#because with Dorian it’s okay. everything is okay. she is okay

[pergaminaa]

Modern au

Dorian does have a lot of ideas when it comes to the things he and Manon can do on any day to relax and have fun (he does it mostly for her, because she needs to experience this and also to relax)

Friday nights are usually their quiet nights in. Dorian has taken to the habit of ordering food and they’d sit and watch a movie or two together. They always take turns picking movies (that was another thing because growing up Manon wasn’t allowed this kind of fun so the only movies she watched were those she could sneak around and watch without her grandmother finding out. So essentially with Dorian she’s learning what genres appeal to her and which ones don’t). Dorian is a little appalled because ‘why do you say you like this it’s literally stressing you out???’ Like I’m sorry but Manon is totally this horror film junkie that gets super creeped out but continues to watch them for some reason. Dorian honestly doesn’t know how to respond because she’s so invested but lowkey also so scared????? He just lets it go because she’s having fun (?) and he won’t get in the way of that.

As for the food Dorian usually handles that because if he asks the responses he gets are:

‘Anything is fine,’

‘I’m not really hungry’

‘…’

So really, he doesn’t bother asking anymore.

It’s giving her too many options and most of these are just giving her a chance to come up with an excuse not to eat.

So what he does is that he just narrows down the options.

He’d pick a restaurant and pull up the menu on his phone. He’d hand it to her to pick or just do that and ask her if it’s alright (he knows her taste so most of the things he picks are to her liking).

It’s what he does when it’s their nights off to relax and do nothing productive (usually on Friday nights) but it also extends to other occasions as well. They’d be somewhere and Dorian would order coffee and very possibly a snack so he just shoves his phone into Manon’s hand to pick. Like, he’s not asking if she wants something he’s just like ‘time for a break’ which includes BOTH of them.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

if dorian didn't show up, do you think louis would have shot minnie?

I do. I know some people think either he wouldn't have or he would've missed so that's why the writers had him shoot Dorian instead, but mmmmmm no, I don't personally think so. I like to think that if he had taken the shot, his shaky hands would've caused him to shoot her fatally.

Mostly because I'm already so normal about the fact that of the Ericson crew, Marlon and Louis are the only ones with a body count. Well, that we know of, but shown to us in the game, at least. Plus, we know it's Louis' first kill.

Like yeah, Clementine and AJ become part of the crew and they have bigger body counts, and if we're counting indirect kills caused by actions, then Tenn has a count... and I guess everyone has blood on their hands for blowing up the boat... but I'm talking about killed directly with a weapon like....... I lied, I'm not normal about that at all, Louis and Marlon are the ones who have killed someone in Louis' route. I'm also not normal about the fact that Louis kills Dorian and then even as he's clearly in shock, he tries to go with Clementine to get AJ, and then later on when they talk about it, he says it feels like bile but not quite and he's glad he has it in him to do it.... listen, listen, listen... I'm obsessed with that.

Anyway, so if Louis shot Minerva, I think he would've accidentally killed her and can you imagine? He's already enough of a mess after killing the woman who pinned him down and tried to cut his finger off [or succeeded] but he knew Minerva, they were friends before the twins were taken. Even Violet couldn't kill her even though that would've been the smarter thing to do, and we know thanks to meta knowledge that killing her would've saved lives, but Violet couldn't, and I don't think Louis would intentionally either.

Speaking of Violet, if Louis killed Minerva, I hate to think about what that would've done to Vi. I think she might've actually left at that point, like what was planned before it got changed to her being burned. I don't think she would've attacked Louis over it, though, like yeah she attacked Clementine in the cell but Louis? I don't know, but I don't think so just because it's Louis and he'd be a mess about it anyway.

Though if he did kill her, it would be a neat parallel to draw... y'know, because Louis forgave AJ for killing Marlon even though he was pissed and heartbroken, and Violet was annoyed with him the entire time... but could she ever forgive Louis for killing Minerva? Y'know? We already have a similar parallel with AJ shooting Tenn, but still.

If Clementine killed Minerva in that moment, though, then I could see Violet attacking her since in her eyes, Clem proved her right.

So yeah, I get why they added the Dorian kill to his route. It adds another compelling element to Louis as a character, but we also need Minerva alive for episode 4; Louis can't kill her, he can't miss, and he's not going to stay with her because we need Violet to stay on the boat and him to be on shore for all routes.

[theseuscloud]

Okay, okay, stay with me for a moment, I know everyone is going insane but listen to me for a bit, let's focus on the statement, BECAUSE

You know how Jonny said that the entities on tmagp won't be the same as the ones from TMA, right? Right.

We've got one already mostly figured out, being the one from ep 11, looking like the buried mixed with the vast. Fear of the sea, drowning, etc, thalassophobia in general and all that. People have started to call it The Deep, you remember right? Of course you do, you're a smart cookie, good job

There's also the one related with luck, gambles, and addiction. This one's a bit more fuzzy, but episodes 7 and 13, the dice man and the cryptobro, do paint a funny picture. I haven't seen anyone name this one, so I might as well call it The Chance

Stay with me here, darling

I present to you, and I think I may be onto something:

The Superior

Look, The name is a work in progress, maybe you could call it *the ideal*? if you've got a better suggestion, go ahead, but if not, let me explain

Related to the stranger, maybe the flesh or the lonely. We've already had two statements, ep 2 and now ep 17, where the horror has been something that looks like you, but is better than you.

Episode 2, the girl, Daria, hated how she looked, she tried everything to look better, to be better, she tried so hard she was, quite literally, consumed by it. She picked out parts of herself in a Dorian-Gray-esque way until there was nothing left just to live up to this ideal of herself. The ideal was the cause of her demise

Episode 17, doppelganger time baby! What does he find? A man, just like himself, just... Well, better. Rich, beautiful, cheery and welcoming. Well, an ideal self, wouldn't you say? He tried to learn from that ideal self, and then he found out, that the ideal of him was a murderer. Then he murdered him. Isn't that convenient.

This is just a theory, but it is a fun one, so what do y'all think?

[lavenderprose]

WIP Whenever

This has been sitting in my drafts for awhile. I was playing with it again this week and I have no idea what it is or where it's going, but I'll drop it here for the Intrigue. Have fun!

--

Elgar'nan dies, Solas walks into the Fade. The first order of business is to get Bellara to Antoine and Evka. Well, actually, first order of business is to get everyone down the Blight tendril somehow. This involves a lot of held breath and a few carefully-applied spells to make sure everyone makes it down safe. Then they find the Wardens.

"We don't know what's happening," says Evka, because Antoine is losing it a little bit from how he CAN'T, for the first time in several years, hear the Blight whisper to him.

"We don't know either," Rook says. She thrusts Bellara into Evka's arms. "Please, please make sure she's alright. You're Wardens. You know the Blight. Please help her."

Neve's heart visibly rips in two as she watches the Wardens leave with Bellara, but Minrathous is a mess, even with the Blight dying, and she has people she needs to check on. Lucanis goes with Neve because there's a little invisible thread connecting them now and he needs her to feel a little bit okay with everything that's happened. In a way, this feels very obvious and normal. In other ways, it's insane, but no more insane than anything else that's happened this month.

Davrin, of course, goes with the Wardens.

With two thirds of the remaining Veilguard rushing towards Lavendell or Dock Town or Where The Fuck Ever, Rook turns to Emmrich and Taash and says something like, "Someone else please make a decision."

"Food," grunts Taash. "You should eat. You'll feel better. Can someone find Rook some food?" This is shouted to the surrounding crowd--a random conglomeration of allies and bystanders.

Someone, a random Shadow Dragon, appears in less than a minute with potato balls wrapped in a napkin. Multiple someones have shown up to the staging area for the burgeoning search and rescue operation with full sacks of potatoes and flour and corn meal and cabbage and they're cooking them in whatever way is quickest and easiest.

The three of them--Taash, Rook, Emmrich--sit directly on the ground and eat. Rook presses the side of her head against Emmrich's back and mashes the potato against her face with one hand while the other wraps so tight around him that she can feel the shape of his ribs when he breathes. Absolutely nobody mentions that this is a deeply impractical way to sit or eat.

"Emmrich," she whispers. "I'm gonna fucking lose it."

All Emmrich says is, "Here?" and it's a genuine question. He's more than willing, she realizes, to let her have whatever kind of screaming crying episode she needs to have right here, in the middle of blighted Minrathous. She wouldn't even be the only one within earshot.

"I want to go home," she hisses into his shoulder. "Can I go fucking home?"

The answer turns out to be kind of. The Eluvian is miles away, in the burnt out husk of the Shadow Dragons’ safehouse, and both walking and a carriage are out of the question. It will be perhaps several days before the roads are clear and safe enough to mount that particular expedition.

Upon realizing this, a determined look crosses Emmrich's face and he vanishes for quite awhile. Rook sits on the ground with five different people's blood on her, Taash hovering in a protective stance and, after a little while, Manfred at her side. He comes to her like an animal or baby that can sense his parent's sadness. He gifts her a stub of chalk from his pocket, a flower he'd found poking out of the pavement somewhere nearby, and another potato ball that some confused but well-meaning volunteer had handed him.

Emmrich returns with Dorian Pavus and Inquisitor Lavellan echoing his purposeful strides.

"I keep an apartment in this district," Dorian tells her, crouching beside her. “The building is undamaged, as far as we can tell. It isn’t one of my official residences.”

“You can recover there, darling,” Emmrich says. He’s on one knee beside her, hand on her shoulder. He smells like Blight and blood, like all of them.

“Nobody will know,” Inquisitor Lavellan says. He is standing very close to Dorian’s shoulder, and Rook thinks about the conversation she overheard before the final push of the battle. There’s an assumption to be made there, about why Magister Pavus would maintain a secret residence.

“Fine,” Rook says, because it isn’t home, but it isn’t the Blighted shell of the Divine’s manor.

Dorian Pavus’ secret apartment is not, strictly speaking, close. They walk for over an hour. The scarred over Blight is a consistent sight on the way, though it begins to wane as they move farther away from the city center. The apartment is on a stretch of road that would probably have once been quiet and idyllic—but here, as in High Town, there is the evidence of Elgar’nan’s evil.

By the time the door to the apartment is opened, via a small silver key that Dorian presses into Emmrich’s hand like a secret, Rook can do nothing more but take a handful of steps inside, press her body against the wall and sink down into a relieved, shuddering crumple. Emmrich collapses beside her only a second later and removes the outermost, heaviest layers of her armor in an only slightly frantic scramble. Once she is lighter, her breath seems to come a little easier. Emmrich, both hands glowing, smooths his touch along every part of her.

“Hey, is she gonna be okay?” Taash asks, hovering in the doorway.

“She used a great deal of mana in her defeat of Elgar’nan,” Emmrich says, speaking succinctly. Rapidly. “Her abilities are intensely fatigued.”

“I’ve seen that kind of mana sickness kill people,” Dorian mutters.

“Yes, but she will recover,” Emmrich says. “Taash, a favor?”

Taash draws close, grunting in question, and Emmrich gives them a seemingly endless list of things he needs. His hands are still scouring over her body as he does so—chaste as any healer’s, but gentle. Comforting. The incantation lighting his hands is a diagnostic tool, and he pauses over a rib she can feel is broken, and that tricky wrist of hers, and the gash on her forehead from the initial stages of the battle as they were fighting through High Town—what feels like weeks ago, but is in reality only about twelve hours in the past.

Maker, she’s tired.

His hand passes over her stomach and he pauses, frowns, knits his brow and licks his lips.

“That everything?” says Taash, with a kind of intense focus on their face that tells Rook they’re cataloguing the information given to them. They can rival Emmrich with their mind for lists and detail, when they set themselves to it. Other information they allow to trickle uncaught through their mind, but only that which they consider unimportant. Vashedan.

He clears his throat. “Dorian. Is there a butcher near?”

“Yes,” Dorian says, with an open tone of skepticism. “I doubt he opened shop today, what with the—situation.”

“You would be surprised how little effect calamities have on the day-to-day operations of a butcher shop,” Emmrich says. There is something so intense about him in the moment, and utter beauty in his competence. He has taken and ran with Rook’s request that anyone else make a decision. She can do nothing but watch, half-drifting, from her spot next to him on the floor. To Taash, he says, “Go to the butcher. Pound on the door, make a nuisance of yourself until someone answers. We need the reddest meat they have available, preferably organ meat. We’ll pay any price.”

“Okay,” Taash drawls. “But like…why?”

“Iron,” Emmrich says promptly. “Her use of mana and…other circumstances have made her severely deficient. We must replenish it or risk blood sickness.”

“No meat,” Rook mutters. “I don’t—”

“Our vows make allowances for health, my love,” Emmrich coos, his entire demeaner changing suddenly as he leans over her, presses cool fingers to her forehead. “I only need it for the iron. I’ll prepare it into a tincture. You won’t taste the blood.”

“Red meat, got it,” Taash says, and all but flees the apartment.

“I must take my leave as well,” Dorian says, albeit reluctantly. “High Town is a holy shit show and I can’t leave Shen—that is, the Inquisitor—to fend for himself in that bag of cats. I should tell you—you won’t have very long to hide your faces. A few days, at most, before people start expecting someone to speak out about this whole mess. The Inquisitor and Morrigan can only answer so many questions. And people will have questions.”

“Yes, thank you, Dorian,” Emmrich mumbles. The first time he says it, it’s with annoyance coloring his tone—and Rook would laugh, if she wasn’t floating in a haze of residual panic and what she’s beginning to realize is mana sickness. The second time he says it, however—very softly, big hazel eyes turned to Dorian as he pets Rook on the cheek, is genuine. “Thank you. Dorian.”

“Of course,” Dorian says. Stiffly, like he isn’t a man very comfortable with gratitude or genuineness therein. He clears his throat. “I’ll hold the wolves at bay for as long as I can, professor. At the very least, they won’t know you’re here. Maker guide you.”

“Be safe, my friend,” Emmrich replies.

When the door closes, they are plunged into grey darkness and utter silence. Even the grand clock on the far wall doesn’t tick. Rook wonders how long it’s been since the apartment saw regular use; the very air around them seems dusty. Perhaps there’s no necessity in it these days; Dorian’s relationship with the Inquisitor is, she’s discovered, something of an open secret. That’s about to get a lot more complicated for them, she thinks.

“We’re in the Inquisitor’s secret Tevinter love nest,” Rook mumbles.

Emmrich warbles out a snort—a sound which seems to take even him off guard. For a moment, they dissolve into laughter together, and Rook doesn’t feel the panic or the pain so distinctly.

“Come, my love,” Emmrich murmurs, and brings them both slowly to standing. “I’ll heal your injuries, and then you’ll rest while we wait for Taash to return.”

[yeonzzzn]

🕯️let it go: niki

a vampires bleeding series: six / seven

pairing: niki x afab!reader word count: 8.2k

synopsis: with the surrounding area of dorian's location being exposed, the seven boys continue to search where the missing pack members are while niki continues his normal school life, befriending you. the closer you and niki get, the more secrets that get revealed.

genre: friends to lovers/enemies, vampire!niki, vampire!reader, angst, some fluff.

warnings: mentions of blood, swearing, betrayal, cutie pie niki ♡

☾ jungwon(1) | jay(2) | jake(3) | sunghoon(4) | sunoo(5) | niki(6) | heeseung(7) ☽

Niki knelt down, his fingertips brushing against the grass. The wind blew his blonde hair across his face, his eyes narrowing down at the open water below him. Searching for any clue. 

Jake suddenly appeared beside him, his arm resting on Niki’s shoulder. 

“Find anything yet?” His Aussie accent rushed out. 

Niki nodded, “Yeah, a whole lot of nothing still.” 

Jake sighed, “Keep searching, the entrance has to be here somewhere.” 

Niki stared at his hyung, seeing the desperation on his face to find his mate. 

“I need to find her…” Jake whispered. 

Niki rubbed Jake’s back, “I know hyung, I know.” 

Niki understood how Jake was feeling, obviously not to the same degree, but still understood. 

That hole of having __ and __ being gone hit all of them. The only difference is Niki and the others don’t feel the pain that Jake and Sunghoon feel. There’s a pinch of something, but it doesn’t affect anything else. 

The worst part of all this was Niki couldn’t help but feel disconnected from everything that was happening. 

He wanted to get the girls back just as much as everyone else, but he also felt like this was major bullshit. 

Maybe it was because Niki didn’t believe in soulmates. 

Not like there were a lot of seventeen-year-old forever vampires anyway. 

A girl is the whole reason Niki ended up as this undead being in the first place. 

It was the day before Niki’s birthday. Snow was falling from the sky, it was the perfect day to confess his feelings. It was his first-ever crush. Walked her home from school that day and was attacked in broad daylight. 

Niki survived, she didn’t. 

The vampire venom spread through Niki’s body way too quickly, turning him into a monster. 

The first thirty years were hell. Niki couldn’t control his blood thirst and killed multiple people in the process. 

It wasn’t until another thirty years before Heeseung and Jay found him. He was on the hunt for human blood, the previous human blood stained on his clothes, face, and down his neck. Niki ran into the two of them on his way into the town. 

Heeseung could feel the bloodlust and Niki felt like he was in danger. The only vampires Niki ever encountered were the ones that almost killed him, and the ones he’s had to fight just to get a bite in. Heeseung could sense Niki was terrified, mostly because of how he looked. 

Vampires usually don’t like being exposed, and Niki was terrified his time was up. Heeseung and Jay would kill him, tear him to pieces, and burn his body.  

“It’s okay…” Heeseung whispered, “I can see what you’re thinking, it’s all over your face.” 

Niki backed away, holding a hand up, “Nah, don’t you fucking come near me.” 

And man did it take Heeseung and Jay a lot of time to talk Niki into calming down. Eventually, they adopted him into their pack. 

Niki remembers walking into the safe house for the first time, seeing four other faces stare at him, but welcoming him nonetheless. 

It was the first time Niki felt at home since he was turned. 

And hundreds of years later here he is. Fighting to protect an even bigger family. Even if he doesn’t believe in a lot that’s going on. 

Again, there aren’t many other vampires stuck in their teens anyway. The possibility of Niki even finding a soulmate (if they even exist), is very slim. 

“We need to go,” Jake sighed and snapped Niki out of the past memories.

Niki nodded, standing tall beside his hyung. 

Jake was holding back his emotions, Niki could feel it. That bond tugged hard. 

“Hyung, we will get __ back.” Niki reassured him, “Once we find where his entrance is and when __ can produce a stronger masking of our scent with her elf magic, the easier it’ll be to get in.” 

Jake nodded, rolling his eyes, “Aren’t I the one that should be comforting you? I’m the older one.” Jake chuckled, draping his arm around the younger’s neck, “Come on, let’s go.” 

—

Niki spun the soccer ball on his fingertips, tossing it up to the ceiling, spinning, tossing it again, and spinning. 

He was sprawled out on the couch, mind in a faraway place. 

The front door opened, and the sound of bags dropping to the floor and shoes being kicked off echoed in the apartment. 

Niki leaned his head over the armrest of the couch, “Welcome home hyung.” 

Heeseung glances down at the maknae, “Don’t you have your own home?” 

Niki sat up, spinning the soccer ball in his hands, “I mean, yeah.” 

Heeseung sat at the kitchen table, sliding out of his doctor's coat, “Don’t you have school tomorrow? I’ll have Sunoo come pick you up.” 

“Hyung no!” Niki pouted. 

Heeseung raised a brow, noticing a duffle bag sitting in the corner by the couch. 

“Niki..” 

“Heeseung, they annoy me.” 

Heeseung let out a small chuckle, “Yeah?” 

“It was fine when it was just me and Sunoo, but after __ moved in…” 

Heeseung sighed, he knew why Niki wanted to be here. Heeseung knew of Niki’s history and how it all took place, being around a cute cuddly couple probably isn’t his favorite thing in the world right now. 

There’s enough on his plate with unfortunately attending high school again, dealing with the major loss the pack has taken, on top of his roommate's mate moving in. The kid has a lot going on. 

“Plus, you’re here alone, so I am here to keep you company.” Niki smiled, trying to win his hyung over by acting cute. 

Heeseung wasn’t buying it. 

“Hyung, you’re my legal guardian anyways. This would just make it easier.” 

Heeseung knew Niki had a point. The only problem Heeseung worried about was Niki being alone. 

Heeseung always had to be at the hospital, and when he wasn’t, he was searching with the others to find the entrance to where Dorian was hiding. Niki didn’t always attend the search parties, so if he wasn’t at soccer practice, he would be at home by himself. 

Niki continued to pout until Heeseung gave in. 

“Fine, but nothing changes, you’re still attending school.” 

Niki didn’t like the school idea but was happy to stay with Heeseung either way. 

—

Niki dropped his head into his palm, staring off out the window. 

His classmates all talked amongst themselves about the latest trends and the soccer games coming up. 

Niki tuned out the noise, ready to just get the hell out of here. 

Niki knew his classmates gossiped about him, about how he always kept to himself unless spoken to. how he is really good at soccer and thinks he’s “the king” or something. They even make fun of his brothers, and that’s one thing Niki has to bite his tongue on. 

Niki didn’t see the point in trying to make friends at these schools. Niki will continue living an immortal life and losing friends along the way, so it’s best to not make any. 

Get in and get out as Jay would put it. 

There wasn’t any point to any of it no matter what, he’d just change schools again once he graduated or if his family moved again. 

“Okay class, settle down!” The homeroom teacher yells, the room of teenagers quieting down. “We have a new student joining us today.” 

Niki slightly glanced over to the entrance to the classroom, curious to see the new student just as much as the next person. 

Niki slowly lifted his head from his palm, lips parted and eyes slightly widened. 

You stood at the front of the class, glancing around at your new peers, eyes connecting with Niki’s. 

You were a vampire. Niki couldn’t believe it. Another vampire that was his age and just so happened to be in the same class as him? 

What are the odds? 

You introduced yourself to the class and then waited for the teacher to assign you to an open seat. 

You kept eye contact with the blonde vampire in the back of the class as you walked to your seat. 

Your new classmates already seemed to take notice, their whispers being “Do they know each other?”, “she’s the first girl that has gotten Nishimura’s attention”, “They have to know each other, there is no way.” 

You finally broke eye contact once you sat in your seat, looking amongst the teenagers around you, wondering how mortals can care so much about things that shouldn’t matter. 

Niki looked back out the window, once again dropping his head into his palm. 

Niki could feel your gaze on him throughout the school day. He couldn’t help but wonder if you too have struggled to find other vampires the same age. 

During lunch, Niki made it a mission to find you. 

You sat on the floor in between two bookcases in the library, eyes closed and earbuds blasting music into your eardrums.

A slight tap came to your shoulder, you opened your eyes and looked up, seeing Niki standing beside you. 

You pulled your earbuds out, raising an eyebrow at him, “Yes?” 

“Uhh…” Niki didn’t think this far. He pushed his hair back, looking at the other bookshelf in front of you, “Mind if I sit?” Damn, he was so cheesy. 

You nodded, “Go ahead fellow blood drinker,” you teased, a smile formed on his face as he sat across from you. 

Niki tried to read you, thinking if he stared at you long and hard enough he could figure out every answer to his question without actually having to ask. 

You looked him up and down, “Nishimura, if you have something to say just say it, I’m not going to bite.” 

Niki glared at you, “That’s the best vampire joke you could come up with?” 

You shrugged, “I saw the chance and I took it.” 

He took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. 

“Sorry,” was all he could say, “I have never met another vampire that was well…”

“Stuck in a seventeen-year-old's body for eternity?” 

Niki nodded, “Yeah…exactly.” He was in awe at how you understood. 

“Makes it harder for us to find mates, that’s for sure.” 

And you lost him. 

Niki slumped back against the bookcase, gently laughing.

You didn’t understand what was so funny, “What are you laughing about?” 

Niki shrugged, leaning his head against the bookcase, making eye contact with you, “I don’t believe in soulmates.” 

You furrow your brows, “You don’t?”

“Nope.” He looked away, reading the titles of the books.

“Do you not believe as a whole, or just don’t believe in a soulmate for yourself?” 

Niki lifted his head, seeing how serious you were about that question. 

He didn’t know how to answer it. All he could do was stare at you. 

“You’re in a pack,” you said, “And those in your pack have soulmates, that’s why you can answer my question.” 

It wasn’t hard to tell that Niki was in a pack. Pack hunters have a totally different energy. 

Niki decided to dodge the question, slowly leaning back against the bookcase, “What about you? In a pack? You kinda give off that solo vibe.” 

You tuck your bottom lip between your teeth, deciding how to answer the question, “I am indeed solo. Just do my own thing.”

“I was solo once, and it wasn’t fun.” It surprised Niki how easily he was able to talk to you to even bring up his old past.

You smiled at the embarrassment on his face, he was too cute. 

“Anyways, I am Nishimura Riki, but I go by Niki.” he held out his hand, “We didn’t properly introduce each other yet.” 

You stare down at his hand, then back up at his face, “What time period are you from, Niki? A handshake?” 

Niki rests his hand down, softly scoffing, “I’m two hundred and ten.”

You snorted a small laugh, “Damn you’re old.” 

Niki smiled, clicking his tongue, “Yeah? and you?” 

“I’m only a hundred and fifteen.” you gave him a silly smile. 

“Wow, a whole ninety-five years younger than me.” 

You both laughed, “Unfortunately we are still seventeen.”  you said. 

Niki nodded, “Yeah, well this is the first time I have been okay with being stuck at seventeen.” 

Your heart skipped a beat. Staring into his eyes. 

Niki quickly shot up, startling you. 

“Well, lunch is almost over, head back to class?”

Before you could answer, your phone buzzed in your skirt pocket, “Uhh I am actually going to skip the rest of the day, I have some moving things to do.” 

Niki clicked his tongue, “Damn girl first day and you’re already skipping the rest of the day?” 

You shook his head at him teasing you, “Shut up and get back to class Nishimura.” 

Niki smiled wide as he walked away.

“Oh! Niki!” 

He stopped and turned to face you, waiting for you.

“I am Y/N,” you softly waved a hand at your side, “I didn’t tell you my name earlier.” 

“Well, Y/N,” Niki said, “I’ll see you around then.” 

He disappeared, only to poke his head back around the bookcase.

“Actually, want to hang out? Like after my soccer practice today? Or even tomorrow? Or whenever you prefer.”

You nodded, “Yeah I would actually love to hang out. It would be nice to make some friends. But I can’t tonight, so tomorrow?”

Niki nodded in agreement, “Tomorrow then.” 

And he officially disappeared this time. 

You pulled your phone from your pocket and read the messages. 

dni: have time for a chat? you: oops can’t sorry! school work…bummer.  dni: Y/N you: ? dni: now

you sigh, dropping your phone in your lap. 

—

Heeseung stood by the table, Sunoo and __ were at his left, Jake and Sunghoon on the right. 

A notepad with directions and any hints to lead to Dorian was written on it along with a map of the surrounding area. 

Heeseung covered his mouth with his hands, staring down at the map. 

“What about here?” Sunghoon asked, pointing at a specific point on the map. 

“No, Niki and I already checked there,” Jake answered. 

Heeseung’s eyes searched every inch of the map, trying to piece together where to find Dorian. 

Sunoo groaned, “We’ve been doing circles. There’s nothing but open water. We’ve gone diving multiple times as well to see if it’s under but it’s clearly not.” 

Sunoo’s mate sighs as well, rubbing his back, “I wish I could help find a more specific area…”

“No, __ it’s okay,” Jake said, “You’ve already done so much to help.” 

Sunghoon dropped his face in his hands, frustration isn’t even close to describing how he was feeling. 

“Where are the others right now?” Sunghoon asked. 

Heeseung sighed, “Jungwon and Jay are searching the area right now. The girls are at Jay’s apartment and Niki…I don’t know.” 

“I am right here,” Niki says, overhearing as he was walking inside the apartment, “What’s going on?” 

“Just still trying to find where Dorian could be hiding.” __ said. 

Niki walked to the table, his eyes scanning the map, shaking his head, “I feel like we’ve looked everywhere.” 

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

Niki slumped down into a chair, his brain wracking the memories of running through the area, trying to pinpoint anything. But nothing ever came up. 

“Let’s call it a night,” Heeseung finally said, “We’ll change searching shifts for tomorrow and just keep looking.” 

“It’s unfortunately all we can do…” Sunoo softly whispered, looking over at his hyungs, seeing their heads hung low, just wanting their mates back. 

Sunghoon pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, staring down at the lockscreen photo of himself and his witch mate. He silently begged for any hint so he could find you. 

There was a small tapping sound just then. Everyone’s heads perked up, their ears on high alert. Eyes quickly roaming. 

The apartment fell silent and the six of them listened as the tapping continued. 

Niki slowly turned his head towards the window, his brows furrowing at what he was looking at, “A raven?” 

Everyone turned to look at the window, a large raven sat at the windowsill, with a paper rolled and tied to its neck with a red string. 

Sunghoon quickly shot up from the chair, “It’s from __.”

Sunghoon rushed to the window, opening it and letting the raven hop inside. 

The raven stood still while Sunghoon untied the paper from its neck and once it was free, it flew back out the window. 

Sunghoon watched as the raven flew away, his heart breaking. 

“What’s in the note, hoon?” Jake asked, appearing beside his best friend. 

Niki followed behind, hovering over his hyungs shoulders. 

Sunghoon unrolled the paper, a smile forming on his face. 

“It’s coordinates.”

“What?” Heeseung rushed over, taking the paper from Sunghoon’s hands, and reading the coordinates written.

Everyone rushed back to the map. 

Heeseung grabbed a marker, lining up where the coordinates led, and landed in the middle of the forest. 

“We found it,” Heeseung whispered. 

Jake fell to the floor, face covered by his hands, “We finally fucking did it.” 

Sunghoon grabbed his chest, clinging to his white tee shirt, “My hex girl risked sending a raven…god, I love her…” 

“Sunoo, call Jay and Jungwon, and let them know what we found.” Heeseung asked, Sunoo immediately jumped from the table and dialed one of their numbers, “And __, can you use the paper that __ wrote on to find exactly where the coordinates lead? To get a picture of what we are looking for.” 

The elf took the paper in her hands, rubbing her thumbs over the ink written on it, and nodded, “I can, but it might not be enough, I might get only a small enough vision, nothing we haven’t already gotten.”

Heeseung gripped the marker in his hands, feeling like their two steps forward were also a step back. 

“What if we also used this?” Sunghoon lifted a black feather up into the air, “Something told me to take a feather from the raven…that it would somehow help. Since it’s __’s raven, and the bird clearly had to have been in that area for her to call it and then send it to find me.” 

Sunoo’s mate rushed to Sunghoon, taking the weather and feeling it with her hands, she smiled wide, “This is plenty, it has __’s magic all over it. It will work.” 

Sunoo returned, “Jay and Jungwon are on the way here. I told them everything.” 

Heeseung nodded, “__, start the process of the searching magic, so once the other two show up we can fully start.”

Niki felt a rush of adrenaline, they had waited for so long to find Dorian and put him down. They still didn’t fully know what he was planning, or why he wanted the pack dead, but Niki couldn’t help but finally feel relieved that it would be over soon. 

Heeseung noticed a difference in Niki, that he was more upbeat and not as quiet as normal. 

“What’s with you?” Heeseung asked, causing Niki to stutter in his seat.

“Huh?” 

Heeseung studied the maknae’s eyes, “You met someone.” 

The others' attention looked at Niki, his face turning a soft shade of pink.

“I met another vampire today…she’s my age.” 

Sunghoon let out a whistle, “Well look at that.” 

Niki shook his head, “It’s not like that, she’s super cool.”

Heeseung could already tell what it was from Niki’s reactions, but he knew the maknae had to discover everything himself. 

The topic dropped once Jungwon and Jay showed up, their mates following right behind them. 

“Get us updated,” Jungwon said, leaning his body against the table, “Have we started the searching process?” 

“Not yet, we waited for you,” Sunoo answered. 

Jungwon nodded, “Let’s get started. Once we have a clear vision of where this place is at, we will scope it out tomorrow and then will make an infiltration plan and get that son of a bitch the following day.” 

Everyone was in agreement, and the hunt for Dorian officially started. 

—

You stood in the alleyway, blood dripping from your fangs as you licked your lips, wiping the remaining blood from your face on the back of your hand. 

You looked down at the sacrifice of your meal, feeling the small inch of pain of what you’ve just done, but had to do. You needed to eat to survive, after all. 

You tilted your head to the side, “It’s about time you showed up.” 

Dorian walked from behind you, looking down at the body on the ground, “Awe, you didn’t leave any for me?”

You rolled your eyes, “Again, you kept me waiting. Wasn’t going to continue playing with my food until you showed up.” 

“Watch your mouth, Y/N.” Dorian stepped over the body, leaning against the wall, his eyes shooting daggers into you, “get me updated.” 

You sigh, standing in front of him, “Nothing has changed. They still have no idea where to find you.”

Dorian clicked his tongue, “Not yet. Our pretty little witch prisoner sent out a raven earlier. That’s what I was dealing with and why I was late.” 

You crossed your arms, not caring about this war Dorian started with himself and one of the most powerful vampire packs. 

“Why go this far? I thought you said the falling out between you and them was ancient history.” 

“Oh it is, but that doesn’t mean I am over it.” Dorian walked closer to you, “I need their power, their mates. The moment I kill their mates in front of them and then kill them and take in every ounce of power they have…I will be unstoppable.”

You looked away from him, “All this just to be the Vampire King.”

“Exactly!” He said, taking your jaw between his fingers and forcing you to look at him, “That’s why you’re going to lure them in with their little one.” 

You shoved him off you, “I told you I don’t give a shit, fight this on your own.” 

Dorian was quick on his feet as he was now standing behind you and a knife was pressed to your cheek, “Did you forget your place? Hmm?”

You took a deep breath in, letting a soft “no,” leave your lips. 

“Good.” Dorian released the knife and his grip on you, “Win the youngest one over, I don’t care how you do it as long as you don’t mate with him.” 

You shook your head, “It won’t happen, he doesn’t believe in soulmates.” 

Laughter erupted from Dorian, “What a shame.”

You couldn’t get Niki’s soft smile out of your mind, how much hurt that was held in that smile from his past trauma, but also the happiness he held in it as well because of the ones who saved him. 

It felt wrong to hand over Niki and his pack to Dorian. You already knew he was going to use the mates as his wild card to bend them to his will. 

But you knew you also couldn’t defy Dorian. 

Dorian starts to walk away from you, his voice echoing down the alley, “Do your job and lure the youngest in. Their power will be mine.”

—

Niki nervously tapped his foot against the floor, his eyes darting to the clock every five minutes. 

The school day couldn’t go any slower. 

His heart raced every time he would catch you staring at him. The way you would smile at him and push your hair behind your ears. It was driving him insane. 

The school bell rang, and Niki was the first out of the classroom, you followed right behind him. 

“So blondie, what is the plan for today?” You asked, keeping up with his pace. 

“I have soccer practice first, so I figured we could hang out once I’m finished?” 

You nodded, “I’ll even watch the practice.” 

Hearing those words was enough to pull at Niki’s heartstrings, quickly shook his head and shoved that feeling down. 

Niki also noticed how everyone was staring at the two of them. You also noticed. 

The whispers filled his ears. One by one making comments on how he finally wasn’t a loner, that they wondered how much he paid you to hang around them. Pointless bullshit after another.

“Niki,” your voice tuning him back to reality, pushing the whispers away, “Just ignore them, they aren’t worth the time.” 

He knew you were right. Niki smirked to himself, remembering they are just mortals wasting their lives with pointless bullshit. They had a short time. Niki had eternity. 

You sat in the bleachers, watching as Niki and his teammates did their stretches and warmups. 

There was another crowd of girls gushing over how cute all the boys were. Niki’s name came up, catching your attention. 

“Nishimura is so cute in his practice uniform~” one giggled. 

“I know! Gosh, I wish I was brave enough to ask him out, think he would say yes if I did?” 

You groaned in disgust, feeling a small hint of jealousy. The girls were pretty, and you couldn’t help but think how nice they would look standing next to Niki. 

His arm wrapped around them, his bite mark sitting beautifully on her neck. 

You snapped yourself out of your thoughts but still passed a glare at the girls. 

Little did you know Niki watched the whole interaction. 

He smiled warmly at seeing you getting worked up over some mortal girls. 

The coach called the players over, telling them a neighboring school came for a practice match. 

Niki couldn’t focus. His brain was in a million different places. Mostly back with you. How you’re sitting in the bleachers watching him and how bad he was sucking right now. 

The other team was winning. Niki couldn’t stay focused long enough. His teammates were even giving him hell for not being on his “a game”. 

You could sense he wasn’t feeling okay. Your heart pulled to him and you wanted to run across the field and give him the biggest hug. 

But you knew you couldn’t. So you settled for the next best thing. 

“NIKI!!!!”

Niki turned to you when hearing his name fall from your lips. 

All it took was making eye contact with you, for that little stupid string of fate to wrap around you both from across this field. 

Niki stood in place just looking at you and how big your smile was. 

You felt it too. The pull of that knot of fate. 

Before the knot could fully be tied, Niki’s coach called to him, gaining his attention back. 

You let out a breath, slowly sitting back down in the bleachers. 

You stared down at your black Converse, and a thought crossed your brain.

“Dorian will kill me too.” 

—

You and Niki walked side by side, the cool night breeze blowing your hair into your face. 

Niki took the opportunity to pull your hair behind your ears, slowly rubbing his thumbs against your cheeks. 

You tried to not look at him, wanting to push whatever fate had in store for you away. You couldn’t do this. It would get you both killed. 

Niki noticed your difference in mood. You wouldn’t look at him. Talk to him. Barely agreed to walk with him. 

“Y/N.” he called for you, “Look at me, please.” 

“I can’t…Niki.” 

Niki sighed and looked off into the distance, “Is it because I told you I don’t believe in soulmates?” 

You start to say something, to tell him the full truth. But you stopped.

Niki looked back at your face, watching you struggle to look anywhere but him hurt. He wanted your eyes on him, and only one way popped into his mind. 

Niki quickly leaned down, placing his lips gently on yours. 

You backed away quickly, making eye contact with him, “What the fuck, Niki?!” 

Niki smirked at your reaction, getting what he wanted, “It got you to look at me.” 

You groaned, throwing daggers at him with your eyes, “So you think kissing me was the way to go!?”

Niki just kept smiling at you, “I think I am ready to believe in soulmates.”

You relaxed your body, looking at him with such care, “What?”

He nodded, “I am ready to believe in soulmates.” he walked back to you, closing the gap. One hand rests on your waist while the other holds your face, “It took meeting you for me to realize it. I thought long and hard after you asked me if I didn’t believe in soulmates for myself, and you were right. The night I was turned, I was going to confess to the first girl I ever loved. But I watched her get murdered in front of me, thinking I was next but well..here we are. I stopped believing in love and the only love I accepted was from my pack. But one by one I watched as they each found a mate. Maybe I was just jealous because I am two hundred and ten stuck in a seventeen-year-old body for eternity and there aren’t many others stuck in the same situation.”

You tried to hold back the tears after hearing Niki’s past story and what he went through. 

“So finding a soulmate felt useless to me, that was until you walked into the classroom yesterday…Y/N, I know you felt that knot too. That pull of those stupid ass strings of fate…”

You slowly nodded, forcing yourself right now to not give in to it. 

Niki brushed your hair out of your face and wiped the small tear that came from your eye, “be my mate, Y/N. We have eternity to figure everything else out.” 

The pull was stronger and harder to fight. 

You wanted to be with him. Wanted to show him love and care. To spend that eternity to figure life out with him. 

Niki leaned his forehead against yours, “I already stopped fighting it…let it go.” 

You closed your eyes, stood on your tiptoes, and connected your lips to his. The string of fate sealing its knot. 

Niki smiled into the kiss before giggling and breaking the kiss. 

You looked up at your soulmate, his cute face bringing every ounce of joy into your own soul. 

Niki’s phone started vibrating in his pocket. 

He quickly glanced down, seeing a spam of messages from Heeseung. 

heeseung: We found it. Sunoo and Jay just returned. Come home ASAP!! Like right now. 

“Everything okay?” You asked, quickly glancing down at Niki’s phone, seeing the messages. 

“Yeah, I just have to go home, my brothers are looking for me.” 

Niki planted a soft kiss on your forehead, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

And then he vanished. 

Dread filled you. They did it. They found where Dorian was hiding, where YOU were hiding. 

“Didn’t I tell you to not mate with the young one?” 

Your heart stopped, panic settling in. 

“No no, Y/N. Better calm down before he senses something is wrong.” 

You knew he was right. and The last thing you needed was Niki to find out everything. 

Dorian appeared in front of you, the biggest smirk on his face. 

“This is a very big turn of events, who knew this whole time you were falling for the younger one? Hmm?”

Dorian’s words angered you, “You’re the one that’s had me stalking them for who knows how long now! This is your fault!” 

“Oh no, sweet Y/N,” he softly snapped, pinching your face, “This is fate's fault. I had no control over it. Don’t you know you don’t pick your soulmates? Fate does.” 

You shoved him away, trying to keep yourself as calm as possible so Niki doesn’t sense anything. Or even worse, his whole pack sensing something wrong. 

“Now what to do, what to do.” Dorian circled around you. 

“I won’t do it. Whatever it is, I won’t do it.” 

Dorian stopped walking, “Excuse me?” 

You took a step back, but Dorian was way too quick. 

His hand met your throat, and your back to the pavement. 

“You really needed to be reminded, huh little one? Did you forget who created you?!? I DID!” Dorian’s voice growled. The memory of the night he nearly killed you but decided at the last minute that you’d be a perfect puzzle piece to his game.

You gripped both hands around his wrist, trying with all your strength to push him off you. But nothing worked. 

“Hahahahaaaa! See, Y/N? The power that I have obtained just from that dhampir and witch alone. Imagine the power I’d behold once that damn pack is gone!”

Your eyes widened, shaking your head, “No please.” 

“It’s too late, your little mate will be killed with the rest of them. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep you alive until the world ends to suffer for the pain you just caused.”

Tears swelled your eyes. You just got your soulmate, and you’ll soon lose him too. 

“Now that I also know they have found where we live, I think it's time to lure them in, ya?” Dorian balled up his other fist, “You’ll go find your mate, show them what I have done to you, and lead them to our home. That damn elf of theirs has masked their scents, but since you’re connected to them.”

You blacked out after that sentence. Doing everything you could to hide the pain so Niki wouldn’t come running. 

—

Everyone ran around Heeseung’s apartment gathering all the supplies and weapons needed. 

Niki helped Sunghoon and Jake pile the supplies into backpacks. 

“It’s almost time,” Jungwon announced, “The earlier we hit his compound, the better.” 

Niki wondered if you could feel the stress he was feeling. The pain of being away from you. He wondered if his brothers had noticed. 

He wanted to tell them. To at least let them know. 

He shoved a few blood bags into the backpack, his brain on the fence about what to do. 

“Hey,” Heeseung tapped his shoulder, “Everything okay?” 

Before Niki could answer, he sensed you. 

Niki dropped the backpack and ran to the front door, swinging it open. 

You looked up at your soulmate and watched how his face shattered at how you looked. 

Niki pulled you inside, slamming the door behind you. 

He embraced you in his arms and all you could do was cry. Not just because of how badly you were physically in pain, but because of the fate that awaited you both. 

“Hey hey, Y/N, what happened?!” Niki tried to calm you down, running his hands through your hair. 

Jay and Heeseung were at Niki’s side in a second, removing you from his arms. 

“STOP!” Niki yelled, using all his strength to get his brothers away from you. 

They took a step back and they watched Niki drop to the floor with you back in his arms. 

And that’s when the others felt it. 

Heeseung sighed, “This is Niki’s mate.” 

Niki was able to calm you down and sat you on the couch while he knelt in front of you. 

This was the first time you’d been up and close with the rest of his pack. 

Now that you were connected to them, you could feel just how powerful these vampires were. 

Heeseung knew something felt off. If Niki and you were bonded together, why didn’t the rest know? Heeseung remembers feeling the exact moment when each member connected with their mates. Why was Niki’s story so different? 

Niki brushed your hair away from your face, his heart broke at seeing how you looked, how bruised and cut up you were. 

“Who did this to you?” Niki whispered, fighting back his own tears. 

You did as Dorian told you, “It was Dorian.” 

The room fell even more silent, and all eyes were on you.  

“He was stalking Niki and me tonight. He told me as he attacked me that he wanted Niki. He wanted the rest of your mates. I don’t know why or what for, I was just so confused. He let me go and I only felt safe finding Niki.” 

Heeseung clocked your story. Putting it to the side for now. 

Jay examined you, making sure your healing function was working and the elf mate offered to help speed up the process. 

Heeseung pulled Niki to the side, “When did this happen?” 

Niki raised a brow, “I told you all that I met another vampire.” 

“Not that.” Heeseung softly snapped. 

Niki knew what he was talking about, “It just happened, like right before you spammed my phone. There were other important matters and I didn’t want to distract anyone. We need the girls back and to destroy Dorian, mostly now that he was targeting me to get to you guys and now hurt my mate. I’m done playing games.” 

Niki walked back over to you, and all Heeseung could do was analyze. 

After you were healed up, the leader of your new pack was ready to move out. 

“We need to leave. Now.” Jungwon said, then turning to his soulmate and planting a soft kiss on her lips. 

Jay did the same, telling the girls to behave and not leave the apartment. 

Sunoo and his elf mate dangled their fingers together and were the first two out of the apartment. 

Niki watched Jungwon and Jay and say the final goodbyes to their mates, telling them they would be back soon. 

Niki knelt back down to you, “You need to stay here with them.” 

You shook your head, “No! I want to fight as well!” 

Niki kissed your forehead, “I can’t lose you.” 

You gripped his forearms, hands shaking. You need to be there to stop Dorian if he tries to hurt Niki. You can’t allow it. 

Niki released you from him, following his brothers out the door. 

You cursed to yourself, standing up and leaving the apartment. 

—

Finding the entrance to the compound was easy thanks to __ magic. 

Niki followed behind his brothers and they snuck their way inside. 

Jake and Sunghoon were on the lookout for where they could be keeping their mates. 

The compound was a lot bigger than they expected. Heeseung figured Dorian made it like this purposely to keep anyone from finding him. 

They eventually came to a throne room. The room was painted red and was barely lit. 

“Keep your guard up,” Jungwon said, “I have a bad feeling  about this place.” 

“As you should, Won.”

All the vampires hissed, seeing Dorian walk into the room. 

Niki’s fist tightened, seeing the man who was responsible for hurting you. 

Dorian looked at each of them, a small tsk releasing from his mouth, “I am so disappointed, where are the humans?”

Jungwon stepped in front of everyone, his fangs retracted and hands pulling out his weapon, “Don’t speak about our humans!” He hissed. 

Jay followed right up behind Jungwon, his jaw locked in place. 

Dorian laughed, “The only one who brought their mate was Sunoo, never thought you’d be into elves.” 

Sunoo gritted his teeth, pushing __ behind him. 

“Give me back my witch!” Sunghoon screamed, “Give her back to me!”

Dorian raised a brow, seeing Jake step beside Sunghoon, “I want my dhampir back as well.”!

“Hmm, well of course.” Dorian snapped his fingers, two portals opening. Two vampire women stepped through, holding the witch and dhampir at knifepoint. 

Sunghoon and Jake tried to rush to their mates, Jungwon and Jay grabbing a hold of them.

Heeseung analyzed everything. Something was off. Dorian wouldn’t just hand them over that easily. 

The women threw the witch and dhampir across the room, Sunghoon and Jake being at their side in seconds. 

Sunghoon embraced her, “Oh my beautiful hex girl.” He cried out, holding her weak body tightly against him. 

“You saw my raven?” she spoke, touching her hands to his face. 

Sunghoon nodded, “I did. We received the raven.” 

Jake pulled the dhampir up to her feet, her strength barely there to even stand. 

“Baby, my Luna Nova,” Jake pulled her to him, tears staining his face, “I won’t ever let you go again.” 

Jay and Jungwon pulled Sunghoon, Jake, and their mates behind them. 

That’s when Heeseung noticed it. 

“This is a trap.” 

Everyone looked at him. Dorian’s smirk gets wider. 

“Hyung!” Niki called out, “What do you mean this was a trap?!” 

Heeseung studied the room more. This wasn’t just some normal room. 

“He put a magic barrier in this room that only amplifies his power and weakens ours.” 

Jungwon gritted his teeth, “That's why you gave us the girls back so easily!”

“Oh, how correct you are!” Dorian snapped his fingers again, and a small flame appeared at his fingertips, “Your pack is the strongest out of all the vampire packs. Not to mention you now have a dhampir, witch, and elf in your ranks as well. You guys are a powerhouse!” 

Jay rolled his eyes, “Get to the fucking point!” 

“With you all out of the way, no one can stand in my way of becoming the Vampire King.” 

Heeseung furrowed his eyes, “You’re afraid one of us will take the throne?” he hissed.

Dorian shrugged, “Of course. The last thing we need is your pack in charge.”

“And what makes you think you’re so fit to be king?!” Sunghoon snapped, finally getting his witch back to her feet. 

“Because I achieved what no one else has. I killed an entire coven and stole all their secrets. Got the blood of humans to use and even stole some magic from your witch and strength from your dhampir. I inherited it all. I will kill each and every one of you then challenge the vampire king for his throne. The world will know no peace.” 

Niki clenched his fist, “No one will follow you!” 

The ladies at Dorian’s side giggled, clearly showing where their loyalty was. 

“Don’t worry, Nishimura. I have plenty of other people in this compound already devoted to me…ain’t that right, Y/N.” 

Niki’s heart dropped seeing you appear from behind Dorian. 

Your eyes were swollen from crying. You couldn’t even look at Niki. You already could feel the bond between you two shaking. 

Dorian pulled you to him, hand gripping your chin. 

Niki ran forward, Jay and Jungwon having to hold him back. He hissed as his fangs sharpened to a point. 

Heeseung knew the moment you stepped foot inside the apartment that something was off. You have the power to mask yourself from not just everyone but also your pack. 

“Let her go!!” Niki yelled, fighting against his brothers to get free. 

Heeseung quickly turned around, receiving a nod from the elf. 

She secretly was tearing the barrier down. It was time to fight. 

Dorian noticed right away, the feeling of his power fading. 

Everyone pulled their weapons out, ready to rush Dorian. 

“Wait STOP!” Jungwon screamed, seeing Dorian’s dagger connected to your throat, “He’ll kill her if we move.” 

Niki fought to stay in place. 

“Drop all your weapons. NOW!” Dorian yelled. 

One by one everyone got rid of their weapons, the women collecting them quickly. 

Niki kept his eyes on you, but the more he looked, the more he realized how he was played. 

His soulmate was his enemy. 

Dorian noticed Niki’s reaction, “Hmm you finally pieced the puzzles together huh? Your soulmate betrayed you. Not just right now either. She’s been stalking and following you guys around.”

Heeseung clenched his jaw tighter, “That's how our locations kept getting leaked.” 

Dorian nodded, “You even called it too, saying a mole was watching from a distance. Bravo.”

Niki took a step forward, but the dagger against your neck broke the skin, your blood collecting on the dagger. 

“Don’t move, I’ll kill her right here in front of you.”

Niki shook his head, the old memories returning. Seeing his first love being drained and killed in front of him. He couldn’t go through it again. He can’t. 

Heeseung’s eyes were roaming all over the room, noticing the women who were once at Dorian’s side were gone. 

That’s when Heeseung sensed it. 

Heeseung ducked down, pulling his hidden blade from his boot, grabbing the woman, and holding her to his chest. He stabbed the blade into her shoulder, and blood slightly painted his face, as her screams filled the room.  

Sunghoon and Jungwon were able to catch the other woman, tearing her apart. 

Dorian furrowed his eyes, anger filled him as he watched one of his followers get murdered. Eyes flooded back to Heeseung. 

“Release the girl!” Heeseung yelled, “And I’ll return your follower.”

Niki kept his eyes on you, waiting for the right second to grab you from Dorian. 

Everyone slowly moved forward. The witches and dhampir's strength slowly return. The witch set her hand a blaze, while the elf built a barrier around her pack. 

Dorian was back into a corner(literally). 

He snapped his fingers, and a portal appeared. 

Heeseung slowly shoved the blade further into the woman’s shoulder, her screams getting louder.

Dorian needed a better plan, mostly since his strongest vampire was being held against Heeseung’s chest. 

“Give me my follower back first, then I’ll let go of the little one.” 

Niki whipped around to his hyung, begging with his eyes to let go of the woman.

Heeseung knew the game Dorian was playing and took a step forward, his brothers following. 

Dorian released a laugh, “Oh well this was fun, but I have things cooking in another place. I was expecting the barrier to hold. Oh well.”

He put one foot in the portal but stopped at Niki’s cries.

“GIVE HER BACK!” 

Dorian laughed some more, releasing you from his grip. 

“Silly teenager, I created her. I turned her into what she is now. I gave her eternal life. Her loyalties are to me!” 

Niki moved forward, his arms stretched in front of him, “Y/N, please. We’re soulmates…choose me again. Please choose me again.” 

You wiped the blood from your neck, refusing to look at Niki. You knew Dorian wouldn’t stop until you all were dead. And the only way to keep Niki safe was to betray him. 

You didn’t move from Dorian’s side. 

“Y/N…” 

Dorian’s laugh filled the room, “I told you. Maybe your bond doesn’t run as deep as you thought.”

Dorian stepped through the portal, you following right behind him. 

“Y/N!!!” Niki screamed, causing your heart to break. 

You looked at him one last time, “Just let me go, Niki…you have to let it go.” 

Niki fell to his knees watching you disappear with Dorian. 

“Fuck.” Heeseung mumbled. 

Everyone stood in place, not knowing what to say or do. They could just watch their maknae stare off into the distance. 

“If you’re going to kill me, go ahead and get it over with!” the woman hissed, squirming in Heeseung’s arms. 

“Hmm…” Heeseung hummed, pushing the blade further in, “I have other uses for you.” 

They placed a bag over her head and tied it tightly. 

“Where to now?” Sunghoon asked, pulling his witch closer to him. 

Jungwon looked at Heeseung for confirmation, only speaking after he nodded, “The new safe house.” 

—

The woman was thrown into a chair and tied down, the bag being removed from her head. 

She blinked a couple of times to refocus her vision, seeing Heeseung standing in front of her. 

She squirmed in the chair, quickly looking around the empty room. 

“Where the fuck am I?” 

Heeseung let out a laugh, “That’s a fucking funny joke.” 

She gritted her teeth, the pain in her shoulder returning. 

Her blood was still attached to Heeseung’s face and clothes, and it completely covered her entire clothes. 

Heeseung placed his right boot between her legs on the chair, leaning on his right leg, “Tell us where to find Dorian.” 

“Go fuck yourself.” 

Heeseung pulled out the same blade from earlier out his back pocket, placing the cold silver against her jawline, it burned her skin. 

“This blade was made special for me. Made with the same type of silver that’s used to kill us.” He pressed the blade closer, watching as she gritted her teeth. Heeseung removed the blade, asking her one more time, “Where is Dorian.” 

She refused to answer, instead, laughter filled her lungs. 

“You won’t find him. He succeeded in his experiments to become the strongest vampire. And once he kills the vampire king, he will be stronger than you pack and kill you all.”

Heeseung chuckled, “What makes you so sure that he could kill the vampire king?” 

“Look at what he has achieved,” she tilted her head, “He’ll kill the vampire king, kill you all and save me.” 

Heeseung laughed more, “That’s pretty fucking hilarious actually.”

She furrowed her eyes in confusion. Staring up at Heeseung. The facial expression he was making scared her.

“How is this so funny?” she asked. 

“Because,” Heeseung tilted his head up, his fangs slowly came to a point, his tongue licking his right fang as his eyes turned a different color. It wasn’t the shade of crimson that normal vampires have, but it was bright gold. And the only vampire that has bright golden eyes was…“I am the vampire king.” 

She gasped, seeing how bright golden his eyes were. Seeing six pairs of crimson eyes glowing behind him. 

Heeseung smirked down at her, as the fear settled in.

[smallmightsfantastictwink]

Okay okay okay I’m sorry I gotta climb on my soap box here real quick

LUCANIS X SHADOW DRAGON ROOK IS SUPERIOR.

Okay I know what you’re about to say: Crow Rook x Lucanis fucks and yeah it is cute bc they have a shared background. But consider this:

Lucanis loves his family and being a Crow BUT I kept having this feeling that he’s also wanted to know what life is like outside of that bubble. And in comes Rook, a Shadow Dragon who’s a little impulsive but desperately passionate about their city and protecting people. Specifically when I played Lucanis was introduced to a person with chaotic good morals, someone who was willing to do anything to keep their people safe and stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves.

Rook chooses Treviso over Minrathous not because they’re dickmatized but because they see a city with no defenses and no way to fend off a dragon and choose protecting a city of people who’ve seen devastation and occupation already and can’t protect themselves from a massive Blighted dragon. They trust the Minrathous guard, the Shadow Dragons, and Neve to have that ability for Minrathous. Lucanis sees someone who sacrifices their love for their own city to stand up for one that can’t for itself.

Lucanis can introduce Rook to his world, to his family and people and city that he loves so dearly. Rook can fall in love with Treviso and the Crows and still love their own city and in turn show Lucanis a life outside being a Crow. Lucanis gets to share the novelty of coffee and camaraderie of a city bonded through shared trauma.

And then there’s Caterina; who loves her grandson so fiercely and before she can even see him alive again she’s kidnapped. When she finally does see him again he’s beside someone who loves him just as much as she does, someone new to their world but embraces it without a second thought.

And Viago and Teia, who’ve probably killed Venatori and Shadow Dragon alike. They meet a person so dedicated to protecting the world they’d sacrifice everything except Lucanis. And they become a family, because if Lucanis can love this person so unconditionally, they can too, without a second thought.

And in the end, there’s a world where the Venatori are on the ropes, where the Shadow Dragons have pushed them out and they’re rebuilding. Dorian Pavus is the Archon and he won’t stand for anything but a free Minrathous. Rook has work to do there but it’s limited. And when it’s finished they step through that Eluvian into the Diamond, they walk right into Lucanis’ arms, and take up the role of the First Talon’s anchor. They take contracts that topple regimes built on the backs of others. They keep house for Lucanis- who, let’s be real, there’s no world where that man can maintain house AND the Crows (considering his comment where he’s like “they want to know how I want to decorate the Villa,” with the air of someone who has no fucking clue what that means, I’m fully onboard the Rook takes on the administrative and domestic aspects of being First Talon train, change my mind you won’t).

Anyways I live in this beautiful world and you should too!

[ittybittyremy]

All the details Bells Hells know about Cyrus' death & everything surrounding it

I've been seeing people wondering/forgetting how much Dorian has told Bells Hells about the circumstances of Cyrus' death. So I've decided to go through the episodes!

A couple disclaimers before I start:

Orym shouldn't have made that comment to Dorian. Even if he didn't know all the specifics, knowing Dorian's brother died recently (and at all for that matter) should have stopped him from making that theoretical. Even if Cyrus' death had nothing to do with the gods, it would still be an inappropriate thing to say. He could've made that theoretical to anyone else in that group but he said it to the person with a recently dead family member.

Even though it would be beneficial for Dorian to tell BH (and for BH to learn/understand) everything about that day, he doesn't have to (and` shouldn't be forced to). Plus, it's very in character for Dorian not to tell them.

I don't want to see any comments saying "well it's implied," "BH should be able to connect the dots," or "BH should get the hint because of how Dorian has been acting." I'm bad at picking up hints irl so I won't fault BH for not connecting those points.

This post is about what Dorian has explicitly said (even though I did add a couple parts where he implies what happens).

This is all under the assumption that Dorian has not told BH everything off camera.

All timestamps will be based on the YouTube VOD.

I may miss a couple tidbits so sorry in advance.

Now to the actual information

Episode 93

Cyrus died (3:43:24)

Two of Dorian's best friends became the champions of the Matron of Ravens and the Spider Queen (3:43:28)

It all happened yesterday (3:43:38)

Opal is "not really" okay (3:43:45)

Cyrus died in battle "if you can call it that" (3:53:36)

Until that day he never thought real evil existed (3:53:46)

What he saw in the previous couple days does was "irredeemable" (3:53:55)

They tried to help Opal (3:54:59)

Dorian knows that there are forces enacting on the world that go "deeper than [he] imagined" (3:55:05)

Fy'ra Rai stayed with Opal (3:55:16)

Dariax is "all right" (3:55:20)

Opal is alive but corrupted (3:57:04)

Fy'ra Rai may be walking down the path as Opal (3:57:12)

Episode 94

Dorian doesn't explicitly mention it this episode but there is a moment where he hints that the prime deities may have somehow been involved.

"If you are relying on the help of the gods, champions, I can't say that I trust them anymore" (2:30:17)

Episode 102

No explicit mentions here BUT we begin to get Dorian's opinions of the gods. That's not what this post is about so I will move on

Episode 103

More of Dorian's views on the gods and we finally get another (sort of) explicit mention

"The last I conferred with a god, they cared very little about the feelings of anyone around us." That god being the Spider Queen (1:37:01)

The reason I say "sort of" is because Dorian doesn't say this is in regards to Cyrus' death (even though we the audience knows this). Orym and Fearne could've easily assumed that this was in regards to their EXU times.

Episode 109

Get an idea of what "getting dark" means. Matt describes Opal as "a humanoid shape of white hair and a black crown dripping and black oil and ichor. Opal stands dark and still" (2:19:13)

"Opal the Twice-Crowned, born a fractured, dual soul. A being of unknown potential, manipulated by cult and betrayer gods alike to walk a violent path without agency, a pawn for the gods and their whims." Raven Queen describing Opal (2:19:32)

Opal has a spider form (different from three-armed Opal) (2:49:20)

Episode 110

Dorian remind Bells Hells that Opal is now the champion of the Spider Queen (51:29)

Laudna says "hang on, because didn't, the last time you saw Opal, wasn't she trying to brutally murder you?" (52:22). I guess BH knows it was the Spider Queen? I'm a bit confused because Dorian never explicitly told them this but maybe it was an off screen thing

Dorian: "I'm not certain any information we would get from her would be particularly reliable" (52:30)

What does Bells Hells know?

As far as they know, the day before Dorian reunited with Bells Hells:

Cyrus died in a (sort of) battle.

They tried to help Opal but she is corrupted, she is still alive though

Fy'ra Rai stayed with Opal

Dariax is safe

Opal and someone else are now the champions of the Spider Queen and Matron of Ravens.

Dorian discovered real evil existed

The title "Opal the Twice-Crowned"

Opal's spider form (but different the three-armed Opal that Dorian saw)

Opal is not a reliable source of information right now

What does Bells Hells not know?

Wildmother refused to help

Matron refused to help

The Spider Queen killed Cyrus (? tbh i'm confused about this one)

Dorian came here because Opal casted mass suggestion

Dorian abandoned Dariax

Opal's memories are either gone or altered

Opal with three arms

The whole Ted thing

And much more

[thedas-elf-lover]

Also I'm not sure I've said this yet but—

I really dislike how much of the lore leads to Solas.

Saying "there's a lack of complexity" in regards to DAV feels like pointing out that water is wet but seriously, the way every mystery in DA boils down to one or two people is so reductive to what could have been a fantastically spanning and complex story. I felt like they wanted to go there but didn't, so instead wound up with off-tone comments about love and murder, over simplifications that are frustrating to come from a character who's supposed to be a detective. Life is never that simple and moreover these are seemingly the originators of all elvhen life, HOW is that supposed to be simple? Where is the courtly intrigue? If there's drama, where is it? There's just not enough information to be gleaned from a few murals depicting Solas' memories. And don't get me started on how treating memories as a wholly reliable source of unbias information is a really awful idea. And these people, as professionals, should know this. Emmrich especially, as a Fade expert, should KNOW that stories told through the Fade are variable and change depending on who or what is influencing the story. Solas himself says "they're all true" when asked about Ostagar, which is a way of validating theories but also paints an interesting picture of the unreliably intangibility of the Fade itself.

And then these mfers just go "Oh ya that's how it is 100%, no need to dig deeper."

MOTHERFUCKER.

The Fade is NOT that simple!

But I'm getting off topic.

There needed to be more characters. And this goes for just about everything in this game. Dorian, for example, being the person giving the anti-slavery speech AND being the guy who gets up and almost beats a guy over slavery AND being the magister insider AND blahblahblah introduce new characters. I'm frustrated at this because 1. It really makes the SD fight seem grim if they've only got two magisters, one a former magister and the other still throwing out lines about "illegal slavery" my brother in Andraste there is no legal slavery. It makes sense for someone like Dorian to still have backwards thinking but they need another character with saner ideals because they can and should exist. And they need to not be one of the three different kinds of Tevinter noble.

Solas being the one to forge the dagger is stupid. Develop Sylaise or something. Make her do something. Give her space to exist.

"But then how do we tie Solas to the Titans?"

YOU DON'T???????

You can LITERALLY remove that entire detail and change nothing! Solas doesn't need to be tied to the Titans!

It would even improve the fucking trick plot! Because the that actual fuck does a guy who CRAFTED a dagger attuned to him NOT recognize it? Unless he didn't actually craft or use the dagger or have anything to do with the dagger? And just stole it to seal the Evanuris away?

SEE LITERALLY NOTHING CHANGES!!!!

The Solas-Titan shit was just to make him less sympathetic, that is IT. It serves no other purpose to the plot.

"How else will Solas be guilty?"

And here's where neutering your homegirl Mythal fucked you over! SHE is why! Because she's actually a pretty awful person who wields guilt like a fucking scalpal! And then she dies and Solas feels responsible! BOOM you got your guilt! Oh not enough? Well the Veil FUCKED elves for thousands of years! His people are in ruins because of him! He doesn't need Titans for this!

I truly wholly do NOT understand why he needs to be tied to the Titans and the Blight. Okay he's scared shitless of the Blight. You know a funny story that could have been used to explain that? And also explain how Solas knows how to sooth the Blighted artifact? Fen'Harel was tricked into becoming Andruil's servant. Andruil was Ghilan'nain's lover. Solas got a front row seat of their bullshit. Boom you develop two queens in STEM, and explain Solas' fear and knowledge of the Blight. Or something idk I wish they'd referred to that story again though because the things they imply Solas suffered in the previous 3 games were absolutely downplayed to make him less sympathetic in DAV.

[pupkinpumpkin]

Headcanon time!

Thinking of my Lavellan learning when Cullen's birthday (or name-day I think) is during their little chess game before they enter a relationship

She keeps the info tucked away for later until a bit before In What Pride Had Wrought, where she realizes Cullen's birthday is coming up and wants to do something for him

So, the plan-

- Ask Cassandra if it's possible for her to take over Cullen's duties for a day (she's reluctant, but Lavellan begs, and she can't say no to being part of a romantic gesture, so she agrees, but she makes Lavellan promise to tell her all the details the day after)

- Ask Josephine and Leliana if they don't need Cullen for the day and if they're okay with Cassandra running the show instead (They give the okay and Leliana has her scouts inform Cullen's men)

- Ask the main cook if they can whip up some classic Ferelden meals, desserts, any other foods she knows Cullen likes, etc, for which they will be compensated for working outside their hours (she's very grateful, pays them way more sovereigns than she probably should've)

- Stands at Josephine's door for 5 minutes afraid to knock on the door, finally does, Josephine invites her in, and it takes Lavellan a few moments of blushing and hyping herself up to ask if Josie knows any places that may sell good wine or...lingerie. Josephine tells Leliana and Vivienne (mostly for advice on good stores, but also because of that sweet sweet gossip), Vivienne tells Dorian, Dorian tells Iron Bull, and guess what, they're all going with her on her secret shopping trip and giving Cullen funny looks when he asks why they're all going with Lavellan just to buy cheese

- I think she would have already been using her magic to help dull pain when he has headaches, but she'd be researching a lot more possible ways her magic could help with any negative effects just in case

- Buys a transportable chess set (those nifty ones that fold and hold the pieces), commissions a very nice Ferelden looking sword (with a mabari face as a hilt) from Harritt, and, after badgering Cullen about how, yes, don't deny it, you absolutely do use hair products, which ones specifically do you use, she buys a bunch of hair care stuff, because as much as she adores his curls, she knows how particular he is about it

The day comes and she doesn't sleep with how nervous she is over getting everything just right

She's learned Cullen's schedule by heart at this point, so about an hour before he usually wakes up, she gets ready (wearing a quite well-fitting dress) knocks on his door and he invites her in

She gives him the hair care as his first gift and sits on the bed as she watches him do his hair and generally just get ready for the day. When he makes the small remark at how even on his birthday, he's working, she oh so subtly tells him "Well, actually..."

She smiles at his disbelief, and when he starts stressing over all the reports he needs to finish writing or instructions he needs to give Cassandra on what to do, Lavellan calms him down and tells him that Skyhold will still be here when he gets back and she made sure that he doesn't have to worry about anything today, giving him the sword as his next gift

They travel to the same lake where he gave her the lucky coin and have a picnic full of food freshly prepared by the cook. They walk, talk, maybe even swim, she gives him the chess set, and they leave again for Skyhold, arriving just when it gets dark

She takes him to her room, gives him one last present, and then she immediately falls asleep because Creators is she tired. That lack of sleep got to her eventually.

Cullen just holds her in his arms, running his fingers through her hair, and thanks her, whispering that an entire day spent with her was the best gift he could've asked for

[mamawardentotherescue]

Okay, so I've slept and gathered my thoughts more and I'm going to explain why I don't like da:v (because some of you have assumed a lot about me and my relationship with the series)

First off, I have been in love with dragon age since I was 13/14 and have been obsessed with it for 12 years. It was my muse for writing and creating art; I read every book I could get my hands on and lived on the wiki and forums for everything else; when I got my first pay check I bought the lore books (which was hard to find in Australia). When I was depressed or so lonely my heart felt like it would burst, I would come back to the companions I would call friends. This game saved me from killing myself more times than I could count.

I have loved this game series for all it's writing and lore - the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, for me to be upset and disappointed in this game is not to be taken lightly.

Straight up, da:v felt wrong (I'm not going to mention why I don't like the inquisitor creator because I feel like at this point you should know why). They launch you straight into the middle of a plan your character has apparently known all along, but it left me feeling confused. I had so many questions! It's been 8 years since Trespasser, 10 years since the beginning of Inquisition and 20 for Origins; a lot has changed and I want to know what's happened in thedas since I've been away because I've invested a lot of time with that world, regardless of whether or not you respect my input on the world building...but the writing doesn't care about that.

I had a constant thought of "they're trying to recreate Mass Effect but have forgotten why people play Dragon Age, and they're not even respecting ME while they do it" and the more hours I put in to this game the more obvious this became.

"But MamaWarden, it looks so pretty and the combat is fun!" I hear you say, and yes, I do agree. The game was built really well in comparison to past games, but good hair isn't a good enough distraction from shit writing and a lack of respect for the series.

Before finishing the game I would often say that the best part about the game was the companions. They felt familiar and I enjoyed what I had with them but wished I had more. I was prepared to stick with that until they made me choose between Harding or Davrin (and Assan)...

Let me explain very simply why I fucking hated this:

1. It was another "look at us trying to be Mass Effect" moment but done shittily

2. Feels sus to say the least to pin Harding, the first female dwarf we've been allowed to romance and have a pre-existing relationship with (as the player), against Davrin, the first black elf we've encountered that wasn't just an OC of the player

3. Doesn't matter if you complete their companion quests, gain max approval and send what I would argue the "right" one to survive to a mission, only to have that person die because they were the other group's leader

As soon as it happened and the companion (I felt like I was forced to choose because I was romancing the other) was killed, I felt like nothing mattered. Again, it felt like someone tried to recreate the OG ME trilogy into one game but completely misunderstood what made those games ironically heart wrenching. I wasn't given a choice where I knowingly sacrificed a companion the way they did with Ashley and Kaiden, I was instead given a "who do you think will be best for the job?"

You might think it's a taste or preference thing, but it's not. It's a "dragon age has followed a particular pattern that's different to mass effect but now they've subverted expectations" type of thing. I might be autistic, but doesn't that bother you?

I hated that unless you were romancing Solas, your inquisitor really doesn't matter much to the story. I hated that your Lavellan felt like she was reduced to an additional underling to Solas instead of being his equal. I hated that characters like Mae, Dorian, Isabela and the Inquisitor had NOTHING to say about Varric, regardless of whether everyone knew the truth about him or not. I hated that bioware spewed "no unnecessary cameos" but barely used the old companions for anything useful outside of Varric and Solas pushing the story. I hated that shit is blowing up in the south of thedas but it feels like no one cares except for me, the player who has spent literal years invested into Ferelden and neighbouring countries.

Nothing felt like it mattered and that's the worst part of all of this. That might the intended meta commentary but fucking save it for a different game. This series has always been about hope in times of darkness, but this game feels like it cheapened that ideal and abused it so they can give this half-baked "morally grey" shit of a story and expect us to eat it

[pergaminaa]

Modern au:

Manon is someone who is very focused and stressed and she’s just… a mess really. A perfectly put up together mess but a mess nonetheless.

Dorian was quick to notice that. He knows how stress-prone she is, and also how much she undereats. It’s easily seen that food goes out of the window when she is busy or stressed. She often forgets to eat or just loses her appetite altogether (which happens quite a lot).

This is why Dorian makes sure that every night Manon gets to have something nutritious to eat because he knows for a fact this is the only time she eats in the day because of how she is.

Also, she names things wrong. His brilliantly amazing girlfriend has no issues calling a sad green salad a meal and thinks nothing of it.

It’s why he puts his focus on dinner. Sure, she can claim the salad she had ten hours ago is 'proper food' but he draws the line at dinner.

He also learned of her taste- not quite picky, but Manon is particular with the food she eats and it can easily be assumed to be pickiness but Dorian knows it’s not the case.

It’s mostly an issue of texture, if it’s too slimy or runny she will not go near it. Dorian can easily avoid this by focusing on solid food and keeping any sauce or dressing aside because it’s as simple as that.

Mashed potatoes, porridge, and the like? She won’t even look at it because it makes her physically sick (ok she’s a bit dramatic with that but let’s give it to her). Luckily, she is okay with other things and food is not really an issue. The main problem is getting her to actually eat a balanced meal once a day which is not easy because she’s either working late, or stressed and feeling upset because of her grandmother, or she’s feeling too tired to do anything other than shower and sleep. This is the main battle, really. Manon doesn't prioritize food. She'd put everything else first and call it a day.

Dorian prides himself on cooking certain foods she normally wouldn’t touch in a certain way, and it’s the only time she eats the stuff because of how he makes them. His soft chocolate cookies are a prime example of that. And it made him feel brave enough to try it with brownies, and other foods as well (she ended up liking all of his modifications).

It’s the highlight of his day, planning on what to cook in the evening and spending his time perfecting these meals.

He hates how Manon is too stressed out to focus on food. He noticed how undernourished she was with how she bruised easily, indicating that her body lacks some nutrients (she takes supplements and thinks it solves the problem, but not on Dorian’s watch).

When she’s upset, Dorian pauses everything. He sits with her and comforts her while she cries it all out (because girl is tired okay. She also doesn't vent because that includes talking about things she doesn't understand so she just doesn't do it and Dorian understands) then he continues cooking while she takes a shower to put the miserable day behind her.

[fomagranfalloon]

Fellow Solasmancers, I wanna hear your thoughts on this aspect of Veilguard. ENDING SPOILERS FOLLOW

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.

.

.

.

How are we feeling about the Inquisitor forgiving Solas after he murdered Varric?

I can see how psychologically, she could forgive him for terrible things he did thousands of years ago during a war against truly awful Evanuris. Idk if the Inquisitor even knows what he did to the Titans or Felassan or that he killed Mythal since this is all done away from her/revealed to Rook. We don't get a scene of Rook debriefing Lavellan like "You think creating the Veil was fucked? Lemme tell you about the mother fucking BLIGHT."

But Varric? It's implied in the notes that she knows Solas murdered him. Wouldn't she at least need a beat for THAT? Bioware picked Varric for this because he's a long-running much-beloved character who is besties with your Hawke and probably damn close to besties with the Inquisitor by the end of DAI. The writers want the player to feel kicked in the teeth by the reveal. (And I did. Thankssomuch.) Surely Lavellan would find it hard to forgive Solas for murdering someone she's personally close to?

I wish we'd gotten some more discussions with the Inquisitor to experience them working through the implications of everything. Not just Solas or the Evanuris, but the dismantling of core tenants of the Andrastian faith that she's the herald of! The Forgotten Ones, the Titans, the blight SO MUCH STUFF that Rook apparently is too ignorant to know is a Big Goddamn Deal or is too cavalier about. And lastly, yes, that in addition to all the other shit, the man she loves is a spirit who was twisted from his purpose by Mythal. Wisdom became Pride. And he murdered Lavellan's friend Varric.

(I mean, more conversations with the Inquisitor is just bare minimum. Personally this game felt primed to be the first Dragon Age with the same player character over again. The Inquisitor would 100% have been working with Varric and coordinating with Dorian over the sending crystal okay I'm off on a tangent now.)

Please talk to me fellow Solasmancers! I need to discuss with all of you since the game didn't give me the option to hash it out with her!

[avus-circuit]

pullpin fic rapidly approaching 20k... here is a snippet

The 2028 Formula 1 season kicks off on March 10th in Australia, and Doriane has never felt so much like a zoo animal. 

It was bad in testing—it was bad in F2, and F3, and F4, and F1 Academy, and WEC—but this is like nothing before. Everyone is fucking learing at her, constantly. Not so much the drivers—or, at least, not all of them. Ugo is a rookie along with her this year, and he’s had some time to get used to her, so have Alex (Powell), and Dino, to a certain extent, he’s lived with Maya so he knows how to act—but most of the male media personnel, some of the more… enthusiastic fans, and a lot of mechanics and other team members. The Audi people are great, pretty much universally (some of the mechanics on Logan’s side of the garage seem… uncomfortable, but Doriane isn’t working with them, so it’s fine). 

Their eyes are just… Constant, from the moment Doriance comes into view. Logan seems to be trying to distract her from the fact everyone is always looking, trying at every turn to catch her attention, though not in a way that makes her think of anything more than a little kid who can tell something’s wrong, whose only course of action is distraction. 

It’s working, a little bit. At the very least, Doriane appreciates the effort. It’s kind. 

Media day is the worst of the weekend, though. When Doriane can get in the car, when she can drown everything out in the roaring of engines—F2 is here, and F3, so the sounds of the cars are pretty constant, and always soothing. Doriane has always loved the sound of this sport, the smell of it, the feeling it gave the air. 

The car is… Fine. Doriane has had better cars, and certainly she has had worse cars, done good things in worse cars. They won’t be looking for podiums, not on normal weekends, but points should be coming consistently. It will be okay. 

Doriane knows, with this chance, Abbi would be able to do so much more than Doriane knows she will achieve. With this chance, she could have already done it so much better. So much more in the way of progress, so much for the rest of non-men in motorsports. Doriane is an activist because she has to be, a historian because she has to be, a symbol because she has to be. Abbi was made for these roles, made to be the figurehead of this community. 

They want Doriane’s body, but they need Abbi’s mind. Where Doriane does her job as a woman in this world with a sense of duty, learns the past so well she dreams in black and white and the faded yellow of Lella Lombardi’s car with an air of necessity, and crafts herself to a picture of perseverance like a soldier going to war, Abbi enjoys these tasks. Enjoys the process of creating a god, creating the ideal of divinity needed to survive. She likes to learn the history, loves to fight people about women’s place in this high tower, and enjoys every second of promised godhood, every tiny drop of ambrosia that the world supplies her. 

Abbi would thrive in this environment for all the reasons Doriane loves her—she is loud and happy and bubbling and relentlessly joyful, in the face of everything. (Lately, that shine had been wearing, at least in private, but.) Abbi was sunshine, she was light, and she lived for the roar of the crowd the way Doriane lived for the roar of the engine. 

TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE LINE I BEG OF YOU <3

[yeonzzzn]

unbreakable: kim sunoo

a break the chain series: five / seven

pairing: sunoo x afab!reader word count: 3.9k

synopsis: after the explosion, you are trusted to heal the wounded as sunoo rushes to his family, but all might be too late.

genre: established relationship, vampire!sunoo, elf!reader

warnings: blood mentions, some stabbings, I think that’s it?

prt 1: vampires bleeding | prt 2: you complete me

☾ heeseung(1) | jake(2) | jungwon(3) | sunghoon(4) | sunoo(5) | niki(6) | jay(7) ☽

“It’s Lilly,” Heeseung snarled down the bond, “she’s here.” 

—

You and Sunoo were in the library, reading up on everything magic related to helping Jake and his mate, when the bomb went off. 

Sunoo sensed something was wrong before it happened. Quickly rushing to you, taking you in his arms, and rushing you out of the library and across the castle before the explosion happened. A massive hole now resides on the right side of the castle. Fires broke out and people were screaming. The servants, both vampire and human, were either dead from the blast or debris, were on fire, or were injured. 

Sunoo stared at the wall with widened eyes, his arms squeezing you tighter against him, “Sunoo!” you screamed at him through the ringing of your pointed ears. Sunoo could barely hear you, barely even register that you were talking. His head hurt from the ear ringing and the sounds and smells of people dying around him. It wasn’t until Heeseung was shouting down the bond for Sunoo to snap out of his daze. 

“WHERE IS EVERYONE?! ARE YOU ALL OKAY!?” Heeseung screamed down the pack bond, “ANSWER ME!!!” 

All the boys started shouting down the bond at once, Heeseung shutting them up and directing out orders. 

Sunoo faced you, “YN,” he said softly, cupping your face and wiping the dirt from your cheek, “You and __ need to tend to the injured, can you do that for me?” 

You stared at your mate, shaking your head, “No, I don’t want to leave you!” 

“YN,” he said sternly, the playfulness that was once on his face was long gone, filled with such seriousness as his eyes started to glow red, “I need you to do this for me, Heeseung needs you to do this.” 

You slowly nodded, dreading what was to come. Nothing felt right. You couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was about to happen. 

Sunoo smiled at you, “We’ll be reunited soon, my love.” All you could do was nod again, feeling his lips pressed to your forehead, “I love you.” 

“I love you,” you said back, wanting to say more but didn’t, or couldn’t because Sunghoon appeared at your side. 

“Sunoo,” he said quickly, “We need to get to the lobby.” 

“Where is __?” Sunoo asked, taking notice of his hyung’s witch mate not at his side. 

“She’s still outside the castle,” he looks to you, “I ran here as fast as I could, please make sure she gets inside safe for me.” 

You nodded, “Of course,” you looked to your mate, squeezing his hand, “Find your brothers, go!” 

Sunoo quickly kissed you and was gone, Sunghoon following behind him. 

You quickly make your way to the exit to the field, barely peeking your head out in time to see your witchy friend sprinting, you wave her in, “Hurry! we need to help those we can!” 

She nodded, adjusting the bag on her shoulder as she followed behind you. __ looked out of it, not completely there. But you understood why. This was a repeat of what happened to her coven. 

Jay and Niki were already moving the injured into a safer room, their screams and smells of burnt flesh filled your nose. You wanted to cry, to run out of this room and erase the images from your brain. War…this is what happens during war. What was happening now was nothing compared to the battle against Dorian that day…innocent people weren’t involved. 

“__ and __!!!” Jay yelled, snapping you from your thoughts, “Hurry!” 

You and the witch were at his side now. Jay was bent over one of the guards, his hands pressed tightly to his side above his hip and blood was everywhere. 

“He’s human,” the witch whispered, studying how pale the male looked, “how did a human become a part of the guard…” 

You quickly look at Jay, studying his eyes with concern. 

He chuckles, “I’m a doctor, YN, human blood doesn’t faze me. I’m okay.” 

You knew that and still shoved his hands away, replacing them with yours, the male's blood staining your skin, “What do you need us to do?” 

Jay directed what he needed from the both of you, to use what magic you could to help save these people but not to drain the magic out completely in case it was needed elsewhere. 

The witch hovered her hands over yours, purple magic leaking from your fingertips, “We got this, get Niki and find the others,” she said, giving Jay a look of confidence, “We can handle this here.” 

Jay nodded, leaving the two of you. He had to find Heeseung and the others ASAP. 

—

Heeseung had Jungwon at his side, directing orders to the guards and army that weren’t injured. Sending them to specific places throughout the castle. Heeseung had a feeling he knew what was happening, it was too obvious and too planned out for this to be some random thing happening. 

“I need everyone to meet me and Jungwon in the lobby,” Heeseung says to just his brothers down the bond, “As soon as you can.” 

Jungwon stayed on Heeseung’s heels as they marched to the lobby where the explosion happened. Both Heeseung and Jungwon had their jaws locked tightly and hands in fists. 

“This isn’t a coincidence,” Jungwon said through his teeth, “War is finally happening.” 

Heeseung nodded. Darting his eyes in every direction as they walked to the source of the explosion, barely turning the corner and seeing an army of enemies storming into his castle. Matching eye contact with the source. 

“It’s Lilly,” Heeseung snarled down the bond, “she’s here.” 

Sunoo and Sunghoon quickly looked at each other, dropping the broken wooden planks that covered an area and trapping people inside from the explosion, at the same moment Jake, Jay, and Niki appeared at their sides. 

Each of their eyes burned red, “Lilly…”Jay growled, his fists clenching. 

“We need to go, NOW!” Jake snapped, “He’s going to try and take Lilly on his own!!” 

“He has Jungwon with him,” Jay corrected, quickly removing the debris from the door, “he’ll kill us if we leave these people here, “Get a move on so we can get to him!” 

The five of them quickly made haste, moving as quickly as they could. 

“Heeseung,” Jungwon warned, taking a few steps in front of him, “Stand down.” 

Heeseung might be the king, but Jungwon is the leader of his pack. So he relaxed, keeping his eyes locked on Lilly. 

She tilted her hair, her long red hair falling over her shoulder, “That’s new, watching a king actually listen to people below him.” 

Heeseung’s eyes glowed golden, his fangs coming to a point, “We don’t have rank in my pack,” he hissed. 

“Oh, but aren’t you listening to Jungwon? He’s your leader, no? While you’re the king.” 

Heeseung took a step forward, Jungwon holding his arm out, “Heeseung.” he snapped. “Wait for the others,” he said to him through the bond. 

Lilly shifted her gaze to Jungwon, “How is __ holding up?” 

Jungwon was the one snarling now, his eyes bright red and fangs pointed, “Don’t speak of her!” 

Lilly pulled her knife from her hip, twirling it between her fingers, “She should be dead,” she looked between Won and Heeseung, a smirk on her face, “I would have killed your queen right after, where is she by the way?” 

Heeseung tensed, trying to keep his thoughts clear. His queen was with Jungwon’s mate at the furthest end of the castle, keeping her safe and away from harm's way. No one knows how well __ would do with her electricity powers right now. And since Heeseung already assumed Lilly was behind the attack, it only made sense for his queen and __ to be somewhere away from all this. Mostly if Lilly came to retrieve her.  

Lilly laughed, continuing to twirl the knife in circles, “Guess, I’ll have to go find your two mates myself.” 

So this was a planned attack. She’s here for our mates. 

“You won’t come near my mate!” Jungwon snapped, his weapon now appearing in his hand. He almost lost his mate once, and he’s not going to again. He refuses to feel that pain of feeling her dying. 

Lilly cocked her head and then moved. Heeseung didn’t have time to stop Jungwon before he was also moving.  His and Lilly’s blades crash together and Jungwon reaches for her neck with his free hand. 

Heeseung was moving now, pulling his double blades out. He cut deep into her shoulder, sending her back and away from Jungwon. Her skin burned from his blades. 

“How did you get weapons that were forged for only the king?” he hissed, stepping in front of Jungwon. 

Lilly held her hand tightly to her shoulder, her blood dripping out and she smirked, “It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, now would it?” 

Heeseung lunged for her and Jungwon followed behind. 

All their blades crashed and sparked together with each hit, all three moving too quickly for the other to get any direct hits in. 

That was until…

“JUNGWON!!” 

Lilly dug the knife into his shoulder, his skin burned and blood dripped to the floor. Jungwon kept his jaw locked even as he screamed through his teeth. His fangs were on full display as his eyes burned their crimson. 

Heeseung felt it, Jungwon’s mate’s worry. How he was now fighting his queen. Heeseung needed to end this quickly. 

He reached for Lilly, taking a fist full of her hair and yanking her back. She kept a grip on her blade as it slid from Jungwon’s shoulder. 

“DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!” Jungwon yelled, his eyes glowing even more as he dropped to his knees, hands pressing tightly to his shoulder, “TAKE HER OUT!” 

Heeseung didn’t need to be told twice. His blade reached for her neck, but she dropped her weight to the floor, taking her blade and cutting the hair that was in Heeseung’s grasp, the red locks falling to the floor.

He chuckled, tossing the rest out of his hands, “Bold move, you definitely need to trim the rest though.” 

“Shut up!” she hissed, clearly pissed about her new haircut. 

Heeseung rushed towards her again but then time seemed to slow down. 

Jungwon’s breathing became uneven, his body crashing to the floor and his hands laying at his sides. He needed medical attention quickly. Heeseung’s eyes widened at seeing his second, his brother, dying on the floor before him. 

Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, and Sunoo made it just in time to see Won fall to the floor and…

Heeseung was now screaming. Screaming so loud his throat was hurting. Screaming as he shoved both his blades into the back of Lilly’s shoulders, even with her blade shoved deeply into his abdomen. His skin burned, worse than what her skin was, all because he was the king. 

She quickly pulled the blade out and shoved it back in, creating another wound and Heeseung’s scream got louder. Damn, it sucked having the king's power. Is this how it felt when he killed the previous king? How his skin burn and throb? 

“HEESEUNG!!! HEESEUNG!!” his queen screamed down the bond, “Answer me please, HEESEUNG!” 

But he was in too much pain to respond, keeping his jaw locked tightly. Lilly smirked through her pain, “I’m going to take your power,” with another slide of her blade being pulled out and back in, Heeseung was feeling dizzy. He dropped his arms to his side, and she pushed him over. 

Before Heeseung’s body could touch the ground, Sunoo caught him, while the other rushed at Lilly. 

“Heeseung,” Sunoo said, pulling his body away from the fight, “Stay with me!” 

Sunoo looked down at Jungwon, seeing just in time his mate and the queen running into the lobby. 

“Oh my god,” the queen cried, taking Heeseung away from Sunoo and in her arms. Heeseung gritted his teeth at the movement, clearly in pain, “Stay with me, babe.” 

“YN,” Sunoo called to you, “Get __ and come here now!” 

You and the witch were already on the way before Sunoo even called to you. You both felt it when Jungwon was hurt. You both felt and heard when Heeseung was stabbed. 

The fight had to be worse than you were expecting. Because when you and the witch reached the others, Sunghoon had got stabbed in the back. Niki got his bicep gashed, Jay had Heeseung’s blades in both hands with a gash at his forearm and Jake had blood running down his cheek from the small cut she swung at him. 

You quickly glanced around the room for Sunoo, seeing him still at the king’s side. 

The witch ran to Jungwon, pulling his mate's crystal out of her bag and handing it to her, “In case this gets uglier.” 

His mate held the crystal to her chest and tears streamed down her face, “Help my Wonnie.” 

You reached Sunoo and dropped to the floor by Heeseung and the queen’s side, hovering your hands over his abdomen sending as much magic as you could down onto him and you shake your head, “He’s lost too much blood. He’s fading.” 

Heeseung was barely able to keep his eyes open, using all the strength he had to stay alive. He’d be damned to let Lilly have the crown. 

Sunoo kept his eyes locked on the fight, watching his brothers one by one, fall due to their injuries. His hands were shaking as he watched Jay twirl Heeseung’s blades in his hands. Sunoo had to do something. Fast. 

You could feel Sunoo's pain and hear how fast his heart was racing as he watched his family fight Lilly. 

This fight was different from the one with Dorian. He didn’t have the blades Lilly did, he wasn’t able to fight and do the damage she was doing. 

And before you knew it, Sunoo was moving. You yelled after him, but he didn’t listen. He needed to help his brothers. 

He pulled his weapon out, gripping the hilt as he lunged for Lilly with Jay. Taking turns swinging their weapons. Lilly was definitely slowly down from the blood loss and the anger Jay was feeling was fueling him to keep going despite the gash on his forearm and the blood that dripped down. 

Lilly made a final twist, shoving her blade into Sunoo’s chest, he hissed and gritted his teeth but kept fighting, shoving his blade into her chest and jumping, wrapping his legs around her waist and shifting his whole body to the side, pinning her now to the floor. 

Sunoo pulled the blade from his chest and held it to her neck, ready to end it. 

“DON'T KILL HER!!” Heeseung managed to say with what little breath he was able to use from your healing abilities. The witch was now at his other side also pumping magic into the wound. 

Sunoo knew why his king wanted her alive. To torture her, ask her questions. Find any other army or plans she might be hiding. But at the same time, Sunoo didn’t understand. This woman caused enough problems. Jay was now at Sunoo’s side, and Heeseung’s weapons were also held to her throat. 

“What you expect us to do then?” Jay snapped. 

Lilly kept smirking even when three blades made of the king’s metal were pressed to her skin. 

There was the sound of glass breaking from it hitting the floor. Sunoo glanced over to see Jungwon’s mate and the yellow current flowing through her. The electricity pulsing at her hands and anger on her face. 

“Ahhh!” Sunoo smiled, looking down at Lilly underneath him, “Tap tap.” 

Lilly gritted her teeth, remembering how it felt like the time she was well, shocked. 

__ ran over, the flow of the current on her hands pulsated more but was completely controlled even had she knelt down to Lilly’s face and placed both hands on the side of her face, sending the electricity in her body and registering her unconscious. 

—

You and the witch did what you both could to heal the boys and their injuries. Jungwon finally woke up and was moving around before you all knew it. Jake’s mate bandaged his face. The witch was wrapping a healing bandage around Sunghoon’s back and chest, yelling at him to keep still. Jay let you heal what you could of his forearm, and did the rest himself. Niki was taken care of by the witch and his mate wrapped the bandage around his bicep. Heeseung lay in the queen’s lap, falling unconscious after he was healed and bandaged up. The queen played with his hair as she held him. The king might be unconscious, but he was alive. 

Sunoo leaned up against the staircase, watching you carefully as you finished up healing what you could of his wound and now placed burn ointment around where he was burnt from the blade, “YN,” he whispered, lifting a hand and cupping your face, “Talk to me.” 

You looked up at him, “I felt like my heart was about to stop at seeing you get stabbed.” 

Sunoo just smiled, placing his thumb on the other side of his chest, “But I am perfectly fine! See!” you tried to smile at his playfulness. But you couldn’t shake away the feeling you felt when he was stabbed. Sunoo was lucky he had anger and adrenaline rushing through him to be able to handle that stab wound. He was lucky it wasn’t deep either. “Hey,” he said again, bringing you back to him, “I love you.” 

You leaned into his touch, “I love you too, sun.” 

His hand trailed from your face to the tip of your pointy ear, “Everything is okay.” 

You wanted to assume it was. So you nod and hum in agreement, finishing putting the burn ointment on his chest and wrapping a bandage around him. 

The other five boys were now discussing where to put Lilly until Heeseung woke up again. 

You and Sunoo watched the boys discuss, and watched how their mates slowly walked away from them, leaving them to discuss in peace. 

“I probably should be over there,” Sunoo said with a sassy sigh. 

You helped him up to his feet and wrapped a blanket around his bare chest. Your fingers gripped the blanket, “I’m happy no one was badly hurt.”

Sunoo softly smiled at you, leaning down and pressing a kiss to your forehead, “You and __ did everything you could, and that’s all we could ask for. Everyone is alive because of you. We are unbreakable.”

You sigh, releasing his blanket and ruffling his hair, “Go join your brothers.” 

Sunoo pulled you in quickly, his lips making home against yours. Kissing you with so much want and need and passion and love. Sunoo was just as happy as you were that everyone was okay. That he was still breathing. He could only imagine the pain you were feeling. The pain Heeseung was feeling as he fought to stay conscious and watched his brothers get injured. 

Sunoo pushed the thoughts to the back of his head and focused on your lips and how his tongue slowly tried to push them apart. 

“Sunoo!” Jungwon yelled, “You are just as much as the family as the rest, get over here and join this discussion!” 

Sunoo giggled against your lips and gave you one final kiss before running off to his brothers. 

—

E sighed and looked around the room, “Thank you all for joining this meeting.” His eyes wandered between each of the six boys, barely stopping on their mates as he kept them moving. “The king is still unconscious,” he said with a sigh, “We need to discuss what to do.” 

“Let him rest,” the queen said quickly with poison-laced in her voice, “My husband was stabbed three times and only survived thanks to our magic members. There’s no need to discuss what needs to be done. Let. Him. Rest.” 

You look at the queen, loving how held high she kept yourself despite her mate being unresponsive. It’s got to be from the effect of being king and almost dying. His body took a massive blow. E cleared his throat and the queen looked at him quickly, the scar on her face turning red with her skin from anger. 

“I mean, my queen,” he said quickly correcting his attitude, “Until the king wakes up, someone needs to step in his place.” 

The queen chuckles, “Am I chopped liver? I’m his wife. Heeseung and I followed every protocol this place had for me to have just as many rights as him!” 

E looked away from the queen, “And you still have just as many rights, but you still need a king at your side.” 

“And that means, what? Exactly?” she hissed. 

“One of the boys in this room will have to fill his shoes until he wakes up.” 

The six vampires glance at each other. One of them has to act like a king? A false king? What for? 

“Can I ask why?” Jungwon said, shifting forward in his chair, “As Heeseung’s second in command and the leader of this pack, what need is there for a replacement king when we’ve been doing perfectly fine until we walked into this place?” 

E smiled, “Because if the world catches wind that the real king is unconscious and if Lilly has more forces out there, what do you think will happen, Yang Jungwon?” 

Jungwon narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. E was right, even if no one wanted him to be. 

“On that note,” E said, keeping his eyes locked on Jungwon, “Second in command, will you be the false king?” 

Jungwon’s eyes widened and looked between his brothers and shook his head, “No, I am not fit to be the replacement.” 

“As if!” Sunghoon shouted, “You’re our leader! The second in command to the king! What do you mean you aren’t fit?!?” 

“Exactly!” Jake added, “Won, no one else but you can do it!” 

Jungwon kept shaking his head, “No. I refuse.” 

Sunoo, Jay, and Niki sat in silence, listening to their brothers bicker. 

“Okay!” Jay yelled, standing up, his family quieting down, “Since I am the second oldest and have been with Heeseung the longest…I’ll be the false king.” 

Sunoo whipped his head to Jay, “Hyung! Are you sure?!” Sunoo squeezed your hand, clearly worried. 

Jay pulled Heeseung’s blades from the strap at his pockets, “Lilly has caused enough trouble. She broke into my apartment and threatened my mate. She stabbed Heeseung three times, almost killing him. I want to do this. For my family, my pack. For Heeseung.” 

E glanced around the room, seeing no one abjecting, “It’s settled then, Jay will be the false king.” 

—

They all sat in the meeting room. It was late at night and not a soul was around except for the six vampires and their mates and the queen. 

“You really think there’s a spy here?” Niki whispered, “Is that possible?” 

Jungwon nodded, “How else did she find the castle? And get the king's weapons? You can’t just find that information on the internet or at the store.”

All the boys nodded. 

“Who do you think it is?” The witch asked, “Who do we need to watch out for?” 

The queen nodded, “Not only that, we need to keep an eye on Heeseung the entire time too, if there is a spy.” 

Jay leaned back in his chair, twirling Heeseung’s blades, “I have an idea. But we need to be careful.”

— perm taglist; @alvojake @ikeuverse @woniebae @shawnyle @kangnina

@jwnghyuns @in-somnias-world @zyvlxqht @aaa-sia

@wonniethepoo @addictedtohobi @eneiyri @skzenhalove

@fakeuwus @cherry-park @vousty @ladyartemesia @criminalyun

@cmoundiamante @enhaverse713586 @wondipity @lhsvibez

@jaeyunq @rikizm @kaykay11sworld @pockettwinzz @vixialuvs

@seunghancore @enha-cafe @ohdeerhee @sunpov @zeeloveshee

@hxxsxxng @moonrisearies @brownsugarbaybee @nshmrarki

—tags: @jwnghyuns @en-happiness @aileeeeeeeeeeeee @honeybunnee @jaklvbub

[50calmadeuce]

Ch. 40: Court-Dorian Again

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it gives you happy thoughts.

These stories are my own, so please do not take them and use them for yourself without my permission. If you see them somewhere else, please let me know. :)

You carefully stepped down from the witness stand after Dorian was escorted back to the holding cell by a Deputy, his eyes still tracking your every move.

Mr. Dunby walked up to you. "Are you okay?"

You nodded. "Yeah. Just have to use the bathroom. This baby is definitely a Seresin. He really likes to remind me that he's there," you responded as you carefully walked outside the courtroom. Max following closely behind.

"I'll be right out here," Max said and you nodded as you opened the door to the ladies room.

Inside the restroom, you took a moment to catch your breath. The pressure of the courtroom combined with the baby’s kicks made everything feel overwhelming. You gently rubbed your belly, whispering softly, "You’re a strong one, just like your dad."

After a few minutes, you splashed some cold water on your face, taking a deep breath. As you dried your hands, the door opened, and Max peeked in.

"Everything okay in here?" he asked.

You smiled, grateful for his protective nature. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed a break."

Max nodded. "Good. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll head back in. Dunby’s prepping for the next part."

You gathered your thoughts, straightened your posture, and took one last look in the mirror. "Alright, let's do this."

You opened the bathroom door, and you and Max made your way back to the courtroom. As you approached Mr. Dunby, he glanced at you.

"I'm going to put Dorian back on the stand," he informed you as you settled into your chair.

You nodded, understanding the strategy. "Okay," you replied, settling into your seat. Max took his place behind you in the audience section, offering silent support.

The judge walked out from his chambers and sat in his chair. Mr. Dunby stood up and motioned to the court deputy to bring Dorian back into the courtroom. As Dorian re-entered, escorted by the deputy, you noticed the tension in his face. He avoided looking directly at you this time, focusing on the floor as he walked back to the witness stand.

Once Dorian was seated, Mr. Dunby addressed the judge. "Your Honor, I'd like to recall Dr. Stryker to the stand for further questioning."

The judge nodded. "Proceed."

Dorian was brought back up to the witness stand and Mr. Dunby approached the stand, his tone steady and composed. "Dr. Stryker, I want to revisit the events you described earlier, specifically regarding your interactions with Dr. Seresin after the conference at Texas A&M."

Dorian shifted slightly in his seat but remained silent.

"You stated that you were surprised to see Dr. Seresin wearing a wedding ring. Can you explain why that was so surprising to you?" Mr. Dunby asked, his gaze fixed on Dorian.

Dorian hesitated for a moment before answering. "Because, when we worked together in Wyoming, she didn’t wear one. I didn’t know she was married at the time."

Mr. Dunby nodded. "And during the conference, did you attempt to talk to her again?"

Dorian’s jaw tightened. "Yes, I did."

"And what did you say during that conversation?"

"I offered her another opportunity to work with me."

Mr. Dunby raised an eyebrow. "Another opportunity to work with you? And how did Dr. Seresin respond?"

Dorian's gaze flickered slightly, his discomfort evident. "She hesitant."

Mr. Dunby nodded, letting the answer hang in the air for a moment. "Was it because you stated that Dr. Seresin accepted the position as you mentioned it in front of hundreds of people at the convention?"

Dorian shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearly caught off guard by the question. "I may have mentioned the opportunity publicly during the convention, but that wasn’t why she hesitated," he replied, his tone defensive.

Mr. Dunby leaned in slightly, pressing forward. "So, you’re saying Dr. Seresin hesitated after you put her on the spot in front of hundreds of colleagues and professionals?"

Dorian's jaw tightened again, his frustration showing. "She hesitated because she wasn’t sure if she wanted to work with me again. But I didn’t force her into anything."

Mr. Dunby nodded thoughtfully. "And how did you feel when you found out that Dr. Seresin didn't take your offer because she was offered a different grant?"

Dorian's face tightened as he shifted in his seat. "I was frustrated," he admitted. "I thought we had a strong professional connection, and I believed that working together again would benefit both of us."

Mr. Dunby didn't let up. "Frustrated enough to change the information in your data to convince Dr. Colson that you needed Dr. Seresin's help?"

Dorian’s eyes widened slightly, his composure slipping for just a moment. "I didn't change any information in the data," he said defensively. "The data was legitimate. Dr. Seresin's expertise was valuable, and I believed her involvement would improve the project."

Mr. Dunby raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift. "But you knew that altering the data would make it seem like the project was in more trouble than it actually was, right? To manipulate the situation and make it seem like you needed her expertise more than you actually did?"

Dorian's jaw clenched, and he glanced away before responding. "I didn’t manipulate the data. I presented it the way I saw fit."

Mr. Dunby didn’t miss a beat. "Presented it the way you saw fit," he echoed, his voice calm but pointed. "So, you're saying that it wasn't about needing Dr. Seresin's help, but rather about controlling the narrative to bring her back into your professional circle?"

Dorian shifted uncomfortably. "I didn’t force anything. I saw potential in the collaboration."

Mr. Dunby stepped closer to the jury, emphasizing his next point. "Potential in the collaboration, or potential in getting closer to her again after she made it clear that she was still committed to her marriage?"

Dorian’s face hardened and he scoffed. "What marriage? Why isn't her husband here now?"

The courtroom fell silent as Dorian's words echoed. Mr. Dunby remained composed, his gaze unwavering. "Dr. Stryker, the reason Dr. Seresin’s husband isn’t here today is irrelevant to this case," he stated firmly, turning his attention to the judge. "Your Honor, I move to strike Dr. Stryker’s last comment as speculative and inappropriate."

The judge nodded. "Sustained. The jury will disregard Dr. Stryker’s last statement."

Mr. Dunby turned back to Dorian. "Dr. Stryker, this case is about your actions, not about where Dr. Seresin’s husband is. So, let's stay focused. You manipulated the situation to try and force her back into your life, didn’t you?"

Dorian’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent.

Mr. Dunby gave a slight nod. "No further questions, Your Honor," he said as he went and sat in his hair behind the plaintiff's table.

Dorian's attorney rose and approached the stand. "Dr. Stryker, I'd like to clarify something. You mentioned earlier that you saw potential in working with Dr. Seresin. Can you explain how that potential would benefit both of you professionally?"

Dorian took a deep breath before responding. "Yes, I believed that her expertise in veterinary medicine and her background in similar research would be highly valuable for the project. Our previous work together showed that we could achieve significant results."

The attorney nodded. "So, your intention was purely professional, correct? You wanted her skills and knowledge for the project?"

"Yes, that’s correct," Dorian said, his tone more controlled.

"And did you have any personal motivations or desires related to Dr. Seresin that influenced your professional decisions?"

Dorian hesitated. "No. My focus was on the professional aspect of the collaboration."

The attorney glanced at you before turning back to Dorian. "And when Dr. Seresin declined your offer, did you try to influence or pressure her in any way to reconsider?"

Dorian shook his head. "No, I respected her decision and did not attempt to pressure her."

The attorney turned back to Mr. Dunby. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Dunby stood up. "Your Honor, I would like to submit the computer evidence Dr. Stryker used to arrange Dr. Seresin's return to Wyoming, as well as the video showing her abduction from the hotel."

The judge nodded. "Very well. The evidence will be submitted and reviewed accordingly."

He turned to Dorian's attorney. "Do you have any objections to the submission of this evidence?"

Dorian's attorney glanced at the evidence and then back at the judge. "No, Your Honor. No objections."

The judge turned to the courtroom. "The court will take a brief recess to review the newly submitted evidence. We will reconvene in thirty minutes."

With that, the judge banged his gavel, signaling the end of the current session and giving everyone time to prepare for the next stage. The courtroom slowly began to empty, and the atmosphere was charged with anticipation.

As the courtroom began to clear out, you took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

As you exited the courtroom, your stomach rumbled loudly, making you feel like everyone in the courthouse could hear it.

Chuck glanced at you and asked, "Hungry, Doc?"

"Yeah, I could use a snack," you replied.

Chuck nodded. "I'll check out the vending machine. Anything in particular you’re craving?"

You thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe some pretzels or granola bars would be great. And if you can find any fruit, that’d be perfect."

Chuck gave you a thumbs up. "Got it. I’ll see what I can find."

As Chuck headed off to the vending machine, Max stayed by your side. "Do you want to sit down for a bit? Maybe find a quiet spot to relax until we head back in?"

"That sounds good," you said, appreciating the offer. "Let's find a place to sit."

Max led you to a nearby waiting area, where you could sit and rest. The tension of the day was starting to catch up with you, and you welcomed the chance to take a break.

As you settled into a comfortable chair, Max sat down next to you, offering a reassuring presence. The waiting area was quiet, a small relief from the intensity of the courtroom. You took a deep breath, trying to let the tension of the day ease away.

After a few moments, Chuck returned with a small bag of snacks, including pretzels, granola bars, and a couple of apples. He handed them to you with a smile. "Here you go. I managed to find everything you asked for."

"Thank you," you said gratefully, taking a pretzel and a granola bar. "I really appreciate it."

Chuck took a seat across from you and Max. "No problem. Just thought it would be good to keep your energy up."

As you snacked, Max asked, "How are you holding up? This has been a lot to handle."

You nodded. "It has been but we haven't even gotten to the worst part yet."

"Yeah. I know," Max replied solemnly.

You sighed. "I wish Jake was here. Then we'd really see the true Dorian."

Max and Chuck both nodded.

Chuck leaned back in his chair. "Jake would definitely make his presence felt. He's got a way of cutting through all the bullshit."

You giggled. "If you only knew, Chuck. Jake's ego is just the tip of the iceberg. You should see him when he's in pilot mode," you said, taking a bite of the apple.

"Do you know if Dunby contacted Jake?" Max asked.

You shrugged. "I don't know, but I think with the three of us here we should be fine."

Just then, Dunby came walking towards you. "There you are!"

You looked up as Mr. Dunby approached. "Hi, Mr. Dunby. How's the review of the evidence going?"

Dunby gave a reassuring smile. "We've reviewed the evidence, and everything looks solid. I’m confident it will strongly support your case."

"Good," you responded as you took a bite out of your apple. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Take your time. I'll see you back in the courtroom."

Dunby left and you watched him walk away.

You walked back into the courtroom, taking a deep breath and sighing as you settled into your chair. With the way the baby was growing, you knew it wouldn’t be long before you’d be waddling everywhere.

You gently rubbed your belly as baby Jake kicked, sighing once more. You could already imagine how many heart attacks this little boy would give you in the future.

As you rubbed your belly, feeling baby Jake's tiny kicks, a small smile crept across your face. You were already imagining the mischief and energy he would bring into your life. Chuck noticed your expression and grinned.

"He's gonna be a handful, huh?" Chuck teased.

You nodded. "Oh, definitely. I can already tell."

Max glanced over, offering a soft smile. "He's just practicing his moves early."

Dunby looked at you as Dorian and the Judge entered the room, his focus back on the case, but he noticed your calm demeanor. "Ready to finish this?" he asked.

You gave a determined nod. "Ready," you replied as you stood up.

"All rise! Court is now back in session," the bailiff said. "Please be seated."

The judge looked at Dunby. "Mr. Dunby. You still have the floor."

"I'd like to have Dr. Stryker back on the stand," Dunby said.

Dorian hesitated for a moment, but with a quick nod from his attorney, he made his way back to the witness stand. He settled into the chair, visibly tense.

Dunby approached with measured steps. "Dr. Stryker, we’ve reviewed the evidence regarding your interactions with Dr. Seresin in Wyoming and the more recent incident at the hotel. I'd like to clarify something further."

Dunby’s gaze sharpened. "You claimed earlier that your intentions with Dr. Seresin were strictly professional. But considering the evidence we’ve just reviewed, do you still stand by that statement?"

Dorian’s jaw tightened, and the room seemed to hold its breath.

"Yes," he replied.

Dunby looked at the Judge. "Your Honor. I'd like to show the video of Dr. Stryker taking Dr. Seresin out of the hotel."

The judge gave a nod of approval. "Proceed."

The lights in the courtroom dimmed slightly as the projector screen came to life, displaying the video footage from the hotel.

You watched as your head rested against Dorian's shoulder as him and one of the hotel workers helped you out of the hotel. You realize that you don't remember any of this.

"Pause screen," Dunby said. "Dr. Stryker. Could you tell me what you were doing here?"

"Dr. Seresin informed me that she wasn't feeling well and she passed out at the table."

Dunby’s eyes narrowed as he focused on Dorian. "So, you’re claiming that Dr. Seresin passed out, and you were simply helping her?"

"Yes," Dorian replied firmly. "She was unwell, and I made sure she got out of the hotel safely."

Dunby nodded slightly. "And at any point, did Dr. Seresin ask you to take her out of the hotel or give her consent for this?"

Dorian hesitated before answering. "She was unconscious, so no, she didn't explicitly ask me. But I assumed it was the best course of action given the circumstances."

"And where did you take Dr. Seresin after you took her out of the hotel?"

"I took her to the nearest clinic."

Dunby looked at the paperwork on his table. "According to Dr. Seresin's medical documents, she wasn't admitted to the clinic until the following day."

Dorian shifted in his seat, his discomfort evident. "She was unconscious for a while. I thought it was best to monitor her myself before seeking further medical help."

Dunby raised an eyebrow, his tone sharp. "So instead of taking Dr. Seresin directly to a clinic after she lost consciousness, you decided to take her elsewhere first? Where did you take her, Dr. Stryker?"

Dorian hesitated before replying. "I took her to a cabin I owned."

The tension in the courtroom thickened as Dunby pressed further. "So instead of getting her proper medical attention, you took her to your cabin that you owned, without her consent, and kept her there for hours?"

Dorian's jaw clenched as he struggled to maintain his composure. "Yes, I thought I was doing the right thing."

Dunby looked at the jury and back at the judge. "Your Honor, this further demonstrates Dr. Stryker’s complete disregard for Dr. Seresin’s autonomy and well-being."

The judge nodded solemnly, acknowledging the gravity of the evidence. "Dr. Stryker, this is a serious admission," he said firmly, turning his attention to Dorian. "You took Dr. Seresin to a private location without her knowledge or consent, instead of seeking immediate medical help."

Dorian shifted uncomfortably but remained silent.

Mr. Dunby continued, "Your Honor, this clearly demonstrates a pattern of manipulation and control on Dr. Stryker’s part. He not only violated Dr. Seresin’s trust but also put her health at risk for his own motives. His actions go beyond professional misconduct; they show a dangerous lack of respect for her personal autonomy."

The courtroom remained silent as everyone absorbed the implications of Dunby’s statement. The weight of Dorian’s decisions and their consequences hung heavily in the air.

"But the following day, you did take Dr. Seresin to the clinic. Why, Dr. Stryker?"

"She was bleeding and I was afraid for our child."

Dunby's eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said she was bleeding and I was afraid for our child."

"Dr. Stryker. Are you implying that the child that Dr. Seresin is carrying is yours?"

He looked at Mr. Dunby and then at you. "Because she's my wife and pregnant with my child."

A collective gasp echoed through the courtroom at Dorian’s shocking claim. You felt the weight of his words hit you like a tidal wave, disbelief coursing through you. The tension in the room became almost unbearable.

Mr. Dunby, momentarily taken aback, quickly regained his composure. "Your Honor, this is a baseless and outrageous claim. Dr. Seresin is clearly married to another man. We have her legal documents proving this."

He turned to Dorian, his voice firm. "Dr. Stryker, are you suggesting that Dr. Seresin is not only your wife but also carrying your child? Based on what evidence?"

Dorian’s expression was calm but determined. "Because we were together in Wyoming. We were more than just colleagues. And I know that the child is mine."

Mr. Dunby shook his head, clearly frustrated. "Dr. Seresin has already testified under oath about her marriage and her loyalty to her husband. This is an attempt to manipulate the facts, and I ask that the court disregard this baseless statement."

The judge leaned forward, addressing Dorian. "Dr. Stryker, do you have any legitimate evidence to back up this claim?"

Dorian's attorney stood up and cleared his throat. "Your Honor, while Dr. Stryker’s statement may seem surprising, we would like the opportunity to present further evidence that could shed light on this matter. We believe there are circumstances that have yet to be fully explored."

The judge narrowed his eyes. "This is a serious claim, counselor. If you have evidence, you’ll need to present it in a timely manner."

Dorian's attorney nodded. "Understood, Your Honor. We will prepare the necessary documentation and witnesses to support this claim."

Mr. Dunby quickly interjected, "Your Honor, I must object. This is a last-minute tactic meant to derail the trial. Dr. Seresin has already testified clearly about her marriage and her child’s paternity. This accusation is not only false but highly inflammatory."

The judge raised his hand to stop the back-and-forth. "We will proceed with caution. However, the defense will need to present any and all evidence they have to support this claim before we proceed further."

The tension in the room continued to build, and you felt Max shift slightly beside you, his concern clear. The judge leaned back in his chair, clearly waiting for the next step.

"No further questions, Your Honor," Dunby said and sat down.

The judge looked at Dorian's attorney. "The floor is yours."

Tags: @buckysteveloki-me @bellyliveslife @tgmreader @callsign-barbell @86laura11 @dizzybee03 @kmc1989 @guacam011y @nerdgirljen @hookslove1592 @dempy @djs8891 @smoothdogsgirl @devil-angel-winchester

[vaguely-concerned]

I listened to the first episode of vows and vengeance and... god. god forget waiting for veilguard, how the fuck am I going to survive the wait between each episode of this???? tl;dr: I loved it, I love dragon age, I love audio dramas, I love voice acting and music, I love thedas, I am IMMEDIATELY painfully invested. if nadia doesn't get her sweet fancy lad back whole and unharmed by the end of this I am killing everyone in tevinter and then myself.

more thoughts under the cut! not a lot of deep analysis just flailing and feelings today haha

I hadn't realized that elio would be a magister! idk if it was in any marketing beforehand, but if so I didn't pay enough attention to remember it lol. he sounds like he might be prime lucerni-material politically, so I'm a little sad we didn't get even a subtle dorian or maevaris easter egg in there, as far as I could tell, but hey, you can't have everything. (honestly unless BIG changes are upon us (which tbf they probably are) it might be just as well that this went down as it did, b/c I'm not sure how long elio would survive in the magisterium that we've heard tell of, he's quite -- either soft and shortsighted, or politically reckless, I think nadia was right there.)

I found nadia, elio and their dynamic very effectively introduced -- the fact that they haven't quite figured out how to be good to each other yet but so clearly both desperately want to be and are willing to work for that is a smart place to start the story. it makes it feel all the sadder if they never get the chance to work it all out, because I think they could have every chance to, given the time.

The voice actors for the central characters are all wonderful (orin's was. fine! doing a good enough job with a slightly more thankless role, let's call it that.) also so nice to hear people humming the tavern songs we heard in inquisition. god I love thedas I'm so glad we're getting to go right back in there soon

The episode was longer than I thought they would get, and it was all the better for it! I'm so happy it seems they'll get the space they need to tell this story, especially since nadia appears to be setting out on quite a continent-spanning odyssey here (I'm so sorry about your life nadia)

SOLAS solas solas! solas. solas!!!! he is such a BITCH and I love him so much. he is being aggressively himself and I didn't realize just how much I'd missed him. no one gets me frustrated quite like you baby you know better than this I KNOW you could know better than this why do you never learn a single thing I know you have the capacity somewhere in there. patron saint of endlessly fucking up. WHERE do you get off being condescending to nadia when all your ~*brilliant*~ plans backfire catastrophically on you every single time solas. yeah of course you're sorry, and you fucking better be, if she stabbed you I'd be sad but also like 'yeah I mean you had that one coming sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯' about it!!! what the fuck. come home please

such a weird feeling to have him be an ominous stranger on the road to elio and nadia while I was standing there with my arms crossed and my foot tapping irritably like 'oh so now he shows his face, there he is. my husband. my ex-husb -- my nemesis and poor little meo -- it's complicated alright. he's in the dog house, but the dog house he's in is still mine'. I do adore how unstoppably solas clearly wants to be a teacher, he works so hard to be mysterious and aloof but the lonely insufferable chatterbox knowitall jumps out at every turn.

neve trying and almost succeeding in freezing the whole bay I'm

like. okay then! much to think about

the only thing I'm not a big fan of is the characters calling out in-game spells in sort of a self-indulgent way, but hell if I know how else you'd communicate exactly what's going down magically in an audio format like this so y'know. very easily forgiven from my side honestly