” she smiled rushing off.

she went home that night, throwing off her shoes and climbing into bed. she tried to reach chan over facetime but he must have been busy, chan wasn’t one to sleep and they were still basically in the same time zones.

she cried when chan didn’t pick up, she missed him.

she wanted to see him but lucky she got a text saying he’d call her in the morning.

hyunjin had went home with felix. felix didn’t bring up what happened. he was convinced she’d ran off because she liked hyunjin. he knew seungmin told him not to think they were cute together and how she pushed him to go talk to that girl but something in his mind was telling him different.

hyunjin ended up splitting from that girl, one of her friends had slipped up how she already had a boyfriend and hyunjin would like to keep his beautiful face in one piece.

he didn’t know were y/n ran off to with seungmin but when he asked felix, he said she must of had too much to drink. he wondered if he was being too obvious. should he speak to hyunjin? they were best friends.. but apart of felix told him to stay quiet about what has happened that night.

📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼📸🌼

[sacrificethemtothesquid]

We watched a Netflix special from I think Hasan Minaj a couple of years ago. In it, he pointed out that there is a way to calculate the number of times a person will see someone before they die. His example was parents: think of the number of times you see your parents per year. Consider an average lifespan, and multiply the years left by the visits per year. The result is a finite number, frighteningly small in the face of love. 

I think about this a lot. 

My 98yo grandmother has dementia. This is Dad’s mom, a woman who I have complicated feelings about. Visiting her and Grandpa was never as interesting as visiting my mom’s parents - less for a small kid to do - but she loved us and we loved her. Her diagnosis came a few years ago, and she’s since been in a memory care home. Over the last few months, the quality of care has significantly declined, so my aunts made the decision that one of them will take her into their home and care for her there until the end of her life. This aunt lives significantly out of state, and given my family’s ongoing caution regarding COVID, we will likely not visit. When Grandma leaves her current home, it’s understood we will not see her again.

Ordinarily, this would be a time for goodbyes and closure, but when Dad died, my aunts decided that it was kinder not to tell Grandma. Dad travelled a lot for work, so he was rarely home, and Grandma’s memory is such that she doesn’t remember who visited on a day-to-day basis. My aunts have been saying Dad is on another business trip, and that’s been accepted without question. We all agree this was a good decision and the best for Grandma’s mental health. 

The hard part is that Dad is gone. Neither Mom, myself nor my sister have visited Grandma since Dad passed because while we’re all perfectly capable of lying, trying to come up with a reasonable story about why Dad is not there is damn near impossible to do without crying. So we just...haven’t gone. 

Next month, Grandma is moving out of state, and we will not see her again. 

Yesterday, I sat with Mom and Husbandthing and my aunt and uncle and we talked. Mom and I cried. I want to see Grandma, want to be a good grandchild and give my regards, because between COVID quarantines and a busy work schedule, it’s been four years since I’ve seen her, but while I’m confident my brain could endure the visit, my body has recently had a habit of random crying jags that come out of nowhere. Grandma will ask which grandchild I am and I’ll say I’m Squid, your son’s daughter. She’ll ask about Dad and I’ll say he’s not here, and she’ll ask what he’s up to, and I will want to say that he’s five pounds of ash in a burlwood box in my sister’s childhood bedroom and I will be so angry that he’s gone, so furiously, ragingly angry that he went and fucking died I will start crying again and whatever lie I had prepared will die on my tongue.

So I’m not going. I have the opportunity to say goodbye, but I’m not taking it. I feel shitty, just absolutely wretched, but it’s kinder to both of us. That last visit Hasan Minaj talked about, the end of the calculation, is not now. It was four years ago, and I didn’t even know it. I didn’t know that when I kissed her cheek, I wouldn’t do it again. 

These things are normal. This is life. She endures, and might endure for years. Who knows. I’m just feeling maudlin and sad. We transitioned Husbandthing’s mom to hospice last month. My dad has been gone for a year. There’s no way we could support tiny humans, but I’ve been fantasizing about a life with kids if only to have another link in the chain, if only so my family name doesn’t die with me. 

Gah. Random blather at its finest. Time to go drink coffee and answer some email and watch the neighbor work on his car. We keep moving. We always keep moving. 

[cosmicdreamt]

Excerpt from Chapter 11: Epilogue: New Moon (Phase 2) - The World

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11

“The point I’m trying to make is that we’re here for you. You weren’t alone before and you’re not alone now. We’ll help you however we can. Understand?”

“He’s right!” Orion interjects. “You can lean on us! It’s literally what we’re here for! You don’t have to worry about us, we can handle anything! Me more than Astraeus but he’s making good progress.”

“I’ll have you know once you’re no longer in the body of a child you will be facing the consequences of your actions.” But it sounds like more of a casual empty threat from Astraeus more than anything. Instead his focus is more on the woman by his side. “But for the most part, he’s right. We’re here to aid you. You and your emotions don’t burden us, so don’t feel like you need to hold back for the same reason you feel the need to around other humans.”

Oops. Caught red handed.

“Guess that’s a bad habit I never completely grew out of, huh?”

“You always did like to play down your experiences and problems. And then in the same breath wondered why you’d still feel so worn down when you let them all pile up.”

“Is this group just going to be the three of us constantly checking each other ooooorrrrr?”

“Yep.”

“Alright. Good to know.” She’d accept defeat, especially when that answer was so quick between the other two. Well, at least she was included in firing those shots, even if doing so at her own Dream would be the same as calling herself out, but such is how life works for her. At least she’d be the one doing it, in that case. “Well…I’m just glad you guys are here. Thank you. Sometimes I wonder…if I wasn’t chosen for all of this, would I have the same support I do now? Would I deserve to have people like you guys looking over me because you want to and not because you feel like you have to?”

“But didn’t you already?” Astraeus takes a seat next to Orion. “Even without us you’ve had Fenris. He’s loved and cared for you all this time. I’m certain he wouldn’t have been the only one. Surely you realize by now that while yes, we’re giving you extra support because we’re aware of your situation, there are still people out there that would do the same for you just because you exist, not because you’re some…interesting specimen.”

That earned him a funny look from Neff.

“What do you mean by 'interesting specimen’ ?”

“Hehehe. He called you weird.” Orion giggles and Astraeus immediately wraps his arm around the young boy’s shoulders so his hand can cover his mouth, not breaking eye contact from Neff for a single second.

“Being weird isn’t a bad thing, first of all, and second of all that’s not what I meant. I just meant there aren’t many others like you, if any at all. Certainly there are stories out there of demigods and the like out there in the world, but how many people have actually met them? And how many have chosen to live and engage with both worlds like you have? You never chose one side or the other - you’ve always considered both sides and every possibility. That’s just the type of person you are - not just as a Dreamer or a deity - but as just a person. It’s that quality that people should try to protect when they can, just as Fenris has decided to. I’m sure you’ll meet more humans in your life that will feel the same without knowing you’re more than you appear to be. They’ll think you’re just like them - someone that simply exists - and it’ll be enough. It’s always been enough.”

Oh her heart is so conflicted. His words are touching and true, but watching him hold Orion in a headlock should not be as humorous as it is in this situation. He probably noticed with the way her eyes darted between him and the younger one, because he suddenly finally turned away from her to address the child.

“Right, Orion?”

The young one stops struggling just long enough to nod in agreement before getting back to it, managing to squeeze out under the older’s arm and dramatically gasping for air. She shakes her head with a smile.

And she was the ‘interesting specimen’?

“You out of that head of yours, now?” Astraeus places a hand atop her head and gives her a pet. She’s nearing thirty years old, yet the gesture still makes her feel as safe and cozy as ever.

“Yeah. Thanks again.”

There’s a moment of silence.

And then it was broken.

[totemsp2blog]

Creating an hour feature (a post-mortem)

I just got done creating (mere seconds shy of) an hour of film from a night I played Halo 3 with some friends. I may have spent a little too much time and effort on it… and may have gone too far in some places.

But to be honest, I had the enthusiasm of my friends backing me the entire time I was working on it. As a result, I was able to produce, with the help of my friends, a work pretty up there in terms of personal video editing projects go.

At this point, it’s important to speak of the talents, and qualities that these people brought to this project. A project which served be simply edited footage of us goofin’ in video games, nevertheless…

NoTengoTortuga, is a 3D artist and Blender Guru, and was responsible for creating the CGI poses of our Spartans for most of the chapter cards between missions (I said Spartans… no that’s not an elite, that’s the actual Master chief!) Tortuga, or Joe as we call him, currently uses said skills professionally, but out of love of the craft, he contributed his skills, and has literally crafted stuff out of dreams I had for the project, Including the amazing Rainbow Six Siege inspired chapter card, and the ‘Warframe tableau inspired’ end scene. It’s more than I ever could’ve asked for, which what I’m saying is everything I did ask for, he delivered on, and more. There wouldn’t have been images for the chapter cards, he just stepped up and started making them.

AstroCorgi, or Goatz_ballz, or SpaceManMike? I’ll just call him Mike like we all do. Mike’s contributions to the project were important for a simple reason: he noticed things that I didn’t. He was the one to spot things in the background of otherwise uninteresting scenes, such as the two’s warthog jumping off a ledge, or a grunt t-posing off their ghost upon getting smashed into… by the two’s warthog. And so, his input and attention to detail added a lot to the project.

So, with the help of the people interested in this funny Halo 3 game film of all of us playing, this undoubtedly turned into a group project. It also emboldened us to add to it, and in turn, take the ambition way up. It was a good thing… but as Strong Bad once said, too much of a good thing is an awesome thing, but too much of an awesome thing is holy crapazoli or something… I’m sure he said that once I dunno…

I would like to explain my state of mind during this project.

I’m about to speak a little bit more seriously about things, I hope you don’t mind.

I am someone currently feeling like a prisoner in my own body. Yes that sounds pretty serious but let me explain. I have dreams and aspirations, and the means and knowledge to carry them out. I could realistically learn everything my associates that worked with me on this know, and as I’ll get into later, out of an apparent need to help their load, I did try to in order to help their load. But, I have a severe, and inconsistent lack of energy to do… a lot more than I want to. I’m in a place right now where… everything feels like a lot, even if there isn’t a lot going on in my life right now.

I ended last year in possibly the worst place I’ve ever been mentally. The details are too personal for this fairly personal blog, and I feel like I’m firmly in the depression stage of grief.

Simply put, I’ve been pretty down, and tired, burnt out.

Where this ties into the project is that I did what was absolutely best for me, and went at my own pace, which was nice and glacial. And I will admit, when I’m in it, It can be pretty comfy trimming film, and when I get an idea for something cool, it’s fun to act on it, and I acted on a lot… but the thing is, I had to act on it, otherwise I don’t know if I’d ever get it done… which has been a thing long before… what happened last year.

And then my cool Blender friend Joe stepped up and decided to pull these rips of the Halo 3 MCC Spartans from The Halo Archive and make poses for the chapters.

So now on top of my (and Mike’s) attention to detail, coupled with my knowledge of what could be possible in video production, we now had access to full 3D CGI assets. Absolutely mental.

But it also meant… I had to call upon people to help get stuff done. My fatal weakness! Something I’ve delt with all my life.

It just comes down to my ability to… social… and I don’t doubt those who have known me have come to understand this. But what I fail to understand and was literally stated to me is Joe loves doing this shit. It would be like somebody coming to me asking for a… uhh…

Uh…

A thing… that… I would like to make? PowerPoint Cartoon? An edit of someone’s funny game footage? Their Dinner? A gman impression?

Anyway, that didn’t stop me from chronically worrying about bothering anyone for anything. But I did rise above that eventually and boy was it worth it. I thought that Rainbow Six Siege inspired image was going to be tough but somehow, he pulled it off to my exact specifications. Huh… like, huh… yeah? Who knew someone good at their shit was going to give me a good fuckin’ result, and not even break a mention of concern at possible difficulty in producing it?

That was one of the things I thought I had to try and put together myself. I was in a manic scramble to bring together some tools I had lesser knowledge on in order to try something, but when I got an early shot showing me how possible it was by his hand, the least I did was play with the pose a little, which is something I had to learn in blender to do, and guess who taught me? The bloke and friend what does Blender professionally, currently making shit for me! It all makes sense, right? and I should stick to what I know and trust willing people to be willing.

What does having access to this kind of talent mean for the overall work load?

Well…

Not much, I was still editing film like I would’ve, and probably would’ve put too much effort into it regardless. Joe was happy to do his thing, and he was knowledgeable enough to produce it with ease. Mike was staying up way past bedtime to hang out and watch me edit and go through footage right up till the final clip, because he wanted to. And all the while I was getting input from the both of them, and it felt pretty normal.

So what’s the problem?

Well…

Corel VideoStudio.

What I can say of Corel is… at least they’re not Adobe. But they are geriatric in the way they do things, especially their business practices, which is good and bad… but compared to Adobe, they’re the lesser of two evils. VideoStudio is cheap in comparison and buy once and keep forever… unless a new version comes out and you have to buy that version… at a discount at least.

That’s not the issue.

I experienced way more technical problems both familiar and new during this project, with the version of VideoStudio I’ve been using.

Slow editor performance

Crashing

Audio track waves not showing after a certain time

Audio track randomly panning

Audio envelopes not working as intended

Let me talk about this one in particular. The scene where the Warthog drives through a tunnel playing the polka from Red vs Blue? That was working as intended, with effects, panning, volume, everything… until it wasn’t randomly. No matter what I did, I couldn’t even get the panning to work, and if that didn’t work then…

I had to put the video into an external program and create a premixed audio clip.

Anyway, the list isn’t over…

Audio would sometimes distort loudly when being previewed or played, scaring the buhjezzus out of me and those watching my stream.

Crashing during the encoding process?

Actually… no! The project before it (another video of me playing Halo with friends) the encoding crashed multiple times, until I tried encoding without GPU acceleration. But This time, the encoding went just fine…

Until, I looked through the video and found it full of problems.

But… luckily, it wasn’t to much of an issue, and is more my fault. You see, I originally wanted to output the projects as a 30 FPS film, but the footage was in 60 FPS, and so the project was set up for that, and I edited the whole film in 60 FPS. So I go to render the film in 30, only to find the film missing cues for the audio envelop changes, and even erroneous black frames and timing issues throughout.

Simply Rendering out 60 FPS fixed everything… as if it was meant to be. Lesson learned.

So in the end…

I can safely say, I probably won’t go as far next time. Sticking with tight edits and maybe some funny sound clips here and there, who knows.

One thing is for sure…

I can’t keep using Corel VideoStudio anymore

I kept using it because it was convenient, and simple and very easy to make things with. And I’ve been using it for over a decade. I’m a slave to it’s ability to make zoom & panning easy.

But… the editor is too slow, and I don’t understand why even after all these years. Maybe due to the ancient code that it probably retains from the years back when it was using X* for the different versions… maybe even back when it was called Ulead VideoStudio.

I must move on to something modern, and it’ll take some learning to do.

Luckily, I’m nowhere near short on Server 9 game footage to edit.

Thanks again to the two great guys I played with, and subsequently took interest and contributed to what I have made… and more importantly, understood my pace.

[sangrcfria]

"EITHER YOU GOT A LAZY EYE OR A LACK OF RESPECT. WHICH IS IT BOY?"

 ⟨  –  clayton cardenas, cis man, he/him.  ⟩ it seems like sergio rivera has been seen around town, humming en el muelle de san blas by maná  under their breath. apparently they are a  38 / 2000 year old child of the moon. townsfolk whisper about them being loyal and protective, but also repentant and careful. they’re a member of the children of the moon pack, and they give off the vibes of rough hands having a surprisingly gentle touch, the smell of engine oil and cedarwood, always keeping a watchful eye . 

THREADS | MUSINGS | MIRROR | PINTEREST | MEMES

b a s i c s

full name ➔ sergio antonio rivera nicknames ➔ serg, gio age ➔ 30 ( +300 ) species ➔ child of the moon birthday ➔ september 22nd gender ➔ cisman ( he / him )sexual orientation ➔ pansexual fc ➔ clayton cardenas

a b o u t  

two thousand years ago, the children of the moon weren't a myth nor were they hurting in numbers. sergio doesn't remember who or how we was turned but back then it was seen as more of a blessing than a curse.

early in sergio’s life as a child of the moon he had to fight off a lot of vampires to stay alive and thus, developed a real hatred for them to the point that he wouldn’t hesitate to eradicate a vampire if they messed with him or his pack. one night he and some vampires got into a fight, which resulted in sergio killing off the small coven. all except for a baby, which happened to be a hybrid offspring of one of the vampires he just fought. guilt takes over and sergio decided to raise this hybrid as if they were his own. ( wc in the main )

raising a hybrid wasn't easy as a child of the moon and sergio had to do a lot of soul-searching to grow over his hatred for vampires, enough to be able to be a good father for the hybrid he picked up.

over the years sergio mellowed out some and learned to prioritize protection and discipline over revenge and bloodlust.

in forks, he runs a bar called la media luna he specifically made the bar into a safe haven for the supernatural and has a very strict no fighting policy. ( especially between species )

he still doesn't entirely trust vampires, especially the volturi, but he has learned the difference between being vigilant and being prejudice.

overall, sergio is a respect member of the community and has been in forks for a looong time.

c o n n e c t i o n s

cheaper than therapy ➔ sergio is not a man of many words and by extension… that makes him a pretty solid listener. so this would be someone who goes to sergio for advice or just to vent. ( open to any species )

bodyguard ➔ maybe someone hires him or asks him to guard them for a couple of nights? honestly, this could just be an excuse to go on a road trip together ( open to any species )

mentor ➔ i would love for him to take a role of a mentor for another shapeshifter or a child of the moon. bring them under his wing so that he can give them tips on how to deal with their rage, hone their skills, yada yada ( open to a shapeshifter or a child of the moon )

we ride at dawn ➔ biker gang! maybe a mechanic he trusts with his ride. maybe they get together once a week and ride their motorcycles over to some local bars. ( open to any species but would love for it to be a child of the moon thing )

right hand man ➔ while sergio does possess many qualities of a leader, he finds himself most comfortable taking a second in command role. what he lacks in the ability to charm and rally he makes up in physical strength and loyalty. the person he follows would have to be someone who's interesting in keeping the people of forks safe. ( open to any species )

i also have some more wc in his pinterest

p e r s o n a l i t y

+reliable +loyal +protective -reserved -possessive -stubborn mbti ➔  ISTP natal chart ➔  ↑ virgo ⊙ leo ☾ libra inspired by ➔ jawbone ( fantasy high ), eddard stark ( game of thrones ), arthur morgan ( red dead redemption 2 ), jim hopper ( stranger things ), hakoda ( avatar: the last air bender )