#c: epilogue chosen

[koushirouizumi]

Me, for like 8+ years straight on all my Digiblogs and all my fan works: Hey did you all know you DONT have to be blood related to a relative to consider each other family lmao??? Ppl in wider fan bases today, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, despite never {or extremely rarely} acknowledging this before EXCEPT when its about ship's they hate: dID YOU k N O W you DONT HAVE TO BE BLOOD RELATED to a rELATIVE to cONSIDER EACH OTHER FAMILY L M A OOOOO M E: . . .

[skyrigel]

“The Great War Part-3”

Part 1 || Part 2 || Benjicot masterlist

Pairing: Benjicot “Davos” blackwood x Bracken!reader

~ When mist of past finally clears up and you are faced with an ineffable truth of life, you reach for your darling husband's hand, surviving the great war [ wc : 4.7k]

๑⁠˙⁠❥⁠ 18 + nsfw, p in v ( rough ), missionary position, breeding kink, blood kink, size kink, fingering, c- word used in sexual context, orgasm denial, first time, love confessions, jealousy, confused feelings, poetic subtexts, bad writing?! Proofread

I might write an epilogue someday but this is it, thankyou everyone for reading and following along, also this is for @ihateitheretaylor for our three years of surviving the great war by reaching for each other, love you to the moon and saturn.

Benji's whole face glittered under the weirwood tree, his hand inevitably touching his heart as he saw you.

Your maiden cloak adored in golden and silver embroidery, house's sigil glistening, a red stallion in golden fields, like the strands of your future husband's hair that were blazing against the sun.

His grin absolutely splited his whole face, lines stretching wide as he gazed at you walking towards him with your brother.

“ Who comes ? ” His smile true to his words,

“ Who comes before the gods ? ”

Aeron paused for a moment before he looked at you, his arms brushing your shoulder as he nodded, a tight smile but a smile indeed.

“ Y/n of House Bracken, comes here to wed. A woman trueborn and noble, she comes to beg the blessings of gods. Who comes to claim her ? ”

Benji raised his chin, instantly looking back at you like he couldn't get enough and for a fact—he really couldn't

“ Me, Benjicot Davos blackwood of House blackwood, lord of Raventree halls, I claim her.” He winked at you, “ Who gives her ? ”

Aeron took your hand, his smile genuine when he glanced back at you.

“ Aeron Bracken of House Bracken, Brother of lady y/n, son of Lord Amos Bracken.” He turned to you, blinking back the watery haze, you gulped down the lump in your throat.

“ Lady y/n, Do you take this man ? ”

Your face grew warm, and there were many realisations in life, some slow and crashing as waves, some quick and bold as lightning, when you looked back at the man who was going to be your husband, the man you remembered from a long time ago, a distant memory and sometimes as though it was taken from yet another lifetime— his youthful face, bright eyes, chortling laughter that echoed through your soul. So many years gone in punishing him for something he never did, cursing him as you sleep talked.

So when you saw him, it struck you soft as a breeze, hard as a blow; you would love him so much, perhaps you already love him or perhaps there was still time but it will eventually come your way, and you will love him so deeply, so, so much that the oceans would be jealous, you will love him so blazely that the sun would burn in agony, so luminous that the stars would be envious.

That's the way you would love him, and it wouldn't be faith that will tie your hearts and bind your souls today, it will be a choice, his and yours to not be parted, not even death could do so. You smiled, no longer fighting your blush and letting it crimson your cheeks.

“ I take this man.” You said for the all the gods to know, him, who stands here with his goofy smile, too big for his face, him, who calls you darling while you roll your eyes, he's is the one, you would have him.

Benji reached for your hand, joining your souls together through the tips of his fingers, Aeron backed away as you and Benji kneeled against the old gods, head leaned together.

“ I vow to protect you, to honour and love you, to respect and support you, my darling wife.” no yet, He had chosen you already, a very long time ago.

His thumb smeared across your knuckles, voice dripping with sincerest affection.

“ I vow to stand with you, in life and death and what follows after, to be with you in bad nights and good days.”

Your heart was beating too fast, grasping this moment to be forever your reality, it scared you how you had no control, you chose him because there was nothing else you could do—there was going to be no you without him.

A day ago you hated how much he tormented you, hated how much he ached your heart with his sweet honey like words.

And now you hate him how truly alive he could make you feel, like he has set your soul on fire, his laugh booming across the bloodshed while you're reaching for his hand.

“ I will always love you, my lady. In days when I would forget life, breath and myself— i would remember you like an oath.”

Benji pressed his forehead against yours, taking half your misery—half your pain.

“ From this day...” You said along with him, smile tugging at the corner of your lips,

“ till forever falls apart.” Benji smiled, side glancing Aeron and his glea only rippled more.

“ Can I kiss my bride ? ” He asked you, soft as a whisper and you blinked, hands sweaty in his, entwined for lifetimes to come.

“ You may.” You said, closing your eyes and even then you could feel his giddiness that rushed into you, the press of his lips against yours, it wasn't feral, it wasn't bloody, it was as sweet and as gentle, like the poets would say.

Perhaps it was Aeron's throat that cleared itself so loudly that blinked open your eyes, feeling your knees ache in the tendons.

“ You look so beautiful darling.” Benji winked, helping you get up—his tongue caught between his teeths— removing the husk from your gown.

And just like that, he was your man now.

~~~

The wedding was small but the feast that followed was wild, everyone was drunk and happy, it was truly a blackwood and Bracken wedding, one should have seen the smirk that passed between Bracken's when blackwood's pretty girls started serving wine, pouring up to brims with their sweet sly smiles and curvy beautiful bodies.

And ofcourse it wasn't missed how prideful blackwood's were being with their extraordinary arrangements, nose red and tongue loose with alcohol.

“ Bout' time laddie, bout' time—” One of the blackwood knight's chortled, patting his company with enough force to make his food come back on surface, “—should've seen his face...saw him in between bloody battle and oh lordie— should've seen the little Rat, squeezing between,” He made little vague gestures from his greasy hands, “ like a cunty little —”

“ Oh shut up, will you ! ” the said little rat of his tales snapped back at him, his Bracken mates laughing while he fumed with a red face.

“ Amusing, isn't it ? ” Benji leaned to your ear, making you shiver when his mouth grazed your ear shall, “ My heart, my shine, my darling beloved wife.”

“ Very amusing...” You said, turning to him and his beautiful face, pink on his tips, hair sticking to his forehead and a grin only fools in love had, but their on the corner of his mouth sticked a crumb, you shouldn't, really, but then you saw how Raventree hall's ladies saw him, their lusty gazes and seductive smiles, even now, they would bloom like a flower if his drunk sloppy gaze merely sprinkled by, like many realisations that followed today, this was also one of them, the one that wanted to tear away those prying eyes and keep him all to yourself, to burn those heart that desired for him, to ruin those dreams that they staged, he was yours, your husband, your lord, and you were his, his wife, his lady, and when the great war comes, it will be his hand that you will reach for, only his.

“ Here—” You blushed, “ let me.” You smeared away the crumb with the soles of your fingers, smiling a small, you don't remember watching the sun rise in the long time but if anything, it would be the way Benji smiled in that moment, forever mesmerizing.

As if on cue, your golden moment was ruined when Martha came over, she was daughter of lord in court, it was evident with the silk on her body, and her sweet calculated smile, something only courts knew.

“ It is so gracious to meet you, Lady y/n Bracken—”

“ It's lady Blackwood.” Your fork penetrated deeper into meat, “ Now.” you added with a smile, Martha nodded, her jaw hardening.

“ Ofcourse, Lady blackwood.” she tilted her head, fiddling with the chain on her neck, Benji was watching your sloppily, leaning on your shoulder and despite he was quite heavy, you weren't going to tell him that.

“ Congratulations, It is really credible what you did...to tie the two house together, a duty not anyone could do.” She bit her lower lip, shifting her sharp eyes to Benji who was putting more crumbs on his mouth, looking back at you with his chin raised.

You knew where she was getting at, duty and honour, to rub it on your face that this marriage is loveless, that it's just a duty that would end with two or three babes and forever isolation in chambers, but she didn't knew what you did, she didn't know the love that was swirling, had been, for the longest time, since one of these feasts with slurred laughters and nonsensical conservations where you saw each other.

“ Ben...” You pouted, ignoring her forced flashing of teeths, doing away the crumbs on his mouth while he fancied leaning in to kiss your tips, “ I am tired...can we—”

“ Darlin’ me too, shall we ? ”

It took a lot of nerves to not to burst in laughter the way Benji hurriedly got up, almost knocking his elbow in Aeron's face who sighed, but also smiled when he saw you watching your beloved husband.

You wondered where the wine was gone when he hooked your elbows together, all the while Martha hissed under her breath, haughty faced.

“ I wasn't expecting that...” You huffed, glancing at Benji, he was buzzing in excitement, practically floating mid air.

“ I...Martha was actually my first.” He shaked his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose, all colours drained out of your face, your knuckles clenched to bloodless flesh.

“ You know what I mean ? ” He asked, staggering behind you while you increased your pace, blinking back rapidly.

“ Ofcourse I do.” You snapped, not bothering to keep low in the dark of the tower, footsteps echoing through the night.

“ Okay, right...I wanted you to know—”

“ That you slept with another woman ? ” you turned around to him, his body knocked against you and in some other time, it wouldn't matter much, a forehead bump but he was drunk, you were angry, and times were changing, as both of your bodies tumbled down, he caught you by the waist, shifting you on top of him, a loud thud and soft ‘oof’ and a whimpered groan that was your own.

“ Are you okay, darling wife ? ” You pushed back the hair that crept out of your braid before you looked at him, propped on his elbows rested back, you shifted aside, letting your body fall next to him on the hard cold floor.

“ Yeah...you ? ”

Instead of answering you, Benji snorted first and then an absolute wave enveloped him, he was crackling with laughter, chest shaking as he glanced at you, turning away to clutch at his chest.

“ What's so funny ? ” You raised your brow, he shaked his head, taking the gods name in vain.

“ Oh Darling...” He flipped to your side, face to face as his eyes crinkled, watering at the sides, face flushed with rosiness and devil taking over his mouth. Soft and warm and pink.

“ You,” He whispered to you, taking your chin between your fingers and raising it towards him, “ are all the more breathtaking when you're jealous.” and here it was, the word, the feeling that roared like a monster on loose to destroy anyone who as so looked at Benji, a very feral twisting of heart.

“ No.” You lied, He shaked his head, leaning in, breath sweet and warm, you knew what that mouth was capable of, to kiss him was confetti bursting in your mind.

“ Liar.” He declared, gazing into your eyes and an ineffable pull broke lose, your lashes fluttered and the next moment he was kissing you and you were kissing him back.

The feral beast inside you said, devour him, make him yours, let him forget all the ones that came and gone, let it be you, only you.

You never knew how something could be more precious than air, a stiffled whine escaped your throat as he pulled away, catching a breath, grin dancing around his mouth, teasing you to catch — you weren't the one to turn down mockery, grabbing the side of his face and pulling him to you.

“ Oh my love...” He hummed inside your mouth, battling you for domination, tongue swiping across your lower lip.

He slided his hand in under your thigh, pulling you to his lap, he was dazed and drunk but in that moment, nothing could be sober more, when he picked you up from the floor without breaking a sweat and only sticking his tongue out when you watched him wide eyed.

“ I hate you.” You said, the feeling that clenched inside you was same as that unsettling tug in your navel when you spent your nights dreaming about him, when you touched his bloodied face, when you tasted his blood on your finger tips, it left it's mark, your thighs weak at the sensation that pulled inside your spine.

“ I can drop you.” He swayed your body in his arms, taking the stairs one at a time.

“ You won't.”

He smiled, “ No, I won't.”

Your face grew warm when two servants giggled softly, opening the door of his chambers or now—yours too.

It felt natural to be in his arms and to kiss him, like you had known him and this intimacy from ages ago and it baffled you how you had lived so far without starving to death without him.

“ Are you comfortable or is it just because we are married ? ” He asked, face illuminated by the moonish glow.

“ I..does it matter ? ”

“ Yes darling, it does...I want you to be happy, to be safe with me...I want you to know that we want this together.”

“ I want this.” You told him, not blinking as Benji's smile reached his eyes.

“ I love you.” He kissed your nose tip, pulling back expectantly but you only stared back, your heart heavy in your ribs.

You do, you know it, or well you will, it's going to happen and no matter what, it won't change, but deep inside, you didn't know how to form it in words, to say it and not feel sorry, to say it and erase back the years you gaslighted yourself into hating him.

“ I...” You breathed, and he understood, knew you like he was half your soul, his smile was small but he showed no sadness.

“ You don't have to say it back darling.”

And how could you not say it, the way you knew how much your heart would bleed from his love, flowing down your chambers to dripping through your veins, how much you love him, he was summer to your bleaking heart.

“ If I don't say it back, would you still love me ? ”

“ Darling.” He sat down gently in front of you, stroking your cheek as his gaze dropped to your lips, pulling it back to worship your eyes.

“ If you don't say it back then I will say it again, then we'll be even.” and the smile that tugged on both of your faces was worth every great war.

“ You are my first.” you told him shyly, hoping he understood or you were about to die out of shame.

But Benji just about died, his eyes flickered and raked you in, he had bowed, biting his lower lip while nodding.

“ Okay..okay..right.” He smiled, “ Fuck, I will be gentle baby.” His mouth twitched in a grin.

“ you must've had lot's of experiences.” you laughed, it came little bitter but Benji shaked his head, taking your hands and guiding them to his face, he looked cute, face cupped by your hands, your wedding band shinning.

“ I've slept with women but I never made love to them, it's my first time too.”

“oh.”

You lowered your gaze, Benji's touch was like fire, a wild feral flame erupting around you and you craved him, craved to get burnt by him, He softly raised your chin, and his eyes raised in a question.

“ I am not tired...if you're not.” You added quickly, feeling your nerves snap, were you too desperate, would it be bad if you were ?

Because this was your first time and so was his, making love, yes, to make love with your bloody feral husband, to touch him, to feel him, to have him, to keep him.

The way Benji's brow knitted together had you gasping for breath, you would take his refusal if it were that but you waited for so long, that the possibility of tommorow doesn't amuse you, to wait seemed torment.

“ Is that dress too heavy Darling wife ? ” and damn, you could die like that.

~~~

Those treacherous fingers weaved through the back of your dress, knots opening and with each moment he was closer.

You watched his reflection, he would occasionally glance, his blush breezing on his face as he wouldduck down to place a sloppy kiss wherever he liked, but when he looked up with that blazing look in his eyes, you knew it was done, you gave him a tilt of your head, face mere inches apart.

“ I want you....”

And so it goes, his heavy lidded eyes drank you in, his fingers moving your dress down until it fell down in a puddle of pastry around your ankles.

Benji grabbed your waist, he was going senseless in his brain, he couldn't think anything, his brain was short circuiting at all the things he would do to you.

Your back pressed against the soft silks as he climbed over you, his guard discarded somewhere, his chest bare and gleaming.

You breathed but Benji was breathless, mouth agape at your beauty, slowly his hands roamed around your shoulder, kissing every inch and praying to old gods and new because he didn't deserve you, you were all pretty things, bright and shine and him ?

Blood, chaos and thunder.

“ Oh my...oh darling—” His hands trembled, the need to mark you down like a blood stain and the urge to protect you like a dog.

To carve your pretty body and to bruise you blue and claim you all, it was confusing. And romantic. And very much turning him on.

“ Fuck ! ” He growled, your nipples were hard under his thumb and the pleading look you had in your eyes, he wanted to tease you, to make you beg on your knees and get it what you wanted but he was just a man, wild or lunatic, just a man who loved his wife so much, how could he refuse you anything even if it were the moon, he would steal a dragon and fly so high to give you what you wanted, to make true every wish, every dream you had, to fulfil you completely.

All breath was knocked out of you when Benji lowered his mouth, licking the skin of your breast and looking up for approval.

You whimpered at the sensation that practically had you shivering, your knees weakened as his tongue teased your hardened bud, wet and drooling mouth, placing hot kisses.

“ Please, please...Ben—” you tugged at his hair, he was sucking at plump flesh, his other hand rubbing your thigh, heating your whole body up.

“ What ? ” He said, strangled and needy despite trying to be the one to be incharge.

“ Ben... Please—” you heaved, pulling him to you but he pulled away, looking into you eyes and you saw how bloody bastard he could be sometimes when he wanted to be.

“ Darling...” You pouted, and he was just a man, gone before the words even made it out, his fingers teasing your entrance before he placed a kiss on your heart and took your tits in his mouth, humming like a starved man.

Heaven was an utopia concept that Septa talked about, but really, Septa never had made love because this is what it truly felt like, in his arms, in his bed.

Your moans filled the night as his teeth digged in your flesh, Benji was trying his best, the way he tried to stop kneading your breast too fast but ended up fisting it roughly between his palm, softening the pain with the sweet nothings he whispered.

“ How pretty...how soft..mmmm.” He nuzzled closer, you liked him that way, his hands rough, his words soft.

Your hands inevitably reached down between your legs and you just about felt the slickyness before he grabbed your wrist, pulling it back with a devilish grin.

“ Darling, no.” He kissed your finger tips and smiled, poking his tongue out to lick away the white thick juice that calloused your tip.

Whatever he did was enough to untie the knot in your stomach, your pit lurched like sea waves and wanted to crash the shore so badly that you would die begging him.

“Oh darling, how feral you are ? ” He teased, pinning your wrists above your head, his whole body pressing you down, placing a hard kiss on your mouth, squeezing your lips and sucking them dry.

All the while his knee socket digged between your thighs and like you were born to do it, you started moving along as the pressure built up, sparks flying.

“ c'mon, c'mon...do you want a kiss ? ” His jaw slackened as you grew your pace, hips buckling at the intensity and he was kind of very impressed, enough to smile down at your blue and purple bruising bod, releasing your torment.

His fingers only waited a moment before he was knuckles deep, your breath hitched and moans ribbed apart your throat.

“ Benji, oh lord..ah..mm” you hoped he heard the ‘ I love you's ’ you were chanting for him.

“ You're so wet for me...so wet baby.” His mouth dropped to kiss a mole on your tummy, all the while penetrate his finger deeper and then one became two, immediately having your back arch, hips buckling as two turned to three, digging inside you, huffing when he angled them in a way that had you closing your eyes and lose yourself to him.

“So tight for me darling.” You opened your eyes to find his lips on your ear shell, whispering it down to you and his fist inside you, just basking in your warm tight cunt.

“ Benji... darling...” Your face crumbled as tears rolled down, and a greater woman wouldn't beg but you would do anything to have him take you, anything.

You looked just in time as Benji climbed on top of you, his arm on top your head that propped him up so he didn't crush you down.

His fingers glided back from your folds before something thicker than his finger touched your clit.

“Oh.... dear lord.” your chest raised at the heavy intake of air, but He was massive and hard for you, his shaft angry at the unattention.

“Just the tip darling.” He pecked your swollen lips, a droplet of blood sat atop, curtsy by him that he gladly tasted, “sweet.”

You remembered thinking Benji wasn't a liar but in that fucking moment, he was the biggest liar to ever lie, his length pushing down and getting lost in your folds.

You glanced between you and him and shuddered at the thought of being split open by his cock, half his length shining and struggling to wrap inside you.

“ Fuck—” He cursed, “ Your tight pussy I-isn't letting em' in.”

Your thighs ached as he pried them apart for more access, his face red and breaking sweat. He managed to go ball-deep inside you, proud tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“ Benji...” You whimpered, face blotchy with tears that spilled while he kept telling you, it was just the tip and if anything, saying darling wife after every word.

The feeling of freefall, that comes after flying high and higher and not bothering friction and gravitation that pulls, it was just like that, when Ben looked into your eyes before his first thrust inside you, you were flying in the sky with him.

One thrust — and you were falling, your body wasn't your own and it was shearing, it was gleaful, it was infinite.

Your insides clenched as he pushed more, then more and each time his nerves popped harder on his neck, his eyes clenched closer to heaven but he would open them again, using his free hand that wasn't opening your legs to wipe away the tears that streamed down your face, relishing in your soft moaning that screamed his name.

Four thrust down and his restraints broke the chains, he was no longer in control, pounding inside you and all he could do was keep telling you how good you were.

He was bloody, the way he grabbed your arse cheeks to slam his entire length in, spiralling your whole world, bruising you blue.

“ Darling, so good...so good for me.” just when he pulled out only to thrust back in your swollen cunt again, balls deep in your sweet cunt and liar said just the tip.

“ Just like that...mmm..yeah.” just when you thought you were about to split open, with stars in your eyes.

“ Baby love...I love you...I love you.” and his feral took a peak when he leaned to pin your shoulders down, you were fighting for realease but he kept telling you not yet, not now.

“ Benny please...” You cried, but you can take that, you were being so good, such a nice doll to him.

“ I love you...oh my darling, love you so much...let me fill you with my babes..” He moaned out. “ Darling—” he croaked, thrusting harder inside you, the bed shook with his pounding, his face another blissful sight but even through the daze, he wouldn't stop gawking at you, watching you moan on his cock, all your sweet nothings just for him.

“ please... darling, let me see you carry our baby...”

And you had no say before your insides were filled with his juices, warmness spreading inside and out and everything melted in a slow daze and perhaps that's chaos.

The way you came on his cock, silvery misty substance mixing with his own and he dropped his face next to you, sniffing your sweet sweaty hair and placing a soft kiss.

“ That was...” He trailed, shifting his weight next to you and you felt breath rushing in your chest, “....so good baby.”

“ hmmm...” You closed your eyes letting the moment sink, when his arm came and wrapped around your waist then spooning your whole body.

“ My sweet love.” He said, out of nowhere and time passed, your naked bodies tangled in each other, drifting in a peaceful sleep.

~~~

It was one of those dreams, his face dripping with blood, yours or his, you didn't know but the urge to touch him was forevermore.

But then the reality struck you and with more convincing you opened your eyes to moonlight lighting his whole face.

His nose was nuzzled in the crook of your neck and his innocence brighter in the sky full of stars.

His sweet warm mouth drooling over your chest, a bead of his drool cooling your skin.

And the urge was sudden, like lightening when you smiled at your beloved husband.

“ Benji...” you whispered and he didn't move, sleeping and snoring softly.

“ Ben....” you tried again, ofcourse there was tommorow awaiting, but your heart said speak now.

“ huh.” He sleepily hummed, smearing his cheek on your warm body, smiling dopily like it was a very sweet dream.

You smiled, forever remembering the memory when you reached for his hand, entwinng your fingers together.

“ I love you.” You said, “ I love you so much darling.”

And just like that, you survived the great war.

Navigation

[whencyclopedia]

The Legend of Sargon of Akkad

The Legend of Sargon of Akkad (c. 2300 BCE) is an Akkadian work from Mesopotamia understood as the autobiography of Sargon of Akkad (Sargon the Great, r. 2334-2279 BCE), founder of the Akkadian Empire. The earliest copy is dated to the 7th century BCE and was found in the ruins of the Library of Ashurbanipal in the 19th century.

The text, most likely composed c. 2300 BCE, and also known as The Birth Legend of Sargon, describes the king's humble origins and rise to power with the help of the goddess Ishtar and concludes with a challenge to future kings to go where he has gone and do as he has done. Sargon was the founder of the first multinational empire in the world whose reign became legendary, inspiring many tales about him, but very little is known of his life apart from works such as The Legend of Sargon of Akkad and the literary piece Sargon and Ur-Zababa.

Both pieces today are sometimes classified as belonging to the genre of Mesopotamian naru literature – the world's first historical fiction – in which a famous figure, usually a king, is featured as the main character in a fictional work. This genre appeared around the 2nd millennium BCE and was quite popular, as evidenced by the number of copies found of naru works.

The purpose of naru literature was not to deceive an audience but to impress upon them some important religious or cultural value. In the case of The Legend of Sargon of Akkad, however, the naru genre seems to have been used to establish Sargon as a 'man of the people' who, beginning life as an orphan with nothing, forged his own destiny and established an empire.

The Legend & Naru Literature

Sargon of Akkad was keenly aware of his times and the people he would rule over. He seems to have understood, early on, that the common people resented the nobility and, while he was clearly a brilliant military leader, it was the story he told of his youth and rise to power that exerted a powerful influence over the Sumerians he sought to conquer.

Instead of representing himself as a man chosen by the gods to rule, he presented a more modest image of himself as an orphan set adrift in life who was taken in by a kind gardener and granted the love of the goddess Inanna/Ishtar. According to The Legend of Sargon of Akkad, he was born the illegitimate son of a "changeling", which could refer to a temple priestess of Ishtar (whose clergy were androgynous) and never knew his father.

His mother could not reveal her pregnancy or keep the child, and so she placed him in a basket which she then set adrift on the Euphrates River. She had sealed the basket with tar, and the water carried him safely to where he was later found by a man named Akki, a gardener for Ur-Zababa, the king of the Sumerian city of Kish. In creating this legend, Sargon carefully distanced himself from the kings of the past (who claimed divine right) and aligned himself with the common people of the region rather than the ruling elite.

The Legend, as noted, is considered by some scholars today as belonging to the genre of Mesopotamian naru literature, but it is unknown whether it would have been understood that way in its time. Scholar O. R. Gurney defines the genre and its origin:

A naru was an engraved stele, on which a king would record the events of his reign; the characteristic features of such an inscription are a formal self-introduction of the writer by his name and titles, a narrative in the first person, and an epilogue usually consisting of curses upon any person who might in the future deface the monument and blessings upon those who should honour it. The so-called "naru literature" consists of a small group of apocryphal naru-inscriptions, composed probably in the early second millennium B.C., but in the name of famous kings of a bygone age. A well-known example is the Legend of Sargon of Akkad. In these works, the form of the naru is retained, but the matter is legendary or even fictitious. (93)

The extant copy, made long after Sargon's death, conveys the story Sargon would have presented regarding his birth, upbringing, and reign. Naru pieces such as The Legend of Cutha or The Curse of Agade use a well-known historical figure (in both these cases Naram-Sin, Sargon's grandson) to make a point concerning the proper relationship between a human being (especially a king) and the gods. Other naru literature, such as The Great Revolt and The Legend of Sargon of Akkad, tell a tale of a great king's military victory or origin. In Sargon's case, it would have been to his benefit, as an aspiring conqueror and empire builder, to claim for himself a humble birth and modest upbringing.

Continue reading...

[forestclan-clangen]

Moon 9 (Answered Call Result + Epilogue)

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HOLLOW SPACE FILLED WITH LOYALTY

PATH CHOSEN: ATTEMPT TO TREAT BARLEYWAVE, AND WAIT OUT THE WIND.

(Shiverpaw, medicine cat apprentice, female, 9 moons) (The Audience. It's you. You answered. You're here. You feel yourself scattering into ashes, falling apart and rejoining again and again, into countless, almost-forms. Your words are waves. Your sounds are static. And yet still, you are here. Please, you cry. Please, hang on.)

---

Shiverpaw's pelt rose as she felt like insects crawled through every vein in her body. The nerves in her body trembled, her claws felt like shifting sands. Her heart stopped as she felt like something wrapped itself around her whole body. And yet, it did not feel like it was seeking to play her voice like an instrument, or move her paws.

Instead, it was like it made a gentle push in her body - clicking a dislocated joint or a fractured bone back into place. She couldn't describe it. Was it…relief? She wasn't sure. She didn't know. The sensation felt alien and unnatural.

But then distant whispers filled her. It wasn't a true, distinct voice - it was more akin to an innate, absolute truth. The guarantee of ground beneath her feet. The promise of a beating heart and breathing lungs. The endless expanse of the sky above.

The comfort of the sun rising, again and again, regardless of whether anyone would see it.

She couldn't parse the whispers. They bounced against one another, like grains of sand carried by wind. But there was something that was repeated.

Snow. Block. Warm.

Shiverpaw felt the unknown energy recede from her legs, concentrating itself purely around her head. It ached, but she could feel the cold again in her legs.

Breathe. She had to breathe. Barleywave needed help. Snow. Block…

"Morningpaw?"

"W-What?" the warrior apprentice squeaked.

"D-Does snow…block…"

There was a tense silence that fell until Barleywave weakly faded back into reality, a look of sudden worry gripping his exhausted face.

"K-Kids," he rasped. "Don't let me…sleep. I really shouldn't. Okay?"

Shiverpaw felt a surge of warmth course through her body. She…she could do this. Had to.

"Barleywave, how do I make a snow wall?"

"Wall…wall! Yes," Barleywave didn't move, but he shut his eyes tightly as it seemed like his mind was focused on parsing his thoughts. "Pile the snow high. Against the wind. Wall blocks the…"

"The wind," Shiverpaw finished. It felt like a message just clicked. She felt like she could hear something else clearly.

Ground. Lift. Warm. Core.

"M-Morningpaw. Listen," Shiverpaw meowed. "G-Ground. Lift…lift him in here. Keep his…his core warm," she stammered as she forced herself past the tunnel entrance.

"C-Core? But what about you?" Morningpaw stammered.

"Dig…dig a hole." Shiverpaw's eyes widened. Yes…yes, walls! That made sense! "So the wind doesn't get him. I'll make a snow wall out here, to make a bigger wall."

"But will you also fit in here?"

Shiverpaw paused. She listened to the energy again. Ground…lift…core…

The ground was wet.

"Dry. He…he needs to be on something dry."

Morningpaw paused, then her amber eyes widened in realization. "We…we're warm, right?"

"Kids, I don't think you need to be r-rugs," Barleywave forced out a poorly-timed joke, which received a hiss from Morningpaw.

"If it saves you, I don't care!" Morningpaw started digging at the earth in the shelter below Barleywave.

Shiverpaw looked at the mounded piles of snow that they had made in their frantic attempts to clear the entrance, and bit back at the wind that pushed against her. She forced herself to grab the wet, cold snow, and pile it against the tree's trunk. She ignored the numbing pain as she kept piling the snow upward, until it built a partial barricade that blocked the wind. She wasn't sure about how sturdy it was. She was too cold to think about what to do otherwise.

She turned to the shelter and saw Morningpaw's white paws stained a dark brown. She was tearing up the earth like she was a badger, shoveling the dirt at the back wall. Barleywave's front legs and head were angled downwards, and she could hear him mumbling constant praise in an attempt to stay awake.

Shiverpaw's gaze fell on the corner where she used to be, and saw the leather pouch she used to carry herbs.

Wait.

Shiverpaw stepped over Barleywave and grabbed the pouch, then pulled a wet claw and started cutting at the seams of beeswax.

"Shiverpaw, what are you doing?" Morningpaw asked.

"Warm. Head should be warm," she mumbled. She wasn't…sure how she knew that. Maybe Windfur taught her. Yes. He must've. She unfurled the pouch until it was a plain sheet of leather again. Flat, and dry. She approached Barleywave and tried wrapping it around his muzzle and nose.

"Mmphf?" Barleywave's weak protest was muffled.

"Can you breathe?"

"Mm-hm," he hummed the affirmative.

"Good. Now come on," Shiverpaw started to shove herself into the dug incline. She looked at Morningpaw. "Join me here."

Morningpaw huddled herself against Shiverpaw tightly, then bit into Barleywave's scruff, trying to coax him into moving. Barleywave trembled as he reluctantly shifted his upper body over top of the two apprentices, allowing his back legs and tail to finally be tucked away from the outside. He blinked slowly several times, both to tense himself and offer reassurance.

Shiverpaw stayed quiet as she forced herself to take deep breaths. The ground was so, so cold. But they had to wait.

The three cats remained awake in relative silence. Morningpaw prodded Barelywave every so often, preventing him from sleeping as requested. Shiverpaw allowed the warmth of their bodies to provide some comfort. The feeling of falling sand continuously rapped at her forehead. But through the noise, she could faintly hear soft words like a distant melody.

We stand by you, through everything.

This was not your fault.

Everything will be alright.

We love you. We love you. We love you.

Shiverpaw felt a knot in her throat. She choked back a sob, closing her eyes. She felt like she was speaking to StarClan again, when they showed her the Iris. Fear, met with overwhelming love. We love you. We love the Clans. Be brave.

She was loved, but she couldn't do anything for them in return. The beings beyond StarClan were just like her ancestors. They watched. They loved. They wanted her to be okay.

Her thoughts were banished as she heard familiar voices, faded in the distance. They were calling for them. Yowling as loud as they could.

Morningpaw scrambled, writhing underneath her mentor. "Help!" she tried to call, her voice abruptly strained. "Help - "

"No, no," Barleywave groaned, his voice barely heard from the leather.

"O-Oh, right," Morningpaw stammered. "W-We're here! Over here!"

Shiverpaw felt the alien energies slowly retreat from the last of her body. The Clan had sent a patrol - they must've been out for too long. Did the wind die down enough? Shiverpaw saw that the snow outside was falling in a straighter pattern. They called out to the voices, and Shiverpaw heard the pawsteps of cats approaching the tree hollow rapidly. She was greeted by the fearful and relieved faces of three long-furred cats - Talontooth, Tree, and Windfur. Snowflakes blanketed their fur like the peaks of mountains.

"T-Talontooth!" Morningpaw exclaimed, her face filled with relief.

"Oh, thank StarClan, you're okay!" Talontooth exclaimed.

Shiverpaw found herself aware enough to tell Windfur that Barleywave was freezing. She watched as Tree's muscles rippled as they apologized and yanked Barleywave up by the scruff, forcing him to his feet. Talontooth leaned against him to hold him up, the two cats helping him walk. Morningpaw trailed after them anxiously.

Windfur looked at his apprentice with a look of grief and regret. "I…I'm…"

"Camp," she interjected. "Camp now." Shiverpaw followed after her clanmates, choosing to ignore Windfur's eyes staring at the back of her head.

Hurt filled her chest. It wasn't her fault. He shouldn't have sent her out.

When the patrol finally made it back to camp safely, she allowed Iciclepool to rush towards her and groom her head, purring and expressing relief.

"Oh, Shiverpaw, my child," Iciclepool meowed and rested her head on top of hers. "Oh, StarClan, thank you. Thank you." Shiverpaw heard her mother's voice waver. It wasn't because of the cold.

As Barleywave became wrapped up in soft furs and tanned pelts, and a cautious fire was created inside the medicine cat den, Shiverpaw ignored Windfur's attempts to apologize or ask if she was okay. Instead, she looked at him and said firmly, "Show me how to treat frostbite."

She was relieved when Windfur only stared at her for a moment, before looking away and starting to teach. His voice was quieter than normal. Still, she listened, and absorbed every part of the treatment. She learned how to slowly warm a cat's extremities, the parts most vulnerable to the cold. She learned to keep Barleywave's bedding dry, to surround him with pelts so the blood still circulated to his heart and mind. The fire cannot be too strong, as sudden heat would rupture frozen skin. She kept that all in mind, and when Windfur had finished explaining the treatment, she wordlessly padded up to a cold Morningpaw and made sure that she wasn't frostbitten either.

She could feel Morningpaw stare at her with a mixture of discomfort and tentative gratitude. She couldn't find something to say, so she didn't. She just confirmed that Morningpaw wasn't frostbitten, and she could stay by the fire to stay warm.

By the time the wind had died down and remnants of snowfall piled more gently, Shiverpaw watched as ForestClan now huddled together inside the insulated medicine den. They sat together in tense silence, staring at the hot cinders that glowed with a red light, the flame died down.

"...Can we make more fire?" Branchkit piped up with a tremble to her voice.

"Too dangerous in a confined space," Hopechase answered gently. "We don't want the fire to light the roof of the den."

From next to Branchkit, Perchkit let out a quiet whine. Her head still hurt from the migraines she suffered.

That night, Shiverpaw couldn't get any sleep. Despite the comfort of her mother curled behind her, she couldn't help but stare at her clan. Olive, curled around Perchkit and Branchkit. Hopechase, resting behind Iciclepool, her head against hers. Tree, positioned near the entrance, shielding a frequently-stirring Cloudthunder from the cold. Talontooth had sheepishly shifted closer to Morningpaw over the course of the evening, until his back met hers and he fell asleep. Riversnow lay beside Barleywave, failing to hide her concern for him. Windfur was at the back of the den, facing away from the fire and to the wall. Only Redstar still lay in a restless heap, her eyes reflecting the remaining light of the cinders. They burned with quiet resentment about the woods outside. She caught Shiverpaw's gaze, and her eyes softened.

She didn't say anything. But she didn't need to.

Eventually, she, too, fell asleep.

Shiverpaw watched as the snow continued to fall, burying the world outside. The white speckles of snowflakes blurred the dark night, and for a brief moment, she was reminded of StarClan. Of Silverpelt, painting the darkness with white, dazzling light.

And…she thought of the voices not from StarClan.

She didn't expect them to answer. She still didn't know what they were. She was still wary of them - worried that the Iris could hear them. Was she right to call for help?

…How did she manage to do it? Was this something any cat could do?

…No. She loved stories, ever since she was a kit. She always listened to them. She heard of Twolegs, of monsters, of legends, both real and imaginary.

She never heard about cats speaking to beings that had no form, their voices surging through bodies like…like lightning. Like coarse sand. Like…howling wind and falling snow, making the roof of her mouth feel metallic and rough.

…But she did. And they were kind.

She still didn't know who they were yet. But they helped her save Barleywave, and for now, that's all that mattered.

She curled up against Iciclepool, staring back at the now-extinguished fire, and allowed her eyes to close. Exhaustion pulled her quickly into a deep sleep.

---

[FINAL INTERACTIONS RESULTS]

PATH CHOSEN: LOYALTY [+ 15 COMFORT]

YOUR WORDS BROKE THROUGH TO SHIVERPAW. She feels like she can trust you a little more. [+ 5 TRUST]

<PREVIOUS | NEXT>

[ramonag-if]

Chapter 9, Part C is now available to play for Patrons! Part C concludes the entirety of Chapter 9 which means it is the full and complete chapter.

Play the game here.

Part C includes:

The family dinner;

Choose to bring one of four companions to the dinner;

Deal with the family dynamics of your Vinia family and Salyra's family;

Comfort Uncle Belahm;

Confront Salyra about your chosen companion;

Learn more about the political ramifications of venturing to speak with the Nomad Tribes or returning to Vinia;

Speak with your four companions to get more insight into the politics of their choices;

Make an important decision which will play out in Chapter 10.

Release Schedule:

31 May 2024: Ishari Tier Patrons ($15)

3 June 2024: Vinia Tier Patrons ($10)

8 June 2024: Cyre Tier Patrons ($5)

15 June 2024: Nomad Tier Patrons ($2)

Regardless of the tier you join, you will be able to play the early access of the demo up until its completion (the epilogue). You will also get sneak peeks as I write new chapters, get to make decisions on polls, get extra side stories and get sneak peeks of the full portraits of the characters (when completed).

The full word count of Part C is around 80K words without code, which brings the total word count for Chapter 9 to 140K words without code. As of now, the entire game comes to 680K+ words without code. If you wanted to play Chapter 9 but couldn't commit to more than a month of being a Patron, now's your chance to join to play the full chapter!

[oddinarylani]

epilogues to 'i just wish you cared about me'

pt 1: chan, lee know, changbin, hyunjin

a/n: part twos to continue off of the original post, i'll work on maknae line soon.

𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷.↴

there was a sea of green surrounding you. mountains covered in a wash of evergreens intermingled with low hanging clouds and misty fog surrounded the house. the air smelled different there, the humidity nearly smelling sweet - it was fresh and green and freeing. chan had chosen the vacation spot himself and surprised you with the trip, asking you to pack your things and not ask any questions until you arrived. funny enough, when you both arrived, you were too breathless to speak, instead leaning your cheek into his shoulder with awe, your arm wrapped around his waist as your eyes feasted on the display before you. black detailing accentuated the house against the greenery of the forest, it stood out proudly - strong. nearly every wall was lined with floor to ceiling windows, and a waterfall cascaded on a cliff side just across the second floor balcony. 

“chris…” you turned to him, still sleepy and jet lagged from the flight over, a hat sitting low on your brow. “you-you didn’t have to do this.” he grasps your hand, luggage in the other, and lead you to the front door where he keyed in a code to enter. “of course i did.” he chuckles cheekily, smiling as he pulled you inside and left your bags by the front door. 

inside was just as beautiful as the outside of the house, similar black detailing with dark wood accents. your lips remain permanently parted, eyes wide and agape with awe. “i think i might cry, honestly.” you laugh a bit, your hand coming to cover a small bit of your mouth as your eyes watered with happiness. 

you wouldn’t have guessed that seven months into your relationship with chris that you’d be smitten, head over heels, and everything in between. “no noooo, don’t cry.” he grabs you by the waist to pull you into his arms, swinging you from side to side as giggles fill the room. “this is crazy, no one’s ever done something like this for me before.” you laugh more when you feel the water building in your eyes, feeling beyond happy. 

“well i’ll just have to be the first, hm? you deserve it!” his sweater clad hands find your face and your cheeks squish together a bit as he does so. he’s bare faced and so adorable it makes your heart wrench - everytime he smiles it shows in his eyes and the corners of his mouth smoothly wrinkle. it didn’t matter what he did, what he wore, or how he looked - your heart would soar with adoration every time you looked at him. 

“this is- i can’t- how long are we staying?” you ask, hands still resting around his waist. 

“fourteen days.” it’s followed by an attempt to wipe the smug smile from his face, but the house fills with his laughter anyway when he sees your reaction.

“christopher! oh my gosh!” you bury your hands in your face as you feel the tears will actually spill any moment now. 

“it’s okay, baby, it’s okay. i got off work for youuu and i pushed my deadlines baaack, it’s all good!” he wraps you in his big arms again and you quickly follow, burying your face in his chest. 

seven days on your trip, halfway through, and you never wanted it to end. your home was beautiful but this was different. every morning you woke to rain and the sound of the waterfall on the opposite mountainside waking you from slumber with kisses to your ears. coffee was shared with chris on the balcony, he’d wear a jacket with nothing underneath and shorts and it wasn’t the first time you admired him, no, absolutely not, but this trip brought something different out in him. 

he was effortlessly gorgeous. the milky bathe of his skin against his clothes always made him look the prettiest. in reality, he didn’t have to do much to look beautiful. he just was. it made you want to scream, but also made you long to just stare at him a moment longer. the heart shaped curve of his lips, the darkness of his hair, the spread of his collarbones and chest, the column of his neck - you could go on. 

sleep still weighed on your eyes, but you looked over to him one morning with your head resting on the chair you sat on. mist wafted through the crisp air - you wore only his shirt and underwear so the morning breeze kissed your legs and brought goosebumps in it’s wake. “hey, look at me.” you had said. “hm?” he raises his head and looks at you, really looks at you, and feels a bit of flush creeping up his cheeks at just the sight of you looking at him. 

“you’re the most beautiful person i’ve ever seen.” 

and maybe it was the lack of filter you faced in the mornings or it was just the swell of your heart in your chest, but either way you were left with a flustered chris in your hands - his cheeks and ears red and his eyes looking elsewhere. “stop,” he draws out, face in his hands. “i should be telling you that.” 

“oh we can make this a battle, i’ll win for sure.” you’re confident, the rain picks up a little. 

“you think so, huh? bring it on.” 

cue you proving effortlessly that he was prettier - though he argued back easily (still red in the face though) it ended in a draw. the decision never made, and chan now truly puddy in your hands. 

the rain yet again woke you from slumber, your eyes remained closed for a moment more as it bring you from sleep in the quiet haze of your bedroom. chan laid next to you, sprawled though his hand remained on your waist, the other tucked up under his pillow. his hair was curled and sweet and he looked so peaceful. peaceful like you’d never seen him before. he wakes a moment later and you’re already reaching for your camera. 

“noooo, don’t take pictures yet. let me put on makeup or something.” he chuckles, burying his face into his pillow as his bare back was now exposed to you. 

“let me, please? you look so pretty right now, i have to.” 

he let you, only after coffee and when he’d woken up some more. you returned him to the bed with his hand in your own, and you told him to just sit. 

he gets himself comfortable, shaking out his hair some more before covering his legs in the covers and looking at your lense. “there, like that.” you kneel one knee into the bed and snap a photo at the perfect angle. you take some more of him sitting up, a few as he stretched and the light hit his ripple of muscle adoringly. his body was perfect to photograph, all that hard work showed in his muscle pattern, the depth and reaches of his skin as it naturally contoured. 

you order him to lay down now, which he does so on his side with his hand supporting his head. “hey,” he nods his head. “how you doin?” of course, since it’s chris, he can’t finish it without laughing. “you’re a dork.” you smile behind the camera, still snapping one in his ridiculous pose. 

you snap more until you have him lay with his head on the pillows and you swing a leg around to straddle his waist. one hand naturally comes to rest on your hip, the other tucks into the pillow behind his head. “so handsome.” you smile, snapping some before he pauses, smiling softly to himself. you lower your camera a bit as his hand comes to rest on your cheek, his thumb stroking your soft skin. 

“i love you.” he says, suddenly. your cheeks flush, but you have the perfect idea. you bring your camera back up with his hand steady on your face still, and snap a picture. 

“i love you more, baby.” you kiss his palm, sitting back on his lap as he leans back up, now resting on his palms as you look over the last few you’ve snapped. his hand reaches perfectly just out of frame, and you admire the shine of love in his gaze that you’ve managed to capture. 

“you look so sweet here,” you frown, showing him the photo. 

he groans, ever his own worst critic. “show that to no one, please.” you lean forward, pressing a kiss to the side of his face. 

“oh it’s gonna be my lockscreen for sure.”

𝓵𝓮𝓮 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀.↴

bathed in warmth, heart pumping, blood rushing, washing over your cheeks with a warm flush - putting pinks in your skin, keeping you warm - minho’s careful sweet gaze flutters over your face with admiration of your existence. you were alive. wildly so. it shows in the cuts in your cuticles, the bruises underneath your skin, the redness under your eyes when you were tired, your need to eat - to bathe - to sleep. minho’s gaze turns somber, looking over your face as if he was thinking (he always was)

he’s positive the last of his humanity has left him. he can’t remember. 

how your hair curled around the pillow, looking up at him like he hung the moon and stars in the sky. “what’s wrong?” you ask, noticing the stained pink corner of his mouth, and running your thumb over it. he takes your hand before you can pull it from him, turns it over smoothly to kiss your knuckles. “nothing.” it’s simple, sealed with a smile, and he leans back into his palm to look over you in your bed. 

“you’re thinking.” you note simply, holding onto his hand to feel the ripple of chill off his skin. “i’m always thinking.” his brow raises, ever smug as minho typically was. 

your eyes roll lightheartedly. “that i know.. what i don’t know, is what troubles you.” 

his lips tug to the side, you could see his brain working now, wondering if he should tell you or not, pondering over the possibilities. his brow furrows again, this time he looks over your hand, admiring the shine of gold on your finger, reminding you of your love forever awaiting.

“what you said, a few nights ago. about wanting to be changed. that’s what troubles me.” 

you frown softly, wishing to wipe the concern from his handsome face - worry didn’t suit the gold gleam of his eyes, you liked it better when he was smiling. you push yourself to your elbow, matching his gaze now. “i know it does… but it’s a wish i have to stay by your side.”

“you can live out the rest of your days by my side, grow old and i’d still love you.” he assures. 

even just at the sound your heart breaks. “but i want to live centuries with you, i won’t be beautiful when i’m old.” 

his hands smooth over your cheeks, fingers parting when they meet your ears, and he raises your gaze to look at him. “i’ll always want you, even when you age.” 

you smile softly, leaning forward to press your lips to his own just once before parting. “i still wished to be turned. i think it would be cool.”

“cool? my centuries of torment were cool?” he chuckles, laying beside you now. “i didn’t mean it like that! but we’d be a cool power couple.”

minho yet again is left with the tangle of his feelings, unable to make up his mind, feeling as though he wouldn’t please you no matter the outcome. the reality of becoming a vampire was a death beyond comprehension, he wouldn’t wish it on anyone. yet, the idea of ever having to leave you behind tortures him as well. 

“i wish you saw the value in your life.” his voice is soft, a level of sentimental you rarely saw in him. he always kept composure, always quick with a comeback - fast with wit. but to see him melt in the face of your request, leaves your chest aching a bit. 

you shuffle closer to him, cupping the back of his head to let him roll to rest on your chest. “i do have value, i promise you. but i’ll always want you.” your fingers stroke through his hair. 

“this-” he grabs your hand, admiring the heat coming from your body. “this heat. your heart-” his hand falls to your chest, feeling the beat steady. “blood. and warmth. is what i admire. what i miss.” every bit of you is warm, minho could melt to this heat every time he touched you. 

“there is one thing you’ll want more than me when you become one.” 

your head quirks, looking down to him on your chest until his golden gaze meets yours. “blood.”

you came to an agreement over the following weeks - you’d decided long ago your love for minho, and remained firm in your request. the change would be a few feverish days until your heart would stop and you’d eventually turn, he prepared the castle in that time, and stood by your side from the very moment his fangs sank into your neck. 

the fever was unbearable, a few hours of writhing between sleep which you could barely catch. minho would come in with soft words and glasses of blood to soothe the ache in your bones. 

everything stopped when your heart did, and the fever melted away in a few hours. you stood from the bed in your night dress, hair falling over your neck where your bite seemed to stop throbbing. upon trudging to a mirror - you see the shine of gold in your eyes, the stretch of fangs in your mouth, and the beauty in your frozen complexion. 

“m-minho-” you call weakly on wobbly legs, moving to the door where you nearly collapse into it’s frame. 

he’s there in the blink of an eye, catching you before you can fall. “did you-” when you look up at him, he freezes in the gaze of your eyes, his chest aching in a way he hadn’t felt in years. 

“my god,” his hands find your cheeks, he brings you in, firmly kissing you. “you’re so beautiful, so so beautiful,” he chuckles, wrapping his arms around you before you both melt to the floor. 

he told you endlessly of your beauty when you were human, but every time he said it you still felt the flutter of butterflies in your chest. maybe it was the phenomenon of vampiric attraction, but you felt like the bond between you was getting stronger by the second - almost leaving you light headed as he cradled you on the red carpet. 

“that was… really hard. glad it’s over.” he sees the lethargic energy of your limbs, the slow blink of your eyes, and he smooths his hands over your hair, leaning in to kiss you once more. 

“i know, my love. but all is well, you thirsty?” 

“like you could never believe.”

𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓫𝓲𝓷.↴

changbin had left earlier in the day for a family meeting, and you’d decided to surprise him for your date tonight. your few friends you had in the business had let you know that they were busy, so you were taking off alone with enough savings that a little surge of excitement shot up in your stomach at the thought of your plan. you grabbed a coffee before walking in, pushing your sunglasses up into your hairline, greeting the associate that welcomed you and asked for your card to hold on the back counter. 

“dressing area four is open, an associate will help you with your fitting shortly.” the man had nodded his head in quick thanks as he walked your card to the check out counter. a glass of champagne was offered to you as you sat, waiting for the assistant to bring out a few selections. 

your marriage was changbin was ever impressive in your mind. of course, neglecting the analytical side of you, the one you perfected for your line of work - it was nothing short of a miracle. but he changed. did you ever think it possible? maybe. in some hopeful section of your heart, you longed for the best in him. months and months had gone by since your accident, your wounds turned to scars, your sourness blossomed into something much more beautiful - it was a testament of your own growth. you loved him. truly and terribly. and you wanted nothing more than to continue this journey of life, to see where it would take you. the thought of him made giddiness arise in you, and you weren’t like that. not with anyone. besides him. 

“i’m looking for a nice dress to wear to a date tonight with my husband, i really want to surprise him.” you explained, tucking your hands into your thighs. they asked a few more questions about color, fabric, style, and length of your preferred vision before walking off to bring other suggestions. 

“this is tom ford, spring collection of twenty-nineteen.” the assistant explains, handling the dress with gloves as he holds it by the hanger, giving it a wide birth to feast your gaze upon. your eyes dance over the stretch of fabric, an off-the-shoulder and black velvet masterpiece. 

“i’ll try that.” you nod, feeling your phone vibrate in your pocket - quick to pull it out to see your husband’s name across the front. 

“hey!” you say cheerfully, changbin chuckles. “hey, babe. what’re you doing?”

the assistant hangs the dress in the fitting room, you disappear behind it’s curtain after thanking him, putting your phone between your shoulder and cheek to shimmy it off the hanger. “oh nothing, what about you?”

“hmm, i don’t know, sounds like you’re up to something.” he hums, behind the sound of his voice it sounds like he might be in a car - wind rustling and a faint honk in the distance. 

“nothing for you to worry about until our date, now tell me what you’re up to.” he can hear the smile in your voice, completely contagious he catches himself smiling as well, gripping the steering wheel as he weaves through city traffic. 

“ah, i see. i’m on my way to the second meeting, just wanted to call and see what you were up to.” 

you start pulling on the dress past your legs, feeding an arm through with your phone still expertly wedged with your cheek. “ah, how was the first one?” you wonder.

he tells you the first meeting was terribly boring, as the both of you expected. a few updated trials for members who’d been caught, he’d even seen your parents. quite a few operations were changing, and the second meeting was for more exclusive members of the family. you’d finished putting on the dress, even zipping yourself up before walking out of the fitting room, saying your goodbyes and wishing him a well afternoon. 

the assistant has nothing but amazing things to say about the fit of the dress and the way the mid-section compliments the waist accentuation - with that you were sold. all you had to do was go home and prepare for the rest of the date, high on the feeling of your short phone call, anticipating the look on his face when you stepped out in the dress. 

you wore his favorite perfume, the one he always complimented when you wore it, and styled your hair in a loose kind of fashion. “i’m home!” he calls from the entryway, the sound of the closing door behind him alerts you as you finish up on your hair, adding finishing touches to your makeup. “i’m getting ready!” you call back. “the restaurant called, making sure we were good for our reservation.” 

you separately got ready for the date for a moment, music playing quietly from the speaker near your vanity, when changbin stepped out of the shower to dress, you’d slipped into the closet to find your dress, shimmying it on, and stepping out a moment later.

since the neckline cut pretty low, you wore a simple necklace and other dainty type jewelry, your heel was low - changbin was standing in front of the full length mirror in the corner of your bedroom, fixing the collar of his button down before he catches glimpse of you behind him and he turns around, hands still fixated on his collar.

“baby, you look so beautiful.” he’s all smiles, coming up to you to grasp both of your hands. he’s dumbstruck, completely in awe - and holds your hands out to get a good look at you. “prettiest girl in the whole world.” he beams. there’s never been a moment he’s felt quite like this - at nearly every opportunity he looks at you he can’t help but smile. even when it’s five am and he wakes you up accidentally for a job. even when you’re standing in the kitchen with glasses on and your pjs are still on and it’s three pm. he’s never been so sure of something, so sure of you. how lucky he was, and how he’d never stop fighting to remind you you were loved. 

your heart swells with the sweetness in his words and eyes, you let him twirl you when he raises your conjoined hands, and you chuckle at his antics. “i was actually trying this on when you called,” your arms come to circle his shoulders, his own resting at your waist, eyes still dancing over the sight of you. “i knew you were up to something.” he says so positively. 

“finish getting ready, love.” you pat his shoulder, but not before he leans in - his lips pressed to your own for a brief moment before he continues getting ready. your heart beats wildly in your chest at the familiar fiery feeling of his lips, only smiling wider as he parts and walks back to the mirror.

“how’d i get so lucky?” he turns around, fixing a thin bracelet to his wrist. in his eyes in a kind of mischievous glint, you can only guess what he’d say next with a look like that in his eyes. 

“with what?” you ask, legs crossed on the bed, ever awaiting what would come out of his mouth. 

“with you.”

he’d surely be the death of you.

𝓱𝔂𝓾𝓷𝓳𝓲𝓷.↴

“i wish to paint you.” his voice left his throat, with it came the soft muffle as not to be heard from others. he was sat on his throne next to your own - his father and mother before him, draped in precarious colors and wraps of fabric, a scepter beside his father’s left hand, his mother’s hands folded curiously in her lap. 

your gaze bats to the sight of his face, how did he look when he said this? you wondered. so you looked. he was focused forward still, as if the sound never left his lips. “you wish to paint me?” you asked, cheeks terribly pink and hands beginning to fidget in your lap. 

“would you let me?” he angles his mouth only a fraction in your direction - the words were in fact spoken to you. you think for a moment, in the quiet of the chamber of the king, in the stillness of your own brain. he watches you blink, once, then twice, before you fully turn to him. 

“if it pleases you, of course.” 

you received what you’d been longing for - a loving husband. there was no one else in the world that you could share the kinds of conversation you could with hyunjin. he was always listening, always there, a promise he’d yet to break. it stole the breath from your lungs, the day and night change he was able to achieve. he’d proven himself time and time again that he did in fact love you - and you only hoped your love could show just as strong. 

in the mornings now, as you awoke from the maids, they’d learn to part after they had ensured the both of you were awake - as now you would dress for the day together. you’d slide his shirts over his shoulders, dressing him only after he had dressed you - that he made a point to do every morning. you button him with a tenderness only you could, drape his shoulder pieces - a half cape only meant to cover his left arm, and tentatively bring his long hair back into a half-up half-down style. this was all after he would slide your stocking’s up your legs, kissing just above your knee as he always did, loosely tying your corset to ensure your comfort, and slide his hands down your shoulders when he was finished, asking if you felt comfortable. 

routine with hyunjin wasn’t just routine or existence, it felt like living. like any moment was one where the excitement of what was to come next was ever waiting. he began contributing more to the communities in the kingdom that needed attention, you both taking time from your schedules to volunteer for those in need, working in the government of the kingdom to ensure everyone had equal opportunity to thrive. he’d also began opening up to you about his love for art - how it was something he’d done since he was young. 

frequently you’d find him on the stair steps of the art school, with children peering over the shoulders of their prince as he’d paint and sketch, teaching the young ones of art. 

“a-ah, hyunjin. is this appropriate?” you asked, your hands quickly darting to push up a loose strap-like sleeve of your corset, pulling down your frilled shorts in fear of them riding up your legs. 

he’s discarded his proper attire, instead wearing a relaxed white button down and brown trousers rolled at the ankle. his fingers carefully set a primed canvas on a stand just before his low sitting stool, his brow is gently lifted at the sound of your worried voice, and he walks to you, sitting down just before you to adjust the straps so that they laid off your shoulders, exposing your decolletage beautifully. 

“you look beautiful.” he promises gently, moving to grasp your hands in his chilly ones. slowly he presses forward to plant a kiss between your brow, and your face warms at the feeling, some of your anxieties soothed. “but are you uncomfortable? do you wish to change?” his thumb strokes over the back side of your hands.

“no, it’s okay. you wanted this outfit, and no one will see it?” the suppleness of your skin is only amplified by the gentle press of your corset, and though he is indeed your husband, and seen much if not all of your skin, the roundness of your legs extended from the shorts makes his heart swell with the sweetness. 

“you’re mine, i am yours,” he promises, his fingers tapping the underside of your chin. “you have only my gaze, no one else's.”

he asks for you to lay on the bed, the palms of your hands holding up your upper half as to accentuate the natural curve of your chest, the bone and muscle that lays beneath it - the softness of your legs, and the intimate draw of your clothing. 

“beautiful,” he says passively, fixing the sheets on the bed to ripple before he sits down to begin painting. 

“i’ll get the outline at least, to not have you sitting there so long. then i can do detail later.” 

“mm.” you nod, looking away as he begins to paint.

ten or so minutes into painting, the soft draw of the paintbrush on the canvas the only sound in the room, he speaks. “would you look at me, love?” he asks. and how were you to deny his request when he asked so sweetly.

“since you asked so nicely.” you smile, turning to face him. 

he smiles, chuckling shortly as he continues. now every time his gaze darts to your form on the bed, your eyes meet. a certain kind of adoration fills you - a love that causes your heart to swell fervently. to be painted by the hands of the man you loved so dearly, the idea itself melts you further to the mattress.

“wait-” he calls, sitting into his spine, looking over his work, then back to you only to get lost in thought.

“what is it, darling?” you ask.

“i have an idea.”

he nears you then, the palette of his paints on his hand - smeared, dried, clumped together from previous projects. only the finest of splatters of blue have tainted his shirt, he sits before you, drawing out his brush. 

“can i paint on you? just a bit.”

you nod, “of course.”

he steadies his first stroke, pinky resting on the skin of your thigh before he paints a long white stripe down the side of your thigh, smooth and straight. the paint is cold, his hands have warmed, he closely focuses, incorporating a swirl of green, and a tiny design of flowers around the white stripe and now what is a vine. you smile as he works, remaining still as ever as he does so. 

next, he leans forward, creating a similar design on the stretch of your neck where muscle runs up your shoulder to the column of your throat - there he paints a similar design. if you were still before, you were ice now, truly frozen as he worked strokes to his idea. 

when he finishes, he leans back and smiles, moving to kiss the side of your head before he moves back to the canvas. “there we go.”

you smile as he sits. “hey,”

his head lifts, looking at you expectedly. 

“i love you.”

shout out to bon iver for this one.

[kemendin]

Epilogue

Or, I finished my first playthrough of BG3 and had many emotions (still processing) and many thoughts (also still processing), so here are some Kem ramblings on chosen endings and what happens post-game in Dhamari canon. Under cut because major spoilers of course!

So, for anyone curious, here's how things turned out, and these are fairly unsurprising I'd imagine:

Astarion did not ascend. I tried it for kicks, and I hated his ascended self lol. And Dhamari wouldn't have gone for the 'replace one tyrant with another' idea.

Gale did not claim godhood, BUT nor did he actually give the crown to Mystra - it was left in the sea. As Dhamari said, "If Mystra wants it, she can damn well fish it out herself."

Wyll became the Blade of Avernus, and went romping back to the Hells with Karlach. Go be badasses, guys!!

Lae'zel became the new Comet, and went sailing off to be the saviour of her people.

Shadowheart turned her back on Shar and went off to explore Faerûn and her new faith in Selûne (and got custody of the owlbear).

As for Dhamari and Gale... I had to do a lot of pondering on their ending, both in terms of in-game choices and how things ACTUALLY play out in my brain. While I’m very entertained by the idea of ‘Professor Dekarios’ I don’t think Dhamari is cut out for city life. So the short answer is, I went with the ‘I’ll marry you but I won’t live in Waterdeep’ option and they go off adventuring again instead.

The long version is, of course, more complicated:

Initially Dhamari is all 'yes of course I'll marry you and go back to Waterdeep with you' because frankly he's got no idea what to do with himself post-Netherbrain destruction. But that goes kinda not too well overall, for several reasons:

a) He really has no idea what he's getting into with the whole wedding business, because drow don't DO that. So while Gale's making all these plans and sending out multitudes of invitations, Dhamari's list consists of Wyll, who can't come, and Jaheira, who probably could, and he's just very overwhelmed by all the grand ceremony notions.

b) He's jealous of now having to share Gale with Tara and Mrs Dekarios and probably half of Waterdeep, because Gale's of course rather well known, and even more so after saving Baldur's Gate. Gale knows everyone and Dhamari knows no one, and he feels like he's being perceived as this odd little drow blemish on the local wizard celebrity (whether or not this is actually true is up for debate).

c) After the relief of no longer having a brain death sentence and the pressure of saving the world wears off, and he's had a little chill time, he starts feeling incredibly restless again. He's never had a point in his life till now where he wasn't scared or in danger or both - he has no idea how to live a life that doesn't involve fighting to survive. Unfortunately, in absence of obvious threats, he ends up on some mental level fighting Gale instead - lashing out with confusions and uncertainties he doesn't know how to cope with.

So within a month or so things get very tense between them, because Dhamari is rather terrible at communicating his problems to other people, but eventually they're forced to hash all this out. The end results are: a much smaller wedding than originally planned, Gale declining the offer to take a teaching post at Blackstaff Academy, and soon after the wedding they pack up and go adventuring again for a while so they can spend some time together that's ACTUALLY just the two of them.

At some point - dunno yet if it's pre- or post-epilogue reunion get-together - Dhamari visits with Jaheira, and she invites him to join the Harpers. Dhamari's felt a sort of half-conscious connection with the Harpers for a WHILE now, since finding the executed patrol of them in Grymforge (that's a whole other ramble/fic in process lol) and so when Jaheira makes this offer he's like '...huh yeah I could do that'. It gives him a much needed sense of purpose in life, gets him out and about and not quite so latched onto Gale every hour of the day. So when he and Gale take breaks from adventures and chill in Waterdeep for a bit, Gale can be doing his wizardy stuff with his wizardy friends, and Dhamari does whatever Harper business needs doing around the city.

So things aren't always perfect between them, and frankly these two will always find something to argue about because they ARE such different people. But they love each other, and they learn from each other, and as far as they're concerned - it's a happy ending.

Random tidbit - I really like that in the route I chose, Gale retains the mark of the orb. I think that despite what it was - a death sentence - Dhamari's actually rather fond of it aesthetically, and even sees it as a reminder - to both of them - that Gale survived. That Gale chose Dhamari, chose life, and it was the right choice.

[narliearchive]

How to Build Your Dream Home by NellieSayzBork [T]

At 35, Charlie is finally getting what he wants: A forever home with the love of his life, Ben Hope. They've chosen a beautiful country property in desperate need of some TLC, but as an architect and interior designer, respectively, it will be a dream come true. Of course, as with any reno, they'll need a contractor. Enter Nick Nelson, of Nelson Custom Renos. CW for emotional and verbal abuse being spewed by the world's biggest prick, Ben Hope. But I promise, there's a happy ending! #f*ckbenhope

Lavender Fields by scienceisrealyo [E]

31 year old Nick Nelson retired from professional rugby and is giving Sarah Nelson a well-deserved year off from running Lavender Fields Bed and Breakfast. And Nick’s doing fine, thank you very much. Until the guest name C. Spring changes everything. Note: 1-31 are the main story. Any chapters after 31 are epilogues offering Charlie's point of view of the story.

Narlie Waves by waveofyou [E]

A Heartstopper California AU where Nick (31) and the HS crew we know and love live in SoCal. Charlie (29) leaves his London office to work in San Diego for a year. Nellie makes a new puppy bestie. Nick is adorable teaching little first graders. Charlie looks hot playing the drums. Nick looks hot surfing. They…ahem…enjoy Nick’s pool…and shower…and balcony. The boys weirdly get snowed in at one point. In Southern California, go figure. Nick helps Charlie see that he's deserving of big, loud love from a certain golden retriever person. Charlie helps Nick to trust that his love is not conditional, that he's safe to fully express himself. A leaves falling, flower petals swirling story of queer love with a spectacular ocean view 🍂🌊🍂 ⚠️ This is NOT a slow burn. They feel the spark, follow it and make fire Any explicit sections are denoted with “🍂🔥🍂” Any triggering flashback, panic attack or detailed eating disorder moments with “🍂⚠️🍂” …so they can be skipped and the story still enjoyed- I’ve written it so no major plot is lost by skipping these sections 🫶🏻 Alternates between Charlie and Nick POV ♥️

Showstopper by PansyFace22 [M]

Buzz is building around the queer extravaganza that’s planned for this season’s run with a bisexual Bachelor - England’s own star pro-rugby player Nicholas Nelson. But what are the showmakers going to do for twelve episodes if their Bachelor and one of the newcomer contestants have fallen in love at first sight? ‘Would you … kiss someone, in front of the cameras?’ Charlie asks, his heart hammering louder than the music in his ears. He moves his body again, feet squeaking closer to Nick’s, his finger where it lies along Nick’s finger on the floor suddenly pressing. He hitches in a breath as he feels Nick’s pinky finger hook onto his. Nick looks at him, his head drifting slightly closer, then he takes a quick breath and looks away. ‘I don’t know … maybe?’ he says.

Touch the grass by HSNomad [T]

Nick Nelson has had a secret for many years. Secrets can be hidden away, but they are always there waiting to be shared. A story about acceptance.

[thetrashywritingwitch]

Hi!

I wanted to ask why you didn't like the ending, or what were your expectations?, I have seen a lot of people saying it was terrible and stuff but I don't understand why, I liked it and thought it was a good closer, so I wanna understand why it's "bad"

anon - i'm not a meta writer and feel like others can more succinctly put into words why the ending falls flat and the narrative feels exceptionally grim and that nothing of significance truly happened in the end

putting some links to some explanations and summaries below for folks who don't mind leaks/caught up with the manga:

but to me, i say at 1 am on my birthday when i would like to feel joy now:

the entire narrative of bnha from the beginning was about who was worth saving. their humanity. that people aren't born villains. that society is flawed. that the hero system is flawed. that the justice system is flawed.

and yet? NOTHING CHANGED. everything is EXACTLY the same now as it was in the beginning. Hawks is continuing on the work that brainwashed and conditioned him as a child. he was not truly punished for killing Twice, which was repeatedly pushed as the Wrong and Unheroic thing to do. He was not made to face Jin's ghost and the reality of his crazed obsession (and he *is* crazed, he truly loses his composure and is yelling about killing the villains at the end). i was hoping for a Toga - Hawks confrontation. that he would see and face Sad Man's Parade and the absolute pit of despair that developed in Toga when Jin was killed. that made her truly cement that they as villains are not "human" to the Heroes. That they aren't worth saving.

and they fucking weren't!!!! THEY ALL DIED!!!! THEY WERE ALL KILLED!!!! We aren't saying Touya is still alive because him potentially living on as a husk in a tank forced to talk to endeavor is not him "living" in any sense of the word

izuku did not come up with a way to save Tenko. he had no plan. he never listened to or attempted to understand his point of view, or what was wrong with hero society at all. the last link above states this better than i can, but his total chosen ignorance of the reasoning why the villains are the way they are is why i just do nooooot like this kid and never have. his arc from scared quirkless bullied kid to confident hero who people look up to was a decent one - but outside of those surface level accomplishments? he's as flat as the paper in his notebook. he still keeps secrets and is not transparent with Uraraka or his friends (from ch 429 he hasn't grown at all in that respect) and Uraraka still bottles up her feelings.

society doesn't KNOW ANYTHING about what happened during the war. most of the fights were not televised. uraraka and toga's ending, arguably the best and most well rounded of the villain fights because she actually fought hard to understand and empathize with toga, falls on deaf ears because no one knows about it. no one saw it. Everyone still dehumanizes Toga and the rest of the LoV from their ending comments about how evil and awful they were, that they just wanted to destroy and sew chaos.

and toga died. she, out of all the LoV, had the best chance to live a better life. her quirk could be used for blood transfusions as we saw in the end. there was no reason for her to die. to make uraraka miserable because she couldn't save her - something Uraraka's character arc just throws away because she goes from wanting to be a hero for the money to wanting to save people after nighteye died. but she didn't save Toga, and izuku didn't save Tenko. no one really saved anyone (save for Shouto who made a new move specifically to stop his brother and NOT KILL HIM, but damn touya i'm so sorry they did you so dirty)

her fear came true: they weren't human in the end, not to the audience, not to the heroes (outside of uraraka), and certainly not to society that hasn't changed at all. there's no new support system in place for helping troubled youth, there's no destigmatization of "villainous" quirks because no one fucking knows or cares to know more about the LoV's roots. Thank god spinner's alive to yell at izuku about how stupid he is for killing his friend who loved video games and reading manga because no one else is gonna do it!

the hero ranking system and hero vs villain dynamic still seems alive and well. to our knowledge, villains haven't become fewer. no social services to help homeless or abused kids (touya, toga, tenko, etc), no real lasting change when it comes to quirk vs quirkless folks. that was NEVER really addressed properly - that Aoyama's parents were so terrified of their son being bullied and having a bad life for being quirkless that they reached out to a villain who gave him a quirk that was incompatible with his body and caused him pain and discomfort. all to avoid societal stigmas that come with being quirkless. as far as we've seen, society hasn't grown or changed in that regard, either. quirkless folks are probably still bullied and have fewer opportunities than people with quirks.

the whole child soldiers/kids going to war thing, well that's a shounen staple so we can't expect that to go away. the fact that the kids were maimed and katsuki fucking *died* in the war that killed all the villains... yet new kids come into UA wanting to be the new gen child soldiers. fucking WILD dissonance there.

i said i'm not a meta writer but damn i had to get some of this out there lmaoooo

anyway, maybe this clears up some of our frustrations with the manga ending and how it's been handled. have a good one

[homestuck-fanauthor-coalition]

@saberinblue

The walls of Crockercorp are red. So is the logo. So are the airships, and the drones, and every single product that the company ever rolls out. This is branding. This is good branding. Good branding is fundamental to the success of a company. A good brand ensures that everyone knows at a glance who the company is, what the company does, and Crockercorp? Crockercorp has the most recognizable brand that Earth C has ever seen. It was first to the market, after all, filling that bluest of oceans with beautiful, trademarked red.  You slump in your red chair, staring up at the red ceiling of the red office. If only that red had been your idea. You're sure you'd like the color more if it had been. The more you think about it, the more you wonder why the company's previous owner had chosen that bright, cherry red. After all, if The Batterwitch had wanted to slather an entire mega-conglomerate in a single color, wouldn't she have chosen fuchsia, her favorite color? As this thought blooms in your mind, you are distracted by a sudden alert on your workstation. The notification icon. A bright tulip-red silhouette of a three-pronged spork. Of course. Red is the color most likely to make people hungry; many studies have demonstrated this. The company's founder had simply done her research on humans before taking control. Right. You open the alert.

Chapters: 1/1

Rating: Explicit

Archive Warnings: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:  F/F, Gen, M/M

Fandom: Homestuck

Relationships: Jane Crocker & Terezi Pyrope, Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Rose Lalonde/Latula Pyrope, Jane Crocker & Jake English, Jake English & Jade Harley, Past Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam

Characters: Jane Crocker, Terezi Pyrope, Dave Strider, Karkat Vantas, Dirk Strider, Latula Pyrope, Rose Lalonde, Roxy Lalonde, Jake English, Jade Harley, Auto-Responder | Lil Hal

Additional Tags: The Homestuck Epilogues, Crockercorp (Homestuck), God Tier Powers (Homestuck), God Tier Terezi Pyrope, God Tier Latula Pyrope, Guilt, Psychological Torture, Psychological Horror, Existential Horror, Dissociation, Brain Damage, Brain Surgery, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Victim Blaming, Homophobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Unrequited Love, Unrequited Hate, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Retcon Powers (Homestuck), Non-Consensual Underage Drug Use, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Brainwashing, Dismemberment, Blood and Gore, Unreliable Narrator, Body Horror, Songfic, Verbal Degradation, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Medical Torture, Memory Loss, Self-Harm, Power Exchange, Topping from the Bottom, Dom/sub, Lesbian Sex, Bulges (Homestuck), Sexual Content, Gaslighting, Face-Sitting, God Tier Death and Resurrection (Homestuck), Choking, Slapping, Forced Orgasm, Blood Kink, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Murder Kink, Violent Sex, Asphyxiation, Child Abuse, Consensual Non-Consent, Moral Ambiguity, Past Character Death, Hate Sex, Temporary Character Death

An entrant in the Homestuck Fan Author Coalition's January 2025 Competition: Bard. 

Awards:

[waterlilylullabies]

Masterlist

Gale Brainrot Works

Study Session: Vol. 1

Gale X OC Roslyn

NSFW MDNI

Gale helps Roslyn overcome some difficulty with a summoning spell. Set post-Epilogue.

A Wilder Wind —Ongoing

Gale X OC Roslyn

NSFW Minors DNI

He was a burnt out, down on his luck, former Chosen of Mystra, burning with ambition.

She was a poised and perfect ice queen, on the run from her past.

And then they fell in love.

Follows the main storyline of BG3, a romance between my Tav Roslyn a half elf sorcerer and The Wizard Man ™️.

Firsts

Gale x OC

NSFW Minors DNI!

A short Drabble of a series of ‘firsts’ in Gale and Roslyn’s relationship.

TW: Canon typical violence, sexual content, minor minor spoilers for Act I of BG3

Something to Remember Me By

Gale x OC

NSFW, MDNI!!!

TW: Mentions of suicide (Netherese Orb) Minor spoilers for Act II of BG3

This will be hers, she realises, always. Long after he has left her; gone back to his tower in Waterdeep, or returned to Mystra’s embrace, there will have been this night, when he chose her, when she was what he wanted. She knows already, through the haze of pleasure, that someday she will carry this moment like an old wound.

Who Are You?

Gale x OC Smut

NSFW, MDNI!!

TW: TW: Softdom Gale, mentions of PTSD, slight BDSM elements.

Tonight, her eyes snap open, she is trembling. Her mind is slick with visions of a burning roof above her, —some awful amalgamation of Waukeen’s Rest and her own childhood home — and he is already awake. He presses a kiss to her temple. “A dream Ros. Just a dream. Come back to me” he whispers. And then he sets about pulling her back into the world.

[writteninthesewalls28]

Romeo and Juliet

Summary: after three years of hard training, Dylan and Brynn are chosen as Romeo and Juliet for her ballet schools annual ballet performance.

for @bemyvalentinechallenge 2025: prompt 12 "Dancing"

Warnings: curse words

Disclaimer: I never have danced ballet and might not be one hundred percent accurate at describing ballet.

A/n: I´m sorry if this is a bit complicated to understand. This is a one shot to my book ´Reaching the stars´ that I am hoping to publish one day, which is why you might not know the dynamic in the friend group or understand who Cole is. But I really wanted to write this as a sort of Epilogue for my book.

It was like a déjà vu. I was standing in the small foyer of the ballet school, just like I did when I first came here three years ago and got assigned Dylan Winchester as my dance partner. Now, we are standing here, hand in hand, hoping to get the main roles we auditioned for. 

When Elina, the ballet teacher here in this small school in New York, announced that we were going to perform Romeo and Juliet as the annual performance in the New York City Theatre, me and Dylan spent every single minute of our free time in the dancing studio to do everything we could in order to get these roles. 

Our love story had been like Romeo and Juliet, just without the dying part.And it was my favorite ballet since I first had the wish of dancing ballet at only six years old. 

Because of my mom not letting me, I could only start at the late age of 15. Elina told me many times, I was a natural, but she made it very clear from the very beginning that I had no chance of ever dancing a principal role. 

I would prove her wrong.

The tension in the room was electric, I looked over to Angelina, a ballerina who already got a contract with Royal Swedish Ballet for next year and I knew she was way more likely to get the role than me. Dylan squeezed my hand and I looked over at him. The smile on his lips was a silent promise that we could do it. That we did everything we could, now it was no longer in our hands.

The crippled paper in Elinas hands that she now stared on concentratedly would decide if we made it. 

“Okay, I want everyone to know that you all did an amazing job. It had never been so hard of a decision for me to pick our principals.” She looked at each one of us and actually had a pleasant smile on her lips. What happened that our grumpy teacher was happy all of a sudden? “I will start with my choice for the romeo.”  

Dylan next to me took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I knew he was secretly preparing himself not to be too sad if George or Walker made it again instead of him. “Dylan, would you be our Romeo?” 

I grabbed his hand and jumped up and down. His eyes flew open and he looked at Elina in complete and utter shock. “Me?” he echoed. 

“Yeah, do you know a different Dylan who would be as perfect as you?” 

I stood on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “You did it.” 

He gave me a tiny smile, probably still not realising what this meant.

“Now, picking out a Juliet was significantly harder. Girls, you all were so full of emotions. I don´t know what else to say besides asking you to be proud of yourselves.” 

The pause Elina made before saying her choice made my hands get all shaky from all the nervosity hidden beneath me. 

“I chose Brynn.” 

My name? Did she just say my name? My dream came true. I would be standing on the stage as Juliet. Dylan's promise came true that he gave to me at my third ballet lesson that I would one day be the most amazing Juliet the theatre has ever seen. 

I made it. I fucking did.

“Congratulations to the both of you. You deserve it.” Elina told us before leaving the students behind. 

Everyone quickly grabbed their bags to get out of here, me and Dylan were the last to step out the door and step by step leaving the big, white building behind that made my dreams come true. 

“We did it, Brynn. Can you believe it?” he asked me, I´ve never seen him this excited before. 

“No,” I chuckled, “I am still in complete disbelief. I mean, we are going to dance Romeo and Juliet!” 

We crossed the street to get to Dylan's car. He picked me up from my house so I didn't have to pay for a taxi again. We sat in the car and he started the engine. 

“Would you want to go with me to Central Park? I´m meeting Tara and Cass, I bet Ethan is there too.” 

Just shortly after we started dating, our best friend Tara and Ethan were seen kissing while skating in Central Park. Now, this became our place to meet every once in a while and I was desperate to tell Tara about the big news. 

“Yeah, of course.” Dylan smiled at me and turned left to go to the biggest park in New York. 

Only five minutes later we found a parking spot and entered. The park with its narrow trees always had something relaxing to me. I took Dylan's hand and we walked a few meters to get to the spot where our friends always meet. The first thing I saw was Cassidy's red hair, reminding me of fire. Cass was a friend of ours who we grew closer with over the years after the drastic end of my friendship with Cole. He tried desperately to date me even though he knew there was something going on between me and Dylan he even went this far and told my mom about my secret ballet dancing. I realised I no longer want to be friends with someone like that and erased him out of my life. 

“Hey everyone.” I greeted our friend sitting on one of the park benches, Taras and Ethans hands intertwined. 

“Hey, ballerina! How was dancing?” Tara asked once Dylan and I sat down too.

“You're talking to the new Romeo and Juliet.” I know Tara wasn't a huge fan of building tension, so I just said what happened. 

“No way!!!” she shouted and wrapped me in a warm hug. “I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it.” Tara whispered behind my ear. When she let me go she looked at Dylan and said. “If you let her fall, I´ll kill you.” Tara and Dylan do get along, but it's nothing comparing Tara´s and mine bond or how close Dylan and Ethan are. Speaking of which, his best friend now walked over to him and hugged him as well. A lot shorter and less emotional. But it's a hug after all. 

“What are you both most excited to dance?” Cass asked us, not really knowing much about ballet in general. That makes it even more special that she asked in the first place though. 

“The balcony scene.” Dylan and I said in unison, making us and also the other three laugh. 

“Gotta watch that then.” Cassidy then said and made a note on her phone. “Oh, and when is the show?” she continued asking. 

“November 19th.” I told her, already panicking on how we should be able to do all that. But it´ll work out, I have Dylan by my side. With him I can do anything. 

“Good, reserve some tickets for us then.” 

I was so thankful for these guys. 

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Carla Ecstasy [Epilogue]

ー The scene starts in the entrance hall of the Vibora Castle

Zweig: People of the Vibora. Listen!

In our midst right now is the Princess who descends from our very own Demon Lord,

as well as the one and only Eve, chosen by none other than Karlheinz-sama himself!

*Clap clap clap*

Yui: It’s a pleasure to meet you...

( ...They’re all looking at me with eyes full of respect. )

( This is Cordelia-san’s doing and not my own though... )

Zweig: Due to her assistance, our Clan has decided to form an alliance with the Founders and the Ghouls!

We have gained an immense amount of power, we might as well be invincible now!

Therefore, I believe we should be the one’s reigning over the Demon World! We shall start by declaring war upon the Vampire Clan!

ー The Vibora rejoice

Zweig: Commence the preparations at once! Victory is within our grasp!

Yui: ( They will fight against the Vampires at lastーー )

( Since I’m also part of this alliance, that includes me as well, right? )

( I knew that but it leaves me feeling conflicted... )

ー The scene shifts to the guest room

Vibora B: Thank you for your hard work. Please rest up here for a while.

Yui: Excuse me...Is there nothing I should do? 

Vibora B: No, not in particular. It is the soldiers’ duty to perform in the war. 

The generals - lead by Zweig-sama - will be in charge of giving out the orders.

Yui: ...

( Which means I’ll just be sitting here...? )

Then I don’t need to be here, do I?

Vibora B: Excuse me?

Yui: Please, would you let me return to Banmaden? 

Vibora B: No, I cannot do that.

Yui: Eh? Why not?

Vibora B: Zweig-sama and you are the leading powers in his alliance. 

It would be trouble if one of you were to disappear. Please, do not leave this room without permission. 

Yui: ...I see.

( I vaguely expected this, but I guess it’s no use after all... )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Kino: Hey, guys. I’ve got fantastic news to share today.

Male Ghoul B: Eh? What do you mean by fantastic news? Hurry up and tell us, Kino-sama!

Kino: Fufu. Relax, okay? At last, time has come for us to rise to the top!

Male Ghoul C: ...? What do you mean by that?

Kino: Good question. I guess you could say we’re going to flip the hierarchy upside down?

Male Ghoul C: ...?

Kino: You guys know that the Founder King is suffering from a severe illness, right? But you see, his health has reached an all-time low.

Male Ghoul B: As in...?

Kino: In other words, it has reached its terminal stage. He can barely get out of bed still, as he’s basically just waiting for the moment he takes his final breath.

Male Ghoul C: ...It’s that bad?

Kino: Yeah. But that’s ideal to us, isn’t it?

I mean, once we get rid of his younger brother Shin, this Castle will be ours.

ー The Ghouls make a commotion

Kino: Shin worked you guys to the bone, didn’t he?

Male Ghoul A: Exactly. We had to train day in, day out, we were utterly exhausted. 

I mean, that was fine at first. But he kept on expecting more and more of us. To be honest, we simply couldn’t keep up...

We were constantly covered in cuts and bruises. I’d love to get back at that guy one day.

Kino: See!? Don’t you think you’d be much happier without that heartless jerk around?

Male Ghoul A: ...

Male Ghoul C: Well, I guess...

Male Ghoul B: When you put it like that...

Kino: I mean, once he’s out of the way, Banmaden will actually be our very own Paradise?

You’ll have the place all to yourself, without being controlled by anyone. Wouldn’t that be fantastic!? 

Male Ghoul C: ...A Paradise just for us...

Male Ghoul A: That means we’d be able to live freely...without receiving orders from anyone, right?

Kino: Yeah, yeah! Freedom at its finest!

Male Ghoul C: Freedom, huh? ...Sounds great!

Male Ghoul B: That means we won’t have to bow our heads to those Founders anymore, you know?

Male Ghoul A: We always believed that we had to live our lifes being used by others but...I guess that will no longer be necessary then...

Male Ghoul C: That sounds great. I’ve always envied people who could live that way...!

Male Ghoul B: Okay! Hey, guys! Let’s enjoy our lives here together!

Male Ghoul A: Yes, let’s do that! We’ll turn Banmaden into our new homeland!

Kino: Seems like you’re all on the same page now. But before that, there’s one final important task left to do. You don’t mind that, do you?

Male Ghoul A: Yes, of course not!

Male Ghoul C: The future will smile upon us as long as we succesfully complete that duty, right? We’ll try our best!

Male Ghoul B: Yeah, count us in! This is all for the sake of our happiness!

Kino: We’ll put our plan into action tonight, once that guy has gone to bed. I’m counting on you guys, okay?

ー The scene shifts to Shin’s room

Shin: Zz, zz...

Kino: ...Okay. Let’s go, guys!

ー The Ghouls storm into his room

Male Ghoul A: You little!

*THUD*

Shin: Ugh...! Uwahーー!? 

...What’s happening...!? 

Male Ghoul B: To hell with you!!

*THUD*

Shin: Uguh...!!

Male Ghoul C: Yaah!!

*THUD*

Shin: Guah...!!

*Thud* 

Shin: Kuh, the muscles in my right arm are...What has gotten into you guys...!? 

Kino: Yeah; Aiming for your dominant hand first was a great idea.

Shin: ...! Kino, so you’re the one behind this...!!

Kino: Tell me, Shin. Despite being a Founder as well, you aren’t very popular, are you? 

Shin: Excuse me...!?

Kino: You’re finding yourself in this position right now because you were too harsh on everyone, you see?

Do you know what they call take? ‘You reap what you sow’. 

Shin: You little...You really think you’re getting away with that!?

Kino: Come on guys, kill him. This eyepatch bastard can barely fight back at this point. 

Male Ghoul B: Roger!!

Shin: ...!!

*TIMESKIP*

Shin: Haah, haah...

Kino: Ahaha! As to be expected of a Founder. Seems like you’re tougher than I thought.

Shin: ( ...I have to let Nii-san know about this somehow...! )

Male Ghoul A: Die!!

Shin: ( I guess they’re getting lost in the moment, that’s quite the large swing. But it’s okay, I should be able to dodge...! )

*Cling* 

Shin: Ugh...!

Male Ghoul A: Uwah!!

Shin: ( Okay! He lost his balance, so now’s my chance...! ) 

ー Shin runs off

Male Ghoul A: Wait!!

ー The scene shifts to Carla’s room

*Thud* 

Shin: Nii-san...!!

Carla: Ugh...

*Rustle* 

Carla: What’s the matter, Shin...? What happened...?

Shin: The Ghouls are revolting...It’s all Kino’s doing...

ー Kino walks up them

Kino: That’s right, Mr. Founder King. I’m the one who came up with this entire plan.

Shin: ...Kino...!!

Kino: Thanks for explaining the situation on my behalf, Mr. Eyepatch. I have no more use for you.

Fufu. See you!!

*STAB*

*Splatter* 

Shin: Gufuh...!!

Carla: Shin...!!

Kino: ...Just bite the dust alreadyーー!

*STAB*

*Splatter* 

Shin: Uguh...!!

...Nii-sa...

ー Shin collapses

*Thud* 

Carla: ...

Kino: Phew~ He’s a First Blood after all. So I can’t cut corners. 

Although I’m sure even a Founder will die after being stabbed through the heart that many times, no?

*Thud* 

Kino: Aah, seems like it did the trick. I mean look, I can kick him or step on him all I want, he gives zero reaction.

Well, I guess even a Founder is done for once dead. Ahaha, serves you right!

Carla: You fiend...How dare you kill Shin...!

*Rustle* 

Kino: What’s this~? Seems like your body won’t move at all even though you want to get up? What’s wrong?

Carla: Kuh...

Kino: Well then, with the Founder King out of commission, Banmaden is as good as mine. 

Carla: Do not be ridiculous...As if this Castle will ever be yours...!

Kino: Oh dear. What are you saying? You’re going to kick the bucket soon anyway.

Carla: ...Kino...!!

Kino: Haha. I guess you can’t move after all. I guess I can just leave you be then.

Just sit back and enjoy the show, okay? It’d make a fine memory to take with you to the afterlife. Ahahaha...!

Monologue

The Vibora Clan declared war upon the Vampires,

and the war broke out.

The Vampire Clan has stormed the Vibora Castle,

as intense battles continue to be fought.

However, admist all of that,

we were informed that an internal discord had taken place at Banmaden,

which let to the Ghouls occupying the Castle,

with Kino-kun serving as their leaderーー

ー The scene shifts to the entrance hall at the Vibora Castle

Yui: Haah, haah, haah...!

( Is it true that Banmaden has been taken over? )

( Is Carla-san safe? How could this happen when Shin-kun was supposed to be there...!? )

Haah...Either way, I have to get out of here...!!

( I have to go to Banmaden, no matter whatーー ... ! )

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Yui: Where am I...?

( I’m glad I managed to use the fights to my advantage to flee the Castle but I have no idea how to make it back to Banmaden... )

Carla-san...

( If Banmaden has been attacked, then what ifーー )

...No. Now’s not the time to think about that. I have to make it back as soon as possibleーー!

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: ...?

( What’s this sound...!? )

???: Oi, there she is! Over there!

Yui: ( Eh? It’s coming from aboveーー )

???: Okay! Let’s take her to the Sakamaki Castle!

Yui: ( The Sakamaki Castle...? Then these people are Familiars from the Vampire Clan ーー )

*Thud* 

Yui: Kyaah!!

ー Yui is taken away

*Flap flap flap* 

Yui: ( I-I’m up in the air...! )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room of the Sakamaki Castle

Yui: Shuu-san, Reiji-san...

( Right, they said something about Shuu-san being the new heir of the family, right? )

Reiji: Long time no see, but I believe the two of us would be considered enemies under the current circumstances. 

Yui: ...

Shuu: ...I heard you were at Banmaden though.

When did you move to the Vibora Castle? And why are you a leading power in this war?

Yui: Wellーー

ー She explains everything to them

Shuu: ...I see. I guess it makes sense why you’d be used in such a way, considering the person your heart belongs to. 

Reiji: And after you left for the ally’s Castle, a rebellion took place at the other one. I see.

Yui: ( ...Right now I am an ally of the Vibora. )

( It doesn’t make sense to ask the enemy for help. ...But. )

( This is the only option I have...! )

Shuu-san, I’m begging you. Would you please take me to Banmaden...!?

Shuu: ...

Yui: I have to return to Banmaden. If not, Carla-san will...!

Reiji: Komori Yui. Do you have any idea what you are asking of us right now?

Yui: I do...I believe.

Reiji: Hah.If you are aware, then I hope you realize just how imprudent you are.

Yui: ...

( There is nothing I can say to that... )

Shuu: Would we gain anything from taking you to Banmaden?

Yui: Gain...

...You wouldn’t.

Reiji: Haah...Then what makes you think we would agree to your offer?

Yui: ( Right... )

Shuu: ...Heh.

Pfft...Haha...Ahahaha...!

Reiji: Shuu...?

Shuu: Hehe...You really are one silly girl.

Fine. I just gotta take you to Banmaden, correct?

Yui: Eh...? You don’t mind...?

Reiji: Shuu! Are you out of your mind!?

Shuu: Haha, rest assured. I know what I’m doing.

Anyway, I’ll have my Familiars escort you to Banmaden. Pass this message to Carla from me once you get back there.

Yui: ? What should Iーー

Shuu: Tell him to leave me alone, since I’d like to avoid trouble.

Yui: ( Which means they won’t fight as long as Carla-san doesn’t make the first move...!? )

Shuu-san...! Thank you so much...!!

Reiji: Shuu...

You are way nicer of a guy than a thought. Very much so.

Shuu: ...I don’t dislike weirdos. That’s all. 

Reiji: ... It all depends on how you put it. 

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Yui: ( Wait for me, Carla-san. I’m on my way...!! )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Yui: ( I made it... )

( Banmaden is currently in hands of Kino-kun and his gang. )

( I have to make it to Carla-san without being spotted by them...! )

ー She runs off into the Castle

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters...

Sollux Captor vs Corran Horn!

Conditions:

Fight takes place on Prospit. Speed Equalized. The Homestuck Epilogues and its sequel are not acknowledged.

Scenario:

The New Republic continues expanding beyond the Outer Rim and eventually stumbles across the waring moons of Prospit and Derse. Hoping to make peaceful relations with these new neighbors, the New Jedi Order sends Corran Horn as an ambassador. Realizing that the NJO's involvement could have disastrous repercussions on Earth C's session, Aradia brings several of her friends along to try and keep the NJO from getting involved. After all, if either Prospit or Derse get wiped out before the game even begins, the entire Session will become unwinnable for whatever poor kids have to create the next universe.

Corran has already been informed by Prospit's ambassadors that Derse is likely to wipe them out if the war continues and has already dedicated himself to bringing in the New Republic to prevent this. He dismisses Aradia's predestination talk as "cynical" and views their explanation of SBURB as simply religious. Aradia proves him wrong by teleporting around with time stop.

While Corran is slightly more willing to believe them now, though he's still skeptical about the "video game creates the universe" thing. He's dealt with powers that exist completely outside of the Force before, after all. He plans to simply tell the New Republic that Prospit and Derse are rejecting all outside contact and explain the rest to Luke and the council later. He realizes that the situation is more complicated than it seems and he wants the council's input before going forward.

This plan changes when his squadron gets shot down by agents of Derse on his way back, killing them all except Corran when Sollux saves him with telekinesis. Mourning the deaths of people he was personally responsible for, Corran makes it clear that this unprovoked attack will be an act of war between the New Republic and Derse. Sollux can't let Corran tell the Jedi and New Republic what happened because it'll start a war that endangers the whole timeline and Corran isn't going to let the deaths of his men be covered up for the benefit of an empire like Derse.

Fight!

Analysis: Sollux

Doom. The Aspect of despair. Those bound by Doom are fates chosen sufferers, predestined for a life of pain and misery. And there is no better example of that in all of Paradox Space than Sollux Captor.

Born on the alien hell world of Alternia, Sollux was born as a Gold Blood. The third lowest caste in Troll society. Thanks to his status, he was not only relentlessly persecuted, but he was predestined to serve as a living battery for the Empire's warships, guaranteeing a short life of pain and misery once he left the planet. Even on the planet, his life wasn't much better. Largely because a nearby highblood and local 8itch mind controlled him into killing his own girlfriend.

So yeah, as you can see, if you're bound to the Aspect of Doom, then life is just going to shit over you right from minute one. While all your friends are bound to primordial concepts that grant them cool superpowers, you're bound to a concept that forces you to hear the voices of those who are soon to die. Well, okay, I say that, but it's not all bad for poor Sollux. For one thing, being a SBURB Player does give him a few handy perks, like a video game style hammerspace inventory called a Specibus, or a leveling up system called an Echeladder, which goes up continuously as you do random things, ensuring that you're always getting stronger.

Not like Sollux needs much help with that. He's easily the most powerful psionic on the planet, arguably the strongest in history. As a direct descendant (or clone. Kinda. It's complicated.) of the Psiioniic, Sollux has inherited all his absurd abilities and psionic powers. This includes telekinesis powerful enough to lift buildings and eye lasers big enough to vaporize skyscrapers.

Sollux's telekinesis is so powerful, it can overpower and redirect meteors summoned by the Reckoning, including those the size of Australia. And that's on top of it's utterly ridiculous range, allowing Sollux to grab and throw meteors from the other side of the universe or blow up a laptop that was in a different timeline entirely.

In terms of sheer raw power, Sollux is comparable to, if inferior than Gamzee, who himself is comparable to, if inferior than, Caliborn, being able to withstand long, brutal beatdowns from. Caliborn can tank a black hole that devoured the solar system without a scratch and trade hits with people who can hurt him. That would be roughly equivalent to 38 billion Foe, which Sollux is roughly comparable to.

That was a lot so to specify: 38 billion Foe = Caliborn > Gamzee > Sollux.

Source:

But, as with all things Doom bound or SBURB related, this incredible power came at a price. Since Sollux was a SBURB Player, he was inevitably going to witness the end of his race, as it's the job of him and the rest of his friends to create the next universe while their old one dies. Furthermore, he didn't even get to live in our universe, because someone from the universe he and his friends just created traveled back in time to kill all of his friends. The pressure of having to hide from this god-like entity shattered his already fragile friend group, causing Sollux's rival, Eridan, to go on a killing spree. This resulted in Eridan vaporizing Sollux's eyes and killing his new girlfriend... right before Sollux gets dropped down a flight of stairs for unrelated reasons.

Man, Sollux is just the Spider-Man of the Homestuck universe. He certainly has about as many dead girlfriends. That isn't even counting the time he got forcibly fused with the person who killed his girlfriend (not Vriska, the other one). Yeah, needless to say, when your life sucks as much as Sollux's does, you become something of a grumpy dick. He's relentlessly cynical and pessimistic asshole, which is certainly not helped by his bipolar mood swings and short temper.

Despite this though, Sollux's luck did eventually begin to turn around. He's far and away the most competent hacker in Paradox Space, capable of hacking into a video game that alters the fabric of reality. Eventually, his first girlfriend came back to life as an immortal time goddess and they hooked up again, a little while after Sollux discovered he is now half-ghost. This means, not only does he not age anymore, but he's only half blind now, with only his living half being bound to his pre-existing injuries. So, not only is Sollux Spider-Man, he's also Danny Phantom.

So, no matter how badly life kicks him, Sollux is always going to rain down hell on whoever and whatever crosses his path.

Analysis: Corran Horn

"There are those among the Jedi that view strength as how far you can move something, or how easily you can break something. The real strength of a Jedi comes from within, from his heart and mind. Some Jedi move rocks just to prove they can move them, but the strongest Jedi don't see any reason to move rocks when that isn't going to solve the immediate problem."

~Corran Horn

Corran Horn is remembered as one of the most determined, influential Jedi of the New Republic era, a stoic individual whose sarcastic, even occasionally cynical attitude, hide the heart of a caring family man and a valiant hero. But he didn't always start this way.

Corran Horn started his career as a Corelian Security Force investigator, effectively a cop in the payroll of the Galactic Empire. Like all good Imperial citizens, he scowled at the news of the Death Star's destruction, viewing criminal scum like Han Solo as a blight on his home planet's honor and vowing to bring all treacherous smugglers like him to justice. Horn had a storied and successful career, with several of his investigations being used by higher ups to track down and exterminate several surviving Jedi, though Horn was oblivious to this. It was only after the Battle of Endor, when the galaxy fractured between the budding New Republic and the stubborn Imperial Remnants, that Horn begain to question his place in the system.

When his father was brutally murdered by the bounty hunter Bossk, Corran brought him in to face justice, only for his superior officer to let the murderer go on a technicality on the spot, covering up the killing as an accident without even a trial. This resulted in Corran seeing for the first time just how corrupt and self serving the system truly is, culminating in him going rogue to avoid execution for treason. Because even in a galaxy far, far away, All Cops Are Bastards.

While on the run, Horn got to see the brutality the was complicate in first hand and realize the New Republic was not the shadowy council of terrorists he'd been lead to believe. As such, Horn joined the New Republic as a pilot on the legendary Rogue Squadron, leading the team to many key victories on several crucial war fronts. It was while fighting on the frontlines that he'd meet and fall in love with his future wife Mirax.

Finally, when his wife was kidnapped by pirates and he discovered that his father had actually secretly been a Jedi, Corran Horn went to Luke Skywalker himself for training so he could rescue her, beginning his journey into becoming one of the greatest Jedi of his generation.

Corran would help see the Jedi through numerous galaxy spanning crises, including fighting on the front lines during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, fighting alongside the order when Darth Caedus split the galaxy into a second civil war, and fighting against the rising Lost Tribe of the Sith when the eldritch monstrosity known as Abeloth drove most of the Jedi in the galaxy murderously insane. All the while he'd go from young knight to reigning master on the Jedi High Council over the course of several years.

Corran became one of the best swordmasters the order had to offer, specializing in the Three Rings of Defense and Trakata. The former was a multilayered style dedicated to fighting at various ranges, while the later was a tricky style dedicated to confusing the opponent with bizarre faints. A good example would be, when fighting a Yuuzhan Vong, Corran turned off his lightsaber mid swing, causing his opponent to stumble when his weapon hit nothing and land on top of him, before skewering the Vong in the gut by turning it back on again. Hell, Corran is so effective with his tricks, that he even once defeated Luke Skywalker himself in a sparring match, with characters in universe directly comparing him to Anakin Skywalker himself at his peak.

Corran being in Anakin's level at the least is honestly very consistent. By the time Corran fought and defeated Luke, he'd gotten much stronger than he was when he defeated Darth Vader, who was even stronger than he was Anakin.

This creates... quite a long scaling chain, so bear with me a minute.

Around the time of Phantom Menace, Palpatine killed Darth Plagueis, causing a shockwave in the Force the literally shook the galaxy, reshaping constellations in the sky. By Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine had gotten much stronger than that and, by Return of the Jedi, he'd gotten stronger even still. Vader was 80% as strong as Palpatine at the time. By Dark Empire, Luke would he constantly compared to his father, considered to be in his level, if not stronger, while needing a power boost from Leia to match Palpatine. Corran defeated Luke after Dark Empire while he was weakened and distracted from events going in in his personal life.

So that's TPM Palpatine < ROTS Palpatine < 80% ROTJ Palpatine = Darth Vader = Dark Empire Luke without amp =< I, Jedi Luke while nerfed >= Corran Horn.

That power scaling looks like a fucking physics equation.... Alright, simpler solution.

Exar Kun could rip the cores out of stars and, with prep time, explode stars. Ghost Exar was much stronger than that 4000 years later. Corran Horn survived getting the stuffing beaten out of him by Ghost Exar.

Bottom line, Corran Horn =< Solar System busters. That Palpatine feat is worth roughly 1 Billion Foe, so there. I hope that informs your power scaling. Dragon Ball doesn't have shit on Star Wars sometimes I swear to god...

Source:

Hey, remember when I was talking about dueling? Let's get back to that. Corran Horn uses a specially designed lightsaber that can shorten and elongate with the flick of a switch, being silver when shortened and purple when elongated to catch foes off guard. Fitting for his fighting style. Though the artists keep making his lightsaber blue so hell if I know.

As a force user, the easiest thing to discuss with Corran first would be his telekinesis.... because he doesn't have any. Horn's bloodline constantly struggles to muster any telekinetic power, taking significant time and effort to so much as move a rock. As a result, his barriers against telekinesis ate effectively nonexistent. He can't sense a force push coming, can't defend against getting rag dolled, and when stuff is thrown at him, the best he can do is dodge or cut it apart. This resulted in no small amount of frustration in the earliest parts of Horn's Jedi career, but he soon learned to compensate in more esoteric areas.

Corran is a master of illusion capable of trapping you in carefully crafted fascades. He can trick a room full of Jedi into thinking he's lifting a big rock, make people vomit with the smell of rotting corpses, and get hos opponents to attack empty air. He uses this ability in conjunction with his other specialty, Tutaminis, allowing him to harmlessly absorb energy with his bare hands to power his other Force abilities. Corran has absorbed electricity, heat from a volcano, and even lightsaber blades, allowing him to bolster his lacking telekinetic abilities to make them viable or enhance his other powers. Take, for instance, the time he absorbed a massive explosion, then used the energy to dispel the result fire and project the image of a giant skyscraper sized Jedi wielding a lightsaber made of fire.

Corran has kept fighting after being impaled through the gut, survived getting whaled on by the ghost of centuries old sorcerer Exar Kun, and became a Council Master in the most powerful iteration of the Jedi Order to date. It's awe inspiring just how far Corran has come, drspite his crippling short comings. True to his quoted philosophy, Corran unearthed the power deep within his heart to become a true Jedi Knight, unrecognizable from the man he once was...

Throwdown Breakdown:

This fight is either a stomp for Sollux or a stomp for Corran and who's getting stomped depends entirely on what Sollux opens with.

If both characters went into this fight with prior knowledge of each other's capabilities, then Sollux would absolutely just rag doll Corran immediately and not bother fighting him at all. Corran can barely move a rock, what's he gonna do against someone who can drop a moon on him?

But if Sollux optic blasts him, then Corran would just eat the energy and throw it right back, knocking Sollux out instantly.

So, what would he start with?

Given the scenario, I've gone back and forth on this for awhile now. I could see Sollux potentially using telekinesis to avoid killing Corran accidentally, but such a move is rarely his opener. In fact, we've never really seen Sollux fight someone he’s not trying to kill and he almost never ragdolls some directly. He generally resorts to throwing things at people instead.

In context, he used telekinesis mostly against people he knew he couldn't overpower directly. Namely, the Black King. When fighting someone he doesn't know can match him, or worse, he already thinks he can overpower, as was the case in both fights with Eridan, he opens up with optic blasts every single time.

Meaning that this fight would play out like Sollux's first fight with Eridan. Sollux thinks he can overpower and knock Corran out with a quick blast (Sollux survived get blasted unconscious by Eridan, so it's definitely possible), he fires on full cylinders, and Corran absorbs it and blasts right back with an overwhelming force push.

The strength advantage would make this difficult, granted, but due to Sollux scaling below his feat and Corran scaling fairly above his, the gap isn't as overwhelming as Gamzee vs Vader, so while absorbing the blast would be difficult, getting hit isn't automatically crippling like it was there.

No muss, no fuss, just unconscious troll on the floor.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Corran Horn!

[jonayariley]

That's right, I'm writing a new Homestuck (not Hiveswap) fanfic that continue the alternative epilogue I started with Negotiated Consent and continued with Ways of Being. It deals with some of the same thematic ground as the post-canon content for Homestuck, but approaches it from a more grounded point of view that tries to be empathetic to the characters and what they went through.

Roll that sweet, sweet descriptive text:

In an alternate Earth-C where June Egbert never made the fateful choice to indulge in meat or candy, Jane Crocker doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. Jane Crocker has devoted her life on Earth-C to becoming a doctor - to being a healer to try to make up for the darkness that she glimpsed within herself. But as she tries to help Terezi navigate her own depression and psychological torment, she begins to question the direction she's chosen for herself, and wonder what any of it means when she's facing down the possibility of an eternity of life.

If you're a fan of Jane, Terezi, Roxy, Dirk, and Jake then check this out! It's gonna go some interesting places and I try to write a chapter a day, so make sure you bookmark it for your daily hit!

Preview screenshots under the break!

[lisiya-gori]

an in-depth analysis of war and peace baby names

one thing we don’t talk about a lot in the war and peace fandom (such as it is): the main characters’ canonical children. this is probably because they have very little significance to the overall plot, and most of them appear only in the epilogue, which most people hate anyway. this is all fair enough, but for the purposes of scholarship and entertainment, I’d like to compile some information on what, exactly, the war and peace characters have chosen to name their children, and to make a few general comments on the significance thereof

the data

by the time of the second epilogue, set in december 1820, the five main characters of war and peace (andrei, pierre, natasha, marya, and nikolai) have a total of eight children. they are:

andrei and lise (1 son)

nikolai (nikolenka): only child, born 1805. at least ten years older than his next-oldest cousin

pierre and natasha (3 daughters, 1 son)

marya (masha): presumably the oldest daughter—natasha jokes to pierre that the only time she’ll be able to wear the ornate comb he bought her is “when she takes little masha into society.” maybe born c. 1814?

elizaveta (lise/lisa): mentioned once, birth order uncertain

unnamed second or third daughter

pyotr (pierre/petya): baby son, born c. 1820

nikolai and marya (3 mentioned children + at least 1 more)

andrei (andrusha): eldest son, maybe born c. 1814-15?

dmitri (mitya): mentioned once, presumably the second son

natalya (natasha): only daughter, three years old in 1820, so born c. 1817

one unborn child to be born sometime in 1821, name and gender unknown

some points of analysis

by the end of the book, the next generation already has an andrei, a pierre, a natasha, a marya, and a nikolai, which really says something about the way these people live

nikolai and marya name their oldest son andrei and their oldest daughter natasha, which I sort of love. it very much feels like something they would do

both marya and pyotr have double meanings as baby names for pierre and natasha: marya b/marya d for masha, and pierre/petya rostov for petya jr.

only one child (petya jr.) is named after a parent, and two (nikolenka and natasha iii) are named after grandparents. neither nikolai, natasha, nor pierre have chosen to name a son after their fathers

which is sort of fucked up when you think of it, right? nikolai bolkonsky, objectively the worst of the fathers, is the only one who gets a grandson named after him

on that note, nikolai’s marriage to marya means that the nikolai-andrei-nikolai-andrei pattern is seamlessly continued at bald hills, to the point that the post-wap generation has both a nikolai andreievich and an andrei nikolaievich

also, and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to get to this, pierre names his daughter LISE? how are we meant to take this? what even are the optics of marrying your dead best friend’s ex-fiancée and then naming your daughter after his first wife?

but it’s also kind of sweet, right, and there’s some level of karmic justice in seeing lise get honored with an epilogue namesake

dmitri/mitya feels completely random. the only notable dmitri in the book is mitenka, count rostov’s incompetent lackey/business manager, who is implied to bear some responsibility for the rostov financial disaster and who nikolai openly dislikes. surely nikolai would not name one of his sons after this guy?

but then where does mitya come from, especially since there are so many other more obvious choices (ilya, petya—although maybe natasha reserved it?—even vasya after denisov)?

actually vasya rostov would be so cute. I just feel like it’s notable that nikolai doesn’t have an ilya. nikolai’s relationship with his dad at the end of the book is such underexplored territory

i’ve seen katya floated as a name for natasha and pierre’s unnamed third daughter before. it depends on your interpretation of the characters, of course, but my personal headcanon has always been...................sonya