#even without quintessence

[discordiansamba]

Personally I think magical and non-magical Alteans have roughly the same lifespan, they just handle aging very differently. In that I think Coran and King Alfor are roughly the same age, but one reads as older than the other.

[kismetconstellations]

In the spirit of Halloween, have some of my favorite EVIL faces that "Kuron" pulls during his fight with Keith in The Black Paladins.

[wegc]

PERV!BANG CHAN HEADCANONS

PAIRING: BANG CHAN X FEMALE READER

WARNINGS: nsfw (mdni), perversion, corruption kink, breeding kink, possessiveness, masturbation, cum tributing, watching, suggestions of blowjobs, dubcon (?), best friends brother!chan, swearing

PERV!CHAN who’s best friends with your brother and beats himself up at night, cursing at whatever entity for tempting him to think about you—his best friend's sister—who’s explicitly off limits.

PERV!CHAN who’s so endearingly shy and giggly around you, continually protecting you when your brother isn't around, hiding his lewd thoughts behind his kind exterior.

PERV!CHAN who refuses to look you in the eye the first time he jerked off to the thought of you stuffed full of his cock.

PERV!CHAN who tells your brother he’s going to the washroom and takes his sweet time walking there, not before peeking through your slightly open bedroom door—discovering you lying on your stomach innocently—and palming his growing cock at the sight of your tight cotton shorts that annoyingly accentuated the curve of your ass and the shape of your puffy cunt. Were you even wearing underwear?

PERV!CHAN who could never act upon his desires—who forbids himself from getting too close at the risk of hurting or corrupting you. You’re not for him—you’re delicate and the quintessence of purity—and it would be a sin, he would positively go to hell if his hand even grazed you the wrong way. Every touch meant something more to him.

PERV!CHAN who feels his self-control crumbling when you stroll out of the shower towel-clad, the soft white fabric daring to slip from your body, which was glistening enticingly with droplets of water from your previous activities. He’s fucked. If he tugged on the towel right then and there, he’d see everything, wouldn’t he?

PERV!CHAN whose guilt consumes him when he’s incapable of getting off without thinking of you. He’s tried porn—even porn of people that look just like you—but it doesn’t suffice. He needs you. So, begrudgingly, feeling the pit of his stomach swarm with anxiety and cringing in self-disgust, he searches your name on Instagram, knowing that you’re the only one to relieve him of his need.

PERV!CHAN who feels his mind go numb as he strokes his leaking cock to photos of you beaming, looking simply tantalizing in your tiny skirt—his favourite skirt. He wants to take his time masturbating to you, but how can he resist when his mind is corrupted with depraved thoughts of bending you in unthinkable positions, hearing your begs and whines for him to go harder; for him to claim you; for him to breed your tight little cunt until his cum oozes out of your abused hole. You’d have the greediest cunt, wouldn’t you? You’d take him so well, he knows you would. You’d be so good for him. His good little girl.

PERV!CHAN who feels his mind break and his cheeks flush every time you teasingly touch him, your soft hands squeezing and groping his tense forearms and muscles, your alluring voice purring hushed praises in his ears—phrases that sound way more suggestive than you possibly imply, right? You’re so big, Chan. God—you’re so strong. I’m so weak compared to you. You could ruin me, Channie.

PERV!CHAN who curses to himself and looks away, clenching his jaw and inhaling sharply every time you look up at him with puppy-dog eyes. He feels himself grow insane at the sight of your furrowed eyebrows and the pretty little pout fixed on your lips. Would your face scrunch up like this if he stretched you out with his cock? He tries his best to ignore the very possible reality that this is what you’d look like on your knees for him. Would your hands paw his thighs? Would you open your mouth, tongue timidly peeking out for a taste of his cum? What would your face look like stained and tainted with his seed? Would you like it? Would you smile up at him? Would you beg for more? God, he’d give it to you.

PERV!CHAN who lends you his hoodie when you accompany him and your brother on a late-night beach trip, gulping as he takes in the sight of his clothes swallowing you whole, the cute buds of your breasts poking through the thick fabric.

PERV!CHAN whose cock aches at the delicious smell of your body and the sweet, floral scent of your perfume after his hoodie is returned to him the next day. He refuses to wash it, wanting to preserve the scent for as long as he possibly can. Because when he closes his eyes and presses his nose in the soft black fabric, all while jerking off his dripping cock in fast, hastened strokes, it feels like you’re right there; it’s the closest thing he has to real life.

PERV!CHAN who becomes irritable when the scent on his hoodie fades away, and against his better judgement, walks into your family washroom only to immediately open the bottom cabinet in pursuit of your laundry basket, where he steals a pair of your dirty panties. Of course, he jerked one out in the washroom, knowing all too well you were a room away. It makes it better—helps him cum faster. What if you walked in? What if you saw the way he smelled your musk before pushing the fabric in his mouth, letting out muffled groans at the sheer taste of you? God, he’s disgusting. Did you cum in these while touching yourself? Maybe you dry-humped against your pillow. Who were you thinking of? Fuck—he hopes it’s him.

PERV!CHAN who prints a photograph of you one day—a full body shot of you smiling toward the camera, your white sundress short enough to reveal the plush flesh of your thighs—his favourite photo. He’s especially desperate now after tasting you. He’s careful with the panties and only uses them for special occasions—what if he wants a taste again? He’d wrap the panties around his sore, chubby cock, stroking himself furiously to the picture, seizing the opportunity to slap his dick against the photo of you. It’s a laminate photo and laminate for one sole purpose. All too quickly, he cums in thick, white spurts, landing on the photo of your face and thighs—all over you. Snapping a quick photo, he jerks himself off again, and again, and again, until it’s thoroughly covered in his warm seed. He would do it a million times in real life if you’d just asked. Once he’s done, he wipes the photo clean with tissue paper and carefully places it at the bottom of his drawer for later use.

PERV!CHAN who heads to your washroom to jerk off to another pair of your panties at four o'clock in the morning during a sleepover with your brother, where thoughts of you sleeping soundly a room away plague and tempt him beyond belief. Instead of stealing this pair, he puts it back in your laundry basket, soiled and contaminated with his cum. You’ll just wash it, and he’ll have to live forever with the remorse of you wearing underwear that unbeknownst to you, Chan violated. It isn’t until weeks later when your brother hosts a pool party, that Chan chokes on his drink at the sight of you wearing the same panties he came in. It was part of a swimsuit—you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Feeling his bulge grow in his swim trunks, he gulps down his drink and races to the washroom to relieve himself. He can’t last like this. You have no fucking idea. No fucking idea that your brother's best friend—the second guy you wholeheartedly trusted after your brother, the first guy who swore to protect you if your brother weren’t around—came all over the fabric pressed right against your sweet, untouched cunt.

ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ ꩜⋆ hi, my name is iris hehe, can you tell i’m obsessed with channie’s guilt complex. he’s the sanest perv! anyways, if you liked this, check out my other work, i have more coming! i write for stray kids only and am a mostly nsfw blog. if you plan on following me, please note that my blog is 18+. i hope you guys like this ! feel free to give feedback and reveal your thoughts in my inbox <3

[arijackz]

PICK A CARD: What Element Do You Embody?

⍎ "The force that unites the elements to become all things is Love, also called Aphrodite; Love brings together dissimilar elements into a unity, to become a composite thing. Love is the same force that human beings find at work in themselves whenever they feel joy, love and peace. Strife, on the other hand, is the force responsible for the dissolution of the one back into its many, the four elements of which it was composed." - Empedocles

Disclaimer: This is a general reading, take what resonates. This is a gender-neutral reading, change any pronouns to apply to you. Also, these elements don't have to correspond with your birth chart.

p1 → p2 ↙︎ p3 → p4

⌾ Pile One ⌾ (4oC rev., 10oS, High Priestess, 6oP)

Your soul’s energetic thumbprint is GODLY. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself, your element is AETHER.

I get the sense that you’ve been sort of incognito for a large chunk of your life. You felt more comfortable being an observer and watching the world unfold before you.

Not out of fear, you’re just naturally curious in a spectating sense rather than interactive. You hear what’s left unsaid, feel people’s suppressed/underlying emotions, and see what others are blind to. The high priestess is all-knowing but keeps the universal truth to herself because she knows not everyone is meant to see what she sees.

You hold a lot of unknown truths, but truths often become burdens. You carry other people’s pain because you know they can’t handle it, often thanklessly. You throw yourself in front of the bus before the other person even realizes there's a threat coming at all. 

The weight you carry on your back would crush the average person. Deny it all you want, but in the cosmic book of life, you’re a modern-day hero in a way.  

It’s like when the older sibling sacrifices themselves to protect their kid siblings from the horrors they’ve had to endure in their family environment. They know they’re the only barrier between the monsters and their loved ones, often sacrificing opportunities and peace of mind to be that protection.

It doesn't have to be this case scenario, but if the situation resonates with you, I see you. The universe sees you. Your valiance and selfless nature deserve songs and praises, never belittle your efforts. 

Okay back to aether, y’all know I love to yap. 

I am heavily getting this silent heroine presence because aether is the antithesis of fire, water, earth, and air. It’s cold because it does not have fire’s warmth, weightless because it is not heavy like earth or water, and immobile because it does not have air’s fluidity. Sounds bad, but it’s fucking AWESOME.

The aether element allows for the other element’s existence. It has no boundaries and fills every corner of life, it is Godly and omnipresent. The word αἰθήρ (aithḗr) in Homeric Greek means "pure, fresh air" or "clear sky".[3] In Greek mythology, it was thought to be the pure essence that the gods breathed, filling the space where they lived, analogous to the air breathed by mortals. 

Aether is essentially empty space that allows for life to be. The movement of our bodies takes place in these empty spaces. I.e. the hollowness of our lungs allows breath, space in the throat causes speech, the heart needs space to contract and pump blood, and so forth. Life could not exist without this empty space.

Since the aether element is subtle yet all-pervading, it is the most spiritual element and is considered a bridge between the earthly realm and the divine. 

Quintessence is also a term that is quite often used for ether as it denotes the “heavenly bodies” present in the universe such as the stars and galaxies.

(A CROW HAS A MESSAGE FOR YOU, GO OUTSIDE)

You have this quiet, subtle, but Godly presence about you just like the aether element. 

Circling back to the silent heroine archetype, to sum up my rambling, aether is out of human perception (like your silent, observant nature) but is the backbone of existence (the power in that very nature).

You’re a bit of an oxymoron. You notice everything, and that forces you to be a bit apathetic because constantly being in fight or flight isn’t good for the body. But on the other hand, you’re extremely empathetic because you understand the world’s suffering more acutely than anyone else. You’re a quiet presence and try not to interfere with other people’s lives but you’re simultaneously the very barrier that stops some people’s lives from crumbling. 

The aether element 🤝 you. TWINNEM

Sidenote: Shoutout to my Shatabhisha natives yet again! Also, if you find this element interesting and want to know more about this dominating energy in your life, I hyperlinked two websites for you that are worth reading. 

And go outside! My window is open and this single crow is SCREAMiNG at me.

Also, you’re smart enough, aim for that challenging degree. 

Okay! MUAH!

Beyond The Breath of Mere Mortals

⌾ Pile Two ⌾ (Ace of Cups, 8oP, Page of Swords)

^^^ You fr

RISE UP MY LIL TSUNAMIS!!!  aka my WATER elements

You’ve definitely been called overly emotional as an insult. Well fuck that person, they wish they had your appeal.

Do you know how crazy you drive people? I imagine you as the person in a movie who the depressed main character meets once at a party, ditches the crowd, goes on an adventure with, and as the sun rises, they look over at you and realize life is worth living. 

Even if you don’t identify as female, you have a strong effeminate allure. Not in a traditional “pink” sense, but in a receptive manner. You stand there and look pretty while the world crawls to you. Adventures seem to rush toward you. 

Your energy colors life; water gives the Earth foliage and growth. Without water, everything in existence is dry, stiff, and lacks the nourishment to evolve.

People feel alive around you, imagine those moss patches that start dry and grey but once they touch water, they get bright green and abundant. 

You color those dry patches in people’s lives. However, many people aren’t used to this intense water dominance. It unbalances them and feels irrational.

Society grooms people to suppress their emotions, so those who embrace their feelings and work to understand them appear juvenile and possibly even threatening. 

The word sensitive or emotional is almost a slur in today's society 😭

But your sensitivity is your power and serves you a great deal of intelligence. Especially with people! This is a very fiery, intense energy. Y’all are my Scorpio/8th house knockouts (check your sidereal chart as well).  

You have a very penetrative presence, you are felt before you are seen, but you will never go unnoticed. You’re a bit obsessive, you want to know everything about everyone.

Favorite color? Childhood horrors? Most shame-ridden secret? Their first celebrity crush? That embarrassing moment in middle school they’d rather die than bring up? The opinion that would get them jumped on twitter.com?

And you’re good at getting these answers out of people. Two minutes with you and people start word-vomiting their entire consciousness onto you. That magnetizes people and in turn, makes them obsessed with you. 

Your energy is very alluring, in the same way, the gentle sway of the ocean lures people in. They are slightly in fear of the emotional hold you have over them. The ocean might soothe or drown them. In the same way, the ocean seduces, your aura has an unpredictable grasp on people. 

I feel like this strong emotional energy took a while to tame, it used to unbalance you. Life had major emotional ups and downs with long days of you feeling like you’re being submerged under water. But just like any skill, you honed it and achieved mental clarity, to wield your emotions to your benefit. 

The water element sends you through hell for you to achieve liberation. Once you fight your biggest demon (yourself and all the torment the mind can conjure), you come out the other side knowing that the worst isn’t strong enough to take you down and nothing will. 

The waves that once drowned you are turning into a weaponized tsunami you command. You have the power to nourish and destroy. 

If you’re not quite there, you’re well on your way. Keep doing what you’re doing, sexy. 

Resist Me If You Can

⌾ Pile Three ⌾ (2oP, 3oC, 8oP)

Welcome my manifesters! We’re talking ‘bout the EARTH element baby!

This is the earthiest earther I know, and Pile 3 get down! Pile 3 dont play!

You work so hard, it’s borderline masochistic 😭

It doesn’t have to be work in a traditional- go to your job and get noticed by the boss- sense, this extends to every corner of life. You’re objective-oriented and do not stray from the mark until the box is checked. 

This can be as simple as having a goal to learn how to whistle by next Sunday. You’ve already marked time out of the week for ten minutes a day to practice, found YouTube instructors, bought chapstick so your lips don’t dry out, and it’s all you can think about until you get that high of accomplishing something.  

Earth is the manifesting element because it's where our thoughts accumulate enough energy to materialize. It's quite a powerful position to be in. One day it's just a dream, and by the next it's reality. 

Well, that's an exaggeration, the earth element is quite slooowwww due to its weight.

It’s the heaviest element because it’s the most long-lasting. Water evaporates, air swiftly changes, and fire burns; only Earth will remain. Anything worthwhile takes time, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I think you understand this, but you don’t always have the patience for your desires to materialize. If you feel like you aren’t actively making progress on your goal, you tend to juggle multiple projects just to get that rush of achievement we were talking about earlier. 

I’m making an addiction reference because it applies here. This incessant need to reach every goal as soon as you think you should is causing you to over-extend yourself and the stress on the body is throwing you into disharmony. 

Not everyone gets their license at 16. Not everyone moves out of their family’s home at 18. Not everyone has a job straight out of college. Not everyone has their life all figured out…ever. 

Balance is needed. You’re too hyper-focused on deadlines and seeing results, that you’re putting your overall wellbeing on the line. YOU are your most prized possession and need to care for yourself like you’re the shiniest medal on your mantel. 

The “Gullible” card came out, don’t worry, you’re not naive in a trusting way (not that you should be blamed for putting your trust in people anyway). I see it as your goals aren’t rooted in your true self enough and are too influenced by others. 

(Extreme example): You see someone (who has probably been practicing their whole life) play the violin really well at a young age. Now, you’ve made a goal to be as good as them in just a few years; every time you feel like you’re lagging on that deadline, you start berating yourself and feel inferior because you haven’t reached this unrealistic standard you’ve set.

Is this goal a good use of your finite energy? Is this objective authentic to you? Or is this just something that will give you a temporary ego stroke?

I think life is forcing out into a hanged man moment currently. Your perspective needs to switch inward so you can ground all of this powerful energy into something that will actually satisfy you, not just give you a quick high for a moment and then redirect you to your next conquest. 

You want something that will give you pride and fulfillment at your core and the universe wants to give that to you, but you have to know what will make you happy. What gives you inner harmony?

And I don’t mean what you see makes others “happy”. Not a mansion, fame, the newest fashion trends, expensive skin care, etc. I mean the things that bring you joy beyond the physical. 

Think about what made your younger self jump out of bed every morning to experience. What did your soul shine for, before the world shamed it out of you?

You don’t have to know now, but you must be willing to pause and raise the importance of your health and happiness to the same height as your material/skill gains. I know those things make you feel good, but it's temporary, and if you want to achieve lasting happiness you need to achieve harmony with all aspects of your life. Right now, your inner health needs a leg up to balance the scale.

The earth gets stiff and stops evolving without water. Don’t allow yourself to dry up. Give yourself space to go on an inner journey and rest. The universe understands perfection takes time. The planets took billions of years to form, a tree takes decades to reach maturity, and only humans have deluded themselves into thinking results are instantaneous. 

A week of rest is still progress!

P.S The attractive card FLEW out. Your “do or die” energy, though unhealthy at times, is sexy as fuck and you have this magician-type- nothing is impossible for me- allure to you. Green, red, and black make people want to sneak another peak at you. 

"Wait Instead of Push, Root Instead of Reach"

⌾ Pile Four ⌾ (The devil, 10oS, Ace of pentacles, 7oP)

MUY CALIENTE INDEED!!

They don’t call you a hot lil mama for nothin!

You embody the FIRE element. Although, you are quite earthy. This is my most mixed-element pile. Read pile three for sure.

You’re a very proactive person. You have earth’s manifesting qualities and fire’s initiative. You seize opportunities and start goals without hesitation. Very very attractive.

This reading doesn’t have to correlate with your birth chart, but all love to my Sagittarius and Aries folk. Of course, sending a special kiss to the Leos.

You have the same obsessive, hyper-focused tendencies as pile three but I feel like instead of a brief moment of accomplishment, you’re craving glory and the freedom to shine as brightly as you desire. 

In your formative years, you’ve had to dim your light for survival and to escape ridicule. You’ve had to fit into a mold that is much smaller than your true form, stifling your potential. This energy feels very suffocating. Picture a boiling fire covered with a lid. It’s like a false skin has trapped you and cut off your oxygen.

But don’t worry, ever heard of cleansing by fire? The fire element is about purity and rebirth. It burns impurities to get matter back to its rawest, unadulterated form. You will burn that false skin off, to reveal a phoenix underneath, it's all a part of your evolution. 

Fire ignites instantaneously but can burn out just as quickly. You suffer from exhaustion a lot of the time. This is where the earth energy meets the fire. You have a longer refractory period than usual fire personalities because of the heaviness of the earth element. 

You’re like an engine sitting outside in the winter. Give it twenty minutes to warm up and get its groove but once it does, OOHHH BOOYYY, WE’RE ROLLIN’!

You have earth’s slowness and need for perfection, so you take longer to complete tasks and may even be a late bloomer.

I feel like you crave the spotlight, not necessarily fame, but recognition on some scale. You have always subconsciously known that your flame was being smothered and that you had not seen that full extent of you.  Your subconscious brought this to your attention with desires to be seen.

Some of you want to be recognized for your talents, beloved for your beauty, admired for your wit, favored for your charm, hell all of the above!

And you deserve it! You desire these things because your soul is trying to tell you something. You are meant to be seen.

I sense a lot of fear in this pile. Fire energy is very headstrong and likes to race to the finish line (the hare). Earth energy is contemplative and likes to play the long game (the tortoise). The two conflicting energies can create some paralyzing doubt in your psyche. One side thinks the other is irrational.

Do I stay or do I go? Can I even trust myself to make a decision I might regret?

Yes, you can! You have to, there is one thing that fire and earth can agree on, it's their shared annoyance with stagnation. Go for it babe, you miss all the shots you don’t make, all choices lead forward (which is where you need to go).

I’m telling you, anything you want you will get, just don’t be afraid to burn that false skin off. 

Find a median for the two energies. Dream big and have the self-assurance to go for it, but methodically plan out all your adventures so that earthy need for a stable foundation is satisfied. 

A vision board with ideas of ways to achieve these dreams will help pull your thoughts into the physical and be a great step to giving you the confidence to move forward.

Because I promise you, once you get going, there will be no stopping you.

Note: I think “You’re afraid of being seen” videos on YouTube will be great for rewiring your fear-based thinking. Confidence affirmations are a great addition to your day too. Oh, and please read pile three, there are some messages in there for you. 

"Have a Love Affair With The Sun"

If you enjoyed this reading feel free to check out my masterlist and poke around. I feel a lot of these pacs are connected, so go find yourself in other readings!

I don't bite I swear, book a reading with me if you feel inclined <3

[haunted-girlyy]

Rain is a species of water ghoul that lives so deep in the sea where no light exists. Therefore, his eyes are more or less useless.

Rain was blind.

Well, he wasn't completely blind, but the few, shadowy outlines he could make out through his pale blue eyes were hardly worth mentioning. At least not if sister Imperator had anything to do with it. She had been more than angry when Rain was presented to her after his summoning. What kind of idiot summons a deep sea ghoul, she had asked loudly, but it had been a rhetorical question. Everyone knew that it had been Copia and that it had never been his goal to summon a deep sea ghoul. The eyesight of deep sea ghouls was extremely poor due to the lack of light.

But now Rain was here and luckily for him, Dewdrop had decimated the number of siblings of sin to such an extent during a fit of rage a few days earlier that sister Imperator refrained from sacrificing another sister of sin to summon a new ghoul. For every soul summoned from the pit, it demanded a tribute - another soul in exchange.

In any case, the other ghouls tried to get Rain settled in quickly, walked the stage with him before the concerts so that he could get a rough overview, and showed him the way with small touches.

Nevertheless, he stumbled over a few steps at his first performance, which earned him the name Rain. Quite ironic, since he had never felt a drop of rain on his dark blue skin before.

In the darkness that always enveloped Rain and made him feel isolated from the world around him, Dewdrop was his anchor, his metaphorical ray of light.

During year zero, Dewdrop pressed himself up behind him and used the moment to whisper directions with the exact number of steps in his ear while he put his hand around Rain's throat and squeezed gently. When they played square hammer, Rain often reached out to Dewdrop, stroked his elbow with his slender fingers and then felt further along Dew's waist and back. On the one hand, he used it for orientation, but at the same time Rain also enjoyed feeling the warm body of the fire ghoul under his fingertips.

But the other ghouls also always tried to help Rain.

They were his eyes.

If he was a bit lost on the stage because he didn't know where to go, Swiss would often put an arm around him or pull him into a hug while gently moving him in the right direction. Rain was much more aware of the smallest touches, as if his body was compensating for his blindness by strengthening his other senses.

Cirrus would call him back with a soft chirp when he stepped too close to the edge of the stage and Aether often took his hand.

After the concert, when it was time to say goodbye to the raging audience, Rain only had to stretch out a hand and someone would grab it and pull him to the right place.

When Phantom was finally summoned, he spent a lot of time in Rain's bunk questioning him. Later, Phantom would tell his newly acquired knowledge to Swiss, Aether or Cumulus - depending on who was nearby and listening to his chatter. Rain says that it is so dark in the deep sea that you can't see anything there. Not even if you had a flashlight, explained Phantom, for example, while Rain lay pressed close to Mountain in the bunk and listened happily. He liked that Phantom never pitied him for his blindness, but said everything that was on the tip of his tongue directly and without a filter.

Of course, Phantom was also very keen to help Rain - regardless of whether Rain really needed the help or not.

For example, Phantom did not let himself be dissuaded from helping Rain change and carefully examining and stroking the water ghoul's bluish skin. A grin appeared on Rain's pretty face every time the quintessence ghoul dropped everything as soon as he noticed Rain getting dressed or undressed. He enjoyed Phantom's overzealousness.

Just as he enjoyed it when Dewdrop lured him into the wrong bunk on the tour bus. It was a game between them when Dewdrop promised Rain that he would take him to his bunk and pulled him behind him towards the beds.

And Rain counted the steps. 20 steps from the stairs to his bunk. And 8 steps further to Dew's bunk. Are you sure this is my bunk, Rain would taunt as he pressed his lips against Dew's jaw. And Dewdrop would reply each time that it was the right bed.

And as soon as Rain's zipper zip, another warm body would squeeze into the bunk. Hi Rainy, it's just me, Phantom would inform him each time, which Rain acknowledged with a slight snort. As if he hadn't already recognized Phantom by his smell, his steps and the way his greedy hands made their way directly under Rain's clothes.

[smoke-and-silver]

The Ghouls + Rut Season

Headcanons of the Ghouls in rut, as requested! This is for the current + recent ghouls. Happy to do previous eras upon request.

General / All characters:

Ghouls get a shiny horn upgrade just before rut: the outer layers shed as the horns grow bigger . You'll see them rubbing against things and polishing their horns a lot during this time as the outer layers flake off to reveal new horn underneath.

The ghouls are feverish and hot their entire cycle as the rut raises their body temperature.

There's a lot of tussling as their hormones have them clacking horns and sparring like deer. Some brawls can look or sound scary to humans, but it's all in good fun to them. They're just roughhousing to show off.

That's just within the pack, though. If someone outside of the ministry makes a move on their desired mate, it can get pretty gnarly.

Ghouls under the cut. Obviously NSFW.

Aether

The most subtle. A bit flushed and clammy but otherwise you wouldn't guess anything had changed.

It's very easy for him to get distracted, though. You give him a quick hug at breakfast and his cereal bowl is abandoned as he follows after you with his tail flicking.

Quintessence ghouls have a hazy scent during rut, like dark amber. Aether is the most fond of scenting. He does it every time you're canoodling in some secluded corner of the cathedral. He's not possessive, but he likes knowing that the other ghouls smell him on you.

He does get more protective. He's territorial of the ministry, marking the outside pillars with his horns to warn other demons away. Some unfamiliar men visit on business, and he chokes back an instinctual growl that starts to rise from his throat when he sees them shaking hands with you.

He doesn't spar much. One, because he's not generally aggressive, and two, because he's very large, and the other ghouls hesitate to challenge him.

It's an evening in the main hall when he finally flexes a bit. The heat in his veins is getting to him as he watches you from across the room, and a petty spat between two other ghouls is getting loud and irritating.

The demons bump your chair roughly in their scuffle and Aether has had enough. He buts in with his horns and growls at them to "knock it off". His voice is about two octaves deeper than usual. The surprised ghouls stumble back, and then slink away sheepishly.

Well, naturally you want to show your gratitude after that very attractive display, and the room is empty now...

Aurora

The MOST likely to brawl. Her claws are already rated E for Everyone and during rut it's amped up to 11. She'll tussle with anyone. Sometimes she'll sneak up to another ghoul and nip at them just to instigate it.

Remember that it's mostly just play to them. Nothing to worry about. She does LOVE to show off for you though, and is usually the one victorious.

If she were seriously fighting someone you would know, as real threats or serious challengers are quickly cowed by one of her deafening lion-like roars.

She's like a furnace during rut. You can feel the warmth coming off her. Her cheeks are constantly ruddy like she's just ran a mile.

Utterly insatiable. Most every night she's at your door tapping and scratching at it with her claws until you let her in. If she's feeling extra romantic she'll come in through the window instead.

[gore/bloody] Girl will straight up present her defeated opponents to you. The ministry has many enemies and she has much less restraint during rut. She has absolutely presented you with a severed head like a cat leaving a dead bird at its owner's feet.

You can't even help with congregation without seeing her in the pews, waiting to pounce the moment the sermon is over. She waves at you cheekily when you meet her eyes.

Don't think she's not tender! She's incredibly sweet with you every time you make love--and she insists on calling it that, "making love".

When you're not getting hot and heavy she's still locking lips with you. You've both been caught and scolded multiple times for making out when you're supposed to be working. She just needs to feel your hands on her during rut and, you're not opposed to all the extra attention.

Cirrus

Not interested in sparring or wrestling with anyone. Brawling doesn't interest her and if someone threatens you or the ministry she's just going for the throat. There's not much "challenge" to it.

Although... if you seem interested when the other ghouls spar, if she feels like it'll impress you or make you happy... well, she'll do it just to see you get all excited and aroused.

She kind of "takes care of" herself at first, not wanting to burden you with her heightened libido. When you assure her that you can handle it though, all bets are off. She pauses for a moment and starts stepping towards you, backing you against the wall right then and there...

She likes to mark you the most out of everyone. You are absolutely littered with hickeys and lovebites. She thinks it's so pretty to see you laid out naked in front of her with all of her marks on you. It's an added bonus if someone else gets to see it peeking out from your clothes, too.

She likes a little more ceremony to her 'mating' than most ghouls in their delirious lusty ruts, often bringing something to present you with before she drags you off for some privacy, even if it's something as simple as a rose.

But some nights, some nights it all reaches a boil--the hormones, the heat, your scent still clinging to her sheets--and she simply goes feral. She crawls into your bed and takes you wildly, no words even forming on her lips, just deep growls and broken, guttural infernal speech.

Cumulus

She doesn't typically initiate brawls but she's quite excited to participate in them and loves it when someone challenges her. They had better be prepared though because she is the most muscular ghoulette and knows how to use it.

She's especially excited to brawl when you're around and it gives her a chance to impress you. She'll stop mid-fight while she has her opponent pinned and gleefully wave to you, hoping that you're enjoying the show.

Yes, she flexes for you. Everything in her system right now is telling her to impress you and she takes any chance to start removing her shirt to show you the guns.

Oh man, this stage equipment is heavy and she's getting sooo hot moving it around!

Oh no, the windows needed a wash and her shirt is sooo wet! She can't possibly leave it on now.

Not very territorial or anything like some of the others, but very eager to scent you. Her smell is like a spring breeze, like clover, and she loves to rub it on you whenever she can.

She's on you constantly. Doesn't care if you're in the middle of cooking or prayer, she's pulling you flush against her and purring raunchy things in your ear, giggling and nipping at your neck until she's convinced you to have some fun.

She's not private about it. Unless you would prefer otherwise, she likes to show you off right in front of the other ghouls, placing you on the counter right there so she can please you with her strong fingers.

Dewdrop

The poor man is downright feverish the entire cycle. He's flushed and breathing heavily and his hormones and sparring instincts make him snippy with the other males.

Oh, but he's so good for you. He melts into your touch when you hold his face in your hands as if it soothes all the fire in him.

As if he isn't lewd enough on a normal day, he's downright filthy during his rut. He has the most impure ideas for every piece of furniture in the cathedral and he relays them to you in detail.

You two are forcibly excused from mass when he starts feeling you up right in the middle of it. He'd let you have him right there in the aisle if you weren't opposed to it, onlookers be damned.

When you catch him jacking himself off he doesn't stop, he slows down a little to give you a show. He loves to do it while you're watching. You can give him a hand or just sit and watch, either way he's begging you to go further afterwards. He needs you inside of him or needs to be inside of you.

Not super territorial, but he does love sparring. Wrestling with a friend is a good way to blow off steam and he doesn't mind if he looks cool kicking someone's ass and manages to impress you.

It's really hard for him to focus on much else but you when he's flooded with hormones like this. He can't help it. All that's on his mind day and night is feeling you against him and burying himself inside of you.

But when he eats you out or sucks you off, that's when he really loses his mind. He's already so painfully horny and the scent of your sex totally overtakes him and makes his mind hazy. You're not leaving for the night.

Don't hold it against him if he's a little sappier than usual, or if his kisses are a little longer. It's not just about mating; rut makes him needy for comfort and attention too. It takes a lot of energy out of these ghouls, and often leaves them sore, so the extra comfort means a lot to him right now.

Mountain

Obviously the earth ghouls rut the most. The elk of the forest are where the term comes from. He sheds velvet from his horns during the season and the look of blackened demon blood dripping from horns is pretty sick.

His rack is hands down the most impressive and lets him stand up to even Aether in a duel. He is giddy if you compliment the horns, tail flicking around happily knowing his appearance pleases you.

The most territorial, the most willing to brawl, the most protective. Earth ghouls have the strongest rut instinct. It's hard for him to even see you talking to another ghoul without daydreaming about taking you right in front of them. The daydream gets him hard and flustered and he sheepishly approaches you to ask for some "help".

An incident occurs when a visiting diplomat kisses your hand and a hormone-fueled Mountain has him backed up to the wall in seconds, gnarly horns at the man's throat and growls rumbling from deep in the demon's chest.

You manage to soothe him by petting his chest and asking him to stand down. After a few moments he reluctantly releases the man, who scurries off.

His head clears and Mountain quickly apologizes, but honestly, it was the hottest thing ever, and you're pulling him in to make out. By the time the diplomat tattles about being "attacked by a demon" you've already backed Mountain into the nearest chair to ride him.

It's part of his mating display to show that he can provide. He'll lead you out into the woods where he's set up a spot to sit together and brought more food than you can eat, but he's eager to watch you eat it, fill up on it. He hopes if you're satisfied that you'll accept him and let him pleasure you.

Phantom

Poor, poor sweet boy. It hits him the hardest. He is absolutely the most sensitive. Even feeling up his arm or kissing his cheek a few times gets him worked up. Smile at him across the room long enough and he'll get hard, honestly.

He's embarrassed to approach you about it at first, so you'll have to encourage him. He's quite enthusiastic once you reassure him that you don't mind, though.

He finds it fun to engage in some of the sparring matches, but honestly he's kind of inexperienced in fighting and gets thrown around easily. He's such a good sport about it though and he's laughing most of the time, so it puts everyone in a good mood.

His scent is very subtle and his horns pretty simple and small, so he tries to groom himself really nicely, hoping you'll still enjoy his appearance. Maybe puts a little soft perfume or cologne on hoping it will help entice you.

Your scent makes him crazy. It distracts him instantly when you step into the room. He can track you down anywhere in the ministry, every instinct in his body driving him blindly towards the sweet smell. You don't really hear him come in and so you jump a little when his arms slip around you and he buries his face in your neck to breathe you in.

Please let him have you. His voice is low and breathy as he begs you to let him breed you, or to breed him. You feel so warm against him it makes his head swim. His hands are shyly nudging under your shirt as he tells you how badly he needs it.

His libido is highest at night, when the ministry falls quiet. He feels terrible keeping you awake but you're so pretty laid out on your bed with the silver moonlight from your window illuminating your soft body, and he's so painfully hard.

[kink/somno warning] He'd never think of the idea himself, but if you offered to let him relieve his urges while you sleep, he's so grateful. He worships your body with kisses, always cleans you up perfectly, and always showers you with praise and thanks the next morning.

Rain

Pretty flushed and sensitive during his rut, though not so much as Phantom. He's very pliant when you approach him, willing to let you pull him away somewhere or climb up on his lap any time you want.

Beware that he has the most endurance and he will overstimulate and breed the fuck out of you. He's sweet and passionate but there's an unavoidable mess after your long sessions. You both need a bath afterwards and he ends up taking you in there too.

He makes a good little love nest in his room and honestly just keeps you there the whole cycle if you'll allow it. You don't have to do a thing. He'll keep you fed and groom you and all you have to do is lay there and be his good baby and let him pleasure you.

Not much for the sparring like other ghouls but he likes to egg the others on mischievously. Sometimes he'll nip at someone while they're not looking and pin it on another ghoul. Then he'll use the ensuing brawl as a distraction to drag you off somewhere.

--and, sometimes that is literal. When his hormones are really raging he'll just throw you over his shoulder, or bind your hands with the nearest thing he can find and quite literally drag you away, while telling you everything he's about to do once you're secluded.

Your excited giggles and little squeals make his heart flutter.

He is just as excited when you take him just as roughly. You can tie his hands to the headboard and he's already squirming with an eager, breathy "yes, yes!" escaping his lips before you've even climbed atop him.

He is so vocal when you do sink down on his cock and ride him. You're so warm and he's so sensitive right now. He does not care who in the ministry hears his absolutely whorish moans.

Swiss

As if he wasn't already unhinged.

The way he writhes and ruts against the floor on stage? Imagine him flooded with demonic hormones and out of his mind horny.

Wait, that's still how he normally is. Imagine that doubled. Mans will literally grind against your leg like a dog.

He's dying to pleasure you, honestly. It's a common sight to see him on his knees in front of you, panting with his tongue out as he waits for you to ride his face. He wants to drown in the scent of your sex, squished between your thighs.

He is constantly hard, his cock straining against his pants almost 24/7. He'll start to calm down and then he catches your scent on the air and he's stiff again. He tries to wear looser clothes during rut.

Of course, he loves to spar. He's already rowdy on a daily basis, he loooooves when rut rolls around and he gets to roughhouse with the other ghouls. It's a very nice bonus that he gets to show off for you, naturally!

Which brings us to territorial instincts. Swiss is the farthest from aggressive usually, but his rut is strong enough that you get to see more of the truly ghoulish side of him. He's very growly with strangers coming near you. You've never seen that toothy grin twist into a snarl before, but you see it now when you're out in public and some man presses too close to you for Swiss' liking.

You don't think you've ever heard such a noise from him, such a deep and guttural growl, but it... really does something for you. You hurry him home, both for the public's safety and because you need to ride him. He is overjoyed to fulfill your request.

Cumming inside of you is already his favorite thing in the world, if and when you allow him. He will literally beg for it now, his face flushed, sweaty hair clinging to his skin, his voice hoarse. Please let him breed you.

[tanukibby]

Get ready for more ghoul kit headcannon (feel free to share your own. I adore them)

Water ghoul kits squeak like crocodiles

Earth ghoul kits are quiet, they don't usually make sound but a few bleat like a lamb or a deer.

Fire ghoul kits make grunting noises.

Air ghoul kits chirp and whistle.

And Quintessence ghouls grunt, mimic the noises other kits make, or they don't make noise at all.

Water ghoul kits make the most noise because they're not used to being heard underwater so they don't know when to be quiet. One of the many reasons why they're separated from other kits in the return program.

Just imagine walking into the aquatic nursery and hear

"Squeak squeak sqeak squeak squeak squeak" as all of the water kits just watch you. They also make frog noises if they sleep close to the surface of their aquariums (they sleep in aquariums because kits are more prone to drying out and getting sick than adults.)

Most ghoul kits are fine with whatever element their caretakers are in the Return Program. Water kits, however, need water ghoul caretakers or a multi ghoul with a water ghoul trait for the same reason why they are separated and in aquariums. They will dry out when being handled and in a pouch, especially when in a pouch.

Quintessence ghouls have the potential to handle them without drying them out, but even then they have to take precautions.

Fire ghoul kits aren't as hot as the adults, as in they're lukewarm, so they can be handled comfortably... until they're fussy. They burn hot when they get fussy and have to be handled with oven mitts by non fire ghouls.

Earth kits are often times the biggest out of all the elements, but sometimes that isn't the case. Pebble was always small, even as a kit.

The cuddliest kits are the air and Quintessence kits. That's just how they're brought up. Air kits are used to roosting with nest mates. Quintessence kits are raised communally, they take the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" very literally.

Fire kits aren't the temperamental ones, it's the air kits. Air kits are territorial over things, it's just their nature. They mostly grow out of it.

[miasmaghoul]

Considering the idea of quintessence ghouls being able to make themselves invisible. They can just sort of...shimmer out of view if they focus their power enough. Like how Swiss can melt into shadow, quintessence ghouls can bend and fold light to vanish themselves. Not an ability they make common knowledge, of course, but they all use it in different ways.

Imagine Omega, always at Terzo's side even when he can't be seen. A protector, a stalwart and silent companion devoted to keeping his beloved Papa safe from any who would dare to threaten. It makes them think that Terzo has power beyond what any Papa has had before - how else could you explain someone being thrown across a room with no more than a wave of his gloved hand? It's exhausting for Omega, requires a bit of a recovery period, but that's alright. Terzo cares for him in the aftermath every time, just as devoted to his ghoul as Omega is to his Papa. The only other person who knows of this skill is Sister Imperator, and Omega likes to keep it that way.

Imagine Aether, learning the same trick from his mentor but using it more to keep himself sane. It's not something he does frequently, he finds it incredibly draining and has too many responsibilities to make it a common occurrence. But some days the abbey is just too loud, and there's nowhere for him to go without being pestered by siblings, clergy members and anyone else who's decided they need his attention. So he just...disappears for a while. He could be sitting on the couch plain as day and no one would be the wiser. It's incredibly freeing, on the rare occasion he puts it to use. He does it even less post-retirement, most of his magickal resources poured into healing others, but once in a while he'll still indulge. Sneak off to the library for a quiet cup of tea and dissappear between the stacks for a bit. Copia, Dew and Aeon always know where to find him, though - but they don't go searching. They all know that, if Aether needs isolation, there is no reason to interrupt.

Aeon, though, is a different breed of quint.

Curious as a kitten and with more power than he knows what to do with, he frequently uses his invisibility for more nefarious purposes. Sneaks into the human wing for panty raids, scours the kitchens when he gets too high but has already hit his snack quota, even wanders into the parts of the abbey that are off-limits to everyone but the higher-ups.

His favorite thing, though, is his ability to be a nasty little freak with no one being the wiser. It makes him the worst sort of voyeur, sneaky and with no regard for privacy. He peeps on everyone, through cracked doorframes, keyholes and open windows, in plain sight but still unseen.

One day, mid-afternoon, he hears a familiar series of soft but drawn out moans. Aeon cloaks himself immediately, already chubbing up and giving himself a shameless grope. It's not like anyone can see, after all. He pads down the hall to find Rain's door halfway open, those lovely sounds pouring through the gap. It's accompanied by what can only be called a rhythmic squelching sound, and Aeon licks his lips as he peeks around the doorframe.

Where he finds Rain, knelt in front of the ornate floor-length mirror that lives by his closet, naked as the day he was summoned and flushed right down his pale chest. He moves like water, spread thighs tensing and relaxing as he rides what Aeon recognizes as one of Swiss' preferred dildos. Rain has his tail wrapped around the base, hands free to explore every inch of himself. He's beautiful always, but like this - admiring his own reflection while pinching his lovely pink nipples, elegant fingers tracing the lines of his own throat, sliding down to give his cock slow pulls that have him leaking a puddle onto the hardwood floor - Rain isn't just beautiful. He's lust itself, sin incarnate, and Aeon has to get closer.

He leans just inside the door, in a warm patch of sunlight that paints Rain in golden hues. Hard as a rock and pulsing in his boxers, Aeon presses the heel of his hand to his crotch and starts to hump. Matches the rolls of his hips to Rain's slow bounces, picturing his own cock sliding into that slick hole and biting his lip when a soft moan threatens to escape. He may be unseen, but he can certainly still be heard.

Rain's clearly been at this for a while, judging by the sweat glistening along his brow and making his luscious curls stick to the back of his neck, and soon enough he starts to bounce faster. Little punched out grunts fill the air, the slick sound of his hand and hole making Aeon's balls ache, and he feels himself drool down his chin when Rain gasps. Leans back on one hand so he can sink down fully onto that thick toy, getting it deep inside, just where he needs it. He's panting, hand flying over his cock, and Aeon has to lean harder against the wall lest his own knees give out.

With a half dozen more tugs, Rain's mouth drops open and they both watch him squirt his load all over that shiny surface. Aeon's right there with him, biting his knuckles until he tastes iron as he soaks a stain into his undies. He shivers through it, eyes crossing, cussing to himself when he watches Rain reach out to drag two fingers through the mess he made. With a soft chuckle he licks it up, sighing happily, and Aeon lets his eyes slip shut while he catches his breath.

"Want a taste?"

Aeon's eyes shoot open, jaw going tense, and in slow motion he watches the shadows in the corner by the window coalesce into something solid.

Swiss leisurely strides over to the mirror, the bulge in his jeans incredibly obvious, and takes hold of Rain's wrist. Laps up the last drops dribbling down his fingers as Rain leans in to nuzzle at his straining cock. Swiss' rusty purr kicks up as he sinks his own fingers into Rain's hair, scratching at his sweaty nape.

"Did such a good job, angelfish," Swiss lilts, Rain's tail giving a happy little swish as it unwinds from the dildo still inside him. "You just love bein' watched, huh?"

Rain hums his agreement, lazily mouthing at the thick outline of Swiss through his pants. Wraps an arm around his thigh so he can really rub his face all over it. Aeon heaves a silent sigh of relief; as much as he would love to watch Rain swallow Swiss down, he's all sticky in his shorts and getting less and less comfy as the moments pass. He straightens up, lets the debaucherous sight of the pair of them burn itself into his brain, and finally tiptoes back towards the hall.

"Leaving so soon?"

Aeon freezes, whole body flushing hot and cold at Swiss' words. It takes him a thousand years to look back over his shoulder, and he finds golden eyes sparkling with intent fixed on his invisible form. Aeon gawps at him, and Swiss grins. Rain doesn't seem bothered in the slightest, dragging his tongue up Swiss' fly.

"You're not as slick as you think, kid," Swiss chuckles, dark and with just enough of an edge to give Aeon goosebumps. Rain giggles, crooks a finger at his hidden form, and Aeon whimpers.

"Who else knows?" His voice cracks when he asks, and Swiss barks out a laugh.

"Lock the door and get over here," Swiss orders him in lieu of an answer, "but I don't want to see you until that cute little dick is nice and hard again."

Oh, he's in so much trouble.

[thehypnone]

thinking about hell...

quintessence ghouls having come directly from lucifer, basically being the pit's royalty; only sometimes abusing the power they wield

water ghouls being the aristocracy, living in coral castles and ornate caves deep in the waters of hell

fire ghouls being the fighters, keeping the peace and, when need be, burning their foes to ash

air ghouls being the artists, their imagination, sight, and touch as soft as their element itself

earth ghouls being the pillar of the society. honest workers, sweating so others don't have to without any complaint; with enjoyment even

and multi ghouls being the outcasts that don't get banished because they're thought of as less, but more; they get banished out of fear of their power

[lilypadlys]

Some assorted ghoul headcanons

If Phantom falls asleep on your lap, prepare to be there a while. Part of it is cat logic: if the cat sits on your lap you sooner die than move. The other part is the fact that Phantom sleeps like the dead. Once he’s asleep, you could literally tip him onto the floor and he wouldn’t wake up. His packmates have had to get creative. The time Phantom cozied up onto Cumulus’ lap while she was crocheting she just barely was able to grab her yarn ball out of the way. Before she could so much as sigh, he conked out. With his middle splayed over her lap, cheek smushed into a throw pillow, and legs on the opposite armrest; there was absolutely no easy way to ease out from under him. With a sigh she just stuck her yarn ball on one of his horns and got back to her project.

When Aether does the dishes, he purposely puts Dew’s favorite mug on the top shelf. Aether does it so he can watch the way the fire ghoul’s back arches and his shirt rides up when he grabs it for his coffee in the mornings. Better still when Dew wanders into the kitchen in just his boxers or sleep pants. Dew knows Aether does it on purpose and in retaliation he puts Aether’s mug in the bottom cabinets so Aether has to bend down to get it and Dew can enjoy the view of his ass.

When first summoned, fire ghouls drink way too much water all the time. The area of the pits they come from is hot and dry so any potable drinking water is to be consumed on sight because one never knows how long they’ll have to go without or who they’ll have to fight for it. As a result, every newly summoned fire ghoul will be territorial about their drinks and down buckets of water like their life depends on it. They end up going through a period of learning how much water their body actually needs and that that water is always going to be available. Omega had to explain to Ifrit several times that “No, it’s not normal to pee that much”, “Please, stop drinking out of the sink”, and “Please stop hissing when someone else uses the Brita”. Dew is quite happy to have missed that phase.

Quintessence ghoul’s have a strange affinity for bananas. Aether adores them in any form. Omega keeps a jar of banana flavored hard candies on his desk in the infirmary. Phantom likes the taste but not the texture. However, the day Cumulus baked banana nut bread, Phantom was in love. Whenever she makes it, she has to make two batches; one for Phantom and one for the rest of the pack (which they have to hide) when Phantom quickly demolishes his stash.

Sunshine often gets a huge burst of energy right before bed. Her packmates have gotten up for a late night snack or water to find her rearranging her bedroom furniture, cleaning the pantry, or even simply having a dance party in the common room in an attempt to tire herself out. On those nights, whoever finds her will make sure she brushes her teeth, gives her a few melatonin, and drags her back to bed with them. Fortunately the melatonin usually knocks her out and she’s able to sleep the rest of the night.

[wrathofrats]

This was supposed to be for kinktober but now it’s for my birthday happy birthday to me

You can wear the crown, but you're no princess

Phantom/rain

2.5k explicit, read under cut or on ao3 thank u to @divine-misfortune for microwaving this w me (:

Warnings for: extremely dubious consent, pervert phantom, rains says no but doesn't mean it, shadow fuckery, degradation, objectification, quintessence fuckery, dumbification. Yes there's aftercare I promise. Just be careful with this one folks

The glass was fogged, but phantom could still see the silhouette of rains hand working rapidly between his thighs. The small images of him pulling rain into his lap and rubbing up and down his legs flooded his vision as he got his magic deeper into rain. It was flattering, even if rain always insisted he didn't like it, he was touching himself in the shower to the thoughts.

There was a small bruise that was blooming on rains hip as he accidentally brushed over it, wincing at how sore it still was. Phantom was a hands little shit, always grabbing at him hard enough to leave a mark. The first time he chalked it up to phantom not understanding his own strength, but by now he was sure he was simply trying to mark him so he would think about him later.

He was a pervert. A gross degenerate that wouldn’t stop groping him and whispering dirty comments when he passed him in the kitchen. Hell, he caught phantom listening through the door one night while he was trying to get off by himself. Sure rain made him help since he wanted to be so nosy, but even if the attentions nice he wished he would just calm the fuck down sometimes.

Sure, a part of him encouraged it, even if phantom just wanted to play grabass with him. He was sick of the games honestly, at least that’s what he kept insisting without pulling phantoms hands from his.

The soap had long since washed and swirled down the drain, rain lost in thought and now just rubbing his hands along his body. Over his tits that were clean and slippery, down his stomach, simply teasing himself while lost in thought about how annoying phantom is.

His fingers skated lower, his back hitting the tile wall as he simply traced back and forth between his folds. Taking his time for the sake of taking his time. Sure, he was annoying, but at least he was useful. Enthusiastic and even when crude, the comments were flattering. Rain can’t get enough of the attention even if he tells phantom he’s a dirty perv everytime he grabs at his chest.

Rain gave a soft sound, sinking to the shower floor as he circled around his clit. The mindless thoughts of phantom telling him how much he wants to fuck him, how cute he is, all only making him work faster.

Phantom stood right at the closed door. A simple shadow that could be explained by the light from the window of rain was even paying enough attention to notice. Quint magic was a hell of a thing, able to wriggle just the smallest of tendrils into his brain through the icy mask he tends to wear to see what’s going on below the surface.

The glass was fogged, but phantom could still see the silhouette of rains hand working rapidly between his thighs. The small images of him pulling rain into his lap and rubbing up and down his legs flooded his vision as he got his magic deeper into rain. It was flattering, even if rain always insisted he didn’t like it, he was touching himself in the shower to the thoughts.

Rains thoughts are filthy, it’s nice to know how he really feels. Those silly boundaries he always insists upon, simply there to keep the illusion of modesty, just waiting to be crossed. Rain wants phantom to make him uncomfortable, wants phantom to stop playing games and simply take what he wants.

His magic pulsed in his temples, as if this is what it truly wanted. It wants to burrow into him and live there, take him completely, almost too much for phantom to control.

The lights flickered in the bathroom while rains too lost in his fantasies to notice. Phantom needs to sink his teeth into him, needs to push into his mind until he can take control.

The quintessence wrapped around rains hand, fueling him to go faster as phantom started to push his own ideas into rains head. Twist his fantasies, bend them into what he wants.

Phantom could just hold him down and take, pinned to the bed and gagged so he’s not too whiny like phantom knows he is. Fill him up real good so rain will stop complaining about how perverted he is, poor things no better.

Surrounded by shadow phantom slipped into the shower itself to watch the show he’s earned. He watched as rains thighs trembled while his fingers never slowed in his cunt as he rocked back and forth with his hips.

Desperate, breathing heavy with small whines you’d never hear unless you were right next to him. He’s a greedy little thing. Phantoms quintessence flowed down rains hands, not letting him let up until he could admit what he truly wanted.

Rain came around his fingers with his fist shoved between his teeth to muffle the pathetic cries while he pulsed. His hand didn’t slow, assumed to be the autopilot of working himself through his orgasm but it started to push further, the shocking jolt of overstimulation making him jump as he began to realize what was happening.

The lights were still flickering, a dark shadow sitting at the end of the shower with the water just on the painful side of too hot. His fingers wouldn’t stop, his thoughts wouldn’t stop, the filth was starting to get away from him and lean darker and darker.

The repetition of how slutty he is circled his mind without intending to, images of how phantom could ruin him along with all the words of how he’s asking for it, deserving of it.

Phantom takes the confusion as an opportunity to push all the way into his brain, forcing him to continue to touch himself to whatever filthy ideas he could make him think of. He wants him to say it, admit out loud how much he truly wants him. It would only be polite to give him what he wants since he’s been such a good audience.

The words bubble in rains throat. His mind floating and hazy with the thoughts of how much he wants phantom, but the conscious and more defiant part of him forces himself to choke it down. His mouth strains to keep closed, fingers still moving inside of him painfully with pathetic whimpers pouring from behind his lips. His pride is too much for himself, he can’t admit he truly wants such a desperate freak like phantom.

“Say it rainy” a voice whispered from all around him, no distinct place as the shadow in front of him started to scatter. Something pulled on his hair, forcing his head up and down like he’s nodding with the words want you so bad, need you phantom being muffled and distorted in his throat.

The lights go out completely, a figure slipped behind rains back.

Rain was horrified as he felt phantoms body meld to his with a hand pressed between his parted thighs.

“That’s it- you’re cutest when you’re honest with yourself rain. Been waiting for you to admit it, doesn’t it feel good?” Phantom whispered in his ear, pressing his hand against rains to cup his cunt. Hot and slick, clearly almost rubbed raw by now but rain groans anyways with the pressure.

“You’re such a sick fucking freak!-“ rain protested as phantom let him have some of his free will to speak back. He just wants to hear him be snarky, even in such a vulnerable position like this.

“That’s enough” phantom laughed before taking away his ability to talk again. He used the shock of rain not being able to speak for himself again to push into rain with both of their fingers. Desperate to feel what it’s like for rain to touch himself to the thought of phantom.

Four fingers are almost too much for him. Rain wants to tell phantom to stop touching him but it’s hard to get it out between moans from the tight stretch of their fingers combined, hard to get it out when he knows it’s not true. It’s almost an uncomfortable fullness, too much too fast with phantom completely invading his space and forcing his fingers inside of him, predatory with a filthy lilt to his voice as he whispers in rains ear.

“Don’t you sound pretty huh rainy?” Phantom mouthed at him while rain tried not to squirm like it hurts, or worse, that he fucking likes it. He’s not loosening up even with phantom moving their hands together like he’s trying to force an orgasm out of him.

No, phantom won’t give him the grace of being loose enough to relax. He uses his magic to keep him tight so he has to feel his finger stretch and push into him inch by inch, no give for the pretty thing. He really shouldn’t need it, if he hates phantom so much he wouldn’t be getting loose for him.

A part of it feels violating to be forced open, but only because it’s phantom doing it. At least with water running over him, phantom can’t see the tears of frustration and desperation from needing him to give rain more.

“You’re so tight rain, doesn’t it hurt? You feel shy now that I’ve seen how you act when I’m not around?” It’s odd. He can’t see anything in the dark bathroom except the glint of purple when phantom feeds him more and more magic.

“Tell me what you want rainy, loosen up a bit” rain can’t find the words to respond. The force of their fingers being too much for him to even begin to try and talk. He just spreads his legs further for some kind of relief, mouths please- because it’s all he can manage.

It feels too good, overstimulating, practically taking the air out of his lungs as the water pelts him. Phantom doesn’t know what he’s pleading for truthfully, more? To stop? For him? He would’ve hoped rain knew better than to let him assume.

“It hurts, please just let me-“ rain croaked, his throat feelings raw.

“Oh I bet it does babe, just hurt bad huh?”

“J-just make it better phantom, please”

Phantom loosens the magic a bit on him to let him enjoy how it feels to be nice and full. He wants him to know what he gets when he’s good, when he listens, lets rain melt into the pleasure as he is finally allowed to enjoy phantom stretching him wide.

“Oh fuck phantom-!” Rain cried weakly as the bliss kicked in. It could drive phantom wild, he almost doesn’t want to stop. He loves seeing him almost euphoric just because of how he touches him, could drink it in forever.

“Gotta tell me what you want rain, I’ve been such a good audience for you, it’s the least you could do” phantom crooked his fingers up, making rain arch against his chest. He could feel like slick almost pouring out of him, gushing around his fingers every time he hit that sweet little spot inside of him.

Rain can’t help but babble aimlessly, admit whatever dirty secrets he can just to see if phantom will finally give him what he wants. Pretty thing will do just about anything to get a cock inside him. It would be pathetic if it wasn’t so hot.

“Use me, make me your brainless sex doll, fuck me till I sob please”

Phantom can’t help but giggle a little at how whiny he sounds. His fingers don’t stop, don’t let up their assault on rains cunt while rain continues to beg and plead with phantom. It’s borderline sadistic, just watching the poor thing writhe in his arms.

He just lets him dig his own grave, the longer he doesn’t give him any validation and sits in silence the more rain begs and ramps up his ideas in hopes that phantom will just give him something.

“Stretch me out on your cock” rain cried “drag me to the common room and show them how sloppy i get for you”

“Oh? For me?”

“Only for you phantom”

Phantoms ears perked up at the plea. It’s cute, interesting at the very least. Prim and tidy rain begging phantom to fuck him till he’s too loose for anyone else is truly a sight to behold. Usually too good to be touched by him, claims he’s filthy and will taint his good image somehow. But this? Adorable.

“You can’t possibly mean that rainy, you’re much too proper for that-“

Rain almost trips over himself to tell phantom he’s wrong. Babbles he’s not above being used, not above being a plaything. It’s all he wants if that’s what phantom wants from him. He only wants what phantom does. It’s a dangerous ego stroke.

He should learn to be careful with his words if phantoms being honest. If phantom is this bad when he thinks rain despises his very being, then how will he act now that he has actual permission to use him up?

It’s too tantalizing, at least Swiss and aether act like they have some regards to rains safety and dignity when they play with him. But phantom? Phantom acts like he doesn’t care one bit, and it makes rains mouth water.

“Could just break you right open, leave you fucking gaping. What would the other me think seeing their little flashlight all stretched out and used up huh?”

“Please- please phantom I-“ rain struggled. He turned to grab at phantom, trying to pull his head down for a kiss while begging for his cock, asking him to tear him in half. His movements are clumsy, phantom won’t give him a single inch while rain paws to draw him closer. He feels like he’s burning up under the scalding water, and phantom might just fix his cluttered head.

It’s not fair, he keeps teasing him and it’s not fair. Rains begged, he’s done what he was told, and phantom is still laughing and taunting him. There’s the small face of a chase kiss on his lips as phantom leaned over him for rain to press against. He doesn’t kiss back, just lets rain make out with him while phantom stays still. It’s fun to let rain embarrass himself with being needy.

Rain finally was able to push phantom back enough to turn and straddle him. He grabbed at his cock, so close to getting what he needs.

It’s rude. Phantom could just smack him for being so forceful. He should be ashamed of himself for trying to push himself onto phantom like that, just a pervert trying to cop a feel because he can’t control his urges.

“That wasn’t very polite, was it rainy? You can’t just force yourself onto other” phantom grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the shower while rains too stupid to realize he’s nothing but a hypocrite. He feels horrible, embarrassed that he would act like that.

“I’m sorry- phantom please I didn’t mean to-“ rain stumbled over his apology through tears while phantom manhandled him onto the cold floor.

“Hope you still want to be used like a sex doll sweetheart”

——————

Some bonus after care bc that was a lot and I know it and fluffy raintom

“You alright rainy?” Phantom brushed his hand through rains hair, sliding it down to caress his cheek. His eyes were half lidded, body aching as he laid in his bed. He gave a weak nod along with a smile, reaching to overlap his hand on phantoms.

“I didn’t break you did I? Was it ok?” Phantom asked. It was a lot, a rough scene even for them. It made his heart flutter a bit when rain gave a small giggle.

“I’m fine, told you I wanted it didn’t i?”

Phantom climbed over him to settle under his comforter, snuggling close to rains cold body.

“I’m just checking, weirdly enough I love you and want to make sure you’re safe”

Rain shoved his face into phantoms neck, still laughing a bit.

“I know dork”

[meldingintheunderdark]

Halsin's ending is not a beautiful, pain free dream

I don't know if this opinion is unpopular because my return to tumblr is so recent, but hear me out. I will not speak about Tavs since I don't ever play them. My post will be solely focused on Halsin solo romanced by the Dark Urge, i.e. Sszazar who fought tooth and nail for redemption.

Rationally, I understand that some players are satisfied with his ending, yet I find it soul crushing all the same. It's the perfect example, nay, the quintessence of Halsin's problems. A messy knot of unaddressed traumas, of questionable decisions, the embodiment of his perpetual fuite en avant (rushing ahead to avoid something, to repeat actions that led to a first crisis).

His project is a clear attempt to fulfill needs forever denied: to have a family of his own, a community where he's at long last free from the shackles of leadership, or even to follow his own path as a druid, away from the suffocating traditions of the Emerald Enclave. A commendable project, but too ambitious for one man.

Indeed, Halsin's plan is his and his alone. Although he spoke of his desire to have a family or to help the unfortunate children, the PC is not directly involved in preparing the commune. They are kept in the dark until Halsin is ready to leave without them.

Halsin single-handedly shoulders the planning and the responsabilities that the future settlement entails. Needless to say, for centuries now, he has favored a paradoxical approach of avoidance and obsessive behavior combined with extreme guilt trip to deal with his own troubles, even distorting traumas to make them palatable. In my opinion, his solitary preparation is the expression of said approach.

They won. Faerûn is saved. The shadow curse is no more. It could be the ideal time to slow down, to assess the extent of damage after such a nerve-racking adventure. Yet Halsin is already rushing into another long lasting project involving countless settlers, among them nine whole wagons of children. He's restless. Instead of turning inward to acknowledge his shortcomings, to simply heal, he barrels along at full speed, continuing his never-ending cycle of avoidance. What about his failings as the archdruid of the Emerald Grove? A group of haggard tieflings and his absence were sufficient to let hate and cruelty fester amongst his druids. How did he fail to notice the rampant corruption? Were the Shadow Druids manipulating his people under his nose? Why did he welcome the refugees, exhausted and traumatized, only to abandon them because Aradin was going to the shattered sanctum?

Halsin must do everything alone. He welcomes the tieflings. He leaves with Aradin because he must deal with the shadow curse. Survivor guilt. If it's about himself, his most vulnerable side, then Halsin oft deals in absolutes.

Ironically, he cannot save Thaniel and his realm on his own. Although far-fetched, I personally interpret Halsin's personal questline as his reflection.

Halsin's questline is his reflection

He's obsessed with the shadow curse, without a true confident for a good century, and neglects his druids and the tieflings he decided to shelter. Out of the blue, he chooses mercenaries to support him in his irrepressible, compulsive endeavor. Unfortunately, wrong team, they fail. He is then caged like a rabid animal, at the mercy of goblins who don't communicate with him at all. There is nobody to listen to him, to his worries, to his needs. He's once again alone, like he had been with the drow captors.

The PC gives him his freedom back when no one else would, thus he faces his main fixation obsessively with this newfound support. And yet... Who listens to him? Who finds Art Cullagh? Who finds the lute? Who finds Oliver? Who kills Ketheric? The PC.

He goes to the Shadowfell to find Thaniel, alone, protected by his allies. He wants that light, that friendship, that support. (The portal with a warm, comforting glow attacked by shadows, the fact he can die if the portal is destroyed while he's seeking Thaniel… The portal could be a representation of Halsin, of the positive changes he yearns for, but he cannot progress as he's attacked by doubts, old pains, traumas.) He comes back with Thaniel, split in half. Thaniel and Oliver are reunited by the PC who, if the right options are selected, encourages Halsin to soothe Oliver.

During the last push to chase the shadows, if he's in the team to vanquish Ketheric, he's supported and led by the PC.

I know my interpretation is highly disputable, nevertheless, his questline is so him. That positive side, Thaniel, hollow. The darkness, Oliver, deeply lost and lonely, surrounded with shades that are his pseudo friends. Thaniel and Oliver are stronger together, however the curse is still overwhelming. The PC carries Halsin all the way till the shadow curse is lifted.

And the very last cutscene is all about Halsin and the PC watching nature blooming once again. Hope for a better, brighter future.

Halsin: I don't deserve you, my friend.

Halsin needs support. Don't get me wrong, he's a capable adult. He can take care of himself. Yet the glaive (though it was in EA) ended in a lone, secluded vault. Out of sight, out of mind. Halsin has been alone for so many years that he craves the support of his trusted equal to progress. It doesn't make him weaker or less of an adult. It's merely a lot less wearing to be helped by someone who reciprocates care happily and willingly.

The consequences for the commune and the orphans

All that scarcely credible yapping about his questline to say that Halsin tends to shoulder responsabilities alone, too many, far too many, with little to no self-empathy. That, without proper support, he tends to fail and hurt himself, to repeat situations which have already wounded him in the past (cf. my post about the drow twins). So, what does it mean for the commune?

I assume he will fail to nurture an environment without a vertical organizational structure at first. The hierarchy won't be similar to the Grove's, however he will become the de facto leader because he cannot for the life of him acknowledge his deepest, most painful shortcomings. Case in point:

Halsin: All these months, and I haven't been away from what we built together. There's a whole community out in Thaniel's realm that has never known a day without our presence. Halsin: Being away from it... I cannot help but worry how they will fare in our absence.

He will surround himself with like-minded people, nevertheless, we must not ignore the fact he's an archdruid, a 350 years old elf as he loves to repeat, and one of the saviors of Baldur's Gate. His experience, his fame and his tendency to burden himself are a recipe for disaster. Six months after the Elder Brain's defeat, the commune depends heavily on him. He fled leadership, only to become a leader again.

Halsin: At last count, there were nine whole wagons of children in tow. They are my duty now. 'Daddy Halsin', they call me. Who am I to tell them otherwise?

The Daddy Halsin has been "memed" to death. From my point of view, it's jarring. When Halsin reveals his plan, he barely mentions adults and doesn't associate them with the kids. His statement is crystal clear. The nine wagons of children are his duty. He's their caregiver, their new father figure. Not one parent, or one guardian among many, but the one they call Daddy. From his point of view, the concept of family seems to be eminently traditional.

Halsin: I just hope the children get by without me there for their bedtime stories...

Ultimately, the orphans will be neglected temporarily because Halsin cannot provide the necessary parenting, the emotional support nor the individual time any child deserves on his own. Furthermore, these children are extremely vulnerable. Abandoned, parents and siblings killed by the Absolute forces, who knows? It may last a week, but Halsin needs to realize first that he cannot be their only Daddy, otherwise he will hurt them. Not out of malice, not on purpose, just because he's deeply entrenched in his views and his longings.

The Dark Urge

Halsin is overly positive about the refugees wishing "to praise the savior of Baldur's Gate", adding that "quite a few little fans will be overjoyed to make your acquaintance". I won't ever believe that every single settler will be in awe of The Dark Urge, a war criminal, a murderer and a former Bhaalspawn. I can't imagine no one would demand revenge, swift and brutal justice, that nobody would directly conflate Sszazar and the destruction of their home, the death of their friends, their lovers, their families. That everyone will be levelheaded, willing to forgive and forget, or downright clueless about his identity. Not everybody will be magnanimous like Alfira. Would Halsin choose to lie by omission or be truthful about his lover's bloody past? A commune built on such a massive lie won't withstand the revelation of this ugly secret.

Henceforth, people who suffered because of the cult will be exposed, day after day, to the sole surviving Absolute mastermind. The cause of their plight is their next-door neighbor. At first, it will surely go beyond petty disagreements. Some may leave and never return. Halsin's reputation may be tarnished since he loves and shelters a war criminal. He sold them his dream without the Dark Urge because he was persuaded to be unworthy of commitment and love.

All in all, I don't think his dream will crash and burn, but I believe the canon scenario forces the happy ending devoid of nuances upon the player. Truth be told, I imagine the commune will go through a rough patch, especially if the Dark Urge is present. I won't even talk about the logistical side of the commune. Tending the crops, buying tools, managing resources, so many details... With luck, Thaniel is a real powerhouse and can heal his realm in the blink of an eye. I doubt it.

Halsin's ending is, as depicted in game, a beautiful nightmare.

[09/15/24 - edited for clarity, grammar and to highlight that I hc Halsin's failures as temporary]

[iamthecomet]

can we please get something on Swiss getting off to being begged/talked to (about himself) in bedroom? he'd grab Mountain by the back of his neck and demand he tells him how hot and tight he is, how much Mount wants him, etc. this gets worse when he tops. he loves fucking Rain cus when he stops and tells him to tell him how much he needs swiss's dick he starts babbling right away. same with Aeon.

Took a quick trip deep into the ask box today. I'm sorry this is more than 6 months old. I knew I saved it for a reason. Mixed this ask with some quintessence fuckery because I can. 700 words of Aether/Swiss under the cut

"Tell me how it feels," Swiss whispers. Breath hot over Aether's lips. Hand locked against the back of his neck, fingers digging in.

Aether can't hold his gaze—it's too intense. He has to look away, look down at the sweaty expanse of Swiss' chest, at the way it heaves. At his knees pulled up almost to his ears with how he's folded him in half. How can he even think like this, let alone speak.

But Swiss digs his fingers in harder, little pinpricks of pain and Aether hisses in through his teeth.

"Tell me," Swiss says, insistent now, voice firm. "How it feels."

Aether swallows, throat painfully dry. He slows down, an steady drag instead of a pounding rhythm. It doesn't really make it easier to think—but it makes it so he can speak at least. Words coming out stuccato as he pulls them forcefully from brain to tongue.

"Hot. So fuckin' hot, Swiss. And tight—Fuck."

Swiss' grin is wolfish as he clenches down, squeezing Aether's cock as he presses in deep. Teasing. "How tight?"

"Satanas, Swiss don't do this to me right now."

"Wanna know, wanna make sure I'm making it good for you."

"You know you are," Aether growls, tipping his head back so he can look at the ceiling instead of the ghoul beneath him.

"Like when you tell me," Swiss mumbles, and Aether could almost believe the softness in it if it wasn't Swiss. He sees the way Swiss' cock kicks when Aether talks about him.

"Is it smooth? Soft?"

"Fuck."

"Please, Aeth."

Aether can't resist fucking him a little harder, driving him a little further up the bed with each rough thrust, anything to get Swiss to shut up—to stop making him focus on what it feels like. He can't think about that—not right now. It's not fair.

"Bet you wish you could fuck yourself, huh?" Aether pants, pushing in as deep as he can go. Planting a hand on the back of Swiss' thigh to fold him further, get deeper, reach places Swiss can never feel of himself. He feels soft flesh part around his cock, flutter against the head. Swiss's breath catches in his throat, the next noise he makes is wounded, but in a way that makes Aether's cock kick.

"You do, don't you? You're jealous that I get to fuck you and you can't fuck yourself."

Swiss doesn't have the wherewithal to disagree. He just nods, dumb, mouth going slack as Aether fucks him in earnest.

"Shame you'll never know."

"Aeth," Swiss' voice cants up in desperation. "Tell me, fuck, please just tell me."

Aether slows to a stop, pressed as deep as he can go. Swiss clenches involuntarily around him, squeezing base and head hard enough that Aether swears he sees stars. He digs his fingers into the meat of Swiss' thigh, the other hand is braced up by his head, fingers almost close enough to tangle in Swiss' locs.

"I could show you," Aether says finally, grinding in deeper. "Could give it to you."

Aether inches the fingers on the bed closer, can almost brush his thumb against Swiss' temple.

"You want to know how it feels?"

Swiss' eyes go wide as ozone crackles in the air, Aether's dark eyes eclipsed by purple sparks. Swiss mouth drops open, he angles his head toward Aether's hand, begging for contact without words. He wiggles his hips down, coaxing Aether impossibly deeper.

"Say it," Aether demands. Holding Swiss' gaze with a matched intensity. If Swiss wants to play games—Aether will play them too.

"Yes. Please. Fuck. Show me how it feels."

Aether bends down, presses Swiss' knees further down and apart, his lips brush over Swiss'. Swiss tastes the quintessence on them. When Aether's tongue presses into his mouth sensation doubles. Swiss could cry with it—it's too much. He can feel everything.

But most notably, he can feel the soft heat of himself. Can feel the squeeze when he clenches. Can feel the way he parts for Aether as he thrusts in, the way he grips him—tries to keep in—as he pulls out.

Swiss only lasts three more thrusts.

Aether lasts four.

[deramin2]

Laudna going through a spiral about whether Ashton is a bad person because he wanted the power of both shards and did something stupidly dangerous to do it vs. Laudna deliberately feeding Delilah by using Hunger of the Shadow on Bor'Dor and Willmaster Edmuda.

Absolutely love it. Girl please keep projecting your worst fears about yourself and destructive habits on your friends and get scared of them without ever stepping back and assessing your own actions, it is delicious.

Bonus points that Imogen and Laudna are the biggest enablers of each other and not at all inclined to check each other's negative behaviors. Imogen still has a healthy fear about her powers, though, especially right now.

Meanwhile Laudna is still convinced that Orym is fine and the stable one while no one questions how Orym got Hex or that he's willingly using Ludinus' Quintessence Array to drain Edmuda of her life force. A totally normal stable good guy thing to do. Definitely no nosedive here. Although Laudna is irritated at him for pressuring everyone to keep going and not back down, and that he got the Quintessence Array use and not her. (Because again, she is trying to feed her own need for power.)

Somehow Fearne is the only one who's beginning to think they all might be going too far and getting scared, but they're not really listening to her. She saw her potential to become Dark Fearne and actually reevaluated her life. (Even if she's still a chaos being.)

Bell's Hells are great because they're like NPCs who ended up as the B-Team who keeps happening to be in the right place at the right time to be in the middle of all these events leading to this cataclysmic events that are so much bigger than they are. It's FUN that it's happening faster than they can recon with it and they're getting more and more desperate to not go under in a way that is actually making them go under faster.

They're seeing it in each other but not in themselves. That's the tragedy. They're so desperate to win it doesn't matter at what cost anymore. They're all just competing to see who can sacrifice themselves for the cause first while dragging their enemies down with them. They're going to end up being the monsters someone else has to fight, even though they kept trying to do good and fight the darkness.

[farter-imperator]

Thinking about Dew's element change going wrong, and he gets burned badly.

Admitted to the infirmary straight away, put in a quarantined room. He has to be away from all of the other patients; your skin is your biggest organ and having it burned is just asking for infections.

Dew, sobbing in pain as Aether and Omega wash his charred skin off and rub salve over his body. His cries so raspy, the water in his lungs had evaporated during the elemental change and caused steam burns to his lungs and throat.

Dew, barely able to see. His eyelids were burned badly. His vision is blurry. His vision will come back, with time, but at first it feels like he has cataracts in both eyes. He thinks he can see his new pack peering in at the window at the door, but he isn't sure.

Dew can't speak. His vocal cords were burned. All he can do is groan. Aether establishes a system with Dew; One groan for yes, silence for no.

Dew dreads bandage changes. He tries to say no, over and over. He tries to fight it. It's agony. His bare skin being exposed to the cold, dry air of the infirmary room. The medics checking his burns. Rubbing more salve in. Bandaging him up again. It's a daily occurrence. It never gets easier.

After a few weeks, his new pack is finally allowed to visit. Dew has to identify them by scent, his sight isn't all the way back yet. Cumulus takes a load of minky cloths in different colours and gets the pack members to rub their scent on them. She then gives them to Dew, hoping it'll help him identify them from scent.

Purple for quintessence (Aether and Swiss), green for earth (Mountain), light blue for air (Cumulus and Cirrus), and dark blue for water (Rain). Each cloth has their initial embroidered into it.

Even after Dew heals, after his burns scar over, after his eyesight fully returns, after his lungs heal but the rasp in his voice stays, he keeps the cloths as a comfort. He never leaves for tours without them.

[autisticlancemcclain]

The ship was shaking like a kid holding a goldfish bag.

It was not, in case you were wondering, a good time. 

Keith grit his teeth, planting his boots on the ground and half-walking half-climbing over to Allura, who was paler than Keith had ever seen her. The grip she had on her podium was tight enough to drain the blood completely from her knuckles. Despite his own fear, Keith’s heart softened for her. 

“How is it looking?” he asked, shouting over the noise of a thousand asteroids and a million laser strikes. All while their lions sat, drained of quintessence, locked in their hangars

One goddamn thing after another. Jesus. 

“It is looking bad,” Allura shouted, not taking her eyes off the space in front of her. “I can’t – Coran, I can’t hold it on my own!”

Coran looked back at her grimly. He had probably the most success keeping upright – seriously, was it posture or did he have a steel rod anchored to his back at all times – but even he was struggling against the whipping and shuddering of the massive castleship, attention focused on the controls. Trying to keep the shield up as well as possible, trying to get their own defenses running. Trying, as always, to keep the castle going, even when the odds were a million to nothing. 

“You can,” he encouraged. The effect was less encouraging when a massive asteroid hit the side of the bridge point-blank, throwing him right off the controls and splat into the walls. Despite Lance and Allura’s cries of alarm, he made a startlingly dignified crawl back to the deck controls.

Hell of a man, that advisor. 

He continued once he was steady, sweat beading on his brow but gaze soft and assuring. He waited for Allura to meet his eyes, then nodded, once. “Focus, girl. Hands on the spheres. Mind cool on the exhale. However we need to get out of this – you can guide us. Make your decision. Your team is behind you.”

“Yeah!” Pidge cheered, lifting her fist in emphasis from where Shiro held her steady, eyes trained on her computer screen. Blaring red lines of code Keith could not pretend to read flashing rapid speed in front of her, and she typed back at it just as fast, keeping their crackling systems at bay. “You got this!”

Allura breathed out. The tense line of her shoulders softened, just slightly, despite the ongoing chaos. She lifted her hands and rested them, gently, on the podium spheres as Coran instructed. They glowed. 

“We retreat,” she decided, nodding to herself. “We’re already low on quintessence, standing to fight will drain us dangerously. We must get to safety if we are to survive with our home intact.” She bit her lip, eyes opening. “But, uh, full disclosure, I have enough strength in me to open a wormhole and that is About It. I will be out of commission the moment it closes.”

Hunk shrugged. “We’ll catch you, then.”

“Try not to wormhole us into a black hole,” Shiro suggested, smiling slightly. “We’ll manage anything else, Princess.”

She laughed slightly, thankfully, but within seconds called out for everyone to brace themselves. Keith did as she heeded, or he tried to – but the castle got hit as he tried to crawl back to his seat, sprawling him on the floor. He glanced over at Allura, panicked, but her eyes were already glowing, and the space in front of them was already starting to warp. He swallowed roughly, squeezing his eyes shut. The floor was shaking too badly for him to get his bearings. He couldn’t get his feet under him, couldn’t stand, couldn’t dream to crawl to his seat. He stilled, resigning himself – he didn’t know exactly what would happen if he wasn't strapped down and protected during a wormhole jump, but it couldn’t be good. He had to hope for the best.

“God,” sighed a voice to his left, “you’d die without me, Dropout.”

A hand clenched the back of his jacket and yanked, pulling him tumbling onto another body. Quick as lightning a seatbelt was stretched over him, clicking into place just as the space in front of the castle finally warped, bright blue, and the entire bridge lit up so bright Keith was blind with it. 

When the light finally died down, Keith was half-convinced nothing had changed. The castle stopped shaking, but instead it was plummeting, hard and fast, controls dead and energy gone, towards the surface of a planet. 

“Someone catch Allura!” Coran shouted, and on queue the princess’ eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped forward. Luckily, Hunk had been more prepared than the rest of them, seatbelt already off and arms extended to catch her. He carried her back to her seat, buckling her in carefully, and strapping himself in next to her. Wise move – trying to crawl back to his own seat, fighting against the G-forces, would be near impossible.

There was a click, and then a shove, and then Keith got to feel those G-forces firsthand.

“What the hell!” he demanded, barely managing to catch himself on the arm of the blue paladin’s seat. “I coulda brained myself!”

Lance shrugged, playing for innocent, but a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. Keith could’ve strangled him. “What? Thought I’d let you get back to your own chair. You're welcome for saving you, by the way.”

“Some saving, jerk! We're still falling!”

“Yeah. Personally, I would find somewhere to buckle up.”

“You’re so annoying,” Keith growled, and it was by spite alone that he managed to stomp back to his own seat and buckle himself in. He was bright red, anger making him hot – Lance always made him like this, so furious he could barely blink. One day they’d be making progress, working together like a dream, wiping the floor together, and the next it was like a switch was flipped. Like Lance was reminding himself that he and Keith could never get along. It was ridiculous, and Keith couldn’t for the life of him understand it. Was he so bad?

“Incoming!” Pidge shouted, shaking Keith back to himself. Her screen was now linked up with Coran’s, the only two things on in the entire castle – electronics seemed to come alive when Pidge touched them – and diagrams of the castle systems were blaring red, flashing with symbols Keith didn’t know, but recognised as bad. “The nav and power systems are down! It’s not safe to get anyone back there to force them back on manually, but I think I can get steering up in a sec. Shiro, I need your arm for power. Hunk, keep on Allura, make sure she’s upright when we crash, we don’t want a spinal injury. Lance, Keith, I’m turning steering over to you guys. Don’t fuck it up.”

Despite their bickering, both of them nodded. Neither of them particularly wanted to be turned into paladin pancake anytime soon, so they could collaborate for one thing. 

Seconds after Pidge spoke, a screen flickered to life in front of Keith. Stats blinked back up, glitching rapidly as they translated themselves into words and symbols Keith could understand. The hologram shifted and expanded to its usual 3D model, joystick in the middle, thrusters and controls to his left, a screen with Lance’s comm line to his right. In his little screen, Lance met his eyes, eyebrows raised in question. Keith nodded. Together, they wrapped their hands around the joysticks, breathed out, and let their minds fuse.

As always, it was a freaky feeling. Imagine the weird, shuddery feeling you get when you say the same thing as someone at the same time, voices layering, tone mixing, for a moment your own voice and the voice of a stranger synching into one. The weird, deja-vu-but-not of it, the uncanny valley feel of recognising your own voice but…different. 

Then multiply that freakiness by a hundred, and you still won’t quite get it. 

On some levels Keith was aware that he was his own person. He knew his name, knew his hands, knew his history – or well, some of it. Nothing about himself had changed. 

But at the same time, he was also Lance Esposita-McClain. He knew his name, knew his hands, knew his history, more of it than he could ever get from shared stories or mind melds. There’s no telling the way your sister’s arm feels hooked around your neck for the sixth noogie in as many minutes. There’s no explaining the way your breathing only gets calm with your feet in the saltwater. There’s no describing the curve of your mother’s smile. Nothing Keith was seeking out – no memories he would even know to look for – but they were there, simmering, triggered by a smell or the crook of his finger in a particular way. Memories stored in the body and the soul and the senses, not in the brain, shared when two consciousnesses become one. 

Lance’s mind was hyperspecific. It complemented Keith’s well, with all his flitting, quick detail-oriented observance. As Keith jumped from angle to angle, noticing the planet’s curve, the pull of its gravity, the heat of its atmosphere, Lance zeroed in on an island, one of the only ones big enough for them to land. While Keith kept their craft in control, steering along the air currents, Lance kept them directed, single-minded focus on a stretch of rocky beach – not exactly a soft landing, but not a lot of living things for them to destroy when they crash. (Keith would’ve chosen to land in the meadow. Crushing frogs and bugs or whatever is never something on his top priority list of things to avoid. But he didn’t argue when Lance nudged them towards what is about to be a very bumpy landing.)

“Brace yourself!” he shouted, not daring to look away to make sure his friends were buckled. Trusting that they were, he held his position, letting them plummet, coming closer and closer to splatting on the planet’s surface before finally yanking on the joystick as hard as he could. He felt Lance’s strength twist and tangle with his own, and together the two of them levelled the castle almost parallel with the ground, letting them glide on their own velocity until they slowed down enough to let the bottom of the craft brush against the rocky outcrop. 

It was the most turbulent landing Keith has ever felt, except maybe that time he and Lance crashed blindfolded into a sand dune, and every bump on the ground gave him whiplash. When the castle finally hit the ground for good, dragging them a gauge in the ground for several miles as friction finally slowed it to a stop, the leftover inertia yanked Keith forward so roughly the buckles of his seatbelt made something crack in his ribcage. When the castle finally stopped he got slammed back into his chair so hard he was almost surprised he didn’t fall right through the impenetrable material. 

It took a minute for everything to hit. His connection with Lance had been severed the second they hit the ground, too focused on being, y’know, crashed to keep holding on. After the shock of being tossed around like dice in a cup wore off, which did not take long, Keith’s body made it very clear that yeah, no, armour actually only does so much, and crash landing is one of those things that’s just bound to hurt. His skull pounded. At least one of his ribs was most definitely cracked. His wristed and knuckles ached from the strain of holding up the entire weight of the castle as he’d steered it. He was alive, obviously, but – Jesus. Being alive sucked.

“Sound off,” croaked Shiro from somewhere left of him.

“Ugh,” groaned Pidge. “Screw you, Keith, I hate it when you drive.”

“Next time I’ll be sure to let us crash,” Keith responded flatly.

“Um, you did, bozo, I asked you to land us –”

“The castle was dead! What did you expect me to –”

“Allura and I are both fine,” Hunk interrupted. Amusement lined his voice. “She’s still out, but she’s breathing fine, and I didn’t let her hit anything on impact. She should still get checked out, though.”

“Roger that,” Coran agreed. “Ease your worries, Number Two, you did well. I will have her in the MedBay as soon as our systems are up and running again.”

“Oh, whew, that’s a relief, because I didn’t want to say anything but she kinda jammed her elbow into my sternum by accident and I’m not blaming her or anything since she’s unconscious but I think my spleen may be a little dead, not a huge deal I’m sure but –”

“Everyone quiet!” barked Shiro. “That’s six accounted for! Who’s missing?”

Immediately, heart pounding, Keith whipped to his right. His stomach dropped. The Blue Lion Command Chair was empty – seatbelt torn somewhere on the shoulder, cracked helmet overturned carelessly on the seat. The crisp blue and white lines were marred by a small splash of red. Panic clawed its way up Keith’s throat, and he was out of his seat before he could register unbuckling his own straps, looking frantically around the bridge. 

“He’s here somewhere,” Pidge fretted, “he couldn’t’ve just disappeared –” 

Coran had a gloved hand clenched in his hair. “The windows and walls should be almost impenetrable, there is no way the crash broke them enough to let someone in –”

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck –”

“Guys,” a soft voice interrupted, and Keith could’ve collapsed with relief. The castle has been flipped sideways during the fall, floor suddenly now 90 degrees, and standing at the side of the control board, now the very high top, was Lance. For whatever reason he had climbed it while they bickered, and now stood very still, gloved hand pressed to the glass of the windshield. Blood trickled from his temple, tracing a line down the side of his face, disappearing in the neckline of his armour. “We got company.”

Shifting gears – Keith was about to tear him a new one, when Shiro says sound off you sound off – but froze when he looked out the window, following Lance’s gaze.

Marching towards them, in numbers Keith couldn’t pretend to count, was an army.

— — —

part two