#either way you lose a good companion and you can feel that loss!

[asphyxiateher]

My captain after talking to Lillian and Cora at Sam’s memorial

Bruh.

That girl loved talking about you but now she hates you and is no longer part of the crew. Her and Sam made my bigger ships seemed like they were lived in. Y’all notice the clutter that follows them?? Ugh my heart.

I’m glad i saved Sarah cause I don’t think I could handle the angst of the Emissary wearing your wife’s face and talking about seeing defeated versions of you in every universe or at least a version of you that got as far you did in game. Im also very depressed because it’s quiet as shit without him.

Who else are you gonna make me love and say goodbye to in the next game, Bethesda???

Son of a bitch

[bigball-thefrog]

Hello There!! I was kind of wondering if you could maybe write something along the lines of the reader loosing their animal companion ,like a dog, during a fight or something. And the reader falls into a depression and Sanji or Zoro or any other strawhat tries to comfort them and be there for them. I’m kind of going through something similar and i’m struggling with it :/. But if you can then that would be great, if not it’s perfectly okay.

Hello, I am so sorry for responding so late. A lot of stuff has been happening but thank you for the suggestion, I enjoyed writing it and I hope you're doing better and I hope this can cheer you up a little. I hope you don't mind that I decided to to both Zoro and Sanji (Separately)

Warnings/Tags:

Mention of animal death

Alcohol and getting drunk

Reader doesn't want to eat with Sanji's one

Angst to comfort

______________________________

Narrator POV

When you joined the Strawhats you brought along your animal companion with you, no one minded and in fact, they all loved them! It was fun to have an actual pet around and not just Chopper. They helped relax the mood, they were fun to play with, they were helpful with taking down enemies sometimes. But during one specific battle, you got really injured and despite putting them in a safe place, your companion came to the rescue, and yes they did save your life, but used theirs to save yours. Seeing your animal companions body, you freaked out. Awakening either your haki or devilfruit, that enemy was quickly taken out. But now, the enemy was taken down, the kingdom was celebrating and the rest of the Strawhats were feasting and partying to their hearts content, except for you. You were still mourning the loss of your companion, and your friends wanted to help.

Zoro:

Zoro saw how you were mourning your animal companion and didn't really understand. He made a comment on how you could just adopt a new pet and after receiving a few beatings across the head, (not just from you) he started to think. To him, an animal dying is nothing compared an actual human dying, but now here you were mourning over something he thought could just be replaced. Wanting to understand more about why the death of an animal is upsetting you so much, he grabbed some bottles of alcohol and sat next to you. It was a bit awkward at first since Zoro didn't know what to ask so he just offered you some alcohol. Taking a swig from the bottle, you felt a tiny bit better but not much. After a few more drinks, Zoro finally managed to speak and asked you to tell him a story about you and your companion. You began speaking and telling Zoro about one of your favorite memories with them and Zoro began to understand why you felt so close to your animal.

After the story, Zoro asked for another. Another story lead to another and soon you were surrounded by the people attending the party, listening to the tales of you and your companion. All the adventures before you joined the Strawhats, how you two trained in those two years, and just about any other memory about your animal companion. And it felt good, it felt good to remember your friend, it felt good to tell other people about them and get them to love them as well. Zoro sat back and intently listened to everyone, and now he understood why you were so upset about losing them, animals have their own unique personalities and each one still loves and feels the same way as humans, yes they show it differently by preening or marketing their scent on you, but they still love and feel the same just as humans.

Zoro now sees you companion in a different way. Before he just saw them as a pet that the crew kept on the ship for entertainment, but now he sees that your animal companion was a member of the crew like everyone else.

Sanji:

When Sanji noticed how you kept to yourself during the party, he understood your pain better than Zoro did. He loved your little companion, they provided a morality boost to everyone in general but Sanji especially. He has a soft spot for animals (Despite all the animals he's killed in the show) animals never waste food, and Sanji loved a challenge of coming up with recipes safe for your pet to eat. And it hurt him when your companion died during the fight, but it hurt more seeing you out of character. You just sat by yourself, not even eating or drinking and Sanji wasn't going to have any of that! So he grabbed the best food and drink from the feast, put it on a tray and made his way over to you. He sat down next to you and placed the tray in front of you and sat down next to you. When you refused to eat, saying you weren't hungry, Sanji huffed and decided to feed you himself. Bringing up the fork to your mouth, he gently nudged the food against your lips. You hesitated but the empty growling feeling in your stomach made you decide, you opened your mouth and let Sanji feed you.

After your stomach was full you breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back, your mood had lifted but not by much. Sanji still wanted to help but he didn't know how. Wanting to make you smile Sanji decided to tell you a story of when your animal companion stole food from the kitchen and he had to chase them around. It made you chuckle a little and Sanji smiled, so he went on to tell you more. Soon enough the rest of the crew joined in, telling stories of all the funny moments with your companion. Playing chase with Luffy, Trying to drinks Robin's coffee, Sleeping on Nami's maps, Stealing Franky's speedos, making little noises while Brook played music. Soon the whole party was listening in and laughing to the stories of your companion. You noticed Sanji had become quiet and noticed he had disappeared. When you were about to ask when the doors burst open and Sanji walked in with an entirely new feast of food based on your companions favorite treats. Now with the extended party, you joined in, drinking and eating and telling everyone about your animal companion and how great they were

--------------------------------------------------

With either side by the end of the celebration and during the days when the the kingdom you were in most likely needed to be rebuilt, a statue of your companion was built, so everyone would remember their bravery to protect their owner and friends, and their compassion to give their life for yours.

______________________________

Once again I hopr you enjoy and I will post again soon

Kelly🐸

[fruit-salad-ship]

For Pirate AU, the realization Peach has that now she has another immortal friend. Maybe she hasn’t quite come to grips with her romantic feelings for Plum yet, but she still has a new companion for the ages to come. On the flip side, Plum coming to the realization that she’s going to outlive almost everyone she’s ever known. Grey, her crew, any family she may be on good terms with…. And peach comforting her by saying she’ll stay by her side through the years to come, if Plum wants her to

See, theres a moment here that doesnt line up, in that Plum will realise she will live forever, and contemplate that for a couple months quietly to herself, seems to spend more time with everyone, try to connect to them all while she still can, spending time on each member of the crew so that they feel seen and loved. This is after all her family, and those related to her by blood were far from ideal, and ignored her wants and needs, so she's made this new safe group of people who all love each other, a ride or die group. But even now, she wonders what her actual relatives would think, would she miss them one day, would she regret not trying to communicate with them? She does not know. Grey sees her drift away a little more, asks whats wrong and she just seems preoccupied with thoughts of her old home. They were traditional people who wanted her to marry, be a stay at home wife, bare children, do all the painfully ordinary things she just didnt want, and scorned her when she ran away for adventure and exploration. She writes them letters but never recieves any in return, assuming they have cast her out permanently. Grey is...as consoling as he could be, he lost his family a while back and never had good relations with them either, but understands that quiet wandering, the 'what if'.

Eventually Plum and Peach have a moment alone, and it comes to the attention of the second in command that the captains sad, or...just preoccupied with thoughts of forever.

Peach feels fear stir, putting her hand on the womans shoulder beside her.

"Plum, you are NOT immortal." Peach knows this first hand, through monumental, devestating loss. "You still have to be careful, you will live for a long time, potentially forever if youre careful, but you could be killed by any solid hit to a vital point. It may take more to do it, but you still have vulnerabilities." And that fear becomes more powerful, she'd lost one Levithian, she was not prepared to lose another. "If trouble starts you run, you'll be the biggest target on deck looking like that, we can handle things without you being at the front, i'll keep the crew safe." A notion the captain refused to accept.

"I wont leave my family here, or you, not if fights start, we work as one. You can't stop me." She was right, as the leader of this ship, as a now powerful sea monster, she was free to make any choices she wanted and not a lot could stop her. Plum sees a normally calm woman beside her rub her head with a stressed expression, the sigh as she watched, planned her next scentence carefully.

"Well." Her tired eyes sat on the Levithian for one more moment, for a brief second she truly eminated the stubborness of her wife. "At least you've got some company for the long ride. If you want it." Peach looks away, back to the horizon, gulls on the wind as land sat close enough to see small specs, humans living their lives in the port there.

The little head leant on the immortals shoulder was a little surprising, a tentacle finding its way to her shoulder to pull her closer.

"I'd like that."

They sat, said nothing, a strange settling company knowing neither had to walk alone for a while, if they were careful. Peach hoped to whatever unkind, unfair god that may be out there, that they could just be careful.

[a-wolf-at-the-door]

Hi, I would like to preface this rant by saying that I am a huge fan of your work even though at the moment it is breaking me emotionally and spiritually. In a good way if that's possible. But this is more of a generalized question, about the Doctor Who series as a whole during Ten's era. For context, A friend of mine recently brought up an idea, that hasn't really occurred to me until now (Not sure how the fandom as a whole feels about it, if I'm just late to the party or if this is something that hasn't been brought up yet).

He mentioned that the series as a whole would be so much better if Martha and Donna were just switched as companions in their respective seasons. At first I thought he was crazy, but then as I really thought about it I could see where he's coming from.

He personally doesn't care much for shipping (and I am attempting to turn him to this side but no luck so far). So it was kind of annoying to him to see Martha pine after the doctor for an entire season, after arguably having a good platonic relationship with Donna. But he enjoyed the storylines enough that it didn't bother him too much, to have romance kinda "forced" into it as he claims.

As he argued: "You kind of lose some context and you might have to change a bit of back story, but imagine instead of 'sad romance' you get Modern and outspoken Donna in Human Nature and the joke you can play with that, or Martha coming to terms with The Doctors Dark side in The Fires of Pompeii so early in the series."

Now my brain immediately turned to the shipping side of this. And I can see some slight merit. Like what if after the gut punch of losing Rose he kind of just needs a platonic best friend. (Which I am so happy you're doing anyway, but not a lot of people do so I'm by passing that). And after spending years grieving and healing from losing Rose. Having adventures, Gaining friends, coming to terms with his loss of his best friend/ worst enemy. He finally gets a companion who's interested in him again, and he has to come to terms with if he can/will love again. And you can do some interesting love triangle stuff with that (Not my cup of tea but I see the appeal) imagine Martha falling in love with him and then seeing his past girlfriend. Or even his future one with River! (God, I so can't wait to see what you do with that bombshell) The wenches that can be thrown with that.

IDK, I thinks it's a cool little food for thought, about how switching around too awesome (and in Martha's case sadly controversial) companions. Let me know your thoughts, if I'm absolutely wrong about posting this or if it was a fun little thought experiment!

TL;DR: You're awesome and Could Season 3 and 4 of Doctor Who be benefited if Martha and Donna switched seasons?

First off thank you! Glad you are enjoying my work :)

Now, to your friend’s suggestion and your ideas: very fascinating thought experiment! I haven’t considered that either, but now that you’ve mentioned it I want to give it some serious consideration.

Switching Martha and Donna’s order like that is interesting, but ultimately I personally don’t think that it would work. Like you and your friend, I’m not a huge fan of the unrequited love plotline of S3. However, with OR without it, I don’t think the Doctor that Donna meets in “The Runaway Bride” is the same Doctor she meets in “Partners in Crime,” and a large part of that is because of Martha. He goes from being a suicidal mess to having at least a little bit of hope. He’s ready to make the hard decisions again. He’s not totally healed but he’s getting better about how he handles it. And I don’t think that happens without Martha first.

But let’s get into the thought experiment.

Say Donna decided to travel with the Doctor at the end of “The Runaway Bride.” Let’s say “Smith and Jones” doesn’t happen yet because it makes more sense to keep that as Martha’s intro episode. So we toss Donna into the deep end with Shakespeare and getting kidnapped on New Earth (lol) and facing down Daleks. Some of that could work. Harder to see how she gets into the gala for “The Lazarus Experiment,” but maybe Nerys invites her or something.

Donna in 1913 would have a hard time fitting in because unlike Martha, Donna doesn’t suffer silently. She complains, loudly, and I could see her very quickly getting fired. She’d have absolutely no patience for those boys and for Nurse Redfern. This is a story I’d enjoy in fic but I’m glad it isn’t canon tbh… Donna in 1969 could be interesting, she’d definitely complain about having to work to support the Doctor but I could also see her having fun with the fashion and making friends etc.

BUT. Can you imagine her in the Year That Never Was? We got a tiny taste of this vibe in “Turn Left,” I suppose, but I still have a much harder time seeing Donna staying hidden, walking the Earth, and telling the Doctor’s story to people everywhere. I love Donna dearly, but she is loud, and abrasive, and would have a much harder time getting through to people than Martha does, I suspect. But the real reason I can’t see her doing well in this time is because the way S3 Doctor treats his companion (Martha in canon, Donna here).

S3 Doctor is big about comparing his companion negatively to Rose. Imagine him doing that to Donna rather than Martha. The thing about Martha is that, despite the unrequited feelings, she seems to have decent self-esteem. She’s good, and she KNOWS she’s good. Donna, on the other hand, has suffered a lifetime of belittling, largely from Sylvia but also from other people too. She’s abrasive BECAUSE she’s insecure, deciding to push people away rather than let them see her vulnerable, because she’s afraid that it’s all true. She might initially fight back about the Doctor comparing her negatively to Rose, and that might push him. However, she is empathetic, and she knows he’s grieving, so I think she might actually just let it slide, and that’s heartbreaking. S4 Doctor tells Donna she’s brilliant, she’s important, she’s his best friend. But S3 Doctor wouldn’t have patience for her slip-ups, for her imperfections, for her not being Rose. And so maybe that would push her away in the end, and as much as Donna’s canon ending (at least until the 2023 specials, who knows what’s coming?!?) pains me, I think this would hurt worse. A Donna Noble who NEVER knows she’s brilliant, rather than a Donna who learns it then forgets it.

Now for Martha. In many ways I do think she would personally benefit from traveling with a later, somewhat-healed Doctor, but I don’t know that the story overall would. So now, post-YTNW, the Doctor finds Martha in a delayed “Smith and Jones” and then takes her to Pompeii and the Ood Sphere and she gets to see the real complicated choices and dark side out there. Assuming he’s done the same degree of healing in S3 (which I’m frankly not sure he would have), it’s still a lot to throw at this poor medical student who wants an escape from her dysfunctional family for a bit. I know Martha puts up with a lot of shit due to her crush, but doing a genocide and hearing the telepathic song of colonialism and slavery (especially considering she is a Black woman) might be a bit much to endure for a crush. But say she does. Now imagine they get called back to Earth in her time for the ATMOS situation and the Sontarans, but her role and Donna’s are reversed. She’d definitely be focused on her family like Donna was, and while I have no doubt she could handle being trapped on the Sontaran ship too, it’s still jarring to see her whole family at risk this soon in her travels (and would make Francine’s dislike for the Doctor feel more justified).

But the kicker, for me, is “The Doctor’s Daughter.” Imagine Martha and Donna swapping places for that episode: Donna is off trapped with the Hath and Martha is the one who names Jenny and gets to see this man she has a crush on totally destroyed by this unintentional fatherhood thrust upon him. After how her father left her family, I think Martha would be really disgusted by the Doctor’s initial rejection of Jenny and that it would change her view of him at least a little bit, but then as he comes around only to watch Jenny die, it’s a bit like losing a family in speed run.

Then the Library, where if we adhere relatively close to canon we get a glimpse of the Doctor’s future wife and give Martha even more competition, and then also potentially a non-Doctor love interest in the computer simulation. Would she come out of it still in love with him? Would she even still want to travel?

She’d do fine with Agatha Christie (and I’d assume have a lot of fun, provided the show did what it usually does and glossed over the contemporary racism especially among the upper classes… less fun if actual period-typical racism was included). She’d probably want to run tests on the Doctor after “Midnight” to make sure he was okay.

A Martha-centric “Turn Left” would indeed be fascinating. I’d love to see her and Rose interact in that context, especially as Rose would essentially be sending “competition” back to the Doctor in order to save his life (and the multiverse). I don’t think their interactions would be nearly as catty as when Rose met Sarah Jane since Rose matured a lot since then, but I also think Martha would be baffled by Rose. The Doctor always makes her sound so perfect, so impossible, and he never really canonically tells Martha very much about her at all. And Martha is middle class, much posher than Rose, and would likely have at least a little bit of initial judgment there (even if she gets over it quickly due to her compassionate nature). I think this would be what would cement Martha’s decision to leave, though, except it would be interrupted by the reappearance of Bad Wolf. I honestly have no idea how this would change the S4 finale except that I have a hard time imagining “The DoctorMartha” being a thing and the metacrisis happening than with Donna…

Ultimately I think Martha would get more plot if she were in S4, but I think she and Donna helped the Doctor grieve in different ways, and that the sequence of events was important. Say he’s lost Rose, travelled with Donna, but she’s left him because he completely eroded her self-esteem. He’s conscious not to do that to Martha BUT this leads her on, and personally I don’t think he’d be over Rose yet enough to try to move on romantically, so instead he’s just in even more hot water trying not to lead her on but also not to crush her spirit like he did his prior companion, and it would just be enormously awkward. I think he’d have more trouble talking about Rose to Martha in any iteration where she has feelings for him, and the man needs to talk through his issues or he won’t process them!

Anyway all this to say, it was really interesting to think about this but personally I don’t know that it would fix the show’s structural issues or the characters’ relationships really. But I invite other responses and opinions, would love to know what other people think about swapping Martha and Donna’s order and storylines like this!

[cassiopeiagarcia]

Alice in Wonderland AU based on these posts by @somatheking and @prosopagn0sis ♡ For @cheshire-shuntaro, in light of the event hosted by @all-mad-hare! Hope you will like it.

Crowns. Thrones. Kings. Queens.

'The whole notion is shit.' Cass declared, with a crooked grin, her posture seemingly calm, her eyes telling a different story, as they darted nervously around the other person's face. 'Tell it to me. In other worlds, I've been the Queen.'

She clicked her tongue, stretched her neck. First to one side, then to the other, until she heard the cracking. She enjoyed the sound much more than the feeling of release; it reminded her of fireworks, of time passing, of perfectly manicured nails tapping on a table while they drank tea... Her smile grew even bigger, almost shark-like, full of teeth, like that permanently present on her companion. Her expression turned voracious. 'Imagine!' Cass let out a sharp laugh, that ended abruptly. 'Can you think of a worse choice?'

She changed posture. Until that moment, she had been rocking the chair she had been sitting on onto its back legs, dangerously close to being tipped over at any second. Now, she jumped out of it, standing on her own two feet. She circled around the table, like a wild animal stalking its prey, licking her lips, squinting her eyes, becoming closer and closer, until only centimeters separated her from the Cheshire Cat. She didn't like him, that one. Didn't like the way his eyes examined her, as if he knew a secret she didn't, as if he could see what was behind her shell. The way the air seemed to curve and twist and turn around him, as if he demanded respect.

'Some people just aren't born for doing good.' Fingers stained with yellow paint leaving their trail on the tablecloth, still wet, from giving her siblings a little makeover. She couldn't wait for Cheshire to see them. Maybe that'd erase the smug look in his face. They were so beautiful, her brother and sister. She was so happy she would stay with them, forever. 'And I'm not talking about you, of course.'

A painful sting on her cheeks now. The lavender she had placed all around was not enough to mask the rotting smell coming from the corps... from Andro and Hércules. She, actually, really disliked the smell. Because it awoke something in her, a name. Soma? A spark of sadness, shining in those dark eyes of hers, like wells without a bottom, but quickly dismissed with an exaggerated wave of hand.

'Not talking about me, either.' She clarified, leaning forward, so close to the man's face he probably could feel her warm breath on his skin, reeking of tea and pastries and death. 'Talking about the Red Queen, of course. She killed them, everyone I loved. But... it is to be expected, isn't it? She's a wolf.' Cass lifted her head and howled. At the moon? No, the sun was shining bright above them. It was a nice, hot, summer day. But it had been long since the young woman had felt any warmth, her skin prickly and cold, her heart frozen ever since they died. 'I read it in a book one time... You don’t put a wolf amongst your sheep then cry when you find one eaten, do you?'

But she had cried. She had cried for ages, losing her sanity slowly, a little bit more with every single tear. With every new stain on her white dress, which was now broken, ripped at the seams, dirty, the miasma of a graveyard impregnating the fabric.

It hadn't always been like that.

It had been beautiful, once. Pure white, with long satin sleeves, flowy skirts, pearls and golden threads intertwined, diamonds here and there, sparkling and flashing when the light hit them. A tall neck, to keep some semblance of decency and modesty, two things she hadn't had when she had courted with the Red Queen's husband.

Now, that first ever stain, from Soma's third beheading, brown, as was the color of old blood, was almost imperceptible. There were too many others, every single one of them a symbol of her loss of mental health, lucidity slipping through her fingers like sand. She hadn't changed her clothes ever since, and it showed.

'You're a kitten, though.' She eyed him up and down, to make sure. Was it a little feline what was in front of her, or a blonde human dressed in white with chocolate-colored eyes? 'I don't really know how the food chain works between you two… What do cats eat, other than little mice?'

First, Soma. Then, Andro. Then, Hércules. Cass couldn't have saved the former, too far gone now for her to reach, she too changed for him to love. So she made sure to keep the other two by her side. Forever... and always.

'You want to see them, don't you?'

She didn't wait for a reply.

She clapped, and the once magnificent doors of the room opened at the order she hadn't given. Andro and Hércules came in... or what was left of them. In Andro's case, only her torso and wobbling head, the neck unable to withstand its weight, long, black, wavy hair falling down her back. As beautiful as always, even if she was missing an eye, even if she had little skin left and dirty yellow bones started to show. Even if her mouth opened, and a worm or a beetle or both of them crawled out from inside. They just wanted to say hello.

Hércules... there was more of him, but he was bloated beyond recognition, a greenish tint to him, flies buzzing all around. She had found the man after the battle, his body laying with many others in a body of water that had been more corpse than river by that point. But he still had his rings, his slutty earring, his curls. And that was enough for Cass to still consider him her little brother.

Both of their bodies had corroded, brassy mechanical parts inserted to them and directed themselves using wheels. Steam was constantly coming out of them, making it more difficult to actually see what they looked like which was... all the better. Because, maybe, just maybe, if she could take a good look at them, Cass would snap out of it and realize what she had done. The monster she had become. Or... was she too far gone?

'My precious sister. My beloved brother.' Cass moved towards them. She appeared to glide, rather than taking steps, exaggeratedly slow, dancing with an invisible partner. Soma's ghost, maybe, still haunting the walls of the palace. She laughed when she was by their side, half-choking on her own spit, not bothered by the stench, because it was coming from her also. She kissed their cheeks, both of them, adoringly, caressing their faces with eyes wet with tears, looking at them like one would at an old love they never got over.

'You really are mad.' Had those words left Cheshire's smile or had she imagined them? The man-cat or, siteoppo, cat-man, was still looking at her from his chair, surprisingly not having turned invisible... yet. Not floating around the room, either. Just waiting to see how the situation developed. What was he waiting for? RUN!, she wanted to scream.

'Am I?' She couldn't even take offence. 'They call me now... the Mad Hatter, don't they?' A new nickname, since she had changed her glistening golden crown for a self-made black funeral hat with a widow veil the moment he had died. 'So I guess I am. But there's worse things out there than not being completely sane. You're not either, don't even pretend. Weren't you who said that we were all mad here? And, after all, I'm not the one who killed them, am I? I'm not the one who is going to kill you, either. They are.'

Her siblings' hands, cold. Like winter, like a frozen lake, ice creaking beneath her pretty little feet, thinner each passing moment. She couldn't grab them as tightly as she would have liked, afraid their fingers would fall off, the flesh already peeling off of them.

'Don't get me wrong, I'll give the order. But it was your fault, really.' A roll of the eyes, a little shrug of the shoulders. So much like the old Cass, it would have hurt her to see it on a reflection. Luckily, she had destroyed all the mirrors in the palace, some of the smaller shattered pieces still dug into her pale skin. Making her suffer, but reminding her she was still alive. Unlike... no, what was she saying? Andro and Hércules were alive. They were standing right beside her. But where was... where was Soma? However, she could see herself in Cheshire's brown eyes. And she hated it.

A hand pressed to her chest, so much agony all of a sudden she would have thought she was dying. A growl forming at the back of her throat. She grabbed her skirts, lifted them up, and took lurching, rapid steps towards her guest, her face a mask of fury. 'It was your fault... it was your fault!' She hissed and screamed, using her index finger to stab at his chest, hard, having climbed over the table in order to do so. Everything was now on the floor ― the teacups, the teapot, the tea. The chocolate and vanilla buns, the little sandwiches, full of maggots.

She grabbed at her tangled strawberry blonde curls and yanked. 'You came here to speak with me! Now, you are dying. It's as simple as that... she has you in her radar, she does. She'll kill you.' Her arms were back at her sides, her head tilted towards one shoulder. She lifted a tremorous hand, and touched her companion's face, sweetly, cautious, afraid they would slap her hand off, although that wasn't the Cheshire she knew... she had known him, before, hadn't she? She was so sorry for him, so sorry. Poor kitten. 'It's better to be killed by Andro... or by Hércules... It's just better.' She nodded a few times, convinced of what she was saying. She lowered herself from the table, putting some distance between her and him. She was already dirty enough, she didn't want to make it any worse, just in case Soma came to visit. She wanted to look pretty for him. Because... he should be here soon, shouldn't he? Any minute, now.

'It's an act of love, really. Take it as one.'

But the Cheshire Cat knew nothing about love. Just a person who appeared and disappeared at will, who liked to leave others perplexed with their conversational skills and somewhat amusing comebacks. Leaving nothing but a grin behind. Making his head levitate around the room. Mischievous, and sarcastic.

But not in love.

No, not in love.

[chronurgy]

1, 7, + 8 for vesper 👀

Thank you so much for the ask!!

How does your character figure out their class/subclass? Is it different than how they were before losing their memories?

Vesper has trained in magic since they were very young. At this point, simple spells and cantrips are second nature to them. There are some things they just know, things that can't be taken from them even with all Orin and Kressa did to them. A little bit of it is their inheritance, the tools of hunt and violence writ in their blood. But most of it is simply years and years of ingrained practice. That's also how they know to write all of it down as soon as they can. It just feels natural. Their subclass also remains the same. It's a realization that comes to them in a flash - they can see it, the web of fate and possibility. And they can twist and change it, bend it to their own ends. (their class before and after the tadpole is divination wizard)

Does your character try to confide in any of their allies about their urges? Which ones?

They don't! Vesper is far, far too canny and mistrustful to ever admit something like that. They even manage to successfully hide Alfira's body and lie about what happened. It doesn't come out until the urge forces them to attack Gale in the night during act two. At that point there's no way to hide it and they finally describe the compulsions and their lack of control, though they're still cautious about exactly how much they reveal.

Are there any points in the game that you see as branching points for your dark urge? For example, are they torn between goblins/tieflings? Or are they clearly on one path or another?

The choice between the goblins and the tieflings I think easily might have gone either way. But they found the tieflings first and they fed them and that was enough. Maybe if they'd found the goblins first and Minthara hadn't called them an abomination, things might have gone differently. It was just chance that they would come across the Grove first and minthara would have such specific comments on half-drow. Maybe if minthara had learned about inside thoughts we'd be looking at a whole different timeline.

Also - pulling Gale out of the portal. They don't give into the urge and pull him out safe and sound. He's the one they romance, he's the one they feel closest to, he's the one that really gets them, and they see a lot of their own relationship with Bhaal in his relationship with mystra. I think if they had given in to the urge there, it's quite possible that they would have gone back to Bhaal in the end. It's not 100 percent certain, they've always had their own issues and resentments when it comes to their father. But he's certainly a helpful push away from Bhaal.

Killing Isobel is another point. They don't kill her because they don't see the point (they've always needed a reason to kill, even if the reason would appear ridiculous to anyone else) and because they don't like being told what to do. But they are curious. They want to know what will happen if they do, why it's being pushed on them, why why why. And luckily they have plenty of other mysteries to occupy their time. There's lots to discover about their past in the shadow cursed lands. But if they had given in to the curiosity (which would have been more likely had they not had gale to entertain them with debates about books and magic) then things would have been different.

A turning point that doesn't really matter, in the end, is how the companions react when they die rejecting Bhaal. The assumptions that they're fixed now, they're fine, they're good, they're normal and there's nothing more to be said about it really, really grate on them. Because they aren't. Because they're still a Bhaalspawn, because some of the things the companions are celebrating the loss of aren't from Bhaal, they're from them. And this drives them to fully throw their lot in with Gortash. Before, they were struggling with conflicting loyalties but that ends that. They fully plan to side with Gortash and dominate the elder brain. Of course that ends up not going as planned, so like I said it ends up not really mattering. But if the companions had reacted a little differently then they might have had far more divided loyalties going into the final conversation with Gortash. And maybe that would have changed something. But maybe not.

[effrvsnt107]

tenamy anon ☝️ i was wondering if in your vision for them amy was here when he regenerates into eleven or the angel thing happened before that. if its the latter then i think the doctor's "seeing" her for the last time while dying would go even crazier, imagine like she's touching his face while he still says he doesnt wanna go

OMG TENAMY ANON I MISSED YOU, MWAH MWAH! I hope you don't mind me rambling.

I always imagined Amy would leave before Ten regenerated. Punch him while he's down and convulsing on the floor, you know? He would experience the loss of another companion being ripped away from him. I think it would invoke some Doomsday flashbacks, where he is helpless as he can never see his beloved companion again. This time however, you get the comfort and the curse of the build up. Unlike Doomsday, it is Amy's choice, and more hauntingly he has to stand there and allow it.

YOUR VISION! HEARTBREAKING! I share it too, I'm not sure what would happen for him to regenerate, but to come into his TARDIS (like TEOT) scared of dying to see Amy, and while he's glowing golden, her hand is on his face soothing him. I think he'd actually start crying rather than just teary eyes, not only because he would die with someone (I think he this he deserves after all he's done), but he'd be aware she isn't real. When the Doctor regenerates he tells people to stand back because it would hurt them, but he would allow her ghost to touch him as he dies. Maybe he'd even reach his flaming hand out to her face like Eleven did, for extra heartbreak factor. He'd be scared he might hurt her but does it anyway, which I think would capture their whole hypothetical dynamic (never listen to About You by The 1975 while imagining this, I'm tearing up at this shit).

I think it would also be tragic on his end, to have to live without her. I feel like if Ten specially was Amy's Doctor, I'm not sure how he'd react to that. Defiantly not well. We have seen Ten lose companions, and when he can't fix it he typically goes full on god-complex. Not sure how you see their timeline tenamy anon, but I see him going through his post-TLV arc with her. Because fuck it, I love TLV, I think Ten is at his most interesting when he is being an arse. Would Amy make him better or worse? There's a case for both.

Going back to the other vision you said about Amy seeing him regenerate into Eleven, I think that would basically be a sort of tenrose but worse (in a good way). Eleven's companion is Amy Pond and that is a fact, so in this hypothetical tenamy au, he would either be born out of a sense of devotion to her or be born out of mourning for her. I find the mourning more interesting, though. Eleven would be Amy's ideal match (born into the role), but he would also be completely aware her death is a fixed point. The base of his identity is shattered and gone because no matter how much he yearns for it, Amy can never come back.

Sorry if i rambled too much, I hope you don't completely hate what I see. Living tenamy would be cosmic joy, fucked up borderline religion towards each other punctuated by the repeated spiritual murder-suicide. Dying tenamy would be loss of innocence, identity issues and devastation. Because they'd know its coming, they are just doing everything to delay the inevitable. The Doctor runs away, and she'd get the chance to run with him, but eventually everything he is running from will catch up to her (like it does everyone) drag her away, leaving him running alone. Unlike others, Amy would know she was going to be dragged away and accepted it with open arms.

Tenamy anon, please I am begging you to impart your visions (and future ones) onto me. We are like the only two tenamy's in the world and we need to stick together. This inspired me, so I'm going to do something tenamy related now. Take care!!

[zoneofsmites]

IDLE I DIDNT SEE THAT YOU REBLOGGED THE DURGE ASKS! I AM SENDING NOW! 1, 6, 11, 16, 18, 22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that… that is so many… i am in bed already help.

Ok excuse any shitty formatting or spelling we’re doing this by phone. Most under the cut because my stars that’s a lot of questions:

1 - What circumstances led to your Dark Urge becoming their Class/Subclass?

Sylas is a triple multiclass of Draconic Sorcerer - Vengeance Paladin - Assassin Rogue. Mostly Dex based for weapons. This is 100% done out of flavor and storytelling but it works decently as a build for me. (note that I do have a lv20 mod so my level spread is a little wider).

Being a sorcerer is intrinsic, nothing led him on that path beyond Bhaal creating him. Shaped from the dead flesh of a divine being (also if I remember right Bhaal was a wizard or sorcerer as a mortal too?). He is a draconic bloodline - white dragon - as a nod to the default dark urge white dragonborn sorcerer.

He is an assassin rogue because that is the closest thing to formal training he has gotten in the temple. Stalking his prey, stab and maim - blood blood blood - before they can even see you. Whisper in their dying ears that they died for Bhaal. Proper worship.

Sylas is a vengeance paladin because… well because he tried to break away from the doctrine. Twice. Once when he was a teenager and once not long before the Grand Plan actually began. He failed both times and returned the obedient son (you cant start out as an oathbreaker but in my heart he does).

6 - How does your Dark Urge react to waking up with memory loss?

Not… well? Let’s just say he left the room he woke up in a worse state then when he got there before finally moving on.

So yes, angry. Then panic when that has faded. Ultimately he hopes it’s just a bad side effect… except then it isn’t because none of his companions are like this. With every night he gets less agitated and more afraid. Settling into his bones as this near constant dread until pieces of his past start opening up to him.

11 - What motivates your Dark Urge to either embrace or resist the Urge?

His companions.

Specifically - Donatello Arivae. (my friend Melon’s Tav).

Without Donnie around Sylas would probably… give up resisting at some point. So if I ever do an evil durge run it will be with me pretending Donnie isn’t around.

Donnie - or Sunny as Sy mostly calls him - is a devotion paladin of Lathander. He talks Sylas trough the panic and is capable of subduing him most of the time if he ever loses control. Most importantly he believes so deeply in second chances and is the only one who takes the Urge seriously from day 1.

Donnie is a solid 80% of his continued motivation.

16 - What is your Dark Urge’s greatest desire?

Wow… I mean getting rid of the Urge is the obvious one right? Regaining his memory.

Though it becomes clear at some point… that he wasn’t a good person (that he likely never was). His greatest desire then becomes to be… a good person - or a decent one at least? Someone that doesn’t need an external conscience (donnie and wyll).

18 - How does your Dark Urge feel about love?

Complicated.

For Sylas love is devotion and worship. It is all he knows. Even without memory that is what he defaults to. That worship manifest in different ways.

He worships Astarion first - it becomes a deep platonic love one day but its worship first. Sylas worships Astarion by letting the vampire use him and his blood. He thinks it’s romantic love but it isn’t. (Sylas romances Astarion until That One Conversation and admits that they would be better as friends)

He fears Donnie before he loves him - and thus worships him - because Donnie is terrifying on the field (and Sylas respects that) but most of his fear comes from kindness and he doesn't understand why that openness fills him with terror ( he can't remember not being allowed to feel such things).

Love means devotion. Love means giving part of yourself and expecting nothing in return. Worship.

Trough his journey this perception shifts and he understands love to be give and take with the relationships he has build. A healthier look on love than he ever did since stepping foot into the Temple of Bhaal.

22- What first impression does your Dark Urge give off to strangers?

“What the fuck is up with that guy?” - most of the Gate probably.

Sylas has some odd visual quirks that look pretty… out there by even Faerun standards. His eyes are like fire, and the red leaking from his eyes doesn’t seem to be make-up on closer inspection. Other than that there’s the many scars and deep red tattoo’s.

The general impression is thus. “???”

For tieflings it is this… uncanny effect. He looks like a tiefling, but he is not. Not that they can tell what it specifically would be either but a lot of tieflings feel this weird dread when they make eye-contact with him. (I’m sure most of the grove tieflings get over that once they get to know him but it initial instinct is run).

Tysm for the MANY questions Kellan <3

Questions are from here!

[danse--macabre]

gen: 9

story: 5 & 13

for tirazel!

9. Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight?

I don't think it's anything on the level of the animosity of Lae'zel & Shadowheart (or Lae'zel/Shadowheart), but she does have an early moment with Astarion over the Necromancy of Thay.

Finding the Necromancy of Thay basically becomes an early plot quest for Tirazel. If high approval, she'll approach you fairly early about ways of getting her power back to optimal after the tadpole has suppressed it (a half-lie) -- and indicate she feels a powerful tome is in the area, and requests that you detour to pick it up. If neutral/low approval, she'll indicate there's an artefact of Immense Power nearby when in the village, and give you the same excuse - noting it will be useful for the goblin conflict.

(Her true rationale: she thinks it can help unfuck the ritual spell she cast to Kill Her Terrible Dad, thus freeing her from her Terrible Family).

When you acquire the tome, you're presented with three options:

Give it to Tirazel

Give it to Astarion

Keep it and unlock it yourself

Destroy it

Destroying the tome loses lots of Tirazel approval, but she'll still stay in the party. Keeping it means she'll attempt to steal it off you in the night – she's knowledgeable enough about it that she can manage to still open those pages despite them being bound to you.

But either giving it to Tirazel or giving it to Astarion will lead to a moment of conflict between the two.

If Tirazel takes it, Astarion will steal it from her in the night (she won't notice - he's a good thief) and have a cutscene in the morning where it's been stolen and is Very On Edge -> a brief bit of investigation (with her help if needed, she's proficient in it - you can give the clues to her) reveals he's taken it, and she will Attempt To Tear His Face Off in a very fraught moment. Tirazel's true intentions about the book will come out if you press her or don't immediately side with her - she thinks that's her ticket for her freedom. This is one way to find out that Tirazel has attempted to kill her father. (Astarion can make some very shitty comment about how she did a pisspoor job at that, amateur assassin work, and she'll straight up lunge for his jugular and hiss that not being a vampire won't stop her from draining every drop of him dry, lol). The PC can choose whether to persuade/intimidate Astarion to give it to Tirazel, let Astarion keep it (you'll need to persuade/intimidate Tirazel, but you'll get massive approval loss or else she'll just potentially leave the party), or destroy the book. If you let Tirazel keep it, she'll potentially note - through gritted teeth and fierce anger - if she had known it was of similar importance to him, she would have let him share it, find a way to unlock it for him too, if he had simply asked. You, the PC, can persuade him to ask here (very funny dialogue option).

If Astarion takes it, Tirazel will attempt to steal it from him in the night, but she'll be caught in the act (Tirazel is not skilled in that regard). The PC will find the two in a scuffle in his tent, he'll have a knife at her throat, she'll make some quip about the uncompromising position she's been found in, he'll quip back tersely about her about how hands have been cut off for less, she'll say she'd love to see him try, etc. etc. The PC will discover what she's attempted to do, if the PC attempts to give the book back to Astarion she'll drop the snide remarks and actually get on her knees and beg to have a look at that book, she'll explain why, and the PC can optionally persuade Astarion (fairly low DC, about 10) to get him to share the book with her or let Astarion keep it. If you give it to Tirazel after promising it to Astarion, you'll take a colossal approval hit.

What's interesting about this scene is that Astarion is far more aloof, at this stage, about his interest in the book and about Cazador – he won't say the book is for that (but very much has that in mind). Tirazel is more frank about her struggles, even though in many ways they're easier to hide, because she's simply at a different place with her trauma. In contrast to Astarion, Tirazel has, previously, escaped her abuser - twice, actually! - and has been preparing to cut him out of her life permanently for a while. She's had space to breathe and process and experience a life without him, which Astarion hasn't. This is also why Tirazel will offer to share the book while Astarion needs to be persuaded to - had you spoken to her 10 years ago, she would have refused, believing 'I can only look after myself; kindness is a weakness' of a traumatised survival mindset + entrenched belief her father tried to instill in her, but she's had enough breathing room to allow her to accept kindness, and to want to offer kindness in return, even if it is not a natural thing for her.

5. How do they react to the Player Character taking their first tadpole power?

Oh, she's intrigued! She asks how it feels. How it tastes. Whether the air feels different. Do they feel stronger? Do they feel altered? She'll express some disgust and rib you for that, but insight reveals it's feigned/put on, because she knows others are watching. In truth, Tirazel is fine with experimenting with the tadpoles and is drawn to it herself.

13. How do they react to the PC either allowing Astarion to ascend or convincing him to spare the spawn?

Oh this can go many ways.

So. Tirazel canonically romances Astarion as PC, but I think in a route where they're not together, where Astarion decides, 'with all your murderous family bullshit, I am not going to touch you in case I am put on twenty different mobster hit lists', they're still deeply close. They both share some common interests and goals - both disdain gods and traditions, seek power, value material pleasures (of different kinds), and crave freedom. And - though Tirazel doesn't ever say it, because he'll only ever take it as an insult, she very much sees much of her younger, worse self in Astarion - sees shades of the girl she was after her father locked her in her rooms for three years, while she tore herself and others apart trying to learn forbidden magic from forbidden tomes, with all the blood sacrifices it took. Her heart goes out for him, she wants to tear Cazador's throat out again once Astarion has torn it out himself, she'll support him without hesitation and will strongly press the PC to fight Cazador if they ever say 'well maybe we should just run'. After their Act 1 spat, they patch things up quickly, and by Act 3 Tirazel will be there for Astarion without question.

(Now, will Astarion be there for Tirazel? HA HA. GOOD QUESTION.)

Here's the thing – Tirazel has killed for power before. She has even sacrificed people in rituals for power before. She would, quite honestly, shrug her shoulders if it was just the seven of them. Who cares. She'd perhaps even shrug her shoulders if it were just the whole household - annoying servants, miserable spawn, twenty people. Pushing it, sure, but if that gives Astarion real, true freedom - you have to dangle that word, that's a word she respects - she can be persuaded, perhaps.

But seven thousand spawn? Seven thousand innocent people. Who were trapped for years?

Tirazel can't pretend that's anything short of menstruous. And sure, you can give her the mercy kill talk. That it'd be kinder to kill them now. That their lives will be miserable. And you could even persuade her to nod meekly along, to force her into compliance – but deep down, she'll disagree, she'll loathe it, because Tirazel has some understanding of being trapped, even if it is nowhere near on that scale. And she refuses to think those people in cages as entirely helpless, condemned to misery, not after all she's gone through.

So as I see it, there are a few options, and these depend on her personal quest:

Tirazel hasn't completed her quest yet: She'll object, quietly. She'll tell Astarion, you can't seriously be considering this. Really, Astarion. Please. [Looks at him with pleading eyes]. Astarion can say 'I can and I will', snap about being 'this close' to freedom, and 'isn't that what you want, Tirazel?'. And she'll shut up fast.

Tirazel completed her quest, 'neutral' ending (the crime syndicate survives, but Tirazel has successful extricated herself): She'll object. She'll try to take a harder tack. She'll straight up tell him: he's better than this. Astarion (optional) can shut her down, call her a hypocrite, there's blood all over her hands, too, even if she's not holding the knife herself.

Tirazel completed her quest, 'evil' ending (the crime syndicate survives, Tirazel is the secret power behind the throne after some clever machinations, or a puppeteer being pushed and puppeted herself, by either her Ex or the PC): the most she will say, softly, with emotion, is 'Astarion'. She knows this will destroy him. She knows that might be necessary. Sometimes it's the only way to be free. He'll say 'Tirazel', in response, with emotion. She'll then nod, stiffly. He'll proceed. Afterwards, he'll thank the Queen of the Underworld for her kind support throughout his journey. Insight check reveals that Tirazel wants to shatter into a thousand pieces at his every word - it repulses her, it hurts her, it reminds her faintly of her father.

Tirazel completed her quest, 'good' ending (the crime syndicate is destroyed, Tirazel will have to leave Baldur's Gate after the game ends, she's free from her family - but will also be hunted by her fathers' powerful friends and allies): She'll object. She'll tell Astarion: he's better than this. He'll spit something about how she might be – but she's not here, not now, and not him. At the next chance for him to proceed with the ritual, you'd get a response like: Gods and hells, Astarion, can't you see what this will take? You'd be selling your soul a thousand times over. The cost of this will destroy you. She can, actually, in some playthroughs, succeed at this persuasion check (though your PC can counter this with a check of their own if they really want Astarion to ascend). If you get to the third and final 'proceed with the ritual' option, Tirazel will actually attempt to stop him physically - and you have to tackle her to the ground. If you do this, you'll get a really heartfelt, furious scene of her in camp later.

The absolute worst ending, IMO, for Tirazel, is for Astarion as PC to coerce Tirazel into becoming the shadow power behind the syndicate (which he is the power behind, having twisted Tirazel's arm into doing it), and then Ascend shortly afterwards. Not only, do you, as the PC, basically take over as Tirazel's abuser (yes, that is what you are doing when you coerce her into doing that!!), but Ascended Astarion then turns her into his precious pretty little necromancer doll wife who he has complete and utter control over, as his spawn - you know, the fate Tirazel has spent the past 14-15 years fighting against? Except this time, because she's his spawn, she has no choice but to obey him :)

Oh, and don't get me started on the fact that Tirazel, untadpoled, has very powerful command undead spells that could pose the greatest threat to an Ascended Astarion – he is taking out the most potent threat and stuffing her like a prize from a hunt by turning her into a spawn. It sucks!

[fluffypotatey]

While i do think shadowpeach never actually fell out of love despite everything (well at least macaque definitely) , what do you think their reaction would be when they realized they no longer loved the other? Cause i do feel a small part of them would feel grief about something they had and treasured for so long

And to keep from being too sad, what is their reaction at inevitably falling back in love. That i think would involved lots of cursing at the gods and tearing out hair

anon, i just want to let you know that i did prepare an answer for you, and it was a lengthy one as well. but last night the internet for my house wasn’t working, so when i hit post, my screen froze and couldn’t refresh until this morning, making me lose everything i wrote T^T BUT! i will do my best to reanswer this to the best of my abilities (and it was a good fucking answer too 🫠)

thus:

so, ignoring my gut reaction (which is me shouting, “impossible! those monkeys are too attached to lose feelings!”) I will consider the following but have my own spin to it! meaning, that while both believe they’re live for the other faded away, it in fact was dormant this whole time! (because i am incapable of seeing a world where either or both idiots fall out of love for the other)

also, fun tidbit: both idiots believe the other fell out of love first which then prompts them into trying to ignore and bury their affections bc if “X can easily set aside their centuries old relationship, then so can I!”

with Wukong, the guy has more time to truly process the grief and loss bc he actually has the time and companions to help him out. you have Ao Lie and Wukong cuddling more, Wukong crying to Guanyin (bc their relationship is fun in JTTW and I am still holding out for lmk to give us another cameo or glimpse of her, lmk please—) with her walking Wukong through the grief and his own pain, and parallel play with Tripitaka (the play being Tripitaka mediates while Wukong practices his forms/showing off his forms to his master) as well as Tripitaka providing more insight about grief

with Macky, i can see him starting that grief after his death. so like, post-resurrection either before s1 or at some point during the show (but NOT s3 or 4) like, after the angry and bitterness, Macky feels hollow and believes that to mean he’s lost those old feelings of love. and at this point, Macky would think he’d be relieved because finally! he is rid of Wukong not just as a friend, but also, Wukong’s hold is gone, but it isn’t relief he feels from that realization, but grief and loss. and because he still isn’t emotionally stable and is hell-bent on revenge, he takes that grief and fuels it to his anger for killing Wukong because maybe then the relief will come.

i do think that in s4, Macky was starting to process his own grief and feelings and death in a sort of healthy way, so he might have come to some indifference about Wukong, still believing he has begun to feel nothing for his old friend until he goes into the memory scroll (but he could chalk that up to nostalgia)

anyway, as for rekindling: slow burn 2.0 lmaoooooo

maybe it’s simply because i am a sucker for slow burns, but I highly doubt Sun Wukong and Macky would be able to go back to being lovers or whatever they had going on pre-war on Heaven because they’re fucking stupid when it comes to actually interacting with each other. communication who???? they don’t know her!!! catch them falling into old habits without knowing but never acknowledging it and leading to confused feelings 💅✨

also, s5 please let them be petty exes to each other!!! petty as in minor offenses, as in one of them stole the other’s clothes and is lying to the guy’s face whilst wearing said stolen clothes. they should go from “ugh, i guess we can work together……for MK” to “ugh, fuck not again!!!” to “I know they only see me as an acquaintance/ally for MK, but I have started to see them once again as someone I want to hold forever and why am I pining for this idiot again I should know better—”

in conclusion, i cheated and gave myself a win-win scenario with your question. but reactions to realizing the fell out of love: Wukong’s would be one where he tries to isolate but his friend never allow him to, and Macky is one with angry screaming bc he’s sO stable.

[when-wulf]

What is your character’s ACT TWO main story?

Act 2 Asena is doing her fucking best while fuming to herself the whole time. She’s trying to remain supportive and keep spirits up even as literally every single thing you encounter in the Shadow Cursed Lands both breaks her heart and fills her with righteous fury.

The idea that it may be possible to unseal her lycanthropy is introduced and you can push her in that direction and fuel her desire to be stronger to protect the group. There’s a bit of an axis that comes into play, one scale being towards/away from lycanthropy, and one scale embracing/suppressing her rage.

—

How do you meet them?

She’s a little harried trying to keep everyone’s spirits up going into the curse, she definitely gets less chatty and when she speaks is either more contemplative or starts ranting. It seems like the ambient curse might affect her a little less because part of the magic that infuses her tattoos is moonfire, but in exchange the shadow monsters go after her more aggressively.

Finding Last Light, meeting Jahiera and the Harpers and any surviving tieflings definitely gives her a mood boost. She loves Jahiera, she reminds her of a lot of the elder Fey’nrir, including her gran who raised her (she’ll warn you off telling her that though).

—

Alternatively, if you attacked the grove and let her escape with Alfira and the tiefling kids, she will have gotten them to just outside Last Light and then disappeared. You’ll find her imprisoned in Moonrise, her exposure to the prism has left her partially resistant to the Absolute and they’re planning to try and get information about it out of her. There’s also a note nearby questioning if cutting away the skin with the tattooed seal will unlock her lycanthropy. The seal is on the back of her neck, you can opt to try this while she’s restrained, she will not consent once freed. If you try, there’s a check not to just kill her in the attempt. If you succeed she transforms into a werewolf, breaks from the restraints, and is completely out of control. To avoid having to fight her is another check to dominate and basically enthrall her with your tadpole.

If you free her and Mithara is also imprisoned, even though she doesn’t like her as a person one bit she’ll advocate for freeing her as well because fuck the Absolutists.

—

What do you learn about them in act two? Do any special scenes trigger for them?

— The first long rest in the Shadow Cursed Lands Asena will propose sparring to help prepare for whatever’s ahead. A successful insight check will intuit that even though she’s presenting the idea as all in good fun, she’s feeling self destructive and looking for a way to get hurt. You can volunteer yourself or one of the other companions. Win or lose she’ll give genuine constructive critique on her opponent’s fighting, which may give them a buff the next day. If you volunteer it can either stay platonic or get flirtatious, with an agreement to meet up later for some more one-on-one “training” which is another romance scene.

— At some point out in the shadow curse, most likely a house or the town, there’s some random interaction with the environment while exploring, skeletons laid out to imply some tragic final moments or something that finally is too much for her. She just starts crying and can’t stop, apologizes, panics that she can’t stop, and excuses herself back to camp. When you next talk to her in camp she’s seemingly calmed down, but if you imply that she’s sad she clarifies that’s not the case, or at least not only that. She’s furious. She goes off about how all of this death and devastation was and still is intentional, be it Ketheric or Shar or whoever, and that infuriates her. You can wind her up about it more or try to calm her down, but either way she pledges that whoever’s truly, truly responsible will pay for it.

— After her little breakdown she’ll open up more about her past and all the loss that pushed her into becoming an adventurer to begin with. The tensions and machinations that forced her people to flee to the Feywild and how she feels it’s her fault for losing control and escalating things, for killing the wrong people (who still deserved to die, corrupt bastards, they just weren’t at the head of the problem) the wrong way (rampaging as a werewolf, no way to deny it was a Fey’nrir, should’ve been patient and made it look like an accident) and not looking at who was really pulling the strings. You can also float the idea unsealing her lycanthropy if it hasn’t come up yet, either saying it’d be useful for her to be stronger, or that you trust her to control it, etc. She’s resistant but willing to think about it, considering the possibility of even being able to do so without the elder Fey’nrir who sealed it as unlikely.

— If you leave both Asena and Gale in camp for at least a short rest, you’ll come back to them in a heated argument about Mystra’s so-called plan. Insight will glean that Asena’s very emotional, but trying to argue from a place of logic and genuinely does believe that it’s a bad plan. Blowing up the heart of the Absolute without knowing who’s behind it and where and how far it’s spread means you can’t be sure it won’t regroup and crop up again. What they really need to do is find who’s at the head of it all (trying really heard not to say brains), figure out what they’re trying to achieve and why, and be thorough in making sure the cult is eradicated. You can choose a side or stay neutral, and can also use the opportunity to push Asena towards or away from being willing to unseal her lycanthropy (basically saying something like, “well maybe if you were stronger we’d have better options.”).

— She is very gung-ho about helping Halsin lift the Shadow Curse. She relates a lot to losing her home and feeling responsible for it, and she honestly really wants to stick it to Shar. She was pretty ignorant and blasé about Shar going in even though she followed Selûne, because the Fey’nrir are into balance and not being afraid of a little darkness, but through Act 2 she gets more and more fed up with her. She tries to bite her tongue around Shadowheart, but will grumble about how petty and cruel a goddess supposedly meant to be all about “nothingness” is. “I’m no stranger to loss. Everything I‘ve ever had I’ve had to let go of. So don’t talk to me about loss, or grief. But this isn’t loss, it’s taking. This darkness isn’t some empty, indifferent void, it’s violent, it wants to consume. Shar claims not to care when really it seems to me like she cares a whole hell of a lot. It’s—ugh! It’s just bullshit!”

— If she’s with you when you infiltrate Moonrise, Z’rell will use restoring Asena’s lycanthropy as an example of a power the Absolute could potentially grant.

— If she’s with you for the Self-Same trial her double will be able to turn into a werewolf.

— She’s fond of Arabella, and is crushed when you find her parents, but will offer to be the one to tell her/talk to her after.

— If you’ve uncovered a lot of Ketheric’s story by the end she’s sympathetic, comments on how he was pushed by larger forces and how all of this is even more horrifying when you consider it all originated from a place of love.

Tav Question

Pretend for a minute your Tav is an origin character. Origin characters have a main story with scenes in each of the three acts, as well as a three act romance structure (usually with check points in the form of their main story scenes but sometimes with affinity). I will be doing questions for each act, both the main story and the romance story.

What is your character’s ACT TWO main story? How do you meet them? What do you learn about them in act two? Do any special scenes trigger for them?

Act One Question

[crane--here]

do you ever stop and think about how much grief crane had to go through when he lost the aldemir siblings? how much he mourned their deaths and how he never hid his sorrow?

like. i feel like not many players catch onto this. because it's swept aside in favor of his mission and fast-paced action gameplay. it kind of loses its impact this way

but when you take your time, look back and hear crane speak and voice out his emotions you can tell how much it affected him

rahim's death, as predictable from the gameplay standpoint as it was, was just so sudden, and it took crane aback. because kyle trusted rahim, just as much as rahim trusted kyle. he trusted him with the explosives after rahim promised he'll leave the job to him. he trusted rahim when he said he just "cut himself". and crane being so hopeful and trusting as he is, left him back in the train yard, only to be forced to snap his best friend's neck when he returned

and fuck, he mourned. right there. because when you go blow up that nest it's always the middle of the day. no matter when you actually go to do the quest it will always default to noon. just as kyle coming back.... always defaults to evening, zere's truck is always attacked right by the sunset. there's good 7 to 9 HOURS between both events. and while it's never directly stated i firmly believe crane just... stayed in the train yard for a while, grieving rahim's death. i would even believe he took his time to give him a proper burial

and god, jade.... where do i even begin?

crane failed her. he failed himself. rahim is dead and the blame is put on him. first amir dies saving his ass and now he fails to protect the stupid kid too? jade is understandably upset. and kyle tries to do anything to win her trust back, to apologize, say how sorry he is as he tries to make amends. and he had to do all this when time was so crucial. 48 hours. two whole days and nights only to stop the ministry from destroying harran

and he proves himself. gets jade to talk to him again. and when all seems alright rais takes her away. forces them to fight for antizin. and kyle just can't see jade suffering more, can't see a strong fighter, companion, his friend and family die to a stupid bite wound. he can't bring himself to sacrifice her... so she does that herself. and just like rahim she turns before his very eyes, and just like rahim he's forced to take the life of one of the closest people to him

and even with tahir dead, unlike with rahim he can't stop and give her a proper end. harran's fate is at stake. jade sacrificed herself just for it. she trusted him as much as rahim did

i feel like his biggest regret is leaving her body like that back at the museum

and mind you, all of this happened in the span of around 72 hours. crane had to go through such loss while literally fighting to save thousands of innocent lives and find a way to help with the cure. he never had the time to properly stop and just let himself process these emotions. and it's not like he hid it either. brecken knew and commented on how kyle and rahim were close. troy, despite sucking at pep talks, tried to comfort him as best as she could. everybody knew how close crane and those siblings were

and fuck, the guilt NEVER went away. even when in the countryside crane has relapses of both rahim and jade dying. this shit stung until the very end and left him with so many scars

so yeah. crane and the aldemirs, huh?

[icarus-imagines]

Sesshomaru X Soulmate!Reader

Word Count: 1,393

Category: InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale

Soulmate AU ~ You can detect your Soulmate by heat. The temperature gets hotter the nearer they are, colder when they are far away.

~Hypothermia~

Your hands are cold. Well, they are always cold. So cold you don’t know if it is your mind playing tricks on you or if your hands are collecting frost. Spiraling, glistening frost that sprouts from your fingertips that are a soft pinkish hue to around your inner palms and inner wrists. It grows slowly, coming from within your own body or just appearing there is a question you would like answered.

You are tired of it. At first, it was manageable, starting when you were a child because you thought it was the weak powered product of a lesser passerby demon that had given you a small curse. But as the days went on, turning into months, and then into years, and till even now, it grew increasingly worse. Now you have resorted to hiding your delicate hands in your kimono. Inconspicuously pull them close to your body and hope whatever heat you exude from within is enough to melt what has infected your skin for so long.

The problem now is that not only are your hands being tortured it is your feet, your neck, your cheeks, and everywhere else that you never thought was a vulnerable part of you. It has even crawled to your forehead, something you internally sneer at. Your clothes and hair are eventually affected too later in life. The frost becoming bunches of snowflake particles now. Clumped and gathered together. It feels as though no place is able to escape it’s reaches.

Traveling, something you do every day has become bothersome because of it. Drowsiness has set in upon you, sleep sounding like a pleasure you would indulge yourself in. Nevertheless, you control these urges even when you lose consciousness when walking, though for only a few seconds.

Your short and anxious ‘companion’ senses something wrong and mumbles about it under their breath but says nothing in fear of angering you. You had taken notice of his worry a long while ago but don’t act on it. (Yet punishing him does sound like a good idea). Your other ‘companion’ of odd sorts doesn’t hide their worry at all. They are vocal and ask questions anytime they feel you are amiss. You admire her audacity and courage.

With a few simple words though you ease their worries, moreso shut them down, until other symptoms come and catch you by surprise. Symptoms are formulated such as in and out confusion and patchy memory loss. They ail you more and more frequently these days. They are not so much as memories being taken from you but the hours of walking you do feel as though it took only a handful of minutes. You don’t say anything about it though, knowing it would only make your companions fearful for your health. And either way, you weren’t one to talk about your emotions openly anyway.

Being taught to keep it inside and concealed must of had a big effect on you even into adulthood and beyond.

It is only when you near that tree, that accursed tree near an even more cursed village that you feel healthier. The frost is still there coating prominent parts of your pale, flawless skin, but it is warmer. Who knew that you would feel so much relief over something as small as feeling warm.

Your ‘companions’ see the change quite quickly. Though the frost has not left they can see it. The energy, if you really showed in the first place at all, coming back to you. They can see it in the way you carry yourself, in the way you walk, and in the way simply radiate this certain type of energy.

It is only when they go to obtain food, cutting through a thick and dense forest do you have time alone to ponder what you should do. You are methodical and logical which helps you immensely. So it takes just a few moments for you to collect yourself before you begin your almost aimless walk.

You travel around the village, feet swift and soft against the grass when you then pass the tree your brother was trapped against for so many years. Only when you get to the clearing with the well do you realize the warmth has come to you. It radiates within your very soul, swimming and cascading through your veins. It’s liquid fire. Perhaps even hellfire.

You don’t know how it happened, how any of it occurred but before you are completely aware of what is happening you had glided to the Well. The Bone Eaters Well. It glows, a purplish-white beaming on the old stones, spilling over the Wells wooden confines.

It is then you know someone is coming. They smell unfamiliar thus notifying you that it is not that priestess girl your brother is infatuated with. This one smells sweeter, softer, and gentle. The scent and light grow stronger until it is all that is there. Every breath you take is filled with that smell, it’s dare you say borderline intoxicating.

Then they appear.

At first, it is but an outline, of clothes and hair swaying in the breeze of blinding light and pure magic, one knee parched on the side of the Well, the other dangling yet suspending inside. For some reason you cannot explain, you both reach out at the same time towards one another.

The connection is an immediate burst of nothing but pure, untainted, blissful warmth. Your body reacts as if you have never felt something so nice, and you would believe it because whoever this person was, was doing things to you that made you melt.

A single touch of fingertips to fingertips was the tip of the iceberg that soon crashed into a boat when the light grows just a bit dimmer causing the person to fall into your arms. They fall into your embrace, chest to chest, cheek to cheek and you know this person will mean everything to you. Cause just by the way your pulse accelerates, just by the way your skin alights with unadulterated heat has you wanting to collapse.

You don’t though, knowing this person needs your help to stay up. They pull away from you while still grasping you by the full length of your arms. It is like heaven has settled in their eyes. Eyelashes long and covered with frost, tiny snowflakes spread from them to their cheeks like a window in winter. It all has your soul reeling, spinning, and left dizzy.

You think it can’t get any hotter this heat that has begun to trickle over you, but it does as they lift a hand to your face. If it had been anyone else they would have been killed upon the spot but watching them do it had left you as still as a statue. That hand of theirs is soft, frost-covered, but soft.

They smile at you. They look like the sun, a contrast to you that becomes apparent when they wipe away the frost covering your crescent move birthmark with their other hand. The trickling has begun to gush at a steady beat that followers your heart in sync.

It’s only when you lean in to kiss their blue-stained lips does the heat explode. It overflows, seemingly coming out of every pore of your body. Every muscle in your body is attuned with it tensing and untensing when they grip the back of your head, hair tight in their grasp, with the hand that wiped your birthmark.

It has all melted. With every shiver of their body, with every tiny moan they make against your lips you feel both of your frost-covered bodies liven. Damp now for sure from all the accumulated frost and snowflakes you both couldn’t care less.

They pull away, a deep groan falling from your mouth though you are unabashed by it. Their laugh is music to your pointed ears, sharp nails gripping them tight enough to let them know you won’t let go of them. When they speak their words are a pool of silky, golden honey.

“I’ve been...looking for you..,” their voice is trembling, tears at the brim of their wonderfully bright eyes. “I’ve been looking for you...,for so long.”

You don’t say anything to them. Opting for actions to trump over words.

The kiss you give them casts away the hypothermia.

[dyns33]

Only Lovers Left Alive 2

So I did a part 2 of my little imagine about Adam x Eve x Reader 

Since @jane-3043 and @quirkiest-turtle asked about it, I’m tagging you guys, I hope you’ll like it. 

           "Adam..."

           "No."

           "Darling."

           "You were wrong. It doesn't happen often, but this time you were wrong, recognize  it Eve, and let's move on."

           "You're as stubborn as a mule. So is she, and that's why we can't find her."

           "She doesn't want us to find her. She doesn't love us, she's afraid of us because of your fucking sister. We have to stop now."

           "I know you miss her, as much as I miss her. We have to find her, at least to have a conversation. I don't like seeing you in such pain."

Adam's only response was to growl, as he picked up his guitar to escape another argument with his wife. This made her laugh, because according to Eve, it was more proof that she was right.

Their little Y/N was like him, she preferred to run away from the conflict and refused to talk about her feelings.

The poor darling didn't think they loved her, and in return, her departure had deeply hurt the vampire, who didn't think she loved them either. Fortunately, Eve was there to make the connection, even after almost two years.

This game of hide and seek was beginning to drag on, if they counted in human years. For them it wasn't that long, but the longer they waited, the more they risked losing Y/N, forever.

Of course, she could totally refuse their immortal gift, whether she shared their feelings or not, and they wouldn't force her. They would mourn her loss for several centuries, Eve would travel to forget and Adam would sulk in his lair, refusing to ever trust a zombie again.

In a way, he had already started, right after their Y/N's disappearance, and despite Eve's attempts to keep him positive. It was only to please his beloved wife that they continued their search.

And a little because he was worried about the human. How was she doing ? Was she happy ? Still alive ? Had she found a new companion ? Had one of the others attacked her after Ava had the good idea to say that they had taken a little feeder, just to get revenge because they throw her out ?

She drank Ian. It was all her fault. As always. He should have killed her, even if Eve didn't agree.

Now he had to use a computer to post his music online, because he would never find another human like Ian, and they had to find a way to locate Y/N, or at least contact her.

           "It would have been very handy if you had her phone number." Eve noted.

           "She knew when she could come. At night."

           "What if she couldn't ?"

           "Then I was waiting for the next night."

           "My love, you are beyond recovery. If I had known, I would have asked her and we wouldn't be in this situation."

           "Without this selfish little leech you call a sister, we wouldn't..."

           "I know. Let's see if we can find her on a social network."

They would have found her a long time ago if that had been possible. It was as if she had voluntarily disappeared, that she knew they were going to look for her and that she didn't want to be found. Eve sometimes wondered if Adam was not right, if they shouldn't stop, because if it was her choice. They had to accept it.

But maybe it wasn't. They wanted to be sure. They really wanted to know if she was okay.

They also wanted her to know that she had no reason to be afraid of them. They knew she would keep their secret, that she wouldn't put them in danger. She would have done it a long time ago.

Like every night, Eve was on the computer to find a lead, while Adam was trying to create new music on his guitar.

"Something cheerful" his wife had begged him. "More cheerful the previous ones anyway." Adam wasn't sure what that meant.

They hadn't drink yet. After Y/N left, it had been a bit complicated, but they had made an arrangement with a nurse at a hospital, who hadn't asked anything with all the money they had offered him, deciding that artists had strange tastes and it was okay to donate a little blood every week. As long as they didn't ask for bodies, it wasn't a crime.

After Y/N left, they were not often hungry anyway. Something was missing. They weren't in the mood. Same for the music. Less than five songs in two years, it was not normal for someone like Adam.

Someone knocked on the door.

Despite Eve's staring gaze, he didn't move, pretending he hadn't heard anything. It was probably a mistake, or even some stupid fan who wanted to see him, again. Who else could come and disturb them so late ? One of the others ? Ava ? Another reason not to open.

The intruder insisted, several times, even though they weren't really knocking hard. It was almost shy on the contrary. Hesitant.

Eve decided to go see, even though her husband tried to stop her by grabbing the end of her kimono. Waste of time, it was impossible to stop Eve from doing anything.

Considering that this was not his problem, Adam therefore continued to play the same notes on his guitar over and over again, while still straining his ears in case a stupid zombie had come to break into the house and therefore decided to attacking his wife, even though she could very well defend herself on her own.

He heard the door open, but there was no cry. No claim. No words. In fact, there was absolutely nothing. Nothing. Even Eve didn't speak.

This silence. It was not normal.

In the living room, he slowly put his guitar down on the sofa and instinctively sniffed the air, thinking he would detect blood, alcohol, or gunpowder.

He smelt something else.

He knew that scent. Her scent.

In less than a second, he appeared next to Eve in the hallway. His wife was frozen, not breathing, as she looked at the person standing outside, in front of them.

Y/N.

She had hardly changed. Still beautiful. Visibly embarrassed, but not daring to move or lower her eyes, as they stared at her silently.

           "I… I…" she stammered before biting her lip, unable to say anything else.

And she didn't need to. Her eyes spoke for her. Y/N was scared, but she wasn't terrified. She feared their reactions. She was sorry. She was happy to see them. She loved them.

It was when she closed her eyes, sighing like she was going to cry, that something happened.

Adam was the first to throw himself on her, his lips pressing against her mouth never to leave her, pulling her inside, as Eve kissed her cheek, her neck, her shoulder, the rest of her body, until she could take her husband's place, who hissed a bit but pried on Y/N's clothes.

She was there, she had come back. She was theirs again.

They spent the night covering her with kisses and caresses, never leaving the bed except to close the curtains when the sun was about to rise.

Despite the hunger, they did not bite her. Not because they were afraid her blood might be tainted, they could smell that she was still as pure and delicious as before. Besides, Y/N wouldn't have said no, she wouldn't have taken it badly. But they wanted to prove to her that they didn't want her for her blood. She wasn't a zombie, or a feeder. She was their precious Y/N.

Tired and sweating, their three bodies entwined, their heads resting on her chest, they slept peacefully listening to her little heart beating.

Then, the next evening, they spoke.

Mainly Eve, who asked a lot of questions in her calm reassuring voice. And Y/N, who answered.

Adam was listening.

She explained why she had left, but also how she had immediately missed them. She thought of them every day and had to fight with herself not to return home. It was not easy.

After several months, she worried about them, she hadn't thought that they could run out of blood after she left and she didn't want them to starve.

Several times she had passed the house again, often during the day so that they would not spot her. Sometimes at night, hoping to see them.

Y/N was also curious to know if they had taken someone to replace her. It would have reassured her to know that they had a reliable source of uncontaminated blood, and at the same time, the idea made her sad and jealous.

Her optimistic side, which made her look like Eve, kept telling her over and over again that she had to go back to see them to discuss. The rest of her being, shy and proud like Adam, refused again and again.

This inner struggle had lasted for two years, and last night she had found herself outside the door.

           "I… I wanted to see you. At least one last time. I had no idea how you were going to react."

           "We missed you terribly, my dear. Both of us. Adam was even sadder than he was when Paganini died."

           "He has something to do with violin, right ?"

           "If I could move, I would kiss you." Adam purred, rubbing his cheek against her stomach like a lazy cat.

           "So... are you okay with me coming back ? Like before ?"

           "No."

           "Oh. I see..."

           "No my love." Eve sneered tenderly, hugging her. "Of course we want you to come back. What Adam means is that we don't want to make a proposal to you. A... radical change."

The young mortal was not stupid, and immediately understood what the vampires meant. Her little heart pounded as Y/N stared at the ceiling in silence, considering their offer, all that involved.

           "But for the blood ?"

           "We have a sure way for now. And if that doesn't work anymore, we'll find something else. We've always found something."

           "What if you get tired of me ?"

           "That will never happen. It would rather be you who may not bear us anymore, especially our grumpy Adam..."

           "Hey."

           "... And if you want to leave, we won't stop you, you will always be free to come back later if you want to. But we love you, and we want to have you until the end of time."

           "Really ?" Y/N asked timidly.

And while asking the question, she turned to Eve, who understood that it was not to her that the human was talking. Eve had already told her that she loved her, several times. This was not the case with the other vampire half-asleep against her. Eyes still closed, he couldn't see his wife looking at him, but he sighed.

           "The best song I wrote last year is called 'My Poor Broken Heart' and..."

           "Adam."

           "And I never wrote a song for anyone other than my wife before that. Never."

           "Adam."

           "What I mean... is that... I... Fuck..."

           "I love you too." Y/N said calmly. "I love you both. I would love to stay with you."

           "Oh, my two shy idiots !"

This time Adam found the strength to move to place several kisses on her neck, as Eve kissed her on the forehead.

They did not transform her right away, to enjoy her warmth for a while. Adam also asked to record her heart beats. For a "project". Eve was sure he was just listening to it when he was melancholic or couldn't fall asleep.

It was also necessary to store enough blood before, because newborns needed a lot of food to regain strength. It was exhausting to die.

Y/N also had time to collect her things from her apartment. To do this at night would have attracted attention. But they decided not to sell it, in case she wanted a private space at some point, even though they hoped she would never need it.

When she was finally ready, having said goodbye to her old life, her family, her friends, her job, the sun, Adam and Eve laid her down on their bed, whispered poems in her ears, then drained her of her blood.

[javier-pena]

alone

Chapter 1 of The Hunt

Pairing: Din Djarin x fem!reader

Word Count: 4.4k

Rating: Mature (for now but that will - spoilers! - change eventually)

Summary: When your best friend and companion is abducted by a group of outlaws, you hire a Mandalorian to help track down the men and get your revenge. What seems like a simple enough task stretches into a month-long trek through inhospitable terrain while both you and the Mandalorian are trying to come to terms with events in your past you cannot change. Set after Season 2.

Warnings: mentions (and short descriptions) of death, murder, and torture | a lot of hurt and no comfort | mentions of loss | mild to moderate language | a lot - and I mean A LOT - of talk about Din’s hands lmao

Notes: This is my first attempt at a Mandalorian fic and the first time in months I’ve written anything. It’s vaguely inspired by my favorite western movies, True Grit (1969/2010), The Quick and the Dead (1995), and The World to Come (2020). So yes, this is going to be very much like a western. I also want to - again - thank Dani @javierpcna​ who was like “are you writing Mandalorian stuff?” about a month ago and has, since then, read through this chapter more often than me and encouraged me to continue to write it and offered so much valuable insight whenever I came to her with an idea ... seriously, Dani, this fic wouldn’t exist without you and I hope I can find a way to repay you! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this first chapter (I’m already working on the second one) ...

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The day the Mandalorian arrives on Alvorine is the day you lose your best friend. You’re still busy putting out the fire, running your soot-blackened hand across your face, where the dirt mingles with the tears you’re too tired to stop from streaming down your face, when you hear the thrusters of a spacecraft roaring above you. You barely glance up; you can’t be bothered to. It could be the remnants of the Empire looking for recruits, it could be the New Republic looking for the remnants of the Empire, or it could be the bandits coming back for more. But what do you care? They already took away the one person you care most about in the galaxy. You just grip the shovel tighter and drive it into the soil so you can choke the fire underneath moist stones and dirt.

While you exhaust your body with physical labor, you occupy your mind with thoughts of revenge. Revenge as dark and quenching as the soil beneath you. With every load of dirt you heave onto the searing flames, your plan gains another sharp edge until all you can think of is driving the cutting edge down onto the throat of the man who gripped Brea’s arm and pulled her onto the speeder bike. Maybe his head would come off right away, maybe your tool would just obstruct his windpipe as you watch the life drain slowly out of his eyes. And even that would be too good an end for that monster.

It’s not just in your mind – those thoughts aren’t simply there to ground you while you continue your work in the ruins of what was once your home. It’s not pure fantasy, something to give you back a feeling of control. You are determined to follow through on it; you are going to hunt down these men who burned down your farm and stole Brea from you. You will not rest until they are all dead by your hand. And if you should die in the process … then you won’t go out without a fight, without taking as many of those bastards with you as you can. They have sealed their own fate by coming here today.

You know Brea isn’t dead; they won’t kill her unless she tries to kill one of them first. And she wouldn’t do that, she is too gentle for that, too docile. She would rather turn the other cheek. They should have taken you instead; she doesn’t deserve the fate that awaits her. You would’ve at least put up a fight, make them pay for what they did. And Brea? She would just die.

For now, she’s alive. But whatever you set out to do once you’re done here won’t be a rescue mission. You aren’t under the illusion you can save her. You know that even if you were to leave right now, even if you had your own speeder bike, you would never find her in time. No, this possibility hasn’t even crossed your mind. All you want to do is cause these men more pain than they caused you. You know it is impossible because you cannot imagine anything worse, but you sure as hell will do your best.

You straighten your back, drive the shovel into the ground, and use it as support while you try to catch your breath. The air burns in your lungs, and not just from the cold. There is also the steadily rising black smoke that makes breathing hard; your throat stings, so do your sides, and there is a bitter taste in your mouth. But you’re almost finished here, you’re almost done putting out the fire, so it won’t endanger the surrounding forest. And with every flame you bury, you also bury a piece of your soul until you feel like there is nothing left that makes you human, until all the pain and despair you’re feeling since listening to Brea’s screams grow quieter and quieter until they were swallowed up by silence has turned into a cold, brazen cry for revenge. But you’re glad this has made you less forgiving, less kind, less … human. Those things would only get in the way of the task ahead of you.

As the last flames go out with a wet hiss, one of Alvorine’s three blue white suns vanishes behind the treetops. You know the other two will be quick to follow. And you don’t have anywhere to spend the night. You wouldn’t mind sleeping with your back propped against a tree. You’ve done it often enough. But it’s winter, and the air is already cold and will be even colder once the other two suns set too. And you just lost every blanket, every single piece of fabric that could keep you warm in a small inferno. You know this is just an excuse, a comforting lie you tell yourself. The truth is you cannot spend a minute longer on this clearing, even if that means you have to walk the four miles to the next settlement. You’re so exhausted you cannot feel your legs, but you don’t care. Anything is better than spending the night here, even collapsing in the middle of the dark forest.

You leave the shovel where you stand and walk to the edge of the clearing, swallowing around the lump in your throat, trying to hold down more tears that are threatening to spill over and down your cheeks. Once you reach the edge of the forest, where the air is a bit clearer, you take a deep breath and turn around to look at the ruins of your home, now nothing more than a black pile of rubble. You have nothing, nothing but the clothes you’re wearing, not even a small trinket to remind you of Brea and the many happy hours you spent here tending to your fields, sweeping the front porch or sitting around the fireplace sharing supper. Even remembering how you worked on menial chores now feels like the most precious memory, one you will hold onto until your last breath. Because even though they have taken everything from you, they can’t take away the memory of Brea’s laugh.

***

They stare at you as you enter the inn. They stare and then look away. They can’t bear your presence because it reminds them of their own guilt. Not one of them came to your aid this morning, not one of them came afterwards to offer help. And you ignore them too because there is nothing left to say. All you want is some food and a dry place to sleep before you turn your back on them forever.

You sit down at a small table in a dark corner. The patrons around you either turn their backs to you or stand up to move their meals and conversations someplace else. It’s as if you’ve been marked. If you had any strength left in you, you would call them out on their behavior. Shit, you would wreak havoc, and only stop when the last one of them is on their knees begging for forgiveness. But you’re glad you’re too exhausted because your sudden hatred for everyone and everything scares you. The villagers don’t deserve to fall victim to your rage. There is nothing they could’ve done. They are just as defenseless and helpless as you. Would you have come to their aid if your positions were reversed? You would like to think so, but just because it gives you a false sense of moral superiority. Deep down you know the truth. Deep down you know you would hide too, praying that you would be spared.

As you dig into your bowl of soup, you realize how hungry you are. Even though everything tastes like ash in your mouth, your stomach is glad to have something to clench around when your thoughts stray to this morning’s events again. And you know there’s no need to punish yourself by refusing your body the nourishment it needs. The opposite, in fact – you know you’ll need all the strength you can get if you’re really going after them.

As you swallow one ashy bite after the other, you let your eyes wander around the room, looking for something that will distract you from your thoughts and your feelings of guilt. Everyone avoids your gaze; everyone acts as if your corner is empty. Everyone … except one stranger.

He sits in a booth close to the bar, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze on you. Or at least you think he’s looking at you – he’s wearing a helmet that covers his entire head, the kind you’ve seen twice before in this corner of the galaxy. He’s a Mandalorian, a bounty hunter, and his presence here doesn’t really surprise you. Even though actually seeing one is a rare occurrence, stories about them are countless.

Alvorine is a planet without laws, a planet that lives by its own rules, so many criminals decide to hide out here while they wait for their crimes to be forgotten. There is no military presence on the planet, no judicial system, no one to catch and punish the wrongdoers. The planet follows the rules of whoever is in charge, which changes frequently, but none of the powerful people have enough resources to enforce those rules anyway. Disputes are often just settled by the parties involved in whatever way they see fit. Only the Mandalorians, who are hired by people on other worlds, by people who have never experienced what it is like to live on Alovrine, are brave enough to get involved in those disputes. You have to admit you do feel a tiny bit curious as to why that particular Mandalorian is here ... who hired him? And who is he hunting?

You tentatively let your gaze wander over his stoic body, over the beskar covering his arms and chest, over the bandolier wrapped around his upper body, over the visor hiding his eyes. If you had one like him on your side, you wouldn’t need to worry about getting your revenge. He would catch those men in the blink of an eye. And if you paid him enough, he would do to them whatever you wanted.

He would cut off their limbs but keep them alive long enough to feel it.

He would make them run for it, give them the illusion of hope, only to crush it like their bones.

He would let you watch, let you choose whatever punishment you saw fit.

You shift in your seat because you can almost smell the blood, you can hear a faint echo of their screams, and it makes you feel light-headed and nauseous, but also elevates you, lifts a weight off your shoulders, even if just for a brief moment.

But he’s not here to do your bidding. And when you lift your head again, he’s gone.

You finish your bowl of soup and then decide to rent a room upstairs for the night. You don’t have a place to stay anymore and it’s too dangerous to start your pursuit while it’s dark. The forest belongs to dangerous creatures during the night, more dangerous than any man out there. And you’re planning on staying alive for just a little while longer.

You stretch and yawn and move to get up when your path is suddenly blocked. It happens so fast you don’t register anything at first apart from the cold, hard beskar chest plate that is level with your face. Its unexpected appearance makes you lose your balance and you fall back down onto the bench you’ve been sitting on. The Mandalorian extends his hand, his fingers closing around thin air. It’s a half-hearted attempt to stop your fall, and it comes too late – your backside has already painfully collided with the hard wood.

“May I join you?” His voice sounds distorted through the modulator in his helmet. He sounds like a machine, not like a being with a heartbeat.

You want to tell him no, want to tell him to fuck off, but for tonight you have no fight left in you. So you nod.

He sits down and you expect to hear the clink of his armor, expect to feel a tremor when his heavy body comes to rest on a stool opposite you. But there is no sound, no movement, and the lack makes you sit up straighter. This isn’t just another cowardly villager you can get rid of by glaring at him … this is an apex predator.

You swallow with some difficulty. “Can I help you?” you ask, your voice level, your eyes resting on his glove-clad hands lying on the table. You figure you’re safe as long as you can see them.

At first, he doesn’t say anything. He just looks at you. Or at least you think he’s looking at you. You cannot see his eyes behind the tinted visor. No matter how uncomfortable the situation makes you feel, you try not to move … you try not to show any sign of weakness, to give him any excuse to lunge across the table and strangle you.

Finally, he answers. “I’m looking for work.”

Now you cannot help but move. You exhale sharply, and with that release of breath comes a release of tension as you slump backwards, your back hitting the wall behind you. You cross your arms over your chest. “I can’t help you,” you say. You don’t have any work to offer him, no work worthy of the skills of a Mandalorian who usually hunts down important people, kings, merchants, people who influence the course of the galaxy’s history. Following a few lowly bandits is not the work he’s used to. You don’t even want to tell him about it because you know he’d take it as an insult. And even if - by some miracle - your quest for revenge would be deemed a worthy cause in the eyes of the Mandalorian, you couldn’t afford his services.

The slightest movement of his helmet is the only reaction your answer gets out of him. Whether he shifts because he’s surprised or because he’s angry, or whether his scalp itches under the metal you cannot tell.

Still, you feel the need to explain yourself. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any money.”

Shit, that’s the wrong thing to say. It implies you have work for him, but that you’re too poor to pay him. For all you know, this could be a grave insult in Mandalorian society.

His fingers on the table clench around thin air again. “What can you offer?” he asks.

He doesn’t want to know about the job, the quarry as you know they call it. No, he just wants to know how much he can earn.

“240 credits,” you answer. It’s all you have. You won’t need it anymore.

He tilts his head and you expect him to refuse, but then he says, “That’s enough.”

You’re taken aback, surprised. He’s caught you off-guard. You were fully prepared to see him walk away at hearing the ridiculously low amount of money you just offered. “You don’t even know what the job is,” you protest. The last thing you need is a Mandalorian hunting you down because you’re not paying him enough.

“They told me,” he says with a nod behind him.

You follow the movement with your eyes and see heads whip to the side, gazes wandering downwards, you notice conversations being picked up again. White hot fury fills you, more powerful than the flames that destroyed your house.

“They had no right,” you press out through clenched teeth.

The Mandalorian doesn’t say anything. He sits still like a statue, unwavering, as you fight a small battle with yourself. You should leave without looking back. Messing with a Mandalorian is even more dangerous than the task ahead of you. But he’s offering you something invaluable, something no amount of credits can get you: a chance. If you go alone, you’ll be dead in about a week. There’s no use pretending you’ll get out of it alive. But if you accept the Mandalorian’s help – his services, you have to remind yourself – you might make it through two. You might get to see your dreams of revenge become reality.

You sigh deeply as a heavy weariness settles over you. You’re exhausted, and now that all the adrenaline has left your body, you can feel all the small cuts and bruises today’s labors have left behind. And you feel empty … cold and empty, and utterly alone.

The Mandalorian still doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t defend the villagers, he doesn’t tell you what he knows about you or the job, he doesn’t try to persuade you to take him up on his offer, nor does he walk away from it. He just sits there and waits for you to make up your mind, as if it’s all the same to him. And it probably is. Either he goes with you and earns some money, or he doesn’t and looks for work elsewhere. He is completely detached from the whole affair. There is no emotional investment, just a job that needs to be done.

He doesn’t care if you live or die, he just cares if you pay him or not.

This realization is what finally helps you make up your mind. “I want to hire you,” you say, your tongue heavy in your mouth. All you really want is to sleep.

There is no reaction for the longest time but then the Mandalorian nods. You’re not sure if you’re supposed to say something, give him details or explain the specifics of the job to him. But before you can decide what to say next, he stands abruptly.

“I’ll be back in a few days,” he says before turning around.

Your brain needs a moment to catch up but when it does, you’re already on your feet. “Wait,” you say, and to your surprise the broad, steel-clad man listens to you.

He doesn’t face you, but he stops.

You briefly consider asking him if you can accompany him, but you don’t. You don’t have to ask, you get to decide.

“I’m coming with you,” you tell him.

You tell a stranger, a dangerous one at that, one who makes his money by making other people’s lives a living hell, that you will travel with him through dark, deserted forests where no one will stop him from taking what he wants from you instead of earning it, where no one will come to your aid should he not honor the deal you apparently just made with him. And you don’t care. Because no matter what he will do to you, it can’t be worse than what has already been done.

But all your worries and fears focus in on just one tiny aspect of this whole, fucked-up situation when he says, “I work alone.”

You don’t want to negotiate. This shouldn’t even be up for debate. You’re his employer now, you get to decide how things are done. But if you insist on this, he could just walk away from you. And you cannot let that happen now that you’ve had an idea of what it would be like to have a Mandalorian on your side.

“We’re not a team,” you say. “Think of me as an interested party. As someone who is fascinated by your work.”

You’re not sure if that is the right thing to say. His shoulders move, but he still doesn’t turn around. When he speaks again, you know it was the wrong thing to say.

“I work alone or not at all.”

You don’t want to accept that. You want to be there when those men are punished for what they did. You don’t want to wait around for the Mandalorian to come back, not when you don’t have anywhere to wait around in. You’ve lost everything. Had he talked to the villagers as he claims, he would know this. Or maybe he does. Maybe he knows you lost your home today but doesn’t care. He doesn’t even know the definition of the word home. It means nothing to him.

You take a deep breath. “Then I won’t be needing your services.”

This finally makes him turn around. Everything in you screams for you to take a few steps back, to put yourself out of his reach. You can feel the atmosphere between you shift – he draws back his shoulders, makes himself even taller than he already is. And you know, you just know, that refusing his offer, that backtracking on your agreement is the worst mistake you made tonight.

You’re pretty sure that not honoring a deal is the worst insult to a Mandalorian.

“Going alone will be your death,” he says when you cannot bear the tension a second longer.

“What’s it to you?”

The words are out. They are a challenge, one you didn’t mean to make, one you shouldn’t have made, but it’s done now. Your hand begins to tremble, and your feet grow cold with fear as you prepare yourself for his reaction. You don’t know if he will hit you, tie you up, torture you, or just kill you on the spot. He could do all of these things without having to fear any repercussions. You curse yourself for not having been more careful, for making this fatal mistake, because now Brea will go unavenged. Just because you couldn’t keep your damn mouth shut, just because you’re stubborn and hot-headed and oh so stupid.

But to your surprise, the Mandalorian shrugs. He lifts his broad shoulders, then lowers them again as your eyes follow the movement. But he’s not giving you anything more: He doesn’t insist on going alone, he doesn’t turn around and leave, he just keeps standing opposite you, motionless, emotionless, until you’re convinced you imagined the shrug.

So you decide to make the next move by removing yourself from this situation before he changes his mind and drags you back to his ship to do whatever he wants to you. You take a deep breath and start to step around him, a movement that is almost impossible to complete in this small space you’re both in. But you attempt it, nevertheless. When you’re level with him, doing your best not to brush up against him so you won’t enrage him, you hear his voice. It’s just one sentence, four words, but for some reason it sounds so much more human than it did when he was opposite you. Maybe it has something to do with the distance between his helmet and your ear, maybe it’s the angle from which the sounds hit your eardrums or maybe it’s because you feel light-headed, dizzy with the realization he hasn’t killed you yet and probably won’t.

He says, “Have it your way.”

You stop right next to him, staring ahead at a group of three men who do their best not to look at you. But you don’t see them anyway. In fact, you don’t see anything at all because the rushing sound in your ears drowns out everything else, even other senses.

“You can come with me,” he says, and it’s the first time he has spoken two sentences in a row. “But you do as I say.” Three. “If I tell you to run, you run.” Four. “If I tell you to get out of the way, you do so.” Five. “And if I tell you to kill, you kill.” Six.

Then nothing, just the faint sound of his deep breaths through the modulator.

Your thoughts are racing, tripping over their own feet like children running down a hill, and they’re unbearably loud. Everything is loud suddenly, from the sound of the barkeep filling a glass to the way that woman over there is chewing her food. The only thing that’s quiet is the last one you would have suspected to be so: the Mandalorian. Now he is waiting for you to say something and as he does, he balls his hand into a fist and then releases the tension again, over and over like a nervous tic, like he needs an outlet for the tension in his body, the tension you have no idea he is feeling until you see his arm flex beneath the fabric covering it.

But, once more, you’re at war with yourself. You don’t know what to tell him. There is still that shimmer of hope on the horizon, the light that makes you believe you stand a chance if you bring him along. But his terms … you’re not sure if you can accept them. He doesn’t know Alvorine or the men you would be hunting half as well as you do. And you’ve never been one for following orders. So if you feel that his assessment of a situation is wrong, you’re not sure you’ll be able to run just because he tells you to.

You have a feeling that defying his orders would be the most dangerous thing you could ever do, even more dangerous than hunting down a group of ruthless bandits who like to torture and kill for fun.

“All right,” you say finally.

His fist unclenches one last time and he exhales slowly.

“But when we find them,” you swallow hard, once, but your mouth is completely dry, “I get to decide what happens to them.”

The Mandalorian turns toward you so abruptly that you almost lose your balance. You lean back and hit your elbow on the wall behind you. The pain makes you curse under your breath.

“Agreed,” he whispers. He sounds like a machine again, as if everything that makes him human is shut away beneath that cold, hard, invaluable beskar steel. You too feel cold suddenly, cold and afraid. “But until then you do as I say. Understood?”

You nod, not trusting your voice. He is too close to you, and drowns out everything else, even the sounds that you considered to be too loud mere seconds ago. If he wouldn’t be wearing a helmet, you would be able to feel his breath on your cheek. He takes up your field of vision almost entirely. You’ve never felt more on display, and yet more hidden. And you know that if you say the wrong thing now, it will have terrible consequences.

So you just nod again.

“We leave in the morning,” he tells you, then turns around suddenly and leaves, his cape trailing behind him.

All sounds come rushing back at once, as if you’ve just emerged out of a pool of water. You release your breath quickly, only now realizing you’ve been holding it. Then you slump back against the wall, a shaking, quivering mess.

***

tag list: @bella-ciao​, @filthybookworm​, @frannyzooey​, @khalysa​, @leannawithacapitala​, @mothandpidgeon​, @mrsparknuts​, @mxsamwilson​, @piscespussybabe​, @something-tofightfor​

[nukacoola]

Companions react to Nick Valentine in a gen 3 body

Ada: 

Ada would not really understand why Nick Valentine would want to get a more human body. She supposed his circumstances were different than hers but she had never wished to be human and her robot-ness never affected her quality of life. She couldn’t deny that the look suited him though. 

Cait:

“Well ain’t you a sight for sore eyes, Nicky!” Cait likes Nick but is a bit creeped out by synths so she’d find this version of him a lot more pleasurable to look at and be around. She’d probably make some jokes about him being ‘a real boy’ now but not much would change as she didn’t spend an excessive amount of time with Nick before either.

Codsworth:

“Why Mr.Valentine I must say you look stupendous! A very fine look for a very fine gentleman.” Codsworth is quite content with his robot body but he thinks Nick is much better suited to this new one. He’s one of the few who remember the old Nick Valentine and the resemblance of him and this new synth body is actually pretty close. He sees it as the perfect fit for Nick the synth as it’s similar to his old body while being different enough to give him a unique sense of self. He was a bit worried about Nick’s and Sole’s adventures now though as he knows Valentine often finds trouble where he’s not looking and human bodies are a lot more delicate than a generation two synth one is. He’d be sure to give the detective a good talking to about safe and responsible adventuring before the two headed off anywhere.

Curie:

“Oh mon Dieu monsieur Valentine, you look amazing! Zis body suits you!” Curie would be very happy that the procedure she had discovered with Sole was able to help so many more people. Not only does she find the mechanics behind it fascinating, she loved to be able to hug her dear friend without worrying about his hand getting caught in her hair. She really liked seeing how glad Nick seemed to be with the transition too. He seemed very happy to have a new sense of self which in turn made Curie happy. 

Danse:

Before Blind Betrayal:

Danse is not ok with this. At least before he was able to tell right away that Nick Valentine was a threat but now he just looked human as anyone else. It was very disturbing to him that a synth could so easily hide in plain sight and look like a real human. Of course he already knew about this problem before but Valentine’s transformation reminded him how easy it was for synths to fit into normal life in the worst way possible. He would be staying further away from the detective now more than ever. Valentine already creeped him out anyways. 

After Blind Betrayal:

Danse is not ok with this. Even after the truth about himself was revealed he still hated the Institute and was freaked out by synths if not outright hateful towards them. Nick’s transformation reminded him how he was just as real as Danse. They were the same. Inhuman, freaks of nature who were built and programmed to do evil. If he had it his way, he’d never look at or talk to Nick again. He felt bad as he knew there was no good reason to fear or hate him but he couldn’t help it. Danse was programmed twice. Once by the Institute and once by the Brotherhood. That second programming would never allow him to feel comfortable around the robot who is now just as “human” as him. Maybe as he works with Sole more to accept himself and his humanity things will change but for now he’d stay away from Valentine.  

Deacon:

“Looking good Nicky! Not that you weren’t the most handsome guy I knew beforehand too!” Deacon wouldn’t be too surprised at Nick’s transformation as he would’ve known about it long before it happened. Working as the main info gatherer for the Railroad meant that he knew all the happenings of the Memory Den. It was really rough whenever a synth’s mind was destroyed by a memory wipe but ever since Sole had realized you can transfer a robot’s consciousness to an empty synth there was always a nice little silver lining of helping someone else gain humanity from someone’s loss. First Curie, then Edna and now Nick. It was a chance at a real life for those who couldn’t fully experience it before. The body definitely suited him. Real hardboiled looking guy with mousy brown hair and a five o’clock shadow. Deacon might make some jokes related to the changed man and might fall in love with him a little bit more but overall things would stay the same between the two. 

Dogmeat:

Dogmeat wouldn’t really be able to tell that the new man was the old man so it would be a rush of emotions at losing one friend and gaining a new one. He would like getting belly rubs from a softer hand though!

Gage:

Gage didn’t really give a shit either way. He thought it was weird that a machine wanted to be human but he never spent time with Valentine so he didn’t need to think about it too much. 

Hancock:

“Nick! You look amazing! Hard to believe you were just an ugly bucket of bolts before.” Hancock would love the new look and be very happy that Nick is happy but he would be a bit disappointed that he’d have to get new joke material. He’s always seen Nick as a sort of father figure and this new human form will only enhance those feelings.

Longfellow:

Longfellow has no thoughts on the matter. He tries to just keep to himself and stay out of all that synth business.

MacCready:

“Damn Valentine! Guess this means you won’t be needing that WD-40 I got for you, huh?” MacCready, like Cait, is a bit weirded out by all the synth stuff but he likes and trusts Nick so he’s happy for the upgrade. It will definitely make him feel more comfortable being around him. He’d probably hang out with him and Sole/him and Hancock more often now.

Piper:

“Holy crap Nick is that you?! You look great!” Piper would be amazed at the extreme change. She’d also be very worried though that Nick would might face more discrimination in Diamond City now given the citizens are more scared of gen 3 replacement than anything else. She’d probably try to post more articles focusing on the Institute being the enemy rather than the synths and she’d stop fear mongering so much about replacement given the worries about her friend’s new look.

Preston: “Good for you, Nick. The new look suits you!” Preston, of course, would be very accepting of the new Nick and would be glad that Nick is happy with his new self. He would also probably recommend a lot more potential clients to him now that he wouldn’t scare off the average wastelander. People who had problems the Minutemen couldn’t fix would be sent to the new and improved Valentine.

Strong:

Metal man now meat man??? Strong is confused!!! Metal can not be meat!!

X6:

X6 would be very concerned about the loss of an escaped synth and he would question Valentine on how he got access to the body and how he transferred his consciousness into it. He would report the whole situation to the SRB unless a Sole with a very good relationship with him convinced him not to. He might also be able to be convinced that this body upgrade is better due to the future of the Institute sometimes traveling alone with Nick. A better body can provide better protection right? Either way he’d be a bit anxious about the situation as all of his train is telling him to bring the gen 3 back to the SRB.

Sorry some of these are kinda short I didn’t know what to write!