#but please enjoy the finale~

[ellekhen]

No Hard Feelings

Chapter 13 - A Hell of a Time (Fin)

(Temporary hero image because I'm on my honeymoon, away from the computer! So enjoy these two anyway. :3)

Chapter Summary: A year after the defeat of the Absolute, three friends have been surviving together in Avernus. However, this hellish plane is home not only to Zariel's minions, but also Tiamat herself. Wyll knows that Irva is keeping a secret from him, and he fears the worst.

Pairing: Wyll x Female Tav Rating: Explicit Length: 48.6K words; Chapters: 13/13 [Complete]

Excerpt below:

There is a brief, skeptical silence. 

“Hells, all right,” Wyll buries his head into his hands. “I suppose... have you been talking with Irva?”

“I mean, of course…?”

“Particularly when I’m not present,” Wyll clarifies warily, "do you think she’s… well?”

Karlach frowns at him. 

“Hang on,” she ducks down to catch Wyll’s averted eyes. “Are you worried about something in particular?”

Wyll sighs heavily. “Yes, but you must not tell her, you hear me?”

Karlach glances around, her mouth twisting with concern as she rests a solemn hand upon her glowing heart.

“Your secret will be safe with me,” she vows.

“Thank you,” Wyll shifts uneasily. “I… I am worried about her. Looking back, she was quick to suggest Avernus for all of us, and eager to hurry through that portal. I thank the Triad every day we could save you that way. But even after all this time, a small part of me can’t help but worry that it wasn’t only to save you.”

He looks up at Karlach, troubled. “After all, we’re not the only things she has loved, here in Avernus.”

Karlach scoffs an incredulous laugh. “Soldier. Are you��seriously thinking that she came here to find—?”

“—Tiamat. And yes,” Wyll confesses in a hush. “We have been searching for a solution for your heart, but do you ever get the feeling that she’s searching for something else?”

Karlach grimaces. “Soldier...”

“I know I should trust her,” Wyll continues shakily. “And I do, I think. But I also know that some habits... and some beliefs... don’t die so quickly. As my father warned me, one doesn’t simply forsake the teachings of their cult. It takes far more time than Irva had, and far more support than even we were able to give.”

Karlach ponders beside him.

“And if she does find Tiamat? Or if we accidentally stumble upon her?” she prompts him carefully. “What do you fear?”

Wyll huffs a mournful laugh. “I’m afraid I’ll lose her. I’m afraid she’ll still be willing to free Tiamat and unleash her upon the material plane, and even if she isn’t willing, that Tiamat will enthrall her and use her to do the same.”

“Wyll,” Karlach says sternly. “Do you trust Irva?”

He doesn’t hesitate this time, “Yes, I do. Everything is simply so uncertain and I don’t know how to give her the life she wants…!”

“How do you know that this isn’t the life she wants?” Karlach interrupts, before backtracking. “Shit, I don't mean spending her long engagement in Avernus... but the fact is, she’s got two someones she trusts besides her. Two people who love her. I think that’s something special, and she doesn’t need to tell us for me to know that.

“And yeah, I know she still wants to be connected to dragons, but they’re not all bad!” she reminds him. “I heard her talking to the cleric in Stormshore Tabernacle about Bahamut a while back. She didn’t know anything about him back then, so maybe if she begins to talk to someone like him, he could be a good influence. A better deity, if she’s gotta have one at all.

“But going back to what you said… I think I know something of what you’re feeling, Soldier,” Karlach says gently. “I've felt... awful that the two of you are spending your engagement running around with me and not living it up in the city. Hells, you could be a Duke. She could be a duchess. You both could be dancing your asses off at a fancy masquerade ball right now!”

“Such occasions are nothing in the face of what matters," Wyll insists. "If skipping those means you’re safe, it’s more than worth it to me."

Karlach gives him a rueful smile. “I think Irva feels the same.”

Wyll closes his eyes. After a long moment, he looks to Karlach, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I can’t lose her, Karlach.”

“I can’t either… and we won’t, Soldier," Karlach's voice catches as she tears up as well. “Look, we love Irva. She loves us. And I think she loves that world we left behind, too. Think back — she had a chance to take the power offered by the Absolute, and she turned it down in an instant. We have to trust that she knows better than to blindly follow her old scripture. She’s better than that, don’t you think?”

Wyll nods, but something in his face is still doubtful.

“There’s… one more thing,” he confesses in a hush so low that Karlach needs to lean closer to hear him. “I’ve heard her muttering to herself... or someone else... when she’s off on her own. Talking about protection, and portals, and…” he shudders, “...rituals.”

He looks at Karlach. “I don’t doubt that she loves us. But I fear that even if she doesn’t unleash Tiamat for the sake of ending the world, she may somehow be brokering a deal with her for our protection, for a way to walk right into the forge and fix your heart. The truth is… I believe that she would do anything to see us safe.”

[petricorah]

💘 💘 [id in alt]

[hajihiko]

Nice night 🌘

[strawbebbiesart]

waiting for spring to arrive 🌿🌸

(based on work by  george tyebcho)

[ruporas]

kisses of affirmation (ID in alt)

[dekariosclan]

Imagine Gale as a talented and impressive young man, able to compose the Weave at will, skilled in a way that few can match, and favored by the Goddess of Magic herself. Imagine that because of these accomplishments, he’s caught the eye of a few up-and-coming magic adepts, and he falls in love with one of them—his first real love. Gale isn’t one to toss the ‘L’ word around lightly, so when he tells them he loves them, he means it; he gives himself over to them completely.

And in return, they love him for his potential. For his status. For the magic he can command. They love the wizard they see on the surface, but not the man underneath. They are attracted to his power, but not to him.

So of course the relationship fails, after the thrill of his magic wears off. But because Gale is a resilient young man and he’s caught the eye of so many, he soon falls in love with another.

And then it happens again. And again.

And each time Gale’s heart is ravaged, his ambition to become a better wizard grows, because he’s being shown time and time again that his magic ability is all that matters.

So much so that, by the time Mystra decides to elevate him from Favored to Chosen to Lover, he welcomes her with eager, desperate arms. Because if all his worth is in his magic, and that’s all he has to offer, and that’s all anyone wants from him, who better to love him than the Goddess of Magic herself?

Except…there’s a nagging voice in the back of his head that whispers she doesn’t really love him. There’s anxiety in his heart as time passes, and he reaches both the limit of what his talents can do and what Mystra will allow him to do. And most troubling of all: a growing panic that, just like his other lovers, she will soon grow tired of him and discard him if he can’t improve his magic any further.

He tries pouting, and pleading, and begging her to let him take more power, to let him be more for her, but she refuses. Smiles patronizingly. Tells him to be patient. But Gale can’t be patient when his power is tied so closely to his self-worth; he can’t be patient when doing so in the past has only ever lead to heartache.

So he does what he believes will be a Grand Romantic Gesture, one that will finally put him on equal footing with the woman he loves. Instead, it turns out to be a folly that dooms him and destroys his talents. And just as he’d always feared, Mystra tosses him aside the moment his magical gifts are gone—because what’s left of him holds no value for her.

————

Imagine Gale in his tower, alone, afraid, the ever-hungry orb in his chest, with only his tressym there to help him. No other friends to speak of. His colleagues forced to keep away for their own safety. His magical talents utterly stripped down, so that even when he does try and distract himself with illusions, he’s bitterly reminded of what he used to be capable of. Waking every morning wondering if it will be his last, ending every day full of loneliness and disappointment.

…and then he meets Tav.

At the lowest point in his life, at his most vulnerable, when he knows he’s going to be considered a burden, he meets this stranger and their group. So he does what he can to be useful—assigning himself to be camp cook, offering up his (now meager) magic skills, turning the charm up to 11—as he desperately hopes this will somehow work out. He’s pleasantly surprised when, after providing only minor details of his condition, Tav agrees to help him. He’s even more surprised when they actually follow through.

Imagine how Gale feels as Tav treats him kindly. As he grows to trust Tav, and then grows to like them. Imagine his surprise as he opens up and shows them more and more of himself, and they don’t turn him away.

But then his condition worsens. And he has to reveal everything: the foolish mistakes he’s made, and how dangerous he is as a result. He clings to Tav’s hand as he shows them his folly. He’s at their mercy now, and he knows this might be the last time he’ll ever feel the touch of another being, if they decide—and Gods, why wouldn’t they decide?—to cast him out.

…but they don’t. They don’t. Instead, they tell him to stay.

Imagine the relief Gale feels. The gratitude. And perhaps…just a hint of something more. Something that he dare not name, but that flares to life every time he thinks of how warm their hand was in his. Something that feels dangerously close to jealousy, when he’s had too much to drink and sees Tav smiling at another…

But he knows these are all foolish thoughts, because he has nothing to offer Tav. They are wonderful just as they are, but he…he is an empty shell of a man, a discarded husk of a wizard, and while they might tolerate him, he could never believe they might actually want him.

And besides, he still thinks of Mystra. He still longs for Mystra. She who cast him out, but to whom he still feels tethered. Sometimes he needs to cocoon himself in the weave, just to try and calm his fears and bring some joy back to his life, because magic is his life. And sometimes he just needs to see her face, even though that hurts as much as it heals.

One night he’s lost in thought, having conjured Mysta’s image after settling down at camp. Thinking that even if she hadn’t ‘loved’ him—certainly not in the way he’d loved her—she’d given him enough otherwise, hadn’t she? She’d amused him and been amused by him, they’d shared countless pleasures, why hadn’t he been satisfied with that?

Gale is so lost in thought he doesn’t realize Tav has come up behind him. Until they ask a question, startling him out of his trance. He’s a bit shaken, so he tries to turn the conversation from Mystra to the weave itself. And then a wonderful idea occurs to him, something that he’d been toying with already: what if they were to conjure the weave together?

He can show Tav how important magic is to him, let them experience what he does, perhaps even impress them a bit. But most importantly, share a moment with them. As friends would do…

He’s elated when Tav agrees. He leads them through the steps effortlessly, and they’re a surprisingly good student, following his instructions correctly (if a bit clumsily). He’s as excited as they are—perhaps even more so!—when they succeed in channeling the weave.

It’s such a pleasant, familiar feeling for him, like coming home to his tower in Waterdeep. Even as the weave connects him with Tav and makes them one, he’s easily able to hide his innermost thoughts, because he’s done it so many times before.

…but he’s forgotten that Tav has not.

————

Imagine Gale knowing every romantic partner he ever had only wanted him because of how he could raise their status, or how he could amuse them, or how he could command magic for them. And, each time, he was happy to oblige them, even desperate to oblige them, because if that was the price of their love, then he was sure it would be worth it.

But it still all came to nothing.

Now imagine Gale connected in an intimate way with someone he likes very, very much—while being what he considers his lowest, most worthless, and most humbled self. As far from the powerful, impressive wizard he once was as he could ever be. And suddenly a vision enters his mind from the lovely creature standing next to him. Only, to his complete and utter shock, it isn’t one where he is providing them with a service, or wowing them with his magical ability, or granting them some kind of power from one of the spells he commands.

Instead, when he sees their desire laid bare before him, it’s a vision of kissing him. Of holding his hand. The two most basic forms of affection and physical connection. The two things that he would still be able to offer them even if every last ounce of his remaining magical abilities were stripped from him. The two things he could share with them even if he was no longer Gale of Waterdeep, and just plain old Gale Dekarios instead.

Imagine the embarrassment and trepidation he feels at first, because surely he is mistaken?…and then the elation when he realizes that he is not. So much elation that his concentration is broken, the weave dissipating as he forgets about channeling it, as he forgets about Mystra. Because all that matters to him now is the image before him—the most pleasant and welcome image he’s seen in a very, very long time.

Imagine how that would feel…and how besotted, enamored and completely devoted he’d be to Tav afterwards. To know that someone finally—finally—just wants him.

Just imagine.

[theworkerofkeay]

John Doe design to share!! 🌟 🦌 🌙

[sugarpasteltmnt]

Watch and be amazed... As I make the Krang Key...

Ď̹̟̫͗͠I͈̙̮͐͌ͤ͛S̹̅̒̍ͨA̵̺̾PP͔E̡̻̮̩͖̤͐A͍ͬ͜Ŕ̬̩̳͉̂̔ͥ͆ Â̸̛͔̱̗̔H̡̱̀̄̔Ą̗̃̔̄̄̈͝H̶͍̄ͥ̽ͪ̕͠AḨ̢̽͛͛̏ͬẢ̘̝͝HĀ̰͈̼͙̇ͫ–!!!

HUGE thank you to Anixolt on twitter for this INCREDIBLE commission for the newest chapter of The Neon Void!!! I can't believe it's finally here. We're nearing the end. I hope you all enjoy Leo's "show" hehe

[leiandroid]

yakuza au

ok fam this au is now separated from my previous inohina yakuza/bratva au. had to fly the girls back to japan and they got a whole new backstory ! big wall of text incoming ↓↓↓

-- uchiha clan

a clan that was once powerful but was slowly eating itself from the inside. rife with internal conflict and distrust, key figures sought to strengthen the clan and each had an idea of how to bring about that change, though no two could come to an agreement on a single method. tensions amongst the ranks began to fracture the uchiha.

taking advantage of the power struggle, madara, with the hopes of seizing total control, ignites a spark that quickly turns into a bloodbath. many low level thugs employed by the uchiha flee the compound as each key figure and their loyal followers battle it out until so few are left standing it could barely be called a clan anymore.

the power vacuum left behind by the dissolution of the uchiha has created an extremely volatile environment in the crime world as different yakuza families seek to claim the uchiha’s previously held operations and territory.

-- hebi

sick of the endless politics and weakening bonds amongst the clan, sasuke left to forge his own path. as punishment for leaving the clan itachi takes his eye.

he had never expected that the power struggles within the uchiha would lead to a massacre. so when he heard about the bloodbath occurring inside the uchiha compound, he rushed home to save his parents from a grim fate. but was too late when he witnessed itachi kill them by his own blade.

sasuke quickly enacted revenge by killing itachi and when the dust settled and madara emerged as victor, sasuke turned his blade on him too and snuffed out the flame of the uchiha forever.

karin is an ex-cop that was the uchiha's informant within the police. she brokers deals and negotiations on behalf of sasuke. she is his mouthpiece, so to speak.

sasuke is also seeking two who were once allies/friends. suigetsu who had always dreamed to join the seven swordsmen's guild, and juugo a talented and brutal fighter who dominates the underground fighting scene.

together he hopes to form a small mercenary group for hire.

-- inoshikacho alliance / inoshikacho rengo

one of the first yakuza family alliances ever made going back generations. inoshin yamanaka, chosuke akimichi and shikanazai nara where the first of each clan to join the families into an alliance that has since become one of the strongest and long-lasting alliances in yakuza history.

at the age of 25 each member of the alliance is to have at least two children to ensure the next generation of the inoshikacho alliance grow up together and are trained to take on the mantle for the sake of the alliance's future. this also ensures that at least 3 generations are alive at any one time (if they don't meet an early grave that is).

the yamanaka run brothels, which act as a communication and information network. every girl is hand picked by ino or by trusted subordinates and trained in the art of seduction and information gathering. the yamanaka have large underground garden operations that cultivate plants for poisons with all kinds of effects and traceability, from the quick and painless to the slow and destructive.

akimichi control entertainment districts, money laundering operations and run the largest underground fighting scene. money flowing in and out of casinos and other avenues are fully controlled by the akimichi.

the nara are drug traffickers that control market price and distribution.

-- hyuuga clan / hyuuga kai

the strongest and most notorious yakuza in all of japan. their efficiency in all that they do make them a fierce clan. when the clanhead was found dead, many other groups thought this was finally the crack in the hyuuga shield and made moves to try and see if they could challenge their authority. but the second daughter stepped into place and ordered everyone in within a certain radius of the hyuuga estate dead.

if they thought hyuuga hiashi was a ruthless leader, hanabi, in one day alone, managed to put herself up as one of the deadliest and horrifying yakuza leaders in recent history.

their efficiency in the business and economics sector, as well as having ties within governmental and political bodies, makes them a very powerful clan with many branching factions reaching far and wide across the country.

someone, somewhere, always answers to a hyuuga.

-- neji hyuuga (tian)

after hizashi failed to protect the hyuuga leader's eldest daughter, he had to pay with his life in front of his only son.

watching his father commit seppuku and then swiftly beheaded by hiashi in front of the elders and close family, stuck with neji his whole life. he made a silent vow to exact revenge on hiashi. the bitterness in his heart made living amongst the hyuuga a slow acting poison. his hate for hiashi became stronger than his love for his father and he could never look upon a picture of hizashi anymore because his face was the face of his enemy.

neji bided his time for years and years until one fateful night he murdered hiashi in cold blood and fled the hyuuga estate. he made his way towards mainland china with some aid from a contact in the chinese triads. he disappeared for many years living amongst a guild of killers and started going by the name tian.

his next order of business was to find the abducted daughter that caused the death of his father and kill her himself.

-- hinata hyuuga (makoto)

the abducted hyuuga heir, taken from the hyuuga clan at a very young age. makoto lives her life as a simple woman, adopted by an elderly couple in the countryside, unaware of who she is or where she comes from.

when a 'chinese' man that bears an uncanny resemblance to her shows up at her cottage one day, calling her a name that does not belong to her, her life is flipped on its head and she finds herself plunged into the underbelly of society.

-- chinese triads / pirates

tenten is a weapons smuggler. though she is affiliated with the chinese triads, she smuggles and trades weapons for anyone that buys them, as her true loyalty is to money.

tenten's operations are done by sea and she has control over a small fleet of boats that answer to her. other than a port owned by the triads, she has claimed a small remote island as her home and base of operations.

she was also neji's contact that helped him sail the seas to mainland china after he murdered hiashi.

-- korean mafia

kiba is an animal trafficker. he acquires exotic animals for their ivory/fur/leather as well as selling them alive to the wealthy for their collections and keeps.

he has sold exotic birds to the yamanaka for their gardens. gathered all manner of cervidae antlers from around the world for the nara's collection. has captured the most venomous snakes known to mankind for several organisations, including certain individuals of the uchiha family. has also sold a number of species of animals for tenten for her island.

he is generally in good graces with all kinds of people/groups due to his connections and ability to acquire the even the most endangered and rare species in the world.

-- suna siblings

kankuro and temari own a small medical clinic. kankuro is a general family doctor. people come to him for check-ups and simple treatments and minor operations. temari handles all the logistics, and appears as the clinic's secretary. they have 3 nurses: matsuri, yukata, mikoshi.

kankuro is also a certified surgeon and operates on all sorts of gang members in the hidden basement operation room. matsuri has been trusted to help kankuro with these operations when needed. their practice offers complete discretion and the clinic has become off-bounds for any gang violence, even if rivalling groups happen to meet each other on the premises. they enter a truce for as long as they are within a certain radius of the clinic.

the brother and sister duo are a respected, unaffiliated group, and they also use their operations to get clues on their brother's whereabouts.

gaara was kidnapped at a young age and was tortured to the point that psychosis was induced. he is held in the same place as juugo and both are used in fights that many come to pay dearly to watch and bet on.

-- police

with his parents killed and taken from his home, naruto was raised by a gang who kidnaps boys to beat and torture, and train them into savage fighters. he dreamed for a life where he could see the sun and the sea, to eat a hot bowl of ramen once again.

when a police investigation finally bore fruit, naruto was rescued from the place. he was taken in by iruka, one of the cops, and eventually followed in his footsteps. he made a promise that he would find and save the redhead that had once clung to him down in those dark cells.

tsunade is chief of police. sai is a detective. lee is a chinese detective commissioned by the chinese police to go to japan to work alongside the tokyo metropolitan police dept to follow the chinese triads operations in japan. (or is it the hosting country that commissions?? anyway) a number of jonin from naruto are also police including: kakashi, yamato, genma, anko, etc etc.

-- sakura

sakura is the head of a large hospital that was once tied up with the uchiha who used her as an in for smuggling medical supplies. she was called upon as their emergency doctor to treat key figures when needed.

upon hearing about their massacre she felt total relief that the family threatening her life were finally gone. she thought she was free from them when a certain uchiha and 2 others showed up at her door demanding treatment.

she can't say she was happy to be back in such a predicament but it seemed that this uchiha didn't have a penchant for threatening her life as his family did. and for selfish reasons, she was okay with this arrangement.

-- the aburame

a family of assassins. their efficiency and untraceable methods make them a highly coveted group of hitmen whose services are sold to the highest bidder. the aburame have close ties with the yamanaka of the inashikacho alliance as they outsource some of their poisons from the yamanaka gardens.

even though the yamanaka, akimichi, and nara families formed an alliance generations ago, this agreement between the yamanaka and aburame remains a secret from the rest of the alliance.

the aburame are a completely neutral party and the yamanaka understands this. to pay for their secrecy and treachery towards their sworn brothers, the yamanaka accept that if a hit were ordered against their own, it wouldn't affect their business with the aburame.

if u read all this many hugs and kisses mwah

[cactusdying]

hi tptm-ers. use with freedom...

[bogkeep]

i reread captive prince trilogy for the third or fourth time recently

[bearotonin-international]

Boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot boop snoot

thank you friend 💙💙

please know we are booping everyone who sends us boops right back with much love! (only the boops are coming from the team’s main blog since tumblr won’t let us boop from bearotonin 😔)

[dreamofcamelot]

Someone contact the bbc I have Merlin season 6 right here

[xxplastic-cubexx]

give me some whiskey and ill draw The Most Thing i can come up with

bonus:

[amanitacurses]

Part 1

[heynhay]

will you break and take all the words from my mouth?